Weezer (and Some Other Stuff)

I've been listening to Weezer lately (old Weezer, not the newer stuff). When Weezer was having hit records in the 90s, I wasn't really into them. They seemed like a white frat guy kind of band. "Dude, put on some the Sweater Song while I get the keg ready!" However, I've come to like and appreciate their music from the 90s and I'm certainly not a white frat guy. My stereotyping of the band wasn't fair and I, of all people, shouldn't be stereotyping anyone.

In other news, I've also been watching a lot of the Seth Meyers "A Closer Look" segments from his late night show via You Tube. He's great. I'm late coming to the Seth Meyers party, but now that I'm here, I'm ready to put on some Weezer and get the keg going. I've also been watching some clips from his shows that feature his family. They're quite funny also. Meyers, in my opinion, is really providing some good commentary on the current political situation in a non-annoying way. I can't even watch Colbert anymore and I used to be a huge fan. I just don't care for his late night show and his whole shtick. I had stopped watching The Colbert Report also before it went off the air because I'd just had enough, but I was willing to give his CBS show a chance. I've seen some funny clips, but overall it's no bueno. (Sorry, Stephen!)

And last, but not least, I've picked up another clown. (It's also a music box.)

Silencing the Noise

It's hard these days to get away from the constant drumbeat of bad news. Everything now is "breaking" news or something to drive the general public into a frenzy. Try as I might to tune this noise out, it's hard to do. I also find myself checking various websites throughout the day and watching the news (local and cable) to find out what Donny T. and the Funky Bunch have been up to. But I've got to work harder to break those bad habits. For every minute that I waste on Politico or MSNBC is a minute I could be using doing something constructive like writing, reading, or taking a freaking walk. Silencing the noise of the media can and needs to be done from time to time. I'm not advocating for a total media blackout, just a decrease in the amount of "breaking news" that's spoon fed to the public daily.

Finally Finished

I finally finished a short story I'd been working on for the forthcoming Colors of the Rainbow series from JMS Books. (More details to follow later on that.) I'm not normally a short story kind of person, but writing shorter pieces for the JMS series like Love Wins, etc., is helpful for me because they force me to write on a timeline and that's something I need right now.

In other news, why did I watch Sessions (aka Foghorn Leghorn) testify today? I kept waiting for him to claim he had the vapors and pass out. So fragile and so unable to recall recent events.  

CYAIP

Like, apparently, 20 million others, I watched the Comey testimony yesterday. Even though the testimony was largely made up of different people asking the same questions in slightly different ways, I still found it compelling. John McCain's final questioning session really took the cake. I wondered if the guy stroked out before or during his time because he was so incoherent. Maybe it's time for him to take a seat. But back to Comey. Whenever I read or hear people who question why he starting chronicling his meetings with Donny T., I have to assume these people are naive about the way the work world works. Anyone who has had a poor work relationship with a manager and/or coworker(s) needs to chronicle everything. This is called CYAIP: cover your ass in paper. Everything has to be documented when you're dealing with workplace drama. Trust me, I know. The whole thing may still come down to your word versus someone else's, but the more documentation you have to prove your case, the better off you'll be. It's just the smart thing to do.

Jungle Boogie

I was listening to Kool & the Gang's song "Jungle Boogie" this morning on the way to work. "Jungle Boogie" is such a great song but it's one that probably wouldn't see the light of day if it came out now. A song by and/or for black folks with "jungle" in the title is a song that wouldn't get any airplay nowadays. The same goes for The Time's "Jungle Love." Yeah...no. The climate is totally different now and songs like these would be criticized as racially insensitive. There's a line in the Steely Dan song "Babylon Sisters" that says, "Turn that jungle music down. Just until we're out of town." Does jungle music equal black music? I'll assume it does. Okay, but "Babylon Sisters" is still a great song. I remember when I worked years ago in Philadelphia and our head honcho made a comment about avoiding obscure medical disorders to cover in our the books we published because, I guess, there wasn't enough of an audience to care. But she didn't describe these rare disorders as rare disorders, she described them as being "out of the jungle." I remember giving her the side eye for that. (She was British, so maybe that had something to do with her use of this phrase. Then again, maybe not!) In my old age, I just can't get my panties in a bunch about every little thing. And I'll continue enjoying "Jungle Boogie."

Environmental Discrimination

As a former Michigander, I keep up with news from the mitten state. I read today about some Gennesse country jerk who blamed Flint's water crisis on black folks who don't pay their water bills. So, if you're behind on your water bill, that gives the government the right to poison your water? Huh? I read the Gennesse idiot handed in his resignation after his comments were made public and not a moment too soon either. Ugh. I guarantee you, if this same issue had come up in a community that wasn't (A) largely black and (B) largely poor, this wouldn't have happened. There wouldn't be contaminated water flowing through city pipes. You know it and I know it. When people are in poor minority communities, they're taken advantage of in relation to environmental issues. These communities don't have the power or the money to fight having waste treatment plants in their cities. Environmental discrimination is real.

No Winners Here

As I've watched the listened to the news throughout this week, I've come to the conclusion that I should probably cut down on my news watching and reading. Oy! Where to start? Is anyone really surprised by Donny T's rejection of the Paris climate accord? I'm not! By now, you'd think that people would understand Donny's mantra: US good, Europe bad! Moving on. As for the drama with Donny and Kathy Griffin, all I can say is there are no winners here. Did Kathy not think there would be blowback after her photo stunt? I'm in no way defending Donny T. who, as most people know, is incredibly thin-skinned, but Kathy went for HIM. He didn't come for HER until after she'd thrown down the gauntlet. And, clearly, she wasn't prepared for the criticism she faced. Either own it or apologize for it and move on from it. What's the expression? Don't come for me unless I call you? Take that advice next time, Griff. Don't call for Donny unless you're ready, willing, and able to deal with Donny and his minions. No winners here. And speaking of no winners, when is Hillary going to either accept responsibility for her own failed campaign or just go away and live quietly in Chappaqua? I'm tired of her excuses and blame game for not taking care of business during the last election. (I'm also tired of Donny T. bringing up the election. Again, no winners here.) It's over, it's done, we're living (or trying to live) with the ramifications.