Monthly Archives: December 2022

In Praise of Ireland and Irish Actors

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I’ve been in Ireland lately, thanks to Apple TV’s Bad Sisters and the film, The Banshees of Inisherin. All five “bad sisters” made it imminently clear that they were Irish after The New York Times referred to them as British. In Bad Sisters, the Irish seaside is amazingly beautiful, especially the place where everyone open water swims. There’s some beautiful architecture too. Just a feast for the eyes.

I like everything about Bad Sisters and I’m looking forward to Season 2, except for one thing, the five sisters do not look nearly enough alike. Maybe they were adopted?

Everyone’s movie interests are different. I like to be transported somewhere far away. And then dropped into a unique community with quirky characters. Add in equal parts realism and existential questions about what’s most important in life. No need to blow anything up. In other words, I’m an outlier in that I like the exact kind of films that today’s movie studios are passing on.

So what a joy when my exact type of movie is made. It was amazing spending two hours on an island off the coast of Ireland in 1923. All I’ll say about Farrell, Condon, Gleeson, Keoghan, Flitton, and Lydon is the same thing I’d say about the “bad sisters”, they can feckin’ act.

You, Joseph Murray, Are No Winston Churchill

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I took a course called “The Speeches of Winston Churchill” in college. It was great, especially since the prof was retiring and asked us what grades we wanted. Not wanting to be too greedy, I vaguely remember writing “B+” on a small index card.

Fast forward to George Santos, the young, newly elected Republican from a mostly blue district in New York. Yesterday the New York Times did a devastating piece on him. Not devastating as in mean and vindictive, devastating as in every single thing Santos claims to be true about himself is (allegedly) made up. He’s the Anna Delvey of Congress. I just hope the Netflix special is a little tighter.

Santos’s genius attorney decided the best way out of all the lying was to double down and lie more bigly.

That quote lacks Churchill’s eloquence, humor, and specificity. Did Murray use the prototype Chat GPX to come up with it?

I wonder who or what has inspired all the lying?

Conservatives Are Way Tougher On Crime. . . LOL

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That’s what they tell themselves when they look in the mirror. But whatever “toughness” they supposedly show is always, at best, situational. When the alleged perps are the downtrodden, most definitely. When they’re radical leftists, certainly.

But when it’s powerful people whose politics align with their own, they whine about “witch hunts” and “the Deep State” whatever the hell that is.

Watch Fox News tonight to see the Right’s reaction to today’s news. Not so tough after all.

What I Learned From Watching The World Cup

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  1. It’s Kylian, not Killian.
  2. It really is a “beautiful game” when five one touch passes end in a Di María goal for the ages.
  3. The best leaders sublimate their egos for the greater good. Macron should never have inserted himself into the French players post-game funk.
  4. Only seven months until the Women’s 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Mike Leach

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“After a loss to Oklahoma State in 2007, Leach said of his defense: ‘The entire first half we got hit in the mouth and acted like somebody took our lunch money. All we wanted to do was have pouty expressions on our face until somebody dabbed our little tears off and made us (expletive) feel better. And then we’d go out there and try harder once our mommies told us we were OK.'”

Is Your Church Relevant?

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Battlefield Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee is trying very hard to be.

“‘Generally, I’m here because I want two things out of church,’ says Kelly Sauskojus, a 27-year-old PhD candidate in English who says she’s a refugee from fundamentalist churches.

‘I want time to sit down, like we do on Sundays sometimes or around the fire, and, like, pray and re-center and figure out what we’re about in the world. Because the world is very noisy. And then I want a church to get s*** done with your community and for your community.’

Typically, Battle delivers a brief sermon on the teachings of Jesus. They talk about it. Then, instead of altar calls or holy communion, his congregation — such as it is — tends to the 50 raised beds of kale and eggplant, string beans and squash, tomatoes and greens, the chicken coop and the compost pile.”

Be Your Own Therapist

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I trained a ChatGPT AI chatbot on my childhood journal entries to talk to my inner child.

“Young Michelle told me: ‘I’m honestly proud of you for everything you’ve accomplished. It hasn’t been easy, and I know you’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get where you are. I think you’re doing an amazing job, and I hope you continue to pursue your dreams and make a difference in the world.’ 

I sensed the kindness, understanding and empathy that she was so willing to give other people, but she was so hard on herself. I was tearing up during that exchange.”