DK Metcalf did not have an opportunity to sign Monday night since he did not score a TD in the Seahawk’s upset of the floundering Eagles. But he led Seattle in catches and receiving yards and was spectacular. Here’s one of his gems, in double coverage:
In other sports news, the Detroit Pistoffs kept their streak alive with a brilliant 130-124 loss to the mediocre Atlanta Hawks (11-15) in Atlanta. That’s 24 losses in a row. The boys actually opened the season 2-1. Now (you can do the math), they are 2-25. Next up: The 10-17 Utah Jazz, in Motown, on Thursday.
This poem, by Thomas R. Smith, is called “Housewarming.” It’s from yesterday’s Writer’s Almanac.
In my dream I was the first to arrive
at the old home from the church. Wind
and night had forced through the cracks.
I pushed inside, turned on the lamps,
lit a fire in the stove. Frozen oak
logs stung my fingers; it was good
pain, my hands reddening on the icy
broom-handle as I swept away snow.
On Christmas Eve, I prepared a warm
place for my mother and father, sister
and brothers, grandparents, all my relatives,
none dead, none missing, none angry
with one another, all coming through the woods.
OK, everybody — now let’s be honest. We’ve all had sex at work countless times, amirite? Any of us get fired for it? Of course not. So, WTF, Senator Cardin? — why’d you have to fire him? I’m referring of course to 24-year-old Aidan Maese-Czeropski who was an aide to the Democratic Senator (or Democrat Senator if you’re a Republican and an idiot). Aidan had sex with some guy in a hearing room, Hart 216, and it was filmed and word got out. The upshot: Goodbye Aidan. He’s upset: ”This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who [sic] I love to pursue a political agenda.”
Incidentally, the room they chose was the setting for several notable moments, including James Comey’s testimony about Trump in 2016 and the 9/11 commission hearings. That stuff can be quite a turn-on. I can see it.
These are the moments when I am so thankful we have George Santos on our staff to unpack stories like these, with his own special “insider’s” point of view. This is how GS sees it, and he’s not very sympathetic:
Having sex in a United States government building and filming it is the reason you got heat. You being gay and having gay sex NO BODY gives a rats ass… No one is perusing [sic] a political agenda, we are just disgusted about your VILE behavior as a staffer to a United States senator. Now you do put a new definition to “Fuck around and find out”! Aidan you will forever be remembered as the Democrats favorite sloppy bottom…
[Note: That is the actual post that Santos posted. I didn’t make any of it up. No one is perusing a political agenda!]
What a nice surprise — it’s the Pointer Sisters everybody! Today’s puzzle was about advice columns (Dear Abby and Ann Landers) so of course — it’s about giving “pointers,” and (did you know?) — Abby and Ann were sisters! So the Pointer Sisters just had to stop by at 52A. Their clue was “Grammy winners for “Jump (for My Love)” (1984),” but Rex treated us to their version of Bruce’s song “Fire” (which they turned into a hit). And I’m stealing it for OC too. I’m ridin’ in your car . . . . Turn it up!
Unlike the Ramones, the Pointers were all actually Pointers. All but one were sisters, too. One who came on later was a daughter.
Did someone say Ramones? Hey ho, let’s go!
Here’s a comment from Rex’s blog today:
“As a socially-awkward kid in the 90s, I enjoyed reading the Dear Abby and Ann Landers columns. If you know your friend’s spouse is cheating on them, should you tell the friend? Answer: No… especially if his or her spouse is cheating with you.”
Another one:
“Abby (Van Buren) was a neighbor of ours in California in the ’50s. Locals said she and her sister (Ann Landers) never got along. Supposedly Abby was resentful that Ann had stolen her idea for an advice column, and was more successful at it. How could they be advising others about relationships when they couldn’t get along themselves?”
One more:
The best advice I ever saw in Ann Landers (or was it Dear Abby?): After a long, truly awful letter about someone’s horrible husband and whether the advice seeker should leave or stay, Ann (or Abby?) gave this timeless advice: Would my life be better with him or without him?
How’s this for a back-and-forth —
First comment: When I was a lad, Ann Landers was the column run by our local paper. All I remember about her column was what seemed to be a years-long debate about the correct way to hang toilet paper.
Response: THIRTY SEVEN YEARS (that’s 37! ) my wife hangs toilet paper any which-a-way like a, like a, aaah, crazy person, as if the fate of the universe plays no role in our destinies. Toilet paper engineers and designers make one side pretty on purpose. I quietly fix her maniacal hanging job for her hoping to clean up our kharma. I fix it at friends’ houses too. Somebody somewhere has to care or society goes to the dogs.
Trivia du jour: Ann Landers was grandmother to Dean Phillips, Democratic representative from the 3rd district in Minnesota, who is running for President.
The clue at 5D was “Egyptian sun god,” and the answer was AMONRA. Whenever this god appears, there is grumbling about how it’s spelled. Apparently it can be spelled three or four different ways. And today this note appeared:
“There’s a football player for the Detroit Lions, a wide receiver, named AMON-RA St. Brown, maybe we can substitute him for the Sun God in future clues. He has a brother who is a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, named Equanimeous, so when that name comes up. . . “
So I did a little digging:
Eq’s full name is Equanimeous Tristan Imhotep J. St. Brown. His bro’s full name is: Amon-Ra Julian Heru J. St. Brown. They have another brother, Osiris, who was also a wide receiver (at Stanford), but is not in the NFL. Their parents’ last name is Brown, but the boys all have the last name of St. Brown. Their dad was a professional bodybuilder and was a two-time amateur Mr. Universe.
Here are, first, Amon-Ra the all-powerful sun god, and, next, Amon-Ra, the all-pro wide receiver, back-flipping over a defender.
We’re ending on a very sad note today — in close to 400 Owl Chatter posts (I know, hard to believe), this is the most upsetting story I’ve encountered. Take a look at this beautiful English schoolgirl, 16-year-old, Brianna Ghey.
Brianna was transgender and was murdered by two sociopathic 16-year-olds last February, one boy and one girl. They were convicted this month. The jury took under four hours to reach their verdict. Brianna was lured into a park. The killers planned her death in detail. She was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back. In messages between them, the killers wondered if she’d scream as a boy or a girl.
Deputy chief crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle said: “This has been one of the most distressing cases I have ever dealt with.”
Here are Brianna’s mom and sister:
Brianna’s mother described her daughter as fearless. “She wanted to identify as a female and she wanted to wear the girl’s school uniform and yeah she just did it. It wasn’t a hurdle at all for her.”
Meanwhile, here in the States, anti-trans legislation continues its steady ride through Republican legislatures.
Rest in peace, Brianna.
The Wellington Files 