It all started back in 1991 when hopeful Ukrainians looked to the US to support their struggle for independence from oppressive Soviet rule. President Bush came to Kiev. . . and delivered his shockingly pro-Russian speech that has been nicknamed “Chicken Kiev Speech.” 

Bush made it clear that he expected Ukraine to remain under Russia’s degrading and exploitative tutelage. He was so eager to promote Russian colonial interests that he even departed from the text of the speech he was supposed to give and inserted an aside about the “suicidal nationalism” of Ukrainians.

Since then, the pattern remained in place: Republicans in the White House were always eager to defend Russian colonialism. Senator John McCain was planning to change that but he failed to get elected. 

This wasn’t even that long ago yet many people already forgot how desperate the US Republicans were to preserve the Soviet Union. Of course, they wanted to see it modified under Gorbachev but they were eager to protect its territorial integrity.

Lane-splitting is now legal in California. This is horrible and a nightmare for careful, calm drivers. 

We had a really great departmental secretary. Intelligent, efficient, organized, kind. Everybody adored her and felt grateful to her for doing a fantastic job. 

Then the university fired the secretary at the neighboring poli-sci department and told our secretary to pick up her duties in addition to her own. Meaning, she’d have to do two jobs. For the same ridiculous salary of $26,000. (Clarification for foreign readers: you can’t live on it.)

So what do you think happened? Duh, she found a better job. Because anything will be better than this crap. But hey, it’s all good because the university will now be able to save on her salary, too. Her job and that of the poli-sci’s fired secretary will be done by professors. For free! Yippee!

Of course, we are allowed to try to hire a new secretary but can you imagine anybody with any sort of a choice taking that job offer? 

Today at work people were greeting me with, “You are a good mother! Being here does not make you a bad mother!”

This was helpful and very welcome because I already started asking N things like whether it would be immoral for me to go to the gym while Klara is at the day care. Of course, he says no, but what else can he say? He is terrified that I’ll get diabetes, so he can’t be against me going to the gym.

While I run to meeting #3, please peruse this absolutely hilarious and deeply ridiculous piece on why the naked Trump statues are bad. 

Like it’s going to make the campaign look like less of a mess. Or erase Trump’s Putinoid statements. 

As all working mothers know, the moment you are all dressed up beautifully and ready to cross the threshold to go to work, the baby will spit up massively on your carefully selected outfit.

My outfit today is a black dress with a subdued flowery pattern and lace, so the spit up I wear on my chest as a medal is very visible. 

Today I have the first real day of being back to campus. Meetings and appointments await me. For now, I have 5 of them scheduled for today. And here is a small reminder of why education is needed:

Even as a joke it’s not funny.

An instructor of modern and classical languages at Missouri State University stabbed an killed a professor emeritus and also stabbed his wife when she tried to defend her husband. 

The killer arrived at the victims’ residence in a Mercedes Benz and barged into the professor’s house, brandishing a big knife. He is being charged with 2nd degree murder. 

I’m fed up with ridiculous suggestions that Obama should travel to Louisiana. Yes, a presidential visit is exactly what’s needed in the midst of a relief operation. Everybody should drop everything and concentrate on putting in place security measures and accommodating the presidential personnel. That’s so much more important than sheltering the homeless and tending to the sick.