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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Mark P said on June 1, 2026 at 7:05 pm
In order to believe that Iran got a nuke from China you would have to believe that the government of China is stupid, and I don’t believe that for an instant.
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Suzanne said on June 1, 2026 at 9:01 pm
I discovered Sarah Kendzior back in 2015 when she co-hosted a podcast called Gaslit Nation. She knew back then and nobody listened. They still don’t.
I am with you too Scout. I so looked forward to retirement but I entered it with Trump and leukemia. I watched the Ukraine war breakout and watched the Jan 6 hearings from a hospital bed with chemo dripping through my veins. Then while I tried to enjoy being in remission, I had to watch the clown be re-elected and destroy the federal bureaucracy that manages Medicare and the CDC and the NIH and USAID all of which help me and so many others stay alive and healthy. It’s mind numbing and soul sucking.
A few pleasant years to take me to my dotage is all I wanted and I am gonna get that.
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Ann said on June 1, 2026 at 10:45 pm
Off-topic, but related to one of your persistent pet peeves. https://theconversation.com/the-world-cup-and-human-trafficking-what-the-research-reveals-about-the-real-risks-at-major-sporting-events-280775
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alex said on June 2, 2026 at 8:31 am
Scout, you just summed up my feelings perfectly. The orange bastard and his enablers have completely wrung the joy out of my retirement.
People who watch Fox News truly don’t have a clue about what’s going on in the world. Scott McFarlane, formerly of CBS News, appeared in a podcast yesterday and talked about this past Sunday’s morning shows. While the legacy networks covered current events, Fox was fixated on trans athletes and other rage bait and made absolutely no mention of any of the things discussed on the other shows. People who watch Fox are blissfully unaware of reality.
So Indiana’s lieutenant governor has taken Muslim-bashing to new heights (or a new low, really) and now the governor has decreed that June is “Nuclear Family Month” in an unsubtle dig at Gay Pride. Kinda makes me miss the good old days of Mike Pence, who could express similar sentiments without being as much of an asshole.
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Peter said on June 2, 2026 at 1:42 pm
I apologize for mentioning this a long time ago, but the strange kid’s names go way back – to my dear departed Mom. I didn’t know her maiden name until I applied for college – it’s Leposava Spasoyavitch.
She told me that when the kids heard on the radio that Italy conquered Ethiopia, the neighborhood kids started taunting one of their group by singing “Addis Ababa…Addis Ababa” like kids would do. She said a lady came out of the house and started hitting them with a broom, shooting: “Don’t make fun of him just because he has a strange name!”
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4dbirds said on June 2, 2026 at 1:50 pm
My daughter, Katie died on Sunday, May 31. I am completely numb. I read this morning that this administration is going to make people with serious illnesses and disorders work to get their benefits. I so hope I or the article was wrong. My daughter died in comfort, but it took a while to get there. She had terminal agitation and she fought against everything, pulled at her bedding and clothing, refused medication, yelled at her father and They finally had to sedate her with what they call the holy trinity, Morphine, tramadol and haloperidol. She stopped eating a week ago but after the medication, she stopped drinking anything and mostly slept. Hospice certainly isn’t like the movies, where they are always there and giving your person comforting care. They are barely there and only come if you call. I gave all the medications to her and when they increased dosages, they didn’t let the pharmacy know we would need more medication overall. They never gave us a hint about terminal agitation until we called, and she was in the throes of it, and we were screaming at our dying child. I mean what kind of shit is that? I’ve been sleeping on the couch the last few days. That was where I sleep next to the hospice bed and I can’t sleep now unless I’m there. Now all the social workers are calling asking if I need help. No unless you can bring her back, I don’t need jack. The most helpful person to me was the life insurance agent who told me what documents I would need and had a packet out to me the very next day. I’m not saying hospice was bad. It wasn’t, I’m glad it was there and frankly there is nothing else for a dying person. I just didn’t have a realistic view of what hospice was. Now I do and if I have to deal with them again, I know what to check, what questions to ask and what supplies I’ll need. I hope all of you are having a much better week.
