from happyrobot - updated 6/9/2026 5:45:33 AM https://www.happyrobot.net/words/sunshine_jen.asp en-us https://www.happyrobot.net/words/sunshine_jen.asp?id=10741
I had a Barbie doll when I was a kid. She wore a hot pink dress and had a sparkly ring stuck between her fingers. I had other Barbie outfits for her, but I always liked the hot pink dress best. Barbie once had shoes, but they were lost, probably in the vacuum. I didn’t have Barbie playsets or dream houses.

I also had Donnie and Marie dolls that were the same size as Barbie. I didn’t have a Ken doll, but Donnie was similar to Ken below the waist.

I also had a Wonder Woman doll. Wonder Woman was a little bit bigger than Barbie. Her Wonder Woman costume was painted on her body like a tattoo, so she was never totally naked. She also had a Diana Prince outfit and sometimes fit into Barbie clothes.

I sold my dolls at a family garage sale. I was bored with all the clothes changing and hair styling. I found my little Star Wars action figures much more interesting. I had a cast of thousands.

Yesterday, I saw the Greta Gerwig Barbie movie. The first half was excellent. There were a lot of witty movie references. Barbie lived in Barbieland, a perfect pink plastic prison with a cast of hundreds. I could not take my eyes off Ryan Gosling’s six pack.

Then, stuff happens in the movie. Barbie and Ken go to the real world. Barbie meets Gloria. Ken discovers patriarchy (it’s a joke that was only funny once). More stuff happens. Then Gloria has an incredible monologue about what it’s like to be a woman in America.

She begins with: we always have to be extraordinary, but somehow, we’re always doing it wrong.

Then, there’s a dance of the Kens which is hilarious. Then it ends. I wish there had been some explosions in Barbieland, but that’s just my aesthetic.

As I was leaving the theater, I checked my phone.

Sinead O’Connor was dead at the age of 56.

Shit.

Memory: I was in college. I slept on a cold stone floor in Rockefeller Center to get tickets to the final dress rehearsal of Saturday Night Live. Sinead was the musical guest. She was a tiny person. She was incredibly polite to the crew around her. Then when she opened her mouth, she unleashed a thousand swords. At the end of her second song, she held up a picture of a little boy.

Memory: It was 2007 or 2008. I saw Sinead onstage in Los Angeles. Damien Dempsey opened for her. Sinead came out. She was barefoot and in jeans and a T-shirt. At one point, she showed her support for Britney Spears who had shaved her head. Sinead was in great voice. We all loved her.

I don’t like to pay tribute to fallen rock stars and movie stars. Such ponderings usually feel nostalgic to me. I can never get the words right.

But Sinead. I’ll say it simple. She was extraordinary.
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When I first saw the title of the fifth Indiana Jones movie, my mind immediately went to that scene in Young Frankenstein when Gene Wilder is having a nightmare and shouting DESTINY! DESTINY! NO ESCAPE FOR ME! DESTINY!

Then I wondered if younger audience members would know what a dial is. Or would they wonder why Dr. Jones is seeking a bar of soap?

I saw the movie because gosh, it’s Indy. It’s better than Indy 4. However, I will warn you, it’s two hours twenty minutes and the longest Indiana Jones film. Raiders was under two hours and moved like a bullet. This one is a little slower. Time is an important theme in this movie and the first thing we hear is the sound of a ticking clock. Then we get a World War II flashback because it’s Indy. Then we get to 1969.

I used to like to say that I hit adolescence right when Harrison Ford took off his shirt in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now, forty years later, I’m perimenopausal (ugh), and sure enough, Harrison Ford has his shirt off in a new Indiana Jones film. Damn! He looks good. Damn! I’m getting old.

The shirt quickly goes on because Indy is a grumpy old man and those hippy kids are playing their Beatles music (Magical Mystery Tour) at 8:30 in the morning because they are celebrating the moon landing. However, Indy is a relic of days long gone and facing retirement and Marian is divorcing him.

Fortunately, after a bunch of circumstances later, Dr. Jones is off on another adventure with his goddaughter Helena (aka Wombat) played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (aka Fleabag, no smirks at the camera in this one). My Star Wars fan girl heart went a flutter when I realized that Han Solo was adventuring with the navigation computer of the Millennium Falcon.

