I was reading something about the president’s weird fixation on Jaxson Dart, and couldn’t help but notice how the New York Giants quarterback spells his first name, which I assume was his parents’ choice.
We already have a perfectly fine spelling of that name: Jackson. That’s how it’s been spelled for years. But sometime in 2003, this little baby’s mother said, nope. My boy will spell his name Jaxson.
I’m so old — how old are you? — I’m so old I remember when racists would complain about black parents giving their kids offbeat names and creative spellings, and what’s wrong with Jennifer and Jason, anyway? Now, here we are, years later, and we have Jaxsons and Kynnedis.
Which goes to show you that everything cool starts with black people.
But as a mostly done with the game journalist, I hate “unique” name spellings. You used to have to check all last names and some first names. Now it’s all of them.
Been scarce around this place lately, I know. I sit down to write and think, “does anyone want to hear me complain about the president and his enablers and everything associated with it” and answer hell no. But it’s a large part of what I think about. Yes, the president lives rent-free in my head; no getting around that. I’m starting to think about the calculus of what stress does to the body vs. the civic duty of being an engaged citizen and paying attention as a part of that. If anyone else is struggling with that, do let me know.
How about some pictures? Kate holding a kitty at a party we both attended last weekend:
Here’s someone’s goldfish, released to the wild and grown to be an orange carp, in Lake St. Clair.
And now to gather thoughts for the rest of the week. Hang in there, and the tide will come back in.
Kristen said on May 31, 2026 at 6:45 pm
It’s an infuriating, exhausting slog. Sarah Kendzior was on the nose all along.
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Deborah said on May 31, 2026 at 7:39 pm
In Plain Sight and They Knew, two of her books that laid it out years ago, but everyone said she was crazy. She has a Substack presence that I follow.
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basset said on May 31, 2026 at 9:10 pm
Kitteh looks ready to leap out of Kate’s arms and attack someone, cat, human or string.
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Peter said on May 31, 2026 at 11:03 pm
I remember it well – early in 2017, when the administration would propose and then retract something, Susan Collins said “can we just have one normal day around here?” Well Susan, thanks to you, we haven’t had one since.
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alex said on May 31, 2026 at 11:21 pm
And now Susan’s gonna lose her seat to a Dem fisherman with a Nazi tattoo who sexts with women not his wife. Fucking surreal.
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Heather said on June 1, 2026 at 11:08 am
I’m definitely struggling. I just posted an article on FB about what happens when inventory on oil, food, fertilizer, etc. runs out and it’s not pretty. But no one wants to hear it. And our “leaders” don’t care.
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Julie Robinson said on June 1, 2026 at 12:03 pm
And yet, the supporters wear blinders. Case in point, a church in Kansas City sent a high school youth group here for a week. They were supposed to sleep on the church floor and shower in neighbors’ homes, but a mom rented an Airbnb at the last minute. Roughing it will not be tolerated!
Yesterday they accompanied our daughter on a bus trip down to The Everglades Detention Center, aka Alligator Alcatraz. It wasn’t a protest, it was a prayer vigil. They had an educational time on the bus ride about what was happening there and why they were going. They prayed and sang. And a couple of kids texted their parents that there was an anti-Trump speech, the parents called the pastor, the pastor called the youth group leader, yadayada.
At no time was Trump’s name even used, but praying and singing was found to be offensive. I ask you, where is our hope?
I’m taking odds they won’t last the week.
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Jeff Borden said on June 1, 2026 at 12:51 pm
More good news!
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz again and upped its demands. The mullahs want Israel out of Lebanon and Gaza, which Netanyahu will never do because this horrible war keeps his fat ass out of prison. So, if you think gas prices are high now? We’ll be longing for the days of $6 per gallon.
My mechanic also is expecting shortages of motor oil, particularly synthetic oil. Find out what kind of oil your vehicle requires and maybe stock up. This will get ugly fast. It did in the 1970s during the gas crisis and we’re a much meaner, uglier country than 50 years ago.
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Scout said on June 1, 2026 at 2:02 pm
I’ve said it so often everyone is sick of hearing it, but I’ll say it again: I am so fucking incandescently angry that those villains have stolen the joy from my golden years that I can’t even be around people who voted for this nightmare, especially because they’re all still oblivious and/or apologists to the reality of what is happening. “Oh, we just have a difference in politics”, one of them recently said to me. And I told her, “No, what we have here is a difference in ethics and morals. Full stop.” Haven’t seen her since. My non-confrontational Libra soul is in existential pain on the daily.
On a happier note, I love that Kate with the ginger kitty photo. Thanks for including it.
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Jeff Borden said on June 1, 2026 at 2:06 pm
Scout,
I’m with you. I’m 75 and tired of this shit.
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Sherri said on June 1, 2026 at 2:26 pm
I’ve had two separate conversations with friends lately, who were asking what would make the MAGAts happy. My response? Nothing. It’s a movement built around resentment and grievance, and no matter what, they’re holding onto that resentment and grievance.
No matter what they get, it’s never enough.
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Minnie said on June 1, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Not only does he live in my head, he’s tacked up gaudy gilded gew-gaws.
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LindaG said on June 1, 2026 at 3:58 pm
Watched a little of Mike Pence on Meet the Press yesterday. He seemed to preface answers with “When you consider the radical left-wing Democrats blah, blah, blah,” so I switched back to CBS Sunday Morning.
After Indiana Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith’s statement that he hates Islam and has not retracted, a song from South Pacific (You’ve got to be taught to hate) is in my head.
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Icarus said on June 1, 2026 at 4:43 pm
It’s surreal for us. We need my wife’s parents to occasionally watch our kids, or feed our cats when we are away so we cannot really tell them off about Trump. They know our feelings.
But they believe Fox News over other sources so FIL honestly believes Iran got a nuke from China.
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