To: The US Commander in Thief Today is our daughter’s 21st birthday. She flew home yesterday evening and somehow arranged for and got a COVID test at 9pm last night – she’s a force! In honor of this big milestone birthday where our daughter’s official adult age has finally caught up with her, I’m going … Continue reading Out of the mouths of babes
Emotional Intelligence
The POTUS bok-bok
President* Trump, Hey, so it sounds like you aren’t down with participating in the debate next week since the Commission made the switch to virtual. I don’t know about you, but I’m hearing the insistent ‘bok, bok, bok’ sound chickens make. Before I dig into your anxiety bits, though, I want to sketch out what … Continue reading The POTUS bok-bok
Meta-aikido counter distraction
President* Trump, I thought we were supposed to get some rain starting sometime today, but my weather app is now saying it won’t be until Friday and that thunder and lightening are forecast for Thursday. In this weird gray space we’re in – the air quality is still “very unhealthy” – none of this is … Continue reading Meta-aikido counter distraction
We have to see each other
President* Trump, I’m at the gallery today and because September is my show month I’m getting to sit here with my work on the walls and it’s pretty cool. Mostly people are walking by outside and not stopping, but my sense is there’s a bit more curiosity than usual and a bit more eye contact … Continue reading We have to see each other
Let’s let go of gendered notions of strength ~ now!
President* Trump, So I know that I’m probably supposed to want to focus on the wonderful, powerful parade of women last night during night 3 of the Democratic convention, from the domestic violence survivors who testified before Congress in 1990 ahead of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act to Harris herself throwing shade … Continue reading Let’s let go of gendered notions of strength ~ now!
A big tent made of an awesome patchwork quilt
President* Trump, It wasn’t just the direct references and the montage of images honoring those who were among us who are no longer among us because of your nihilistic responses to COVID-19 and systemic racism that tethered last night’s Democratic convention content to sober, painful here and now realities. It was the whole, whole thing, … Continue reading A big tent made of an awesome patchwork quilt
Litter, hate, Styrofoam, and non-negotiables
President* Trump, One of the many activities that COVID has curtailed for me is picking up litter. It’s just felt too risky and fraught, so for the most part, I’ve re-learned how to tune it out and keep walking even though I know it diminishes me a tiny bit each time. Frankly, this is one … Continue reading Litter, hate, Styrofoam, and non-negotiables
Much better to spread the love
President* Trump, As you well know, I’m rarely at a loss for words and I’ll probably get unstuck in a few minutes, but I can’t figure out how to articulate how confounded I feel about masks. We were out and about for a little while this morning (I’ll tell you why in a minute) and … Continue reading Much better to spread the love
Getting to know our discomfort zones
President* Trump, I’ve been toggling back and forth between two books on my Kindle – Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be An Antiracist and Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. So far it’s been a pretty invigorating pairing as both authors are strong writers and they are adept at using first-person narrative and family stories to illustrate their … Continue reading Getting to know our discomfort zones
Aspiring to “always make new mistakes”
President* Trump, I don’t know whether what I’m going to try and articulate today will end up being coherent enough to send you (which, really is sort of silly given how low the bar is to match your coherence when you’re at your absolute best, but I do have standards for myself and I’m not … Continue reading Aspiring to “always make new mistakes”