Lorraine Evanoff's Blog, page 2
April 25, 2024
Donald Trump’s Mask Is Cracking
Get ready folks. The masks are coming off. For almost four years of the COVID-19 pandemic we took every precaution trying to stave off crippling long-term ailments and death. Of course, millions of reckless MAGA who bought into Trump’s deadly anti-vax, anti-mask misinformation refused to take the most basic precautions. Over one million people died, at least half of whom unnecessarily. That makes Trump a mass murderer in my book.
But then Biden was elected, and things stabilized. The illness was contained with a successful national roll-out of free vaccines, free testing, and personal safety supplies widely available. Getting back to normal is surreal. It feels weird to go out in public, and even weirder not wearing a mask. (Many of us still wear masks in public, I will continue to wear a mask in airports, on planes, and in other crowded areas indefinitely).
And now, the other pandemic, the Trumpandemic, is ending. This November, when Trump loses in a landslide, if he’s even the candidate, it will finally be over. It will feel surreal. Many of us refuse to even recognize Trump was a legitimate president. My favorite is Mary Trump who creatively finds ways to avoid calling him “former President” even when quoting others. I also respect how she refuses to use her own last name and just calls him Donald.
Anyway, how do we know the Trumpandemic is almost over? His mask of invincibility is cracking. Despite the first day of the Manhattan DA’s 2016 election interference trial being cut short for Passover and a juror’s dental emergency, it was devastating to Trump. The prosecution’s opening statement laid out the catch-and-kill operation and the first key witness David Pecker who set up the operation testified that his tabloid the National Enquirer indeed used “checkbook journalism” to kill the story.
Also, this weekend, the bill to fund Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed the House with bipartisan support. If it had passed six months ago the GOP could have had the same bill with Republican border security attached. Instead, the MAGA movement ended up splintered. Speaker Johnson flipped his stance on Ukraine after seeing the intelligence. Now, Trump has suddenly flipped, ostensibly because in swing states Putin’s approval rating with Republicans is in single digits. It’s more likely due to Putin’s long-term strategy. Either way, it won’t help Trump in November.
The bottom line is, soon we will breathe easier. The masks are coming off. Biden is now and will remain our president. VOTE blue.
October 23, 2023
The John McCain Maneuver
Remember when John McCain, the decorated military veteran and six-term senator from Arizona, saved the Affordable Care Act? That was in July 2017. Trump was squatting in the White House. Republicans held the majority in the House and the Senate. The GOP had sworn to repeal the ACA (Obamacare) ever since it was passed through reconciliation under Nancy Pelosi in 2010. Yet, John McCain, who had devoted his political career fighting corporate greed in the health insurance and tobacco industries, but who hated Obamacare, single handedly saved it, literally, with a thumbs-down hand gesture. It was a watershed moment preserving healthcare for millions of Americans, and humiliating for Trump and the Republican Party.
During the third vote for Jim Jordan’s bid to be House Speaker, four Republicans missed their John McCain watershed moment. After the quorum count, with two House seats currently vacant, and four Republicans and two Democrats absent, there were 427 House Members present, bringing the threshold to win down to 214 votes.
The doomsday crowd began to worry that Jim Jordan had pulled the maneuver that Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner had used. But one clue that wasn’t the case, the Democrats were confident enough to spare the two absentees, Vincente Gonzalez of Texas who was attending a funeral, and Donald Payne of New Jersey.
By the time the vote reached the Js, with four votes against him, Jim Jordan had lost. As an eternal optimist, I hoped four Republicans would have their John McCain moment and vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. It was a crazy longshot. But there’s been a lot of crazy lately. In the end, while all 210 Democrats voted for Jeffries, 25 Republicans voted for someone other than Jordan or Jeffries.
So, what’s next? There was bipartisan support to expand Republican speaker pro tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry’s authority, 15-days at a time, to allow him to move legislation like the debt ceiling that expires November 17th. Of the 25 House Republicans who rejected Jordan, six voted for McHentry, and as a top GOP negotiator during the May debt limit deal, Democrats considered supporting McHenry in that temporary solution. But it quickly fell apart.
As a new list of potential Republican nominees for Speaker emerges, the current frontrunner is far-right Minnesota Republican Tom Emmer. But, having voted to certify Biden’s 2020 election in defiance of the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn it, Emmer would need support from Democrats. For that to happen, Democrats would insist the nominee meet certain requirements. He or she must have voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, and must vow to support the previously negotiated debt limit and additional aid to Ukraine and Israel.