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Deborah said on June 2, 2026 at 3:31 pm
4dbirds, Oh my gosh, I don’t even know what to say. I’m so, so sorry. What an ordeal for you and your family. Peace to you.
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David C said on June 2, 2026 at 3:35 pm
So sorry 4dbirds. We found much the same thing about hospice when my mom died last fall. The nurse would come every other day, but other than that it was 95% a DIY affair. We were grateful for the support, but would have appreciated a bit more.
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Dexter Friend said on June 2, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Sympathy , 4dbirds, I am so sorry. My mom ended her life peacefully in a Fort Wayne hospice unit that worked with Parkview.
I have been through the scare with my daughter, when 6 years ago she began her battle with breast cancer, but she is thriving today.
May you find peace in these days.
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Julie Robinson said on June 2, 2026 at 3:52 pm
4dbirds, I’m so sorry about Katie and the wretched ordeal you’ve been through. I’m glad that part is over for you and for Katie, and I hope in time you’ll have good memories. Words are so inadequate, but consider yourself hugged.
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alex said on June 2, 2026 at 4:47 pm
I am so sorry about what you’re going through, 4dbirds. I didn’t know much about hospice either until my mother passed away in 2022. She seemed to think they were there to assist her with suicide and she got quite belligerent with them when they wouldn’t help her, accusing them of leeching off of her Medicare while being absolutely worthless. What astounded me is that they didn’t even discuss the option of putting Mom on sedation until she was pretty much gone anyway.
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Sherri said on June 2, 2026 at 5:10 pm
I’m so sorry, 4dbirds. My heart goes out to you.
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Suzanne said on June 2, 2026 at 5:46 pm
So sorry, 4dbirds. I was surprised as well that when my sister was dying of a brain tumor, hospice came so rarely, even though she was completely debilitated, unable to move or speak.
You have been through a terrible trauma but you were there for your daughter even when it was beyond difficult and for that, you have both my deepest sympathy and respect.
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Mark P said on June 2, 2026 at 6:13 pm
4dbirds, words fail me. All I can say is I’m sorry. I cannot imagine losing a child. My brother died eight years ago, and the only thing not terrible about it was that our parents were both gone by then so they didn’t have to go through that.
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Colleen said on June 2, 2026 at 6:14 pm
I’m so sorry 4dbirds.
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Dave said on June 2, 2026 at 6:40 pm
Our sympathies, 4dbirds, so sorry that you had a less than positive experience with hospice. When my father was under home hospice care, I was there much of the time, those folks were associated with Mt. Carmel hospital in Columbus, and I thought they were wonderful. Again, so very sorry for something no parent should ever have happen.
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Peter said on June 2, 2026 at 11:20 pm
4dbirds, I am so sorry for your loss. I wish I could write something to help you through this terrible time. I hope that in time you’ll find peace and realize that you did all you could to help your daughter.
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Andrea said on June 3, 2026 at 1:36 am
4dbirds, sending love and light to you and all who love Katie.
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ROGirl said on June 3, 2026 at 4:48 am
So sorry for your loss and what you and your family have been going through, 4dbirds.
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Jeff Gill said on June 3, 2026 at 6:40 am
4dbirds, bless you in this passage; be kind to yourself these next few days — you’ve been through so much. Very sorry to hear you’ve had to deal with it all. Hospice has changed dramatically over the last ten years, and I hate to end up having to tell people that, but it isn’t the organization (in most cases, in most places) it once was. Billing and coding and staffing may all still be non-profit, but it’s not the ministry of presence it once was within living memory.
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Bob (not Greene) said on June 3, 2026 at 10:46 am
4dbirds I just wanted to echo Jeff here: be kind to yourself and give yourself some grace. You’ve been through a traumatic experience, one I can’t imagine. I’m so sorry for your loss and wish you only the best.
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4dbirds said on June 3, 2026 at 2:05 pm
Thank you everyone for your kind words. Although not perfect, I don’t want people to think they did anything wrong. I was simply not the experience I was expecting. If, in the future I find folk are going to use them and of course they will because here is no one else, I will find the kindest way to get them ready for the journey and to call Hospice as often as they need even if that need is several times an hour.
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