Can't win for losing...

[Cynique]

Well, The Chicago Cubs ended their 108-year drought and finally won the world series!  I went through the motions of celebrating because this year's team really was the best in the league and deserved the honor. But me, my late husband, and one of my sons have been Chicago White Sox fans since day one, and it's extremely hard for die-hard Sox backers to cheer for the Cubs. And vice versa, as demonstrated by the Cub supporters in my family who were luke warm when the White Sox won the pennant in 2005.

But, if ever Chicago needed a shot in the arm to deaden the shame of the reputation it has gained as the murder capital of America, it is now. This is a good time to remind everybody that with the Cubs taking it all, they have joined the exclusive ranks of Chicago's other winning teams, the Bears, the Bulls, the Black Hawks and the White Sox, making it a city where all 5 franchises  have brought Championship trophies home! So, go Chicago!

But this joyful interval cannot dispel the gloom that has cast a pall over me because even my entrenched cynicism has been unable to sneer at the absurdity of the presidential campaign.  The thought of Donald Trump becoming president totally depresses me, and the possible volatile repercussions if Hillary wins, fill me with dismay.  I grieve for this country even as I struggle not to hate what it has become. 

All I can hope for is that any upheaval that ensues will not prevent me from retreating into the 4 walls of a private tomb where I will contemplate the vicissitudes of this thing called "life".