House Republicans plan to hold a forum Monday evening, when even more candidates may join in the running. Republicans in disarray may be forced to finally get it together.
October 18, 2023
What Goes Around Has Come Around
The old Political Pendulum metaphor seems so quaint now. Ever since Republicans began coordinated efforts to rig things in their favor decades ago – to the point of conspiring with our enemies – it’s more like a political tug-of-war between good and evil.
After the end of the Cold War, Reagan “triumphalism” left the former Soviet Union humiliated, resulting in a toxic mix of Russian resentment and American complacency due to a myopic perception of no adversary. The United States entered an era of petty political divisiveness, while a power vacuum waited to be filled by the next corrupt autocratic forces.
In this tug-of-war, on the far right, we have dark entities who installed their thugs into positions of power through cheating (gerrymandering), propaganda (Fox News), violence (guns), and corruption (SCOTUS). On the Left, although caught off guard by a deceptively slack rope, we have a cohesive platform of democratic principles, global leadership, compassion, truth, courage, diplomacy, and political acumen.
It wasn’t a pendulum swing that won Democrats the last three general elections and most special elections. We fought hard, or let up the slack, not wasting precious resources, as needed. We suffered devastating gubernatorial losses, like Beto in Texas, Crist in Florida, and last week the “jungle primary” in Louisiana. But when we timed it right, the wins were huge, like Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz, and the ongoing fight for abortion rights in Ohio, (vote yes on Issue 1).
In the European Union, although Germany recently gave up ground to the extreme right, the left appears to have achieved a stunning win in Poland after living under hateful rightwing oppression since 2015.
Even the media tried to get in the game by cutting slack to the far right, with misleading headlines and both-sides-ism. But it worked against them, with Fox News giving up almost a billion dollars to Dominion Voting Systems for defamation, and last week the Washington Post announcing 10% in staff layoffs, citing “rapid expansion, and unmet revenue projections.”
Now even as the world struggles against filthy tactics by Russia-backed Hamas terrorists to destabilize footing in the Middle East, Republicans are voting to place an insurrectionist 2nd in line after the Vice President to the U.S. presidency. I’d much rather be pulling for the side of fortitude, than the side of vile corruption struggling to fill a power vacuum.
October 11, 2023
Deciphering Project 25
The 2024 Republican Party presidential primary race is boring. None of the candidates have been able to gain any traction, and as the self-proclaimed de facto nominee, Trump has sat out the debates. There’s still a chance Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin could infuse the primary with some energy. But according to Daily Beast, “Late entrants always bust.” What’s not boring is the new round of Republican Party efforts to destroy our democracy and the Democratic Party efforts to thwart them.
There are examples of presidential candidates being rejected from state ballots. In New Jersey, presidential and vice-presidential candidates violated the 12th Amendment that prohibits electors from voting for both candidates from the same state. In Illinois, a presidential candidate was rejected for being under 35 years old, in violation of Article II of the Constitution. Colorado rejected a presidential candidate for failing to meet the Constitutional requirement of being a natural-born U. S. citizen. The then-10th Circuit court Judge Neil Gorsuch affirmed the ruling under appeal, which might explain the Republican promulgation of the Obama birther lie.
In 2019, California passed a law requiring presidential candidates to reveal their tax returns to exclude Trump from the state ballot. But that attempt was rejected by the state supreme court as unconstitutional. So, unless Trump is convicted of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election and all appeals run their course before the November 5, 2024, elections, it’s unlikely Trump will be excluded from any state ballots in violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
Meanwhile, there are ongoing attempts by the right to interfere with the 2024 elections. No Labels, the party started by a Democratic fundraiser to pass bipartisan policies, which it has successfully done in the past, appears to have been hijacked by the Right. No Labels is increasingly funded by mega-donors of Republican causes. Also No Labels, which has never declared a specific platform, has promised to release a one this fall declaring positions on abortion, taxes, health care, immigration, and Ukraine.
In 2016, the 46 electoral votes from just 79,646 votes cast in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, gave Trump the win. On their own website, No Labels declares the battleground states are Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada, Florida, and Georgia. So far, No Labels is on the ballot in 11 states, including Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada, and Florida. They plan to get on the ballot in all 50 states plus DC. No Labels will declare an independent candidate in April 2024.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. just changed parties from Democrat to Independent. No Independent could win the presidential election. So, the whole No Labels movement looks like another [Russian] election interference operation. The RNC ran on no platform in 2020 and 2022. For 2024, the only Republican platform is Project 2025, which has a goal of weakening Democratic Party votes, through disenfranchisement and the No Labels movement.
