Friday 5ive- October 30, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention this week.

It's a big week- Halloween is tomorrow and the election is five days away. And we have a full moon, the first one on Halloween seen all across the United States since 1944. Is that a good omen?

1)  My sister-in-law has a lovely Halloween display on her new patio. It's so pretty and festive!

2) Early voting started in New York City on October 24th and where we live on the Upper East Side, the Board of Elections has one early voting precinct for 118, 000 voters, making it the most overloaded in the city. Judging by the near constant line that frequently wrapped around the block two and nearly three times, it appears that all 118,000 voters are voting early. Rain didn't stop them either; we brought our umbrellas, rain gear, listened to podcasts, and waited between 3-6 hours in line to do their civic duty. The poll workers were great- they kept everyone orderly and organized and once inside things moved quickly.

3)  I watched two interesting streaming events this week. Last Friday night, Seth Meyers hosted a Seinfeld  reunion "A Fundraiser About Something"  with Larry David, Jason Alexander, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It was a benefit for the Texas Democratic Party, and they raised over $600,000. They reminisced about their favorite episodes, ("Soup Nazi", "The Contest" among them), and a few lucky donors won a phone call from Julia, Jason doing his infamous answering machine message on their voicemail, and they even shamed Larry David into doing a phone call for one person (just one- that's all!). 

Each year Bette Midler hosts a gala called Hulaween to benefit the New York Restoration Project, founded 25 years ago by Midler. They clean up parks, plant trees, build community gardens for city residents to grow fresh produce, and run education programs for public school children. NYRP has made such a big difference in the life of New York City residents. This year's gala was virtual, and it was a reunion of the movie "Hocus Pocus" featuring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker. It was a new story, filmed at 70 different locations, and filled with great guest stars like Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Glenn Close (as Cruella de Vil),  John Stamos as Satan, Jennifer Hudson singing "I'm Not Telling You" and a surprise cameo by Mariah Carey singing "All I Want For Christmas". It was so well done and entertaining, a great way to forget about the crazy world outside. 

4) We binge-watched HBO's Succession over two weeks. It's about a family, whose patriarch (brilliantly played by Brian Cox) is the head of a multimedia conglomerate (think Rupert Murdoch), and the search within his family for a successor to his empire. Jeremy Strong won an Emmy this year for his portrayal of the troubled eldest son, and Kiernan Culkin, Alan Ruck and Sarah Snook are the other siblings with their own problems. It's Shakespearean in its storytelling, filled with betrayals, plotting, and double-crosses. I highly recommend the 2020 Emmy winner for Best Drama. You can watch the first episode here.

Succession

5)  I've been in a bit of a reading slump (maybe because of Succession), so I've just started two books.  The first one is The Little Book of Life Skills by Erin Zammett Ruddy. The book teaches the reader how to send email, pump gas, create secure passwords, even the proper way to blow dry your hair, with advice from experts in the field. It's interesting, and would make a great holiday gift for people just starting out on their own. (Is that even a thing now?) 

I needed a feel-good book, so I turned to Jenny Colgan's Christmas at the Island Hotel, which continues her series of books set on the small island of Mure off the coast of Scotland.  (Christmas On the Island and Endless Beach are the first two). I love catching up with Flora and her family and somehow it seems just right to read a Christmas book now. It feels like a warm cup of cocoa on a cold night. 

I hope you all stay safe and socially distant, wash your hands, wear a mask, and this is your last chance to vote and make your voice heard, to choose the future you want for your children and grandchildren.