"L" Hell

I made the mistake of riding the L (or El, if you prefer), Chicago's elevated train system today to see a play downtown (August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone at the Goodman Theatre). Now I haven't ridden the L downtown in quite some time. I used to be a daily rider during the pre-Covid days when I traveled to and from my day job, but not so much after the work from home thing came to be the norm. But I caught the L today and it wasn't great! I barely made it to the play on time despite leaving home 1.5 hours before the play started. I had to wait for a purple line train, then the red line crawled towards the loop. Let me just say that I hate the red line with a passion. It's slow, it stinks of cigarillos or whatever someone chose to smoke in the car before departing, and it's often filled with the homeless and/or other deranged folks. Someone on Datalounge called Chicago's red line a "rolling insane aslymn." That person spoke the truth! 

As someone who is normally a huge advocate of public transit, lately I've found myself preferring not to take it. If I have to go downtown to the office, I prefer the Metra transit train. It's cleaner, it's faster, and the clientelle is better. It's worth the extra money to ride with no bums sleeping across multiple seats, no beggars going from car to car, and no eau du cigarillo wafting through the air. If the time comes that I have to reacquaint myself with the L to get to and from work, I'm going to have to work through that transition. Maybe my next job will be one in the suburbs that I can drive to!

What the World Needs Now

To follow up from my last post, Monday's eclipse was great! The skies in and around Chicago were great and we had about 95% coverage here, which was great for viewing. My cereal box viewer wasn't the greatest, but I did have viewing glasses as a backup. I walked to the beach at Lake Michigan and viewed the eclipse from there with other folks from the area. A good time was had by all. I didn't get any pictures of the actual eclipse because I couldn't filter my phone lens and focus my picture at the same time without blinding myself, but I did get a shot of the beach before more folks showed up (see below). 

In other news, I was watching the trailer for the new Joker movie and noticed Tom Jones singing "What the World Needs Now Is Love" in the ad. As a Tom Jones fan, I was surprised I hadn't heard this song before, but it's from an album he put out in 1970 called I Who Have Nothing. I never really cared for "What the World Needs Now..." and, as a 1970s baby, I'm a huge fan of 70s music, but the Tom Jones version is excellent. It's everything I want or need from a 1970s song. The arrangment is over the top, I love the horns, the creshendos, and Tom is just giving it his all. I was more excited about hearing Tom Jones in the Joker trailer than the movie itself (although I'm sure I'll see the movie since I saw the first one and didn't think it was bad). Years ago, when I lived in Philadelphia, I went to see Tom Jones in concert in Atlantic City and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Tom is an entertainer and he puts on a great show. His band was tight, his background singers were on point, and he was excellent. 

I think the world needs more than love right now, but a little love couldn't hurt either.

Countdown to the Eclipse!

Count me in as someone wrapped up in eclipse mania! I'm taking a day off from my day job tomorrow to watch the eclipse (and do some other things). I've got eclipse viewing glasses and my homemade eclipse viewer (see photo below) and I plan to walk down to the shores of Lake Michigan and see what I can see from there tomorrow afternoon. Since the next eclipse won't come for, what, 45 years and I'm sure I'll be dead and gone by then, I'm planning to catch this one live and in action. 🌒

Bridges

My sister sent me a link to an article in the Washington Post about people's fear of driving over bridges and it really hit home with me. Watching the horrific bridge collpase in Baltimore this week didn't help either. Driving over bridges freaks me out, especially ones that are high, over water, and narrow. When I lived in Philadelphia and New Jersey, I drove over the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman bridges all the time with no problem. Those bridges didn't bother me. Why? Because they had multiple lanes in each direction and I felt comfortable enough on them to get in the middle and cruise to the other side without fear that I would go over the edge. Thankfully, I don't have to drive over many bridges now. There's one around Perdido Key in Florida that I have to drive over to get to my time share in Gulf Shores, Alabama when I go there in the fall. It's high, narrow, and has only one lane on each side. I have to psych myself up to get over it. It's not a long bridge, but it's still a white-kunckle drive for me. I have to pray and keep my eyes on the vehicle ahead of mine. At least no one can come on the side of me and run me off the road since it's only one lane each way. 

When I was younger, I don't recall being afraid of driving across bridges. I don't know when the fear set in. Middle age, I guess, but the fear is real. Driving across some bridges immediately makes my heart rate increase. I hate driving like a nervous wreck, but that's what happens when I have to encounter a bridge. 

Years ago, when I moved from central New Jersey to Brooklyn, the movers wanted to follow me in my car to my new apartment and they wanted to take the Verrazzano Bridge. Yeah, no. I'd driven across the Verrazzao before but I wasn't planning on driving across it again. I told the movers I'd meet them at the apartment in Brooklyn because I'd be taking the Holland Tunnel to the Battery Park Tunnel instead (and that's what I did). 

(Not) Scary Movies

I love a good scary movie. Unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've seen one that was truly scary. Earlier today, I saw the new movie Late Night with the Devil. The trailer seemed interesting because the film's plot involved the whole satanic panic frenzy from the 1970s and threw in some Exorcist-like possession. I'm not a fan of devil movies, but this one looked to be a step above the usual demonic movies out there. Unfortunately, the movie didn't deliver for me. I was falling asleep during it and actually drifted off for a few minutes. It had a decent plot, but there were too many scenes of people talking that didn't move the story forward. The story also got convoluted at the end. Was the talk show host's membership in some weird, cult-like group responsible for everything that happened? I don't know and, by the end, I didn't really care. The only good thing that came out of seeing Late Night with the Devil was seeing previews for two other scary movies that actually looked scary: Cuckoo and In a Violent Nature. I'm also looking forward to the Beetlejuice sequel (not because I expect it to be scary, but because I liked the first Beetlejuice movie.) 

Random Questions and Observations

I was trying to think of a theme for this blog post, but I couldn't come up with one, so I decided to go with some random questions and observations.

1. When will Andy Cohen's days of fame be over? Surely, someone else who's more professional and more personable could be at the helm of the Bravo enterprise (or whatever you want to call their current lineup).

2. Who, exactly, is JLo's current audience? People her own age? Younger people? 

3. Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" performance at the Oscars was really great. It was just what the show needed to give people something fun to watch and enjoy. As someone who saw the Barbie movie and thought it was good, but not great, I did like Ryan's pink suit and all of the ridiculousness of his Ken performance Monday night.

4. Jon Stewart is a welcome presence as the Monday night host of the Daily Show. 

5. Enough about the Royal Family already. Jeez. They're in the news more than the Kardashians these days. 

Too Much Time on (Your) Hands

I watched two Netflix docu-series over the past few weeks. The first one, called Lover, Stalker, Killer, centered around a guy who was stalked by a woman he dated. The second one, called American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, focused on a journalist who supposedly committed suicide, but many believed he was murdered because he was looking into a software program that the US government used supposedly to spy on other nations. Both of these series seemingly don't have anything in common, but I realized after finishing the second one that they did have a common thread. In the first one, a woman spent an incredible amount of time and effort stalking a guy. In the second one, a reporter spent an incredible amount of time and effort trying to figure out of a guy was murdered. Watching both series made me wonder, Who has this kind of time on their hands??? I can't understand how some folks go so far down the rabbit hole with stalking or obsessing over celebrities or trying to figure out who really shot JFK that their lives are seemingly overtaken by their obsessions. Don't they have day jobs? Bills to pay? Family obligations? Lives to live? Maybe I'm just too lazy to take on a task like trying to solve a murder or stalk a dude who dumped me. I can see teenagers or young adults being wrapped up in the life of a celebrity. (Look at the Taylor Swift fandom, for example.) But I don't get adults in their 30s+ doing this kind of thing. It's like having another job. Yeah, I worked 8 hours for some corporation and now I'm going to put in another 6-8 hours stalking my favorite celebrity/the one-night-stand who dumped me/the weird guy in my apartment building/whoever. I don't get it. Aren't you exhausted enough by life in general? Apparently not!

Bama BS

Once again, government leaders in my ancestral home state of Alabama are showing why the state frequently ranks near the bottom of all of the United States in terms of education. By declaring that embryos are children, they're effectively restricting people whose only means of having children via IVF from doing just that. So stupid. Alabama politicians frequently make decisions that go against its own interests and this ruling is just another example of that. Alabama also doesn't have a state lottery. They'd rather have their citizens drive across the border to Georgia to play the Powerball or Mega Millions (and put money in the peach state's coffers) than have their own state lottery that could fund much-needed educational programs in their own state because they're against gambling (or some nonsense). More BAMA bullshit logic. 

