1. Fuck cancer.
My childhood BFF, whom several of you have met (including Danimal!), called me this week to share the good news that his mother appears to have beaten Stage 4 lung cancer through a combination of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery to remove 40% of her left lung. Apparently she was cranky and bossing people around about an hour after she woke up from the procedure, which is to say she was fully back to normal. She is an exceedingly tough person so her fortitude isn't a tremendous surprise, but still, fuck cancer.
2. Reading The Great Gatsby resulted in homework.
I recently read a post about a group of English professors who theorized that Jay Gatsby is Black. I read The Great Gatsby in high school and saw Gatz about 14 years ago but I never heard this theory before, so I reread the book and I can see what they're getting at. Alternatively, Gatsby is Jewish. Or maybe both. Also, I'm not convinced that Meyer Wolfsheim is really Jewish. Anyway, I forgot that the book is only 150 pages long and that it's a damn good story. And it's timely despite being 100 years old--the wealthy elite shit on the working man and blame his misfortune on the "others," and the working man gets violent at the others' expense.
I enjoyed the book (and the alternate theory of Gatsby's secret) so much that I contacted my high school English teacher (she's related to a friend) and we had a two and a half hour Z**m call about Gatsby, literature, and life in general. She was my favorite teacher ever and it was great to reconnect. She even gave me some reading assignments for our next call this afternoon. So track down your favorite teacher and spend some quality time with them.
3. I am more optimistic about the Bills than ever before.
Or at least in a long time. Going into the draft I told several Gheorghies that all I wanted to see them draft were cornerbacks and edge rushers. My rationale is that it doesn't matter who the skill position players are on offense so long as they have Allen under center, and if you want to beat Mahomes you need to be able to get to him while only rushing four, and you need to cover everyone long enough for that four-man rush to get to him. Beane largely listened to me, and they signed whatever is left of Joey Bosa (which I hope is significantly more than whatever was left of Von Miller over the past three seasons), so I am extremely optimistic going into the 2025 season. Which means Allen gets hurt on the first snap.
4. Hell is other people.
I've said this here before. This time it's less personal. I've been plowing through Severance and pretty early on it reminded me of No Exit. Then there's a scene in season 2 where a bizarre love triangle literally discusses who among them is going to hell. Hopefully things will become clearer when I finish the season. It's a great show, and you'll enjoy it even if you don't like existentialist references. Check it out.
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the downside for you is that you have to root for joey bosa
ReplyDeleteSays the guy who rooted for Curt Schilling.
Deletein fairness to me, at the time we thought he was a gasbag, but we didn’t know he was a nazi
DeleteMrs. C and I have plotted our way through most of Landman. It's pretty good, but can't say it has met the expectations so many others have created. I started Mobland the other night on Paramount+. THAT is effing solid. Tom Hardy is at the top of my "actors I'll watch anything in" list. And the rest of the cast, writing, acting - chef's kiss.
ReplyDeletepossible weekend mini mini summit with danimal in St. Augustine on the horizon
ReplyDeleteMost of you have heard the Jill Sobule song I Kissed a Girl, maybe the song Supermodel. A singer–songwriter since the 1990s, her songs are often satirical and introspective, tapping into her personal journey through anorexia, antisemitism, and bisexuality in a way that spoke to a whole lot of people. Tragically, Jill Sobule died yesterday in a house fire in Minnesota. I’m not even a huge fan, but that is just fucking shitty, and the outpouring that I’ve heard on the radio and seen via some subsequent searches has been substantial. Life is pretty merciless sometimes.
ReplyDeletenbtyrsd
ReplyDeletejust got sent the nomination form for the girls soccer all-district teams. shit's getting serious. need to figure out how to game the system to load the all-district squad with huskies.
ReplyDeleterob, you'll do right thing and select best players. Hopefully, you can choose deserving players, regardless of position, so you aren't, say, picking mediocre strikers over slew of talented midfielders. Or first team is 18 players cuz nobody should be left off.
ReplyDeletez, the 'Gatsby is black' theory is a fine talking point but I think a bridge too far. Doubt seriously that 1925 Fitzgerald would have dropped in a black or multi-racial lead character. 1945 or '55 Fitzgerald maybe. But ambiguous and cryptic references likely as far as he went. Even Zelda didn't make him that crazy.
Whit, way to make the old guy figure out shorthand reference.
never bite the yellow raisins soaked in detergent?
nice bakery takes yeast raise for special donuts?
no bunnies to your really swinging den?
I too am unsure of Whit's acronym, nor did any clever guesses pop into my mind.
ReplyDeleteI did hear back from the 'seller' of the '69 Martin today with the following response: "Hi! Yes, the guitar is still available. I got a music invitation in Chicago and have a show there, so I won’t be able to meet in person. However, if you’re interested in the guitar, I can ship it to you and handle everything securely through PayPal’s Goods and Services for your peace of mind."
Smells fishy to me. I won't be sending any money via paypal. Probably just as well.
now
ReplyDeleteback
to
your
regularly
scheduled
dipshittery
[palm to forehead]
ReplyDeleteOh, now I see.
ReplyDeleteI like the Gatsby is black theory because I think it underlines the power and universality of the 150 pages. Z shared the link to Lowery’s article several weeks ago. I can see his point but I think this view could be read into almost any group that has struggled against the establishment status quo.
ReplyDeleteGatsby’s background and money is intentionally shrouded in mystery. Is he Jewish, Mediterranean, Eastern European, Black, Native American? Is he a bootlegger, war profiteer, shady investor? It’s not totally clear. All that is clear is that “respectable society” views him as an interloper and speculates that his money must be from nefarious means because it is new money. This basically can apply to any group struggling against an unjust status quo.
The fact that a black man can see the struggles of black people in the same way that many other people have over the years shows just how universal Fitzgerald’s social commentary was/is.
Ah, the joys of a liberal arts education. As is often the case, I agree with Marls--Gatsby is a stand-in for any out group. The novel is so cinematic that you forget it's short (it's more of a novella) and there are enough holes in the story that it's a great frame in which to hang whatever meaning or symbolism or additional detail you want.
DeleteOne point worth making: Nick Carraway explains across a full paragraph that Jordan Baker "was incurably dishonest." Later, when Tom Buchanan learns that Gatsby is shtupping Daisy he goes off on one of his several racist rants, saying "‘I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if that’s the idea you can count me out…. Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white," Fitzgerald writes "‘We’re all white here,’ murmured Jordan."
Mini summit confirmed for later today. Also, coastal Florida needs to get their tap water situation under control. This is fucking nonsense
ReplyDeleteTeej no like chewy water. I buy spring water anywhere I go, but it’s an even more urgent priority in Florida.
ReplyDeleteBonus points for the use of “shtupping”.
ReplyDeleteam randomly at salsa Sunday in the shadows of everbank stadium. Duuuuuuuval
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