Condo Boards and Congress, Fight Clubs!

Dear you,

This week, Republican Senator Mullin of Oklahoma challenged Sean O'Brien, Teamsters president, to a duel, a fisty one, right on the senate hearing floor. "Stand your butt up."  "You stand your butt up."  That was the challenge and the retort, very fifth grade playground. Fabulous Senator Sanders, brother Bernie, had to remind Mullin that he was a senator, for god's sake. And then, in the House, former Speaker McCarthy was accused of elbowing an enemy congressman in the kidney.

Is this happening or am I failing to distinguish between (once again) satire and reality? As for shenanigans in Congress, in the current online Onion, see "Woman Comes Out of Manic Episode to Discover She's Been Elected U.S. Representative."  (From Florida, naturally.) In the sassy piece, the fictional congresswoman comes out of the episode and recalls some things she stated at rallies that her supporters loved: "I do know I said something about foreign oil being a juice concocted by Jesus Christ that would make U.S. troops grow tall enough to marry the Statue of Liberty." Actually, this sounds like something many Florida folks would cheer for.

What a hot mess, petty violence and idiocy. Like here, in my zone and the utter shit-show of my HOA.  This idiocy was on full display during the yearly owners meeting last Saturday.  Newer owners with ego problems have been working on their own little version of January 6, Lilliputian insurrectionists.  On forums such as Eneighbors, one standout ego-maniac lobs personal attacks on older board members and accuses the management company of something close to fraud.  After the vote for  next year's Board of Directors failed to meet his expectations (the older, calmer souls were actually re-elected), he suggested the management company had purposely "botched" the election.  Yeah, like "the election was rigged!"  I could not resist responding to all the infighting by quoting from Palahniuk's real Fight Club:  "The things you own end up owning you.  It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything." I also stated that I would be happy to let my condo go for $50 and exit laughing since everything here is so ridiculous.  (Word has it the owners who are currently listing their condos for sale totally freaked out about that.  Talk about blowing the comps!)  Sadly, the infighting here will probably not end any time soon, as it will probably not end any time soon in Congress. It's all Fight Club, but without the philosophical inspiration or literary sizzle.

To close, I wish you all well.  I shall now "stand my butt up" and try to carry on as the tragic-comedies continue.

Love,

Joyce

Look, listen, and STFU

Dear you,

Reading Dan Lyons' new book, STFU - The power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World, has shifted my perspective a bit.  How much pointless chatter do I create?  What do I choose to listen to and see?  Hearing him, this morning, instead of mainlining MSNBC, getting riled up and then X-posting (formerly known as tweeting) about it, I sipped morning coffee without Morning Joe and cared for my princess cat. During my workout and brunch, I listened to Vladimir Horowitz playing Scarlatti, Mozart, and Rachmaninov, a magnificent piano concert recommended by my friend, New York James. Bravo. Tips from Lyons and James made my morning-self stronger/zippier. And less stupid.

Choosing where to direct my mind, my spirit, is not hiding from the chaotic world but being in it with some sense of control.  And peace, even if fleeting.  Look and listen carefully, selectively and objectively.  Local example:

The other day, military jets were screaming overhead.  The sounds of war preparation, louder than I usually hear in this dual Air Force base location. I looked up and saw the white trails jets leave in the sky, our now bright blue cooler sky.  Then I looked down and saw a man at work by the pool, patiently shoveling sand into the six foot hole created by plumbing repair folk.  He surely heard the jet screams, but did not look up.  He focused on task, filling the gap, packing down the sand and then covering the surface with cement. Like him, those jet pilots were on task.  They could not see him but always "hear" him; they know he is theirs to protect and defend.

I looked and listened and saw something beautiful.  The pilots in the sky and the worker on the ground were on task in distinctly different yet artful ways. I didn't feel driven to immediately voice my opinions about military funding or workers' rights. I chose to Shut the Fuck Up and to Shut It (the purposefully inflammatory digital or televised chatter) the Fuck Off. 

Of course the irony here is I am creating blog-chatter on the subject of #STFU, not totally shutting the fuck up.  But my intention is to not go all anti-tech or anti-anything.  I will still enjoy Morning Joe with my morning cup of joe, still post mini-blogs, and still comment on "X", but in each case, will do so with less frequency and more intent.

Look, listen.

Joyce