My father is from Alabama. My grandparents had a farm there and I've grown up going there all my life. I have a love/hate relationship with the state (and right now the hate is strong). Every time I think about retiring to Alabama (because, let's face it, the cost of living is low there), the state does some backwards shit like the embryo ruling and I change my mind about relocating there.

Financial Foibles

After hearing about Donny T's most recent financial judgment against him, I found myself wondering if Don the Con would finally be taken down a peg this time. Because he's so hung up on being a rich guy, having his finances take a hit may be more damaging to him than other accusations he's faced. (On a side note, has anyone noticed he's stopped talking about E. Jean Carroll? I guess after that $83 million kick in the balls, he finally learned to shut his mouth about her.) 

Money is a difficult subject for some people to discuss. Some people are very hung up on the kind of financial picture they present to others. I know people who live above their means because they want to project an image of financial security that they don't really have. I'm not one of those people. I've said this before, but I'll say it again. There are things that may shame me in life, but money isn't one of them. I have no problem telling someone I can't afford something. I'm not the kind of person who would buy a $3,000 bag and then not be able to pay my bills for the next two months. I've lived hand-to-mouth and it's not something I share a lot with others, but it's not something I'm ashamed of either. I've come a long way since then and I try to live within my means. When I bought a car last summer because my used Volkswagen was having more issues than it was worth, I purchased a car I could afford, a Nissan. Yes, I would have liked to have bought a new Volvo, but I didn't have Volvo money. I did have Nissan money, so that's what I went with. When I moved from New York to Illinois about 10 years ago, I downgraded my cost of living significantly and I was able to save some money and buy my own place. When I bought my co-op, one of my aunts asked why I didn't buy a house. I told her, "I can't afford a house in the area where I live." And I couldn't! Even rinky-dink houses here cost over $300K and I don't make the kind of money to afford a mortgage like that. 

New York Magazine has a story in its current edition about a woman who got scammed out of $50K. This woman is a financial writer and she got scammed. The story was ridiculous for many reasons but, for me, I just couldn't figure out how this woman actually thought that someone from Amazon would put her in touch with the CIA when they suspected she had fraud on her account. Bezos is not working in tandem with the CIA, lady. Give me a break. The US government doesn't care about your Amazon account. There were other red flags this woman ignored, but that one stood out to me. We all need to be smarter about the financial decisions we make in life. You live and, hopefully, you learn from your mistakes.

Stuff I've Been Watching

I said I was going to drop my Amazon Prime subscription after they announced that their videos would have ads included (unless you want to pay not to have them), and I followed through and dropped that service earlier in January before Bezos could get in my pockets again for the next billing cycle. I don't miss it at all either. I have more than enough to watch on other services. 

Speaking of those other services, I've been watching the new season of True Detective on HBO/Max. It's okay, but not great. It is holding my interest enough to continue watching it. I had seen the previous seasons of the show except for Season 2, so I watched that over the past couple of weeks. Oy vey, what a mess. I enjoyed Season 1 when it came out and Season 3 was good also, but Season 2 was no bueno. Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams were miscast. I didn't buy either of them in their roles. Colin Farrell was good. I saw him in New York at a Dunkin' Donuts once. True story! I was waiting for my coffee and donuts and he came in with a woman. I thought, That guy looks like Colin Farrell. Then he opened his mouth and spoke and I realized, That IS Colin Farrell! But, back to True Detective Season 2. Too much sleaze and bad dialogue and not enough of a decent plot. Season 4 has an interesting mystery, but Kali Reis isn't working for me and I don't think she can hold her own against Jodie Foster. (Another case of an actor being miscast for the role in this series.) I'm going to see it through to the end (like I did with the awful Season 2), but I'm watching with lowered expectations.

I went to see the movie The Zone of Interest earlier today because I'd heard it was good and I wanted to see if I could understand any of the German dialogue since I took 16 weeks of German lessons last summer. Yeah, I can safely say that most of my German has gone out the window. Other than recognizing basic terms like children, hello, thank you, goodbye, and some numbers, I didn't remember jack. I watched this movie and walked out of it wondering, Who is this movie for and what was the point of it? It was ghoulish. That's the best word I can use to describe it. Was the filmmaker just trying to let the audience know that some Germans went about living their normal lives while the Holocaust was going on? Duh, I think we know that. I didn't get it.

Pathetic Primaries

When is the US going to get smart and stop letting Iowa and New Hampshire have caucuses and primary elections ahead of others in the country? When's the last time Iowa picked a winner? Two of the most non-diverse states in the country get to set the tone for the national elections and candidates rise and fall based on these two states and their voters. It's ridiculous. At least South Carolina (a state I hate with the fire of a thousand suns) that comes in third for its primary after New Hampshire has a more diverse population. It's time the United States changed things to allow more states to have their primaries early. Why should Iowa and New Hampshire have so much power? Ugh. 

Cold Snap

We're having a "real" winter now here in the Chicago area with temps below zero and snow. Over the long MLK weekend, I spent most of my time indoors watching movies via On Demand incluing Anatomy of a Fall, that was interesting. I can't get that steel drum version of 50 Cent's PIMP out of my mind because of that movie. Oy vey! The movie is about a married couple who has a son and the husband ends up falling out of a window and he dies. But did he commit suicide or did his wife murder him? One of the more interesting parts of the movie happened during the wife's trial and one of the attorneys tried to argue that the wife, a writer, had actually planned her husband's murder because of something similar in one of her fictional books. (Both she and her husband were writers but she had been more successful in her writing than he had, thus yet another issue in their already troubled marriage.) I would hate for someone to look at something I'd written in one of my publications and deduct that a character's behavior mirrored my own. That's a stretch. I love all of my characters, the good ones and the bad ones, but to say I'd behave in the same way as a fictional character in one of my books is ridiculous.

Over the holiday weekend, I also watched Oppenheimer. It was good and a wee bit too long, but still good. Everyone and their mother popped up in that movie: the guy who's NOT Matt Bomer from the USA Network White Collar series (Tim DeKay), Rami Malik  (from the USA Network series Mr. Robot), Casey Affleck, Tony Goldwyn in addition to Matt Damon and an unrecognizable (for me anyway at first) Robert Downey, Jr., who's getting awards and high praise (rightly so) for his role. Cilliam Murphy is great and the movie deserves all of the critical acclaim and awards it's received. 

Hello, 2024!

We're five days into 2024 and so far so good. I told a friend who asked if I had any resolutions that I didn't but one of my goals this year was to try not to lose my mind. Seriously, just staying alive and in my right mind this year would be huge accomplishments. Stressing out has done me no good and I'm really making an effort to keep my stress in check this year. It's hard to do with so much bad news in the world and idiocy in my workplace, but I'm determined not to pull my hair out over things I can't control. 

One thing I plan to do this year is drop one of my streaming services and, since Prime is about to start adding advertisements and their lineup of movies and shows isn't great, I'm kicking it to the curb this month before my renewal date comes up. I hope they ask me why I'm dropping the service so I can tell them I'm tired of lining Bezos's pockets each month to the tune of $14.99 each month. I'll continue to be an Amazon customer, but Prime can kick rocks. It's just not worth it. Netflix is aiming to be next on my list of cuts, but I haven't let go of that yet because the plan I have is so cheap that it doesn't even exist anymore and if I drop it, I'll never get it back. I was a Netflix customer back in the "old" days when they sent you DVDs in the mail. So much of their programming is garbage right now, but I'm still managing to find something to watch every few weeks, so it's staying...for now.

I had to give up on the current season of Fargo despite the fact that I'm a huge Jon Hamm fan (and I like seeing him slightly chunky in this season). But I can't deal with him being a wife-beater. Ugh. When the eighth episode came on this week, I watched the first five or ten minutes and bailed because I just found it too disturbing. I read recaps of the episode and felt I made the right decision. Nothing against the actors, but I just can't deal with that negativity and bad behavior in something that's supposed to be entertaining right now. I'm sure Jon's wife-beating character will get his comeuppance in the end, but I'm not willing to watch the rest of the episodes to see that happen.

Moving on in 2024!