5 Thoughts on College Football

1. The Real Season Starts: Yes, there were a lot of games last week, but starting today, the real season starts. This is the week that many marque matchups are played, including Florida State-Alabama and Michigan-Florida. You know you're going to be watching Lane Kiffin's FAU playing host to Navy. Navy, with its crazy option game is difficult to prepare for, but especially if your squad has a bunch of talented but troubled players (from East Mississippi CC).
2. But First: We really need to rewatch the final two minutes of the Rose Bowl to get ready.
   
   
   
   
3. Oregon Ducks: After watching the latest videos of practices, it appears that the passing game will be tremendously better, but everything else seems questionable especially the defense. The offensive line drills are still roughly the same as are the running back drills. They have a lot of good talent, so I have confidence that they'll be competitive, but they don't look like top tier.
4. Hawaii Rainbows: It's so hard to tell what kind of team they have this year. Their practices were full speed but half the team didn't look physically prepared. The first game of the season against UMass was rough. They looked good at times and then they looked really bad at other times. UMass isn't exactly a good team, either. I think they'll finish 7-5, but they might also finish 5-7.
5. Heisman and National Champions?: There are four teams that have the talent to have a player win the Heisman and the National Championship -- Alabama with Bo Scarbrough, USC with Sam Darnold, Washington with Jake Browning, and Penn State with either Saquon Barkley or Trace McSorley. It is possible to see all four of these teams ending up in the CFP playoffs and all five players at the Heisman ceremony. This would make for an exceptionally great season.

Lucid Dream: End of Life

I have the most amazing lucid dreams, sometimes, seemingly in clusters. I just woke up from one and thought I should put it down in words. 

Death. What are the final moments like? Tonight's dream, unlike most other dreams, was a series of explorations of the same outcome and it didn't last very long.

No, I didn't die over and over; I went through a series of scenarios of how I dealt with the final moments of death; I never actually died in the dream. The actual, very disturbing and odd set-up: I was inside of a small room, given the explanation that my end of life was coming, then led into a chamber full of people.

First scenario: I am going to die, why end it prematurely with chemicals? I should die naturally, surrounded by others so that I'm not dying alone.

Second scenario: I'm with an ambiguous female friend that I love very much but never told her. I suspect she's always felt the same, so why not tell her? Instead, we talk, then I tell her that I had one regret in life: Not getting to marry the woman that I loved. The final words to her were that in the next life I hope to find that woman again, but this time marry her.

Third scenario: I'm with that same ambiguous female friend, but this time I tell her that I love her, and she replies in kind. At this point, I begin to regret having to die, so I suggest we crawl our way out. After crawling out into a less-crowded area, I try to open my eyes but they won't, so I have to literally peel them open, at which point my eyes are in pain. I suggest that we go back inside and meet our fate.

Fourth scenario: I'm all alone as I start to consider what things I'd want to change in my future life. I try so hard to come up with specific design ideas that I want to remember (solidify) for the next life. Instead, the wrong design with immature design language pops up into my head as I desperately try to find another design to focus on -- it's like when you take a test and some random, unwanted thought enters your mind and you can't stop focusing on that random thought.

Fifth (and final) scenario: I'm again all alone, and now I'm considering how the end will be like -- will it be slow and painful, quick and unremarkable, stoic with pride, or simply pitiful? The machine makes a loud mechanical sound and I know that the end is very near and, as if had a choice on how it ends, I attempt to pick how I deal with the end. I choose the pitiful end and start bawling out with rivers of water coming down my face. This fascinates me, as I've never seen this much tears coming from my face...

Then I wake up. Not scared, not sad, not filled with anything negative, I opened my eyes with fascination and excitement and eager to write down what I had just dreamt. Amazing, right?

Donald's Gutter Poll Numbers

On a whim, given the week of downright corrupt actions, a penchant for reaching out to white supremacists and neo-nazis, and a rush of stories showing the depths of his lies on Russia, I thought I'd check Gallup's polling numbers.

