Banter Bites

More Calm … Less Chaos

Have you ever noticed that being mentally tired is so much more exhausting than being physically tired?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red always looks forward to Fridays as they tend to be "lighter" Red & Black days, which lets her catch up from the week, as well as get herself organized for the inevitable Monday morning onslaught of Black's weekend research and work, resulting in lots and lots of emails. And even though not a pressure-filled day, most Friday's Red finds herself not only physically tired, but mentally exhausted due to the pandemic on top of the presidential election, both of which created more stress than normal. Assuming anyone can even remember what "normal" is …

But today's different. Very different. Red's not sure if it's due to watching less TV because there was less genuine breaking news (vs. everything that's just promoted as "Breaking News") or because there was less political drama originating from the White House. Or a combination of the two. Regardless, she just felt more relaxed. Of course, there are things that make her roll her eyes (she does that a lot), things that concern her, things that will take a long time to be resolved, but Red welcomed the fact there was a lot more calm and a lot less chaos. And for the first time in a very long time, she wasn't heading into the weekend totally exhausted.

The funny thing is when she mentioned this to Black, preparing herself for a detailed and research-filled response, Black merely said,

This is one of those rare occasions where analyzing and understanding the "WHY" adds nothing, so I will say nothing … except … relax and enjoy.

Today’s turbulent times for Jews may overshadow the celebration of the Jewish New Year, one of the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Yet, ironically, we feel it should strengthen its significance, as the holiday is a time for reflection on the past and hope for the future.

If you think today’s politics are ugly … let’s talk about a man who named himself “dictator for life” of the Roman empire, and is then assassinated by a group of senators, including his best friend. (However, there’s a “pretty” part – Cleopatra was his mistress.) Food trivia and leadership lessons aside, the fact July is named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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We don’t know about you, but we hate bathing suit shopping. So, we can’t imagine what it must be like if you’re looking for a gender-fluid one. And why would anyone get their panties in a knot (as Black would say) if Target sells them? Or Pride-themed merchandise? But clearly, people did. Which makes us ask … why should Target have such a difficult time supporting their LGBTQ+ (there are variations of this acronym) customers? And, more importantly, why can’t we let people celebrate who they are without facing a backlash of prejudice and violence?!

Rainbows are beautiful and suggest something magical. But during Pride Month, they also become a symbol of love, support, and understanding for the LGBTQ community.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Until yesterday, when Black explained it to her, Red, like many people, didn't realize that Pride Month evolved from a tragic event, the Stonewall Uprising, into both a tribute and a memorial before it became a worldwide celebration of the LGBTQ community.

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