One thing that I didn’t consider when I started this blog last November? I didn’t consider that I wouldn’t remember what I have already written about. When I started, I assumed that the blog would be more a diary of an 80 year old. But it has turned out to be different – a bit more complex, I guess. And, because I don’t keep an index, and perhaps because my memory is that of an 80 year old, I may be prone to repetition. Of course, I realize that you don’t remember what I have written either, so even if I have discussed it before and if you have read about before, it will all be new for you. So, I can relax. No stress here.

Which reminds me of a digression I am about to make. I have given many, many tours of DC (the last one, last week – I think maybe, perhaps I wrote about it), and I have been asked how I remember what every building is used for. Just like Errol Garner admitted he hit a lot of wrong notes, and that his talent was knowing what note to hit after he hit the wrong one, I must admit that I have been asked “what is that building?” more than once where I had no idea. My answer typically is “That’s the Commerce Department”. The advantage of that answer should be obvious. No one cares where the Commerce Department is, and no one remembers that I identified a building as the Commerce Department. I figure I can call four buildings the Commerce Department before anyone realizes that I have no idea what I am talking about.

That was clearly a digression, apropos of nothing. Apropos is a weird word, no? Another weird word is okay. Where did that come from?

Okay, let’s proceed. I decided to write today about what I learned in Basic Training. I know I already wrote about what happened when we learned that Martin Luther King had been shot, and then Bobby Kennedy.

Which reminds me of another diversion – I do not like famous people or people with certain credentials called by their first name. And I blame this trend on fans of Martin Luther King who call him Martin (as if he was their brother or BFF) and the Catholic Church (Father John et al). But now, all the rabbis are called by their first name – but not by me. Okay, that was apropos of nothing…..

Living in Basic Training is in many respects similar to living under a totalitarian regime, which is something that everyone seems to be worried about. I learned three very important things. And they will be the main reason for this post.

(1) When you enter a totalitarian regime, it takes you about 4 seconds to acclimate to it perfectly. There is no learning curve.

(2) Being under a totalitarian regime, you seem to find people who think like you very quickly and very easily, and you become closer to them than you would if you met the same people while living under a relatively free regime.

(3) You think more than you do in a free society, and you discuss your thoughts more.

Of course, this assumes that you are not being targeted for special treatment.

Finally, baseball: I don’t think that baseball bats are manufactured to be used as weapons against Congressional aides in a Congressional office. I don’t know why the guy (now under arrest) attacked two of Rep. Conally’s staff today, but I bet he doesn’t vote Democratic. And, with their 10-3 victory against the Mets today, the Nats split the 4 game series. The Nats were supposed to be the worst team in the league(s) this year according to most critics. When we saw the first two Spring Training games in Florida in March, it seemed to us that they looked okay and wouldn’t embarrass themselves. After falling to 8 below .500 in the beginning weeks, they are now 5 games below .500, a better average than a half dozen other teams, and they are on the upswing. They aren’t going to win the pennant, but they will have a respectable season, I am certain.