Having a Normal One

Having a Normal One

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What are we going to do?

What are we going to do?

Starting to think about a plan for the future.

The neighborhood, snow on the ground, empty waste bins out on the street.

If you're in Wisconsin, don't forget to vote today.

It's the state superintendent of schools primary. (I'm voting for Underly.)

An orange cat strolling through brown grass with his tail held straight up and crooked, right at the tip.

Lies, leverage, more lies, and links.

Plus! Tell everyone you know to subscribe to this newsletter.

Learning to live as one who is already dead.

Learning to live as one who is already dead.

Or: The story of Buttons.

Poor little bunny.

I am dying.

A brief update from my sickbed.

Two cats in two sinks.

Just a couple of alarming news items.

And a warning for pornography fans in red states.

Scared and angry? Well, guess who else is.

Scared and angry? Well, guess who else is.

It is not normal to respond to a request for mercy this way.

Three children in the distance pulling sleds across a snowy landscape under a gray sky.

Male bumblers, reasons to write, and other things to read.

Plus: We have a comment section.

Sunset at Yahara Place Park in Madison a few days ago.

Nobody accidentally does a Nazi salute.

And an explanation for this newsletter's absence.

A new year's message from Jimmy Carter

A new year's message from Jimmy Carter

"The combined wisdom and courage and commitment and discernment and unselfishness and compassion and love and idealism of the common ordinary people."

A car turns at a T-junction on a snowy evening in Madison, Wisconsin.

Five—count ’em, five—real ideas for last-minute gifts

Because this newsletter is here to serve.

The stump left over after city arborists had to take down the large old tree on the boulevard in front of our house.

Guns and the folks in charge and the limits of voting.

We just had another school shooting, but "safety concerns among executives are so widespread, New York State may create a special hotline just for CEOs to call in threats."

A white and orange cat watching city workers through a window as they take down a tree on the terrace.

I don't think they should invite this guy to a football game.

Even if a killing were a mistake, we shouldn't celebrate it.

Sting, Bono, and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran recording "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984.

I have a favorite Christmas song, it turns out.

"This little pop song has kept hundreds of thousands if not millions of people alive."

Screenshot of NYT updates by Shawn Hubler on December 9 at http://bit.ly/49xqeSW

Two links about the healthcare CEO murder suspect.

Mangione is not a leftist hero or a MAGA guy or an incel or out of his mind.

A watercolor painting by an 8-year-old of a green branch with purple flowers, rain, and a blue dragonfly.

Josh's LiveJournal I Guess

An essay you should read, and some stuff about that survey.

Plus: a new feature.

A brown tabby cat on a carpeted landing.

A story in which a health insurer is not the bad guy.

Not this time, at least.

An old married man cuddles with an orange cat while he types on his laptop (the man, not the cat).

This may be the last newsletter you receive from me.

Contact Julia about getting your money back.

An orange and white cat focused on a television show about insects.

In which my heroic efforts come to naught

Some days just drop in on us.

Three kids at a scenic overlook in Los Angeles with the Hollywood sign in the background.

There are no turkeys here. There is only gratitude.

In the face of daunting challenges, we remain thankful and unbowed.

A girl with a ponytail looks at giraffes, outdoor in a zoo, in Southern California.

I don't want to only feel safe when our side is in charge.

Plus: "The worm knows where it's going."

An orange tabby cat in a blue laundry basket filled with clothes on top of a white dryer.

Hello and farewell

(Until the morrow.)

An orange cat on a park bench in a side yard covered with fallen autumn leaves.

If you need something insane to read, this should do the trick.

Make sure to keep going till the part about the video of the taillight.

An orange and white cat yawning.

Paid-members only

Hey, I have a request for you.

A small flock of wild turkeys in front of Hobby Lobby on the east side of Madison.

Do not lose sight of how stupid and unfair all of this is.

Life and politics are full of nuance, but sometimes it's not that complicated.