2022 Year in Books

Here's my list. Books 1, 3, 9, and 19 were probably the best of the bunch. I read a lot about baseball too, I think I just needed some easy reading to pass the time. Three years of a pandemic and it's like, eh, I don't want to keep reading heavy books about our screwed up world. Anyway, happy reading in 2023! 

1. Master of the Game, Martin Indyk 

2. Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management For Mortals, Oliver Burkeman 

3. Shooting Midnight Cowboy, Glenn Frankel

4. Half Empty, David Rakoff

5. Hitler’s American Gamble, Brendan Simmis

6. The Nineties, Chuck Klosterman 

7. The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink

8. 100 Things We Have Lost To The Internet, Pamela Paul 

9. Watergate, A New History, Garrett Graff

10. The Year That Broke America, Eric Rice

11. Ten Days In Physics That Shook The World, Brian Klegg

12. How To Be Perfect, Michael Schur 

13. A Block In Time, Christiane Bird 

14. The Magnificent Masters, Gil Capps

15. Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Tom Perrotta

16. Our Team, Luke Epplin

17. Meet Me By The Fountain, Alexandra Lange

18. The Secret Life of Groceries, Benjamin Lorr

19. Picasso’s War, Hugh Eakin

20. The Last Days of Roger Federer, Geoff Dyer 

21. 1972, The Series That Changed Hockey Forever, Scott Morrison

22. The Greatest Game, Richard Bradley 

23. Down and Out in Paradise, Charles Leerhsen 

24. Electric October, Kevin Cook

25. Miracle at Fenway, Saul Wisnia 

26. Adrift, Scott Galloway

27. Democracy’s Data, Dan Bouk 

Quiet Quitting Twitter

Like a lot of people who rely on Twitter for everything from social interaction to breaking news, I was concerned about Elon Musk’s buyout of the company. When it looked like he was going to blow up the deal, I was relieved, when it was back on, I sank. It turns out I (and others) were right to worry. The first few weeks of Musk’s stewardship validated our fears – hate speech proliferated and the predictable reinstatement of Donald Trump’s account came to pass. Musk has become a sort of troll-in-chief, sparking outrage by signal boosting lies about an assailant’s attack on Paul Pelosi, attacking companies that scaled back their advertising, and, most recently, sending out a tweet calling for the prosecution of Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In short order, Musk has made Twitter a more noxious place than it was before he bought the company. The natural question is “what to do.” And, if my follower count is any indication, some people made the understandable decision to leave. Others have, as they say, “tweeted through it,” noting the worsening conditions while fighting the good fight against the disinformation and conspiracy theories that have proliferated over the past month or so.

I was on the “tweet through it” side (without the lengthy threads) until the Fauci tweet. Not because of the tweet itself, which an egg with 9 followers probably sent back in 2020, but because it so neatly exposed the cynicism behind Musk’s thinking about the platform. You see, we are the product on Twitter. Its currency is engagement, the best way to ensure we stay engaged is to outrage us, and we take the bait over and over.  

Whether Musk legitimately believes Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted or Ron DeSantis should be President, or any of the other troll-ish statements he has sent out to the 110 million people who follow him (not to mention the press coverage he receives) is literally beside the point; Musk wants to make sure we stay logged on and pissed off. Whatever qualms companies may have about the site’s direction and whether to send their advertising dollars to it will be assuaged if Musk shows that people are as active as they were (if not more so) than before he bought the company.

And even if advertising dollars do dry up, I doubt Musk will change course. Why? Much has been made of the money he borrowed to buy the company, but even if the site went under and the banks called in their loans, Musk is the richest man on earth. While it might not be great to take a “three comma” loss, he can afford it and the investors he brought in – the sovereign wealth funds and the billionaires who dot the Forbes list of richest people in the world – can too. In other words, Musk has not only told you who he is and how he will run the site, but there is no leverage that can be applied to make him change.

So I have landed on a middle ground decision. I am quietly quitting Twitter. I do not want to leave the site entirely because for all its faults it remains a singular location where I can find and follow accounts about the wide range of things that interest me. I am simply going to spend less time on the site and even less time engaging in the outrage of the day. I am going to take that engagement currency Musk relies on and spend it elsewhere. I think it is in the spirit of Twitter to do something that is right for you while not expecting you will change any minds by doing it.

