Oh, I Think So

Teranofuji, seen last week just trying to use the men's room, came in second in the November Basho. It had to go to a playoff because he beat Takakeisho in the regular match and they both had a 13-2 record.  For the playoff the wrestlers go back to the dressing room and then come back out again.  (When it's the highlights they don't show the re-entry, just the tidied up sumos, dirt washed off from maybe touching dirt or slamming into dirt, all clean, maybe a different belt, ready to go again.)  Takakeisho was not going to go home without the giant Emperor's Cup and he quickly dispatched Teranofuji. Endo did much better this week and had three wins including today but he was so inconsistent that he will no doubt be demoted.  This makes me and all his fans -- of which he has many -- quite sad.  See you when you're promoted again, Endo. In January, it's back in Tokyo!  I am excited!

The November Basho is usually held at Fukuoka but the pandemic has it in Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugijan, the Ryogoku Sumo Hall again and it is even more fascinating than usual.  As I learn more about sumo and recognize the players by face and name it has captured my imagination.  Wrestlers will come and go -- if someone drops out because of injury or illness they will promote someone for the day so that there are not daily wins due to the scratch -- but sometimes they just can't catch a break or an arm or a belt and don't win enough matches and end up being demoted.  And so it is for Enho, my favorite sumo.  He is 5'6" and when I first heard about him he weighed 216 pounds.  He has lost weight and is now down to 190.  He has opponents who are literally over twice his weight who don't seem to be falling for any of Enho's sumo tricks this time. This tournament has passed the midpoint and his record is 0-8.  After next Sunday, I will not be seeing Enho in Gra...

  Courtesy of the New York Times, November 7, 2020

 Vote!!!!!  And for Biden/Harris. Thank you.

Yes, yes, y'all, Halloween is in six days and it's time to get ready to decorate your head with frippery even if it's just for your own amusement.  Do you want to create a t-shirt?  We turn to Oonaballoona on YouTube who will teach us how to make a graphic t-shirt.  Want a face mask for the face that will fit over your regular face mask?  Thanks to the New York Times for teaching us how to make one out of paper mâché.  These things can be worn whenever you need a lift.  Boo!  Let's hope that Halloween is the scariest thing that happens in the next two weeks. And here is for the mask -- yes, you will need to copy and paste it. https://nyti.ms/35o8NUa

I have voted via mail, choosing to deposit the ballot in a secure box at the early polling place in my neighborhood.  My vote has been received and will be counted on November 3rd as that is how they roll in Illinois.  The only political thing I have to say is this:  A certain someone has some very unpleasant followers who know neither history nor facts nor the Constitution nor any other law.  They could make things go unpleasantly faster than anyone can imagine and so I tell you this:  Stock your pantry, buy toilet paper, have bottled water on hand.  If you can't go out then you can at least have food and drink and a way to wipe yourself.  Perhaps have some Wet Wipes on hand in case you want to freshen up and the water's not suitable for bathing. Meanwhile, here are Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan, and Fred Astaire from "The Bandwagon."  It would be fun to shoot the other two and be only one.  It was a different time, y'all. (Movie clip courte...

The person to whom I sent the postcard last week called our mutual friend and said, "I think I got a postcard from Lena."  I see her maybe once a year but she knows my sick humor and that is wonderful.  Another friend to whom I've not spoken in many years called other mutual friends and said, "I think sent me this card."  Yes, he laughed.  And yes, she had laughed, too. I talked to a friend on Friday for her birthday and I asked if she got her birthday card and a postcard.  "Postcard?" she asked.  I described it and she laughed and laughed.  She said she couldn't figure out who had sent it but laughed as if she had just gotten it in the mail. This week I sent out some more, including two that were not at all political; they were me, wearing a Covid mask and a sleeping mask.  My hair is awful and as one friend said when I sent him the picture as a text message, "Really?"  One recipient has already received it and she said she laughed and l...