Feeling a bit of whiplash this week upon returning to work after a fantastic and relaxing beach vacation with much-better-than-predicted weather. Vacation props to Jean and Clare for capturing the squirrel in the rental house while the rest of us finished our drinks at The Port. (You read that right. Somehow a squirrel managed to get into the house. The drama!)
While the vacation was restful and I was completely disconnected from work, the wheels were still turningâŠand Iâve had this week of back to reality (admittedly as a result my patience is thinner than the skin of an elderly person right now) to keep on thinking onâŠand here are that thoughts unearthed when I dig through the pile of rubble in my brain:
There are four things Iâm always excited to come home toâbed, shower, âgoodâ electric toothbrush, and weighted blanket. âI love our house, I love our nest, in all the world our nest is best.â Nothing further.
RIP, Ed Asner. Anyone else notice during the post-death retrospectives that the guy never looked young? Exhibit A, Ed at 47:
My âTo Watchâ list of shows and movies is so long that Iâd need insomnia for the rest of my life to get through it. (Perish the thought.) That said, weâre back to watching Halt and Catch Fire. Not sure why we got derailed with that series but weâve recommitted. Itâs so good.
I love that weâve changed the way we work, as evidenced by the frequent split screen at the start of the Today show, with Hoda in Studio 1A and Savannah working from home.
Speaking of the Today show, hearing âDylan is in for Al this morningâ still makes my morning. Every time.
Is there anything better than an 11-month old sitting on their momâs lap smiling at you and then extending their arms to you to pick them up?
I saw an interview with Graham Nash on CBS Sunday This Morning which got me listening to the CSN album DĂ©jĂ Vu. I realized as I was listening to it that sometimes I choose old music deliberately to transport myself back in time, to give myself the space I need to reprocess whatever pieces of my own personal history are troubling me. Inevitablyâprobably thanks to the âwisdomâ I possess todayâit helps me come to terms with unresolved stuff. Always feels good to tie up very old and very loose ends.
Speaking of music, I recently heard the song Get Rhythm sung by Johnny Cash (not Joaquin Quinoa Phoenix playing him in the movie) for the first time. Itâs so weird hearing Johnny sound like ElvisâŠthatâs the whole Sun Records influence I guess. Listen to this and then Blue Suede Shoes and see what you think. Anyway the message of Get Rhythm is important: âGet rhythm when you get the blues.â In other words: when youâre down in the dumps, dance it out. (Fun fact: this song was the B-side to âI Walk the Line.â)
Speaking of Johnny Cash, who my dad loved (and my mom tolerated), Saturday marks seven years of life for me without a living dad. It doesnât get easier with time. It just gets more different. I miss his smile, the twinkle in his eyes, his generous heart, his laugh, and his love. This song still captures how I feel about missing him. He should be here.
While weâre on the subject of my dad dying, notably of the cause, colon cancerâŠdonât miss this Opinion piece from the Sunday Times. I had it sent to me (thanks, friend!), read it, cried, and pretty much lost my ability to breathe for several moments. I was gutted. Wrecked. I mean, catch this: âEverybody pretends that you die only once. But thatâs not true. You can die a thousand possible futures in the course of a single, stupid life.â Sit for a minute with thatâŠkeep sittingâŠkeep sittingâŠkeep sittingâŠokâŠthose are three amazing and powerful sentences, words that beg The Question: How do you want to live? Really live? Seven years after his leaving us, Iâm learning my dadâs secret to happiness: if you live your life, like actively live it in the moment, you have no need for a bucket list. My dad loved his life. Because he lived his life. And so it has been cast in stone.
Speaking of veteransâŠto every veteran, all active military personnel, military families, and every Gold Star family (as well as any other related category of people I missed here), I have no words to convey the extent of my gratitude for your service and sacrifice. If we are true patriots who mean what we say, the time to walk the walk and set the petty partisan grievances aside is now. Itâs long overdue actually but that very kind of talk is equally counterproductive so letâs drop that too. The best way to honor those who serve/have served and sacrifice/have sacrificed is to step up and do our parts by playing a constructive role in preserving our precious democracy. Operative word: constructive.
