Dear Friends,
Last week, I had the unfortunate privilege for completing the cleaning out of the Casa offices. In two words, it sucked. I do feel privileged to be the keeper of the curricula, but it saddens me to no end. The work Stephanie Orr did cannot be forgotten.
Even though those offices were not the ones I started working in back in 1997, there was a nostalgia and sadness in clearing them out I have not felt before. Sure, I have left jobs. I have even left Casa twice, but there was always the hope during both of those occasions that I would be back. As I mentioned, I thought many times about taking over when Stephanie was ready to retire.
I always imagined her as this wild, crazy grandmother taking great pride in the amazing accomplishments of her wonderful daughter, Taylor, and whatever offspring she might have. During her memorial, one of her family members referred to her as an Auntie Mame like character and that was so spot on. I wish I could have come up with that, as it was always one of my favorite movies growing up, but it was not my line. But I did see her in that type of role, spreading joy to youngsters and taking them on grand adventures while I took over and took Casa to its next level.
Alas, though, and regrettably, no one wants to talk about how to prevent sexual violence. I did have a nice conversation with a gentleman last week who wants to help get the Casa curriculum out there for people to possibly buy or use. I would love that it went to a good place and could be taken over by the next generation of champions for children’s safety. It would also do Stephanie proud.
He mentioned changing the names to include her name in some way and I love that idea. What an excellent tribute that would be. While she did not write the programs, they would not have existed without her hard work and dedication to making our community safer and healthier. If only there were more people like her is all I can write at this moment.
If only.
*****
To avoid tears and melancholy, I am changing the subject.
While I was feeling terrible last week, I binged the entire fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I really enjoy this show and love the writing. Even though it sometimes sounds more like a wonderful book that has come to life and not like what real people would say, the words are truly beautiful, funny, poignant, and just well fucking crafted.
It is not for everyone, for sure, but the show is super clever, and I love a clever show. It does not hurt that Rachel Brosnahan is easy on the eyes and brings the character to life in a truly incapacitating way, but the show is so much more than her. While she stole the first season, and rightfully so, the rest of the cast helps paint a veritable tapestry of comedic chaos dancing way too closely to the edge of tragedy. Seasons two and three were just as much about her parents and ex-in-laws as they were about anything else, and this fourth season showed a side of Alex Borstein’s character, Susie Myerson, which was well worth the watch.
Susie is such a good character, too. The chemistry between her and Mrs. Maisel is among the best ever on television, but The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a great show when it comes to creating chemistry between performers. Another great example of this is the chemistry between Mrs. Maisel and Lenny Bruce, who is portrayed by Luke Kirby. Kirby fucking shines in season four and delivers one of the greatest moments in the finale, as well.
I also enjoy the back and forth between the two dads, Tony Shalhoub’s “Abe” and Kevin Pollak’s “Moishe.” They have some great moments during the show’s four seasons and this most recent one is no exception. I am one who cries during tv shows and movies and there was a moment in season four from these two that brought a tear or two to my eye. So much good stuff packed into a mere eight episodes. It will be sad to see it go after season five, but why take the chance of overstaying it is welcome?
I hate it when shows hang on too long. I understand people make them to make money, sure, but sometimes they ruin a good thing. I do not want to get on my soapbox here at the end of this particular blog, but there have been too many shows that should have called it quits before they did. A classic for me, and this is the only one I will mention today, was HBO’s show, Six Feet Under.
I really enjoyed the first season. At the end of it, I though, “Wow. If this does not get renewed, it is a perfect show.” I was happy that they did renew it, of course, but for me, the rest of the seasons never lived up to the first one. I watched and stayed loyal, but by the end I found myself not caring anymore and I hate that. I have since learned that it is okay to give up on a show that is not giving you reason enough to care about spending time with it.
Life is way too short to waste it on bad TV, unless that bad TV is so bad that it is ultimately good. Like a Sid and Marty Kroft show, you know? So cheesy and bad but great, still, because despite the cheese and unbelievable stuff, it is just fun. Nothing wrong with having some fun with your art in my book. When we are spending downtime staring at a box of brightly colored pictures that move, it should be fun.
Which reminds me… fun comes in so many forms. Sometimes it is learning, sometimes it is in enjoying things that might make you feel dumb in the moment. Sometimes fun can make you cry or scream or cheer, too.
Here’s to fun and remembering that even when we start our talking about something sad, we can still get to the fun eventually.
See you tomorrow.
Filter free Apache Lake by me
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1i52t5z4DGmo5LQUUnxYJj?si=49f508fd9a384319
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