Well, now at least I have a name for it. The scourge is called depersonalization.

I am the Middle
I am not Right Wing, Left Wing, Republican or Democrat
I believe in good jobs, health care, decent schools
I believe in fiscal responsibility, helping one’s neighbor, doing the right thing
I believe in religious tolerance no matter one’s faith
I believe in dignity regardless of creed, color, or heritage
I expect our leaders to be trustworthy, pragmatic and forthright
I expect that all parties, left or right work together despite their differences
I am the Middle
I am tired of the fighting.…but I still have hope.

There are no such things as alternate facts. Anyone peddling that nonsense can drop it right now. Doesn’t matter if the data is a crowd size of a temperature reading. A fact is a fact. Data are groups of facts. If you manipulate the facts they are lies.

So I took 20 minutes and watched one of the most talked about speeches so far this year. The rhetoric was good, the details murky and it was wrapped in flags and patriots. I found it neither derogatory or uplifting. If Trump actually does something with Space, I will be surprised. We really could use a boost though.

Managed to morph my flu into a sinus infection. As a bonus the meds don’t seem to be letting me sleep. Been keeping it low key but shut eye would be great.

Nothing like a wonderful day of being sick and watching sites go down due to a poor WordPress update. Fortunately I have backups.

Found a photo of me with the sailplanes we used for training at Teachers in Space. Good times.

Just got word that the SAS ’17 conference will not be happening. After a long and successful run, the originator is retiring from operating it. It was a great place for the techs, geeks and rocket scientists to get together and talk about the industry. XCOR showed its tea cart rocket motor there. Good times that will be missed.

I read a lot of news. Depending on the source, there is either universal praise or complete condemnation of our soon to be President, Donald Trump. For the record, I did not vote for him but I recognize that he will be our next President and he is due the respect of that position, just like Obama and Bush before him. I also think that until his policies are actually those of a President, we need to just relax and see where this goes. If he can remain fiscally conservative and socially progressive, he might make for a positive change. I will reserve judgement until something actually starts happening.

Today, I attended the funeral of a good man. He was a loving husband, good provider and creative soul. Living a quiet and simple life, if anyone deserved to be in Heaven, this man fits the bill.

Death is inevitable. We all will die. We humans don’t deal with death very well. The closer a person is to you, the harder the impact.

Dealing with a loss, even in the abstract, can lead to contemplation about where a person is in life. This is a good thing. It is upon reflection of our own lives that we as individuals can grow and learn and become better people.

I think I need to go contemplate.