In the past nine days, his approval numbers have been stuck at 35% or lower and his disapproval numbers have been firmly fixed at 60% for six days straight.

Apparently, no amount of corruption will convince some idiots of the damage being done. Nonetheless, this guy is self-destructing before our eyes and it's an amazing thing to see if you enjoy politics.

The Arpaio Pardon

Donald pardoned former Maricopa (AZ) Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- a racist, a member of a group of anti-government sheriffs, and generally terrible at his job -- on Friday. On July 31, Arpaio had been found guilty of criminal contempt but hadn't yet been sentenced. His actions are odious, but exactly how are they odious and why does it matter? Apologies for the length of this.

A Violation of Norms

By pardoning Arpaio, Donald violated (yet) another norm -- bypassing the DoJ's Office of the Pardon Attorney and the standard process for pardoning. Like so many norms, it is not unconstitutional. Nothing can be done about it, either. The only restriction on pardons is against impeachments. 

US Constitution, Article II, Section 2: "...he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment."

Nonetheless, it stinks. A violation of norms implies that following the norms would not have resulted in the desired outcome. Secondly, it follows a pattern of corruption from cronyism to nepotism to judicial interference.

An Intention to Obstruct Justice

Given Donald's actions in attempting to block the investigation of Mike Flynn, the firing James Comey, and then inquiring about his options to fire Robert Mueller, the pardoning of Arpaio reeks of obstruction of justice. It turns out, Donald did. The Washington Post reported that Donald sought to shut down the federal prosecution of Arpaio.

The president asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions whether it would be possible for the government to drop the criminal case against Arpaio, but was advised that would be inappropriate, according to three people with knowledge of the conversation.

Just as foul as obstruction, however, is the complicity of the Attorney General of the US, Jeff Sessions. Not only did he willfully disregard this criminal attempt at obstruction, but he apparently advised Donald on how to work around it.

A FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL PARDON 

FOR HIS CONVICTION of Section 401(3), Title 18, United States Code (Docket No. 2:16-CR-01012-SRB) in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, of which he was convicted on July 31 , 2017, and for which sentencing is currently set for October 5, 2017; and 

FOR ANY OTHER OFFENSES under Chapter 21 of Title 18, United States Code that might arise, or be charged, in connection with Melendres v. Arpaio (Docket No. 2:07 -CV -02513-GMS) in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

That second portion of the pardon blocks all attempts to seek criminal justice in Melendres v. Arpaio. Stamped with the DoJ seal, the implication is that Sessions provided Donald with the means to fulfill his desire to stop the prosecution of Arpaio. If the pardoning of Arpaio is sickening, then Jeff Sessions should also feel the heat for this pardon. Arpaio deliberately violated a court's order, and the result of it was the illegal detention of Ortega Melendres, a Mexican national with a tourist visa.

Racism at All Levels

There is no question that Arpaio is racist, but his racism hurts everyone when he puts his racism ahead of doing his job.

Arpaio was stung by a report that showed his office had failed to adequately investigate more than 400 sex crimes in Maricopa County from 2005 to 2007. The slipshod investigations came to light only when the Phoenix suburb of El Mirage dropped a law-enforcement contract it had with the sheriff's office – and discovered that Arpaio's men had left behind piles of unfinished cases, many of them involving children and illegal immigrants.

Accountability is why you need a Department of Justice that isn't itself racist. Unfortunately, we have Jeff Sessions. As far back as 2009, his racist heart was well-known.

‘I was regularly called 'boy,’” Figures said. When asked by Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who called him “boy,” Figures said, ''Mr. Sessions did, one or two of the other assistants.'' 

Arpaio had intended to call Sessions to the stand during his trial to highlight that Arpaio's actions would have complied with Sessions' new policies against sanctuary cities. Cute, no? Arpaio wanted Sessions to confirm that Sessions' new rules made his racist actions legal.

Sessions' sanctuary city policies, however, were implementations of Donald's EO, and Donald has his own, long history of racism, too. We tolerate Neo-Nazis and White Supremacist communities, but sanctuary cities are a no-no?