The good news is, FiveThirtyEight, and RFK Jr. himself, believe he would take more votes from Trump and DeSantis, than from Biden. RFK Jr. attracts votes from anti-vaxers and conspiracy theorists, appealing to the “Trump crazies” and the DeSantis anti-Ukraine voters. Democrats are more united than ever, and we’re wise to Republican shenanigans, giving a whole new meaning to “woke.” Republicans on the other hand, are asleep at the wheel, and on a crash course to their own demise.
October 6, 2023
Stop Cussword Shaming🤬 In My Defense…
During golf, a hell of a lot of cussing goes on. Before November 8, 2016, I was already notorious for my F-bombs. But ever since that day, my foul language has reached DEFCON 1. Even the C-bomb has now been fully accepted into my lexicon.
If I shank a shot, an expletive-filled tirade will usually ensue. The other day, on the 14th hole, the C-bombs were flying, prompting my husband to ask, “Do you hear yourself? What if I take you to a fancy country club?”
I simply replied, “In England that’s all they say.”
That’s when it hit me. I’m sick and tired of being shamed for cussing. Do people think we potty mouths haven’t tried to tone it down? Cussing is harder to quit than cigarettes. I’ve never smoked, but I’ve tried everything from meditation to hypnosis to get control of my language.
In the end, although I’m highly educated with advanced degrees and certifications in French, accounting, and finance, I come from a long line of bighearted but foulmouthed Americans. This shit is deep-rooted.
When I first moved to Paris, my love-interest attempted to “Pygmalion” me into his ivory statue. He succeeded in teaching me how to hold a fork and knife and behave in polite society, but he failed to cure my cussing. That said, he never shamed me for it. Europe is much more tolerant of self-expression than we are here. In fact, the Puritans or Protestants who colonized the United States are responsible for all kinds of shaming, including slut-shaming, and cussword-shaming.
The “seven dirty words” immortalized by the late, great George Carlin in 1972, are still banned on broadcast television and radio under FCC obscenity guidelines. The words are: shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits, and the lesser-known fart, turd and twat. Nudity is also banned under these guidelines.
But when I moved to France over 30 years ago, there were no bans on cusswords. You heard the worst obscenities on sitcoms and talk shows. Not only that, national television commercials for products like body wash regularly feature gorgeous nude women soaping up their boobs in the shower, (which, oddly, never comes off as sexual).
In America, the Puritans, who believed it was ungodly to waste time, also indoctrinated our work ethic. To this day American workaholics forego billions in annual paid vacation, to our own detriment, and to the benefit of our employers. Whereas, in most European economies, four weeks annual paid vacation is codified into law, and citizens shamelessly enjoy that vacation time.
So, in my defense, as an incurable workaholic, technically I’m only half a sinner. If I shout well-deserved expletives at Republicans in the news, I shouldn’t have to burn in hell. After all, no one is perfect.
The Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland and Canmore Golf & Curling Club, Canmore, Alberta, Canada
September 30, 2023
“Make Or Break Moment”
We are witnessing the crumbling of Donald Trump and the Republican party. Trump has been busted for a multitude of crimes, and the second Republican presidential primary debate was a complete bust. The fake Biden impeachment inquiry is a flop, and Kevin McCarthy is leading the Republican House toward a government shutdown. Mitt Romney is retiring, and Mitch McConnell has not been Senate Majority Leader for two terms now.
Parallels have been made to the rise and fall of Hitler and other autocrats. But we can’t compare them without also considering the voters who elected them. Russians and Italians were bamboozled, not once, but twice, Stalin and Putin, Mussolini and Meloni, respectively.
Meanwhile, the home of the most notorious Fascist dictator, Germany, despite mounting pressure, has successfully resisted the extreme right, for now. Section 130 of the German Strafgesetzbuch, or criminal code, was amended in the 1950s to criminalize neo-Nazi incitement, and in 1994, Holocaust denial was criminalized. And the laws are strictly enforced.
In the United States, after decades of normalizing right-wing extremism, in 2016, with a nudge from Russia, the Republicans fully embraced Fascism. Charismatic conman leader? Trump. Racism? Confederates and Nazis. Right-wing propaganda network? Fox News, et al. Right-wing extremist elected officials? Q-Anon and AltRight Congress members. Corrupt Judiciary? Federalist Society. Eroding public education? Moms for Liberty. The list goes on.
