My daughter hasn’t seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and this troubles me greatly. But it doesn’t trouble me enough to insist that she watch it, and here’s why: I did that with my son, and I regret it mightily. [NOTE: THIS ESSAY CONTAINS SPOILERS. Although, unless you are my daughter, you’ve probably already seen Skywalker so it should […]
Bill Withers died just last month at 81. You may think, “I don’t know who that is.” Yes you do. Bill Withers was a blues singer and songwriter who penned, honestly, some of the most iconic popular music ever. Why is it we never have an appreciation of some artists until they die and then, in hindsight, we inevitably admit, […]
Colin Jost is my hero. I’m not ashamed to tell people this. I mean, the guy is funny – objectively, statistically funny. He’s funny in a smart way and a smart-ass way, as opposed to a dumb-ass way. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, some of the most successful Saturday Night Live alumni have raked in the cash playing […]
They say Robert Downey, Jr. made $75 million for his swan song appearance as Tony Stark/Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. Good. I don’t know that I needed to know that, and I’m not sure I care one way or another, but I do know the fact that it’s out there in the universe now is a bad thing. It’s a […]
I read an odd headline today. It said “Price of crude oil plunges below zero.” Something like that takes a little time to sink in, so I will pause for a moment. OK, ready? Good. As it turns out, crude oil is traded on the commodities markets as futures contracts, meaning you say today how many units you’re committing to […]
Donald Trump says he’s a “wartime president,” and I would have to agree. I’ve been alive for a couple wars, and I’ve read about a couple more, and everything we are dealing with under the COVID-19 pandemic certainly feels like we are fighting a war. There are many similarities: We measure each day in death and devastation: How many have […]
My grandcat is an a$$hole. I love her, and she is so pretty, but she’s a huge a$$hole. Her brother is much more lovable but he comes with his own challenges. It’s Week Six? Seven? Don’t know, time has no meaning in the Upside Down. It’s whatever week it is, and my wife should be ecstatic but she is not. […]
Now that Bernie Sanders has left the 2020 Presidential race I have to admit I am distraught, far more than I had imagined I would be. It’s not because I share any (literally: any) political views with the Senator. It’s not our mutual Jewish roots. It’s something far more important and relevant: I was looking forward to seeing more of […]
When I was young I dreamed of being a writer. Actually, that’s not true; I dreamed of being several writers. The first step to becoming a writer, any writer will tell you, is becoming a reader. So depending on what I had just read that had thrummed a particular chord inside me, that was the kind of writer I dreamed […]
When i was young we liked smart men and dumb women. Oh my god, now don’t get your back up – please. I can feel the waves of Weinstein-fueled disdain coming off everyone. Hear me out. Remember I Dream of Jeannie? Major Whoever, an actual astronaut, and Jeannie. OK, maybe she wasn’t dumb but she was naive and that’s good […]