OK Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore. Awards season is not just upon us, it has engulfed us. First the Globes, then the Critics Choice Awards, now the Emmys? Never have the first weeks of January been more chock full of glam, bad jokes, and long, overwrought telecasts. We are loving it.
Damn right
That is to say nothing of the coming week’s Oscar and BAFTA nominations, and the Grammy awards quickly on the horizon. There’s also that big important football game with (maybe) Taylor’s tall handsome boyfriend? Really, we are drowning the pop culture pomp.
Drenched and loving it
While the Chair is still on the mend, all we can say here at Notes from a Chair is that posts and podcasts are coming, and full recaps, roundups, hits and misses of this over-the-top awards season are most certainly upon us. For now, we’ll just sit back and delight in watching multi-millionaires cry over gold statues — and we will not apologize for it.
Tune into the Emmys tonight and check back here for more notes on the event. Succession and The Bear will most certainly be bringing home the gold, but will our beloved Jennifer Coolidge get her final prize for the role of a lifetime?
Speaking for everyone in California, because why wouldn’t I, let me assure the country and the world that the vast majority of us here on the left coast are okay.
I mean, we hosted the Golden Globes between storms this week and gave the beloved Jennifer Coolidge an international platform so clearly NOTHING can stop us from providing you the entertainment you so richly deserve in 2023.
But still. Still….it’s a Zen west coast thing to stay positive. So let’s do so as our newly installed D.C. Congress works tirelessly to put an end to the deleterious effects of climate change by passing new laws and legislating against corporate malfeasance.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Clearly this has to be our energy for 2023
Okay, you know, what? It’s true. The rain and the fact that sociopathic liar George Santos (R-NY) not only remains in Congress but is GAY (Note: Wish I could say he was lying about THAT but he scores 112% on my personal Gaydar) has really gotten to me.
Though what hasn’t are the many calls, texts and social media messages I’ve received from friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers expressing concern for what they’re seeing happening to California on the news.
This is the case with lots of fellow Angelenos and other state residents I’ve talked to through this and truly it’s touching. And kind of gives me hope for where we all could be going as a country if we ever get out collective acts together.
Us too!
That’s why for this week’s post I want to honestly reflect what it’s like be in the eye of the California storms all week.
What it truly means is…all week… everyday… all you think about are… rain…s ongs.
That’s right, songs.
With the word rain in the title.
It happens whether you want it to or not. Or whether you like it or not. Just when it begins to stop, like the rain, it recurs.
Again and again.
Gazing longingly out a rain soaked window
The minute you hear the patter or pounding, drive through a flooded intersection or up and around a slick winding canyon road, some god-forsaken tune imbeds in your brain and won’t let up.
Forget about what happens when you’re walking the dog or simply moseying down a sunny street and get drenched in an unexpected downpour. That’s when a particularly relentless tune imbeds.
And you can’t get rid of it all night or into the next day.
You’re welcome
No surprise that the Chair’s way of dealing with this endless melodic onslaught was to make a list. Stumped by solutions to either global warming or George Santos and his gutless political party, it’s offered up as the 10 BEST of what you can expect when, not IF, extreme climate knocks on your back door.
(Note: Separate lists can be provided for snow, wind, frost or heat).
I was inside and working on writing something that took place in the past, the seventies to be exact. It was a time when James Taylor (Note: And Me) had lusciously long locks and was a really, really, REALLY hard reality to let go of.
Do NOT laugh! Karen Carpenter had the clarion voice of an angel. And it was my late friend Deb’s go-to song when she felt the need to ditch high school and I felt the need to meet her after school and hang out in her tiny yellow bedroom listening to show tunes or top 10 hits when we were both too existentially low to deal with anything else (Note: I, myself, was way too goody two shoes to ditch school).
Prince literally reinvented and redefined rain till the end of time. It was a pleasure to have him in my head at the peak of his popularity and actually made me feel like a rock star for a moment or two.
Nevertheless, my heart belongs to the movies. They say Hollywood is the Dream Factory, right? Feeling like a movie star playing a movie star who is really just a regular guy in love with everything is the ultimate fantasy. And it wins you over, whether you want it to or not. Much like a really great Hollywood film does, regardless of age.
Did the Chair miss a rainy day classic? Comment below with more soggy suggestions.
notes from a chair 