Notable People: Julia
Brown, Jonah Hauer-King, Zofia Wichlazc, Sean Bean, Lesley Manville, Helen
Hunt, Created by: Peter Bowker
Title:
World on Fire
Review: Brilliant PBS series on the always
highest-quality Masterpiece Theater, tells the story of the Nazi Blitzkrieg of Europe
in 1939 and 1940. Magnificently told through the lens of five participants in five
different countries. Tense, brutal, touching, heroic…once again make the convincing
arguments for the saving graces the Brits and the Resistance, without whom the Nazis
take over the world before we ever enter The War. The young faces in the cast are
exceptional, but the sensational performances from veterans Hunt and Manville make
this must see. Hard not to binge watch this short seven episodes first season.
As second season is definitely in the works. Watch it on PBS On-Demand.
Review: Oh, my, my…this is a troublesome
book…as it should be. The true story of Lale Sokolov, who unwittingly became the
man who tattooed the numbers on everyone who came to this pit of hell from
1942- to 1945. Morris befriended him in the last years of his life (he did in
2006) In New Zealand and recorded his true story-told in novel from. This is
brutal…just brutal…but must reading in my boo. I swept through it in three
days-hard to read, hard to put down. Morris is not the worlds’ best writer, but
the story is so gripping, so compelling……how could this happen? It’s also, by
the way as story (like a million others) of indomitable will and extraordinary desire
to survive….and retain your soul and dignity in the process. OY!
Review: Franzen has won the National
book award for his previous novel, so I was quite eager…but then the book was so
very slow to start, I almost gave up. But stuck with it, and it turned out to be
a fine read about a 30-year marriage between two iconoclasts. Sweeping story from
St. Paul, to the coal mining hollers of West Virginia, to power environmentalists
in DC, and a fading 70s rock star in Jersey City. The novel is dense, so read
in short segments, which made the lengthy novel go a long way during the Pandemic.
The characters really came to life for me as the book progressed. Franzen had a
keen eye for detail, language and context…. ugly turns sweet in this book.
Sloane with Papi glasses 5-10-20What is wrong with this picture?
Welcome to this Apocalyptic Post- Modern Sunday:
“When the cart stops, do you whip the cart or
the ox?” …………………………………………………………………………………. Huai- Jung
“I fix nothing, I let it go” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Jean-Paul
Sartre
“Ashes to ashes, dust into dust, Buildings will crumble, bridges
will rust. Mountains will disappear, rivers will dry
up. And so it goes with everything but love” ……………………………John
Denver
You would
think that with staying at home for the most part, there would be little to say…which
is probably true…but not really prohibitive for such as we….
Let’s get
back to it…. NOW……how many of you are going out to restaurant? A bar? a gym?………….maybe
a little overdue haircut or get the old nails done? Let’s all just go out and
see how quickly we can infect each other…. maybe take a rifle or a Swastika to
show what we are made of…. c’mon people now, smile on your brother………………
The Granddaughter
update- Quin-Lily turned three this past week….have not seen her in months but
we have our twice weekly portal….this week she evicted her parents from the
room, and in between bedtime stories asked Nana and Papi …”how was your day
today?”….three is interesting….littlest Baby Harper, is growing like a weed…not
seen her since week one…..Virus-strain!!!!!!!!!!!!!….Bebe Sloane continues to
be our lifeline (along with her parents) and this week we babysat while Tess and
Jake went on a contact-less date…she led us in circles for three hours…what an
age to watch the bloomin’….
How about
a little Obamagate? We count on the Moron-in- Chief for our daily dose of
laughter in hard times……. but seriously?
The
weekly drive in da country……………………..Headed east this week on an overcast and threatening
day (thunderstorm season in the heartland)….counted the % of people wearing masks
(going down)and the number of people with big tractors mowing their small yards
(going up)…and found a little trail to take a silent walk…..did the contactless
lunch stop , and watched the birds….Ohio has a subtle beauty in the coming of spring
and farm season…not quite like driving around in the Greens…..but you gotta get
out of the house once in a while…right?
