Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

"A Million Little Things" - Jon, At Least, Knew He Was in Pain

Unfortunately, those overseeing "A Million Little Things" keep sacrificing depth for complexity of plot line. 

Tonight's episode revealed that Jon, at least, was aware of the deep pain he was in. That was even though his three close friends, his wife, and his two children missed it. That came out in the note he left for his wife before jumping out of the window to his death. Ashley finally turned over that note.

But delving into his pain was skipped over to provide more space for a convoluted plot line about real estate investments and variables such as if a subway stop would be voted in. 

Readers become devoted to a dramatic series because they are emotionally attached to the characters. They don't tune in to learn about business per se. This isn't "Shark Tank."

Other opportunities to delve into the human condition that were missed included any ambivalence Katherine had about giving up the chance to be partner in her law firm.

When offered that promotion, she made it contingent on being able to be home with her son for dinner. After dinner, she indicated she would return to the firm in the evening. The powers that be turned that down. They demanded 100% commitment.

Initially Katherine seemed overjoyed to have her life back. However, this evening when she finds out that the man she is interested in at the firm did make partner, she is thrown off her game. This should have been explored more. That she could so easily have blown off the goal she had been pursuing for years isn't believable.

Another human element which could have been developed more is what makes Ashley tick. We know so little about her, her past, the nature of her relationship with Jon, and her inner life. At the end of the episode she is heading to Barcelona, Spain with the ticket Jon purchased for her before he jumped from the window.

"A Million Little Things" has a shot at being a memorable series if the writers would aim for simplicity in the plot and the directors would force the characters to portray unique human beings, not stereotypes of Boston Millennials.

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Tara Condell, 27 - Manhattan Snuffs Out Life of Another Successful Professional

Again, Manhattan has been a kind of suicide headquarters for a successful professional.

In the West Village, Tara Condell, age 29, took her life by hanging. Since designer Kate Spade hung herself, more females in Manhattan are choosing that method for self-delivery from life.

A nutritionist, Condell had a sort of kind of glam job. After all, it's cool to be into healthy eating. She came to Manhattan from San Francisco. 

As the New York Post reports, she left a long-winded suicide note on her website and in a folder in her apartment. She observed that she had been composing that letter in her mind for years. Those who frequently plunge into suicidal ideation will recall drafting that kind of statement in their own heads.

From what Condell put in her note it seems that she couldn't connect with the realities, good and bad, of life. She seemed to have existed primarily in her head. In 12-step programs, they warn the troubled members that living in their heads is like "playing in a bad neighborhood." 

From a family with an Eastern European suicide gene, I noticed how those who did themselves in were unable to let others into their pain. Instead they hung out in their heads. They also took refuge in addictions. 

Several times I asked psychiatric experts how come I haven't pulled the plug, too. After all, I struggle with more than the average number of demons.

Their answer: You let it out. That got me thinking. So many from the old neighborhood who were and remain  compulsive complainers about how they felt/feel are still alive. They are near 100 years old.

Could the epidemic of suicides be due, at least partly, to the social pressure to put an upbeat spin on one's life? 

Possible Takeaway: Belt out about that pain like a wounded animal in the forest. 

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Vanity Fair - No One Cares

Vanity Fair, part of the Conde Nast money-losing publication house, assumes the wrong thing. And, that's that readers care about its history. Or it as an institution.

Newsweek assumed the same thing. It became irrelevant.

The era when high-budget glam media like Vanity Fair (along with its Oscar party and great photos) dazzled us ended years ago.

When exactly was that?

That's hard to pinpoint.

It could be when Matt Drudge broke the story of the Clinton intern on his digital platform.

Drudge used unsophisticated devices like his flashing blue light. We loved all that. Total lack of glam.

Incidentally, his creation of the Drudge Report continues to not only survive but scale.

Or the date when Vanity Fair lost its pull force could be when the world economy went dark in 2008. The Gilded Age continued for the 1%. But the rest of us had to hunker down to a reality that remains grim. Ever think about retiring these days? Hahaha.

The sad thing about the self-absorption of Vanity Fair is that excellent writers such as Gabriel Sherman depend on it for part of their living. Since Vanity Fair is behind a paywall, those writers might not be receiving the page views they need in order to be kept on as a contributor by Vanity Fair. What will happen to those writers? 

I predict that within a few years Vanity Fair will cease to exist. Maybe even Conde Nast will be a goner. Recently it put all its publications behind a paywall. That could have been a very dumb move. Here is my article, published in Odwyerpr.com, on paywalls. 

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"Retirement" - Term Taking on More and More Meanings (for me, it simply means leaving the rat race)

On MarketWatch supposed retired Steve Adcock laments this: Because he's "retired" people assume he has stopped earning income from work.

They are outraged that he declares himself "retired" but continues to have side hustles such as money from his blog.

The reality is that the term "retirement" is taking on many meanings.

Among them is FIRE - that is, Financial Independence, Early Retirement.

Another, and the one I prefer, is exiting the rat race.

Sure we still work, often 60 hours a week, but gone is the intense careerism. We don't grab up every assignment. We don't leave in fear of a not-totally-happy client bad-mouthing us. We become discerning about how much stress we can absorb without suffering emotionally and/or physically.

Then there is what's being called "reverse retirement."

