Okay. I’m blaming my mind-boggling absence from this blog on several factors but particularly my inability to focus lately. There has just been too much going on. There have been too many distractions in the outside world as well as way too much going on in my own head. The net result is the inability to focus sufficiently to write something that might appear coherent. The fact that I’m writing now doesn’t mean I have resolved the focus issue.  Expect some lack of focus.

We had Hurricane Irene. We had Tropical Storm Lee. Then we had the 10^th anniversary of 9/11. That event was accentuated by a supposed terrorist threat on bridges and tunnels of New York City and Washington DC. This threat of further terrorist activity resulted in a mind-boggling ramping up of security. The traffic was impeded by multiple check points. Crowds of tourists as well as New Yorkers were herded and watched carefully by heavily armed NYPD cops. They were everywhere. We decided to leave during these “festivities.”

Flying to Ft. Lauderdale and driving to our Bal Harbour apartment we were immediately struck by the contrasts with New York. Where was the traffic? Where were the people? Where were the uniformed cops on every street corner? We gazed at an open sky rather than towering skyscrapers. We were greeted by moderate humidity and 80 degree temperatures. Perfect! The perfection didn’t last. Upon our arrival at the apartment where we hadn’t been for 60 days we were confronted with mold. Yes, mold had attacked our clothes and other belongings. It seems one must have the air conditioning running even when not present in Florida. Otherwise it is considered an invitation for mold to move in and take over.  We had been unaware of this, being from much less hot and humid climes. This mold is dangerous to breathe in so we spent several nights in a beach front hotel while the professionals cleared out the mold. That wasn’t too bad of a result but certainly not what we had planned. More money out the window.

Meanwhile, the mind-boggling politics of Washington DC became even crazier, weirder and more disgusting.  In addition, the Republicans jockeying for the right to run for the US presidency continued their 8 ring circus. I have never known so much about politics and wished so much I didn’t.

During all this and more I kept reading my Nook which I have taken on as my new friend. I love it. Just a mention of the latest Nook book I read: It’s called Rules of the Tunnel and was written by Ned Zeman who is a journalist. He has written for Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, the New Yorker and then for Vanity Fair. This is his personal story of suffering from depression and anxiety. It’s not pretty but I recommend it. Depression and other mood disorders, which 1 out of every 7 Americans suffer from under normal conditions, must be an even greater malady today with unemployment and the recession impacting so many. Recent research indicates an increase in child abuse since 2008 which could well be related to stress and depression. Isolation and rumination are key contributing factors. I will probably write more on these subjects in the future.

Getting focused?

Stan the Man