Homework

Like a lot of people, I work from home.  When I first started working from home, I didn’t exactly care for it.  I liked the clear divide of work life from not work life and that divide was work life was over there in that office and not work life was over here at home.

My first impulse if left to my own devices is to take a nap. It’s easier to fight that impulse when the distance to my bed can be measured in miles rather than in feet.  

But exclusively working from home for the last few years, I am hard pressed to imagine doing this any other way.  I don’t miss the commute or the gas bills. I certainly not spending money on breakfast and lunch like I did when I worked in the office.

A lot of other Americans have made similar calculations on the benefits of working from home.  But as the COVID pandemic emergency recedes into the past, there are some employers who exerting a lot of pressure to get people back into the office. 

• Jamie Dimon declared that working from home "doesn't work for those who want to hustle."
• Elon Musk demanded that employees commit to an "extremely hardcore" schedule consisting of "long hours at high intensity."
• Steven Rattner railed against working from home as evidence that America has "gone soft."

Notice none of that applies to any actual productivity.  Me, I am as productive working from home as not, perhaps more so. Knowing that no one can actually see me doing my job, I tend to stay logged in and ready to work. It’s not like I can get away with much. Everyone in the modern work environment is monitored by some kind of time or work flow management system. 

But working from home gets in the way of some traditional management power tactics.  Like showing up early to make people who show up on time feel like they’re late.  Staying late to make people feel guilty for leaving on time.  

Quite frankly, if I was working in the office, I might be less productive. If I was there, I might be hanging over a cubicle wall flirting with a co-worker. 

Yes, I can flirt. I mean, I’m not going  to get anywhere with it.  I’m old and I’m married.  When I was young and not married and desperately needed it to work (I mean, NEEDED IT), I had no idea how to flirt. 

But I digress….

Joan Williams at the University of California College of the Law had this to say: "People like Elon Musk, everything is a masculinity contest, and the workplace is the key arena. They have no desire to continue to work from home. This is not about workplace productivity. It's about masculinity.”

Williams came up with the concept 30 some years ago of what American management considers the ideal worker: "The ideal worker is seen as someone who starts to work in early adulthood and works full time, full force for 40 years without a break, taking no time off for childbearing, child-rearing, or really anything else."

As outdated and sexist as that might seem, it's still the mindset of management 3 decades later. And by God, it's not enough to look at the metrics to see if you have your nose to the grindstone all day, they want to SEE you in PERSON wearing out that proboscis on the grindstone. 

Because that is what REAL MEN do!  

Even if working from home is ultimately beneficial to a company's bottom line. 

But what the fuck does Elon Musk know about running a company anyway. Twitter has lost 25% of it's value since Musk acquired it. 

______________________

Blog bidness: taking Thursday off. Back on Friday with Your Friday Video Link.  

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Superman & Lois, Wheel Of Fortune, The Librarians & Doom Patrol

Today’s Tuesday TV Touchbase checks in Superman & Lois.  The series returns tonight for the first of season 3’s last two episodes wherein we finally meet Lex Luthor.

 

Episode 11 which aired a few weeks back provided a quasi-season finale of sorts as Bruno Mannheim was arrested and his wife Peia died when her sonic powers went out of control.  And Lois had a double mastectomy.

 

The season long storyline of Lois Lane’s battle with breast cancer has been particularly compelling with Elizabeth Tulloch conveying Lois’ emotional roller coaster of strong defiance and staggering weakness as she endured her chemotherapy and the knowledge this would all end with a mastectomy.  Lois dealt with multiple blows to her role as a wife, a mother, an investigative reporter, her identity as a woman. This storyline has been handled with respect and sensitivity and deserves to be recognized and hopefully not dismissed because it happened in a super hero show.

 

The news came down last week that Superman & Lois has been renewed for a 4th season on the CW but with conditions. The season will be 10 episodes instead of 13 and most of the cast is being pared down to recurring, leaving only Clark, Lois, Jordan, Jonathan and the newly introduced Lex Luthor as the main cast.

