YOWZA!

I had the supreme pleasure of watching Eurovision Finals again this year with Little Miss and Young Sir. We were glued to the tube, watching every act do its thing. Some were pretty weird, some were exceptionally good and we cheered for those. Of course, I took a picture of the kids watching the opening and sent it to our friends in Israel...who immediately sent us a picture of them watching it! The kiddos went wild at the idea we were doing something with them in real time. Ain't technology grand!?!?!?!?!

Israel's entry was  Eden Golan; her song was incredible...but would have been even more so had the Eurovision producers not insisted they change the lyrics and change name from October Rain to Hurricane because it was "too political." A commenter on Reddit posted the lyrics side-by-side:

It was not political; it was a reflection on Israeli reality. Golan's voice echos the pain we as Jews are experiencing at the moment...the same moment she is booed, that Bambie Thug says her heart weeps because Israel made the finals. The ceaseless attacks on Golan and other Israelis were normalized in that event. It didn't matter what her lyrics said...as soon as she opened her mouth as a Jew and an Israeli, she was castigated for living. 

Ireland's entry, Doomsday Blue sung by Bambie Thug whose fingernails were painted with little Palestinian flags, was probably the most controversial of the entries for a number of reasons. Little Miss, who is not yet in double digits, remarked, "Well, that was inappropriate!" I couldn't disagree with her. Never mind Bambi Thug is an anti-Semite, that she complained when Israel's KAN network told viewers with children that her performance was scary. It was. It was also sexually explicit. Okay, a number of the performances were sexually explicit and not really all that suitable for children, but the satanic rituals depicted in the act were a bit over-the-top, even for me. Her Eurovision version is not posted yet, but her music video is tame by comparison. Bambie Thug's complaints were not as effective as they might have been...Israel finished in 5th place....Ireland was 6th. We cheered.

Her politics aside, I did not find her performance compelling in the least. It was not edgy; it wasn't even shocking from the sexuality and innuendo, I thought her appearance/costume was distracting at best, and frankly, prosaic. Boring in an oddball sorta wall. And I'd bet you a buck, she didn't know some of her lyrics are actually Aramaic words. Or am I the only one who noticed "Avada Kedavra, I speak to destroy / The feelings I have, I cannot avoid ? Or, perhaps that is not so symbolically directed at us. Hard to tell.

Lots of LGBTQ+ performers also sported "secret" Palestinian and Hamas symbols. I would urge all of them to visit Gaza as soon as possible to show solidarity with their LGBTQ+ siblings....if they can find any. Don't these people know who they are supporting?

Obviously not. 

By the way, Switzerland won. They were the first non-binary winner of Eurovision...that we know of. Maybe we can all give each other a break and let music be music; let it reflect who we are and what we hear in our hearts. Music is best shared...not lobbed as hate missiles at performers and populations. Just a thought.

The kiddos watched the whole thing, right down to the vote tallies. We had a great time, they snarfed up dinner, I got to introduce them to Luigi's Italian Ices (OU- Parve!) and they even let me sleep until 7:30 a.m. when they decided they needed food. Mostly mango, strawberries, and blueberries. After which we adjourned to their house for a delightful Mothers' Day brunch. Having the noodniks overnight is totally the best! Spending it laughing with the kiddos...priceless.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.... From the what a difference a day makes divison:

Today was not one of those great days due to an unexpected incredibly stupid I-shoulda-known-better kinda injury. This bright-star moment probably happened several weeks ago, had nothing to do with being knocked over by my 98-year old grandpuppy, but now it has decided to rear its ugly head in a painful way. I sorta remember when I stepped funny on a stone on the walkway in front of my house.....

Seems my ankle rolled and I did what I always do: I walked it off. Schlepping heavy bags of groceries up stairs for Pesach surely did not help the cause, and I started to feel the occasional twinge. About a week ago, I noticed a sharp, shooting pain straight through my left ankle every time I stood up. And I did what I always do: I walked it off. And kept on walking it off because I could. Until Sunday night...when I couldn't just walk it off. 

It's not that I'm impervious to pain...although I do like to think that....I just have an exceptionally high tolerance for a whole lotta reasons, most of which come from ballet, tap, jazz, and screwing around. That I rarely bruise and almost never swell also means stuff gets blissfully overlooked and/or ignored. By me. Despite full range of motion in the ankle, I had to admit to being in a fair amount of trouble. I mean, I hurt like a sonofabitch!

Viking Hell (as some of us call the giant Viking practice complex with the lights that used to shine right into the kids' windows of the old house because they were that high and bright) has a deal with Twin Cities Orthopedic that includes an urgent care on site. Of all the urgent cares around, this is a serious ortho center and (bonus!) it had the shortest wait time posted on the website. Plus, it's really close. So I went over. 

Good choice. I was seen right away, the ankle immediately x-rayed...then x-rayed again from a completely different position...and the ankle PA was with me in a matter of minutes for one of the most thorough joint exams I've ever experienced. She expressed amazement that I was walking if off for as long as I was, assured me all the bone parts looked great, but when she squeezed right where I indicated I hurt the most...and I damn near flew outta the chair. I kinda shrieked, "YOWZA!" She sorta chuckle-snorted. "Yowza?" she asked. I just grinned and shrugged...and thought of Ziggy. 

Seems I have a pretty severely sprained ankle. The ligament does not appear to be torn (thank G-d) but I am now the proud owner of a really nifty brace. It's pretty cool, supports my ankle in all the right places, and while it still hurts when I stand up, it mitigates much faster. There will be PT involved later in the week. I will whiz right through that 4-6 week recovery because:

I AM SPARTACUS!!!!!

Getting old is not for the faint of heart.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

This is really a tip from the Senior Son.

If you haven't sent this book to YOUR mother,

you should.

I laughed my motherly head right off.