Today I did a lot of reading. I imagine this will soon be my primary occupation, as I am weaning from social media and find very little of interest on television. I think a part of me seeks to retreat into a more natural state of slowness and silence, perhaps that goes hand-in-hand with my ongoing interest in the world of the 18th and 19th centuries. If it brings my heart and mind some peace, then I’ll take it. I already know how prone I am to anxiety and depression, particularly in the month of February, historically. That month approaches soon and I will take all necessary caution to stave off the spiral.

It of course doesn’t mean avoiding human connection — on the contrary. I prefer a more authentic and intimate connection, if one is to be made, than the false and superficial connections afforded by social media. So I am making plans to meet in person with friends, spending time with my dear family, writing emails, attempting internet conversations that aren’t being broadcast to the whole world. Ideally I would be writing letters, but almost nobody I know (perhaps even less than that) would write back to me, I’m afraid.

This morning read a bit more about James Madison and his extremely close friendship with Thomas Jefferson. And people accused Hamilton of being a puppet-master behind the scenes; look in the mirror, Thomas.

And I finished the huge first book in the trilogy about Theodore Roosevelt. There are two more volumes, I think they will have to wait a while. The last couple chapters were depressing — viewed through my contemporary lens. Roosevelt was a staunch Republican, and he believed in environmental conservation, corporations paying fair taxes, the rights of workers, and honesty and integrity in government. The slide into fascism and the embrace of anti-intellectualism was very, very long, but it was steady. He would be absolutely disgusted if he could know what has happened to his party.