Song of the day:
I learned yesterday that Billy Joel is releasing a brand new song on February 1 (it’s called Turn the Lights Back On) so in honor of that, here’s a wonderful live version of my all-time favorite song of his…please enjoy…
I have some thoughts…
Let’s start with the Oscar nominations…
Yes, I’m frustrated that Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig weren’t nominated for their work on Barbie. They’ve literally been nominated for every other award this season. Honestly, how do you nominate Ryan Gosling (Ken) without nominating Margot? It’s weird. Should Ryan have been nominated? Absolutely. And America Ferrera? One hundred percent yes. For that monologue alone. I’ve seen a lot of posts about this all over social media and a lot of people are frustrated and outraged at these omissions (aka, snubs). And some people aren’t. To be fair, there’s always something that frustrates me about the Oscars, whether it’s someone not getting nominated or not winning. I was definitely frustrated last year when Angela Basset didn’t win Best Supporting Actress. I’ve been angry at the Academy for YEARS for not acknowledging her work as Tina Turner, as well as not acknowledging much of anything for the original Color Purple movie. And to be fair, there should have been more acknowledgement for that movie this time around, too. I’m also still salty that Denzel didn’t win his Best Actor Oscar for Hurricane or X, but I digress. I think the biggest problem I have is that the Academy ignored two incredibly talented women. I never thought either of them would win, but they should have at least been in the running.
Now, let me also add that I am THRILLED that Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K Brown were nominated for American Fiction - which was also nominated for best picture. This movie is fantastic, and I highly recommend it - but be advised, it’s Rated R for a reason. The two actors have always been stellar, and two of my favorites, so I would love to see both of them take home the awards.
I didn’t see all the movies that were nominated, so I certainly can’t speak to everything, but this is what’s on my mind right now. Maybe I’ll do another prediction post later, as we get closer to the awards - despite how well that did NOT go for me with the Golden Globes. We’ll see…
Let’s switch to football…professional football to be precise…
I haven’t been into the NFL for many, many years. I am absolutely the person who gets involved at the end but typically doesn’t care who wins - I’m in it for the commercials and the snacks, and sometimes the halftime show. But something feels different this year. And maybe it’s because the 49ers are good - though they’ve never been my team - but honestly, I would say more of it has to do with Taylor and Travis. I’m not watching every game - I’m not really watching any games except for possibly the last two minutes - but I’m certainly paying more attention. And yes, that’s because coverage of them is EVERYWHERE, but still. It’s making it fun. Especially when you throw in Travis’ brother, Jason and their podcast. No, I don’t listen to that either, but again, clips and coverage of it are all over social media, and they are hilarious. It’s the fun we need in sports, which is why I think the 49ers keep drawing me in, too. You’ve got the extreme underdog story in Brock Purdy to the magnificence of Christian McCaffery to the hilarity of George Kittle. And oh yeah, they play like 20 minutes from my house.
But let’s talk about something that happened on Sunday night, when the Chiefs beat the Bills in Buffalo. And no, I’m not talking about Jason Kelce’s shirtless romp through the stands - although, that was amazing on a number of levels - I’m talking about the Bills kicker, Tyler Bass. He missed a critical field goal that would have tied the game and sent them to overtime. Now, no one knows how that would have gone, but it doesn’t matter because it didn’t happen. And because of that, this kid got all kinds of hate and even death threats on social media, so much so that he shut his accounts down shortly after it started to escalate. There is truly no reason for anything like that to ever happen, but sports fans across the globe do this all the time. It’s one of the worst parts of social media. But here’s where the story gets good…Tyler works with Ten Lives Club, a cat adoption organization in New York. Shortly after all of this happened, people started donating to the organization - many at $22 a pop (in honor of his number 2), and then Ten Lives Club popped up in support of him, and then so did thousands more Bills fans and Chiefs fans and Taylor Swift fans (she’s a huge cat lover in case you didn’t know). The organization has raised over $250,000 in the last few days, all in support of Tyler Bass who honestly, just had a really bad day at work. You can read more about it here.
