Making Progress on Heading Out for Next Five Days Through Christmas 🎄

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I went to the store at lunch time and got propane and some other food supplies, like walnuts for roasting over the fire and cranberries and grapes to snack on along with a case of beer. My truck is mostly packed, though I’ll have to do some more in the morning. Kneading some bread to rise over night to bring along, with baking a butternut squash. Then it’s off to bed early with plans to rise around 5 AM, get packed and be on the road by around 8 AM.

Looking forward to a very special Christmas Eve up in the wilderness away from all the craziness of the holiday season, roasting those walnuts over the fire, enjoying some freshly made cranberries and fruit, cooking up some good soups and other things to eat. Plan to ride some trails and roads, do some hiking, and enjoy the long evenings by the fire with some Christmas lights hung around camp.

Then heading home on Christmas Day to have Christmas dinner with the family. Tuesday is a holiday in the office, so it will give me time to unpack and unwind, maybe make some more bread and soup up and get ready for a short work week on Wednesday through Friday, though I might work remote the following Friday so I can pack and head out of town directly from home for New Years Eve Weekend.

Put up or shut up

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That is probably the golden rule of politics.

I am not worried about Donald Trump being re-elected with his anti-Democratic tendencies. He’s a politician and he either will deliver results to his constituencies or quickly become irrelevant.

Part of the reason why Donald Trump is doing so well politically currently is his first term was quite successful in the eyes of conservatives. Behind all the noise, he succeeded in delivering tax relief, and a Supreme Court that is reworking America in a more conservative image especially on social issues like guns and abortion. The conservative rights revolution seems to be well underway.

A self pardon of Donald Trump is likely to be wildly unpopular. Likewise using the government’s prosecuting powers under law to go after political enemies is likely to lead to significant drop in the president’s support. But on the other hand, bringing the justice department to heel and focusing them on conservative priorities is likely to score him points both with the Republican base and his fellow conservative legislators. Using unconventional methods may be unpopular with Democrats but in recent years executive power has been expanding as politics has become more contentious. But the moment that Trump stops delivering for the nation and particular his base, he’s likely to fall out of power.

Using the levers of power isn’t anti-democratic. It is effective. Levers of power aren’t limited to only one party or ideology. If Trump discovers a new lever of power, then the next Democratic candidate to be elected into the White House is also likely to use it too. Or it’s possible that if the public, especially those in the opposing party will find the power grab to be so morally repugnant that they remove that power from the executive by passing new laws reining in the President.

Don’t like Trump? I don’t like him much either. So don’t vote for him. And know he will be gone in four years, and you’ll have yet another candidate better to your liking in the White House. Or Congress in two years.

Leaving downtown 🏢

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At the end of December I will be moving to my new position up in North Albany, in a non-descript suburban office building. After years of working in various downtown buildings — One Commence Plaza, 625 Broadway, South Swan Street Building, Legislative Office Building, Alfred E Smith Building — I will be moving back out to the suburbs for work. North Albany maybe not as remote as the Pine Bush or Clifton Park, it will be a transition to move away from working in the hub of the city. But it’s an industrial part of the city, away from bustle and dense urban life of downtown.

I have many different feelings about it. The new office is a typical suburban office complex, with acres of parking. Driving there is relatively easy, it’s not far from the expressway. But I really don’t want to be an auto commuter, after so many years of just taking the bus downtown and getting door to door service. Parking is free at that new office, unlike downtown, but I probably will continue to bus my way to work, transferring to a second bus or taking the shuttle over to the new office in North Albany. The new office is surrounded by industrial sprawl, not a whole lot near it but at least it’s only a block away from the Blue Bus Plus Express service to downtown and a free shuttle back and forth to the Empire Plaza.

Moving to the new office is good for my career. It’s a major leap forward, a big jump in pay and prestige, moving from a Deputy Director position to being a unit Director. The new position taps my unique skills, things I’ve worked over the years so hard to develop. And I can still ride my bike to work, if I so choose, and I won’t have the big State Street hill to climb. Yet, somehow riding in an industrial zone seems even less appealing then riding through the South End and the Madison Avenue Hill.

But alas, in some ways working downtown had grown old. As I get into my forties, I might look forward to the option of easy parking at the new suburban office campus. It will mean if I choose to drive to work, parking is easy and free. I can then choose to buy land and house out in the country, and know I can drive each day right from home to the parking lot right next to my office. I don’t have to deal with all the urban problems, the pan handlers, the dirt and grime of downtown. But still I will miss having the Empire Plaza Concourse to walk in during lunch, the Farmers Market and the ease of a single-bus quick ride back and forth downtown.