Well-seasoned

[Cynique]

Slow day, half way through July and I'm really appreciating that where I am, summer is turning out to be genuine. Hot, blue-skied days, warm nights, balmy breezes, green lawns, blooming flowers, growing gardens, scampering squirrels, chirping birds - thunder storms punctuated with lightning.  I love it all, because for the past few years, my summers haven't lived up to expectations. They would be tentative, sluggish, not sure they really wanted to heat up, and before I knew it the leaves were falling and a cold winter was forecast, leaving me to be content with watching the seasons change. Content, indeed, because there is something awesome about witnessing nature go through 4 transformations during the course of 12 full moons.

Too bad the political climate and its racial overcast  threatens to rain on my parade. Although  I'm currently basking in the weather, the country is clouded by turmoil.  Police shootings sparked by police brutality, "black lives matter" cries neutralized by "all lives matter" retorts, presidential candidates slamming each other as the November election promises to widen the rift between one side yearning for a return to the past of patriotism and Christianity, and the other one demanding a better day for those whom god and country have forsaken. A hot mess. Meanwhile social media has become a virtual battle ground of controversy with each week offering up a new topic to pit ranters against venters; "ad hominem" attacks against "straw man" accusations.  Elsewhere, the pleasantries of conversation and personal interaction continue to diminish, deflated by the demonic device that has possessed smart phone owners. The possibility of this situation being a sign of a future controlled by computers does give me something to ponder on summer morns, a pondering that provides yet another occasion to sigh "who knows?".   

So as July melts into August, the month of my birthday, nothing left for me to do but take life one day at a time and just be grateful that as the world turns, the sun will come up tomorrow. Never thought I'd live to look forward to my 83rd birthday, so I'm ahead of the game - even if I don't make it. 

Like I said: slow day...

[Troy]

{sigh}

"... the pleasantries of conversation and personal interaction continue to diminish..."  

A great conversation was tough even before the smartphone revolution, but it seems virtually impossible today.  Conversation is replaced by groups of people scrolling through their social media feeds until they find something interesting to share.  The cell phone is the focus, rather than the people in the room.

For a while the WWW compensated by allowing people to converse that would never meet otherwise (waving at @Cynique).  But the WWW too been adversely impact from the rise of mobile technology.  Even Facebook is hampered by the rise of people people sharing memes and videos over and over on mobile devises rather than contributing directly to the conversation...

For me, as I get older what seems more remarkable is how quickly the seasons seem to change.  It also seems as though the summers were much hotter when I was younger, but I think that may have to do with the lack of air conditioning growing up :-)

Speaking of conversation I'm going to head down and talk to some folks at the Harlem Book Fair, afterward I'll have a few friends over, share a few beers and not have to worry about anyone with their heads buried in the their "stupidphone."