Random Thoughts on Music, Politics, Books, and Life

My blog has been getting neglected in favor of what little random social media blurps I produce...so here's some randomness on a variety of topics:

• Music: I’ve been deliberately trying to expand my appreciation for The Grateful Dead this past year. I’ve been listening to a lot of concert recordings from the 60’s through the 90’s. I’ve found some impressive variation in styles, set variation, and (most surprising), performance quality. There were nights throughout the decades where they were on fire but there were shows where they were pretty boring. I’ll never be a “Deadhead” but, at the least, I’ve overcome a lot of negative bias towards The Dead.
• Politics: A rhetorical question for both supporters and detractors of Trump: Is anyone surprised? I’ll leave it at that...for now. 
• Books: I’ve been reading Thomas Merton’s journals lately. In my opinion, he was one of the most enlightened Americans in this country’s history, precisely because he transcended national identity, as all prophets do. 
• Life: It has been over 2 months since my sister passed away. Reminders of her absence and importance continues to arise with regular frequency. I suspect that will evolve but never diminish. The void she left is meant to be felt, mourned, and celebrated. I believe there is a blog post about her in my future. I miss her.