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IU / photo / Thursday / Twitter — Comments Off
29
Oct 20

Here’s your Thursday update

We were in the studio tonight. Look! Here’s proof!

Meredith will graduate this year, and then she’ll start her path to taking over roughly everything. She’s teaching herself the jib in that photo. She learns everything. She does everything. She’s going to take over roughly everything one day.

This was during auditions for a next semesters talk shows. We shot two full shows tonight and then ran three test segments and it was one of those times when everything felt like a smoothly-running machine. It’s really great when that happens.

It rained most of the day, and we’ve needed it. Felt unusual to reach for the umbrella. I had to remember which stick on the side of the steering wheel held the windshield wiper controls. It’s been a while.

And with that in mind we talked candy seemingly all day.

This seeding is questionable, at best, but it works out like this.

(It works out differently if you don't put like vs like in the FIRST ROUND.)

(@LaurnSmith didn't create the bracket.) https://t.co/jD8jc27NJy pic.twitter.com/YqUbvCyk5o

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 29, 2020

And I’ve now added candy to the list of things people will fight over with no provocation. Mind you, this isn’t about possession of the last treat, just your preferences. People have different tastes or favorites in some parts of life, but not in everything, which is weird. You have a favorite restaurant in town, and I don’t like it? That’s fine. Ask two different people familiar with the place where you should go on your next visit to New Orleans. It will devolve to name calling. You want to talk about plumbers or house contractors, any one will seemingly do. People really vie for selling you on their car mechanic though. Differing choices in candy? Fighting words.

This is me: you can like candy corn or you can hate candy corn. Do you have a strong, loud, vociferous defense about your candy corn preferences? You should reconsider your stance.

Also me: whoever created that seeding doesn’t understand how tournament seeding was intended to work.

Finally, one of my friends is covering this over in Ohio today.

Hey, America.

You're inundated. I get it. It's nasty.

Don't let people hoping to scare you with voting tactics ever try to tell you what we are. You look around and you'll see the best of us everyday.

Sincerely,

America https://t.co/7zgW0RwXcy

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 29, 2020

There’s more good in us than we regularly share. Don’t let those who would sell you fear and rancor convince you otherwise.

Catober / photo — Comments Off
29
Oct 20

Catober, Day 29

Catober / photo — Comments Off
28
Oct 20

Catober, Day 28

Catober / photo — Comments Off
27
Oct 20

Catober, Day 27

adventures / Monday / photo / video — Comments Off
26
Oct 20

I got a sticker today

Saturday was probably the last fine day for the foreseeable future. Certainly it’s the last time the weather service has had cause to use their sun graphics in the longterm forecasts. So we are settling in for the long grim winter. I guess we’ll be happier about it in mid-April.

I mean, we’ll be pleased with the change to better weather in mid-April, but you, of course, know I’ll look for new and inventive ways to say the same tired things about this gray place, and why it takes that long to burn off the winter here.

Anyway, we enjoyed the sunshine, and the chilly temperatures, that Saturday offered with a nice little bike ride. Here’s some video from the later parts of it:

The sun was nice, and will be missed.

Today we stood under the gray sky and performed our patriotic duty to vote, or as the kids these days are saying, “We did a democracy.” I’ll be working next Tuesday, and we are afforded some time off for the process, but if you can avoid the lines in a fashion that is presumptively more convenient, you avoid the lines in a fashion that is presumptively more convenient.

It started out under a very attractive maple tree:

And it wound up at a door like this:

Along the way some other things happened:

On the voting line.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

There's a young man in front of me and an older gentleman behind me.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

The younger guy is just looking down at his phone. Wearing a mask. Trying to give a little distance.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

The older gentleman had to go back to his truck. As he told someone on the phone just now, "six or eight months into this, I still forget my mask."

He's forgetting about the nose part, too.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

And the distancing.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

Some people have joined the line behind us.

One woman says "What's this line for?"

One of her friends says "To vote."

"Oh! I should definitely vote."

I'm hoping they were doing a bit.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

A guy comes out of one of those old-homes-converted-to-office space that we're all standing in front of. Says this is the right time to be here. Says it's usually way around there.

The line is already a block long and around the corner. #Democracy! But moving. Also, #democracy!

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

Pro move by the older gentleman: Clears throat, coughs, two hands to lower his mask to put some spit on the ground.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

Forgets to re-cover his nose.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

Sorta terrified of growing old and losing the sensation in my nose.

That's the only explanation I can think of for older folks and this otherwise complete misunderstanding of the respiratory system.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

We've rounded the corner.

(This is a standing in line tweet, not a #Covid19 tweet.)

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

There's a nice new SUV parked by the line and it's covered in signage for a judicial position on the ballot. (It's within state laws regarding electioneering and distance from the polling place.)

The candidate lists his quals. The last bullet is "Covid-19 survivor."

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

A guy walks back from the other direction, "It feels good to finally vote."

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

People seem to be coming out this door, rubbing their hands, pleased with the process. pic.twitter.com/Sj5SZ9BMGQ

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

I'm going in.

Let's do this, America! pic.twitter.com/L6w4kDMJfg

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

And done. Fifty-nine minutes. Filling in some bubbles. A bunch of hand sanitizer. America.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

Aside …

In all of my voting since the year blah blah blah, in many districts in several states, you never see a more pleasant bunch of people than the ones working at a polling place.

They're how you know we're going to be alright.

— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) October 26, 2020

They meant more than the guy who would randomly go “Whoooo! WHO IS READY TO VOTE?!” It’s not a pep rally, friend. But thanks, I guess. Anyway, it took just about an hour. It was easy and inside the office space was a bit perfunctory, practiced, like the last night of a haunted house’s performance, but without the scary part. Aside from a few Boomers, who need to up their mask games, it was well ordered and stress-free.

Early voting in Indiana runs through Nov. 2nd. You can find out the rules for where you are at this link. Then, go educate yourself on the issues — up and down the ballot! — that matter to you, put on a mask and go pull the lever, punch the chad, fill in the bubble or whatever system your local government uses. You, too, can do a democracy!