Bystander: "Officer, there's a Neo Nazi firing a gun at people!"

Police Officer: "But, that man is white."

If Donald's response to Charlottesville was a dog whistle call to White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis, then his blanket pardon of Arpaio in a case that dealt with racial profiling is his direct stamp of racism onto the American culture.

Please Standby For This Announcement

Paul Ryan's got a public statement on the matter, issued by his spokesperson: "The Speaker does not agree with this decision."

In other words, please standby as Racism and Criminals take over this country.

Legislatively, Ryan pushed through a deeply unpopular and severely flawed Repeal and Replace bill, yet when it came to a censure of Donald over Charlottesville, Ryan refused.

He's not the first Republican to speak out with vague criticism followed by zero action, either. McConnell may leak to the press that he was "horrified" by Donald's response, but his inaction leaves Donald to continue to horrify everyone. What good does it do to standby in horror?

"What those Nazis are doing is such a terrible thing, I do declare. Cup of tea and some scones?"

Three Videos to Compare and Contrast

This is day 8 of the Oregon Ducks fall camp.

And this is day 8 of the Tennessee Volunteers fall camp.

It just feels like the Ducks do busy work -- stuff that has little relationship to actual games. Sledgehammer on tires? Running slowly sideways while someone is trying to slowly pull the football out?

Meanwhile, the Vols are doing full-speed technique drills with specific in-game skills in mind.

Just for kicks, this is the USC Trojans linebacker drills from day 2.



Notice the vast difference between the teams and their practices. USC is intently focused and running hard at full speed. They're running at full speed from day 1 through day 11 and beyond.

We Might Be 30 Second to Midnight, Now

Let's get this out before it's too late to laugh at the dire reality we're facing.

"FWIW, Trump is a blowhard who blusters when unsure what to say. It's *probably* a good sign that he's frightened and unsure what to do." 

"That or we're all going to die in a nuclear hell-fire brought on by two lunatics enabled by toadies sycophants and boot-lickers. We'll see."

I must say...

It's quite fascinating how rapidly Donald and the Republican lemmings have brought the world close to the edge of extinction, yet even then, Donald is utterly clueless to the dire situation such that he would crack an irreverent joke about the other crisis:

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for slashing the number of U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia, "because now we have a smaller payroll." 

"I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll and as far as I'm concerned I'm very thankful that he let go of a large number of people," Trump told reporters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. "There's no real reason for them to go back."

No, Donald, those people are still on the government payroll, you twit. And they most certainly will go back to work...at the State Department.

Most of all, how can you possibly be this insanely stupid?

