& {sometimes} WHY

I have had nearly two weeks now to process my election grief, and a part of me still sobs. That’s the part that woke at 5 a.m. Nov. 6 (because my old-lady bladder always wakes me then) and just had to check election results. Then, realizing all was lost, I couldn’t get back to sleep. That’s the part that made it difficult for me to eat all that day and the next.

Another part of me has briefly (and wistfully) revisited the idea of moving abroad. But I quickly realized there’s no place to hide that isn’t experiencing the same shift to the right as the United States. We just have a noisier poster child at the helm: a clown. And now he’s packing his clown car with oddball cabinet nominees and sycophantic wannabes who make him look like George Washington in comparison.

In fact, one recently called the president-elect “the 2nd George Washington.” Sylvester Stallone, if you can believe that. Not sure what cabinet post he’s vying for–Secretary of Labor? Secretary of Education (before Don and Elon eliminate it? Department of Punch-Drunk Has-Been One-Movie-Wonder Actors?

“Yo Donald, it’s me, Rocky, ya know?”

This is the part that gets me laughing, albeit way too hysterically unhinged.

I don’t usually post on Saturdays, but…

I wanted to beat Saturday Night Live on this one. According to Variety, Stallone opened his speech at a Mar-a-lago event by drawing connections between Jesus Christ, his boxing character Rocky Balboa and Trump himself.

“We are in the presence of a really mythical character,” Stallone said. “I love mythology.”

They certainly talk alike.

“Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off. So I’m in awe….I’ll just say this — and I mean it. When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world. Because without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We got the second George Washington. Congratulations!”

When George Washington defended and served his country, he established a precedent for the democratic transfer of executive power and stepped down after serving two terms, though the country wanted him to continue to serve. Some founding fathers suggested he, as President, be referred to as “His Elective Majesty,” “His Mightiness” and even “His Highness.” But he went with James Madison’s suggestion of “Mr. President” instead because he saw himself as just another citizen. He never wanted our fledging democracy to appear to have succumbed to a dictator.

Which is how it looks now, just with a soundtrack. A maniacal, narcissistic soundtrack.

Maybe I could skip forward 4 years?

Here’s an option: Villa Vie Residences is offering the Tour La Vie program, a residential cruise that departs on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2025. Travelers can choose from “Escape from Reality” for a year, “Mid-term Selection” for two years, “Everywhere but Home” for three years, or the full four-year experience called “Skip Forward.”

No lie.

“We came up with this marketing campaign before we even knew who would win, Mikael Petterson, chief executive officer, told Newsweek. “Regardless of who would have won, you would have half of the population upset. We just wanted to give people who feel threatened to have a way to get out.”

IF they can afford it, and that’s a big if. Tour La Vie starts at just under $40,000 per year, so the four-year option, which visits 140 countries and allows residents to miss Don’s entire term, costs $256,000 for single occupancy or $320,000 for two.

Petterson said his company is already experiencing three times the call load after announcing the cruise a few days ago, with a “huge uptick” in calls and leads. Typically, the average buy-in takes two to three weeks, so it will still take time to see how quickly the excursion sells out.

Maybe if we sold our house and ravaged our retirement savings…

Nah. I’d be afraid I couldn’t get back into the US, even with my Gold Star Indiana Drivers License, obtained only after showing a half-dozen forms of ID, including a birth certificate. And all that for someone born in the United States (as were ancestors back several generations), an Indiana resident 50-plus years, and holder of a valid Indiana drivers license most of those 50 years.

Besides, I want to see what happens. I think. Someone has to pick up the pieces.

Wait…Does Tour La Vie take pets?

Dare I risk asking for comments?

Still, I’d like to know what you think of cabinet appointments so far and whether you plan to check out the cruise. Remember to keep it sane. Comments are moderated and will not appear until I approve them.