HACKS - All In, All Done

I was a latecomer to the HBO MAX show HACKS, staring Jean Smart as aging comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as young writer Ava Daniels. I believe we binged the first two seasons and then watched the remaining three seasons as they came out.

The first three seasons were great, although I don't remember the details of every episode. What I do remember is that I loved the relationship development between Vance and Daniels.

Season 4 did little for me; I disliked the antagonism between the lead characters and by this time I was thoroughly done with some of the others who rounded out the cast, especially the characters of Vance's agent Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and his . . . whatever she was . . . Kayla (Megan Stalter). Many times, I wasn't even sure why they were in the show. They took away from the time I wanted to spend with Vance and Daniels. They were the people I cared about. It made no difference to me if Jimmy and Kayla managed to keep their careers going. I did not find them especially likeable people.

Season 5 sort of makes up for season 4, but I didn't appreciate the emotional manipulation of the final episode. I won't mention what that was because I don't want to spoil the show for anyone, but it really took a dark turn for most of the episode.

Part of the problem is that I, as a particularly particular viewer, appreciate relationships between strong female characters. Watching Deborah and Ava fight was about as much fun as watching Xena, the Warrior Princess, drag her best friend Gabrielle over the meadow and through the woods until they both fell off a cliff.  (And never mind that Renee O'Conner guest starred in HACKS season 5 and there were several mentions of Xena, which I confess thrilled the heart of this old Xenite to no end.)

This show is billed as a comedy. But I never found it to be a comedy. I found it to be a drama about being a comedian, and those are entirely different things. The Big Bang Theory is a comedy. Cheers is a comedy. M*A*S*H is a drama with comedy in it. It's not a comedy.

HACKS isn't a comedy, either. It is well-written, though. Some episodes are great. Smart and Einbinder are both terrific actresses and each had their role snap in place from the first time the cameras started rolling.

It was a good show and I'm glad I watched it. I might have ended it with episode 9 in season 5 and left the emotional yank of the finale out of it. But overall, it's worth the time I spent on it. Give it a go if you haven't seen it yet.

Sunday Stealing

Stealing The Friday Fill-in

1. Dropping your ice cream in the street is not the end of the world.

2. Chocolate tastes so good!

3. Sometimes, putting others first is a pain in the ass.

4. Sunsets are breathtaking, really.

5. Well, maybe there is a multiverse and somewhere in one there is a me that is completely different.

6.  This week, my plans include checking out an event about data centers and electricity. Whoo!

 

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

  

Saturday 9: Mystical Magical

Saturday 9: Mystical Magical (2025)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song is about a new love affair, and Benson Boone bounces between frustration and optimism when he thinks about it. Does anything inspire your mixed emotions these days?

A. The local government brings out mixed emotions at present. We have a data center coming in directly behind us, in what was initially an industrial park. I have many mixed emotions about that. We recently learned that the electrical lines that cross our farm will have to be upgraded in preparation for the power the data center will need. That means the power company will be disturbing the cattle, tearing up pastureland, etc. The data center is not the "latest and greatest" in technology; it is a water hog, and that's a concern.

2) The lyrics mention "moonbeam ice cream," which is something Benson just made up. Last summer, when this week's song became popular, ice cream shops were inspired to create flavors with that name. What's your favorite ice cream flavor, and will you take that in a cup or cone?

A. My favorite ice cream is not a flavor, it's a specialty, and it's a hot fudge sundae (no nuts). I haven't had one since I was about 12 years old because that's when we discovered I'm allergic to milk. Eating one is on my bucket list. Maybe it'll be the last thing I do.

 

3) He sings that "once you know" about a love like this, "you know." Tell us about something you had to experience to fully understand.

A. Surgeries are things one must experience in order to fully understand. The doctor can stand there all day long and tell you you'll be up and around in three days and back to work in five, but until you've actually had the operation, all that is is a lot of talk. Nobody reacts the same to having their body cut open. And it hurts a lot more than they let on, too.

 

4) He composed this song at the piano. Do you play piano?

A. I can piddle at the piano, same as I can most other instruments. I can make chords and play a bit, but I would not say that I actually "play" the piano, at least, not in the same way I play the guitar.

5) He first sang in public at a high school talent show, which he only entered on a dare. Can you recall any dares from your junior high or high school days? 

A. I was dared to skip band class several times and did, often enough that the band director finally reported me to the principal and I had "in school suspension" which basically meant I spent an hour in a play-room with other kids who also were misbehaving. I remember doing my homework there. My teachers were appalled because I was a straight-A student and straight-A students didn't get "in school suspension." 

6) Benson was a good high school athlete and competed in diving at the state level. Can you execute a dive off the diving board?