Anyway, there’s lots of action, action, action. Every punch still has that punch sound. There’s a high energy John Williams score. There’s a stunt team capable of climbing over, under, and around moving vehicles. There’s a kid. Antonio Banderas shows up for a few minutes. So does John Rhys-Davies. Mads Mikkelsen plays the bad guy (By the way, if you’re tired of seeing him as a bad guy, check out the Danish film Another Round). The key is to not overthink the plot or time travel, just ride with it. During the hot summer days, it’s a good time in air conditioning.

Yes, Indy is older and a little slower, but he keeps going. Harrison Ford does a master acting class in committing to the wacky reality. He’s still fun to watch. Indy was never a superhero. He was just a guy who did stuff. He never gave up. . .even when he clung to the periscope of a Nazi submarine for a long long long time in Raiders.

Marian does show up. When she came on screen, I could hear the audience (all two dozen of us) let out a collective sigh. She’s old too, but she looks great. Maybe if we let Indy and Marian grow old, we can let ourselves grow old too. We’re not all dead yet. There’s still adventures to have.
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Recently at an outdoor BBQ, a friend brought a gold box of cashews. On the box, the cashews were identified as: Extra Fancy Jumbo Cashews.

Wait a second, before I go into the words, yes, I was at a BBQ with other people. We ate corn and sausages hot off the grill. There was watermelon. I drank beer. We sat on outdoor furniture and chatted with each other. Okay, sometimes the topic of conversation went to death, but still, it was a good time.

At the end of the BBQ, I was encouraged to take the cashews home even though I had not brought them. For several days after the BBQ, the gold box sat on my counter as I nibbled on them.

Extra Fancy. That’s such a nice phrase. It’s not just fancy. It’s extra fancy as if a mere level of fanciness is not enough to describe the cashews. While they are good cashews, I think extra fancy is going a bit far. I mean, there’s only so much fanciness one can derive from a nut.

I found the Jumbo word misleading and unnecessary. They are normal sized cashews. They are the size of other cashews I’ve eaten. They’re not the size of bartlett pears. They’re just cashews.

They are roasted and lightly salted. I don’t like overly salted cashews. My preference is for just a hint of salt.

They were the kind of cashews you would get as part of a gift basket or nut assortment. However, there were no other nuts with the cashews. There were only cashews. They were delicious.
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Hello Readers, I apologize for not being talkative the last few months. I have been staying in and keeping to my routine. No excitement. No big events. Then in April, I got THE SHOT.

I am proud to say that I am one of the 999,999 in a million who got a J&J one-and-done shot and did not need hospitalization for blood clots. For once, I am grateful for not being one in a million. Yes, I am not exceptional. I am not a bright star in vastness of space. I’m a piece of space junk hurtling around in the dark. Actually, I like that idea. I can just float away with the rest of the garbage. Oh, and yes, I have achieved full immunity. Woohoo! Sunshine Jen lives.

If you are one of the exceptional with post-shot problems, you have my sympathy and best wishes. I can imagine going through the anxiety and stress of a global pandemic, and it’s the vaccine shot that takes you down. Damn! So close!

Also, this month, I turned fifty. I am feeling pretty darn good at fifty. When I turned forty, I celebrated on this blog with beer and words. At forty, my attitude was, fuck it, I’m forty. When I turned thirty, I was all about the glitter and sparkle. When I turned twenty, I was serious, serious, serious. When I was ten, I was watching real Star Wars on RCA video disc. Now at fifty, I’m like, okay, let’s get on with it.

I don’t know if it’s common for folks turning fifty, but I have the Paul Simon song, Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover, playing in my head. Just drop off the key, Lee, and get yourself free.

Do I have any wisdom that comes with my fifty years? No, not really, at least none that I’m willing to share right now.
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It’s been awhile since I’ve thrown down some words. I’ve been staying in and following my pandemic routine. Most of my words have been going into my dragon novels. My dragons have been a sweet escape during the last few months. No, they do not breathe fire. Yes, they fly.

I’ve also been binge watching shows. Some shows have delighted me. Some shows I stop watching because life is too short even though I know the purpose of binge watching is to pass the time. Then there are the shows that I keep watching because while they might be mediocre, they will do for now. I’m thinking of Virgin River which is silly but everyone on that show is incredibly good looking.

This month, I splurged on Disney Plus and finally sat down to watch The Mandalorian. I have been told that since I love Star Wars, that I would love Mandalorian. I was a little weary especially after all the hype about Baby Yoda. Whenever Star Wars goes cute, it ends in disaster (see Ewoks, see young Anakin).

There is good Star Wars. There is bad Star Wars. The Mandalorian is good Star Wars. It hits the right space adventure tone with just enough moodiness and emotion (but not too much) and some cool action.