So how can Republican voters in America be convinced that Fascism is bad? In the U.S. hate crimes are illegal, but the 1st Amendment will probably preclude outlawing hate speech, displaying of Swastikas, Confederate flags, and other hate symbols. In her interview with Rachel Maddow, Cassidy Hutchison partly blamed Mitch McConnell for Trump, saying he, “…could have likely whipped ten votes in the Senate to make sure Donald Trump would never be President again.” She said the Republican Party can be saved if Republicans break from Trump, and that this is their “Make or break moment.”
But there’s no saving the GOP, which has been pursuing the destruction of democracy since Nixon resigned in disgrace. GOP heartlessness is not an acceptable platform for any advanced democracy. Like Hitler, given a second chance, Trump Republicans, who unnecessarily caused 40% of COVID deaths, would resume killing Americans. GW Bush Republicans allowed the assault weapons ban to lapse, caused the longest U.S. War in history, and mishandled Hurricane Katrina. A DOJ under Trump would end accountability for Republican corruption.
Democrats are the only party working for voters. Re-electing Biden, keeping the Senate, and retaking the House is OUR make-or-break moment. There are nine House Democrats running for reelection in toss up races. Get to know these candidates and get involved.
September 22, 2023
Wisconsin… The Beautiful?
As promised, here are my impressions from our trip to Wisconsin this week for the LGBTQ wedding of one of my dearest friends.
On our way, my husband and I took in the sights, driving from Chicago O’Hare via Racine, to Milwaukee, then west to Lake Geneva.
Being from the Midwest, I was reminded of how friendly people are, and how beautiful the landscape is along Lake Michigan and the farmlands.
I’m happy to report, the four-day wedding celebration was magical.
Politically, not so much.
Between scheduled wedding activities, we explored local seasonal events, one of which was the Delavan Scarecrow Fest.
Upon arrival there, we quickly saw signs designating Delavan as the historic “Circus Colony” where P.T. Barnum was first formed. Fun!
We wandered among the many foods and crafts stands and the feeling was festive. Joy!
Then smack dab in the middle of the festivities was the Walworth County Republican Party booth. Boo.
On my phone, I Googled Walworth County. Although Wisconsin amazingly flipped blue, with Biden winning in 2020, Walworth County voted 59% for Trump. Boo!
I wandered over to surreptitiously take photos of their booth and overheard one of the staff commiserating with a visitor, “That’s why we need to keep fighting…”
Admittedly, I am not subtle and I asked, “So you’re okay with destroying America?” He simply replied, “I don’t talk to idiots,” and turned away.
Then I bumped into several new LGBTQ friends from the wedding party. Yay!
One of them spotted the Republican booth and showed me how it’s done. She whispered to me, “Watch me go talk to them wearing my rainbow sweater.”
Here’s a photo of her fearlessly approaching them in a friendly way, asking, “Do you know where I can find the ‘scarecrow kits’?” For about five minutes, they were so helpful, Googling on their phones, completely oblivious to her rainbow sweater.
Then we wandered some more and to my surprise, just steps away, I found the Walworth County Democratic Party Booth. Yay!
The Democrats’ booth was noticeably more popular. They had an “Official Poll,” a colorful fishing tackle tray with nine sections for issues ranging from Immigration to Voter Suppression, to LGBTQ, to Abortion. They had cute plastic beads, and you placed only one bead per person to vote for one issue. The most votes were for Gun Violence and the Climate Crisis. Legit.
Meanwhile, the only thing the Walworth County Republican Party booth had to offer was free “Let’s Go Brandon” stickers. Delavan is the home of clowns, after all.
But there are also lots of nice folks. Each booth had a sweet doggy. The Democratic party booth had an adorable Labradoodle named Lucy, who apparently voted PURPLE. I didn’t interact with the doggy in the Republican booth. Sad
One more impression, driving through the region, I was sad to see similar hateful displays that I thought I’d only see near our summer home in Northern Idaho.
Rightwing flags on the roads included the usual “Don’t Tread on Me,” and “Trump 2024.”
Surprisingly I don’t recall seeing any Confederate flags.
A new one for me was “F*ck You Biden” (their spelling, not mine), or the more subtle “FYB,” and “Let’s Go Brandon.” Charming. No photos. It wasn’t worth stopping for.
September 13, 2023
It’s Not Too Late… To Trust Science
After the Maui wildfires, I posted tribute photos on social media from our many trips to Lahaina where we have a place. Then this week, I posted photos from my 2011 girls’ trip to Marrakesh expressing my heartbreak over the devastation from the earthquake of such a beautiful place and peaceful people.
Seeing my posts, a family member texted me asking about a conspiracy theory spreading on social media about the Lahaina wildfires. I replied that we are heartbroken enough without QAnon jerks spreading baseless insane lies. In fact, Maui County is now suing the privately owned Hawaiian Electric Company for negligence that caused the devastation.
The planet is suffering, and the wreckage is just getting started. Over 100 years ago, Scientists predicted the timing of the environmental collapse with amazing accuracy. Yet, the Right is still spreading dangerous Climate Science lies. One recent whopper was how more humans would have died without heating and air conditioning from fossil fuels, than by climate change. What a sick and twisted theory!
Setting aside this GOP charlatan’s callous disregard for the unprecedented tragic mass extinction of hundreds of thousands of species, by his own logic, if we had transitioned to clean energy decades ago when it was first available, the world would be in much better shape. Instead, greedy fossil fuel polluters lied about climate science almost to the point of no return. A new U.N. report found that the international community is not on track to meet goals set by the 2015 Paris Climate accords.
But it is never too late to trust science. Thanks to science, the fossil fuel industry lost its first climate lawsuit and will be forced into compliance, much like the tobacco industry was sued and successfully regulated. And there are more lawsuits against fossil fuels coming. We have made other big advances toward transitioning to clean energy, which is growing at the fastest pace ever. Democrats have won the last three general elections and are taking aggressive steps toward tackling the climate crisis. And we will continue to fight.
This situation makes me think of the amazing book, Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about the man who rowed around New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, giving sustenance to trapped humans and critters. Tragically, under G.W. Bush’s inhumane 9/11 anti-terrorist policies, Zeitoun was unjustly imprisoned, leaving those he’d been caring for to starve to death.
We are all Zeitoun, doing what we can, against impossible odds and evil forces. Yes, the earth is collapsing, and we will all continue to suffer. The fight is exhausting. But we’ll never give up on our planet, on our humanity, on our dignity.
September 6, 2023
Sneak Peek Of The Catwalk
Dear Faithful Reader:
Sorry this newsletter is soooo late! I’ve been spending too much time on my new Substack if you want to check it out.
Anyway, have you heard of THE PAGE 69 TEST? It sounds saucy, but it’s just a way to help you decide what book to read next. In principle, page 69 should be about one-third into a typical novel, around the end of Act I.
Go to the bookstore or library, find a book that looks interesting, open to page 69, and read. If it captures your attention enough to want to read the whole thing, you have your next book!
Of course, if you’re shopping for an E-Book online, you’re SOL.😩 So, below is a sneak peak of Walking the Cat, page 69.
It’s a nail-biter!
Walking the Cat, Page 69
Louise placed the palms of her hands together in front of her heart and bowed her head in gratitude for her meditation once again bringing her the solution.
She got dressed and headed out on foot toward the 9th arrondissement where she had observed detective Toulouse having coffee the previous morning on her way to see inspector Proust.
She had noticed Toulouse walking out of a bar tabac across the street from the precinct saying, “à demain,” to the owner. See you tomorrow. So, she expected to find him there again this morning.
She arrived at eight o’clock and stood at the counter of the bar tabac, which is something between a small café and a large newsstand, where one can buy stamps and newspapers, get a quick espresso and croissant, or a glass of wine.
When she arrived, one patron on the way to his daily grind had stopped for a quick six-ounce glass of red. It was not an uncommon sight in Paris, and Louise could completely relate, if it were Sunday brunch. But this was a workday.
The owner was a very professional, tightly wound, well-oiled machine, barely looking up from his cleaning duties to give his standard greeting and take her order.
“Bonjour! Qu-est-ce que je vous ser?”
“Café au lait et un croissant, s’il vous plait,” Louise replied.
Within three minutes the steaming brew and crispy pastry with a side of butter and jam were unceremoniously placed in front of her. Incredible how the simplest breakfast was so infallibly delicious. She enjoyed her petit déjeuner and allowed destiny to take a hand.