A. I could manage a belly flop, I suppose, but certainly nothing graceful. I used to be able to, when I was young and lithe, but those days are long gone.

7) When he was 18, Boone auditioned for American Idol. What were you up to when you were 18?

A. When I was 18, I was working a job in the city, dating a few guys here and there, and taking college courses at the community college.

  

8) Benson has a dog named Max. He's not alone in this. "Max" is one of the most popular pet names in the US today. Have you ever known anyone (furry or otherwise) named Max?

A. I do not recall ever knowing a Max. The only Max I am familiar with is Mad Max from the movies. Oh, wait, I did know a Max. My old doctor's name was Max. Max Bertholf. He was such a nice man and a very good doctor. He quit practicing about 2004 or so. I did an article on his retirement for the newspaper. I never called him Max, though. I called him Dr. B.

 

9) Random question: If we knocked on your door on one of your lazy, stay-at-home days, what would we likely find you wearing?

A. You would find me wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. I would also have on a watch, earrings, and my glasses.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen

Survivor just ended its 50th season. We watched most of it. We did not watch much of Season 49, but since this was a "special" season, and Stephanie was coming back, I wanted to see it. I always did like Stephanie, even if I don't know her last name.

A recent turn of events at home, to be written about at another time, forced me to admit that I could never be a contestant on Survivor. Here are 13 reasons why.

1. I would not last an hour sleeping on dirt, sand, or pieces of bamboo. I am the first cousin to the title character in The Princess and the Pea.

2. I am allergic to fish and I won’t eat coconut. That leaves me eating nothing but rice and, I don’t know, maybe worms?

3. I am on medications that say, “do not be in direct sunlight.” Survivor is basically 39 days of direct sunlight.

4. I haven’t been swimming in 20 years. If the challenge involves water, I’m the one yelling “Y’all go on without me.”

5. I can’t even get into my bed without a step stool. How would I ever climb a rope?

6. My idea of “roughing it” is when the hotel ice machine is on a different floor. If I have to walk outside to pee, I’m done.

7. I require water that is crystal clear from a Brita Pitcher, not strained through a sock by a nasty well. And I’m not drinking it out of a bamboo cup carved by someone named “Boston Rob.”

8. I cannot function without at least three pillows arranged in a precise orthopedic geometry. A rolled‑up sweatshirt is not a pillow. It is a cry for help.

9. I would absolutely tell on myself during a challenge. “Jeff, I stepped off the beam. I know you didn’t see it, but I did.”

10. My resting face is ‘I’m judging you,’ which would get me voted out immediately. Someone would say “tribe unity,” and my eyes would betray me.

11. I would form an alliance with a hermit crab and then cry when someone stepped on it. Emotional resilience is not my strong suit.

12. I cannot whisper. Every strategy session would be me stage‑whispering, “I THINK THEY’RE VOTING FOR YOU,” and blowing up the whole plan.

13. If Jeff Probst yelled “Come on in!” I would yell back, “No thank you, I’m good right here in the shade.”  

And that would be the end of my Survivor journey.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 961st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

I'm a Summer

I haven't worn makeup for several years now. I used to never go without it. However, during the pandemic, I stopped wearing it, because who was going to see me? 

When the time came to reveal my face in public again, my skin had other plans. A new allergy had moved in while I wasn't looking. Makeup now makes my eyes itch and water. So my face is just my face these days. 

Recently, I noted that color analysis had come back around on TikTok. Once again, people were holding scarves up to their chins and declaring themselves Soft Autumns or True Winters.

It reminded me of the one and only time I went to have my "colors" done.

Back then, doing anything fashionable was completely out of character for me. But a work friend convinced me to spend a Saturday afternoon learning my "colors," a process which entailed taking off my makeup in public (a horror at that time) and having my physical self assessed. 

This was a lot of trouble for a woman who believed in blue jeans and Cover Girl.

Other women from work had spent small fortunes to be analyzed and "seasoned" so their wardrobes would match their personal coloring. As usual, I was twelve steps behind in the fad department, but at least by now the cost had gone down.

Many things can be said for humbling yourself in public. My friend and I ended up seeing each other in many different lights as the consultant ran us all over the downtown store. She led us, with bare, unmade faces, to opposite ends of the building to determine the best light.

As it turned out, my colors were not so easy to find. My eyes were an indeterminable color. I always called them hazel.

Apparently, they are not that simple.

The color consultant said my eyes were like "cracked ice." When she looked into them, she said, a person kind of fell in and kept going. Every time she placed a color near my eyes, that color became my eye color. 

She finally settled on some kind of combination gray-green-blue.

And what did I learn from this experience? I learned that I am a Summer and should wear dusty colored clothes. I also learned you're not supposed to take makeup off with soap and water, and that I should wear lipstick.