The main character is a Mandalorian, a member of a warrior sect that do not take their helmets off. He was given a name at one point, but it went in one ear and out the other. His friends call him Mando. The series is set a few years after the end of Return of the Jedi. The second death star has been destroyed and the rebels are trying to build the New Republic even though there are various Imperial factions still hanging around. Mando is a bounty hunter cleaning up the galaxy and trying to make a living.

One day, Mando meets the child (aka Baby Yoda) who sets him off on a series of adventures which is, well, the series. I won’t go into specifics about what happens but there is some crazy fun stuff on this show. I liked it when action figures from my childhood show up. I see you, IG-88! Or some interesting actors are cast. Holy smoke, it’s Werner Herzog! Or they go to Tatooine. You gotta go to Tatooine.

The Mandalorian show steals from lots of genres, but I especially love the nods to westerns. The writers didn’t just study Star Wars. They studied everything that influenced Star Wars. They also had fun with it.

There are sixteen episodes out now. Apparently there will be a third series coming in a year. Hopefully by then, we’ll be out of this pandemic, but I look forward to the sweet escape. Meanwhile, I’m caught up in a world of uphill climbing and nothing is rhyming. Oh Mandy, well you came and you gave without taking.
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Last night, I had settled in to watch old episodes of MASH when suddenly the power went out. This was not a surprise. There had been a heat wave on Labor Day Weekend, and the power grid was experiencing rolling blackouts.

I got up and found two flashlights I had gotten as freebies at sailing events. I stepped outside and saw that all the houses around me were dark. It wasn’t just my house. The streetlights were still on, and the traffic light a block away was still working. The block was dark and quiet. A cool breeze blew through. I took a moment to breathe it in.

Realizing I would be more comfortable outside in the dark than inside in the dark, I went back inside, grabbed my beach chair and phone, and sat myself down on the front lawn. I checked my phone. I could’ve posted about the blackout, but I’m bad at social media. Besides, I was certain the lights would come back any second.

But they did not.

Ten minutes went by. People started walking past. Some were with dogs. Some were just with themselves. I wondered if people figured, oh well, since there’s no TV, might as well go for a walk. I noticed many walkers were in flip-flips which made them waddle as their feet made flippy floppy sounds. A huge utility truck with flashing yellow lights meandered down the street. I wondered if the truck was actually doing something or just showing that they were doing something.

More people walked by. More dogs walked by. I felt more relaxed than I had in a while. I felt a sense of infinite possibility in the darkness with the light breeze. It was all okay. It was even pleasant. It was just a little dark.

The lights came back on after being out for more than an hour. I picked up my chair and went back inside. I set the digital clocks with their flashing twelves back to the correct time.

So much for MASH that night, but there will be more episodes tomorrow.
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Think of Something Beautiful. That’s what the little sticker on the rear door of a white van said. I saw it last week as I was walking doggie. It was a little thing that made me smile.

Think of Something Beautiful. Major League Baseball is restarting. That’s a good thing. I’m still not sure how I feel about the DH in the NL. There are no fans at the games. At Dodger Stadium there are card board cutouts of fans. You can purchase one at dodgers.com. You won’t be at the game, but your image will be. Insert joke about people in LA having no depth.

Think of Something Beautiful. Joe Kelly’s mocking pout in Houston yesterday. FU Astros!

Think of Something Beautiful. That feeling of putting on clean clothes after a shower. The smell of soap during a shower. The power of the shower.

Think of Something Beautiful. Or maybe just enjoyable. I recently finished the series Red Oaks on Amazon. It is set at a country club called Red Oaks in New Jersey during the 1980s. The main character is an assistant tennis pro named David who is trying to figure out what to do with his life. It also delighted me to see some of the episodes were directed by Amy Heckerling or Hal Hartley.

I remember back in New York in the late 80s/early 90s, Hal Hartley’s films were must-sees. His film Simple Men had the line: there’s no such thing as adventure and romance, only trouble and desire.

Red Oaks also sent me on a nostalgia trip to New York in the late 80s when we saw films at the Quad or Cinema Village, and we all lived in crappy apartments. We had answering machines. We wore black work boots or Doc Martens or black shoes. You needed a good pair of shoes/boots because you walked everywhere. There was pizza at St. Marks and all the delis and bodegas. We dyed our hair with manic panic. I walked fast. It was all so new. There was beauty in the grit of it all.

Think of Something Beautiful. The Strand Bookstore. I spent hours in there.

Think of Something Beautiful. The sunsets in LA continue to be awesome.

