Another Week: Number 129

There’s an uneasiness and even a queasiness in the air, but everyone keeps moving forward the best they can because … what else are you gonna do?

Our air quality remains questionable due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Temperatures are still below normal, with some mornings in the 50s.

Donald J. Trump has mobilized the National Guard against Americans in Los Angeles protesting his thuggish deportations. Like Joe Biden before him, he’s now stumbling up the stairs to Air Force One. Someone impersonating a cop is shooting Democratic lawmakers near Minneapolis. Having reduced Gaza to rubble and misery, Benjamin Netanyahu is finally launching the war with Iran he’s always demanded.

Nevertheless, another class of middle schoolers has completed a year at Mitchell School across the street, and they celebrated with balloons and fancy gowns despite all the construction equipment and dust. On Saturday, five million Americans protested our numbskull tyrant with “No Kings” rallies across the country.

A hummingbird has been sipping from my feeder fairly regularly, and she buzzed my ear Saturday morning while I was out watering. A robin continues to follow my every move around the yard — and for the first time in my memory, a clutch of hatchlings is being successfully raised in my crabapple tree.

Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham are back in the game after injuries, and their Indiana Fever beat the unbeaten New York Liberty on Saturday.

The Chicago Cubs are … winning some and losing some.

I walked 2.97 miles this week.

Apple’s WWDC 2025 announcements

Monday at noon, I watched Apple’s keynote — or event, or presentation — I don’t think they even call it anything anymore.

It was fine. They yuck it up too much over Craig Federighi and his handsome hair. Yeah, okay — he’s a wild and crazy guy.

Apple announced “Liquid Glass,” a glossier look for their interfaces, which will be more uniform across devices. Great. They highlighted a lot of cute little social tweaks that I may rarely or never use.

As for whether Siri will soon understand my answer to her yes-or-no questions, nothing was mentioned.

I grew bored about half an hour in, but stuck with it anyway.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Several times on his show recently, Seth Meyers has mentioned being a big fan of the movie Michael Clayton. Last week, Stephen Colbert hosted Tony Gilroy, the film’s director, and Colbert is also a fan. So Saturday evening, I watched it with my mom via streaming rental on Prime.

George Clooney stars in the title role as a behind-the-scenes fixer for a high-powered corporate law firm. That firm is representing a conglomerate that markets a toxic weed killer. Tom Wilkinson co-stars as a litigator who is hounded by his conscience and has gone off his meds in Milwaukee, and Tilda Swinton plays the company’s domineering general counsel, Karen.

The whole thing works like a clever mechanism, unfolding piece by piece at a brisk pace and building a lively sense of suspense as it plays out.

It was an enjoyable two hours.