I did not then, and never have, worn lipstick. Lipstick has always bothered me, making my lips swell. I was a lip gloss girl, then and now.

The color consultant transformed my friend into a dashing sophisticate, a vision that fit her trim body and flowing hair. I thought she wore her makeup much better than I did. She bought a bunch of stuff to take home. I just paid for the consultation.

The true test of my new-found beauty came with my husband, of course. My face was tight, and my mouth tasted funny from the lipstick, but I needed his opinion before I searched for a washcloth.

He viewed me intently from afar. "Looks about the same to me," he said. He moved in for a closer look.

"Well, now I don't know. You've got it all smudged there in the corner," he said as he peered at my face.

I looked in the mirror. No, it wasn't smudged. It was applied as the color consultant had shown me, so as to accent a certain feature. "Move back and look," I said.

He did so, and admitted it looked all right from a few feet back. But up close and personal, where it really counts, all he could see was a smudge.

Looking back now, I have to laugh. I went through all that - the bare face, the comment about my eyes, the dusty Summer clothes, the lipstick that I could never wear - only to end up, years later, not wearing a speck of makeup at all. Somewhere my color consultant is weeping. But my husband? He says I look about the same.

Sunday Stealing

Memorial Day Questions

1) What freedom are you most grateful for?

A. A former news hound, I am grateful for the 1st freedom enumerated in the U.S. Constitution in the Bill of Rights. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." It's number one for a reason.

2) What book are you currently reading?

A. Witch Upon a Star, by Angela M. Sanders. I've not been in the mood for heavy reading, and these light romantasies have been just the thing to keep my mind occupied while not forcing me to overthink about the book.

3) What have you been listening to?

A. Whatever Alexa decides to play for me.

4) What shows or movies have you been watching?

A. We've been watching Hacks, Sheriff Country, Deadliest Catch, Homestead Rescue, etc.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Soldier

Saturday 9: Soldier (2016)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday that honors men and women who served and died in the United States Armed Forces. We want to make sure that message is not lost this weekend.

1) Are you a veteran? Are there veterans in your family? Do you know anyone who is active military? We are grateful and want to hear about it.

A. I had family members who served. I know of the children of friends who are active in the military.

2) This song is about the courage it takes for soldiers to march into battle. Gen. Patton said, "The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers." He was emphasizing that each individual's dedication is essential to the unit's success. Do you work well as part of a team? Or are you better on your own?

A. I do better on my own.

 

3) As of 2025, California is the state with the most military bases. Have you ever visited or lived on a base? 

A. We visited a military base near Virginia Beach several years ago. Mostly, we wanted to see an historic lighthouse that is located on the base. I found it kind of scary because they searched the car and checked ID.

 

4) At the turn of the of the 20th century, wristwatches were considered non-essential jewelry items, with pocket watches preferred for everyday timekeeping. During WWI, soldiers in the trenches needed to both synchronize actions across the battlefield and keep their hands on their weapons, so the wristwatch went from "fashion item" to "standard issue." Do you often wear a watch, or do you depend on your phone for the time?

A. I always wear a watch. I have for as long as I can remember. My first watch was an Alice in Wonderland watch.

 

5) Jeeps were originated by the US Army during WWII. Back then they were specifically for soldiers deployed to the European Theater, today there are more than 18 million Jeep-branded vehicles on the road all over the world. Have you ever driven a Jeep?

A. I have driven a Jeep. When I was about 12, my father brought home an old Jeep for me to drive up and down our very long driveway so I could catch the bus.

 

6) While Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses are a timeless symbol of cool, they were designed during WWII for a specific purpose: to give American flyers relief from glare at high altitudes. Tell us about your sunglasses.

A. I use the pull-over sunglasses that fit over my own glasses. They do not look cool and probably look stupid, but I don't care.

 

7) Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food? 

A. Watermelon.

8) This marks the weekend when Americans traditionally step up their outdoor activity and do things they may not have been able to do during the cold winter months. For example, when is the last time you worked in the garden or tended the lawn?

A. I pulled weeds recently.

9) As you answer these questions, is there an air conditioner or fan on?

A. The air conditioner is on.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen #960

Today we have a list of foods that never go bad if properly stored. In short, keep moisture, air, heat, and pests away and you can keep these babies in your pantry forever. We all might want to stock up on honey and dried beans. The way things are going, that might be what gets us all through the winter!