Gus Walks Into A Bar

There was a scene in a recent episode of Better Call Saul that hit close to home. Gus Fring, ordinarily a murderous drug cartel kingpin (*note, this is not the aspect I related to), was having a quiet moment drinking a glass of red wine at a bar. Soon enough, a sommelier appeared and he and Gus went on to have a conversation sprinkled with the kinds of small nods and “I remember you telling me” type comments indicating familiarity and comfort. Gus does most of the listening, reveling in the story telling of his companion who reminisces about a long ago trip to Europe and how the types of soil grapes are grown in affects the wine that they produce. Their conversation is lightly flirtatious and when they discuss a wine Gus purchased at the sommelier’s recommendation and for which Gus was waiting for a special occasion to open, it appears a more intimate conclusion to the evening is afoot. But when the sommelier excuses himself to retrieve another bottle of wine he wants to share, Gus discreetly reaches into his pocket, peels off four $100 bills, and asks the bartender to tell the sommelier he (Gus) has been called away.

 It is a sad coda. Here is a lonely man so emotionally distant from the world that he is willing to pay for a few minutes of enjoyable conversation but deny himself physical pleasure. I have a person like this in my life. Someone I get together with from time to time to just talk, mostly about what is happening in her life, her job, family, challenges she faces in working her way through the world. We go out to dinner or a movie, sometimes we just got ice cream at The Bent Spoon. It is all very innocent and a small respite for me from the reminders that I am unhappy in my own life and yet I feel awful every time I see her. She is lovely and engaging – that is not it – it is my own self-loathing that I am so damaged I need to pay someone to keep me company knowing they are (at best) just sort of nodding along.

The End of Ambition

 

There comes a time, often without notice, when you quietly transition from someone with ambition to someone who accepts that certain things will not happen for you professionally. I have been thinking a lot about this lately because I realized I am now on the other side of things. As the old saying about bankruptcy goes, it happens gradually than suddenly. Some promotional opportunities I did not get that chipped away at my self-confidence (maybe I am not as smart and talented as I thought I was). A whisper or two about being difficult to work with (sorry for having high standards of the people who work for me). My own bad decisions when presented with options and choosing the wrong one.

The story has layers and I cannot point to any one thing that led me to this place, just an accumulation over time. Mike Ehrmentraut observed that we all make choices and those choices put us on a road that leads in a certain direction and that sometimes those decisions seem small but they are choices nonetheless. I think there is a lot of truth to that. Personally, I think of it more like being on a road headed in a certain direction – you have some goal you are trying to reach, for me, it was to become a judge – and you make decisions you think will get you closer to that goal. Over time, your choices get you closer to, or, in my case, completely out of reach, of that goal. Worse, those decisions, ones you made and ones others made for you, affect your day-to-day livelihood. The annoying clients. The endless office bureaucracy. The assignments you do not like but cannot turn down. The dipshit partners who think you are simply a cog in the machine and could not give one tiny shit about your well-being. It all piles up.

And if that was not enough, being of a certain age tempers your motivation to change things. Why go on a job search for something else that will make me unhappy in different ways when I can just wait a few years and retire? Am I willing to give up the things that I like about my job (or at least view as selling points) such as the short commute, decent retirement benefits, and health plan, for a job that I might have to drive longer to do, will contribute money into a different retirement account instead of just staying here and investing in the one I have, and might make me change doctors who are not in whatever plan this hypothetical other job uses. And that is before I even get into looking for such a job and going through the interviews, etc. etc.

Not to mix metaphors, but all of this also has that frog in the boiling pot of water vibe to it. You know that one – a frog put in room temperature water will be slower to jump out as the heat gets turned up but if you dropped a frog into a pot of already boiling water, it will jump out immediately. Things have sucked for a while, except they always seemed manageable but now I just feel so deeply unhappy knowing that there is nothing ahead of me but day after soul crushing day of misery until I can quit this shit job and it just makes me fucking miserable.

(Almost) Ran Into A Rain Storm

Having an anxiety disorder is not fun. Take the following: yesterday, I was watching the local news. During the weather forecast the meteorologist reported that heavy thunderstorms would be coming through the area right about the time I would be leaving for work this morning. I generally do not like driving in heavy rain storms (who does?) and so I immediately became stressed out about it. How did this manifest further? Trouble sleeping. I woke up at 2 A.M. and then tossed and turned until around 4 A.M. My plan was to see how things looked and leave as early as possible for work if the rain had not started before I left. 

The skies were very overcast and rain looked imminent. The morning weather was not of much help as it suggested the rain would come a little later. Not wanting to risk anything, I left very early (about 6:15 A.M.) Sure enough, five minutes after pulling into the parking garage, a deluge started, which I watched comfortably from my office window thinking "finally, my anxiety helped me."  

