Thursday Thoughts - must be the season of the witch

1. Good morning. Art via Vintage l'art

2. I'm way more into Halloween as an adult than I was as a kid. I don't mean dressing up in costume, although I don't mind doing that if I have occasion to. I just mean the general vibe of the season. You?

3. I enjoy decorative gourd season so much, and skeletons have grown on me immensely. Scenes from town Monday.

4. This week on the beach...after over six years here, it seems to be growing on Mae a little. She only tried to walk off the beach alone three times yesterday. 

5. I saw this on Sunday at the host stand going into dinner at the Anchorage in Somers Point and it made me laugh. 

6. I'm switching to bar soap and a dish in our shore apartment bathroom. The soap sticks to the dish and annoys me so I hope I get over myself. It's less plastic which is good. I need to focus on that. 

7. It's finally tea time sweater weather. I'm still wearing flip flops and walking in the ocean though. I'll be doing the latter for a while. This is my current afternoon and evening tea time mix - always two bags. Iced coffee rules the morning all year 'round.

8. It would seem there's some misinformation out there and people actually did not watch and film a rape for eight minutes on a SEPTA train instead of doing something about it - details in this column. It would also seem people are okay with living in one of only eight countries in the world with zero paid leave, Joe Manchin being one of those people. If you are one of those people, please email me. I'd like to talk to you about what a fucking shitweasel you are. This is a serious request. I have never and will never use paid leave but will die on this hill so others have it. 12 weeks is laughable. It should be minimum one year for those who want it with the option to return to work sooner for those who do not. It's not a fucking vacation or time off. And it is for everyone regardless of how you birthed your child or if you adopted your child, if you're salaried or if you're hourly, and if we want to live in a fully functioning society both parents should have the time. We can be and do so many things in this country and we choose to do the basest shit and cut what people can have to the fucking bone and cling to patriarchal norms that are fucking awful to live within. We also elect people who do this and we do not hold them accountable. The 51 senators blocking things that will actually benefit people instead of billionaires represent over 40 million LESS Americans than the 49 Senators who support things that will actually benefit people. This is madness and it's unstable.

9. Reminder via Sunbeam Illustration

10. Ecards

Almost the Halloweekend, friends. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Mae's theme song, Season of the Witch by Donovan