The "Idle Janie" Journal - Days 51 through 55
The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 51
“The Deep State Conspiracy”
By this point, it’s obvious that our president has been divinely ordained to lead our struggling and sinful country into the Promised Land. And it’s also obvious that there is an international cabal of bourgeois bankers, educated elites, dastardly democrats, and pizza shop pedophiles who will stop at nothing to thwart our hero from saving the day. You can tell this by the long list of saboteurs who have infiltrated or indirectly affected some of the highest levels of government and his social circles, unimpeded in their attempt to undermine our defender and protector of the people.
Let’s take a look at this “who’s who” of evildoers intent on tarnishing our poor president’s name through association — many of whom you’ll recognize from the liberal leaning fake news media that has incorrectly insisted that these people are actually friends of Trump’s:
* Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, arrested today on charges of fraud
*Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager starting in 2015, charged with misdemeanor battery, and who admitted to lying on national TV
*Paul Manafort, chair of Trump Presidential campaign team from June to August 2016, and a convicted felon of tax and bank fraud
*Rick Gates, Trump Campaign Deputy who pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and making false statements in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections
*Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security advisor who pleaded guilty—twice—for knowingly and willfully making materially false statements to FBI agents
*George Papadopoulos, Trump’s former foreign policy advisor who pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents
*Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer who pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges: five counts of tax evasion, one count of making false statements to a financial institution, one count of willfully causing an unlawful corporate contribution, and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution at the request of a candidate
*Trump’s longtime advisor Roger Stone, who was charged in an indictment with witness tampering, obstructing an official proceeding, and five counts of making false statements
*Trump’s longtime friends and associates Jefferey Epstein (arrested in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, and died in prison supposedly by suicide) and Ghislaine Maxwell (arrested on July 2, 2020 on multiple charges related to the sexual abuse of young women and girls)
*Alex van der Zwaan, who in 2018 pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents about his contacts with Trump campaign deputy chair Rick Gates in September 2016
*Konstantin Kilimnik, who was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice, in conjunction with Manafort, regarding unregistered lobbying work
*Sam Patten, a lobbyist who pleaded guilty to illegally funneling foreign money into Trump’s inaugural committee
*Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two associates of Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, who were charged with conspiring to violate straw and foreign donor bans
*Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., the congressman who was the first to endorse then-candidate Trump during the 2016 election, who pleaded guilty in an insider trading case in federal court
*Former Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who was the second congressman to endorse Trump, who went to prison on corruption charges stemming from his misuse of more than $200,000 in campaign funds for a slew of personal expenses
*Washington-based lobbyist Sam Patten, who pleaded guilty to illegally funneling foreign money into Trump's inaugural committee
*New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, a close personal friend of Trump's, a Mar-a-Lago member who gave $1 million to the inaugural committee, who is currently fighting misdemeanor charges in Florida related to alleged solicitation of prostitution
*George Nader, a lobbyist with ties to the Trump world and a key witness in the Mueller investigation, who recently pleaded guilty to charges related to child sex trafficking and child pornography possession
*California-based Imaaz Zuberi, who gave $900,000 to the Trump inaugural committee, who was indicted last October for allegedly making illegal foreign straw donations, violating foreign lobbying laws and evading taxes
*Richard Pinedo, who played an instrumental role in a Russian troll factory's online influence campaign during the 2016 election by unwittingly selling bank accounts to Russians
So, you see, our oppressed president — who early on as a candidate promised that he would hire only "the best people” — has been fighting like hell to keep his cabinet clean and his righteous reputation resounding. It’s no surprise that when you are as angelic as Abraham, as noble as Noah, as immaculate as Mary, and as just as Jesus, that the evil forces of darkness will inevitably surround and seek to drown you. Would that our dutiful Donald, our precious president, our light bearing leader, could have proceeded with a presidency unhindered by such ugliness and uncouthness. He honestly wanted Washington to finally be free of the evil that has seeped up to the surface of this once-great government, one that has slowly over time been infiltrated by idiots, looted by lobbyists, corrupted by criminals, and sabotaged by sycophants.
There is no doubt that all of these folks named above lied on their resumes, hid well the skeletons in their closets, pretended to be prayerful and principled, acted upright and ethical in their public actions, or just put on a convincing show of solidarity when in the presence of Our Holy One of Wonder. It was all an attempt to tarnish the intentions of the well-meaning and hard-working virtuous vindicator of the people. How dare they.
Thank heavens our soon-to-be-savior cut his ties with the likes of this swine, and eschewed the powers and principalities that burden the earthly corruption of human stain and sin. These people have seemingly gone so far as to put themselves above God HIMself — you know, that big guy up in the sky doling out pie??? They have taken all the piepieces for themselves, and left nothing but crumbs and crumbling morality. They have all but killed GOD.
At least we can count on Q to come save the day!
