A ho-hum day
Pearl Jam--still a big deal, thirty years later
Do you ever have days that youlook back on and wonder what you did? That was sort of mine today. What I calla ho-hum day. Didn’t sleep well last night—you know how three o’clock-in-the-morning-thoughtscan look so dramatically awful and the next morning you wonder what ever wasthe matter with you? At three, I thought I was having a heart attack; at five,I decided since I hadn’t yet died, I should go back to sleep. At seven I decidedit was just a muscle spasm, and I scrapped plans to email my doctor firstthing. Then Sophie, once fed, let me sleep until nine o’clock. Once up andaround, I was fine, but it’s amazing how short the morning is when I don’t getto my desk until 9:30!
Email takes up so much of mytime these days because there’s so much I don’t want to miss, what with thePaxton trial in Texas and Kevin McCarthy’s foolish announcement of animpeachment investigation. There’s some really interesting commentary online,but there is also a lot of alarmist nonsense. I guess my contacts have winnowedthemselves, but I don’t get much from the “other” side of politics. But my ownside can be silly enough—twenty-four hours after McCarthy’s announcement, postsare still headlining, “Breaking News!” when by then it’s old news. It never wasnews really anyway.
There are some news columns Iread religiously every day. Probably the most important is Heather CoxRichardson’s Letters from an American. A professor of history, Richardson soaptly blends today’s events with the historical trail behind them. It’s eye-opening.Then there’s Gabe Fleisher’s Wake Up from Politics—I’m impressed becauseFleisher has been doing his column for ten years, and he’s only now a junior atGeorge Mason University (I think that’s right) in DC. I’m not as enamored ofhis column as I was—in his attempt to be even handed, I think he bends a bit farto the right. But that may be me. A new compilation of news I’ve recently startedreading is atAdvocacy News which is openly liberal, pulls no punches, andsometimes makes me laugh out loud. We all need a good laugh these days.
Despite a late start andreading all my “morning stuff,” I did get some new words down on my first draftof “Missing Irene.” It’s fun to be back with Irene and Henny and the folks,though strangely this time I find Irene is sinking into the background. Maincharacters are Henny and Chance (If you haven’t read the books, this will notmean much to you). But it’s fun for me.
I’m feeling old tonight, andit’s all because of entertainers and bands. A few days ago Mark Wahlberg waspouring tequila at Joe T.’s. I had not a clue who Wahlberg was, but all threeBurtons were excited about going, though Jordan and Christian eventuallydecided against it. But Jacob picked up his girlfriend and headed there, onlyto be confronted by a long line. And the guy who said he’d hold a table couldn’t.So they left and had supper at—wait for it—Chipotle for a change. I could notbelieve, however, that for two nights running our dinnertime conversation wasabout this Wahlberg person whoever he is, was, whatever.
So tonight, Jacob is laboringover his essay for his college application—he just brought me the openingparagraph, and I was favorably impressed, which he pronounced “awesome.” Buthis parents were invited to a Pearl Jam concert. Okay, I’ve heard of Pearl Jambut have no interest in them. Saw a picture of what I guess is the lead singerand thought he looked sweaty and dirty and his outfit was, to say the least,unremarkable. To Jordan and Christian, those are the musicians of their youth.Christian said to me this morning, with real awe, “Those guys must be at leastin their sixties.” It was not the time to remind him he’s in his fifties, notthat far behind them. Christian is a media junkie—movies, bands, etc. He knowsthem all. Me? I’m still back there with Joan Baez, Neil Diamond, Joan Collins,and their ilk. I don’t even get Asleep at the Wheel.
My activity tonight was tomake a turkey/bacon/avocado sandwich (got to say that was good) and then wolfit down so I wouldn’t be eating while tuning in to a neighborhood associationzoom meeting. Got my nose out of joint and signed out early. So next on myagenda: reading a manuscript that a friend of a friend sent. Yes, it takestime, but that’s what I have lots of. And helping wannabe writers is my way ofpaying it forward.
Jacob just came in wearing ahoodie which astonished me, but when I asked, he said, “It’s raining. It’s beenraining for a while.” And I missed it! Hope you got rain, wherever you are.