5 Thoughts for August 10, 2017

1. Emotional Distress: I've heard dogs, cats, birds, and now monk seals in distress, and it's fascinating how you can automatically understand it. Once, my dog broke his leg and his cries were powerful and painful to hear. At the pet ER, I've heard cats meowing in distress. I've previously written about seeing a mama duck freaking out over her ducklings stuck in metal grates. Now, I've seen the video of the Hawaiian monk seal mama and her pup crying out to each other in distress, online. It's very emotional, pushing you to want to react and help.
2. The Curiosity of Animals: Like us, other animals are curious creatures. A few weeks ago, as a Norway rat was casually walking past me, it stopped and stared at me for a few seconds before moving on. This morning, a hummingbird and I stopped and stared at each other for a couple of seconds, just two feet from each other. Tonight, a different Norway rat ran away towards a grated gutter, paused for a second to look at me, then ducked between the grates into the sewer. The dog doesn't particularly enjoy walking the same street over and over. When he realizes we're going on a different route he perks up.
3. Picky Eater, Dog: I've gone and done it, my dog is now a picky eater. Long before I started preparing complex chow for him, he'd happily eat his regular dry dog food from TJs. He wasn't all that happy about the Costco brand, but he'd eat that, too. Lately, he's become extremely selective with the cooked chow. He's decided that he doesn't like bitter or tart flavors and has nixed anything that looks like it's been boiled together into a homogenous goop. If it doesn't smell good, he's not eating it. On the bright side, I've reduced it down to a much simpler process and fewer ingredients. There's no more boiling. I simply stir fry ground beef and diced chicken breasts if I have it, with a couple of different green veggies and sometimes chopped carrots. If I have it, I'll also add in some cooked white rice. I used to use brown rice, but I've come to realize that, unless it's ground into a flour, brown rice works against his digestive system and leaves him with very soft poop. White rice is perfectly fine.
4. Political Cycle: There is the election cycle and then there's the political cycle. The election cycle is every two years, but the political cycle consists of roughly 15 months of major legislations and 9 months of recesses and campaigns for a midterm election cycle and 12 months of legislations and 12 months of recesses and campaigns for a presidential election cycle. When they come back on September 5, the current political cycle will have just 9 months left. In the current two-year session, just 44 bills have been signed into law. The current Congress is set to surpass all modern records for lowest productivity. Normally that would be a bad thing; with a GOP remaining stuck in dogmatic fights, this may not be such a bad thing.
5. The Ridiculous but Scary Scenario: Imagine NK did something really dumb and tried to fire missiles towards the US, in this case, Guam. Donald panics and thinks this is the big one. He orders US subs to fire back. Five minutes before any NK missile lands, half of NK has been wiped out by nuclear missiles. Ten minutes go by and nothing is hit in Guam. It turns out that those two missiles launched by NK were meant as a show of force and landed 200 miles short, in international waters. An hour later, prevailing seasonal winds push a radioactive cloud towards mainland China, eventually reaching Beijing. Millions of people are affected. Multiple nations lodge criminal complaints in the International Criminal Court and file criminal charges within their own country against Donald and multiple members of his administration. American conservatives, initially shocked and angered at Donald's actions, see the move by other nations as an attack on US sovereignty, promise to impeach Donald. It is insufficient. We have a tense standoff that leads to a nuclear world war. It could happen. I'm going to flesh this out in the near-future.

Recollections of an Incredibly Complex Dream

I just had one heck of an oddball dream.  It was vivid, complex, long, and I can't figure out how it ties into anything in reality. I'm retelling it in current tense.

Part I -- The Library + Store

The dream starts off at some strange store where there's a library on one end and a regular store at the opposite end. At the library end, there are all these pristine condition VHS tapes of movies, most of them are in blue boxes. Some guy I'm friends with points out that there are some DVDs. I can't see his face exactly, but he's white with brown hair with a beard.

Upon closer inspection, those are X-rated DVDs stashed at the left end of a middle shelf, adjacent to the VHS tapes. None seem interesting, but as I pore through the collection that is arranged as though they're overstuffed on a store shelf, I wonder to myself, why are X-rated DVDs in a library?

Part II -- A Friend + His Wife

There was nothing in the library worth checking out, so my friend and I walk over to the store side. He goes over to see his wife who is working at the store, while I wander around. We eventually meet in the sporting section as I briefly peruse the fishing rods, but knowing that I already have a rod, I just run my hands through them for fun.

Talking to my friend, he tells me that his wife has to work for another hour and that I should go on ahead, catching up later. I agree and start to shop the store in earnest, filling up my basket with some items, including 8 folders.

Part III -- The Checkout

Walking to the checkout lines, I see one near the exit that is just emptying out so I jump to get into that line. As I dump all of my stuff onto the checkout belt, instead of entering each individual item into the register, he starts to -- incorrectly -- add up the cost of the folders in his head. Instead of 8 items at $1.45 each for a total of $11.60, he starts from $1.45 and starts totaling it to $2.45 all the way to $8.45. I consider correcting his math but realize that he'll never understand my explanation and it'll just confuse him further.

Just as he's about to hand my change back, his supervisor pulls him. She's upset at his constant errors as she walks him away. Now, there's no one to complete the checkout. A couple of minutes go by and the line behind me has grown to a couple other folks so I stand on the checkout counter -- at 16" high, it's about the height of a baggage claim aisle -- to put my hands up looking at the supervisor. She sees me and realizes her error and comes back to fill the void she left. She's only nominally better at the job than the guy she pulled. After rechecking out, I am getting ready to pay -- again -- pulling out my bills, which at this point were folded in origami style into small squares. I look back and there's a woman with a young boy, waiting. Turning back, this guy comes out of nowhere, interrupting the cashier, trying to purchase a green-colored gift card.

