Pardon me if I rant a bit, my friends.
The best President of my lifetime is being undercut by his own party and it terrifies me. The stakes are so high:
Progress on green energy vs. an uninhabitable planet
Bodily autonomy vs. The Handmaid’s Tale
Human rights vs. mass deportations and internment camps
Democracy vs. Facsism (Project 2025 and a wannabe dictator)
Yet here we are. Our best President’s campaign is being hobbled by his own side. We know he is old…but he is wise. Look at all he has accomplished! We know he stutters…he always has. We know he is mortal (all Presidents are)…that’s why he has a fabulous Vice President at his side. Why is this happening? Now??? So close to the election? Lest we forget, millions of us have voted for President Biden in the primaries. Talk me down, please. I don’t like this movie at all.
A few bits and pieces as we enter the weekend:
Bob Newhart will be sorely missed. So many wonderful roles, so much rich, deadpan comedy. But given my mood, I am remembering him as Major Major Major Major in Catch 22:
Rest in Peace, Bob, and thank you for all the laughter you brought.
In the vein of the absurd, I found an interesting show from Finland streaming on, MhZ, Stop Nyqvist. It has a bit of a flavor of Dr.Strangelove. Nyqvist is a lowly intern in the Finnish State Department and is promoted way above his expertise to be the very malleable head of a new spy agency with only one super spy in its employ. Regrettably, Nyqvist sends said spy to destroy a submarine in the Gulf of Finland before discovering, too late, that it was a NATO sub. Needless to say, this is very, very bad. Hijinks ensue as he tries to cover his mistake from the Americans, the Russians, the Swedes and the Danes. Oh, and his bosses. Them, too.
Other amusements…let’s see. I just started a cozy mystery featuring Julia Child as a lead character. It’s called Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge. I was hooked by the very first line:
Julia Child had a mayonnaise problem.
I’ll let you know how it goes but it looks promising.
A laugh at the ridiculous in American culture:
The weekend begins now. Come in, be comfortable, and share your day, your weekend plans, your menus. This is an open thread.