Donald Trump, The Lincoln Lawyer and meditation

I’ve been struggling with what to say, and, frankly, I’ve got nothing. I wish President Joe Biden’s Justice Department had acted with more urgency in prosecuting former President and now President-Elect Donald Trump. I wish Biden had dropped out a year ago or more, so the Democrats could have had a real primary.

I wish Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign had spent more time appealing to their progressive base, rather than anti-Trump Republicans, who I largely don’t believe exist. But the truth is I have no idea if that would have made a difference. All I know is Trump returning to the White House is very bad, and we have no choice but to keep fighting.

That said, with a baby on the way, and our last one born at 34 weeks, I’m going to take a break from protesting, starting in December. I really don’t know how long this break will last. We’ll have to find a new equilibrium as a family. But I plan to keep the blog going. I’ll likely send out letters and return to protesting when I can.

Anyway, let’s do (Cell) Culture Talk. Lord knows I need it.

Book — The Gospel in Brief by Leo Tolstoy. It seems New Testament translators have to be careful with various word choices, or else the Gospels will read as anti-Semitic. That’s an issue here. I’m not sure if it comes from Tolstoy or his English translators. I read a PDF of Thomas Y. Crowell and Company’s 1896 version.

TV — The Lincoln Lawyer.  It’s a courtroom drama starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as a Los Angeles defense attorney. If you liked Bosch, a police show I enjoyed but never finished, you’ll probably like this. Both are apparently based on novels by Michael Connelly. They’re set in the same universe and the central characters are brothers.

Sports — Knicks lose to Rockets, 109-97. With all the new additions, New York is still learning how to play together. There’s a very good chance they will have it figured out in the near future. However, I’ll admit to being a little concerned the Knicks didn’t meaningfully improve after giving up all their trade assets this past summer.

Meditation passage — The Power of the Holy Name by Meera. I like the bit about needing to repeat one’s mantram until it tastes sweet, even if it’s hard and bitter at first. A lot of religious practice is like that for me. I’ve incorporated at least one prior passage by the Hindu poet. I’m still working on memorizing this one.