So tired. Went to bed early, but that just meant that Creamsicle (the fluffy orange cat) was extra-restless in the wee hours. Had food, didn’t want out, didn’t want to cuddle. I think he wanted to PLAY. Eventually I just tossed him outside, mostly because his cry is so piercing that it’s impossible for me to sleep through.
Yesterday an internet acquaintance posted a link to Hunter S Thompson’s eulogy (?) of Nixon, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Nixon’s birth. I don’t especially care for HST, but found the essay entertaining. If only because Nixon is a sort of totemic figure for me: I was born the day he was pardoned, and have heard many stories of how my mother spent a hot summer of being pregnant watching the Senate hearings. My paternal grandmother claimed to have been in 2nd (?) grade with him, saying that (a) he beat her in the spelling bee, and (b) he was not well-liked. (There was a story about a prank.) When I was 11 (I think), I first learned about Watergate while coming home from Disneyland. I had to help Mom stay up during the late drive; I noticed a “Watergate Motel” near the park, and having heard of it, was curious what it was about. Then I read her copy of All the President’s Men…yes, in junior high school.
When I was a kid I was crazy about Lincoln; read a ton of (kids’) books and admired him hugely. I guess Nixon is the flip side of that, since I’ve also read a bunch of books about him (although none of his own books; OTOH Nixonland is fantastic) and somewhat tongue-in-cheek (but not entirely) am known to say that I’ll blame Nixon for anything. I was reading a book about our health care system that started with a bit of “how we got here” and was entirely unsurprised to read that one of the efforts towards universal health care/insurance fell apart in part because of Watergate.
So the HST line about Nixon bringing together his family in shared loathing (or something to that effect) really resonated.
I’m supposed to go work out again today, and since I have everything, I probably will. I was really balking at braiding my hair, though; doing french braid pigtails is kind of exhausting. I did normal braid pigtails this morning (the braids are really the only way to keep from overheating), but it confirmed again for me that my hair is a problem in getting into a regular exercise routine. Going to call and make an appointment today. (Honest!)
[I miss the title-less era of Blogger. It’s a PITA to come up with titles for these little bits of rambling. I know WordPress will post w/out titles, but I’d need to rework my theme to deal with that.]