So I’m riding in a cab and the conservative blowhard Sean Hannity is blathering away at top volume from the radio. He knew exactly what was happening in Iraq before anyone else did, and he knows exactly what Obama should be doing, and almost everything he said was not only innacurate but insane. His ego was off the charts, and listening to him made me want to airlift him into Iran, drop him onto a battlefield and then say, “Okay, smart guy – what exactly is your brilliant plan for all this?”
And then, as I kept fuming, I looked out the window and saw that I was in Central Park. The Park is one of the world’s great manmade wonders, and it’s currently in full bloom. Enjoying Central Park solves nothing, but I suddenly wasn’t listening to a word Sean Hannity was spouting. Central Park in June is the antidote to meaningless bluster.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by entertainment options. Do I need to see the latest X-Men installment before it leaves the theaters; do I need to see any of the many imported English plays currently infesting off-broadway; do I need to worry about anyone in England except for Kate Middleton; do I need to read any of the thousands of acclaimed new novels about family gatherings where wounds are re-opened and secrets are revealed?
The antidote to entertainment overload is this: just watch Orphan Black on the BBC Channel. If you’re one of the few remaining people who haven’t discovered this show and its supremely talented, breakout star, Tatiana Maslany, get busy. Yes, it’s about clones, but it’s not cheesey: it’s delectable. And yes, you need to watch it from the beginning. I keep trying to pick my favorite clone, but I love them all.
If you’ve been dealing with Time-Warner on any level, I’m truly sorry – there is no antidote.