Part IV -- The Con Job

Thoroughly confused, the cashier is starting to get my transaction confused with this guy's gift card. He's paid for the gift card but the cashier is standing there trying to straighten out her mix up. That's when the woman behind me starts walking out the store without her stuff. In her hand I notice that she's got this guy's cash card. I try to stop her by yelling for her to stop, but she gets away.

The guy whose cash card is freshly stolen pats me on the shoulder and side and tells me not to worry, that he'll catch her. He gives chase and catches up to her as she's sitting in her van. I give chase, too, and am standing outside at the front of her van as he's inside the van demanding that she give up the cash card. She does. He hands it back to me.

I don't quite understand why he's handing back his cash card, so I flip it to the back and see that it's my card with my signature on the back.

The van is pulling out, at which point I realize that he stole my wallet while he was patting me on the shoulder and side, earlier. I can sort of see the license plate but in the rush of different emotions, I fail to memorize the plate numbers. They're not pulling away very quickly, and I'm able to give chase, running in the same direction as my vehicle. I pull out my keys, ready to jump into my vehicle and pursue.

That's where the dream ends and I get up.

Crazy and complex, right? Wait, there's more.

Part V -- Post Dream

Upon waking up and fully dissatisfied with the state of affairs, I get up, pull out my imaginary concealed gun and shoot 9x into the back of the van. It's the one and only time I wish I had an imaginary gun and concealed weapons permit in a dream. Knowing full well that it would be illegal to fire a gun at a fleeing vehicle in an urban area, it's a requisite finish to an unsettling dream sequence. Being so odd and complex, I just had to sit down here and document all of it.

