First weekend after my grandson and his SO moved out is coming up. Looking forward to it.

I've got my house back, and it feels so good. Setting up my exercise room again, so I can finally start working off the COVID weight. Moving the stored items out of my library, so I can go back in there and read in comfort, surrounded by bookshelves like a civilized man.

And of course, tonight after work, I will be having a drink to celebrate. Hope to see you all there...

We finally got my grandson moved out! I've got my exercise room back!

Now to get back in shape, and lose my COVID-19 weight!

I think an old girlfriend of mine may have gone MAGA.

Inside, I'm begging 'Please, let it not be so'.

We met as part of the 'Rocky Horror' crowd in the gay-friendly St. Mathews district of Louisville, Kentucky thirty years ago. I was in the Army at Fort Knox, and she was having second thoughts about her engagement to another guy in our group. We had a few torrid weeks together until I got out of the Army and came home to Washington State.

We reconnected by Facebook back in 2010 and maintained a friendly relationship now that we each were married to others. She never was very political, but with her history in a highly LGBTQ-friendly environment, it was natural to assume she was a lefty like me.

The other day, after being absent from Facebook for months, she added a post opposing Green Day's callout of American Idiot Trump. No explanatory text was included, but the post speaks for itself. If you're defending Trump, you're a Trumpster.

When I knew her, she was sweet and funny and friendly. She lives in Indiana now. I'm guessing the state atmosphere of toxic hate might be partly responsible.

I feel like I've lost a long-time friend.

Okay, whoever pronounced that ancient Chinese curse upon us,

‘May You Live In Interesting Times’, please stop. I want to live in dull, safe, predictable times.

Friday Night Whiskey Buzz. Ask me anything.

No cocktails tonight. Instead, I’m enjoying one of my Christmas gifts, Glenlivet 16, with another of my Christmas gifts: a device that makes spherical ice balls.

I put an ice ball in a whiskey tumbler, and poured Glenlivet over it. Wonderful. Glenlivet doesn’t have the peaty wonderfulness of Islay malts like Lagavulin, but it’s nice and smooth.

Had a wonderful day in clinic today. So glad I switched jobs. I’m getting my clinical medicine mojo back.

I love you all…

The Internet is not kind to liberal veterans.

The YouTube algorithm that suggests videos and assigns in-video advertising seems to think that anyone interested in military subjects must be a roid-raging, scraggly-bearded, tactical gear-wearing, right-wing "alpha-dog" survivalist.

As an ex-tanker, I watch just about every tank video I can access. I'll often watch videos about aircraft carriers and fighter jets, too, sometimes. But more, and more lately, I'm getting advertising clips interrupting my videos of stern-faced pols warning about "woke", camo-wearing army cosplayers trying to sell me camp stoves and water purifiers, and douchebearded anti-government types promising the race war and revolution which is coming soon.

I've been trying to do more keyword searches lately designed to throw the algorithm off a little, looking for soft, apolitical subjects like Star Wars, men's tailored clothing, etc.

But I'm still getting right-wing advertising. Drives me crazy.

Enjoying an Alonzo's Special cocktail tonight.

Gin, Grand Marnier, dry and sweet vermouth, and a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters.

Hope everyone is having a good New Year’s weekend.

A return to Healthcare for the Homeless. Coming up next week.

I miss my homeless patients. That's not a secret. But I hope they will soon find out where I've gone, and follow me over. I'm only two blocks away from the old clinic.

My new employer has a branch called the Stability Clinic, located at one of the largest tent cities in town. (And the only one authorized by the town council.) They have a provider who goes down there twice a week to offer clinical care to the residents. I'll be joining her there next week. I'm looking forward to it.

This was a project my old employer was planning about seven years ago when we opened the new homeless clinic; the one where I worked until last month. We did a few visits to the site, and planned a regular presence there. But the manager of the project was so ineffectual, it never got off the ground. And obviously, our old rival, and my new employer, took the plan and ran with it.

This is the sphere of medicine where I really feel I belong. If they're preparing me to replace the current provider down there, I'm on board; no question about it.

Friday Night Gin Buzz. Ask me anything.

Had a monstrously busy day in clinic. Everybody wants their little sniffles looked at before the long weekend. It never let up. It was almost like my old job, only I had two great colleagues to share the caseload.

Relaxing with a Perfect Martini. Gin, and equal parts dry and sweet vermouth. Stirred and strained into a Martini glass.

Nice!

I love you all…

A song for Christmas Eve: