My wife and I were hooked by the first two episodes of the new AMC series, “Kevin Can F**k Himself.” Star Annie Murphy is really good at handling the dual role of a TV wife on a bland sitcom and the character’s life when not stuck on the set with her imbecilic husband (Eric Peterson) and neighbors. In part, it’s a deconstruction of every show you’ve ever seen about a schlubby lunkhead man-child married to an attractive woman whose only role is to support him in whatever scheme he’s up to (e.g. “Kevin Can Wait,” “According To Jim,” and — to a certain extent — “The Honeymooners”). I’m not sure how long the dark-drama-behind-a-bad-sitcom concept can work, but I look forward to seeing the direction the show takes, and Murphy’s performance in particular.
The Girl Scouts of America say they have a major cookie surplus — to the tune of 15 million unsold Samoas, Thin Mints, and Do-Si-Dos. They say it’s because, during their annual selling season, parents did not want their daughters sitting at tables outside supermarkets during the pandemic. But a better explanation is that so few people have been going to offices, thus reducing the opportunities for moms and dads to pressure their co-workers into buying boxes of the cookies.
If I hadn’t had my recent cardiac episode — from which I’m fully recovered, thank you for asking — we would have been on vacation last week in Utah, visiting national parks like Bryce, Zion, and Arches. Frankly, I’m glad we didn’t make the trip, after seeing several articles about how packed those parks have been with tourists who, like us, were sick and tired of being cooped up at home and desperate to travel. In a piece for the Associated Press, Kate Groetzinger writes that at Zion (where private vehicles are banned from entering), the wait for shuttle busses has been up to two hours long. Maybe next year will be a little easier — if we go in February.
And finally, I leave you with a thought to ponder: has anyone ever actually calmed down after being told to calm down?