Today is my birthday. I am 68 today. I remember 50 years ago, when I turned 18, I went to register for Selective Service (the draft). Richard Nixon was also inaugurated, because January 20 fell on a Sunday that year.

Today I’m going to the doctor to see if I have my diabetes under control with diet and exercise. I lost 25 pounds since my last doctor visit. We shall see.

I feel kind of sad today, not because I’m older, just sad. Too much negativity out there. It is 4:34 AM right now, Eastern Time U.S. I haven’t slept well. It is cold and when it gets cold, the bedroom overheats. Then I wake up.

Negativity. Funny how I cited the atmosphere of negativity in our culture today when I opened with the Nixon Inauguration. That was truly a negative time. I can’t say what era is worse, the age of Nixon or that of Trump. Distinctions like that are very subjective. I will say that the era of Nixon was before the introduction of SSRI antidepression medications. I was chronically depressed back then. At least now I’m not depressed all the time.

I have also given up on the childish notion that humanity is making progress, or, at least, should be. I can say there are positive changes, like the eradication of small pox. But our marvelous digital age that allows me to share this blog with you also means I am constantly under surveillance, not by the government, but by internet marketers. I sign up for emails from T J Maxx and I get deluged with ads from T J Maxx and its related companies on YouTube. When I watch a lot of Russian movies, I see ads from Money Gram. Privacy is dead.

I told you I was sad. Now I think I know why, at least in part,