According to the Federal Reserve, one-third of those who retire bounce back into the workforce. Most often they return to work because they are having trouble making ends meet on a fixed income. Also, they may be bored. In addition, they get it that society treats them as "invisible" if they don't have an association with work.

If there were a general definition of "retirement," at least as it is currently being played out, it could be "stepping off the career ladder." There is no longer the preoccupation with getting ahead, often at any cost including physical and mental health.

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"Criminal Minds" - David Rossi Remains Haunted by Self-Doubt

Haunted.

That was both the plot line and the meme of "Criminal Minds" last night.

The serial killer was consumed with the need to cleanse houses in which there had been violence of their "poison." She did that by killing the poison carriers - that is, the current inhabitants. It is always extra interesting when there is a female serial killer.

The setting was a good fit for that: rural Maine, filled with big old houses.

The theme was how human beings get stuck, haunted by an earlier trauma.

For that the spotlight again was focused on BAU icon David Rossi. He can't let go of the fact that grifter Everett Lynch got away. Because he's preoccupied with that, Emily Prentiss comes down on him hard. Meanwhile, other members of that elite FBI team debate if there is such as thing as the paranormal. 

Will Rossi allow this work situation interfere with his so-far successful relationship with Krystall?

Unlike his previous romantic relationships he had let her into his thoughts and heart. It was to her that he opened himself up about his self doubt after not catching Lynch. They are due to be married soon. Will that actually happen?

It's jarring to witness how Rossi can come apart emotionally. If he does nail Lynch that won't necessarily solve the problem of losing his confidence. 

Meanwhile, it's equally jarring to have Prentiss become so tough. Will she continue being a hard-ass?

Here is a summary of last night's episode.

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Leslie Van Houten Still In Prison, But Squeaky Fromme Released Years Ago

Former Charlie Manson follower Squeaky Fromme had been granted parole years ago. That was despite the reality that she attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford. Currently Fromme is living a quiet life in upstate New York. 

However, another follower Leslie Van Houten had kept hitting the brick wall: Governor Jerry Brown. Twice he turned down the California Board of Parole's recommendation that Van Houten be released from her life sentence. 

Now, though, CA has a new governor: Gavin Newsom. As the media reports, again the Board recommended release. 

Those of us rooting for Van Houten know from our own little lives that the world changes, the people who form opinions about us change, and we change. Hopefully, none of us are the human beings we had been in our youth. 

According to media profiles over the years Van Houten had changed. That should be recognized.

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Polar Vortex - No Ambiguity

I did it: I bundled up, just like the media told me, to walk the dog. 

Usually, he won't accept my patient explanation to him that weather conditions make a walk impossible. He demands to check things out for himself. Perhaps some day he will receive a fellowship to study science at MIT.

The dog went out the door.

Within less than 90 seconds he headed back toward the door.

In his experience there is no ambiguity: It's too cold for either man or beast to be out there.

The normally never-miss-a-delivery-day U.S. Post Office agrees with that. Mail won't be coming today. 

Maybe it won't come tomorrow either. 

During the three-dog night I checked the price of apartments around the Florida panhandle. Sure, I will opt for hurricanes versus the polar vortex.

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Mandatory Arbitration for Employee Complaints - Another Sector May Be Ending All That

It's so commonplace: If professionals want that plum job, they will sign the employment contract mandating they submit their job-related complaints to individual confidential arbitration. No, there is no access to litigation, especially the class action kind.

That could change in the legal sector.

As the ABA Journal reports, at the annual meeting of the American Bar Association Resolution 107B passed the ABA House of Delegates. Its provisions would ban mandatory arbitration in the legal sector of employee complaints about discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation.

In Silicon Valley, that is already happening. During the walk-out by Google employees there was a demand for the end of required arbitration for sexual harassment. Google complied.  

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Polar Vortex - Will Hang On Long Enough to Trigger Mini Baby Boom

The polar vortex could put in play a mini baby boom.

That's because it is hanging on long enough to disrupt the usual evening routines. Instead of doing screen time, taking walks, or attending those hundreds of 12-step programs, human beings could notice each other again. One thing leads to another.

Here in northeastern Ohio the temperature plunge had begun about an hour ago. Experts predict that normal winter temperatures won't return until noon Friday.

That's plenty of time to reverse what is being called The Sex Recession.

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Utah Tourism Industry Could Receive Lots of Free Publicity

Dr. Terry Sanderson tells his story in the form of a lawsuit - which is the American way. He is in his 70s.

Filed today in the Third District Court of Summit County in Utah, the complaint contends that actress Gwyneth Paltrow was speeding on a beginner ski slope in Deer Valley, UT on February 26, 2016. Here is a copy of the formal complaint. In addition to Paltrow, the defendants include her ski instructor Eric Christiansen, the ski resort, and two other individuals. 

Allegedly, she crashed into Sanderson, knocking him down, and not stopping to check if he had been injured. Her ski instructor Christiansen didn't come to his aid. Neither did he alert the ski patrol. Those at the resort didn't help him either. 

Sanderson claims that the incident resulted in brain injuries and four broken ribs. His request is for economic losses and lifecare expenses. To him those total more than $3.1 million. Paltrow denies the accusation. Here is the media coverage.

Sanderson requests a jury trial. If this goes to trial, UT will be packed with media. Of course, that means that UT's tourism will receive a ton of free publicity. 

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