5 Thoughts on the 2017 College Football Season

1. Low-Value Information: There is limited value in the preseason hype and talk; most of it simply exists to fill the hunger of fans during the dog days of summer. All of the publications come out with their analyses and predictions within two months of the end of spring practice which leaves a lot of holes in their understanding of how teams will look when they take the field in late August/September. The Coaches Poll came out last week, but it's doubtful that any of the coaches paid attention to other teams' fall camp videos. At least until fall camp, no one knows how the incoming freshmen will fare at the next level. It's not until after the first scrimmage in fall camp, can pundits properly assess the status of each program.
2. Ranking the PAC-12:
1. USC -- They're practicing at a higher level of intensity and speed than anyone else in the PAC-12 and it sounds like the defense is comfortable in year two under Clancy Pendergast -- a defense that was night and day compared to Justin Wilcox. Also, they return a lot of guys while plugging holes with a ton of new talent -- Adoree Jackson and Juju Smith won't be missed as much as many people think. The one and only question heading into the season is at d-line, specifically, whether Kenny Bigelow's return means Stevie Tu'ikolovatu won't be missed and if Rasheem Green steps up to be a difference maker. If they can't plug the middle, Stanford and Washington will run right through them.
2. Washington -- They really look sharp in fall camp videos, playing at a fast pace, but the big emphasis appears to be physical power and tackling. Also, these guys are big. They're not as talented as USC, so if a couple of their starters go down there will be a drop-off in performance and outcomes.
3. Stanford -- There aren't any fall camp videos to review, but one suspects they'll be physical and disciplined and therefore good, but the offense has two big holes: QB and RB. There is going to be a drop-off between Christian McCaffrey and anybody else, while it's not clear whether Keller Chryst's confidence will allow him to return just 7 months after ACL surgery. If Chryst isn't ready to go, they might fall to #4. If he's ready to go from day 1, they'll be fighting for #2 or even #1.
4. WSU -- Yeah, really. It comes down to the Luke Falk. He's in his third year as a starter, but also, in fall camp videos they look like they're bigger and faster than previous years, especially on defense. They could very well beat up Stanford and take the second spot in the PAC-12 North. They're no longer in the basement.
5. Colorado -- The core of their explosive offense returns, but alas, no fall camp videos to really show how the rest of the team is doing, otherwise I'd possibly have them higher.
6. UCLA -- Another school where a lot of top talent returns, but there aren't many fall camp videos and while they'll be good on offense with Josh Rosen at the helm, the team seemed to have issues with motivation and effort last year.
7. Oregon -- I want to rank them higher because of all the talent but the fall camp videos show a team that isn't working at full speed. They look like half of the team is just going through the motions. The focus appears to be on physical power and team game but both are a bit lacking right now. I see why Willie Taggart is quick to kick players off the team. I was skeptical at first, but Taggart seems like the right fit for the Ducks. Now, if only they'd raise their effort in practice by 100%.
8. Utah -- Well, you know they'll be great on defense, particularly up front -- possibly the best front-four in the PAC-12. After that, however, everything sort of falls off quickly. I think they're overrated by everyone this year; you can't have the losses of key starters and not suspect that they'll have an off year. The problem here is that we won't know anything about Utah until they host Stanford in October, at which point they'll likely be 4-0 and surrounded by lots of hype, and then they hit the wall of Stanford and USC back to back. In comparison to Oregon, they have much lower quality players.
9. ASU / Arizona / Oregon State / Cal -- This is sort of a toss-up. I really doubt that Cal's move to Justin Wilcox as a head coach will make their team better; in fact, I think it's a huge step backward. ASU and Arizona do not inspire confidence and Oregon State is, well, they're probably on the upswing but it's hard to tell. I'd tend to give OSU and ASU the nod at 9 and 10 respectively, but these four teams just aren't very good at all right now.
3. Hawaii Bows: I get confused whether they're the Bows or Rainbows or Rainbow Warriors or just the Warriors. Larry Tuileta transferred from USC to Hawaii and is now competing for the starting QB job. That's the second time in recent years that a former USC player has transferred to Hawaii. It's not a good sign. Another bad sign is the lack of equipment and facilities -- evident from fall camp videos. The program is just absolutely falling by the wayside.
4. Speed and Effort: After having watched fall camp videos of multiple teams, there is a separation between those looking to compete in the top echelon and the rest of the FBS. It all comes down to speed and effort. Watching Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, USC, Washington, they're going at a different speed than most everyone else. It's oddly the same thing at the NFL Combine. Some players will not take a second off during the drills while others slack off or lose focus.
5. USC Trojans - LA Rams Pipeline?: With their move to Los Angeles, the Rams feel an awful lot like the future home of many USC Trojans. Right now, the preseason roster has three former Trojans -- Robert Woods, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Justin Davis. One imagines the staff and players will pop their head in, both ways, to see what's going on. Since the Rams' stadium has been delayed for a year, that means they'll be sharing the Coliseum for three years -- a situation that presents a wealth of opportunities for both teams.

Waikiki's Natatorium

Growing up, I knew the Natatorium as a gated, crumbling structure where you could fish off of. For other members of my family -- who preceded me by a decade -- it was a place to go swimming. These days, it's mostly known for the threat it poses to a mother monk seal and her pup.

Thanks to Google Earth, we have digitized 3D views of what the Natatorium looked like in 2009 -- the most recent satellite/aerial imagery of this particular location.

And thanks to the monk seal cam's view from today, we can see what the Natatorium looks like, now.

As you might notice, the structure continues to crumble, with many more pukas (holes) in the concrete surface.

For decades they've talked on and off about doing something about it, flipping back and forth between removing the structure to restore the original beach or to refurbish and modernize it. In Hawaii, things move in an ebb and flow at a very leisurely rate. For instance, passenger rail is something that was talked about since the 1980s, but only just recently moved forward -- even then, it remains mired in controversy between completing the full build or stopping short. The Natatorium is exactly the same.

One year after it opened, State Archives, via https://goo.gl/Y4ALsR

If they wait another two decades to act, eventually it'll be fully destroyed and a marine wildlife sanctuary for scuba divers and snorkelers.

