The Cassandra Emoji

 Some random bits from the past week:

My friend who is still in Florida made a post about the governor trying to prohibit AP Psychology classes from teaching about sex and gender.  I responded to her post:  "I need an emoji that says, 'I can't believe it's come to this, even in a time of apocalypse!' Something that mixes a bit of Harriet Tubman with a bit of Octavia Butler and some herb that only witches would understand--we could call it the Cassandra emoji."

On Wednesday, I heard The Violent Femmes playing at an upscale grill/bar/restaurant that caters to a world class golf course.  I'm familiar with the strangeness of hearing music from my misspent youth in unexpected places, but "Add It Up" has some lyrics which modern listeners might label as problematic.  Is there a censored version for public places that I don't know about?  Amidst the bustle of the restaurant and the outside terrace, I couldn't hear all of the song.

I've been staying in a place where I can watch The Weather Channel in the morning.  All the men wear vests, the kind that used to come as part of 3 piece suits, so they look like they left their jackets somewhere.  The vest doesn't necessarily match the tie, although it does seem to match the pants.  The fabric looks cheap and shiny.  Is this a men's fashion trend that has returned?  Are the male weather forecasters at the channel amusing themselves in some way?  Is there some thrift store competition I'm unaware of?

My nephew who is 17 years old asked me what my favorite Stephen King novel is.  My first answer was The Stand.  But that's a long read.  Are there shorter books I'd recommend?  There are.  But now I'm thinking about getting him a copy of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and leaving the question of Stephen King unanswered.