Day: May 15, 2022

JFK flight landed at 6:15 am. The Nice flight leaves around 7:30 am. I love floating around, feeling like a rolling stone. Zurich airport is at least 15 times more pleasant and soothing than JFK.

https://vimeo.com/710256169

Is this the first major anti-woke pushback move from a corporate heavyweight? Is this a one-off or (if it turns out to be some kind of seismic indicator) an early indication of an emerging “we’ve had it up to here with your extremist social overhaul routine…we’re good people, we’re not your enemy, but sometimes you might be your own” — almost a Howard Beale moment.

Okay, that’s probably too extreme of a comparison. But Netflix has said that while their commitment to basic humanist-corporate values — caring, decency, respectful, fair pay and zero-tolerance attitudes re hate speech, Netflix will not automatically jump through woke hoops.

What Netflix essentially said to certain employees was “we’re in the mass-appeal streaming business, and not the political-cultural guidance business. So if you don’t like certain topics or plots or themes or jokes or stories (like that relatively recent David Chappelle performance flick), it may mean that Netflix and you (or maybe some of your workplace colleagues) might not be a match.”

I arrived at the JFK Swiss Air-Lufthansa terminal a little late — 2:35 pm. (The southbound A train wasn’t running in Manhattan due to signal maintenance.) Right away I sensed trouble. The Chicago stockyards ticket line was moving so slowly (it took 35 minutes to advance 35 feet) that it seemed obvious I wouldn’t make the 4:30 pm flight. Because I would still have the miserable security line to cope with.

So I went into hardcore theatrical do-or-die mode. I began pleading in a muted way. I was begging for mercy but without sounding too much like Blanche DuBois. I rolled my eyes a couple of times. I did everything but drop to my knees and weep. Inwardly I must have hissed “Jesus H. Christ” three or four times.

And I wasn’t the only one. I was watching a 40ish German couple have a fit — “But we’re going to miss our flight!”

I ran through the terminal and made the flight with less than five minutes to spare. God in heaven!

If I hadn’t made such a fuss and demanded that they get the lead out, I would have had to take another flight. If I had the power I would bring those awful JFK Swiss-Lufthansa desk agents up on charges. (Or certainly their managers) Understaffed, overwhelmed, indifferent.

4:59 update: Our plane has been waiting a half hour to take off. 5:15 pm: Liftoff achieved.

https://vimeo.com/710127461

HE’s Swiss Airlines flight departs JFK at 4:30 pm. Arrives in Zurich (great town!) around 6:15 am, a final commuter hop to Nice that arrives…I forget exactly but probably 9-ish. No bus or shuttle — take the local train to le gare de Cannes.

Third photo: Mickey Rourke, Roman Polanski on the set of The Palace.

If your Samsonite suitcase loses a wheel, you can supposedly obtain a replacement by way of a ten-year warranty. Actually not so much. The second photo is the Wilton pad — three stories, garage & laundry room. spacious interiors, nice forest view, squawking geese flying over, etc.

All sorts of different metaphors could apply to the idea of George Lucas roaming around and popping in at random, but let’s say he’s an emissary of death — Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black except older and with a blue-white checked shirt.