2022 So Far ...

I was almost killed (twice, and in completely unrelated ways), got a $28,000 raise at the job I hate, and the only physical contact I've had with another human being was when the old guy who mans the self-checkout at Shop-Rite gave me a hug when he told me he was retiring. How is your year going? 

The Hardest Office Trivia Quiz On The Internet

Over the last 3 months or so, I have been posting a trivia question each day about the TV show The Office. Take this quiz if you dare and see how much you know about our friends in Scranton, Pennsylvania:

1.    In Casino Night Pam and Jim square off in a hand of Texas Hold 'Em. What

hand does Jim have? What hand does Pam have? And who wins?

2.    On Valentine's Day, Michael and the other regional managers go to New York

City to meet the company's new CFO, David Wallace. Michael shows David a

video. What is the title of the video? What is the name of the song Michael uses

in the video? And what is the name of Michael's production company?

3.     What is Angela's middle name?

4.    What is Michael and Jan's safe word?

5.    What is Kevin's favorite movie?

6.    What does "IAATG" stand for?

7.    What online screen name does Nellie use to troll Andy in the comment

section of the office's promo video?

8.    What is the name of the receptionist at Dunder Mifflin Utica?

9.    What was Pam and Roy's wedding date?

10.  What were the last two movies Robert California screened in his home

theater?

11.  As a member of Here Comes Treble, what is Andy Bernard's signature

song? 

12.  In Beach Games, Michael splits the office into four teams to compete for his

job. Who were the team leaders and what were the team names?

13.  Michael has a neon sign in his condo. What brand of beer is featured on it? 

14.  What is Dunder Mifflin Scranton's mailing address?

15.  Name the members of the office Dwight brought with him to Tallahassee to

launch the Sabre store.

16.  What is Mrs. California's first name? 

17.  In Season Eight, the gang goes to Philly for a bar trivia night. Name the

members of the winning team and their team name.

18.  Who was the Michael Scott Paper Company's first customer?

19.  Who was in DeAngelo's inner circle? 

20.  In the first season episode Basketball Jim and Pam discuss their respective 

plans for that weekend. What was Pam going to do? What was Jim going to do?

21.  Meredith brings her son into the office on Take Your Daughter To Work Day.

Three part question: What is her son's name? Why did she bring him to the

office? What nickname did he give to Dwight? 

22.  What is Dwight's favorite movie? 

23.  When Andy first arrives in Scranton, he mentions three things he will do to

become the number two guy in the office. What are they? 

24.  What does Flankerton translate to in English? 

25.  At Schrute Farm, Dwight has three themed bedrooms for guests. What are

they and which one did Pam pick when she and Jim stayed there? 

26.  In the movie Threat Level Midnight, who plays the role of Goldenface? 

27.  In Season Nine, what was the name of the Scranton-area artist Pam was

competing against for the commission to paint the Irish-American Cultural Center

mural?

28.  What was the name of the bar where Michael and Concierge Marie met? 

29.  In the board game Belles Bourbon and Bullets, who is the murderer?

30.  What is Dunder Mifflin's stock symbol and according to Oscar what does it

stand for?

31.  Where did Erin work before she started working at Dunder Mifflin? 

32.  What is Michael's nephew's name and what are his two favorite movies? 

33.  What is Pam's favorite yogurt flavor?

34.  In the Season Two episode The Dundies what does Phyllis win an award

for? 

35.  In Business School, Michael mentions five "goliaths" America is facing. Name

them. 

36.  What are the five possible conflict resolution outcomes? 

37.  What is Andy's WiFi password?

38.  What song does Angela walk down the aisle to at her wedding to Dwight? 

39.  What is Pam and Roy's song? 

40.  At whose concert did Michael think he got high accidentally?

41.  What are Pam's five desert island movies?

42.  Which branch won the weight loss contest?

43.  What does the acronym "HERO" stand for?

44.  What is Pam's middle name? 

45.  What was Jim's golf score when he, Andy, and Kevin played a round with

Phil Maguire?

46.  What was Michael's room number at the hotel he stayed at in Philadelphia

during the third season episode The Convention?

47.  In the Martin family, what is “Looks like someone took the slow train from

Philly” code for? 