1. Salt - A mineral with no moisture, so microbes can’t grow. 

2. Sugar - Low water activity keeps it stable indefinitely. 

3. White Rice - Milling removes oils that cause rancidity; lasts decades when sealed. 

4. Dried Beans - Extremely low moisture; safe for years (older beans just cook slower). 

5. Lentils - Same principle as beans; long-term shelf stability. 

6. Popcorn Kernels - Low moisture and protective hull keep them viable indefinitely. 

7. Soy Sauce - Fermented, salty, and acidic; lasts for years unopened. 

8. Worcestershire Sauce - Another fermented condiment with long-term stability. 

9. White Vinegar - High acidity prevents microbial growth. 

10. Maple Syrup (Pure, Unopened) - Low water + high sugar content. 

11. Distilled Liquor (40% ABV+) - Alcohol content prevents spoilage. 

12. Cornstarch - Dry starch with no protein or fat to degrade. 

13. Canned Low‑Acid Foods - Safe indefinitely if the can remains intact. 

Bonus: Honey

Honey - Low moisture, natural acidity, and antimicrobial compounds let it last for centuries. Archaeologists have found edible honey in ancient tombs. 

Sources

Tatler Asia: Foods with no expiration date (white rice, honey, sugar) 

AOL: 10 Foods That Never Expire (honey, salt, sugar, white rice, dried beans, vinegar) 

SavingAdvice: Foods that never expire (honey, rice, salt, sugar, beans, lentils, popcorn, canned goods, soy sauce, Worcestershire) 

FoodEzy: Foods that don’t expire (salt, sugar, honey, white rice, dried beans, vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, distilled spirits, cornstarch) 

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 960th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

An Unhinged Biography

CountryDew was last seen emerging from a foggy hayfield at dawn with a bottle of water in a holster at her hip, one hand holding a half-finished blog post in a composition book, and the other holding a laptop with approximately seventeen tabs open about data centers, county politics, vintage guitars, medieval fantasy audiobooks, and whether deer can recognize individual humans.

Neighbors describe her as “very nice,” immediately followed by, “but also intense in a way that suggests she could absolutely dismantle a zoning proposal at a public hearing with nothing but a legal pad and disappointment.”

A former newspaper reporter with the soul of a poet and the investigative instincts of a bloodhound who once got into the courthouse records room and never fully came back out, CountryDew spent decades chronicling the quiet machinery of rural Virginia life. Births. Deaths. Farm disputes. School board drama. Government over-reach. Somebody’s goat escaping during Founders Day. The kind of stories that actually matter.

Now retired from formal journalism, she roams the countryside like a semi-feral Appalachian intellectual, blogging at odd hours on “Blue Country Magic,” playing guitar despite orthopedic betrayal, and staring meaningfully out windows while thinking things like:

“What if the entire emotional structure of my childhood explains why I’m angry about this easement?”

Her natural habitat includes:

• stacks of books,
• unfinished projects,
• protein shakes she does not particularly enjoy,
• notebooks filled with devastatingly accurate observations,
• and at least one deer standing motionless at the edge of the yard like a cryptid intern.

She has the emotional range of a 1970s singer-songwriter album:

Track 1: wistful childhood memory about fireflies.

Track 2: rage about property law.

Track 3: grief.

Track 4: suspiciously detailed discussion of hay cutting.

Track 5: cozy fantasy romance.

Track 6: existential collapse in the Kroger parking lot.

Track 7: recovery via Fleetwood Mac and stubbornness.

Her enemies include:

• vague legal language,
• shoulder impingement,
• emotionally unavailable men,
• poorly researched local reporting,
• custom orthotics,
• and anyone who says “nobody wants to read long articles anymore.”

Her allies include:

• her husband, who wanders through life like a cheerful farm druid somehow immune to stress,
• old guitars,
• county history,
• A&W Root Beer,
• and cherished friends, who have now heard enough family lore to qualify as relatives.

Despite everything, CountryDew remains deeply, almost irrationally hopeful about people. She notices beauty constantly. Wildflowers beside gravel roads. Old songs. Strangers trying their best. The way memory lives in ordinary objects. She believes stories matter because they are evidence that someone was here and that their life counted for something.

Also she absolutely will spend three hours researching a single sentence because a date “didn’t feel right.”

Local legend claims that if you drive the back roads of Botetourt County at twilight, you may glimpse her on a porch with a guitar, muttering about county infrastructure, writing emotionally devastating prose in a Word document titled something like FINAL_FINAL_REALFINAL2.docx while a deer watches from the tree line like a silent witness to the entire American experiment.

*ChatGPT wrote this using the prompt: "Write an unhinged biography of me."

Fighting Deer

My game camera caught this photo. It's a sight I see occasionally, but I've never managed to get a picture like this.

Deer frequently rise up on their hind legs to reach up into trees, but sometimes they fight with their hooves.

I don't know what these two were having a disagreement over or who won, but they were certainly having a little spat.