Cross Town Thoughts
Some things still happen this year. We celebrated Dr. Husband’s 72nd. Even though he cooked us a fabulous veal chop with vidalia onion fig sauce, french beans and garlic roasted potatoes dinner.
We did get him a Magnolia Bakery cake. And mAdBen had Tommy Chong personally wish him a Happy Birthday.
But. No Marathon last Sunday. Nor fireworks. Foil capes. Families running over West 74th toward CPW to congratulate.
We still get to vote today. Semi-normal.
Literally off the trail. What Biden & Harris usually are. And. Why does Kamala laugh at every question? It’s silly.
Ruth Ware’s new thriller One by One is set in a chalet in the French Alps. A small UK startup getaway turns into murder and mayhem. Lots of harrowing off-piste ski drama and salopettes.
David E. Kelley’s HBO The Undoing premiere entices. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. Set in NYC before Covid. However, in every exterior shot there’s scaffolding. No matter where in the City.
Speaking of Hugh Grant, his lover in A Very English Scandal, Ben Whishaw is the star of Fargo as the Irish Rabbi.
Totally off the trek. Tom Brady still throws a football better than most.
The Two Popes. Light fare. Tour-de-force from two legendary actors. Anthony Hopkins as the self-deposed Benedict and Jonathan Pryce who transforms into Francis. Sweet if mostly fiction.
The Report. Pedantic look back at the failed Brennan CIA-Cheney terrorist torture doctrine. And its coverup. Adam Driver good as the stalwart investigator. Annette Bening captures the stolid Senator Feinstein. However, more preachy critique than entertainment.
Marriage Story. A completely different Adam Driver shows up in this film. His multi-layered depth of performance as the husband in this bleak study of a marriage coming undone is worthy of its accolades. Scarlett Johansson is raw in her vulnerability.
None of the three outstanding. Each more about the acting than the stories. Barry’s girlfriend and Sheldon’s math teacher keep popping up.
This year the NYT editors picked my comments about a long ago trip to Alcatraz, two of the Democrat debates, whether Biden is the most electable, and my never-ending lament on America’s gun-lust.
NY Times Retrospective, Native American Resistance Alcatraz 1969
NY Times Op-Ed Columnists, 10/19 Democrat Debate Winners & Losers
NY Times Front Page, El Paso and Dayton Mass Shootings
NY Times Op-Ed Columnists,7/19 Democrat Debate Winners & Losers
Jamelle Bouie, Is Biden Most Electable Democrat
Predictions
China-Russia-Iran Alliance strengthens
Europe’s divisions deepen
Global communications system attack
New Pope
Dem nom won’t be Biden
Whoever it is will lose to Trump
Financial markets will be volatile
Chiefs will win the Superbowl
Tiger will win another Major
Predilections
Global Stability
Bloomberg buys Dem nom
Beats Trump
Markets remain strong
Pets-Free airline and hotel chain
Building owners fix façades fast
Niners win Superbowl
Tiger wins another Major
Over on PBS. On the impeachment margin. Did you know? There was a Democrat debate tonight. Boring as hell.
Mayor Pete did spar with Lizzie & Amy. They tore him up. Not pretty. Klobuchar strong. Her best night. Warren a bit off her game. Biden still senile. Yang made some futuristic points which nobody on the stage understood. Steyer is creepy. Bernie. Always Bernie. Other than that. Boring as hell.
Advantage Trump. Mayor Mike!! Oprah! Where are you?
A lofty level of fathers making career decisions to put family first. From Joe Biden’s need to take care of his clan as they grieve led him to leave the Presidency on the table. Paul Ryan’s conditional acceptance of the Speaker role to see his kids on weekends sets him apart from the pack. Proof that personal priorities for both genders make work/life balance rough. Only if you are in demand, can you make demands. Woman or man. Otherwise, tough.
Speaking of Familia. Murphy Ruth. Mets! Wow. Rout. Sorry. McFly.
A recruited group of disaffected youth curried by a culture of violence coddled by a familial feeling of acceptance. That’s my definition. Global gangs. Al Qaeda kinda. ISIL definitely. No borders. No rules. Neglected kids confused by lack of identity and structure. Like those in the NFL? Inner city streets? Law enforcement? Blurred lines. A pervasive disease metastasizing.
It starts at home. Absent parenting. Role models condoning bad behavior. Institutional thuggery. Crimes defined as mistakes. Religious jihad guise. Generational danger. How do we wage a war on this? Airstrikes seem superficial.
Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Full circle. Things happen. Times change. Downtown reigns. Back again. 
The Mermaid Inn. Jackson Hole. Elizabeth’s Table. Momoya. All wonderful in their own ways. Vibrant, fresh, friendly.
Hotels are a test. NYLO pet-friendly. Allergy hell. After a night of 3 pills and a sock over my face, had to check out, but full refund. Last minute respite at old fave Excelsior Hotel . One suite left. No pets, no sprays. Good night’s sleep. Yay.
And you never know who you’ll run into at Tarallucci. A cool cat who should get a modeling gig. Jobs are good. 
Talk to the judge. Every time she says “approach” we go to commercial break. Sidebar obsession. Jodi Arias’s court show has consumed my brain. O.J. trial was tame by comparison. Or, I’m just hallucinating, anesthetized by a polyurethane haze. Fumes aloft are feeding my stupor. When Dr.Husband gets “19th Century Authors” answer in Final Jeopardy and I don’t, synapses are not connecting. Hope it’s a temporary phase. But, hardwood floors do look better.
Sister JeanJean came to my rescue and dragged me into the fresh air at Chesterfield Gorge yesterday. Gorge-ous early Spring glistening white water flow. So, can’t even blame stop at a real bar for this butt post.
Side Trek . NYC 