My Week in Tweets
February 18 - 25
After a difficult week in Texas, it is good to be back in the saddle. Come along for the ride through the thoughts and backstories behind my online life. Hope you enjoy, “My Week in Tweets.”
February 18 - February 25
-Thursday-
Ok, so am I selling something? Well, I guess I am. But it’s not everyday that you find yourself in a comic book, or as I now know to call this unique and vivid art form, a “graphic novel.” (Never mind that in my mind “novel” usually means a fictional work, but we will save that for another day.) When the publishers at First Second Books came to us and said they wanted to adapt What Unites Us into this new medium, I didn’t know what to expect. But thanks to their insightful editing and vision, and most importantly the wonderful drawings and imagination of the artist Tim Foley, our words have taken new flight. Life has a way of still surprising you, even after nearly 90 years. And for that alone, I am grateful. I hope new readers will find inspiration and reflection in these vibrant pages.
- Friday -
I tend not to like Twitter threads. In fact that was one of my reasons for starting Substack. Twitter is for brevity and sometimes a meager stab at wit (or shade). But I wanted to give people an update on my status in Austin after the storm, power outage, and water crisis. I had already pestered all of you once that day with a newsletter in your inbox. So I took to Twitter and 7 nestled tweets, the last one listed above (click on it to see the entire thread). I wanted to end my thoughts with hope, for I feel we can rebuild better. But hope must be tempered with the realism of action.
- Saturday -
In times of natural disasters, Americans tend to be generous. And that was undoubtedly true in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri. I wanted to provide a place for people who were eager to give, and I chose an organization with a personal connection through my grandson. But the truth is that need can be found at any time and everywhere. May we all seek out opportunities to be generous and empathetic neighbors in our community, and the broader world.
- Sunday -
We cannot afford to hide from the pain, no matter how difficult it is. For millions of American, that pain is inescapable, measured in empty chairs at the dinner table, photo albums that will not have new pages, family gatherings that will be missing a familiar laugh or hug.
I follow Faces of COVID on Twitter, which posts pictures every day of those lost to this horrific disease. We see men and women of all ages, often smiling and full of life. It is difficult but important to bear witness and pause to remember what we have lost.
In our midweek question on Steady we asked… How can we begin to memorialize this loss? How do we honor our grief? How do we never forget?
- Monday -
If you know who Molly Ivins was, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t recognize the name, please look her up. She was one helluva a writer and Texan. and she would have had a field day with the current crop of Texas politicians.
- Tuesday -
The facts are what they are. And the fact is that anyone who claims that the election was stolen, or that the MAGA riot was some Antifa plot, or that we have widespread “voter fraud,” is lying. Do we really need to give these people the oxygen of airtime for their lies? I don’t care if they are senators. It only makes their rhetoric more dangerous.
- Wednesday -
I’m reluctant to admit that my hearing is not what it once was. Coverage of the Vietnam War reduced a great deal and age has taken care of the rest. But even I would be able to hear a Three-wattled Bellbird! Nature is wonderful, it’s colorful, and sometimes it’s loud. But I’m here for all of it.
- Thursday -
I understand using exclamation points in tweets, especially if you’re of a certain age, is the equivalent of yelling GET OFF MY LAWN in all-caps. But I wanted to try to do a tweet using a single punctuation mark. And really, the idea that prosecutors now have millions of pages of Trump’s financial papers that he has desperately wanted to keep hidden, well isn’t that deserving of an exclamation point, in all its multiple meanings?
Just a bit of wonder to end the week. Nature is always the perfect curtain call.
Well, that’s a walk through my Twitter week. I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to leave a comment if you’re so inclined. And if you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so. Or share with family and friends. Thanks for your support.
— Dan
Yes Dan, you are selling something. Be it comic books, graphic novels, Steady; you name it. I believe the most insidious things you sell are ideas and I am perfectly okay shopping at Dan-mart. Keep on keeping on.
Where are Molly Ivans, Barbara Jordan and Ann Richards when we need them? This would be a much better world where people are held accountable and public service is service to the public