Many Conservatives long for a non-existent, mythologized past while many Progressives long for a non-existent, mythologized future. Such Conservatives reject certain aspects of the present objective reality because it doesn’t fit into their doctrine. In the meanwhile, the Progressives reject the way human beings actually are because only the completely different, vastly improved human beings will fit into their doctrine.

Neither group is all that interested in existing people and actual reality. I, for one, can’t say whether I prefer a political movement that exists for the sake of an impossible past or the one that exists for the sake of an equally impossible future. I also can’t say whether a political group that considers people to be a lot worse than they are is preferable to the group that considers human beings to be a lot better than they are.

There is too much myth-making on both sides.

This is the view from our hotel room in St. Louis. Many people consider our tradition of spending weekends on a regular basis in St.Louis hotels to be strange, given that we live so close to the city.

I have to tell you, however, that every such little trip that breaks the routine and is adventurous and refreshing takes the relationship to a new level.

It’s smart money-management, too, because a marriage counselor down the way would cost a lot more than such happy and romantic interludes. And a marriage counselor is definitely less fun.

I asked the students in my online course to introduce themselves before the course begins by leaving a comment on th relevant post of the class blog. Students wrote things like: “I’m Lydia, I’m a Psych major but I have always been interested in Hispanic Civilization,” “I’m James. I’m trying to decide whether to major in French or in Spanish. I’m hoping that this course will help me decide”, etc.

One student, however, wrote the following: “I’m Kyle. I’ve been happily married for 5 years and I’m a father of a beautiful two-year-old baby girl.”

Now I have no idea what to respond to this particular comment. The course hasn’t even started yet, and I’m already weirded out.