Chores, People.
I’ve been self-employed most of my life. It’s a blessing, I guess. There were years where I made no money and self-employment felt a lot like doing nothing but with a very active brain. Actively telling me I’m doing nothing but sometimes writing something down trying to make sense of the world and myself. Myself outside of doing nothing is very active mentally.
Lately, perhaps because I own a house, doing nothing is actually very busy. I guess I need to redefine nothing. That’s a life’s journey. Food shopping, cooking, laundry, refilling bird feeders, fixing a gate, playing records, playing guitar, watching old movies, watching old comedy, reading news, reading not news, sex, sleep, watching reels, making and drinking coffee, etc. These aren’t nothing. These are a full-time job. All of these take up space in my brain while some other part of my brain is crunching the soul numbers and working existential equations. That sentence would be an example of that work.
Listening to Blue Mitchell right now while wondering if my cat’s kidneys are failing while dreading tomorrow. Spinning the plates. A lot going on in this big nothing. It’s the work.
I think there’s a rat in my basement. I think that’s why the cats are acting weird. I set one trap down there and I don’t check it enough. There was one decaying down there a couple weeks ago. I think they sense when there’s one around. Or maybe I’m just too focused on them. When you get too focused on the cats with some kind of concern I think they get nervous because you are and it’s a vicious cycle that only ends when you take them to the vet to hopefully be told nothing is wrong. Which is most of the time. I think that’s a good amount of a vet’s business. People freaking out about their animals which eventually freaks the animals out and the vet stops the insanity for part of their living.
I saw the Barbie movie and I have big feels about it on many levels. I talk about it on today’s show but it may not be as clear as this text exchange I had with a woman I know:
Her: Barbie was so boring and unfunny. I don’t get it.
Me: I thought it was a masterpiece.
Me: I definitely got the feels and some laughs.
Me: Progressive Cultural Trojan Horse.
Her: Maybe I should watch it again. I think TikTok really had me expecting something different
Me: It’s brilliant.
Me: I mean, if you didn’t get it, you didn’t get it.
Me: I don’t think seeing it again will make a difference.
Her: I think it’s that it was feminism 101 and I was expecting feminism 500. But the visuals were amazing and Ryan Reynolds and Kate McKinnon gave great performances. I just wanted it to do too much.
Me: Who cares what feminism it was. It’s there and it’s thorough. Millions of young girls are going to see it. It has a lot of heart. Totally entertaining. It’s a full on entertainment product seeped in progressive politics. That’s a big lift. It’s fucking genius. I thought some of the gags and jokes were solid. Totally unique vision. Tremendous accomplishment.
Me: The way it handled men was truly inspired comedy.
Me: I was lit up the whole time. Proud of it for some reason.
Reading it now I see I may have mansplained Barbie a bit but I was excited. Also, Ryan Reynolds isn’t in the movie. I knew what she meant though. Gosling.
I’ve been watching a lot of old Don Rickles and listening to a lot of old punk rock. It’s not nostalgia, it’s nourishment. I guess I’m creatively craving some fuck you energy. I guess I’m worried I’ve lost some of my fuck you-ness. I’ll get it back.
Today I have a truly lovely chat with Melissa Villaseñor who I was concerned may not talk much. She did. On Thursday I talk to Gary Mule Deer who was at The Comedy Store when it opened and had a very interesting, long career in the showbiz racket.
Enjoy!
Boomer, Monkey and LaFonda live!
Love,
Maron
Big Nothing.
