Trying to separate the person from the politics

Raising the socialism bugaboo, a reader asked to be removed from my subscriber list after my last anti-Trump post.

I’m not a socialist. In fact, when I took the Pew Research Center’s political typology quiz, there were three political typologies to the left of mine, which was “Order and Opportunity Left.”

What bothered me more than being mischaracterized, however, were my feelings. The scorn I felt toward the unsubscriber (whom I know) made me feel bad about myself and prompted self-examination. That led to thinking about how I speak about Trump supporters in general — with condemnation, ridicule, “How could they?” disbelief.

What’s to celebrate?

Like countless Americans, I’ve been ignoring the semiquincentennial. In our current political climate, what is there to celebrate?

When cutting carbs, look beyond the obvious sources

Even though cutting back on carbohydrates can result in a desired weight loss, I’d never tried low-carb eating. Brown rice and whole-wheat pasta, both containing a substantial number of carbs, were foundations of my vegetarian diet.

Then an A1c blood sugar test indicated I have type 2 diabetes. “Cut back on sugary drinks, sweets, alcohol, and carbs,” my doctor advised.