IF IT'S MONDAY IT MUST BE THE DUTCH PUBLIC BROADCAST SKETCH

 Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

My beloved friend, Rita, of SoulComfort's Corner called my attention to this video. I think you'll find it as hilarious as we did. 

I'm preparing this post on Sunday evening. We had thunderstorms last night and this morning, with rain on and off during the afternoon. So far Lake Junebug has not seen any accumulation of water to kill our little bit of grass, which reminds me––I have a bag of grass seed in the trunk of the car. Penelope calls grass seed "dog treats." *sigh* I have to watch that little girl carefully with the seed. 

Thursday I had my first teeth cleaning of the year. I love having my teeth cleaned so I pay the few extra dollars on my dental insurance that allows me four cleanings a year. Afterward, Carol took me out for a belated birthday lunch. As always, we had a wonderful time chatting and looking at photos on each other's phones. I had photos to share from a new friend in North Carolina.

Of course, Carol and I also thoroughly trashed President Musk Melon and his exceedingly stupid wife, Dawn (my apologies to Dawn of Bohemian Valhalla; they share a name and nothing else), and the Social Security lie. We know if Social Security payments aren't somehow canceled at the time of a person's death, they automatically end at age 115. Overpayments have been made to some recipients, but they were living people who had to return the money. Millions and millions of dead people are not receiving checks from Social Security. I know I've brought up this issue before. I'm stuck on it because I know people who believe it's true, and we have to fight the lies. 

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

Social Security keeps 18 million seniors out of poverty every year. Trump and Musk are lying about it for one reason: so they can cut, privatize & dismantle it.

We must EXPAND Social Security benefits, not cut them. And I am introducing a bill to just that. pic.twitter.com/0sydy0g1zH

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 27, 2025

MOVIE WEEKEND: SEPTEMBER 5

 Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

September 5 takes us behind the scenes of ABC's coverage of the 1972 Summer Olympics massacre in Munich (2024; Rated R; Directed By Tim Fehlbaum; Streaming on Paramount+ and MGM+). My word for this movie is edgy. 

The 1972 Summer Olympics were the first to be broadcast live. I was in junior high. September 5 was a Tuesday so I must have been in school, yet I remember being glued to Jim McKay's coverage of the terrorist attack by Black September. The coverage lasted 22 hours so I'm sure I watched as much as possible outside of school hours. My 13-year-old self didn't really comprehend what was going on, but I knew it was bad, and I knew some Israeli athletes had been killed and others taken hostage. 

I also didn't know it was unusual for the coverage to be handled by the sports department, but September 5, a docudrama, shows us President of ABC Sports Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard - an actor I like a lot) fighting to keep this powerful story away from the news division. With the organizational skills of Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), the head of the control room, who quickly manages the change in focus, and German interpreter Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), who can tell them what's coming over the police radio, the sports department broadcasts the first ever live terrorist attack on television, watched by 900 million people.

The movie is fast paced and the archival footage of Jim McKay's coverage is skillfully woven in between the actions of the actors. I knew what was going to happen, yet I felt the tension as strongly as I did when I was 13 years old.

I strongly recommend this movie.

Happy viewing!

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

THE MULTILINGUAL ROOMBA

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

Not long ago, Mrs. Roomba parked herself under the china cabinet and shut down. When I hauled her out and turned her back on, she had forgotten who she was. She spoke Spanish. I powered her down again to reset her and turned her on. She spoke what I think was Swedish. Now every time I shut her down and set her going, she speaks a different language––everything except English.

After our prolonged cold spell during January, we had record highs, reaching 86° on Feb. 13. Then it cooled off again for a while and we had some lovely fires in the fireplace during chilly evenings. 

Now we're going back and forth between a couple of days with highs in the 70s and then we drop back down to chilly, breezy days with highs in the 60s. Princess and I have had some lovely walks together. 

I reached the ripe old age of 66 recently. I have no plans to retire. I need the money too badly, and the benefits. My paychecks are very small, but I put quite a bit in my 401k and my HSA. I also pay extra taxes so I no longer need to pay quarterly taxes on my alimony, which makes my life easier.

President Musk Melon and his supremely unattractive wife, Dawn, continue to make me crazy. All I can say to our friends in Canada is 

I'm sorry.

You know I didn't vote for him.

The two of them speed recklessly from one lie to the next. One day it's $50 million spent on condoms for Gaza and before you know it Social Security is sending checks to millions and millions of people who are 150 years old. They are hellbent on destroying our relationship with our beloved friends in Canada; sending federal workers back into the workplace even if the workplace doesn't have offices, desks, and lights; firing federal workers; and destroying the economy that President Biden and Vice President Harris worked so hard to improve.

My burning desire is to know what happened to all the pets stolen and eaten in Ohio. I haven't heard JD JD Married Lady say one word about them since the election. Are they still being eaten? Whose cocker spaniel is roasting in an oven? How did an issue of such importance during the election lose its momentousness? 

I continue to avoid watching the news because I can't stand the sight and sound of 

but I did watch the video of the orange one and JD berating President Zelensky and felt ashamed that people representing our government could behave so badly. 

I continue to stand with Ukraine. 

I'm sorry I've been gone such a long time. I've missed you and want to catch up on your blogs. 

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

PRESIDENT DONALD JESSICA TRUMP, WTF IS EVEN GOING ON?