Since adults didn’t love their children more than their guns …
74th & CPW
Season Collusion
It’s the first full day of Spring. Yet. Wintry all-day snow. Upper West Side got more than most. Over 8 inches. So. Read Autumn by Ali Smith for tomorrow’s book club:
Collage campus. I didn’t intend to like this book based on its subject matter. Dying old guy and young girl as friends. Yet. I did like it. More for its richness of language, word play, concision of phrasing. And. Daniel’s perspective on life as a collage alum, rather than a college one. An asymmetrically smart relationship. Historical. Topical. Not a story novel. More a literary read.
Vast Left Wing Conspiracy?
Billy Bob Clinton called Special Counsel Ken Starr’s investigation a “witch hunt” and “a vast right wing conspiracy”. Sound familiar? It was. A blue dress with no connection to any of the original so-called charges caused the impeachment of a President. While Rome burned. Memos. Grand juries. Indictments. Cover-ups. Sound familiar? Tricky Dick. Yup. Rome burned. What has it all gotten the American people? Not so much. Lots of lawyer hours and media pundits cashing in. Book deals. Movies. It’s all rich. For the few. Sound familiar? Meanwhile. Rome still burning.
Green Day
I know. Musical allusions abound. Anyway. That was fast. Virginia out. Busted brackets making more racket than St. Patrick’s Day parade marching bands up Fifth Avenue. Tiger sure didn’t burn up the greens either yesterday. So. Guess it’s dyed beer at the pubs to drown sorrows and boredom. Or read a book. Autumn by Ali Smith next on the book club list. Even though it’s nearly Spring, it’s cold. Yeah. One of those days.
Still Standing
It’s that time of year again. President Obama’s Final Four pits North Carolina against No. 1 seed Virginia and No. 1 Villanova against No. 3 Michigan State. If the former president has his way, Michigan State topples Virginia in the championship game. Too safe. My picks are Gonzaga, Virginia, Michigan State, Purdue. Virginia wins.
Since my soaps are pre-empted for the tournament today and tomorrow, will watch Tiger at Bay Hill. He is currently even after 2.
And. Who will be left standing in the White House when the final teams meet? Ivanka. Melania. Kellyanne. Sarah. With Carrie Mathison as head of CIA. Et tu brute?
Do the Lighten Up
Make America laugh again. Journalists are such easy prey. They take themselves so seriously that any jab puts them into supercilious overdrive. Get a grip. Stop swinging at low hanging fruit and do some real reporting. Stormy. Really? And. Of course. Dennis Rodman would love to join the Rocket Man summit. Why not?
Speaking of light. Two out of three books so far fit the bill. The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen. Not sure why this took two women to conjure it. Disturbed families. Vulnerable adults. Worth a few hours on a wintry Saturday. Mrs., Caitlin Macy. Upper East Side moms. Nothing more than trite. However, The Woman In the Window, by A.J. Finn is not light at all. Dr.Husband reports depressing and tedious. So nope. Won’t read that one.
Apologies to Archie Bell & the Drells. Go Tiger!
Rocket Man Summit?
Unprecedented deal according to South Korean security advisor. Diplomacy over missiles. At least that’s tonight’s announcement. Little Rocket Man to meet Big Rocket Man by May. Is Dennis Rodman lurking in the background? I’ll buy tickets to that show.
But. Hey. Tear down that wall! Credit to sanctions bloviating and bluster. Press corps taken by surprise. Stormy and Russia obsessions off the cable news panels for a few minutes. Priorities.
On to Top Chef finale.
And the Winner Is …
for taste, class, fashion… Eiza González
for poise and acuity at 93… Eva Marie Saint
for stellar longevity… Rita Moreno
for calm under pressure… Ryan Seacrest
for graciousness and talent… Allison Janney
for my favorite absentee… James Franco
for tenor and tone… Guillermo del Toro
for immortal beauty… Jane Fonda
for redemption… Warren & Faye
for younger choices next year…
Asymmetrical
Will North & South Korea benefit from cultural connections at the Olympics? If so, it may be the best outcome of a lackluster Games. Meanwhile back at Homeland, ripped from the headlines. Will Alex Jones mount a standoff? Guns. Militias. Tipping toward civil unrest.
Franco out. Tiger in.
Read Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, Asymmetry. The first section a novella memoir of her romantic liaison with a forty-years older Philip Roth-esque author mentor. That section was good. The second and third sections failed as did the structure. Not so much.
Book Treks reviews.
A Country in Chasm
Our divided country’s fissures don’t seem to be narrowing. A staged CNN anti-gun town hall exploited grieving kids and relatives of murdered students. The White House held its own listening meeting as the President pushed arming military-trained teachers. Today NRA Chair Wayne LaPierre used his insane rant at CPAC as a call to war against rising socialism.
Then there’s the never-ending gender divide. New York Times opinion column The Boys Are Not All Right by Michael Ian Black discusses guns and boys. It so resonated with my sentiments on the subject, I commented and it was a NYTimes Pick. Making young men feel that they are toxic surely will not provide a healthier outlook. Broken record alert.
Even the poor Central Park forsythia is conflicted. Is it February? Hope springs… 
Side Trek . NYC 