January 31, 2022 - Random Thoughts

 

It took me way too long to figure out that 

the tissues in the top-opening dispensers fold in half easily, while the tissues in the top/side-opening dispensers fold more into a half and (almost) two quarters that don't quite fold equally into a clean half, which I find annoying.

And why is it that hotels keep the box of tissues in the bathroom, right by the toilet paper that can serve the same purpose, yet have no tissues where the beds are and where guests spend the vast majority of their time and where they likely need the tissues more often (unless they are having some form of GI trouble, in which case leave the tissues where they are)?

"Tell me you're a geek without telling me you're a geek."

Boba Fett is speaking Basic, not English.

The word crampon is way too close to the word tampon. And to have the word cramp in the former when it's more often associated with the latter is just confusing. But, as it turns out, crampon is derived from Middle English; tampon is from the 19th century, so whoever came up with that word should have put some more effort into it.

And while we're on the topic of etymology, I envision this conversation happened at one point: 

Person #1 (in the 18th century and likely in French): I have devised a study of insects. I shall call it entomology.

Person #2: Well, back in the Middle Ages, someone called the study of words etymology. Don't you think people might be confused? 
Person #1: Nonsense. I added an n and changed the y to an o. It couldn't be any clearer.

And thanks again for reading this far. Here's Horatio doing his best Far Side impersonation (thanks/apologies to Gary Larson):

January 29, 2022 - Jesus Christ Superstar review

Last night we went to see Jesus Christ Superstar at the Providence Performing Arts Center. I will preface this by pointing out two salient issues:

1) I hadn't listened to the soundtrack before seeing the show.
2) I'm Jewish. 

I'm fairly certain these two elements severely impacted my understanding and appreciation of this show. 

That said, regardless of these two facts, this was a weird show.

Opening up with a woman dancing crazily on a giant cross laid down across the stage (see Last Supper picture). Then the rest of the cast comes running down the aisles to join her. This prompts my first question of the evening: why are they running down the aisles? Why not come in from the wings? What purpose does this directorial decision have? And then the dancing that follows. I'll admit it was impressive and the cast was tight. But what the hell were they doing? Is there some form of Christian prayer where people hold a palm to their forehead and hold the other arm outstretched? Because that's what they did. A lot. 

And why does Jesus (Aaron LaVigne) have an acoustic guitar that he barely plays? Did Jesus play the guitar? Seriously, I'm curious. Wait, a quick Google search tells me it was invented around the 16th century, so that's a nope. So why have Jesus look like he's at an open mike night for much of the show?

"King Herod's Song" featuring Paul Louis Lessard was a showstopper, with all the glitz and pomp to captivate a crowd (all that was missing was a tap number). And Alvin Crawford as Caiaphas was amazing - incredible pipes on this guy! But I still don't understand what was going on. 

Sure, I got the basics - Jesus is a rebel, his followers love him, he's reluctant to be the son of God, the high priests come for him, Mary loves him (although she says she doesn't know how, but I think she manages nonetheless), Judas betrays him, Peter denies him, Pilate wants no part of him, Herod taunts him, and they crucify him (they left the resurrection out, but I went on a Friday. If I go again on Sunday, will it be there?).  But it just seemed... weird. The presentation and the music was so jarring. If it's intentional, like the dancers' entrance, I don't get why. And the title track - how can Judas sing about 4 B.C. when it's still B.C.? And "if [he'd] come today he could have reached a whole nation", but what "today" is he talking about? In Judas's time, it was "today". 

And at the end, after we've just seen this man physically beaten, abandoned, and killed on the cross, he comes out, takes Judas's hand and bows (wait, was that the resurrection?). It reminded us of a performance of Merchant of Venice where Shylock dies a broken man and then the actor comes out with the rest of the cast to do a happy dance number. Just weird. 

One last observation I had while the curtain with the giant logo was down before the show. Why does the logo look like a double angel door knocker with a poop emoji stuck to it? Now you can't unsee it, can you?

