Dear President Trump, The Apostolic church right next to the main freeway entrance near here has a new quote on its billboard: “Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching”. They incorrectly attribute the quote to C. S. Lewis (according to the C. S. Lewis Foundation it is a paraphrase of … Continue reading Integrity and who is and isn’t watching
Month: September 2018
Vain and greedy
Dear President Trump, The universe sure behaves in some uncanny, weird ways sometimes. After telling you yesterday about the positives of having gotten to see both a hawk and a female jay on the way home from work, this morning on my run I encountered yet another dead bird a couple of blocks away. This … Continue reading Vain and greedy
Staying open to positives
Dear President Trump, Today it’s been exactly a month since our brother-in-law (BIL) passed away. I’m guessing countless people have previously observed this in the aftermath of a close one’s death, but it seems simultaneously like we just left his hospice room a few minutes ago and like it’s been more than a year since … Continue reading Staying open to positives
They just aren’t that into you anymore
Dear President Trump, I read a pretty great WP opinion column the other day but now I can’t find it. Whoever wrote it said something along the lines that you seem to be running out of new tricks to pull out of your sleeves and that your rally audiences are starting to look bored and … Continue reading They just aren’t that into you anymore
Go team!
Dear President Trump, This evening we had a little dinner party so that our daughter’s birth mother and grandmother could say goodbye to her before she leaves for college on Friday. Our best friend came over too (she was our emergency contact for years and years so it was only fitting that she got to … Continue reading Go team!
How is your day going so far?
Dear President Trump, As we head into fall, people are increasingly asking “How was your summer?” Now that I get we are in this mini-season (and out of the “Have anything fun planned this summer?” mini-season), I’m getting better at anticipating it and not responding like a deer in the headlights, wondering whether I should … Continue reading How is your day going so far?
Liar, liar…..
Dear President Trump, When I saw the news midday that Paul Manafort pleaded guilty and will cooperate with the Mueller investigation in exchange for less prison time the taunt “liar, liar pant’s on fire” popped into my head. I was thinking about you, of course, and how you must be feeling the heat now that … Continue reading Liar, liar…..
A vote of confidence
Dear President Trump, I’m sitting at Regan National with a 3+ hour wait before my flight since it didn’t seem worth slogging around town with my suitcase. I am bummed, though, that it didn’t feel safe to wait to leave tomorrow as I really wanted to go to the National Portrait Gallery to see the … Continue reading A vote of confidence
Scratching the surface of Logan Circle
Dear President Trump, It feels somewhat insane to be here in DC today just two days from when Hurricane Florence is set to hit the East Coast. Our VA Center of Excellence has a reverse site visit at Central Office to evaluate whether we are doing what the VA wants and whether our funding will … Continue reading Scratching the surface of Logan Circle
Words and context on 9/11
Dear President Trump, This morning on the 17th anniversary of 9/11 I’ve been thinking about language and words and how differently we talk about the same objective behaviors depending on the message we want to send. For example, we might talk about a person flying an airplane and releasing bombs meant to kill people as … Continue reading Words and context on 9/11