Couch 236: NY PS Langston Hughes

Hi Couch,

My favourite poet acknowledged my existence by responding to a comment I'd left on his Facebook page. His work has been an anchor to me over the last couple of years, and this is a beautiful moment.

Aw, I'm happy for you, Lost.

Oh how nice! I'm so happy for you!

Every time I watch Mama Mia (I like the music and most of the cast) and am stunned at the insane choice of Pierce Brosnan. I keep thinking it won't be that bad this time - and it always is (the triumph of hope over experience). Meryl Streep was not a good choice either -but not nearly as horrible as PB. I will balance it out with All That Jazz later tonight.

Today on aThat 70s Show rerun, somebody said, oh heres a new ABBA album! And then broke it over his knee. It felt gratifying to me.

Im cleaning my bathroom. Wheres my medal?

I don't mind ABBA. I mean - I don't have their cds (or albums or 8track cassettes) but I bop along to them in the car if they are on the radio. I though PB was okay as James Bond -but he is absolutely cringingly awful in Mama Mia.

I also like the Lettermen, Neil Diamond, and The Mamas and Papas for road music

That sounds like something Hyde would do. I loved That 70's Show!

For road music - my go to is Jim Croce but I love Neil Diamond too.

“Why Dorothy Wordsworth Is Not as Famous as Her Brother” by Lynn Peters

I wandered lonely as a…
They’re in the top drawer, William,
Under your socks –
I wandered lonely as a –
No not that drawer, the top one.
I wandered by myself –
Well wear the ones you can find.
No, don’t get overwrought my dear, I’m coming.

I wandered lonely as a –
Lonely as a cloud when –
Soft-boiled egg, yes my dear,
As usual, three minutes –
As a cloud which floats –
Look, I said I’ll cook it,
Just hold on will you –
All right, I’m coming.

One day I was out for a walk
When I saw this flock –
It can’t be too hard, it had three minutes.
Well put some butter in it. –
This host of golden daffodils
As I was out for a stroll one –
“Oh you fancy a stroll, do you?
Yes all right, William, I’m coming.
It’s on the peg. Under your hat.
I’ll bring my pad, shall I, in case
You want to jot something down?

that is great.

i just ran across a recipe for air fryer snicker doodles. i may have to try it...

I have been grilling and then dehydrating pineapple. The grilling helps me with the mouth burning that fresh pineapple causes me. Salting it does as well.

Exactly who it was!

Ive been eating little half cups of canned diced pineapple. The automatic portion control works for me, otherwise imma smash my face into the peels.

"All the leaves are brown..."

Sometimes i hear songs from "my day" and i am just blown away by how great it is. Some is junk of course, but there was some real songwriting going on.

How beautiful! May I ask which poet, and/or which poems if youre comfortable sharing?

Yes - I listened mostly to classical in high school and college unless I was in the car. I still don't know how anyone thought listening to Bob Dylan sing was a good idea -but he could write a song.

Geez, if I’d known the Oscars could descend into violence, I’d have started watching years ago.

I just read that will smith clocked chris rock. I never see movies so I never watch but it was already on the nyt website

It looked more like a punch to me, but everyone keeps saying it was a slap. Not that it matters. Totally ridiculous. Chris Rock kept his composure admirably well.

I agree on Bob Dylan--I tend to like covers of his songs, but not so much the originals.

Fun fact: Bob Dylan is ex-MC's favorite singer, and ex-MC told us that he used to sing "Tangled Up in Blue" to his daughter when she was a baby. Having heard ex-MC sing (he sung a few things to us--don't ask), pretty sure I'd have actually preferred Dylan's version.

Yes, I had the thought to myself earlier in the evening, "I'm not going to watch the Oscars--they're boring, plus I haven't seen any of the movies." Then my H emailed last night after I went to sleep to tell me about the slap.

Not that violence is at all OK, but Rock shouldn't have been making fun of Smith's wife's medical condition (joking about her bald head, when she shaved it due to alopecia).

Good morning, couch!

I didn't even realize the Oscars were happening until I read something about what had happened.

I'm not sure what I think of it, mainly because I have no idea how the wife so far has handled her condition. I have a very dark humor, and if I'm not in a very bad mood, I can laugh about almost all my issues. As long as it's said in good spirit, it's okay. But of course if it's a very sensitive point, maybe I'd react differently. However, physical violence is never okay if it's not in self defense in my mind, even though I know it's hard to always restrain.

My main confusion stems from the long video version. At first you hear the joke, you see him laughing, and her rolling her eyes very openly. It also appears the comedian has worked with her before and they probably know each other. To me, it looks like an exaggerated eye roll of somebody who has heard such jokes a million times. It's maybe not a good joke, but she brushes it off. As a viewer, I really also didn't get the joke, never heard of the movie.
A few seconds later the camera cuts back and Smith is already clearly upsets. I really liked the reaction of the comedian btw. Then, in the aftermath, Smith explains his actions while crying. I can understand him and what he's saying, but at the same time, the only thing it did for me was maybe pull some interest into why she shaves her head and researching her issues. I shave my head for the sole reason of not liking long hair and you could make the exact same joke about me, but now I know some things about her condition and what it is. It didn't normalize "abuse and making random jokes about anyone's condition" for me, so to me, a much more appropriate way to call somebody out would have been coming up with a good punch line back when I accept my award.

I have never understood the appeal of will smith in general.