January 1, 2017 | This is the time when it is customary to look through rose-colored glasses and imagine a better and brighter future in which we accomplish all the goals we've been failing to achieve for the earlier decades of our lives. more
GOP: 0, Righteous indignation: 1
January 3, 2017 | The new Congress came to town yesterday, and the GOP immediately did something really, really stupid. Meeting in a closed-door session Monday night, they acted to gut an independent House ethics office created in 2008. more
Spamming on high and across the globe
January 12, 2017 | One has to be impressed with the boundless creativity of spammers and phishers. This week brought two new candidates for the "Can you believe this?" list to my inbox. more
The circus comes to town
January 19, 2017 | Ringling Brothers may be folding their tents after more than 100 years, but an even bigger circus is coming to Washington DC starring elephants, jesters, sycophants, and no-nothings. This new circus opens January 20 at noon. more
It's official — Donald Trump is now president #45
January 20, 2017 | Well, that's that. Donald Trump has taken the oath of office and made his inaugural address. more
Trump to press: This is war!
January 22, 2017 | Trump just declared war on the press. On Saturday he sent his press secretary out to excoriate the press for deliberately mis-reporting the number of people who had attended his inauguration. more
Gotcha! Got me!
January 24, 2017 | Last weekend I received an innocent-looking email from my friend Jim. It turned out that his good name was being used to mislead his friends. more
Superbowl 2017
February 10, 2017 | Since 1999, a stalwart group of friends have observed the quasi-official national holiday called the Super Bowl by assembling at some central location to eat, drink, be merry, and more-or-less watch the game, er, commercials. This year's location was in Pismo Beach, a charming little city on California's Central Coast. more
Flaky Fiona
February 14, 2017 | My Roomba vacuum cleaner, doing business as "Fiona," is nearly three years old, having been purchased in May of 2014. more
Amazon has shipped my Apple iPhone
February 16, 2017 | On Monday I received a remarkable notice from Amazon.com, informing me that my "Apple iPhone 7 AT&T 128 GB (Jet Black) Locked to AT&T" has shipped. Remarkable because I had not ordered an iPhone. more
Ryan-Trump-no-care-health-care
March 15, 2017 | After eight years of voting to "repeal and replace" Obamacare, the Republicans finally hold control of the House, the Senate, and the White House, so it was time to put up or shut up. It would have been better to shut up, because the newly unveiled American Health Care Act is not about Health, nor Care, nor is it very American. It is an act — a mean betrayal of those millions who voted for Donald Trump and his promises to "take care of everybody" with a beautiful plan. more
Mystery "fence"
March 18, 2017 | A few months ago, a mysterious fence appeared around a 1/2 square mile of the desert bounded by Mission Lakes Blvd, Little Morongo Rd, and Indian Canyon. And a strange fence it is, too. more
The big, big box
March 21, 2017 | I'm a fan of online ordering since the early days of Amazon.com when they sold mostly books and packed a free travel mug in each box as a thank you gift. more
The art of no deal!
March 24, 2017 | So much for "I alone can fix it." The self-proclaimed lets-make-a-deal artist went down in flames this afternoon when Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the American Health Care Act from the floor before a vote that he knew he would lose. more
The big reveal
April 2, 2017 | I bought my living room furniture when I moved into my condo in San Jose, 1990. The couches were splendid white leather in a modern style and looked wonderful. more
Poppy pilgrimmage 2017
April 6, 2017 | Réal, Bob, and I made a pilgrimmage to the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve yesterday to check out this years bloom. Photos had been published in the Palm Springs and Los Angeles papers of a stunning display, and we wanted some of that. more
Opera in the Park 2017
April 10, 2017 | Sunday was the 19th annual Opera in the Park and Mother Nature was kind. It was a very pleasant day, mostly sunny with no wind, and people flocked to Sunrise Park for an afternoon of splendid arias and puttin' on the Ritz - or just enjoying the performances. more
Mean and meaner
April 15, 2017 | We have become a jackboot society. Those in authority, or who think they have authority, are quick to use physical force to subdue any who do not immediately submit and comply. more
Au revoir, les Canadiens
April 23, 2017 | As May approaches, the snowbirds wintering in the desert take flight and head north. Our Canadians are no exception. more
The little tyrant that couldn't
April 28, 2017 | All through the campaign, Donald Trump kept saying, "I'm sure I can. I know I can. I'm the only one who can." In short order, "on day one," he would do this and that, promising to tame Washington with the force of his deal-making prowess. He would use the bully pulpit to bully those who wouldn't succumb to his will. more
It's my birthday!