48.  What is Ryan Howard's middle name?

49.  What real-life actor appears in the Sabre welcome video?

50.  What was Jo Bennett's mom's occupation?

51.  When Dwight becomes acting Manager in Season 7, what job title does he

give all his co-workers in the office?

52.  What was the dress code for Andy's garden party?

53.  What is the cash value of a Schrute Buck?  

54.  What is the name of companion piece to the Vagina Monologues that Andy

wrote?

55.  What is the title of Pam's YA book and the name of the main character?

56.  What are the names of Dwight's siblings?

57.  During what month does the office go on a booze cruise of Lake

Wallenpaupack?

58.  According to Ryan, what is Michael's greatest fear?

59.  What part time job does Andy's Season 3 girlfriend Jamie have?

60.  When Meredith brings her son Jake to the office for take your daughter to

work day, what phrase is on his t-shirt?

61.  At beach day, who won the hot dog eating contest and how many hot dogs

did the winner eat?

62.  What is the secret code to enter the office Dwight gets wrong after becoming

Regional Manager?

63.  What is Erin's first name?

64.  Name the song performed by the cast of Glee during the episode Viewing

Party.

65.  What is Karen's husband's name and what does he do for a living?

66.  What was Andy's SAT score?

67.  After Jim temporarily steps away from Athlead, where does the company

relocate to and what is its new company name? 

68.  According to Kelley, what do three, four, and five dots at the end of a text

message signify, respectively?

69.   What is Gabe's middle name?

70.  Who are the bosses of the Scranton Business Park's Five Families? 

71.  When Val joins the office she is in a relationship. What was the name of her

boyfriend and what did he do for a living?

72.  While doing karate, what did Dwight name his fists and feet?

73.  When the office met a sales goal in Season Eight, Andy agreed to get a

tattoo. Two part question: where on his body did he get the tattoo and what was

it?

74.  What is Jim's roommate's name?

75.  What is the name of the Hooters waitress who served Michael and Jim in The

Secret? 

76.  What is the last word of the poem Michael wrote for Pam before she left to

study at the Pratt Institute in New York City? 

77.  What year was Dunder Mifflin formed?  

78.  Who are the founding members of The Finer Things Club? 

79.  How old was Michael when he lost his virginity?

80.  What did Michael originally give Toby as a going away present and what did

the note attached to that gift say?

81.  At the 2005 Dundies, what award did Pam win?

82.  What musical instrument does Robert California play?  

83.  Where is Ryan working when Michael recruits him to work for the Michael

Scott Paper Company?

84.  What are the nicknames Michael gives the employees of DM Utica when he

presents to them as part of his lecture circuit?

85.  What restaurant does Michael take Erin to for Secretary’s Day?

86.  What medical ailment does Andy suffer from?

87.  What is the name of Pam’s friend who Dwight hooks up with at Pam and

Jim’s wedding and what does she do for a living?

88.  Which members of the office invest in Ryan’s business idea, WUPHF.com?

89.  What does “BTB” stand for?

90.  When Dwight becomes acting manager in Season Seven, he obtains a new

desk. Whose desk is Dwight’s desk modeled after?

91.  What is the office’s computer server password?

92.  What does Nate have written on the other side of his resumé?

93.  Which member of the office is allergic to dairy products?

94.  Which tournament did Kevin win at the 2002 World Series of Poker?

95.  What is Karen’s favorite brand and flavor of potato chips?

96.  What is the name of the fake salesman Jim and Dwight create to get around

Sabre’s commission cap and which actual office employee claims to be him

when Harry Generale from DM Syracuse comes to visit?

97.  When Andy first transfers to DM-Scranton, what kind of car is he driving?

98.  Name the song Michael and Jim performed a duet karaoke version of in E

mail Surveillance.

99.  Name the song Pam and Meredith performed a duet karaoke version of in

Lice.

100.  Name as many of the eighteen pretzel toppings offered on Pretzel Day that you can. 

The Office Trivia Question For May 20, 2022

When Andy first arrives at DM Scranton, what kind of car is he driving?

Answer to yesterday's question: Lloyd Gross, played by Toby. 

The Office Trivia Question For May 19, 2022

What is the name of the fake salesman Jim and Dwight create to get around Sabre's commission cap and which actual office employee claims to be him when Harry Generale visits DM Scranton from DM Syracuse?

Answer to yesterday's question: Herr's Salt and Vinegar.

The Office Trivia Question For May 18, 2022

What is Karen's favorite brand and flavor of potato chip?

