More on the Color Purple - OOPS - Compromise

A story, probably apocryphal, is of Marilyn Monroe saying dreamily to Arthur Miller: 'We should have a child, Arthur. Imagine a baby with your brains and my looks.' To which Miller retorted: 'Yes, but what if it got your brains and my looks?'

Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you.

Shlomo Yitzhaki (1040-1105)

Pucci Scarf with Irises

Strangely no sooner had I had posted "The color Compromise", than I received a phone call from Camp Obama, Club Obama, whatever it is now called. Without taking a breath, the caller launched into and completed her spiel.

I'm convinced that these Obama call people are given special breathing lessons and that smokers are not allowed, or perhaps the people manning the call-centers are retired snorkel divers with over-sized lungs and time on their hands. Or perhaps, like their leader, they have no pulse and need very little oxygen.

"We aren't asking for a donation," she started. "We are LEAVING!" That got my intention as no doubt it was intended to. I tried to speak but she was already halfway through her next sentence. "We are LEAVING to campaign for the mid-term elections in November and we need money. This time we aren't asking for lumps sums, we are asking for installments, a little money every month." A pause. My chance!

"I'm sick of the man," I told her. "The fiasco of a health-care bill that isn't even a bill. It's useless. And I am tired of this bi-partisanship thing - bi-partisan doesn't work with partisans. Take me off your list. I am SO disappointed."

After I had hung up I was became even more angry. "Installments" my eye! I can afford cash for god's sake ... I live on the upper east side in Manhattan and I am employed. Don't these people do demographics?

I'm sick of the sight of the man. I thought I'd gotten away from arrogant professors and their ilk when I left Melbourne University. And as for fiasco of a health-care bill that doesn't exist, and doesn't ensure decent health care for ALL Americans ...

Fish For Sale, Michigan, 2009

And yeah, I know he's better than Sarah Palin. But who isn't. A fish would be better. I could do better; my cat could do better, if I had a cat, which I do not. Like the health-care bill,it doesn't exist.

But something DOES exist that didn't exist - for me anyway. My new Emelio Pucci scarf. I was so pleased with myself for saving the Obama money that I stopped off at Bloomingdales on my way home tonight and spent it. You can see it in the photo top-left, next to the vase of irises. Another splurge.

But enough of Obama. Enough already yet as my mother used to say.

Here are a couple of items about entertainment.

Last Saturday I watched "A Serious Man" by the Coen brothers. Those guys are brilliant. I don't often like black comedies, but this one was riveting. A mix of Mamet, early Woody Allen and of course Joel and Ethan Coen. It is all good and especially the ending. And for those of us baby boomers, the sets will bring home memories of those dull old days of the sixties before the world turned to color. The decor, the clothes, they are 'just there', understated and authentic. It is a very Jewish film but you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate it. Although it does help to have a mother who used to say "already yet".

The other piece of entertainment is a very cute little girl in a packaged fish commercial. I saw it last weekend when I was relaxing in front of the telly.

Some sad-sacks have criticized her on the web, for being bossy. A word to those people - although I doubt that any of them read my blog. (Most if not all of my readers know the difference between reality and television commercials.) It is a funny ad, she's cute and despite those people who probably still believe in the tooth fairy, the ad is not setting out to make mothers feel guilty.

"Have you ever catched a minced fish?"

Watch it.