Think of Something Beautiful. The look of certainty and joy on the doggie’s face when he’s about to get yet another walk.
]]> https://www.happyrobot.net/words/sunshine_jen.asp?id=10728 Hello Robots, are you ready to start the workout? Do not respond. Your response does not matter since this is a video, and I can’t hear you.

For the next ten minutes, we will be moving around in this video, and you can do the same movements at home. It doesn’t matter if you mess up because no one can see you except your own internal judgmental.

Make sure you have water nearby in case you dehydrate. Remember, if you collapse, no one can help you. Okay, here we go.

Step to the side, step to the other side, step to the side, step to the other side. There you go. You got it. Or I’m hoping you got it. I can’t see you. And Step and Step. And walk it out. Just walk in place. That’s right.

Now we’re going to go straight into squats. And squat. Go as far down as you can. And up. And squat. Keep a nice straight back. And down. And stay down. Stay down more. And five, four, three, two, one. And walk it out.

Woohoo!

Moving onto jumping jacks. Ready. And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, fifteen, fifteen, fifteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Good job! And walk it out.

Next standing with feet apart, we’re going to turn and twist. Keep that stomach tight. And turn and twist. And turn and twist. And turn and twist.

Commercial in five, four, three, two, one. Do you want a new bed? Of course you do. The new patented Electro Bed sends electric shocks through your body so you can actually lose weight while you sleep. Returning to video in three, two, one.

And turn and twist. Turn, twist. Two more. Turn and twist. Turn and twist. And walk it out. Good job everyone!

Scissor arms. Go on. Make your scissors cut! That’s right. You got it. And cut! And cut! And cut! And cut! Your arms are strong! Your arms are long! And walk it out.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Ahhhhhh. Remember, when tomorrow is today, today will be yesterday. You can’t redo yesterday, you can’t control tomorrow, but you can exercise today. And stretch it out.


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Formula One is restarting this weekend with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull ring in Spielburg, Austria. There will be no fans in the stands, but it will be on TV (in the States, it’s on one of the ESPNs). As a Formula One fan, I am excited. Yessss! Happy! Happy! Happy!

I realize that many of you are new to Formula One, but might be curious about it. There is a good documentary series on Netflix called Formula 1: Drive to Survive. If you don’t have the time to watch more Netflix, here is the Sunshine Jen Guide to Formula One.

Formula One is high level motorsport racing. The cars are built only to race in Formula One, and there are a lot of specs and technical stuff to them that I won’t go into. Unlike Nascar which is raced on oval tracks, Formula One cars go to both the right and left on a track made up of corners, chicanes, and straights. Unlike Indycar, Formula One cars do not refuel during a race although they stop for tire changes or repairs.

Some famous Formula One drivers: Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda

Formula One teams each have two cars. There are three teams that are usually in front and win.

First, Mercedes is the premier team. They have won the team (or Constructor’s) championship every year since 2014. They are like the Michael Jordan Bulls. They are a dynasty but they also are a solid team. They have one of the best drivers of all time and a solid engineering team. Their Phil Jackson is Team Chief Toto Wolff. I like Toto a lot. During a race, he’s calm and focused unless something goes horribly wrong. Then he will pound his fist into the console. Then he is calm again.

The two Mercedes drivers are Lewis Hamilton (from the UK) and Valterri Bottas (from Finland). Hamilton is the best driver of a generation. He’s been an individual champion six times. He knows how to drive his car. He hangs out with famous people and does interviews on talk shows. Valterri Bottas is not flashy. He just drives very very fast. He’s been with Mercedes since 2017. He and Hamilton will get out in front and stay in front the whole race.

The Mercedes cars are usually silver (Silver Arrows), but this year, their cars are black to show their support for building diversity at Mercedes and Formula One. Also, Lewis Hamilton is a person of color and will have Black Lives Matter on his helmet. He’s also been very outspoken about bringing more people of color and women into the sport.

Second, Ferrari. They have been a Formula One team since Formula One started in 1950 (seventy years this year). They are the team of the Prancing Horse. They are team of Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda. Their cars are red. They’re Italian. They’re based in Maranello where the bells ring for their victories. Ferrari’s Team Chief is Mattia Binotto. Their drivers are Sebastian Vettel (from Germany) and Charles LeClerc (from Monaco).

Sebastian Vettel is one of my favorite drivers. I love it when he gets angsty when things go wrong. What are we doing here??? He shouted into his radio one time when he crashed out. He’s also a super smart driver and one of the best starters on the grid. He’s been individual champion four times. 2020 will be his last season with Ferrari. Will he retire at the ripe old age of 33????