Answer to yesterday's question: Kevin won the $2,500 No Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw Tournament 

The Office Trivia Question For May 17, 2022

Which tournament did Kevin win at the 2002 World Series of Poker?

Answer to yesterday's question: Meredith

The Office Trivia Question For May 16, 2022

Which member of the office is allergic to dairy products?

Answer to yesterday's question: A chili recipe.

The Office Trivia Question For May 15, 2022

What does Nate have written on the other side of his resume?

Answer to yesterday's question: Big Boobz (with a z)

The Office Trivia Question For May 14, 2022

What is the office's computer server password?

Answer to yesterday's question: Uday Hussein 

The Office Trivia Question For May 13, 2022

When Dwight becomes acting manager in season seven, he gets a new desk. Whose desk does he model it after?

Answer to yesterday's question: Bring That Booty

The Office Trivia Question For May 12, 2022

What does "BTB" stand for? 

Answer to yesterday's question: Andy, Pam, Darryl, Stanley, and Michael 

The Office Trivia Question For May 11, 2022

Which members of the office invest in Ryan's business WUPHF.com (Andy, Pam, Darryl, Stanley, and Michael)

Answer to yesterday's question: Isabel and she is a dental hygienist. 

The Office Trivia Question For May 10, 2022

What is the name of Pam's friend who Dwight hooks up with at Pam's wedding and what does she do for a living?

Answer to yesterday's question: Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The Office Trivia Question For May 9, 2022

What medical ailment does Andy suffer from? 

Answer to yesterday's question: Heyworth's 

The Office Trivia Question For May 8, 2022

What restaurant does Michael take Erin to for Secretary's Day?

Answer to yesterday's question: Shirty, Mole, Lazy Eye, Mexico, Baldy, Sugar Boobs, Black Woman.  

The Office Trivia Question For May 7, 2022

What are the nicknames Michael gives the employees of DM Utica when he presents to them as part of his lecture circuit?

Answer to yesterday's question: Bowling Alley. 

The Office Trivia Question For May 6, 2022

Where is Ryan working when Michael recruits him to work at the Michael Scott Paper Company?

Answer to yesterday's question: Harmonica

The Office Trivia Question For May 5, 2022

What musical instrument does Robert California play?

Answer: Pam won the "Whitest Sneakers" award at the 2005 Dundies. 

The Office Trivia Question For May 4, 2022

 At the 2005 Dundies, what award did Pam win? 

Answer to yesterday's question: MIchael gave Toby a rock attached to which was a note reading "suck on this" 

The Office Trivia Question For May 3, 2022

What did Michael originally give Toby as a going away present and what did the note attached to that gift say? 

Answer to yesterday's question: 28

The Office Trivia Question For May 2, 2022

 How old was Michael when he lost his virginity?

Answer to yesterday's question: The Finer Things Club was founded by Pam, Toby, and Oscar. 

The Office Trivia Question For May 1, 2022

Who are the founding members of The Finer Things Club? 

Answer to yesterday's question: 1949.

The Office Trivia Question For April 30, 2022

What year was Dunder Mifflin formed?  

Answer to yesterday's question: Seagulls.

The Office Trivia Question For April 29, 2022

What is the last word of the poem Michael wrote for Pam before she left to study at the Pratt Institute in New York City? 

Answer to yesterday's question: Dana

The Office Trivia Question For April 28, 2022

What is the name of the Hooters waitress who served Michael and Jim in The Secret? 

Answer to yesterday's question: Jim's roommate's name was Mark. 

The Office Trivia Question For April 27, 2022

What is Jim's roommate's name?

Answer to yesterday's question: Andy got a "Nard Dog" tattoo on his butt cheek. 

The Office Trivia Question For April 26, 2022

When the office met a sales goal in Season Eight, Andy agreed to get a tattoo. Two part question: where on his body did he get the tattoo and what was it?

Answer to yesterday's question: Basher, Thrasher, Crasher, and Fireball 

The Office Trivia Question For April 25, 2022

While doing karate, what did Dwight name his fists and feet?

Answer to yesterday's question: Val's boyfriend's name was Brandon and he owned a restaurant.

The Office Trivia Question For April 24, 2022

When Val joins the office she is in a relationship. What was the name of her boyfriend and what did he do for a living?

Answer to yesterday's question: Michael Scott (Dunder Mifflin). Bob Vance (Vance Refrigeration). Paul Faust aka "Cool Guy Paul" (Disaster Kits Limited). W.B. Jones (W.B. Jones Heating and Air). Bill Cress (Cress Tool and Dye).