Let me tell you something, friend

Parag:

I'm straight, married for 39 years and from the formerly red state of Indiana, where I strongly supported the election of Barack Obama, even to the extent of canvassing for him, something I have not done in some thirty years. I've never felt as let down as I have by this announcement that Rick Warren is going to be giving a benediction at the inauguration. For decades I've fought against racism, sexism and homophobia, and giving Rick Warren the podium at the inauguration is equivalent to… Continue

Having nothing particular to do today, Janice and I made a trip to the Indiana State Museum. It was constructed in 2002 in the White River State Park, an urban park in the middle of Indianapolis that encompasses the Indianapolis Zoo, this museum, the Eitljorg Museum of Native American… Continue

If I were younger, I would have driven up to Chicago and joined the crowd in Grant Park. 40 years ago, in the summer, I took a bus up to Chicago and joined another crowd in Grant Park, a crowd that was fighting against the Viet Nam War, and the flawed system that was putting Hubert Humphrey in as candidate of the Democratic Party; a crowd that was getting tear gassed and beaten by the police for daring to speak out and demonstrate in our own country. It sure looked a lot more peaceful last night… Continue

This time, I had to go to South Bend, about 130 miles north of here. Nice clear day; I was going 70 mph on the way up, but only about 60 on the way back. South Bend is where Notre Dame University is; Rachel, one of my nieces goes there, but I didn't try to find her (or even Notre Dame, I'm not sure what part of town it is in). It got up into the fifties on the trip home, a cloudless day but with that kind of hazy look you sometimes get in the fall.

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It was a slow day, so I changed the high beam lamp on my motorcycle. This involves removing the windscreen, removing the instrument cluster, removing the front nose cone, removing the headlight assembly and putting in the bulb. You need three different torx wrenches and a phillips to do it. After I got it back together, the bike wanted to go for a ride, so I had to get on my gear and take it out. It was a pretty good day, about 60 degrees F, with lots of sun, but the wind was gusting 30-40 mph,… Continue