Another Week: Number 112

When I was a kid, one of the most unsettling feelings was sitting in the back seat of the car when my dad was sloshed and swerving onto the road’s gravel shoulder or into the oncoming lane. My mom would yell “Lefty!” — but that just made him more determined and angry.

As his child and passenger, I could only grit my teeth and hope our trip would end without injuries.

Now, 335 million of us are somehow the passengers of the deranged idiot who used to host The Apprentice and we’re going along for the ride, like it or not.

The week before this one, I watched La Bamba, the 1989 biopic about Ritchie Valens. It’s not a great film, but two lines jumped out at me: Ritchie’s half-brother takes him to “a curandero, a healer” in Mexico who tells him, “Life is a snake — a snake crawling out of its own dead skin, like a dream,” and “To live is to sleep, to die is to awaken.”

So maybe this is all a crazy dream? I don’t know how else to explain the sheer ridiculousness and everyone’s mute acceptance of it.

It’s like mass hypnotism. Before the inauguration, Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker that there was “no price tag” for his mass deportation plan, and she dutifully parroted his nonsense.

Well — duh — it turns out there is a price tag, and Trump has already run out of money for his appalling project. Now he’s asking Congress for an immediate $175 billion, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is admitting, “Unfortunately the American taxpayers are going to have to pay the bill on this.”

No shit. We’re going to pay dearly for letting these numbskulls get behind the wheel. Less than a month in, we’re already into all kinds of gravel.

The NFL held a Super Bowl on Sunday. I didn’t have a strong favorite, but I admire Saquon Barkley‘s dignity and would have liked to see him bust loose a few times. Kendrick Lamar‘s halftime show was lackluster. Fox’s forcing of a national “unity” message was blatant propaganda, and Jesus cannot “get us” because he was executed 1,995 years ago — well before the first smartphone hit the market.

On a local level, this week dashed any fantasies of escaping winter this year. Several successive snowstorms dumped eight or nine inches from Wednesday through Friday, adding pre-storm provisions runs to my itinerary, plus an hour or so of shoveling after each batch, lest my Wisconsin skills atrophy.

Before that, I walked 2.86 miles this week.

WTF with Marc Maron

Outdoor chores around my house always offer an opportunity to catch up on podcasts, so this week while shoveling snow I listened to several episodes of WTF with Marc Maron.

Ariana Grande (Episode 1616, 2/10/25)

I enjoyed the confirmation of Maron calling Ariana Grande a “magic person” because that is exactly my thumbnail impression after seeing her on The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live over the years. They seemed to click.

Cynthia Erivo (Episode 1592, 11/18/24)

Whether by cosmic coincidence or just solid press agentry, Cynthia Erivo is suddenly all over my screens. Her brilliant grace and cautious playfulness work well together, and she’s an eloquent exponent of her various arts.

Jesse Eisenberg (Episode  1598, 12/9/24)

Having enjoyed Fleishman Is in Trouble and A Real Pain, it was enriching to learn more about Jesse Eisenberg and how deeply he thinks about life’s complexities.

Demi Moore (Episode 1615, 2/6/25)

This one surprised me the most. I have been aware of Demi Moore since St. Elmo’s Fire and About Last Night… , but generally as someone mentioned on the covers of tabloid magazines I don’t read. Surprise — she’s a thoughtful artist and a spiritual searcher with some insights I found helpful.