More on Season 3 and a look ahead to season 4 in a future Touchbase.  

 

Also news last week was that Pat Sajak will be leaving as host of Wheel Of Fortune after the completion of the 41st season which will commence this fall. The news was not entirely surprising; Pat's been dropping hints for awhile now that we was close to the end of his time on the show.  Still, Pat Sajak is such an integral part of Wheel's identity which is to be expected after 4 decades.

There was an episode a few weeks back where announcer Jim Thornton subbed in for a segment (apparently a contestant professed to be a big ol' fan of Jim). Jim performed competently but it was a bit awkward. Meanwhile, Pat was in the announcer's booth filling in for Jim very smoothly and professionally. 

Pat is going to be hard to replace and yes, the speculation is running rampant on who that will be.  It is way too early for that but that doesn't stop people from speculating. The early front runner in the speculation derby is Ryan Seacrest. I'm personally partial to John Michael Higgins (host of the game show America Says on the Game Show Network). As long as Sony doesn't pull some kind of "series of guest hosts" crap. Jeopardy's  guest host project was mostly an embarrassing debacle.  

More on Wheel of Fortune in a future Touchbase.  

 

Andrea and I have just finished season 1 of The Librarians.  Andrea has taken to this series as I thought she would. I was a bit concerned how she would react to the transition from the movies with their focus on Noah Wylie as Flynn Carsen to a totally new ensemble picking up the baton with the TV series. But she's caught up with it just fine and Flynn shows up enough to satisfy any Noah Wylie cravings or whatever. 

In the season 1 finale directed by Jonathan Frakes, the evil Dulaque (slitheringly sinister as played by Matt Frewer) has killed his own second in command Lamia (played by Lesley Ann Brandt who was Maze on Lucifer) to gain access to the mythical but very real Loom of Fate which he then cuts, creating a splintered time line with each member of the Librarians team achieving different destinies. Flynn never answered his summons to the Library from the first movie. He's super smart but useless in a fight. And each time line, no matter if Jacob, Ezekiel or Cassandra is THE Librarian, Eve Baird dies.  Which is kind of disturbing to Eve Baird who is bouncing from time line to time line.

It's all very Doctor Who but with magic instead of science. 

Oh and we get John Larroquette as Jenkins in a cool sword fight and the revelation that Jenkins was Sir Galahad, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table.  

We'll be starting up season two next week. I am thinking ahead to what I will introduce Andrea to when we finish up all 4 seasons of The Librarians. I'm thinking maybe The Orville?  

 

I’m almost through season 2 of Doom Patrol. As much as I admire this show,  I’m not sure Doom Patrol is good for my mental health. 

The various members of the Doom Patrol remain as depressingly messed up as always and without Alan Tudyk's Mr. Nobody periodically popping in to remind us that it's just a show on a streaming service and we really should just relax, it's all a bit unrelenting. 

There is some forward momentum with Rita Farr. Instead of devolving into a puddle of protoplasmic goo at the first sign of stress, she's slowly gaining a modicum of control over her shape shifting abilities. And in turn is also growing in her confidence to actually make use of her powers and those of the Doom Patrol to perhaps make a difference.  

Meanwhile, this sad sack team of heroes needs some kind of purpose to counter their very depressing lives. 

 

Next week, the Tuesday TV Touchbase catches up to the returns of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Outlander.  

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.  

And Nothing Bad Ever Happened Again

Today is the federally recognized day commemorating Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Emancipation Day. It is the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States and has been an African American tradition since the late 19th century. 

 

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation declaring, "all persons held as slaves within any States, or designated part of the State, the people whereof shall be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free."

 

Which was the end of slavery and racism and nothing bad ever happened again.

 

Except….

 

June 19, 1865, two and half frickin’ years later, Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger led  Union soldiers to Galveston, Texas with news that the war was over and the slaves there were free.

 

OK, NOW racism is over forever and nothing bad ever happened again.

 

Except….

 

Everything else.

