[Talking] dog days of summer

Yes, of course it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. Part of it is the slog of caring for aged loved one, young loved one having flown out of the nest for about a year now, and a never ending litany of dental issues resulting in near total cash-ectomy, coinciding with not-inexpensive veterinary issues of concern on our now over 14 year old cats, all while trying to maintain employment, my sanity, etc., etc.

Perhaps not coincidentally, because it’s always about me, just this year, aside from four marathons (including my fourth world marathon major star, in London) and a previously failed attempt at 100 miles [resulting in a 27 mile “DNF” on one of the five hardest courses on Earth], I have managed to run two of my longest efforts (50 miles and a new distance PR of 64.8 miles) in events in the Hudson Valley. I will soon travel out of state for my 5th attempt at the elusive (and insane) 100-mile distance. All of this as much of the nation reels from a record heat wave.

In hobby horse news, I confess that I should have realized the news was just plain old “too good to be true” in my last post concerning the decades long saga of former GTMO prisoner Saeed Bakhouche of Algeria. In matters GTMO, nothing is ever… good. And so, Candace reports that shortly after arrival in his native Algeria, based on a dossier provided to Algeria by the U.S. government evidently claiming that Bakhouche had sworn a loyalty oath to Osama bin Laden, a contention that it never made while he was actually at Guantanamo, a judge in Algeria promptly threw Bakhouche into prison in Algeria, where he awaits trial for God knows what. Thus, the vigils will continue until morale improves.

Meanwhile, You-Know-Who awaits indictment relating to January 6th events at the same time a federal judge that he appointed has scheduled his trial on mishandling of classified documents for May of 2024 (when he should, presumably, have his party’s presidential nomination all but sewn up). As has been said in blogging world before, we get the government we deserve, even if I don’t recall knife-raping any nuns. Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the leading Democratic challenger to Joe “Dark Brandon” Biden is still denying making recent anti-Chinese and anti-Semitic slurs even as they are played back for him. And on the Republican side, other than Ron DeSantis trying to be a right-wing parody of Donald Trump (and apparently failing miserably), no one else can even make a dent in “the Donald’s” box office domination.

In war and peace matters, having had our NATO friends scotch peace talks when UKR was at the advantage, apparently believing our own press about RUS’s military “disarray,” it seems that in a war of attrition, sometimes the better manned and better armed side has the advantage… and the much vaunted Ukrainian “counter-offensive”… isn’t going so well. This, plus RUS pulling out of a deal allowing shipment of Ukrainian grain… doesn’t bode well for world hunger.

Oh… did I mention that things aren’t going so well climate-wise on a global scale as we seem to be hitting global temperature highs? Not to worry… just have a can-do positive American attitude, and everything will be just fine. Because it always is, right? And everyone’s favorite war criminal Henry Kissinger is having private talks with the leadership of China… what could possibly go wrong?

Alrighty then. I’m depressing even myself, and I need to, you know, be in a good mood as I attempt to deal with, you know, my sh**, as well as that upcoming assault on 100 miles. Enjoy your summer, Comrades!