You know that feeling when you’ve arranged the whole day around a scheduled Zoom meeting, that was ever-so-clearly on the calendar–but instead you let everything slip away as you browsed the internet, for, I don’t know, sundresses?
That’s random. I mean, how can a person lose half a day by just looking at something as silly as sundresses?
I wouldn’t know. I would never do this.
But then you finally look up from your *research*--you get it together, you house a quick tuna sandwich and log in, miraculously on time YESSSSS, World Champion, Gold Star sticker between the eyes for being organized. My god you even managed some lipgloss, your headphones are ON, you are a Queen.
Then the Zoom login openly mocks you. Your meeting is actually next week, you did your calendar wrong, go back to bed, dork. You worry “did everyone in next week’s meeting get pinged that I showed up early?” Obviously they did.
Go to bed. Start over. Get a sundress. Send it back.
Sometimes I remind myself of The Tooth Fairy. For the Tooth Fairy, according to OUR family lore, is a hardworking mother, for whom tooth collection is just her second job. She usually gets to your pillow on time, but sometimes she’s going to end up being a couple of days late, and everyone is just going to have to be ok with that. She’s wearing jeans and sneakers and sports a loose ponytail with a bunch of stray hairs hanging out. She has gray roots. Look, obviously she’s doing her best and she loves you, but she’s got a lot of responsibilities around town, lotsa kids losing teeth out there, so she’ll just have to get to you. Hang tough.
On Thursday’s Choice Words, this harried lady gets to talk to the One, the Only–author, actor, raconteur, and charming gadabout David Duchovny. Any time we get together we laugh our asses off, and this conversation is no exception. It flows. One might even think, perhaps, that we should think about co-hosting some type of pod in the future. This is not a binding contract of course– simply a wish whispered into the wind.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time, because this fun and affirming interview dropped on the heels of a bunch of…less affirming news.
For instance this: Harvey Weinstein’s New York conviction was overturned last week, to the dismay of *checks notes* literally everyone except the man himself.
Exhausting. Shameful. The victims of his abundant crimes deserved better than a conviction built on a framework that could be taken back to court and dismissed.
Just checking in on one quick thing. Did we make any strides in the last decade that we haven’t fully gone back on yet? Just recalling that we nearly had a female president and blew it, had Roe in place (imperfect as it was), had a whole MeToo movement, which we now wholeheartedly agree is in full backlash mode. Having an awareness and caring about social inequality is now publicly decried by anyone with a platform, we have no current women late night hosts, our most watched and listened to cultural products are (still, generally) helmed by men, and we have women on the streets of New York City randomly getting punched in the face? There’s so much more of course, but am I on the right track?
Today I learned that in the 90’s a man ran around town throwing darts at women’s asses, so that was a nice bit of history that teaches us what women already know and live every day.
Hey, at least Halle Berry stood up and shouted “I’m in menopause OK??!!” outside the US Capitol last week, and in China they made a whole building shaped like a menstrual pad. These are victories custom made for me to enjoy, and sister, I did.
Due to the fact that I am not really working, I’ve been out there gobbling up live theater like a madwoman. Like I’m crawling across the desert and the only thing to slake my thirst is a hot One Act about scarring family dysfunction, or a head spinning tour-de-force performance by Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln.
Something so special is happening in NYC theater right now, and if it pleaseth you, go out and catch the wave.
Here is a list of some but not all of the shows I have seen in the last few weeks, (in no particular order). I think I have seen a few more, but as Halle Berry would say “I’m in menopause OK??!!!” so I can’t remember. Don’t worry, it will wake me up at two o’clock in the morning, and haunt me to the end of my days like a demon.
Illinoise
Enemy of the People
Mother Play
Appropriate
Oh Mary!
Lempicka
And here is a comprehensive story about the death of the industry in which I work, and terrific context for why I have so much time to go watch shows? I don’t hate it for myself, tbh!
In conclusion, I made the All-In shortbread cookies from What’s For Dessert, because I wanted a cookie and I like to work for it, unlike a new sundress. Reader, they were delicious.
These cookies support my theory that if you take the trouble to MAKE a treat, you should not think twice about eating it with abandon, because that is most certainly what I did. They are crispy and perfect.
Until next time…
Xoxo,
Sam
It seems incredibly that Harvey the Serial Rapists would have his NY conviction overturned. Is there anyone in America that believes he's innocent? Is this Justice, or something else? I'm voting for something else. Thank God CA is standing in the breach. Die in uncomfortable jail, you POS. Sorry, that just slipped out.