What I’m WEARING!
Not to brag, but…
Yep. Jeans and tie shoes! Kerri’s aunt turned 80, we were taking her out to lunch to celebrate, and I just couldn’t with the “dressed up” sweatpants. So I grabbed a pile of jeans and found a pair I was able both to button and unbutton with relative “ease.” It felt so good to be in real clothes…but I won’t be doing it on the regular any time soon because truth told it exhausted me. But it sure did feel good.
Before I continue, can we take a second and a few deep breaths to process the fact that it’s already f-cking April??? Of 2021??? I still can’t get my head around how time flies by while we’re all still pretty much stuck standing still at home but alas here we are on April 7, with both April Fool’s Day and Jesus’ Rising in the rearview.
So anyway, I still have had lots of time to pass, and thus lots going on as I endeavor to alternatively fill it meaningfully and kill it mindlessly, with a decided emphasis on the former. With that said, I’m smack in the middle of my last week of not working (🤞🏼 that I’m not going back too soon and 🤞🏼 that it all works out at the doc on May 5th), so after this week my Wednesday reports should be less all over the road. But that notwithstanding, here’s the rest of what I’m _________________________.
What I’m WATCHING
Sports, College Basketball. Monday night marked the last game of the NCAA college basketball tourney, just not meant to be for the Zags, but over the last few weeks I watch a lot of basketball. A. LOT. (Note: I’m boycotting the “March Madness” label until the women’s tourney is allowed to also be called that.) There were some fantastic games in both the women’s and men’s events, some big upsets, Cinderella stories, and so many close games. The biggest story of all was off the court (IMO), as the disparity between men’s and women’s athletics came to light in so many glaring (and embarrassing) ways this year,m. From the restricted use of the money-making moniker “March Madness” to the weight room disparity to the difference in swag bags, covid testing, meals, etc., a collective of athletes and coaches put the NCAA on notice. And then came the classic “sorry I got busted” apology and clumsy attempts to defend actions and bandage wounds. Such bullsh-t. I was glad the hubbub died down so as to not take away from the competition and the accomplishment, and I am confident that this issue will no longer be swept under the rug. As the NCAAWBB women tournament unfolded, it was a MasterClass in women supporting women, right up until the end of the championship game, and was punctuated by things like players with friends on opposing teams getting special permission to cross “enemy” lines, to post-game press conferences overflowing with positive messages, to Arizona’s coach and mother of a new baby (born in September) Adia Barnes taking a quick break to pump at halftime, and the announcers telling this very story, exhorting viewers to normalize working mothers. Amen! “Pumping” should not be one of society’s “whispered” words (I’m dating myself a bit here but there’s an epic scene showcasing the concept in the 1985 classic movie St. Elmo’s Fire which if you haven’t seen you should):
Anyway, last comment (for today) related to watching these games: lately we hear a lot about the importance of representation, about how much it matters. One place where representation is problematic (IMO) is on the sidelines of these games…consider the number of men v women, of people who are White v Black, of people playing v coaching…and tell me that there isn’t some pretty clear messaging baked in there about who gets the (good) opportunities. This year there was a bit more representation (two Black head coaches in the Final Four for the first time ever (and they were women)) and a lot of talk of a turning tide…I’m patiently scanning the horizon for some swells, and I sense my waiting is not in vain, that my patience will be rewarded, and that progress (sadgress) is coming.
