Month: May 2014

Helpful political observations

I shall not vote for a climate denier.

My current working theory is that people write and say amazingly silly things in the political arena, most of which I can safely ignore.

For instance, former congressman Allen West (R-FL) writes all sorts of crazy in his new book. But after listening to him long enough, I know just to tune out everything that comes from his mouth. (My friend Dan sent me this: “It’s like I always say: would you send lamb chops to recruit sheep? Then don’t send black Republicans to recruit black people.”)

There’s some silly stuff about Hillary Clinton orchestrating Vanity Fair’s article with Monica Lewinsky, the young intern who had a dalliance with Bill Clinton while he was President because she wants the piece about one of the most humiliating periods of her life dredged up again over 15 YEARS AFTER THE FACT so people can forget about it again by 2016. (Wha?)

Blowhards like Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove ahave become comedy fodder for The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.

MarcoRubio

Whereas I hear about the west Antarctic ice sheet’s collapse, which triggered a sea-level warning of about four meters (c. 13 feet) in the coming century or so, an “unstoppable” process. And Marco Rubio, another Florida Republican, decided that all those scientists that tell us that it is human activity that is in large part behind the rapid acceleration of the planet’s temperature. John Oliver explains, in NSFW language, why this is rubbish.

Since Rubio is running for President and has a good a chance as any of getting his party’s nod – 2014 poll numbers are meaningless – I need to pay attention to what he has to say. I must conclude, therefore that either 1) he believes that all this warming is from natural fluctuations, and he’s planet-threateningly wrong, or 2) he doesn’t but is saying he does because he wants to appeal to certain citizens who vote in the Republican primaries. In either case, this issue alone is enough to make me feel that he is not worthy of the office of President, and I shall not vote for him, or any other climate denier.

I have a daughter who will inherit this mess.

The Wife and the tax compromise

I wasn’t giving to charity because it was deductible, I was giving because I was called to do so.

1040sc_Page_1I’m playing cards (hearts) the day after my birthday, and someone mentioned preparing taxes. I noted that the Wife and I get someone else to do it for us. My friend did not understand. “It’s EASY with TurboTax” or some other software. I repeated that we outsource our tax prep because it was best for us to do so. My reaction was perceived as passionate, maybe even heated, although it did not feel that way to me. It was just what we do to ensure domestic tranquility.

For one thing, I don’t think doing the taxes is that simple, like this post I came across notes. By the time you’ve gathered all the papers necessary to plug into some tax software, most of the crappy work that needs to be calculated has already been done.

The first year we filed together was a nightmare for me and a real irritant for her. Here’s why: I had NEVER filled out an itemized tax form in my life. I had used Form 1040A, or, often Form 1040EZ, which is, as it suggests, easy.

The Wife, conversely, had a rental property that involved filling out a Schedule C for income gain or loss on a business.

She also calculated her charitable deductions, including the value of the non-cash donations. Not only could I not be bothered to do that in the past, but I also had a philosophical aversion to it. I wasn’t giving to charity because it was deductible, I was giving because I was called to do so. There are a couple of friends of mine who run a Catholic charity which is, pointedly, NOT a 501(c) tax-deductible charity under IRS law, and they expect people to donate based on their heart, not as a tax haven. NOW I do it because my spouse thinks it’s fiscally prudent, and despite my antipathy for doing so, we do.

Those first two years of filing taxes, which took FOREVER, we got slapped with penalties for underpaying somehow. After that, we got someone else to do the work. Actually at least one of THOSE years, we paid too little again, but we were only responsible for the amount, NOT the penalty and interest, which came out of the pockets of the accountant.

The Wife and I are celebrating 15 years of marriage today, and one of the reasons is that we found a way not to make ourselves crazy each April.

George Lucas is 70

George Lucas is now an advocate for more creative education.

george_lucasI’ve only seen a relative handful of films created by George Lucas. Most I enjoyed greatly, though, and so I need to note him turning 70.

1973 – American Graffiti (Director, Writer) – a great film that not only launched a lot of careers (Harrison Ford, e.g.) but gave new life to others (Ron Howard, who would star in the period TV show Happy Days). And a neat soundtrack too.
1977 -Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (D, W, Executive Producer) – yeah, the later films might be better. But I remember standing line at the FOX Theater in Colonie, NY, weeks after it had been released, and coming out saying the wait was totally worth it.

1980 – Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (W, EP) – except for the original, I’ve never seen a Star Wars film a second time. Probably should rectify this.
1981 – Raiders of the Lost Ark (W, EP) – this was so much fun. BTW, never saw the second film; I think the buzz about that scene that essentially created the PG-13 rating dissuaded me.
1983 – Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (W, EP). A suitable ending. No, the Ewoks didn’t bother me.
1986 – Howard the Duck (EP). FantaCo, the comic book store I worked at, sponsored the premiere in town. Who knew it’d be such a commercial and critical bomb?
1989 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (W, EP) – I have great affection for this film: its theology, and the relationship between father (Sean Connery) and son.
1999 -Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (D, W, EP) – Did not like it. It wasn’t just that one annoying character. I got BORED by this film. It felt too talky, to me.