Sure enough, with a dry, “Bonjour,” Toulouse entered, stood at the bar, and, without asking, was served his usual, double espresso, baguette, butter, and jam. Glancing in the mirror behind the bar, he noticed Louise’s reflection a few feet to his right and stared at her. Sensing his glare, she looked up to see his reflection. Her genuine surprise convinced him it was a chance meeting.
“Bonjour. Bien dormi?” he said, making diffident small talk. Hello. Slept well?
“Tres bien, merci, et vous?” Louise replied cheerily. In fact, she had slept very well and was interested to hear if he had too.
“On peut se tutoyer,” Toulouse said, ignoring the question, and instead offering to address each other with the more familiar tu, for you, instead of the formal vous, which was a big step toward bonding.
“Sorry, force of habit, out of respect.”
“Eet eez quite all right,” Toulouse replied, with a heavy accent.
“You speak English beautifully,” Louise said. She really was impressed. In her experience, although required to take four years of English in school, very few French ever learned to use it in conversation.
“Thank you, Meezz Moscow.”
Her plan was working. “Please, call me Louise.”
He finished his espresso and paid. “You came to see inspector Proust again, Louise?
“Yes, I wanted to ask the inspector something.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
Louise gulped down the last of the delicious café au lait. “I don’t want to bother you. It’s probably just a silly hunch.”
“Regarding the Anna Burke murder?”
“Yes.” She hesitated. “Something is bothering me.”
Toulouse signaled for the barman to serve them each another round of cafés. Then he moved closer to Louise. “Allez. You can tell me.”
WALKING THE CAT – COMING SOON!
Sort of.
LOUISE MOSCOW BOOK #4 is on schedule. But I’ve decided not to rush this one. It’s such a fascinating story with so many nimble turns, like a supermodel on the catwalk. 🐈⬛
That means my usual October book release isn’t definite. But I’ll definitely get the Advanced Reader Copy to my cherished beta readers by end of October.
I look forward to your honest feedback!
~ Love Lolo 🙏🏻💙
Walking the Cat
Synopsis
Former CIA operative Louise Moscow gets a highly-coveted all-access pass to Spring/Summer 2023 Paris Fashion Week.
When a mysterious catwalk murder shocks the haute couture world, Louise springs into action to clear an old friend, and fellow spy, of the charges. But nothing is what it appears to be.
CHECK OUT MY NEW HEAD SHOTS!
Clark Kent in reverse?
Even I can’t believe my transformation between having my glasses on
and my glasses off. This Superman disguise really works!
Who knew?!
Photo credit, as always, by the amazing Cheryl Mann!
September 4, 2023
Dealing With The Noise… Literally…
Being a good listener can be challenging. When someone is speaking, my mind is constantly making connections, so I must consciously stop myself from interrupting. My sister was the greatest listener I ever knew. When I spoke, I could tell she took in every word. She still sends me signs that she’s listening from heaven.
Then there’s our sense of hearing, or AUDITION, that has presented challenges for me. Growing up, I suffered from noise triggers. It wasn’t until the past few years that Reddit, of all places, diagnosed my condition as MISOPHONIA.
When I learned of this ailment, my whole world changed. There’s even a small but supportive r/Misophonia Subreddit that I joined.Although there’s no treatment, just knowing I have Misophonia and its triggers, has offered some relief. The triggers can vary from person to person, but the most common is chewing noises. Responses can also vary, such as irritation, anger, even emotional breakdown. For me, chewing, jack hammers, certain street noise, and repeated hammering, can trigger a physical reaction.
For example, recently I was playing beach volleyball with my group when a new house was being built right in front of our usual court. The jackhammer noise was at maximum decibels, but I tried to ignore it. After four games, I finally broke down crying and apologized to my besties and explained I simply couldn’t play anymore. That’s an extreme example because the jackhammer noise was so close, for me it vibrated my whole core. If it had been a block away, I could have handled it.
To this day, I refuse to go to the cinema because of the popcorn and gum chewing. If I must attend a screening, my breathing and meditation practice helps me hang on until the popcorn is gone. Or I’ll change seats.Now, I’m experiencing a new auditory malady, Tinnitis, which is more common. Some people suffer from Tinnitus all their lives. But it can also be triggered by wear and tear, and aging. A promising new device called Lenire received FDA approval this year. As I age, if my Tinnitis worsens, I’ll be visiting an audiologist.
Meantime, there’s not much we Misophonia sufferers can do. We are at the mercy of those around us. So please, be kind and close your mouth when you chew.
Otherwise, I’ll just stay home meditating with the big pine and the feral kitties😻
Zen Garden