Charles LeClerc started at Ferrari last year, and he came in strong. He’s twenty-two but looks like a sixteen year old. He’s like Bottas. He just drives very very fast. He recently signed a long term contract with Ferrari, so he is their future.

The third Formula One team to watch is Red Bull. Yes, it’s the sport drink. You don’t have to be a car maker to have a team. Last year, they changed their engine from Renault to Honda, and it seems to be working for them. Their Team Chief is Christian Horner. The Red Bull drivers are Max Verstappen (from the Netherlands) and Alex Albon (born in England but races under the flag of Thailand).

Max Verstappen is twenty-two. At the age of 18, he was the youngest driver to ever win a Grand Prix in Barcelona in 2016. He’s aggressive, bad ass, and will do anything to pass. He will try to get to the front. He’s a Formula One star.

Alex Albon came to Red Bull at the end of last season. I like him a lot. He’s also aggressive and will back up Verstappen. He can be a spoiler.

Then there are a bunch of other teams. Some other things to watch:

AlphaTauri. They used to be called Toro Rosso. They are the secondary Red Bull team. They have good drivers and they will be on their home track.

Renault. Specifically Daniel Ricciardo. He’s Australian and an aggressive passer. If he has a good engine, he will go. He also has a nice smile.

McLauren. McLauren was the best of the rest last year. Carlos Sainz from Spain is worth watching. He’s got hustle. He’s going to Ferrari next year.

Haas. The American Team. I just hope Grosjean doesn’t crash.

Alfa Romero. They have a driver Kimi Raikkonen who is also from Finland. He’s the old guy at the age of forty. He’s also been a champion. Lots of experience. Lots of knowledge. His nickname is the Iceman. If the car is good, he’ll be in the mix.

Racing Point. They have pink cars. They recently had a change in ownership. They also have Sergio Perez, a very good Mexican driver.

Williams. Do I have to talk about Williams? They are an old team out of Great Britain. They’re usually at the back.

What Happens On Racing Weekend:

There are three practice sessions where cars go out on the track and, well, practice. I find practice sessions boring.

On Saturday, there is Qualifying where the spots on the grid are determined. Cars go out and drive their fastest laps. They are not racing each other. They are just trying to go as fast as possible. The fastest car gets pole position at the front of the grid.

On Sunday, it is race day. Cars line up on the grid, do a warm up lap, then start and race. First car to finish wins.

Pit stops are important. A Formula One car will spend two to three seconds in the pits. The pit crews are incredibly in sync. Cars usually have to use two different types of tires, and when those tire changes happen is important.

After the race, the first place finisher gets 25 points. The second place finisher gets 18 points; then the points decrease down to tenth place which gets one point. Each team also gets the points for finishing, so it’s important for both cars to do well. This is why Alex Albon and Valterri Botas are crucial. They might not be as flashy as a Max Verstappen or a Lewis Hamilton, but they can get points for the team.

The trophy ceremonies are fun. It will rain champagne. Daniel Ricciardo drinks the champagne out of his shoe. Good on him.

I posted this right after the second practice session. Hamilton and Bottas posted the fastest times with Sergio Perez in third. However, it’s only the practice. There’s still time to find the winning formula.
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Hello, it’s the end of June and almost July. How is everyone? I am okay in LA. When I’m not okay, I know it’s temporary. LA’s Covid-19 new case numbers have been spiking which is alarming. I’m staying in.

I still walk the doggie every day with a mask on. The dog does not wear a mask. I’ve really gotten into mask wearing. The masks no longer fog up my sunglasses, and I have different ones for different moods.

When I wear a mask, I feel like a super hero or an x-man or a watchman or one of the men. Who is that masked dog walker? Who is that behind the mask in the cookie section of the grocery store? I am anonymous yet present. I feel the Force. Yes, I am a Jedi. Or Jedi am I. Do I have to wear brown robes?

My choice of mask is commonly known as a neck gaiter which I also call a buff. I wear the buff when I sail, so I have a happy sailing nostalgia feeling in a mask. When sailing, I would cover my face to keep the sun off. Now that we’re in June, I also have to keep the sun off. I have a bunch of buffs in a variety of colors. My Facebook feed knows I like buffs so it shows me ads for cheap ones.

While walking the dog, I have noticed that there are many other people embracing the mask. They wear masks with colorful patterns or cartoon characters or logos. They are embracing mask chic. They are expressing themselves through words on the mask. The mask works with the outfit. I have never seen a mask that clashes. Then again, I am in LA.