Three
houses and counting…. we are total indentured (or maybe dentured?) slaves to our
houses…keeps us pretty busy during The Plague…….are pretty settled now in the
new abode….and spending a lot of time trying to make the old homestead more sellable…..this
week we had new carpet put in all the rooms from Guy The Capet Guy….who has poor
social distancing boundaries…so when we met with him we had to set up a card table
on the driveway and wear our masks and gloves….but it was CHEAP…even though we had
to spend two hours cleaning up after the mess they made. Yesterday we spent the
whole day painting and staining over at the homestead like a couple of 40 yard
olds…our yard boy canceled on us last minute ..so we had to do it selves…which led
to much moaning, creaking and drug taking…..The Queen got through the day by chanting
her own little Haiku as she brushed and rolled:
“Working-working
on old house,
We fight……then we get it done” ………………………………………………………Her
form is not great, but you get the idea…. partly brought on by yours truly getting
the old beast resurrected tractor (given last rites an ten year ago and ignored
since) stuck in the giant mud ruts in the soaked side yard…for the THIRD time
this week….and since we have to fucking social distance –could not ask for help…and
had to push it out ourselves…this left TQ a bit perturbed with moi (and very
muddy in sexy sort of way) …
Seems like
time to think in earnest about heading back to the Greens…. recently named best
state in old US of A in staying out of the way of The Plague….in Mt. holly, we
are social distanced by definition….
Notable People: Dr. John, The Nevilles, Al
Hirt, Pete Fountain, Produced by: Stewart Levine
Title: Goin’
Back to New Orleans
Review:
The Doctor is making house calls on this
wonderful 1992 release I got from The Nave for my birthday. Filled with Cajun’,
Blues and Swampy rhythms and the magnificent keyboard musings and silver vocals
of Mr. Rebennack, this is a reminder of the greatness of this one of a kind performer.
Top- notch backing musicians. Charmed with the sounds and myths of The Easy. A refreshing
throwback. Got to go get me some Gumbo.
Notable People: Bob
Odenkirk, Rhea Seahorn, Jonathan Banks, Michael Mando, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael
McKean, Created by: Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould
Title:
Better Call Saul
Review: The extraordinary prequel to Breaking
Bad features the very excellent Odenkirk conjuring the subtle change from nice
guy lawyer, Jimmy McGill to shyster of the century, Saul Goodman. This is brilliant
television; it was recently named on several lists the best show on TV, and it’s
a fair argument. The cast is top notch, especially Banks as his menacing self and
McKean as the bat shit crazy older brother/lawyer mentor. And Esposito……Whoa….
he is quiet evil in its most potent incarnation. The development of the characters
who later came to populate Breaking Bad is so tasteful as to be shocking. Each
season has topped the one before, though I suspect the next will be the last,
as the timeline is running out to catch up to the birth of Walter White. Not
necessary to have liked or even watched BB to appreciate this one.
“Does anybody really know what time it is; does anybody
really care” ……………………………………………………………………. Robert Lamm (Chicago Transit Authority)
“He gets up in the morning, slaving
for bread, sir / So that every mouth can be fed………Ah, Ah, Ah…The
Israelites” ………………. Desmond Dekker
“While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do
greater things” …………………………………………………………………………………Sir Francis De Sales
Happy Mother’s Day to all, for whom the Foo shits. Since I can’t
really even fathom what day it is anymore, it is difficult to conjure a Blog about
the past week…. what should I say? …………………got up…took a shit……let Lucy out…let
Lucy in…. checked my e-mail…. made an English muffin…. had another small shit…made
a few calls……hung some pictures…. searched for missing items The Queen has hidden
in her baskets………talked to the realtor…..took a nap…read a book…mowed the yard
to keep up with the neighbors’ four times a week mowing…took a faux shit(just
gas)….Blah, Blah, Blah….you got the point..
