One curious thing I noticed on Tuesday was that the shopping networks, along with several other non-news channels like HGTV and The Food Network shut down their broadcasting for at least 24 hours. I definitely understand how ludicrous it would be to watch someone hawking Marie Osmond dolls while giant skyscrapers are falling down. But at least for the tape-based channels like The Food Network, seems to me that people maybe could have used a little respite from the other channels from time to time. I know I could have.
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Mother and child
Since the response to old photos I’ve posted in the past has been so positive, I thought I would try one today. This is my favorite image of my grandmother, who we called Didi. She’s holding, well, no one seems to know which, so I’ll say my mother. I would have cropped it closer for the web, but I love the composition of this one. Beautiful, isn’t it?
For reasons that I don’t understand, I started to sing “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz yesterday. Not remembering most of the words, I looked it up on the net (of course). When I read over it, I thought it was eerily appropriate for the times, and also for how I’ve been feeling lately. So here it is.
If I Only Had a Brain
I could while away the hours,
Conferrin’ with the flowers
Consultin’ with the rain.
And my head I’d be scratchin’ while
My thoughts were busy hatchin’
If I only had a brain.
I’d unravel every riddle
For any individ’le,
In trouble or in pain.
With the thoughts you’ll be thinkin’
You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.
Oh, I could tell you why
The ocean’s near the shore.
I could think of things I never thunk before.
And then I’d sit, and think some more.
I would not be just a nothin’
My head all full of stuffin’
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry,
Life would be a ding-a-derry,
If I only had a brain.
Gosh, it would be awful pleas’n
To reason out the reason
For things I can’t explain.
Then perhaps I’ll deserve ya
And be even worthy of ya
If I only had a brain!
More links, as I begin to emerge from my cough-syrup-induced fog:
-good stuff from the last three days on pylduck.com
-essential reading on Salon from an Afghan-American
And a big thank-you to Xkot, whose AIM away message reads, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Amen.
Spacecheese said something we all have to remember: criticizing America isn’t anti-American, it’s essentially American.
Rented “The Exorcist” on DVD last night, hoping a little scare would take my mind off things. I actually had never seen it all the way through, so I thought it would be a good chance for me to get into the pop culture groove again. It wasn’t bad, exactly, but it wasn’t really scary, either. I am continually looking for a movie that will genuinely scare me, and I have yet to find it – even in the darkened theater. (Well, Troll 2 scared me, as Mike B. knows, but because of its scary badness.) If anyone can recommend a movie that really scared them, I’d like to hear about it.
Arthur has something to say. You should go there now.
And really listen.
After finally watching “Gilbert Grape” again (I rented it Wednesday but have been too sick to watch it), I’ve come to the conclusion that John C. Reilly should be given the honor of playing me in the inevitable movie based on my life. He is clearly a cool guy, and did you know we’re almost the same age? So it seems perfect. If you ask me.
Things are getting insane.