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While I was walking the doggie through the neighborhood yesterday, I came upon a pile of painted rocks sitting on the edge of someone’s lawn. I stopped for a moment to examine this pile of rocks while doggie sniffed a nearby tree. Next to the pile of rocks was a sign that read: Rocks of Encouragement.

This is strange, I thought, I’ve never been encouraged by a rock before. The closest I ever came to an encouraging rock was a group interview I sat in on with The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) for some film he was promoting. He truly was a rock of positivity, and he had an extremely large neck.

The Rocks of Encouragement in front of me were originally smooth grey oval rocks commonly used in landscaping. They were painted with bright blues, reds, greens, yellows, and some of them had positive words like Love, Peace, Hope. They made me smile as the doggie peed on the nearby tree.

One of the rocks said, Stay Positive. I’m not a fan of that phrase. Stay is too stagnant a word for me. I like to be mobile in my positivity. I also prefer positivity over positive. I like the extra syllables. Then again, it is a phrase painted on a rock in the middle of a pandemic. I’ll stick with the positivity. Negativity is too much of a bummer. It’s all okay.

In fact, it’s okay has become one of my favorite phrases these days. I’m not ambitious. It doesn’t have to be great. Good is good, but if I can’t get good, I’ll take okay. I’m okay. I hope you’re okay.

I did not put a rock of encouragement in my pocket. I didn’t want to carry any extra weight. As the doggie and I continued on our way, I kept thinking about rocks of encouragement. What a strange name for a rock garden. How about stones of survival? Or pebbles of fortitude? Or minerals of optimism?
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A day or two after I posted my Video Chat post, I got an email from the Chief Robot inviting me to a happy robot video chat. So there I was chatting with the fellow robots on happy matters. It was a video chat party. Good times.

Now I am posting about baseball in the hopes that I might be able to trigger some baseball mojo in the universe.

I have been trying to not binge on media during the pandemic. Okay yes, I watched the whole Making the Cut series on Amazon in two days, but I have a weakness for fashion competition reality shows. One day you’re in, and the next day, you’re out. Or in the case of Making the Cut, will you make the cut?

I’ve also started watching Korean Baseball which is airing on ESPN 2 in the middle of the night. Even though there are no fans in the stands, South Korea is playing baseball. South Korea is also totally rocking the widespread Covid-19 testing and at this time are reporting around thirty new Covid-19 cases daily. Also, I really liked Bong Joon-ho’s film Parasite. Go South Korea!

Korean Baseball is just like American Baseball. I like the pace of the games. The defensive plays are solid. The pitchers and hitters seem to do a lot less stalling between pitches. They use the designated hitter rule. Each team is allowed three foreign players.

There’s a lot of physicality. I saw one hitter get hit by a pitch while at bat, so he took a walk to first. Then, the pitcher nailed him again accidentally as he was leading off first. Ouch. These guys are tough.

My only complaint about Korean Baseball is the ESPN commentary. Just like when they broadcast Major League Baseball, they go off on tangents and not call the game. For Korean Baseball, there are whole innings where they are telling stories or interviewing someone about the return of baseball in the States. Call the game, boys and girls.

As I learn more about KBO, I find myself appreciating the beautiful game of baseball even more. It’s a simple game, but in that diamond, there is a whole universe of complexity. It’s a sweet escape. Go Dinos!
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When I was a child, computer screens were only two colors filled with words, so video chat was a really cool thing from the world of science fiction. I love that scene in Empire Strikes Back when the Imperial Fleet came out of hyperspace too close to Hoth, so the rebels were alerted to Empire’s presence. Darth Vader used a video chat to choke the Admiral Ozzel and promote Captain Piett. Adminiral Ozzel had failed him for the last time. The dark side of the Force is powerful even over video chat.

Since the start of the pandemic, I have done some video chatting, and okay, I’m going to say it, I do not like it. Sure, video chatting is here now. Sure, it is a good way to connect and actually see someone. However. . .

Once the initial moment of wonder that we are actually looking at another human being wears off, I find it kind of boring. I’d rather talk on the phone or text. I don’t know why people need to see me. I definitely don’t like looking at myself in the lower corner of the screen. I get extremely self-conscious and the art house cinema fan in me takes over. Which side is my good side? Should I wear my hair up or down? Is my face really that asymmetrical?

I also find myself critiquing how other people frame themselves. Some folks have their camera above their faces, so there is a lot of forehead in the shot. Some folks have the camera under their faces, so there is a lot of chin action. Some have a bright light source behind them, so the face is in shadow.