Hawaii: Where grumbling about doing nothing is matched by the grumbling about doing something, leading to decisions that take decades.

5 Thoughts for August 4, 2017

1. Cognitive Dissonance of CSRs: CSRs -- Cost Sharing Reduction Payments -- aren't handouts to insurers. To the contrary, they're reductions that are indirectly handed out to Americans who take advantage of the marketplace's Silver-rated plans. By attempting to use it as leverage against Democrats, what Republicans and Donald are really doing is using their own constituents as pawns. KFF highlighted this before, as did Axios. A growing number of Republicans get it -- funding, at least temporarily, has been added into multiple versions of the GOP Repeal and Replace. Sadly for his own constituents, Donald may never figure it out.
2. Grand Jury Impaneled: Wow, this is moving at a fairly fast pace. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has apparently already requested a Grand Jury. While it still doesn't mean that charges will be filed, it does mean that Mueller's probe is larger than just Mike Flynn as that case was already covered by an existing Grand Jury in a different jurisdiction. Heck, who are we kidding? Of course, Donald's going to be charged with a series of crimes, as will other members of his campaign. Mueller's got the outline of possible crimes committed and now he needs a bunch of stupid people to lie under oath. If/when Donald is subpoenaed, you know his presidency will be on the line and he will fail.
3. Grammar Checker: There are spell checkers and then there are grammar checkers. I suck at grammar. Well, I'm not that terrible at it, but I definitely find a grammar checker to be extremely useful. I've been using Grammarly -- specifically its Chrome extension -- for the past two years or so. Grammar checkers check sentence structure and spelling, making them better than a stand-alone spell checker. Do you yourself a favor and use the free version of Grammarly -- don't let your ego get in the way of using these tools.
4. Design Language: Somewhat in keeping with a grammar checker, in design, one has a choice to make -- whether to create one's own design language or use someone else's language. It is unbelievably difficult to create one's own language then stick to it. Without that focus, one's work becomes obscured by the vast ocean of other designers and designs -- one structure looks similar to another even when they're designed by completely different firms and individuals. I'm on that road, trying to develop the core of my design language. This is where I'm at right now. I might never arrive at the place I want to be, but the process is very important to me. Designers never stop designing, even when they hit retirement age. Frank Gehry is 88 and wildly active.
   
   
   
5. Football Season: Last night I happened to stumble upon the Hall of Fame game -- the NFL's first preseason game. It's a bit startling and also exciting, that football season is upon us. I'm not ready; I've got far too many things to get through before weekends are full of football. Sigh.

General John Kelly Quintus

It took me a while to figure out what it was about General John Kelly that kept me unsettled.

Anyone who has seen and remembers Gladiator would surely recognize Quintus and see the parallels between Quintus and John Kelly. Both generals knowingly accepted a false leader, were promoted, and wound up doing the bidding of their respective leader even as they exhibited signs of moral conflict.

Quintus would later redeem himself to Maximus, and I'm just speculating here, but won't Kelly end up redeeming himself to James Comey?

Mike Pence is Donald's Achilles Heel

I just had the realization that Donald may have made a critical error in choosing Mike Pence.

If at any time Donald becomes an obstacle to their agenda, Republicans will apply the 25th Amendment to push him out of office while celebrating Pence's ascension. Republicans love Pence, Donald not so much.

He might as well forget the idea of receiving a pardon from Pence, too, as to do so would cripple Pence's chances at winning the 2020 election. McConnell plays the long game, and he surely has his eye on replacing Donald with Pence for 2020 -- all he needs is the right opportunity to get rid of Donald.

If this scenario plays out, it'll happen sometime before the primary season because incumbent GOP will need wins on the board and to do that they'll need to remove his toxic sludge, first. Once Donald is gone, Pence will clean shop. It's at this point that the conservative agenda will accelerate with renewal for Repeal & Replace, not facing distractions from the chaos that was Donald's administration.

And Pence is the only person in the administration who cannot be fired by Donald.

Pence is Donald's Achilles Heel and he doesn't realize it.