Nearly 200 years after Lincoln freed the slaves, we're still having to schlep ourselves out to somewhere in this country because someone is being denied the basic rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because of the color of their skin. 

It's the 21st century and we should be better than that. We are not.  

Just last week I read of a young African American couple who are having a house built and went out to go see the progress on their new home. Long story short, the couple ended up in handcuffs after a nosy neighbor called the cops after seeing a couple of black people poking around where they ain't got no business being.  

It all got sorted out when the couple's realtor came out and convinced the police their story was true and the construction site was indeed their home. 

Welcome to the neighborhood,folks.

This is not a tale from 1953 or 1963 but from 2023. 

That is not right. 

But this is why remembering Juneteenth is important, to remember that for whatever gain is achieved, there is still one more damn battle to fight.  

Certain conservatives are adverse to learning about race in America because they want you to think that Lincoln freed the slaves and BAM! Life has been good ever since. 

Juneteenth is a stark reminder that the battle for freedom and equality is ongoing. Whenever anyone is left out of the equation of "freedom and justice for all", when anyone's rights are infringed for the color of their skin or for any other reason, the work is never done.  

 

Cinema Sunday: Spider-Man - Across the Spider-Verse

 

OK, it's been a few years since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out. Nearly 5 years since I posted about that movie on the blog back on December 26, 2018, 

Today's Cinema Sunday turns it's attention the long awaited and much anticipated sequel Spider-Man - Across the Spider-Verse.

SPOILERS! 

Despite the prominent placement of Miles Morales on the movie poster, one might think that Across the Spider Verse is going to be all about Gwen Stacy with the movie beginning with a long extended sequence focusing on Gwen on the Earth where she’s Spider-Woman and is under the weight of her guilt about the death of her best friend Peter Parker.  

Seems picked on Peter Parker decided to get his own super power stuff going on and scienced up a potion that turned him into a giant lizard. Spider-Woman and the giant lizard get into some hard core violence which leads to the death of the lizard who then transforms back into Peter Parker, much to Gwen’s shock and horror.  

Gwen’s father, a police captain, sees Spider-Woman standing over a dead Peter Parker and assumes she murdered him.

Well, that some awkward right there.

And dealing with all this spider shit alone, Gwen really misses Miles Morales.

Meanwhile, it seems the holes in the multiverse are not quite as closed as everyone may have thought at the end of the last movie.  Gwen is joined by two other Spider people who are chasing down a Vulture  from another universe.  These Spiders are part of a a group of Spider people who patrol the multiverse and put right what goes wrong. 

When an encounter with Capt. Stacy goes horribly off the rails, Gwen elects to join them. 

And NOW we pick up with Miles Morales.  It’s been 5 years since Into the Spider Verse but it’s been one year since Miles got bit by a radioactive spider and took up the mantle of Spider-Man.  He’s juggling life as a gifted student and as a super hero and…

Not exactly a spoiler alert: it ain’t going great.  Mom and Dad are perpetually perturbed and perplexed by Miles’ behavior. 

Miles is working double time trying to be the gifted student his parents and everyone else expects him to be with the good grades to match. 

He's also dealing with stuff as Spider-Man that his parents and everyone else have NO idea about. 

Such as super villains like the Spot. Yep, that's what he calls himself: The Spot. OK, dumb name but he does have cool powers that enables him to move across dimensions and stuff. 

And dealing with all this spider shit alone, Miles really misses Gwen Stacy.

Also not exactly a spoiler alert: Gwen has popped into Miles' Earth. Yeah, she misses Miles but she is there on business for the Spider Society. She's tracking a multiversal anomaly who turns out to be the Spot.  

Miles winds up following Gwen as her pursuit of the Spot takes her across the multiverse with encounters with other Spider people such as the Spider Man of India, Pavitr Prabhakar.  

During an epic throw down with the Spot, Miles has a vision of his father, now a police captain, being killed by the Spot. 

Also Miles saves the police captain father of Pavitr Prabhakar's girlfriend. 