The backgrounds are interesting. I have realized that everyone pretty much has the same basic house. There are walls, plants, books, windows, drapes. Some folks like to add a background, and that’s all very special effects. I chat with a lot of sailors and I like the boat/ocean backgrounds. One friend uses a beach background, and I worry about sand getting into her laptop even though I know the sand is virtual.

Realizing that I didn’t want to look at myself as I was, I raided the Halloween box and found funny wigs and hats. I wore a witch hat on one social chat and that made me happy. I’ve even thought of putting certificates and pictures up on the wall behind me. It would be something to look at instead of me.

Recently, I went to a memorial service via video chat. I was surprised to find myself moved by the experience. Anyone who wanted to say something about the person could speak. If the memorial was not held on video chat, half the people attending would not be able to celebrate the lovely person no longer with us. It did not matter where we were. We were able to come together when it mattered.


]]> https://www.happyrobot.net/words/sunshine_jen.asp?id=10721 The new bath mat arrived on Sunday. It’s blue. I’m totally stoked.

Bath mat is probably not the right word for the item since the mat is not going into the bathtub. It’s going into a shower stall to replace the old bath/shower mat. The old mat was originally clear and is now a gold-beige-tan color. Time for the old mat to go. Good bye old mat.

I can’t remember when I bought the old mat. It was several years ago. It served me well. I didn’t have to think about it. It was just a bath mat.

During the pandemic, I find myself thinking a lot about mundane things like the bath mat. Pre-pandemic, if I thought about the bath mat, I would have put it on a list to pick up during some errand running. Now, the mundane must be sought out. I never thought I would be googling a bath mat and that I would find a wide variety of bath mats on line. Still, the arrival of the bath mat is cause for celebration. Woohoo! It has suction cups. It’s blue.

Yes, I know I wrote blue twice. It’s okay.

As the calendar moves toward May, I continue to stick to my routines and fill my day with little things. My goals include reading actual books and not binge watching every single show streaming. Then I sleep. Then I wake up. Then I fill my day with a lot of little things. And I keep going. And I’m still breathing on this planet. It’s okay.

It’s okay has become my mantra. It doesn’t have to be great. It could become terrible, but that’s not right now. It’s okay. And! I have a new bath mat in the shower. Sweeeet.


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During the pandemic, I’ve seen many social media friends baking bread or cooking elaborate dishes. I’ve enjoyed their pictures and was happy that they were engaging in culinary experiments to pass the time.

Recently, I moved away from my own cocktail making and decided to make a dessert I had not made in a long time. I made Jello.

I have now rediscovered Jello (or Jell-o) after many years, and it is darn groovy. It has that not quite solid and not quite liquid mouth feel. It comes in a variety of unnatural colors with flavors that range from fruit punch Gatorade to cough syrup fruit.

It’s one of those foods that brings back memories of humid Ohio summers and picnics at water parks. Jello was always there. Sometimes, we ate it with Cool Whip if we wanted to be fancy. I have no bad memories of Jello. I tried to remember some awful party where Jello shots were served, but no, I remember nothing bad about Jello. It’s a happy food.

Here is how I make Jello:

Get a box of Jello mix.

Read the instructions on the box of Jello mix.

Boil water.

Mix boiling water and Jello powder together in a bowl. Stir until the powder dissolves. It is very important that the powder dissolves.

Add cold water to the mix. Some people like to add ice, juice, or vodka. I’m a minimalist, so I just use water.

Chill the bowl in the refrigerator until it is slightly solid in that Jello way. I prefer to leave it in the fridge overnight and watch it turn into something beautiful.

If you want to add fruit or whipped cream or sugar candies, that’s between you and your Jello. Look at the Jello. Look how it shines for you. And all the things that you do.
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How is everyone doing? I’m still hanging in there. I’m still breathing and walking the dog. I’ve had a few moments of AHHHHHHH and a few moments of UGGGHHHH, but I’m doing okay.

Recently as I was walking the dog, I had a brief stumble on an uneven sidewalk. I didn’t fall, but I did hurl forward a few quick steps. Well, I thought, that was interesting. It wasn’t a disastrous stumble. It wasn’t graceful either. I guess I could call it an imperfect set of steps.

These missteps made me think about perfection and imperfection. I have an imperfect life which suits me fine (most of the time). Still, why do I feel driven toward perfection? Or do I simply seek excellence?

