BRADENTON BEACH, Florida – I am all in for any game that involves staying out of the kitchen. Of course, I’m speaking of America’s fastest-growing sport: pickleball. Yes, the one with the funny name that your perpetually suntanned uncle or 70-ish grandmother who looks 50 plays. Those in the know say it’s easy to learn, fun to play and highly addictive. You may consider it beneath you to play something named after a Cockapoo called Pickles, but hear me out. Even TV host Ellen DeGeneres declared herself among the sport’s biggest fans, proudly known as a “pickler.” She brought it up on her show last fall with perplexed guest Gayle King…
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COVID-Schmovid?
“Why are all those freakin’ people there?” I asked in disbelief Sunday night, just before the opening kickoff of Super Bowl LV, between stirs of my homemade Sloppy Joes. Rebecca kindly explained that there were actually 25,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, and about 7,500 of them were vaccinated health care workers who had received tickets to the game as front-line heroes. The sea of “faces” I saw were mostly cardboard-cutouts of real people – 30,000 of them, to be exact – who paid $100 each to have a virtual presence in the stadium. And, she added, they all had a social media link to find themselves on “fan cam” and possibly…
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Gender reveal
SOMEWHERE IN GEORGIA – Driving to Florida on I-75 inching through a newly blue southern state, we spotted the 37-foot Thor Challenger towing a full-size pickup. This monstrous Class A motor coach named after the Norse god of thunder retails for $212,000. To give you an idea of its enormity, the gross vehicle weight is 22,000 pounds. It has a king bed, theater seats, an overhead bunk loft and an exterior TV. It sleeps eight people comfortably. Across the rear below the rooftop next to the 12-foot exterior RV ladder in a cutesy bold white font was this line: “I identify as a Prius.” So, it’s come to this: gender vehicle…
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We always knew
Who knew a boring White House briefing could be so exciting? We knew. We always knew. One NBC correspondent called it “radical normalcy,” as in hiring qualified officials with expertise. If that’s radical, I’m all over it. Take White House press secretaries, for instance. For 31 minutes Wednesday after the inauguration, newly appointed White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (pronounced “SOCK-ee”) treated journalists with dignity, respect and professionalism. She was honest, free of insults, snark and, thankfully, pearls. “I have a deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy, and for the role all of you play,” she said answering her first question from…
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Inaugural visit
You can tell by the car models in the above photo that it’s not a recent shot of the U.S. Capitol. In fact, it’s from October 1985 – more than 35 years ago – when I traveled to Washington, D.C., for the first time. My inaugural visit, so to speak. Back then, I was 25, thin and working at my first real newsroom job in Miami, barely earning $300 a week. Life was good. Little did I know that in less than a year, the company I worked for would grow tired of losing millions, close up shop, and I’d be out of a job. Then every day would be…
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‘Magnificent ruin’
And to think I thought ending 2020 with a “Dear John” letter was over the top. Not a week into the new year, we’re seeing these front-page, all caps headlines all over the world: “INSURRECTION.” “CAPITOL SIEGE.” “MOB INVASION.” My God, what is happening to us? More than 200 years ago, the last time the U.S. Capitol was invaded, America was at war with the British. It was August 1814, as The War of 1812 against Great Britain neared its conclusion. British troops sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and up the Patuxent River, then fought their way toward Washington. On August 24, using torches and gunpowder paste, British forces burned…
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It’s over
“The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!” — From the song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” in the Dr. Seuss’ holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! After 12 months, 52 weeks and 365 days, here’s my breakup letter to this stinkin’ year. You won’t need Kleenex for this one. *** Dear 2020, I hope this finds you well. Of course, I’m lying. Honestly, I hope I never see you again. And to think we started out so well back in January. Despite a typical Michigan winter, we ventured out often. Lunch with old friends. Dinners at crowded restaurants, movies at…
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Let’s play nice
Fair warning, dear readers: This post is about … politics. So, if you’re up for it, that’s great. If not, then have another sugar cookie. Maybe take a stab at this later. *** Last week, for more than half of American voters, there was a collective sigh of relief heard around the world when the Electoral College met and cemented Joe Biden’s presidential election win. Now, there’s just one more step before the 46th president can be sworn in January 20. Congress, which is ultimately responsible for counting and certifying the electoral votes cast, will do so January 6. Indeed, for me it will be a fitting end to the drama,…
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Spit and snot
I think there’s something wrong with me. Sadly, my post-retirement chillax attitude, which took a good bit of time to re-learn, has quickly devolved from hopeful optimism to growing skepticism. Sometimes, I swear, I am downright cynical. Old journalist habits die hard. For example, I’m starting to believe a good chunk of people from 2020 will be remembered as the “Un-greatest Generation.” A far cry from the “Greatest Generation,” coined by TV newsman Tom Brokaw for his 1998 book of the same name. Those upstanding American citizens born from 1900 to the 1920s lived through and experienced hardships of the Great Depression. They fought in World War II or worked…
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Thankful
For those partaking in a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner tomorrow, let’s hope you don’t have to witness this from the family comedian as they walk maskless through the door: “Hellooo, I brought yams. Or maybe the plague.” Better to stay home in your own bubble. As my friend Dinah said this morning during our writers group Zoom, think of the last Thursday in November 2020 this way: “It’s just a meal.” She knows of what she speaks, after losing her husband, the ever-sweet William, to COVID-19 in April. Gone too soon like so many others who have been ravaged by this deadly virus. And she was sick with it, too.…