Speaking of petty grievances and partisan politics, can we please start talking in terms of things like âwhat are your specific positions?â and âwhat potential solution can you propose?â Dividing the country by party or candidate exacerbates this dangerous and artificial âus vs themâ mentality, especially when we are all âusâ and we are all âthemâ. We really need to, as a nation, decide what we care about so we can stop the infighting over the things we donât. Weâre so far gone that thinking our problems stem from âthisâ or âthatâ Administration is beyond misguidedâŠitâs infinitely easier to blame others than own our share and solve problems, but blame gets us nowhere and solutions propel us forward. The deaths of those 13 in Afghanistan on the United Statesâ way out was no more Bidenâs fault than a loss belongs on the shoulders of anyone who misses a 3-pointer at the buzzer or who strikes out with bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. This is not to say that I think that disagreements over our involvement in Afghanistan are petty or that I think that we (he) did a good job. Itâs me acknowledging that itâs not a single black and white data point owned by one person but rather an ultra-complex mess owned by countless people, decisions, policies, circumstances, etc. over the last 200+ years. And as the great Trevor Noah recently pointed out, Truro couldnât secure his own Capitol building with his own VP inside, soâŠ
Speaking of âus vs themâ notably as it pertains to the great âMasks: Yes or No?â debate, well, Iâm pretty sure thereâs a lesson in this story about the anti-mask organizer dying of COVID. Makes me think, âKarma is real.â And then I think, butâŠSCIENCE. (Guess this poor guy didnât have access to the same animal deworming agent invermectin that Big Mouth Joe Rogan did. đ€ŠđŒââïž)
One last political commentâŠreally glad I donât live in Texas. Guess youâre supposed to stop a rape (illegal) with a gun (legal) to avoid needing an abortion (very illegal). (The Supreme Court declining to block the new abortion ban bodes very poorly for the rest of the country, but itâs too early in the day for me to get myself too riled up so Iâll leave it at that.)
Subject change, to a lighter note. I got an out of office auto reply this week indicating that if I need immediate assistance I should contact âTina Turnerâ in their absence. Itâs probably not *that* Tina Turner, right? But let me throw out a song to my mom because, well, just because. Why not?
I was quite surprised by how painful it is, catching my thumb in the Lazy Susan. I wouldnât call Susan âLazyâ after all. Hell hath no fury like a kitchen cabinet scorned. In our kitchen, we have A Very Aggressive Susan.
And how about Mac Jones✠I wasnât ever a Cam Newton fan. Didnât like his attitude or his work ethic, TBH, and the Pats finished below .500 and out of contention his one season behind the wheel. His career is on a downward trajectoryâŠheâs not a player who needs more time to develop. Throw in the vaxx issues/concerns and the unnecessary risk that it was bringing to a team in rebuilding mode. No time like the present to name a young successor to Father Time (TB12) after the one-year failed Cam experiment. In Bill we trust, and weâll see how it goes. Might be another rough season but letâs face itâŠif itâs destined to be a rough season letâs make it a true rebuilding year. Let it ride, build for the long term, and go Mac.
Lastly, speaking of the Pats, and given my earlier focus on my dear, departed dad, well, letâs give a bit more air time to my mom. My dad always used to call her âMrs. Cosellâ when sheâd talk sports. She knows her stuff. (For you younger readers, Howard Cosell was a very well-known national sports broadcaster when I was growing up.) As noted in #14 itâs clear I think my mom is the best. I love her for more millions of reasons than I can count, but this is one of them:
Hope you have a chill week and that you give some thought to shitcanning your bucket listâstop planning and start living. I know I need to do a better job following John Comeauâs lead. For me itâs time to dig deep, do some (more) soul searching, and summon my inner ninja.
Thanks for being here, most sincerely, and happy Friday Eve. To those of you getting kids back to school, I hope yours have an excellent year. No pressure but youâre raising the next âgreatest generationâ and in the words of Whitney Houston (*sigh*), âI believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.â Again, no pressure, parents. But get after it. đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
Have a great holiday weekend, and rememberâwe still have two summer weekends to enjoy after this one. Itâs not over âtil itâs over! A half empty glass still has room to add a half a drink!
Let me send you into the long weekend with my fave summer jam while thereâs still a little time for it to become your fave summer jam:
I love your reflection on your dad's way of life as it relates to a bucket list! I always thought I was unimaginative for not having one, and I always add things to mine after I've done them. Like "that was awesome. It's going on my bucket list." Sometimes an experience really blows you away, big or small, and it's not something you would have had the foresight to add to a list. That's why mine is all retroactive :) Thanks for sharing bits of your dad with us.