RUN, USHA, RUN!

And the timely arrival of "National Slam the Scam Day" at the Social Security Administration...

My, oh, my. This advice column stopped me in my tracks.

Carolyn Hax from WaPo tackles the question that comes from a first-generation Indian American woman married to a White husband. Initially, this letter writer explained, he helped with cooking and chores, unlike Letter Writer’s Indian dad. Plus, he participated in Indian festivals and even performed an Indian dance at their wedding.

Now, however, things aren’t so rosy…

He wants me to change my last name (refuses to hyphenate), go to church (which we never did) and raise our children Christian (which I am not). He doesn’t want to give future kids a name that sounds too Indian and has been complaining more about going to Indian festivals. He says I need to let go of my past life and create a new life with him, one based not on my Indian American upbringing but on what I would interpret as White America.

This sounds racist to me, but he tells me I’m being racist and trying to colonize him by wanting to keep certain Indian things in my life.

The letter writer ends with, “Am I being selfish in wanting to raise my children with the Indian American culture I grew up with? In my heart, this feels like a problem, and I think I should seriously consider divorce.”

Instantly, Carolyn’s many fans jumped in with their take.

—Second Lady Vance, is that you?

—She married JD, didn't she?

—RUN, USHA, RUN! You should've always known he was a grifter who would elbow anyone (including you and the kids) out of the way to amass power and money.

That’s right! Lots of readers are thinking, JD Rancid’s wife, Usha Chilurkuri Rancid, wrote in for help. And why not? Now that Usha lives in DC and not Cincinnati, Carolyn is probably her go-to advice columnist.

Carolyn’s not saying who the letter came from, of course, because she has the discretion of a priest (but without the alcohol). Her response, as sensible as ever, comes down to this:

Maybe he pulled a placate-and-switch on you, or maybe you two needed to talk more pre-vows. Maybe he’s freshly radicalized. Regardless, your choice now is simple: Head in the sand, or deal with it.

By “deal with it,” Carolyn means, do you want to stay married under the new terms?

Could Usha really be having second thoughts about her marriage? Fun to consider!

But, nah. Not likely. After all, after attending Yale, she clerked for Kavanaugh and voted Republican in time to help elect her husband into office in Ohio. Which led to — well, we know.

Oh, then there’s this. The latest email newsletter from the Social Security Administration, letting us know about “National Slam the Scam Day,” which comes up on March 6, 2025. (I’m guessing someone at SSA snuck this in under Dear Leader’s nose. Bravo, you!)

At the bottom of the letter is a link to report a scam. Here’s the perfect opportunity to let our voices be heard! And to beat the rush, I’ve just done my bit, reporting Elon Reeve Musk for his break-in to my personal data:

If you want to report your scam as well, here’s MuckFusk’s home address, which you’ll need for the form:

SpaceX Launch Facility
52448-54298 Boca Chica Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78521

But enough of that! Time for my joy count…

Yesterday was a doozy! Because new Friend K- and I went cross country skiing.

First, however, there was the required donut stop. K- introduced me to Joe’s Donuts in Sandy.

My strawberry fritter kept me charging up those snowy hills at Teacup Nordic Snow Park all day long!

Only 3 falls in 4 kilometers and 2 hours of skiing. (My thighs personally reported to me that they miss our spin classes!) And I can tell K- is the perfect Nordic companion because she was ready to quit at the precise moment I was.

Then there’s this: SJ Bennett’s A Death in Diamonds, which turned up in my Libby library feed ready for checkout. A young Queen Elizabeth II has undertaken another case of murder. Love this series!