Sports, Major League Baseball. My grandfather taught me how to love baseball at a very young age, taking me to my first game in 1974, and from him I learned to love Fenway Park, about the joy that comes from listening to games on the radio, and about how if time is a constraint (and even if it isn’t) you only need to catch the end of the game. Opening Day last week found me on my couch, alone, wearing my jersey, and watching the pregame with reverence. But the big news in baseball is the MLB moving the all-star game out of Atlanta…which, by the way, despite Governor Brian Kemp’s assertion, is not cancel culture. The game is on…just not in Atlanta. I actually saw a comment on FB basically calling the MLB hypocritical because they didn’t allow blacks before Jackie Robinson (in 1947). Apparently it's not ok to f-cking evolve and see the error of the ways. So suggesting that we keep “politics” out of sports is ridiculous. In the backlash, the Elephant Sweetheart Mitch McConnell warned big business to stay out of politics. He didn’t mean that to be nearly as funny as it was. The statement he released actually accused CEOs of “dabbling in behaving like a woke parallel government.” I don’t have enough time to dig deep into all that is not right with this line of defense, but the bottom line is you can’t only let money sing as long as you like the song or if it’s taking requests. The sheer hypocrisy of it all…I can’t even. (If you don’t understand why the ID requirement is a problematic form of voter suppression, there are some great explanatory pieces out there, including this one. I see both sides of it (I’m actually for showing an ID to vote, on principle), but because of the systemic nature of racism, the requirement does more far more harm in perpetuating it than it does to resolving something I’m not convinced is a real problem, voter fraud. What they’re proposing in GA simply is not the answer. We have other work more important work to do first, before we can even think about requirements like this.) My main source of indignation here is the seemingly widespread fundamental misunderstanding that finds high powered, high viz people (dangerously) conflating equality and politics.
Two “chick flick” Netflix series, Firefly Lane and Ginny & Georgia. The former was a bit on the insipid side (but the music it featured was solid) and I’m not sure I’d have watched the whole first season were it not for me having this bonus free time. Katherine Heigl plays an(other) extremely unlikeable character and she is definitely not someone who will ever be on my “four people living or dead I want to have dinner with” list. G&G was a bit edgier, though also not without some flaws of its own (including the eyebrows on both title characters). But there also were some big moments and big episodes though…and I hope there’s a Season 2, because a) the potential is there and b) I do want to know what happens next. Both shows are non-linear and the time jumping had me reaching for Dramamine at times, but the biggest challenge here was my Xfinity remote. “Watch Ginny & Georgia on Netflix,” I’d enunciate, strong voiced. “Jenny & Roger. There are no matches for your search.” the screen would display in response. 🤦🏼♀️
Two other Netflix shows: Halt and Catch Fire and Feel Good. These shows could not be any more dissimilar (to one another or to the last two shows mentioned), but I’ve been enjoying them both in very different ways. Kerri and I watched Season 1 and a few eps of Season 2 of Halt which was on our “To Watch” list for a while, then we got a few current recommendations…so we figured it was time. We both enjoy the 80s vibe and the tech-centric plot line, and look forward to watching the remaining 2+ seasons. Feel Good is a not-quite-quirky-but-I’m-not-sure-what-the-correct-word-is British comedy recommended by one of my most-trusted recommenders. The short (<30 mins.) episodes make laugh out loud, make me grimace, and take me time traveling to some unexpected places. The cameo by Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) as the main character’s mother is a complete bonus. I got the suggestion on Monday and blasted through/borderline-binged all of the single six-episode season yesterday afternoon/evening. Hearing “Don’t Dream It’s Over” in episode four alone is worth it…chills…such a great song! My eyes watered for a lot of different reasons watching this one.
And just for fun, here’s another great song from the show:
For Real: the Story of Reality TV with Andy Cohen. I’m between seasons of my two fave Real Housewives franchises (New York and Salt Lake City) so I was hoping/expecting this series would be a juicy gossipy bridge between now and whenever they come back. But so far I’ve found it to be really depressing, and I’m developing a theory that the decline of civilization is not due to social media alone but rather the awkward tangle of social media and reality TV. (That may or may not be a topic for another day…time will tell.) I also learned a new word, “celebreality” which apparently shares some word origins with “Brovolebrity,” so there’s that. Overall, watching just one episode has made me keep thinking of all that is sad and wrong with the world, and how much of it has been produced and orchestrated…making it all the more infuriating. (Sidebar: the recent arrest of one of SLC’s “finest” housewives, Jen Shah, provided some real-time Twittwertainment, with so many twitches reminding me of how many smart and funny people are out there. How do we get them to take over the world?)
