Author: Matthew Groff

  • ODDS and ENDS: Tottenham Woes, Something Worse, and Museum Day

    (Stuff and things…)

    On Wednesday, Tottenham played, the facing relegation, Burnley FC in Burnley, and the Spurs found a way to lose. This is the same Tottenham team that beat Man City on the road, which was just about impossible. Yet when it comes to playing a bottom of the table team, Tottenham can’t seem to even get a draw. Then when Tottenham’s manager comes out and says that he doesn’t get why they can’t win consistently, well that just screams that this team is in trouble. Sadly, I don’t see the Spurs qualifying for the Champions League, and that will be the death nail for Harry Kane’s departure. (I have a feeling that Kane is going to go hog wild scoring in the World Cup this summer to drive up his contract price.) Not sure what this team will be like without Kane, but it might mean hanging out in the middle of the table for the next couple of seasons.

    I can’t get rid of the feeling that something worse is coming with the war in Ukraine. I know I wrote about that yesterday, but, surprise!, it’s still on my mind today. Who fights a land war? I really thought that was one of the things that World War II put an end to; wars of conquest. Economies are no longer based on how much land you have. But still, I feel awful for the people of Ukraine, and also for the people of Russia, who will be the ones to really suffer from the sanctions. The sanctions won’t have an effect on Putin and the other corrupt billionaire cronies; they won’t suffer. It’s always the people who do.

    Today is the final day of the kid’s Winter Break from school, and our big activity of the day is to ride the bus down to the Guggenheim! Yup, taking the kid to look at some art, and this was actually her idea. Going to a museum, not specifically the Guggenheim. I want to make sure that I raise a kid that can apricate all the different forms of art, and also apricate how great the City she live in is. I liked going to museums as a kid, and my Dad was pretty good about taking me to the Dallas Museum of Art growing up. I feel like I’m completing the circle by take my kid today.

  • Here Comes WAR

    I really wish I had a good take on this issue.

    There is a part of me that feels that we, the United States and NATO, should be confronting Russia militarily. I know that would lead to a larger war, but I also feel that not fighting back will lead to a larger war. If the only penalty that Russia will face is a sanctions, that at best will take years to have an effect, then I feel that will only embolden Putin, and other nations, to push against the US and our allies. What is to stop China from taking Taiwan? That’s why I feel a war against Russia now, stops a world war later.

    At the same time, I’m an anti-war person. I think we should make all efforts to avoid war, and it should truly be a last resort. Sadly, I am well aware that such a position can be taken advantage of, hence the situation we are now in.

    What I really don’t like hearing is the narrative that is being created here. It seems Republicans want to blame Biden for this, as he is too weak to stand up to Putin. At the same time, I really don’t like how Democrats are framing the conflict on how it will disrupt the economy. Republicans don’t have to become Biden cheerleaders, but they should be out there condemning Putin for invading another country. And Dem’s need to put this in the context of defending freedom and democracy. What both parties seem to be doing is trying to use the war as an issue for the Midterms.

    Sadly, there is no good answer here.

  • Short Story Review: “So Late in the Day,” by Claire Keegan

    (The short story “So Late in the Day,” by Claire Keegan appeared in the February 28th, 2022 issue of The New Yorker.)

    (And there are SPOILERS!)

    Character study, as a short story format, is one of those “classic” forms that’s taught in school; an analysis or portrayal in literature of the traits of character of an individual – so says Merriam-Webster. I find this form is used in the absence of a plot, as the “climax” of these stories usually is when the reader discovers the reason why the character behaves the way they did in the story.

    That’s what “So Late in the Day” basically is. We meet Cathal at his desk on July 29th, which is a wonderfully perfect weather day. He clearly is avoiding people, and even his boss suggest that he head home early, but Cathal prefers to finish out his day, per normal. After work he takes a bus home, and then the story starts to unfold his romance with Sabine. As this relationship is shared with us, we begin to see the faults in his character. When they decide to get married, and Sabine moves in with Cathal, we see his misogyny on display, which is also registered by Sabine. Then the reveal comes, and it turns out that July 29th was to have been their wedding day, which now has clearly been called off.

    Keegan’s writing is fine, and engaging. I found the character believable, and could see why they were attracted to each other, but the story still left me with the feeling that something was missing. I felt like the story wasn’t clear on what its intentions were for the reader. As a character study, it fit the mold – dude’s a misogynist, hence why his girl leaves. But, what are we supposed to feel about that? I don’t think the intention was to feel sorry for Cathal. He is upset with the situation he is in, but I don’t think he learned his lesson, which implies that this behavior will repeat. That’s unsatisfying. But, with Cathal being the focus, I feel that the intention was that Cathal should understand his responsibility in creating the situation that he is in, but I didn’t find that through line in the story. What I found was that Cathal wasn’t a good guy, but he wasn’t a bad one either. It was ambiguity, and that’s a tough one to end on for a character study.

    (Say, don’t forget to like this post, or share it, or leave a comment. I got bills to pay, you know.)

  • Going to a Candy Store

    It’s been a busy day, but I’m making the time to take the kid to a candy store in the Lower East Side.

  • President’s Day

    What am I doing on this holiday? Why, doing laundry, and then taking the kid to the park for a very long time!

    I got up like normal, and actually went to the gym. As I was running on the tredmill, I kept thinking that my mind would clear and I would start think about important things. Like, what to do with the kid this week as she is off from school for Winter Break. Or, I could have thought about what I should make for dinner tonight. Or, I could have thought about what to blog. OR, I could have spent some time working out the end of the story that I am working on.

    What I ended up doing was just listening to music, and think about how cool it was to roll the windows down in my car, and play mu music really loud as I went down the highway. That’s what was on my mind, just driving and listening to music.

    (I think I can do better, when it comes to a blog. I might be back later…)