2/5: would probably not see again

And again, as a thank you for reading this far, here's a picture of Horatio:

January 20, 2022 - Get out of My Dreams, Doug Judy

The other morning I overslept and was freaking out until I realized Doug Judy (Craig Robinson's character on Brooklyn 99) had messed with my alarm. When I went to his room, which until now had been Horatio's room, I saw that he changed his clock, too, so I had no idea what time it was at all. Not cool, Doug Judy. Not cool.

As the day went on, when Jessy and I were in the kitchen, I looked down to see a promotional stand for Loverboy's new jukebox musical. Jessy told me to put it in the basement room where we keep the Grogu pinball game. It's also where we keep the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team's jerseys. Except when I opened the drawer, only two jerseys remained because Doug Judy gave them away. Dammit, Doug Judy, knock it off!

Anyway, here's a picture of Horatio pounding some water.

January 8, 2022 - Reclamation of the Flag

Every time I see a truck or a Jeep waving an American flag behind it, I instinctively know the driver is a far-right conservative. This is true even without the accompaniment of a Trump flag, a Blue Lives Matter flag, or - ironically enough - a Confederate flag. They seem to be screaming to the world, "Look at me! I support the values of America!"

But they don't. In fact, it's the opposite. At least it's the opposite of what the values of America are supposed to be. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We believe in promoting the general welfare. Anyone who's ever attended a public school or been to any sporting event has heard these phrases repeatedly. Yet those who wave this flag the highest are the ones who are attempting to deny those promised ideals to those this nation has routinely and historically oppressed. 

If we had liberty and justice for all, we would not have a system designed to keep certain segments of the population from receiving those promised ideals. Look at education. Every state in the nation, to some degree, links education funding with property taxes. This means that the lower the income of a city or town, the less educational funding they receive, and it's no coincidence that those areas are often non-white populations. Look at Arkansas as an example of how these conditions impact education. Without necessary education, progress in any field is impossible, ensuring that those with means are primarily the ones who will advance, while those without means, often people of color, are trapped in a never-ending cycle of poverty.

If we were the land of the free, people would not be denied basic rights based on gender identity. They would not be prohibited from serving their country in the military based on how they identify. If we were the home of the brave, people would have the courage to stand up for what's right, to stand up for those being oppressed, yet those waving the flag like this are the ones voting for people, at all levels, who refuse to let everyone in this nation enjoy the same rights. Look at the voting restrictions red states are implementing, those that would deny people, usually of color, the ability to vote by mail or on Sundays or after nine-to-five working hours. 

If we were one nation, everyone would have equal access to health care, yet conservatives, primarily white men, are doing everything they can to deny women their own reproductive rights based on beliefs derived from a religious text instead of medical science. The hypocrisy is palpable as red state after red state passes cardiac activity based legislation to deny women safe access to abortion, yet in every single state it is legal to take someone deemed brain dead off life support even though their heart is still beating. 

If we believed in promoting the general welfare, every single eligible person in this country would be vaccinated and boostered against COVID, the same way we're vaccinated against the mumps, the measles, rubella, Hepatitis, Tetanus, and Polio. Vaccines were once lauded as miracles, and scientists were praised for their contributions. Instead, the far right are launching successful efforts to take over local school boards for the right to be ignorant (at best) and a health risk to others (at worst) based on meritless conspiracy theories instead of believing in and trusting medical science. 

It is because of the values of those broadcasting their self-described patriotism that I proclaim those supporting these mentalities as unfit to wave this flag. Instead, I propose that those in favor of supporting every American, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual identity; those who believe that all people are indeed created equal; those who are more concerned with helping the majority instead of hampering them be the ones to wave the flag. Wave it alongside the Pride flag. Wave it alongside the Black Lives Matter flag. Wave it alongside whatever way you can proclaim your faith in science. 

Let those who would deny others the ideals promised by this nation yell about taking our country back; let the rest of us take our country forward. 

And if for some reason you disagree with any of these thoughts and observations, please don't ignore me. Don't block me. Don't flame me. Talk to me. 

If you've read this far, here's a picture of Horatio playing in the snow: