The constant turns remind me of a joke about the poor conditions of the roads in Ukraine, especially due to the mud during the rainier seasons.

Giant potholes — pits, really — litter the path ahead, especially in the eastern parts of the country closer to the frontlines

Here's the joke, relayed by a friend:

“Usually you drive straight when you’re sober… And you swerve when you drive drunk.

But in Ukraine, you drive straight when you’re drunk – and swerve when you drive sober!”

Here's the joke, relayed by a friend:

“Usually you drive straight when you’re sober… And you swerve when you drive drunk.

But in Ukraine, you drive straight when you’re drunk – and swerve when you drive sober!”

Being in West Virginia brings back a lot of memories for me. I spent close to five years as a combat medic in the West Virginia Army National Guard.

State motto: “Mountaineers are always free.”

It didn’t always feel especially free to me! I remember it as a difficult, taxing experience.

There was a time when I was working FT at NPR, spending weekends/summer drilling in WV – while writing a book about the NRA and volunteering for COVID testing in Washington, D.C.