Spider Man Miguel O'Hara, head of the Spider Society, is super pissed. Miles saved someone who was supposed to die and now the multiverse is coming apart.  

Miguel O'Hara also tells Miles his father is doomed to die and there's not a damn thing he can do about it. 

Miles disagrees.  

Chaos ensues as Miguel O'Hara sends what seems like an infinite number of Spider people in pursuit of Miles Morales to stop him from returning to his Earth and saving his father.  

1) Miles gets back to his Earth except, no, not quite HIS Earth. He's captured and winds up in the clutches of The Prowler who is really...   well, this can't be happening?

2) Gwen goes back to her Earth and actually reaches a resolution of sorts with her father and decides to assemble a team of Spiders to save Miles and stop the increasingly bat shit crazy...

3) Miguel O'Hara who is on the correct Earth for Miles Morales even if Miles is not as the Spot menacingly draws closer to killing Miles' dad and...

The tension is building. 

And building! 

And...

And....

TO BE CONTINUED! 

...

...

What?

WHAT THE WHAT?!?!

To be...

WHAT?!?!?   

Yep, this movie does not end. 

But... damn! 

This movie works on so many level. Kick ass action, comedy, drama, tragedy. 

For all the multiversal insanity of multiple Spider people, what drives this movie, what anchors it are the emotional beats. Miles Morales is torn in so many directions and we feel his pain. And we feel the pain that Gwen Stacy experiences. 

For all the color and splashy effects and just plain weirdness going on, Spider-Man - Across the Spider-Verse makes you feel things. 

And I hate that. Stupid movie, making me feel things.

And I gotta stay alive until March 2024 to see Part 2?

Well... damn! 

Songs For Saturday: Hayley Westenra

 

I realized recently it's been awhile since I've listened to any Hayley Westenra.

So this week's Songs For Saturday presents Hayley Westenra with her cover of Kate Bush's "Wurthering Heights". 

Next up is Hayley with "River of Dreams" adapted from the Winter section of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.

Finally, Hayley is joined by her younger sister for "Across the Universe of Time". 

Coming up in two weeks, a big Songs For Saturday event kicks off with the Summer Road Trip: 9 posts over 2 months, 27 songs!

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and to always keep the music alive.  

Your Friday Video Link: Brad Williams For Father's Day

This Sunday is Father's Day so Your Friday Video Link is a bit from stand up comic Brad Williams about his dad.  

Brad is a little person and yeah, he get's a lot of mileage out of day. One day I need to post his description of a prank he played on John Stamos with a little help from Bob Saget.

It's funny because Stamos has a phobia about little people.

Saget thought it was fucking hilarious.

Anyway, today, we've got Brad's observations about his father.

The Return of the Internet Is For Corn or This Blog Post Is Shucked!

Way back in 2013 when this blog was a wild dystopian landscape of really stupid ideas, I ran a series of posts known as...

THE INTERNET IS FOR CORN!

The premise was at best flimsy, at worst just utter nonsense but I got about a dozen posts out of it. 

Bases on the song "The Internet Is For Porn" from the Broadway puppet show called "Avenue Q", I would post a picture of some ears of corn, attached some song lyrics to suggest the corn was singing and I looked upon this insanity, called it "The Internet Is For Corn" and decided, eh, it'll do. 

Today I bring back THE INTERNET IS FOR CORN!

Watching the Tony Awards Sunday night, Andrea and I were introduced to the wonder that is Shucked!

Shucked is a 2022 musical with music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and a book by Robert Horn. 

In the rural Midwestern community of Cobb County, Maizy and Beau are forced to postpone their wedding on account of corn blight.

Maizy leaves town to try and find a way to save their corn from the corn blight but finds a nefarious con man who ain't up to no good for Cobb County.

Below is the clip from the Tony Awards show as the cast of Shucked perform and tell you their story.

I'll go ahead and say it: It's kind of corny.   

And that my friends is the cause for the return of...

THE INTERNET IS FOR CORN!

And that my friends is that. Thank you and remember to be good to one another.  

And make life "amaizing"!