May 1, 2017 | Three score and fourteen years ago, I came into this world, kicking and screaming (I suppose), and I'm not leaving yet, at least not without a fight. You know you're getting old when "I pulled an all-nighter" means you got through the night without having to get up to pee. more
Love letters from the IRS
May 8, 2017 | I have run afoul of the IRS through no fault of my own, but it is my bank account that will take the hit. It's a small hit, but it's the principle of the thing. more
He was warned
May 9, 2017 | Yesterday we finally got to hear from Sally Yates, the Acting Attorney General fired by Donald Trump in the wake of his Muslim ban and just a few days after she told the White House that Michael Flynn had been compromised and subject to blackmail by the Russians. more
Trump is afraid, very afraid
May 12, 2017 | Well, this is a fine kettle of fish. Just enough people in just the right states voted for Donald Trump to make him president. And now that he is, he finds himself in way over his head, unable to bend Washington to his will the way he has plowed through his previous life as a businessman. It's making him frustrated, angry, and desperate. more
Memorial Day 2017
May 31, 2017 | The usual suspects observed Memorial Day chez Paul in the usual way: drinking, feasting, mocking, and recognition of the day. In particular, we toasted John F Kennedy, born 100 years ago, whose assassination was only the beginning of terrible years of assassinations, riots, and war. more
Another staff shake-up chez Paul
June 17, 2017 | Fiona has been with me since May 20, 2014 when she came home with me from Costco to assume the role of carpet and floor sweeper. Her tenure came to an abrupt end this week with the arrival of Dusty. more
The Senate death panel
June 25, 2017 | When the House passed its version of Trumpcare, known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), Trump invited House members to the White House to celebrate, calling the bill "a great plan, I actually think it will get even better." A few weeks and another mood swing later, he called it "mean." Right the second time. more
Shopping for urinalysis
July 1, 2017 | Will no one rid me of these meddlesome fallacies? There are two ideas that keep cropping up in American conversation that deserve to be interred: First, that government should be run like a business. Second, that people should shop around for medical care. more
Fourth of July 2017
July 13, 2017 | The Fourth of July came early this year, or so it seemed. Time flies when you're old and can't remember! more
Working on updates
July 13, 2017 | I knew something was up as soon as I sat down at my desk this morning. That little red light that indicates disk activity was solid. That's never a good sign. more
My inbox overfloweth
July 16, 2017 | Somehow the Trumpeters have gotten hold of my email address, and I now regularly get email about MAGA and other things Trumpish. more
Our national disgrace
August 16, 2017 | Democrats warned us: Donald Trump is unfit to serve as president. Hillary told us. Obama told us. Democrats by the dozens told us. Yet Donald Trump was elected. Now we are paying the price. more
Palm Springs Pride 2017
November 5, 2017 | This past weekend was the Greater Palm Springs Pride Festival and Parade. The usual suspects assembled. more
Thanksgiving 2017
November 23, 2017 | Thanksgiving Day was served up as a near-perfect day: clear skies, soft breezes from time to time, warm (yea, a bit too warm, TBH). more
Uh-oh, something's not quite right
November 28, 2017 | There have been high winds for the past two days. So this morning when I heard a small crash from the patio I assumed it was one of my patio chairs being knocked over by the wind. Which it was. I was not, however, prepared for what I saw when I rolled over in my bed to look out the window and check on the coming dawn. more
Palm Springs Festival of Lights parade 2017
December 3, 2017 | Palm Springs always holds its Festival of Lights parade on the first Saturday in December. Some years it is bitterly cold; other years quite balmy. This year it was clement: cool, but not so cold as to induce shivering. more
And then there were none
December 11, 2017 | When the wind blew one of my mesquite trees down last week, it was the beginning of the end. Inspecting the fallen tree and comparing it with the three still standing forced the conclusion that the trees were a disaster waiting to happen. All it would take is some winter rain to loosen the dirt and a strong wind to do the tipping. more
Christmas 2017
December 25, 2017 | The usual suspects assembled on Christmas afternoon Chez Bob for the annual feast and frivolity, both of which were in ample supply. more
