As this is written it remains to be seen what agreement will be reached among industrial lobbyists and political consultants to bring an end to Nevada’s legislative session. I’ve feared that traditionally capitulatory Nevada Democrats would give the governor his school vouchers in exchange for next to nothing. But a minimum wage hike still lives, and the vouchers scheme may end up being severely limited. Assorted session-ending sweetheart deals and perhaps an institutionally sanctioned grift or two will offend, as is customary. But there appears at least a chance that legislative Democrats will do as well as can be expected under a state system of government that provides for only a weak, part-time legislative branch that has relied on corporations not only to fund legislators’ campaigns but to literally pay their rent while they’re in Carson City.

Meantime, Dr. Mrs. Gleaner and I went to Japan. Japan has a marvelous public transportation system, and not just the Shinkansen. I played a shamisen. It’s sort of a guitar, and makes a pretty cool aggressive metallic sound, in part because the plectrum – the pick – is about the size of a windshield ice scraper. I also started believing in the transactional power of tossing small coins into Shinto shrines (tip: keep the ask small). It’s hard to get a bad meal in Japan, by the way. Hmm, I seem to be digressing…

As near as I can tell, while I was gone conventional wisdom determined that being a wholly owned subsidiary of Sheldon Adelson is more a prerequisite for holding the state’s most powerful elected office than a disqualification from it, so young master Adam Laxalt is good to go! Good to know.

On the national stage, I see that Trump is morally, mentally and temperamentally unfit to serve, everyone around him is either corrupt, incompetent, spineless or all of the above, and Republicans in Congress won’t do anything about it because they’re, well, corrupt, incompetent, spineless or all of the above. In other words, some new details have emerged, but the overall narrative hasn’t changed.

So it’s great to be back! OK, it’s sort of interesting to be back. Oh who am I kidding it’s all disgusting.

I did miss the dog though.