Black Coffee, One Sugar

This post is dedicated to my 6 nephews and nieces.  I’m not in touch with the younger set (two nieces, one nephew, who are in their early 20s) but I will alert them as best i can about this blog post.  I am in touch with the older set (also two nieces, one nephew, who are in their mid 30s).  I’m writing this post to them and all the young people I know (for purposes of this blog post, i am including anyone under 40).   When I was in 9 th grade, we had a subject called Civics.   I don’t know when things changed in the world of school subjects, but I’m fairly sure Civics isn’t taught anymore, which I think is a real shame.   I’ve always been grateful for an education about how the political system works.   We learned that there were 3 branches of government at the federal level.   You’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t know that.   We were taught that voting matters.     Right now it matters A LOT.   We h...

If you are from the South, this entry may make sense to you.   If you are from the North or West or Midwest, you may wind up scratching your head.   Nonetheless: I was born in 1952 in New Orleans, Louisiana.   I don’t remember playing with any black kids.   In 1957 we moved to Metaire, a suburb of New Orleans.   Sociologists would say we were part of “white flight”, white families moving out of the city to live in all-white neighborhoods (and to be away from Negroes).   I am 67 now, so none of my early memories seem crystal clear. My exposure to black people, for many years, was limited to our maids, a succession of black ladies who came once a week.   We were strictly middle class, but most families on our block had a maid.   They were usually paid $5 a day, plus car fare (they took the bus that dropped them off at Veterans Highway and the entrance to our subdivision, called Bissonet Plaza).   They worked from about 8 to 5. ...

With all the bad news about Coronavirus, and the stay-at-home rules for many of us, I thought I would share some "funny" videos.  These are from my personal "Favorites" on YouTube.  Now I know "funny" means different things to different people.  So if you don't think they're funny, that's OK with me.  Note:  many of these are from SNL, and may have commercials before the skit.  And, as always, Please comment, share and subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve1kmdHTY24&list=FLbNJuO_FYZUeRA_Ijt4SKtg&index=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVTgNgjHCp8&list=FLbNJuO_FYZUeRA_Ijt4SKtg&index=2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ClME3oCTs&list=FLbNJuO_FYZUeRA_Ijt4SKtg&index=3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsymdxG6Wig&list=FLbNJuO_FYZUeRA_Ijt4SKtg&index=6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO9Fk2mjhbw&list=FLbNJuO_FYZUeRA_Ijt4SKtg&index=7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVVg2HBSvt0&list=FLbNJu...

Some thoughts on the subject, which I hope will help you. Be careful where you get your information .   Don’t listen to Pence or Trump; they have a political agenda of minimizing what is going on.   Trump has been spewing nonsense.   His only goal is to make the stock market stabilize, so he can say the economy is good, so he can get re-elected. The only 100% reliable source is the Centers for Disease Control .   Their website is cdc.gov .   Please check this out now.   It has all the information you need to know. Don’t read tabloids .   Their goal is to boost readership, and they do this by ginning up the worst gossip about the virus. Gossip or Nihilism :   When your friends talk gossip or scenarios where everyone dies, either ignore them and don’t discuss the virus with them again, or tell them about the CDC website. Once per day :   Promise yourself you will only read about the epidemic once per day.   Go to the...

I liked Meghan from the beginning.  She was sweet, smart, pretty and I assumed (like many) she would be a good addition to the Royal Family.  Supposedly, she didn’t really know who Harry was until their first date.  That she was biracial and divorced seemed like a sign the Royal Family was moving into the 21 st century. Their royal wedding was gorgeous.   But after a while (as it will), reality set in.   Meghan (now Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex) wore clothes that were a bit daring. Her dresses bared her shoulders, considered a no-no by the Royal Family.   The tabloid press (much bigger in Britain than in the U.S.) started snarking at her.   She was accused of being demanding and pushy, dubbed “Duchess Difficult” and “ME-gain”.   Her half-sister, Samantha, was reportedly writing a book, “The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister”.   Meghan’s personal assistant quit after six months. The tabloids’ comment sections were...

No Spoilers here! Before I start, I’ve learned through experience that everyone likes what they like, and people like different things.   So this show may not be for you.   However, it’s very much for me! The plot to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (on Amazon Prime) starts out simply.   A housewife in the 1950’s decides to be a standup comic.   But then it twists and turns in unexpected ways.   It’s never boring! The show evokes the mood of the 1950’s and 60’s in a wonderful way.   Having grown up in the 50’s and 60’s, I am a total sucker for every bit of the show. (Maybe the show will stay on long enough to get to the 70’s! (my favorite decade)).   The elements of production design – the clothes, the settings, the crowds, the décor of each and every room, all of the myriad props, the colors! - are splendid.   So much detail and all of it accurate (I’m always watching for slip-ups, and haven’t seen one.) Mrs. Maisel is a fashion m...

One topic everyone seems to talk about is sleep, and how they aren’t getting enough, or some other problem with it.   They are awake at night when they feel they should be sleeping.   They wake up tired, or they get sleepy during the day.   They use the weekend to catch up on sleep.   And there’s really nothing like a good restful night’s sleep, is there? There are different types of insomnia.   One is not being able to get sleep at all.   Another (my former specialty) is waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep.   Slightly different is waking up too early in the morning (1-2 hours before it’s time to get up) and not being able to go back to sleep.   I’ve had this problem for about the last year, waking up at 4am or 5am and not able to go back to sleep.   Then by 10am I’m tired. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re not alone.   48% of people report some trouble with insomnia at least som...