Winding down with 2021

December 31, 2021 | Chaos,Geraldine DeRuiter,Jennifer Hudson,Julie K. Brown,Lyz Lenz,New Year,Nikole Hanna-Jones,Pandemic,Pandemonium,Renee Watson,SNL,Stephanie Land,Twitter,Writing

Is this thing still on? I guess we’ll see.

My 2021:

Vaxxed, boosted, flu-shotted, masked.

Started catching up on medical stuff that had been postponed or canceled for far too long.

Started going back to the salon.

Continued grocery delivery.

Traveled for Thanksgiving (carefully & masked).

Thinking I should probably start canceling all my appointments again (if they’re not canceled for me).

Getting ready to hunker down again in 2022.

Sigh.

Betty White died on New Year’s Eve.

Dammit.

My reading has been waning, but I did consume some interesting media and art this year.

I listened to Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story by Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald reporter who doggedly investigated and covered Epstein and was there in New York when the jury found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of sex trafficking children.

I watched Maid on Netflix. Because of that, I had to listen to the book, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land (foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich, whose work I have read and recommend). Both intense and excellent.

I subscribed to the Lyz Lenz newsletter called Men Yell at Me. I’ve read her books, and I follow her on Twitter. She lives in Iowa. She is hilarious and serious as a heart attack.

This was the most amazing thing I read on Twitter this year: “Bros., Lecce: We Eat at the Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever” (https://everywhereist.com/2021/12/bros-restaurant-lecce-we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/) by Geraldine DeRuiter. Amazing in that it just kept getting worse and worse until you thought it couldn’t get any worse. And then it did. And watching what happened online after that was amazing, too.

Now I have to listen to her book, All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft. I guess it’s about time. I’ve been following her on Twitter for a while now.

I got the hard copy of Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson (illustrated by Nikkolas Smith), and I’ve started listening to The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones.

I don’t know if I’ll get to them, but here are some books I hope to listen to this year:

(I got Bell’s Palsy a day before my first child was born. It has never completely gone away. I tried not to let it bother me for the most part. But it really hurt when someone laughed and called me “Grace” when I struggled to eat a sandwich because my face is still partially numb. I still have the numb face. I no longer have that someone in my life.)

I watched Babette’s Feast again after editing a review of a play performance of it. Such a sweet story and worth a second viewing experience.

I watched Respect, a film starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin. She was superb.

I watched the Summer of Soul documentary. If you love music, you will love this.

I watched Field of Dreams again before watching Kevin Costner return to Iowa to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the movie with a real-life major-league baseball game. Experiencing the movie again was less bittersweet than experiencing the anniversary commemoration.

I watched Get Back, the Beatles documentary series. I couldn’t watch it all at once. I was mostly relieved that it didn’t show anyone to be a complete jerk. The most amazing parts were watching a couple of their songs being born right before our very eyes.

Some of my favorite TV shows are Yellowjackets, Kenan, and We’re Here. I got hooked on TikTok and Dave Grohl. I didn’t even know about the Hanukkah Sessions until I saw him cover “Copacabana.” Then I discovered his Night One cover of “Stay.”

Even with all of that, though, my heart this year belongs to Ted Lasso and all the weird, wonderful characters in his world. It was an extra treat that he was host on SNL. I can’t wait for the next season.

All this beauty made 2021 suck less than it would have without it. I will say to 2022 in my best RuPaul voice, “Good luck and don’t fuck it up.”

Charming Marie in New Orleans

October 2, 2011 | Blogging,Music,Norway,The Snake Charmers,Twitter

Remember how I took Charming Marie to Norway? Well, I thought I’d take her to New Orleans with me last month. (Yes, that’s a blue cow covered with the Blue Dog.)

But wait! Looky here! There’s Marie … for real! She flew in from Houston for the weekend. I was in NOLA for a journalism conference.

That’s Ricky. He took our picture. Yep, it was game day. The Saints played the Texans.

More pix to come.

Charming Marie

June 14, 2010 | Norway,Traveling,Twitter

A week or so ago, when I mentioned that it was time to start packing, Marie (of The Snake Charmers) said, “Pack me!” So I did. Here she at the base of Gjendemfjellet. Where do you want to go next, Marie? ;)

Music: The Snake Charmers, Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, oh my!

September 23, 2009 | Music,Twitter

I’ve been following Marie of The Snake Charmers on Twitter (@Snakecharmers) and Facebook for a while. I’m not sure how I found her, but she’s fun. I’d sampled her music here and there, but I just bought her CD, “Been Gone too Long.” (I first read that, “BEER Gone too Long.) Good stuff. Good, good stuff. Next time I’m in Houston? I’d love to see them live … and buy Marie a margarita.

As for Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, I bought their CD the same time I bought The Snake Charmers. I tell you what. They go well together. Both sing the blues. And, wait … what. You didn’t know Willie & Wynton had a CD? Yeah, OK. I laughed when I first saw that. But I tell you what. YUM. That’s what.

I met Wynton Marsalis in Thomasville, Georgia, when I was living in Tallahassee, Florida, after what was — I swear — THE BEST CONCERT EVER. It was in the auditorium of the old grade school where my dad taught fifth grade during the first year of integration in the schools there. I hadn’t been in that school for 20-some years, but I remembered being in the auditorium the minute I stepped inside again. It was a small venue. Comfortable. Intimate. Memorable.

In any case, if you like the blues, go get some from Marie, Willie & Wynton. They serve it up … hot.

Planned Parenthood shocked by response to Blume

May 7, 2009 | Advertising,Fundraising,Internet,Judy Blume,Mother's Day,Motherhood,PR,Social media,Twitter

Tweet, tweet!

“The firestorm against Judy Blume is bullsh*t. If you love Blume’s books, check out … ”

Tweet!

“Support Judy Blume! RT … ”

What’s all the fuss?

The Planned Parenthood Action Center has a page dedicated to “Stand up for Judy Blume.” They were “so shocked at the response [from “anti-choice extremists”] to her latest act of compassion,” which was a “special Mother’s Day message on our behalf.”

Hmm.

Judy Blume asks for donations to Planned Parenthood in honor of Mother’s Day.

Sounds like extremist bait to me. Also sounds like a way to get “the other side” riled up and to send money.

Shocking.

Weird things happen on Twitter

January 7, 2009 | MSM,Television,The Today Show,Twitter

So I was on Twitter, and I said I didn’t watch The Today Show, and I said something not terribly flattering about Ann Curry. Before the end of the night? The Today Show was following me on Twitter. Do you think they really care what I have to say … or are they just pulling an Abraham Lincoln on me?