Coronavirus Days 12 – Eggman

If things were not bad enough, now a blizzard in Ancramdale. Well a dusting of snow at least. Granny told me a million times I exaggerate.

Well I got my self an unintentional little project today. The local Keh Bank ATM shredded my debit card last night. I’d just pulled out of the drive through and realized I’d forgotten my card in the cash machine. It only took two minutes and Copake ate my card. They were very nice on the phone today, when I rang about it, despite shredding my fucking card. I learned that banks are a critical service and remain open.

Can one survive a pandemic on credit cards alone? Can I get a replacement debit card in these turbulent times? These first world problems haunt me.

I had my first ever FaceTime face timing today with John Sullivan. He looks like shit and I look worse. We’re turning into the great unshaven.

Send me your whiskers photo.

I fucked up another load. It seems I had a wad of tissues in the pocket of the sweatpants I put in the wash. It looked like I threw an unplucked chicken in the spin cycle. It must have been a big wad. Will all those paper scraps come off in the dryer?

Steven was feeling so sheepish about flat leaving me at golf yesterday that he snuck out of his home, broke curfew and delivered some of his free range eggs to me . Sheepish me hole – he just forgot about the golf. But I’m an egg whore and his yolks are delicious. I didn’t know eggs could have such flavor until I free ranged up here.

My other neighbor Big Lou used to drop off his free range eggs in the past. But he lost the herd of chickens, as he put it. They were taken by raccoons, coy-dogs, hawks and traffic. The free range chickens run very free up here in Ancramdale, just as nature intended. Only last year I was attacked by Steven’s cock as l dropped off some freshly cut day lilies at his home. Not the first cock attack in the Irving driveway, as I understand.

I was useless at sports as a child. I’m useless at sports as an adult. I know nothing about sports. I never watch sports.I was the number 17 pick on the soccer team. But I do love movies, books and films about sport. I couldn’t name a single football player, but I can list five great football movies off the cuff (and I still don’t understand the rules).

So my good friend Tim Schaentzler reminded to put Friday Night Lights on the binge radar.

Friday Night Lights gets a Triple Toole recommendation, for the book, the movie and the television series. Is there another triple out there?

The book, Friday Night Lights, follows the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team as they take a run at the Texas state championship. The nonfiction book gets deep into the dedication of the players and their coaches and the fanaticism the Odessa town folk for this football tradition. It also delves into the glory days attitude of ex high school players who never escaped their home town.

The excellent movie adaptation of FNL stays true to the book. Billy Bob Thornton leads the cast as Coach Gaines. Where the film excels is in creating the excitement of the games. The movie also deals with the heartbreak of failure, something rarely represented in sports stories.

We all love Connie Britton. She plays Coach Gaines wife in the movie AND plays Coach Taylor’s wife in the 5 season series.

The Friday Night Light series is set in the fictional Texas town of West Dillon. The football games are edge of your seat viewing and the family dynamics are the most realistic I’ve seen in any long form drama. This show was great because it was smart and real. We all came away from FNL with our favorite character ; every bodies best friend Landry; misunderstood hunk Riggins; hot white trash Tyra.

It was always Tyra for me.

This is a nice show Shelley. Trust me.

The series is available from Hulu, Amazon and a few more providers.

I’m throwing in another recommendation for a movie that always reminds me of my buddy Sean “The Liger” Jackson. Any Given Sunday (NetFlix) is directed by Oliver Stone and takes a cynical look behind the curtain at the business of football . Its a big production with a big cast : Pacino is in full on shouting mode; a young Jamie Fox is in full on cocky mode and Cameron Diaz is in full on bitch mode. Sean The Liger blew my sub-woofer watching this at my house a dozen years ago and still hasn’t paid me for a replacement.

My last shout out on the football viewing front goes to Last Chance U (Netflix). The first two seasons of this docu-series center on the football team from East Mississippi Community College. It’s a team of misfits and losers thrown together for one last shot at making a future for themselves. If you’re not hooked after the first 30 minutes of this show next coffee is on me.

Kudos to Citibank, they are shipping a replacement Debit card to me tomorrow with no shipping charge.