russellrhodesblog

I saw a movie that I think will make a difference for a great many young people wrestling with their sexuality. “Love, Simon.” It’s about a high school kid who is coming to terms with the fact that he is gay. Twists and turns, but a happy ending. I’m a movie theatre snob. I usually go to these over 21 theatres that do not allow kids. For “Love, Simon,” I was forced to see it in a regular movie theatre. So glad I did. It was full of young people. Kids reacting. Kids cheering for Simon. It was refreshing. I can only imagine how this movie might have played a few years ago. I do think we have made progress. A long way to go still, but progress. I read that some adults have said they wished they had had this movie to help them come out. I understand. It would have helped me too. That said, I’m just glad I live in a time where there is a movie like this and we can talk about it.

I like to believe that I can plow through just about anything. It may not be pretty in the end, but I will eventually get there. Then, there are the allergies. I’ve read the news with kidney stones, but this week my allergies took me down. They are getting worse too. I’ve been taking allergy shots for seven months now. I really thought this year’s oak pollen season would be better for me. So far, it’s terrible. Left work on Thursday. Stayed in bed all the rest of that day and Friday. Just miserable. Headache. Nose bleeds. Stuffy. No voice. I’m on antibiotics and steroids now. They are helping. I’m lucky though because I can take off work when I’m sick. The only repercussion is a letter once a year telling me how many days I was sick. For those that can’t call in sick or are self-employed, I’m sorry. That has to be a terrible thing. And I know there are a ton of people in that very situation. I’m going back to work on Monday. I’ll be better by then. I’ll go in for the weekly allergy shot on Tuesday. I think it might be time to discuss how much these things are helping. Also, which state has the lowest oak pollen count? Anyone there need a late fifty something morning TV anchor? I can plow through anything. Well, almost anything.

“I read the news out loud on TV.” When people ask me what I do for a living, that’s what I say. I have always hated calling myself an ” anchorman” or a “news anchor.” That’s Walter Cronkite or Peter Jennings or Tom Brokaw. The big boys. All that said, whatever you want to call it, what I do for a living is getting harder everyday. The news is bad. I’ve been doing this for more than thirty-five years now and I have to tell you it is harder right now to “read the words out loud” than it has ever been. This latest school shooting in Florida has really done a number on me. For one thing, it’s too close. Just a few hours away. The other thing is that it just keeps happening. When are we going to figure out a way to stop this kind of thing from happening? I do believe that this time is different. The conversation continues. I do think some real solutions may come out of this. Not soon enough, though. These high school kids who are taking this on impress me. The survivors, but also the ones in other schools who are just fed up. I feel change this time. I wonder which of our lawmakers and leaders will be on the right side of history on this? Many, I think, will be out of a job sooner than later. I’m needing my news stories to change. I would love it Monday morning if I could say, “Sweeping gun control measures just past in the House and Senate. The Bill is on the President’s desk. He/She will sign it in a Rose Garden ceremony with school shooting survivors.” Not this Monday, I’m afraid. I interview Chris Wallace from Fox News on Fridays about his Sunday show. This week, on the subject of gun violence, Chris said, “I’m tired of talking about this.” I know what he means. I am too. We will keep talking about it though until it’s fixed. We have to.

Honestly, it’s something I have thought about. Flying with my two Frenchies, Coco and Josephine. Could be fun. Right? I was in the Newark airport over the holidays. (Don’t even get me started on that airport. Oy vey!) The number of dogs in that airport was incredible. We sat in a restaurant waiting for a flight and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Do all of these people really need support dogs? Probably not. It appears the airlines are figuring it out too. Maybe it was Dexter the peacock that tipped the scales. Seems a passenger tried to board a United flight with Dexter at the Newark airport. Emotional support, she said. United said, nope. Now, the airline is rethinking its emotional support policy. It’s time. While I love my dogs and I usually love everybody else’s dogs, flying with them is probably not a great idea. I mean, I love Coco and Josephine more than I love most people. They make me happy. They make me feel good. They calm me down. They are truly emotional support for me. That said, I don’t need them on vacation. While I can’t wait to get home and see ’em, I think they enjoy a break from me. I’m pretty needy. Coco and Josephine need emotional support too.

It was one of those moments. One of those watershed moments. This, for me, will define the Donald Trump Presidency. Besides everything else he has said and done, this one thing, for me, defines it. Yes, I know, who among us hasn’t said the word when referring to something? It is however, that the President of the United States would say it referring to other countries. Not acceptable on any level. Even the Trump voters seem embarrassed by this one. You can’t explain this away as his “plain spokenness.” President Trump, I think, knows he went too far. Now, I don’t expect an apology. I expect nothing except that this will die down and we will move on to something else awful. We elected this. Not me, but “we,” as a country. I voted for Hillary. Perhaps the only candidate so bad that people would rather vote for Donald Trump. That’s on me. So, in a way, I helped this happen by not realizing early on that we needed someone else to run against him. I do think Hillary Clinton would have been a great President. At the very least not an embarrassing one. She just wasn’t a very good candidate. Here we are, then. I gotta get through this. I will. We will. I just worry how much uglier this is going to get?

Finally, on a plane headed for New York. It’s been a great trip to Spain. An extended trip by two days because of bad weather back home. As nice as this has been, I’m ready to get back. Back to real life. Back to work? Well, maybe. Gotta think about that. Ready though to see my dogs. Coco and Josephine. Love those little girls so much.

Ouch. Just put on my seatbelt. Didn’t need the extender, but almost! Another reason to get outta here. Too much jammon. (Ham, but not really). Undo the damage. Working out everyday next week. Look out Newark. I still have one more day of eating! I need a burger. The American kind.

My good friend Chad said, “There are worse places to be stuck.” As this monster winter storm named “Gregory” beats the hell out of the East Coast, we are stuck in Spain. New York is closed. We can’t get a flight out for two days. Yes, Chad, there are worse places to be stuck. Madrid is a beautiful city. After being here for a few days, I have noticed something about the people too. They take things much more slowly than we do back home. Dinner, even breakfast and lunch, tend to be an event to savor. The ham. The bread with tomatoes on top. The fried eggplant with honey, a personal favorite, are enjoyed slowly. The coffee is consumed at the table. Not in to-go cups. There is something to be said for all this. And that said, I’m ready to go home. Two extra days in Madrid is nice, but it’s time to go. Worse places to be stuck, indeed, but still stuck.