And because it’s still a very real thing, let’s talk about COVID…
In an absolutely insane decision this week, California decided to go against the CDC’s isolation guidelines by stating that if someone tests positive for COVID but are asymptomatic, they don’t have to isolate (see LA Times article for details). WHAT?! I mean, as far as I know, that’s been the problem all along, that people who didn’t have symptoms were spreading it to others. The CDC states that even if someone is asymptomatic they should isolate for five days, which is much more reasonable than the original ten or fourteen they previously recommended. And yes, California does say that if you have tested positive but are asymptomatic you should wear a mask around others for ten days, but let’s get real. There are so few people wearing masks now that you know that’s not happening. And in the last two months, a number of people I know who had been COVID-free since the beginning, tested positive for the first time - and they are all people who are VERY careful. And for several of them, it took them down hard (similar to my experience nearly a year ago). Masking isn’t hard. Neither is staying home for five days. I honestly will never understand how we got here, how so many seem to not care much about the health and well-being of others. Do they truly not understand how bad this virus is for a lot of people in this country? Do they not understand that it’s bad to get it more than once? Quite frankly, if I got COVID again, it would be incredibly bad for my current and future health. I already have many of the long COVID symptoms, and getting it again would make those worse - and possibly bring on other symptoms. So please, for the sake of yourself and others, wear a mask - a good one. And if, heaven forbid, you test positive, please isolate for a minimum of five days or until you are well. It’s better for you and everyone around you.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
And because this post isn’t quite long enough yet, here’s a little summary of what I’ve been watching and reading this month…
Movies
American Fiction - Fantastic film (as mentioned above); the cast is spectacular, and the storyline is brilliant.
Soul - This was supposed to be a theatrical release in 2020 but was only released to Disney+ for obvious reasons; Disney (Pixar) put it back in theaters this month, and it was so cool to see it on the big screen. I loved it when I saw it on my own TV, but the big screen is always better. And it’s such a good movie. If you haven’t seen it, try to see it while it’s still in theaters. It’s absolutely worth it.
Anyone But You - This was a super-fun romantic comedy, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. It reminded me of some of the classic rom-coms of the 80s and 90s - When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, etc. If you’re looking for a fun watch, I definitely recommend it.
TV
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived - This documentary is on Max (HBO), and it’s wonderful, but also heartbreaking. It’s the story of the person who was Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt person in most of the Harry Potter movies, about the injury that almost ended his life, and about his life after everything that happened. I learned so much. Highly recommend.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians - This is a new series on Disney+ based on a series of young adult books which I have not read. It was getting a lot of buzz online so I decided to check it out, and it’s really good! There are also some great guest actors sprinkled throughout what I’ve seen so far.
The Floor - Y’all. Have you seen this new game show? It’s bonkers and completely awesome. Also, Rob Lowe. I absolutely love it! Highly recommend.
I Can See Your Voice - This show started a few years ago then took a break, but it’s back and it’s so fun. I’m getting better at figuring out whether or not someone can actually sing based on a variety of things, but sometimes I’m absolutely wrong. I also enjoy the stories from the contestants - they’re almost always moving. This is a fun one.
Books
Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden - I’m nearing the end of this one, and it’s a good read, but I think I liked her last book better. Still, I’m enjoying it and would recommend it. From Booklist: “This poignant story folds in themes of food and cooking with magical realism, grace, and a touch of romance.” 3.5/5 stars (at least at this point…a few more chapters to go…)
The Name Drop by Susan Lee - This was a fun read, and I throughly enjoyed it. From Publisher’s Weekly: “A case of mistaken identity allows two Korean American teens the chance to experience first-time independence while navigating class differences in this dynamic rom-com.” 4/5 stars
A Whole Song and Dance by Sarvenaz Tash - I enjoyed this one. There were a few “seriously?” moments for me, but overall it was fun. From Publisher’s Weekly: “…an appealing yarn…about a college freshman trying to juggle a double life.” 4/5 stars
Hotel Magnifique by Emily J Taylor - I absolutely loved this! It’s such a unique idea - a magic traveling hotel - and the writing is wonderful. I felt like I was traveling alongside the characters throughout the story and am crossing my fingers that there’s going to be a sequel. From Publisher’s Weekly: “Clear and creative worldbuilding, exquisite set pieces, and emotionally complex, intersectionally diverse characters complement the twist-riddled plot of Taylor’s spellbinding debut.” 5/5 stars
And also, hockey!
Y’all, after losing 35 games out of the first 45 (aka, winning only 10), the Sharks have won three in a row! And I actually saw one of the victories in person! Yes, it was an actual miracle. And my friend Kirsten and I celebrated in similar fashion to when we won Game 7 against Vegas a few years back. Y’all know the one. Both of us were on the verge of losing our voice after the Sharks came back from an 0-2 deficit to tie the game in the 3rd period on Tuesday night, then lost our minds when we won it in overtime. It reminded me how fun it used to be to go to The Tank two or three times a week for games, in the olden days when we’d win a lot more than we’d lose. But the last few seasons have been rough, to say the least, and it was so nice to find that joy again. Fingers crossed I see another victory tomorrow.
Let’s Go, Sharks!!
Video of the day:
Y’all. This is awesome. Prince’s estate hardly ever allows his music to be used for anything, so this is something special. You will love it.