So, what to do? How about The Blogs’ TOP FIVE Coronaesque
Good, Bad and Ugly??????????…. Yes, Yes…. please Ferlin’…tell us about the TG,
TB&TU
THE GOOD (editors’ license to name six)
No Schedule to conform to
Netflix, Prime TV, PBS, HBO, Showtime
Having TWO HOUSES to work on to keep us busy (not to mention a third
to keep track of)
Family time-seeing Bebe Sloane (and her parents) 2- times week ……Max
being here for seven weeks
Zoomin’
The surprising and virtuous leadership of Cuomo, DeWine, Newsom, Whitmer…and
all the Governors who have stepped up to fill The Void
THE BAD (even more editors’ license)
No Schedule to conform to
No Sports…not even Pro Bowling to watch
Little Income
Not seeing Quin-Lily and New Baby Harper (and their parents) …and Max
going home
No GYM
Waiting for on line orders to get here (Amazon excepted)
Losing John Prine
THE UGLY
The pathetic leadership from the White House and all its Talking Heads
All The M
“ME” people- buying all the TP and disinfectant wipes, gun carrying twats
demanding their personal freedoms
All forms of HazMat Gear
24/7….and I mean 24/7 for months …… with your loved one
Had a birthday last week…. presents from friends
and family keep dribbling in as the efficiency of the beleaguered mail systems will
allow…. Jennifer yesterday received an overdue package and gave me a poster (which
we spend 2-3 hours fighting about where to put up) that probably says it all
about RELATIONSHIPS in the Time of Corona:
In spite of ourselves…………We’ll end up a’ sittin’ on a rainbow
Against all odds…………Honey, we’re
the big door prize
We’re gonna spite our noses……………Right
off of our faces
There won’t be nothin’ but big old hearts…………Dancin’ in our eyes.
That’s all she wrote (“Dear John-
please send my saddle home”)…………………………….Stay Safe
Review:
Another….and another….and another……Van The Mans’ 52nd (count
‘em) album release since the mid-60s…. Whoa-can you say prolific?……………..Nothing
new here…but The Voice is as good as ever, the songs are well catchy and written
and the backing band top notch…after a while they all sound pretty much the
same…but no less for it….He is THE MAN…It’s like CHURCH…………a treasure….
Notable People: William H.
Macy, Jeremy Allen white, Cameron Monahan, Emma Kenney, Ethan Cutkowsky, Emmy
Rossum Created by: Paul Abbott
Title:
Shameless
Review: Unlikely you are not aware of this
after ten seasons, but this is cultural icon television, with the amazing WH Macy
reinventing himself as an all-time scumbag. The ensemble cast is beyond
compare, the writing really witty and the south side Chicago setting a formula
for misadventure. The show has been inconsistent in later seasons, especially challenged
by the luminous Rossum leaving fate season nine, though they did a startlingly good
job of going on without her most principle character. Full of star-power cameo
guest appearances- seems like everybody would like to be on Shameless. Great time
to hunker down for The Plaque with ten seasons worth of sardonic humor.
Right now…. where is your nature?” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Zen
Koan
“A permanent state of transition is man’s most noble
condition” ………………………………………………………………Juan Ramon Jimenez
Who’s makin’ love to your old lady…. while you
are out makin’ love?” ………………………………………………………. Johnnie Taylor
In honor of the recent Passover (quite late as usual)
…an extremely lapsed (maybe even disappeared) Jew, offers Ten (maybe twelve) questions
for this Sunday’s sermon. Answers below you can match to the question:
Should we be reopening our states amidst the Virus concerns?
What do you do when you have 244 pieces of art to hang in your new house
and can’t agree on any of it?
What is it like to have dozens of masked people go through your house
and tell you everything they don’t like about it?
Is it safer to go back to Vermont during The Plague or stay put in
Ohio?
What kind of role model is Mr. Pence when he refuses to wear a mask in
a major medical facility that requires anyone entering to wear one?
What does one do on their birthday during Quarantine?
What does Lucy do when she is freed up from her new fenced home and gets
to go nuts back at the old homestead?
How cute are toddler granddaughters?
What happens when you can’t get a haircut for months?
Should you wear a mask to go to the toilet?
Is Zoom better than Sex?
Why is this year different than all other years?
Answers…or not….
See the “Dirty Girl” picture
Such a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your loved one(s)
Why not? Only 233K more people projected to die by the end of June as
a result
Tell them to F___ Off
Blow up your TV throw away your paper, Go to the
country, build you a home, Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches, Try an’
find Jesus on your own
It will mess up
his hair, for Chrissakes.
Depends on the quality of your internet connection
A picture tells a thousand words
Tie up The Queen
and start hanging…
Not if there is someone
in there waving a gun and ranting about their freedom to choose
