Fridays's Thoughts
An introduction to the weeks to come
After spending an entire weekend engrossed in two of Netflix’s recent talk of the towns, “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story,” I found myself wondering “is there anyone who doesn’t want to be watching these, but feels the need to?”
There was a time that I watched sports. I’m not a sports guy. I’m not good at playing or watching them. I’m not even good talking about them. But I sure did spend a lot of time watching them. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday — you get the idea. Did you know there’s sports on every day?
What’s the point? I watched them so I could talk about them, whether in the high school locker room, or on the late night AIM sessions. Sure, we’d talk about other stuff, but this was a moment I figured, “I should know this.”
After a while, I dropped off. Sports became too demanding, and there were way too many rules. As yet another mid-20 something year old, I’m wondering, is there anyone who is also struggling to keep up with the news, politics, culture of the day alongside their likely overburdening work, social life, and overall well-being?
I’m here for you. So let’s kick things off.
Politics
Is Trump Still President?: Yes
Has he been impeached yet? No, but it’s likely to happen before end of year.
What’s it mean to get impeached? I’m not going to send you to yet. another. explainer. piece. It means the House of Representatives will vote on Articles of Impeachment against the president. Think of this as the charges pressed by the DA in Law and Order: SVU. The process then moves to the Senate, where they will act as the jury.
Sorry, no appearances by Ice T at this one.
What other wacky stuff is happening?
Paid Family Leave for Space Force?
Who would have thought that the way to make the United States offer Paid Family Lead and surrender its position as one of two countries in the world that doesn’t offer paid time for new parents would be to surrender to Space Force?
Oh, it’s only a policy for federal workers? Never mind then. As the Washington Post reports:
Congressional lawmakers and the White House are on the verge of reaching a sweeping agreement that would extend 12 weeks of paid parental leave to federal workers in exchange for making “Space Force” the sixth branch of the U.S. military, according to four people with knowledge of the tentative deal.
The deal is part of a defense authorization bill that is slated to pass this month. If consummated, the agreement could mark one of the biggest deals President Trump has cut with Congress. It would secure a massive expansion of benefits for federal workers, something Democrats have long sought, in exchange for a realignment of the U.S. military that Trump has sought to secure as part of his legacy.
We’ll take what we can get.
Anything else? Nah, this should keep your friends going for a few days. If you need more, click here, or here, or there.
Culture
The Irishman
A lot of people started this movie — not that many finished it. As Nielsen reports, of the 17.1 million people that watched it in its first week, only 930,000 people finished it.
If you’re one of the near million that did, congrats!
If you didn’t, well, it was a good movie. Here’s some talking points for the water cooler:
The de-aging wasn’t worth it. It was cool to hear about, but all those guys looked the same age the entire time. At least, no one thought they were 40-something.
Did it really need all that length? Most people are cracking jokes in conference rooms that it took them a few days to catch glimpses of it. If pressed on specifics of the film, say you’re still working through out.
De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino were great. Good performances. You can say this, then probably lead to a more comfortable movie you’ve seen. Say, “I really did love Pesci in ‘My Cousin Vinnie.’” This should hold over your co-workers for a few minutes while you quietly escape.
Anything else?
People are getting on the Watchman train. As Buzzfeed notes:
Now that there are only two episodes left in the season (fingers crossed that there will be a second!), I am eating my words and urging you, dear reader, to enjoy this dizzying, complicated, thrilling, poignant, hilarious, bizarre, sexy show that feels unlike anything else on television right now. That Watchmen upends some pervasive myths that comic books have helped create around the police and the American government at large — namely that both are inherently honorable institutions unblemished by white supremacy — is the icing on the cake.
It may worth a binge before co-workers ask you about, like it’s “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” or “Chernobyl.”
Anything else?
You’re good for right now.
Got feedback? Tweet me @lawrenceciulla.
Until next week. Don’t bother doing your homework. I’m here for you to copy all the answers.