———————-
Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
👮
The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 52
“The Day The Music Died”
In a bizarre turn of events, there is a new NY state rule that bans ticketed music events at bars and clubs. As it says on the website: “Additionally, please note that only incidental music is permissible at this time. This means that advertised and/or ticketed shows are not permissible. Music should be incidental to the dining experience and not the draw itself.”
I understand that COVID has severely impacted each state’s ability to negotiate large gatherings of people, and that across the nation music clubs, restaurants and bars (among others) are having to figure out creative ways to stay afloat, observe health guidelines, and also continue to offer a valuable service to the public. But this is downright ridiculous. Egregious, actually. Not only can musicians not make money, but they literally can’t even advertise a free show???
Do you know how many working and/or struggling musicians there are in NYC alone? My guess would be somewhere in the tens of thousands. How the hell are these people supposed to eat? And more importantly, you are literally killing the souls of these musicians. I have been streaming on facebook regularly during the last 5 months, and have even built up a small following. However, it pains me that I am having to play by myself, that I can’t work with other instrumentalists. That is something that has fed me musically over the entire time I’ve lived in NYC.
Plus, I am part of a HUGE network of music lovers on facebook. Mostly deadheads, obviously, and I don’t even know most of these folks personally. But with all of the live music opportunities that exist in and near a major metropolitan area, there are thousands of fans of jam bands in this region who literally haven’t been to a bonafide concert in 5 months. These people are absolutely hurting — I see that in my timeline feed on a regular basis. Now that other businesses are figuring out how to open up, music clubs need to also be able to figure out a safe way to survive. The very soul of this city — and the fragile psyches of countless music lovers — is at stake here.
New York State: My band is one of many that basically invented social distancing before it became the law. Since we regularly had a draw of less than 25 in venues that could hold hundreds of people, can WE at least keep playing? 😂
Signed, the guy who makes more money streaming from his living room than he EVER did playing in actual music clubs 😉
———————-
Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
👮
The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 53
“SABBATH”
👮
Photo credit: David Bryan, Nimes, France May 2018
The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 54
“Time To Clean AGAIN??”
I’m always amazed at how quickly a clean domicile deteriorates. Augmented by necessary tasks like doing laundry, shopping for groceries, “running errands” (I’ve always HATED that phrase) and the other nuts and bolts of habitation and daily existence, having to regularly clean the apartment is one of those tasks I’ve mentioned previously that eats up precious free time, leaving the full time worker with even less time to devote to themselves, their passions, their hobbies and interests.
Now that I’m unemployed, I should have no excuse, right? But my apartment is in shambles YET again, and I am scratching my head wondering how it seems to reach this state so repeatedly. I think there are basically five different classes of cleaning. Which one do you all fit into?
Class 1: These folks are obsessive compulsive types, who basically have some sort of disorder about dirty surfaces. As soon as a single spot appears on the kitchen counter, they are there with a sponge or towel wiping up, returning everything to normal in nanoseconds. Cleanliness is next to godliness, and these folks are hankering for heaven.
Class 2: This class of person is not as much of a nazi concerning cleaning. They might make a mess at dinner, or at some other time during the day, but they are still sure to scour the surfaces before bed. As long as everything is in tip top shape by bedtime, then they can wake up to a sparkling apartment or house. Good for them. 🙄
Class 3: These folks are in the group I wish I could at least visit once in a while. They don’t wish to be burdened with the banalities of the bathroom every day, but they still somehow manage to maintain with a regularity that returns all the rooms to some kind of status quo pretty quickly, and can keep some semblance of shiny surfaces, such that it never gets overwhelming. Once a week is the way to go!
Class 4: Unfortunately, this is where I live, and always have. There are too many intellectual, musical, and personal projects that take top priority in my life, so scouring, dusting, and mopping get moved to the bottom of the list. Note: this is where a crazy person who doesn’t want to be crazy finds themselves on a regular basis. It’s like the month just flew by, and you think to yourself, “Holy crap, didn’t I JUST clean???” To which yourself answers, “NO, you dillhole! That was a month ago!!” Needless to say, when yourself finds yourself engaging in dialogue about the dirt with one another, you start to understand WHY your apartment looks like a war zone. I need to call for reinforcements!
Class 5: I guess I’m embarrassed to be just one step away from this class of cleanliness -- which is NONE. I’ve seen apartments and homes like this before, and it is kind of frightening. I believe there is some sort of mental illness associated with the likes of these types, where they literally just don’t seem to notice or care that there are cockroaches wandering the halls freely, you can’t see the floor for all the trash, and any surface you touch is tinged with something sticky. If you’re one of these folks, you should probably just forego paying rent and retire to a cave up in the hills where at least you can count on the dirt to dispel the dust. Oh, and you get lots of bugs for pets. And you don’t even have to feed them.
I dunno. Since I’m already in Class 4, maybe I should just choose the cave option. Who needs all this STUFF anyway? Isn’t that what houses and apartments ultimately are, just giant live-in storage facilities?
By the way, this Class 4-er lives in 367 square feet. HOW THE HELL DO YOU “NORMAL” PEOPLE WITH HOUSES COPE WITH THIS CRAP???????
At the very least, I’ve heard it said that highly intelligent people live in messy, disorganized homes. So at least I’ve got THAT going for me. 😉
Photo credit: David Bryan, Antibes, France May 2018
———————-
Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
👮
Photo credit: David Bryan, London, England May 2019
The “Idle Janie” Journal - Day 55
“All Good Things Must Come To An End”
Throughout the pandemic and economic shutdown, federal, state, and local governments have all been at odds with each other, with themselves, and apparently with Americans as well. Now, it seems that the old myth of the “Welfare Queen” must be guiding the decision making process for all the politicians who, as a whole, are failing their constituents throughout this crisis. Our country is not responsible for this virus — but our leaders are damn sure culpable for the multiple levels of failure in response to it.
At this point, it sure seems like there is no respite in sight, as we are averaging 1000 daily deaths due to the pandemic. Summer flies, August dies, and we now head into a hotly contested fall election season with less focus on fighting the necessary biological battle, and more attention to the asinine antics of political parties throwing stones at one another. To be sure, it seems like this whole virus thing is never going to end.
What DID come to an end is job security for millions in the aftermath of the virus. According to USA Today on August 20, “A mind-boggling 57.3 million workers now have filed for unemployment over the past 22 weeks.” To be sure, some of those folks have secured new jobs. As Forbes stated two days later, there are “28 million people still unemployed.” Either way you slice it, you get the picture: there are TONS of folks out of work due to the pandemic (myself included!) with no real prospects in sight. And we’ve also seen photos pouring in from across the country of folks waiting in bread lines to get food assistance, so they can feed their families. Children are literally going hungry while politicians harangue each other in the halls of congress.
What DID come to an end was the federal pandemic unemployment insurance, about a month ago. You see, a bunch of mostly stodgy old white rich dudes who currently make an annual salary of $174,000 are adamantly opposed to previously working people — who now have limited means of income if and ONLY if they qualify for state unemployment insurance — receiving an extra $600 per week to help combat this financial crisis. If you multiply that figure times a full year, it’s a paltry $31,200 per person. Mind you, nobody is suggesting this additional financial help last an entire year. We are just still in the throes of this viral foe, and those 28 million+ people are honestly hurting right now. Please, stodgy old white rich dudes, can you please throw us a bone?? Oh, and for what it’s worth, from 2001 to 2018, senators spent an average of 165 days in session (compared to the 245-250 days that you most likely worked). Sure, they aren’t off vacationing the entirety of those remaining 96 work days, but GEEZ wouldn’t it be nice to have that option? I think I went into the wrong line of work.
What DID come to an end is the federal moratorium on evictions which ends . . . oh, TODAY. 40 million households are now on the brink of eviction. Seems like a shared systematic crisis that should be handled with some kind of compassion, care, and understanding, right? Seems like legislation that would limit landlords’ abilities to oust full families into the streets would be entertained, right? I mean, SOMEBODY needs to do SOMETHING, right??? But let’s just say that landlords aren’t too concerned with viruses or unemployment or their usually stellar reputations as the good guys. The rent is due, and they expect it, and SOON. Oh, and the Senate is currently in its August recess. Great time for a trip to the Cape! Let’s just let future bygones be bygones.
What DID come to an end is health insurance coverage for over 5 million people as a result of losing their jobs (myself included!) And according to CBS News, “Nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that about 27 million in total are at risk of losing coverage during the coronavirus pandemic.” I’d suggest — like many others — that now might be a great time to talk about universal health care, that the idea of tying basic health coverage to a job that can disappear at the blink of an eye through no faults of one’s own is an outdated one that needs some serious revamping. But I sure wouldn’t want to question those quarterly reports for those health care CEOs who made out like bandits during this time of national tragedy. Or any other already ridiculously rich asshats who are swimming in savings while the rest of the country drowns in debt. SERIOUSLY, google this phrase: “billionaires during pandemic.” This will blow your mind.
So, ultimately, I guess it was a good thing if you were already filthy rich before all this happened. You’re in “the club,” and your country and your congress care for you. For the rest of us, I guess it’s good that most of us have seen “The Hunger Games,” so we know what to expect next.
I always was pretty good with a bow and arrow at boy scout camp, so at least I’ve got that going for me.
Photo credit: David Bryan, Bath, England May 2019
———————-
Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, and want to support my fledgeling career as a writer and musician, you can drop a few bucks in the virtual tip jar. It all adds up!
Venmo: @David-Bryan10026
Paypal: paypal.me/davidbryanandfriends
Comments