I’ve been back at mom’s house for about a month now.
Still trying to get into a routine.     What I can do.   What I can’t (or shouldn’t) do.  Expectations — which there really isn’t much but I tend to pretend that there is.

I didn’t just slide back into what I was doing before.   Little sister isn’t here.   Little brother’s habits have changed somewhat.  Covid really limited everything — at first, but that’s getting better.

So,  I think I have a routine planned for myself – somewhat.  It’s going to take a little while to get back into it.

When I’m in Florida, I feel certain qualities are needed.   When I’m here, it’s a different person.   Maybe I’m not as flexible as I used to be in that way anymore.

But, I have happily returned to one old habit – watching shows while I’m at the gym.   Over the past week, I’ve started watching Hannibal on Netflix.  It took me three or four days at the gym, but I just finished the first season and scratched the second.

It’s actually better than what I thought it would be.   I’ve never been into cannibalistic psychological horror — as I couldn’t finish American Psycho — but this shows isn’t completely about people eating people although that does happen.

I have a great fondness for psychological and behavioral sciences.   So, this show hits that interest.    Per my skimming spoilers, the second and third seasons are supposed to be better than the first.    I’m looking forward to it.

Besides, I think it’s great that Gillian Anderson has a role in it.   I never thought she was treated well during the whole X-Files pay debacle.  She still looks gorgeous too.    Good for her.    I hope I look that good when I’m that old.

Anyway…  I can’t help but to nearly constantly think about a lot of people.  Specifically, how a lot of people just blindly provide their trust to people they don’t know.   This trust in the experts, politicians, the news, strangers on television is absolutely remarkable.

Most people have someone they don’t trust.  A friend doesn’t pay back the money.   A brother doesn’t fill up the car. Even if the person is liked, there’s something that they simply can’t be trusted with.

But, we trust everyone else to dictate life.
Even if they’re wrong, should they have the correct authority backing them up, we believe anyway.    Without references.   Without proof.

So, I’ve thought of a couple of things.

*  It’s easy to treat someone who is an expert in one area like they’re experts in every area.
—  I think part of this is developed in us as children.    Whatever our parents say goes — or used to go —  They could cook, smoke, clean, take care of boo-boos.   For a young child, they’re an authority on everything.

So, if someone is an expert in medicine, like Dr. Fauchi, he’s not an expert in the economy and we shouldn’t treat him or believe that he is one.    He’s just guessing just as everyone else is.

*  It’s easy to think that the rich and successful are better.
—  Short answer —  No, they’re not.   If anything, they could be worse because they have more opportunities to be worse.

Example – Alyssa Milano.
She’s only some three to four years older than I am but has a talent of saying things without fully researching or maybe even thinking about them.  It’s just something to say.  Something to spark.

Which is okay, but she’s certainly not an authority.   Despite all of her accolades and honors, she supports Biden – although he has been accused of sexual misconduct and isn’t that great on camera.

If she really cared for this country and the women in it as she claims, she would not and could not endorse Biden.    Rather, working the third alternative would be better, but no.   She can’t remain true to her own convictions, just as many of us.

An actress is first and foremost acting.  She’s not an authority because she’s rich and popular.

* Expertise does not predict the future.  Nor does knowledge or insight.
—  Just because someone is right once doesn’t mean that they will be right in the future.   The sun revolved around us.   Now we revolve around the sun.   The earth was flat.   Now it’s round.

With each and every discovery just proves that no one is an expert in anything.  Experts could come up with some really good guesses, but it’s the imagination that outlines the future.

Ever watch Star Trek?
Communicators are cell phones.    AI is becoming more predominant.  Holograms?  Check.   Nanobots?  Check.   Space station?  Check,   All of that pie-in-the-sky technology came true.   It’s not what Rodenberry thought would happen, but it happened.

I do know one thing.
My skin has become exceedingly dry since I came here.    Course, I keep forgetting to use lotion despite it being right on the nightstand.