Jeopardy! Guest host ranking update: 1) Mike Richards, 2) Katie Couric, 3) Ken Jennings, 4) “Dr.” Oz, 5) Aaron Rodgers. Not 100% sure on the bottom two, as it’s early in Aaron’s two-week run. I had no idea it was possible to host Jeopardy! with absolutely no affect…until he stepped on stage Monday night. And on that same day Ken Burns read the whole Hemingway category as if he were auditioning to play a robot. What a snooze-fest. But the Monday Final Jep “Who wanted to kick that field goal?” (wrong) answer was Cliff Clavin next-level funny. And actually now that I think about it, let’s flip those bottom two rankings. Rodgers is a little low energy for me but he was better on day two so I like his trajectory. And I’ll take dull over smarmy any day. Final answer: Richards, Couric, Jennings, Rodgers, Oz.
What I’m READING
In addition to my dailies, The Daily Stoic and Your True Home, both of which continue to help me start the day feeling grounded, focused, and with a realistic-but-positive perspective, here’s what I’m reading:
I finished Say Nothing, which I really enjoyed. I had no specific knowledge of The Troubles so this was a great way to learn about them in a way that was connected locally to something I knew of tangentially, the issue of the tapes and Boston College. Definitely a good read…it was long but here’s a tip to anyone who might read it on a Kindle with a “percent read” indicator…there’s a ton of end notes, so the actual story wraps up much sooner than you might think. I can’t wait to watch the movie I, Dolours (Hulu) about one of the featured characters.
I also finished So You Want to Talk About Race and then rolled right into (and finished) White Fragility, which may as well have been called So You Don’t Think You Need to Talk About Race, because the focus of the book is (essentially) why and how while people’s feelings somehow are (perceived to be) more important than talking about systemic racism. I learned a lot to help me process and understand my role and responsibility in the complicated system of life, warts and all. Both books taught me things that I think will make me a better human in general, not just a better antiracist. The next book in my “Do the Work” pile that I picked up is a definite (and deliberate) change of pace, Well-Read Black Girl. I’m just getting into it but I’ll repeat something I said earlier today: representation matters.
Started and am trying to make a habit of reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. I really enjoy the wisdom in his weekly newsletter and the book’s been in The Pile for so long I legit reached a point where I couldn’t tolerate the irony of that fact any longer and thus needed to dig in on figuring out whether I could ever develop a system to tackle the pile or whether I am doomed to a life of perfecting the art of tsundoku—buying but not reading books. So far, about 1/4 way through and I’m encouraged. I’m picking up useful tips that will help me build good habits and break some bad ones in the long run.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I think I tend to romanticize Ann Patchett’s work because my first exposure to it was the exquisite Bel Canto, which I read years ago under the equally exquisite Canadian sun in an Adirondack chair on a dock on 31-Mile Lake…I read Commonwealth a few (many?) years later, and liked but didn’t love it. Recently I kept seeing Dutch House on the best-seller list so I grabbed it when the library had the Kindle version available, and it was an enjoyable (light) read—a nice story wrapped in a fine mix of detail and emotion.
And all the while, I’ve been getting a major assist from this tablet lap pillow, a very thoughtful get-well gift from a family friend. Total game changer.
Last thing before I head out is cooking-related. We hosted Easter dinner here and the “5 minutes a pound at 500° then leave the oven door closed for two hours” approach has officially cemented its place as my go-to cooking method for a perfectly perfect medium-rare standing rib roast every time.
As always, thank you for being here. I appreciate it, and I appreciate you. Have a great week. Until next Thursday…keep on keeping on.
And don’t forget to let me know what you think, what’s up with you, and whether you have any topics you want me to tackle, either by replying to the email (if that’s how you gut guys) or by commenting directly below.
Thanks Nicky. I haven't read your blog in awhile -- not because I haven't been interested just because well I don't even know.... weird times all around and I deal with them in weird ways. But I'm back and enjoying your thoughtful and always fun to read posts.
If you haven't already watched it I HIGHLY recommend Ted Lasso. Halt and Catch Fire is on my list and it has just moved up to a spot closer to the top. I hear you re Anne Patchett but I do love her -- we may have discussed this already but if you haven't read her book about her friendship with writer Lucy Grealy called Truth & Beauty: A Friendship I recommend it.
"Equality isn’t politics. And everyone has a right to talk about it." -- great quote and wonderful post today. I always enjoy reading your posts - some good recommendations for books and Netflix! Thanks! Have a great week.