So that’s it. Never saw any other iteration of Star Wars, so when Jaquandor wants to fix the prequels, generally I have no idea what he’s talking about. This void, now that I think of it, has its upside. I don’t have to pay attention to the nasty fanboy hate sessions that Lucasfilm experiences all the time. Here’s Every Star Wars Fan Complaint About Episodes I through III In A Music Video Parody.

George Lucas has sold Lucasfilm to Disney and now is an advocate for more creative education. He has three grown children, plus a young daughter, born in 2013, shortly after his marriage to financial guru Mellody Hobson.

What to do with the stuff after they die

Attempting to immortalize your loved one by leaving everything “just as it was” or storing away boxes to go through at some later date may prolong your grieving process, preventing you from moving forward with your life.

ref0009sMy eldest niece has a friend named Jessica McKimmie. Jess has a blog called Peace Through Grief. The first post, dated, coincidentally or not, on September 11, 2013:

After the sudden loss of my mom last year and the loss of my dad eleven years ago, I’m beginning to consider that maybe, just maybe, I’m here on this earth to talk to others about grief.

And she does, through communing with nature and writing a letter to her late mom.

She had a post a few months ago, Saying Goodbye to Stuff: Six Steps for Letting Go After Loss I found particularly wise, useful, and, oh, so true.

The first idea: “Allow yourself time.” And in particular:

Beware of extremes.

Attempting to immortalize your loved one by leaving everything “just as it was” or storing away boxes to go through at some later date may prolong your grieving process, preventing you from moving forward with your life. On the other extreme, you may have impulses to purge everything right away, wishing yourself to push through or quickly “move on” . This too can be a sign of denial of the magnitude of your loss.

It reminded me of a specific situation that I think played out badly, that might have been avoided with a bit more mutual understanding.

There’s a couple I’ll call Jack and Sandy. They met online, fell in love, got married in fairly short order, much to the dismay of Jack’s family. When Jack died of cancer less than a year and a half after the wedding, Jack’s family asked Sandy for some stuff of Jack’s to remind them of Jack, pretty much right after the funeral. Sandy was quite resistant; they had had him for over 40 years, while she had had him less than two, so their demands seemed insensitive and unfair.

My sense is that if Jack’s family had given Sandy more time to grieve, their requests for some of Jack’s mementos would have been better received.
***
The Art of Presence

R is for the Roches

“Lucy Wainwright Roche is the daughter of singer-songwriters Loudon Wainwright III… and Suzzy Roche, who, along with her sisters (Lucy’s aunts) Maggie and Terre Roche, make up the female vocal group The Roches.”

rochesThe Roches are Maggie and Terre and Suzzy, sisters self-introduced cheekily in We [LISTEN to a live version], the first song of their eponymous first album (1979). “We don’t give out our ages and we don’t give out our phone numbers… sometimes our voices give out, but not our ages and our phone numbers.”

As the song progresses: “Guess which two of us made a record” – that would be Maggie and Terre, Seductive Reasoning (1975), after they sang backup on the Paul Simon song Was A Sunny Day [LISTEN]. “Guess what the other one did instead” – Suzzy went to college in upstate New York. “And now a trio we are, born on the fourth of December.” LISTEN to Hammond Song and Mister Sellack.

No sophomore jinx with Nurds. LISTEN to the title track and This Feminine Position and My Sick Mind.

The third album, Keep On Doing, my favorite, starts with one of their few songs not written by the sisters; LISTEN to The Hallelujah Chorus, then to their Losing True. Then READ why the final song Keep On Doing What You Do/Jerks On The Loose has become my more-than-occasional mantra.

The sisters have done several more albums, four of which I own, including some solo work, and some as duets. Wanted to note this interlocking family connection:

Lucy Wainwright Roche is the daughter of singer-songwriters Loudon Wainwright III… and Suzzy Roche, who, along with her sisters (Lucy’s aunts) Maggie and Terre Roche, make up the female vocal group The Roches… Lucy is also the half-sister of singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright (whose late mother Kate was half of the Canadian folk duo Kate and Anna McGarrigle). She has toured with Rufus throughout the years. Through her father, she is a niece of Sloan Wainwright.

I saw the Roches many years ago in the Albany area – couldn’t tell you where or when (probably in the 1980s) – but they were great. More music if you have QuickTime HERE.

 

ABC Wednesday – Round 14

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial