The Weekend in Foolish Attention

Bits and bytes of the week

DEBATE KNOCKOUT. Himmel and I watched the September 10 debate at his house, recording our in the moment reactions for the Literate ApeCast, drinking some whiskey and, frankly, having the time of our lives. I don’t know if the drubbing Trump took at Harris’s hands will flip any script but it was a huge relief to watch him fail so miserably on a national stage.

It wasn’t quite the Tom Cruise/Jack Nicholson “You can’t handle the truth!” scene I’d hoped for but it was damn close.

I’m not going to become too confident because I remember thinking there was no way he’d beat Hillary and the deflating balloon of defeat stung hard. I am, however, feeling pretty good about Kamala and the campaign game plan she and her team are engaging in.

DISTRACTION ECONOMY. The game afoot in the debate was distract and destroy. Each time Harris was asked a question, she tossed out some jab that she hoped Trump would get distracted by and dive into his own ego-fueled hole to bury himself. It worked.

Our economy these days is manipulating us much in the same way.

“These days are rife with turmoil and among the issues is climate change. The weather has consistently heated up, wildfires rage on one coast while tropical storms devastate the other. Also, people you know have posted their vacation photos on Instagram. How do you respond?”

“Let me first address the vacation pics. Those fuckers pretend to be such beach bodies and…”

It’s maddening how easily we fall into the trap of being diverted from the stuff that actually makes a difference in our lives and the lives of others to the inconsequential and vapid.

Yeah, I should go to the gym and spend 90 minutes working out—for my heart, for my well being, for the potential of ever getting laid again—but before I hop on over there, I have to binge-watch the second season of House of Dragons because, shit, DRAGONS.

The upcoming election, while not really the harbinger of democratic doom reported, is an important one. Going out to get people registered to vote, talking to neighbors about the specific policy differences between the candidates, volunteering for either campaign all seem like productive work. EXCEPT your cousin’s co-worker’s girlfriend just posted a meme about transgender kids and fuck if you’ll ignore that.

It’s harder to filter out the noise when the noise is fueling an entire economy of anxiety and distraction, when corporate entities count on your attention for their profit margins, when your brain space is the new marketplace. Used to be rabbit holes were few and far between but now they’re everywhere we look, ready to worm their way in and suck us dry so that when the laundry of life needs washing, we’re too depleted to give a shit and going commando isn’t a choice but a necessity.

BUGHOUSE! Mark your calendars. Plan ahead. Swing out to the fabulous Haymarket Pub & Brewery to catch the remount of LiterateApe.com events in Chicago.

Featuring Peter Athans, Joe Janes, Bret Dworski, David Himmel, Lauren Reed, Chris Trani, with me as the host, this BUGHOUSE! is new and improved with a flash debate ending that will chill your bones and thrill you. Fun, right? How about that for a distraction?

SEPTEMBER HEATS UP. As Gisela and I wrap up the Millennium Park season, I’m interviewing a lot. Getting some attention for potential gigs, both contract and full-time. It’s nice to be noticed when looking for the next big thing. I’ve had three different groups indicate that my LinkedIn headline (“Jack of Many Trades, Master of Three”) is doing that ice breaking laugh necessary for an in-person introduction.

“Which three?” they ask.

“Which three do you need?”

The best opportunities are not the best paying, in my view. The best have the combination of decent cash, benefits, and fun. If they have opportunities to extend my luck to those I’ve been working with this summer, even better.

ACOLYTE FAIL? There’s a whole tiny section of Star Wars fans claiming that the cancellation of Disney’s The Acolyte (a show I quit after two episodes) was the result of alt-right trolls. Check this video out to find a concise reason it failed:

Bad writing and nonsense storytelling is why virtually no one watched the show. The claim it was cancelled because of racism is like the Jussie Smollett made up attack by Trumpers.

SENIORFEST. This week, we were asked to do front of house for the city’s celebration of seniors (which, as I noted among the crowd of canes, walkers, and wheelchairs, I am only a year and half away from official membership) which included a Michael Jackson impersonator, a Tina Turner impersonator, and Elvis Presley. It was like Chicago imported Branson, MO for a day.

Approximately 3,000 older Chicagoans converged on the park to get free massages, dance in a giant tent, get free stuff from a vendor fair, have a free box lunch, and perform karaoke. They were a demanding crowd (“Get me water!” and “Where’s the golf cart to pick me up?” and “I can’t find the bathrooms and why can’t they be closer?”) but it was unlike any event so far this summer and it was a gas!

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That’s the week! Now we sit back, watch the campaigns implode or explode, decide to come to BUGHOUSE!, and enjoy the weather cuz so far, so good! Have a grand time, gang!