As I'm typing I'm near the television listening to a State government press conference state-wide call-in with the Governor of Alaska, a gentlemen well hated by people I used to have coffee with, when Starbucks had an indoor venue. But right this moment the Governor is handling himself well, with State experts clearly knowledgeable and call-ins from newspapers all round the State. It's what I've come to expect from the practicality of Alaskans. And we are a small enough society that I recognized one of the call-in voices, someone I've met at Starbucks and know from my religious community. The Governor is dressed casually, he's a lot younger than the national leaders who get on TV with their ponderous pronouncements. He speaks well and his people speak well on this issue. His medical expert is even younger; she speaks extremely well and like an adult explaining things to adults. Next to her is a guy in a black shirt with a pale blue tie, the best dressed guy up there, and he's the ASL translator. A maximum of efficiency and coherence and night and day better than listening to the U.S. President's toxic pontificating.

I went walking earlier outside down the nearby roads. We have tons of snow on the ground, but the sun is giving us heat today, 5 minutes more per day as we're just past the equinox. There are few cars on the roads, but there are some other walkers, some on the slippery sidewalks, others on the mostly melted out roadway. The sun is making the difference today. I had time to get to know a neighbor I've never exchanged a word with before.

It's reminiscent of when I was waiting for a plane on a business trip, and having a vigorous discussion where I was giving my opinion of a well known conservative broadcaster, and my co-workers were in extreme disagreement. As we boarded the smallish commuter craft it turned out I didn't have my hearing protection, and without a hesitation one of my 'opponents' handed me his spares. And I would've done the same for him.