Good Morning. Hello. How are you? #1426
Care about the midterms, that's what we can do. Anora. Spermula. Freddie Hubbard. Car drop-off line matters.
Hello hello hello. What is up. Good morning.
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Some notes, today, from school pickup. Haven’t talked about it in a while:
I hit a dead skunk on the drive to school this morning, and my entire truck filled with skunk smell, very strongly. Jane weirdly did not seem to mind, or even really notice. But boy, I did. Aired the car out, but even after that, the truck on the outside smells strongly of skunk.
Forgot to drop the trash off, so the bed of my truck is still filled with trash. So the truck smells like skunk and is filled with trash and is basically the pigpen truck.
Stopped at the grocery store and now the self-serve checkouts are calling over staff if you have click the “skip bagging” button too many times, which sucks since the machines are still broken when you try and use the “I brought my own bag” functionality. Self checkout kiosks are so completely enshittified at this point I don’t know how anyone uses them.
We are now over being first in line. The new hotness is to be sixth in line, so Jane, that little princess, gets dropped off right in front of the door. We have accomplished this for about four days in a row. We do this by being early, and then waiting for five cars to get in line, then we pull up and get in line. I do not know if:
Anyone else in this history of this elementary school has ever done this
Anyone has noticed our absolute insanity about this.
But we are into it.
In doing this, there is a black Escalade-style murder SUV, you know, “executive SUV,” illegal tinted windows, whole nine years. It is parked in the parking lot, but not in a spot, sort of near where I await my chance to get back in line to get our new spot. It’s there every morning. The place where it waits is a spot that is eventually taken over by the drop-off line as more parents arrive. And the SUV is faced in the wrong direction to just “end up” in line. I do not know what happens to it, because I cannot see it from up at the front of the line.
I desperately want to know what is up with this executive SUV. Does someone at the school get secret service protection? Is there an oligarch’s kid at Jane’s school? These are not normal issues for out here in the sticks.
Kinda think I want to ask them what’s up but worry I’m gonna get shot.
I guess I am in bullets mood today. Here are some errant bullets of geopolitical mysteries I am pondering:
Why has China put up with Elon being in Government and why hasn’t it just… shut down Tesla in China? I am genuinely confused about this one.
I am also genuinely confused why China would ever sell TikTok to anyone: any of these cockamamie schemes by Mr. Beast or Oracle or Microsoft. Why would the bother? Doing so would just hand Trump a win. I can see them doing it as a bribe, but… What’s the bribe for? Ending the tariffs? I feel like China can wait out/react to our tariffs without giving up the crown jewels (see previous bullet).
This is not so much a mystery but I would just like to say that right at this moment, the new provisional government of Syria is negotiating with the Russians about whether or not they get to keep their Naval base and air base in Syria, from which Russia supports nearly all of its North African initiatives that are the primary driver of how it is managing to skirt international sanctions. The government is being shockingly cooperative with Russia — not folding, not running them out on a rail. At the moment, they are insisting on the return of Assad to face trial. At the moment, Russia is saying that is a non-starter. But there is reason to believe this will, in the end, not be a blocker. The Europeans are in there trying to make a counter offer, and boy, it sure would be great if the Americans were too. I suspect some effort is being made by State or the Pentagon, but:
No one is going to believe these people have anything to offer
Shutting down USAID makes it kinda hard to offer anything?
So, you know. That is going just great.
I am wondering, when we finally get to the part of this miserable bullshit presidency where he finally bothers to use his congressional majority: are there 25 Republicans left who care about Ukraine and Russia and whether or not they have enough to override his veto on aid to Ukraine.
And finally, a plea: To everyone saying “we have four years of this shit” — please, please, I beg you: switch it to two years. CARE ABOUT THE MID TERMS. It is absolutely game-changing how different things would be if he didn’t have a majority in both houses, WE CAN DO IT. Say two years, and focus on the midterms. Pick a Republican senator or house member near you, and focus your efforts on taking. them. out.
THAT is what we can do. Since absolutely no grown up seems capable of telling us what we can do.
MIDTERMS.
Campaigning starts in, like, 20 months.
Watched Anora last night, that was a good old fun time. Love a movie where virtually every character is loathesome. Well, except one, sort of. But also… it was funny? Anyway watched four of the Best Picture noms and I guess that one is my vote so far. But I still need to watch most of them: Conclave, Nickel Boys, I’m not Here A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist. I will not bother with Wicked, Emma tried and she couldn’t do it and she told me there’s no way I could. I am somewhat shocked at this because, though I know nothing about the musical, I like Wizard of Oz, Ariana Grande and the director, who did the near-perfect film Crazy Rich Asians. I have Conclave on my Plex so maybe I’ll work through that next. I am not going to a theater for any of these, so Nickel Boys, Complete Unknown, The Brutalist… not sure when I’ll get to them.
My current vote for best picture: The last half of The Substance. When things get really crazy. Loved that. Could cut the first half, though.
Do I care about this? I don’t know man, I’m just a man with a content quota what do you want from me.
Oh also, this reminds me: two nights ago I finally finished the 1976 surrealist erotic sci-fi masterpiece Spermula and it has to be one of the most bonkers, incoherent, over-the-top surrealist vampire alien sex movies I have ever imagined. Somewhere around ¾ of the way through, when I was thinking I’d seen it all, there was an auto-fellating gentleman and then a scene with man-pigs so disturbing they felt as if they came straight from HR Geiger. Also it had Udo Keir in it. Did it take me six days of trying to watch it to get through it? yes. Was it super boring at times, for so much nudity and insanity and remote-controled WWI biplanes? Yes. Was it unlike anything I’ve ever seen? Yes.
We are listening today to a Jazz album, because I got tricked. Pitchfork is doing this thing now where they ask musicians about their perfect 10 albums, and most of them I already know, but the other dude in Bright Eyes besides Connor (I think his name was Nick? Discogs tells me it’s Nate) said this album from the 70’s and he made it sound like it was gonna be some cool avant garde thing from the 70’s like Can or Silver Apples only I hadn’t heard of it, so I loaded it up and…
It’s a Jazz album.
First Light by Freddie Hubbard.
Pretty good, though. If you like Jazz.
I… kinda like Jazz? I like Sonny Sharrock-style freakout Jazz. I like weird ambient experimental like FLoating Points/Pharoah Sandersor Keith Jarrett. I like smooth cheesy-ass Chuck Mangione. I like Nina Simone and Miles Davis but…
Hrm yeah maybe I like Jazz just fine but I just don’t know anything about it.
Jane took her stuffy Caticorn to school today. I am convinced she’s gonna forget it. Please don’t forget Caticorn, he was very nice to me in the car this morning, even if he called me “grandpa.”
Shit. Is Caticorn even a he?
Just a mix today. Has “Inside Out” by the Mighty Lemon Drops on it because that song is finally on streaming and man what a great 80’s pop tune. Has the late great Austin band Til We’re Blue or Destroy (hi Miranda) because they were so great live and it is also now on streaming. Ditto XTV but we’ve talked about that. Love the new Ringo Starr, love the new Perfume Genius. Very into this Chandeen band that used to be a goth band but now makes amazing rock music? Just a great record. Need to learn more about them. New Franz Ferdinand is fine. Still on the new Kim Deal. Love this new band Ceres. Thank you Aug Stone for the David Lance Callahan kick. Thank you Nicholas Rhodes for letting me know about this Jenny Lewis album. I suspect one more of these is another Nicky recommendation.
Okay have a good day love you all ciao.
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