The Sublime Roundabout

 I love the musical “My Fair Lady”. One of my favorite songs has the lines:  The Lord above gave man an arm of iron So he could do his job and never shirk The Lord above gave man an arm of iron But, with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck Someone else will do the blinkin' work (With a little bit, with a little bit) (With a little bit of luck you'll never work) I know that many men would view this as an ideal - having not to work. But I can tell you from my perspective that I just don’t enjoy it. It wears on my soul. It makes me feel like less of a man.  I have not been out of work since I was out of high school. Being out of work for months on end like this means that our savings is dwindling, that we’ve had to rely on government and other assistance, and that I simply am not providing for our family. Fortunately our house has been paid off, and we have no other debt. We also have enough in savings to carry on for several more months without any real impact o...

 2021 has been a very tough year for many. Similar to 2020, it was full of ups and downs, and I guess that the “new normal” that everyone is talking about is real and here to stay. We’re still dealing with COVID, still wearing masks and looking warily at others in an effort to ward off the disease and its effects. It’s a little like how the world changed after September 11, 2001, when airports and travel - both international and domestic - have been different and persistently difficult.  On the political front, Biden entered the Presidency in January after an interesting event at the White House. I wrote about that in January, so I won’t rehash it here. Hash is the operative word. Usually an incoming President has a honeymoon period with the public, where he can enjoy some good will and get some things done. This has not been the case with Mr. Biden... His approval rating numbers have steadily gotten worse amidst increasing inflation and continued fallout from the global pande...