Another day, another open thread

I have gone through bouts of writer's block before, but rarely one of this duration. Here's a black and white image for your perusal:

St. Francis Xavier College Church, St. Louis, MO

And here's another image from nearby, also on the campus of Saint Louis University:

Busch Student Center

Two very different places, but only one block apart.

Fatigue

One way or another, the primary topic in the political world is Le Grand Orange, the Leader of the Free World. And I'm tired of writing about him.

I don't want to shut down this blog, because I love to write and these days I spend most of my days directing and reviewing the work of other writers. But lately it's been a struggle to find any interest in what's going on in Washington or elsewhere. Beyond Trump himself, the other politicians on the stage right now are a dismal lot. Paul Ryan is smart as a whip but can't find his own ass with both hands. Mitch McConnell commands the respect of no one. Chuck Schumer is a strange combination of a carnival barker with the sense of fun of a funeral director. Nancy Pelosi is demented. Hillary Clinton is an even bigger narcissist than Trump. Meanwhile, closer to home, Mark Dayton is Gov. LePetomane and every other politician in the state is a dry well. It's hardly a promising landscape.

Sports was once a refuge from all that, but for the last several years politics has increasingly crept into the realm of those who play with sticks and balls. Colin Kaepernick and his portside girlfriend bore me to tears and I couldn't care less what Curt Schilling thinks of politics, either.

I'll get out of this funk. But it won't be easy.

More bullets

Fighting through a case of writer's block, but we do need content, so. . .

• Watched most of the Vikings game and was surprised at how well they played. It will be interesting to see if they can sustain the level of play they showed last night. If the offensive line plays well, they could be dangerous, as there's talent on the field.
• I don't know who the sideline reporter was on the second game, but he was incoherent. The New York Post has a pretty good description.
• I commend this piece by Victor Davis Hanson to your attention.
• The Minnesota Supreme Court doesn't want to deal with Mark Dayton's actions. I suspect they will have no choice.
• So do Minnesotans live in the happiest state of the union? Discuss.

And now, some haiku

Bitchin' and moanin'
Eight years in the wilderness
Better post a meme

Two, four, six, eight, now
Is the time to fulminate
Man, he destroyed Trump

Soros and Chomsky
Proof positive that bile is
A preservative

Nancy Pelosi
Just the person you'd ask to
Lead a youth movement

***

Write your own haiku
Put your verse in the comments
Quite easy to do

No flow

I'm low on time today and I continue to fight the ol' writers block. Points worth making? We still have two horrible candidates for president, we have a petulant child in the governor's mansion in St. Paul, and the local politicians are going all Lord of the Flies on my friend Gina Bauman. It's easy to lose heart. We can't, though. The government, at any level, isn't going to save any of us. Plan accordingly.

Meanwhile, what's on your mind?

Open thread

The muse tends to come and go and today it appears to be buried under a snowbank. So, we'll make this an open thread. Bring us your topics and discuss!

The blank screen wins

I started about a half dozen posts today, but I can't get my thoughts organized into something coherent enough to publish. So this becomes an open thread. What is on your mind?

That nasty ol' blank screen

Most mornings I observe the same ritual. Get up early, post a "Song of the Day" on Facebook, then start looking for something to write about for a blog post. Some days it's easy to find a topic. So if you'll settle for a few ruminations, here we go.

• The financial news isn't particularly encouraging. I don't doubt that we are heading into a period of financial difficulty that could prove quite severe. Still, the shrieking of various Cassandras seems self-serving. It's not coincidental that many of the people casting the warnings are suggesting that precious metals are a safe haven. It's also not coincidental that most of them are selling precious metals. If holding precious metals is the only way to avoid ruin, it's odd that so many people are trying to sell them to you.
• I'm getting the distinct impression that any number of people want us to start a stampede. It's not just the Cassandras; I get the same vibe from some of the more vocal supporters of Donald Trump. While I'm largely sympathetic to the disgruntled conservatives who are flocking to the Trump banner, there's a lot of nonsense involved. If somehow Trump were to get elected, the best case scenario would be a presidency along the lines of the governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger. We don't have time for that.
• As a Packers fan, I'm bummed out about losing Jordy Nelson for the season. If it had to happen, though, this is a good time for it to happen. An ACL injury is typically a year-long event, which mean that Nelson will be available for 2016. There is also sufficient time for the Packers to identify a replacement for Nelson and a number of candidates are available. I'm guessing they have a Plan B.