January 7, 2024 -- Happy January 7, y'all.

(Ed. Note: In the spirit of a free republic, this is a freebie to all of y'all. But be well-warned! The big of the upcoming content is going into their own happy, awesome lil' virtual salons.)

I really don't give a shit about politics... I used to! In the way that only a person who had the foresight and due deference to be a poli-sci major for three years, and then, drop out. There were really a couple of options in that regard, but: I didn't want to be a lawyer, it turned out, after all; engaging with any of the policy-oriented legislative bastards didn't thrill me; and... what's left? Opening a political science store?

After deliberate observation, guided by the brightest lights I was able to obtain (obkaine? Yeah, my cold is subsiding...)

I will only observe... That people used to write a lot more good than they can write good now.

It really is true... don't ever find out how the sausage is made. You can't unthink some stuff.

I suppose I'm just a moderate. I've heard hear-tell that that's a bad thing to be, too? Because it's reserved for people who just wanna hook up on tinder, and leave politics aside? I'm not changing anything, and I don't want to.

I will say, however, that I co-hosted a little get-together all the way back in the ancient days of 2008. I made the Jell-O shots. Half were blue. Half were red. (We threw a few green ones in there, too, for the lunatics. ;-) ) Among the attendees, were mainly early 20s liberal leaning folks, of which I was one (though I voted for W in my first election). Then, some of my best friends, to this day, popped on by -- a few ex-Marines who had just closed up shop at the local McCain HQ.

We watched the results tally in on the cathode ray tube TV. Wolf Blitzer is a Timelord. We all screamed, with a similar din echoing from other houses, "The Star Spangled Banner." (Terrible choice for an anthem -- how many people can possibly hit 2.5 octaves? "God Bless America," Irving Berlin, much better choice.)

We all celebrated the peaceful transition of power, which is a pretty hard-fought kinda thing. None of us hated each other based on who we voted for, we were friends, and there was peace. Then? The Jell-O shots were an absolute hit, I have to say.

No nostalgia feels intended here. No "those were the good ol' days" kinda stuff. But shit, it was nice. I really liked that night. And I remember that night fondly, for all of the reasons that do not include, in any way, that "my guy won." Uggh.

I liked that night because of good friends, who had different ideas, sometimes, but not always, and don't we all? We danced. Drank, and danced, and laughed, and lied, and loved the reeling midnight through. The system has always been flawed -- we knew it back then too, God knows! -- but we had the pleasure of the company. It was nice. It felt good.

Or, as Geo. would conclude, "After deliberate examination, with the aid of the best lights I could obtain."