This blog is many things for me. It is exercise for the brain. It is a filler of all those free hours I never had before I retired. It is educational as a result of the reading I have to do before I can even start writing. And it is just plain fun.

But it can also be frustrating because, as you know if you’ve been following me for a while, the majority of my posts are based on the news of the day — mostly world news. And mostly about Russia. And there has been a hell of a lot of that lately. Actually, too much, even for me. The world is set at warp speed, and I’m . . . well, just a little bit slower.

A word, if I may, about method: I try to write ahead. What you are reading today may have been written, at least partially, yesterday or even the day before. But then there will invariably be a current news flash (or several) that will take precedence, and what I’ve originally written for today will have to be re-dated and delayed. And sometimes they get pushed back so far, they become obsolete and never get published at all. News is only news when it’s . . . well . . . new.

Right now, I have — by actual count — nine draft posts lined up with titles and not much more. You can imagine what yesterday’s prisoner exchange — as exciting and joyous as that has been — has done to my list. (And by the way, being able to watch the live broadcast of the arrival of the American hostages at Andrews AFB last night was phenomenal.) But that story obviously knocked everything else out of sight and thus out of my mind. So draft titles like “The Inmates Are Running the Asylum,” “And Another One Bites the Dust,” or “The Ghost of Yevgeny Prigozhin” may no longer be au courant.

Okay, full disclosure: Some of them go back so far, I no longer remember why I was going to write about them in the first place. I could review my notes, I suppose; but they seem to have grown a covering of mold while waiting in line, and all I can think of when I scan down the list is . . .

So I plan to spend the rest of today trying to come up with something new, interesting, maybe even amusing. Wish me luck.

Because now I need the world to cooperate. Could we just slow it down a little, please. Are you hearing me, Russia? China? Iran? Anybody out there??!!!

Wait a second . . . what’s this? Two children involved in the prisoner exchange? What’s their story? And Viktor Orban’s in trouble with the EU again? What did Dmitry Peskov say now? Oh, crap!

Gotta read some more. ‘Bye for now, I guess . . .

Well, what can I do? I’m a glutton for punishment.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/2/24