I spend a lot of time on sailboats or I used to spend a lot of time on sailboats (okay, okay, I will again). You’ve probably seen that perfect image of a sailboat in front of a setting sun. The sails are full. The boat is moving. It seems so calm, so peaceful, so perfect. Maybe there’s a spinnaker (the colorful large sail that looks like a parachute).

Many times I’ve been on sailboats and it hasn’t been perfect. The sails aren’t trimmed correctly. Or the sails aren’t all the way the up the mast. Or we’re heeled too much or too little. Or I’m racing a sailboat, and we’re (gasp) not winning the sailboat race. Or the wind has died.

Is it because I am female that I feel driven to perfection? On sailboats, I’ve noticed women tend to say sorry when they make a mistake while men tend to shrug it off. I tell the women they are not allowed to say sorry around me, and they look at me like I’m making a big feminist statement or at least liberating them from their insecurities.

As for me, I’ve been around sailboats a long time. I still make mistakes. I like to say that I don’t make the same mistakes twice. I just find new ones.

Regrets? Oh there are more than a few. There are a few blog pieces that make me cringe now. But so what. All of these pieces together form a life, or a version of life that is not exactly perfectly true but in its imperfections adds up to something human. So I’m going to continue to throw the words down. And write fragmented sentences.

]]> https://www.happyrobot.net/words/sunshine_jen.asp?id=10718 How is everyone doing? I hope you are doing okay.

I am well. I am healthy both mentally and physically. I even discovered a fun Zumba class on you tube. It’s raining again in LA this week, but it’s only rain.

Back in December, I bought myself a bunch of new neckguard scarves. They are rings of fabric that you can wear on your head or to cover your face or protect your neck. They’re versatile, and I wear them when sailing. I can cover my head, so my hair doesn’t fly all over the place. I can also protect my face from the sun and wind and look like a sailing ninja.

Now, I’m wearing a neckguard over my face to walk the dog. Does it protect one hundred percent from all the viruses in the world? No, but it helps. Besides, when I put one on, I think about sailing, and that makes me happy. Also, the dog is happy because he’s walking. Happiness is all around.

As I walk the dog and maintain a six foot circle around myself, I started to think about how everyone is walking around trying to maintain their six foot bubbles in order to avoid collision with other six foot bubbles. This also made me think of sailing, and sailing makes me happy.

For the last few years, I have been teaching sailing. One important lesson I teach my students is how to avoid collisions with other boats. We talk about the importance of maintaining a lookout for other boats while knowing which boat has the right of way. For example, a sailboat (under sail) has right of way over a powerboat. However, if that powerboat is large and does not have the ability to maneuver, then the sailboat should give the powerboat right of way in order to avoid collision. There are other rules too, but I won’t bore my non-sailor readers with them.

I was thinking about avoid collision when I saw a mother with two young kids on tricycles walking toward me. She does not have the ability to maneuver as I do with the dog (who is a very good boy, yes he is), so I moved off the side walk to pass her. I was thinking of avoid collision when I saw the old man in an electronic wheelchair, so doggie and I shifted over to the tree lawn and negotiated some exposed tree roots in the rugged nature section of our walk. I thought of avoid collision when doggie discovered the greatest smell ever and had to sniff it for several minutes while a jogger came down the sidewalk and ran around us by going out into the street. Once again, collision avoided. My six foot bubble remains intact. Woohoo!

By the way, the doggie, who is a husky, loves to stop and look at cats sitting on their front lawns. He stares at them, and the cats stare back. Neither one moves. Neither one is aggressive. They just take a moment. It’s kind of cool to watch. Then we move on.
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Recently our intrepid Sunshine Jen reporter, Dustin, found himself up a tree with two squirrels in a park in Los Angeles. After receiving an email from one of his squirrel friends, he decided to talk with the squirrels directly, and they arranged to meet in a tree in the afternoon two days ago. As a cool breeze eased through the trees, the squirrels talked about their lives during the last few weeks.

Dustin, it’s been chaos! One squirrel exclaimed as another squirrel nodded in agreement and licked its front paws. The squirrel continued:

It used to be easy. Dogs in the morning, then dogs in the evening. But now! Now, it’s dogs all the time. Some humans let the dogs chase us up the trees. Fortunately, the dogs can’t climb, but they get mighty close.

One almost bit my tail yesterday. Too many dogs. The other squirrel interjected.

We used to see the same dog twice a day, but now we will see the same dog four or five times a day.

It’s terrible. Just terrible. We barely have enough time to find nuts, eat nuts, or bury nuts.

Or sit in the middle of a field and bask in the sunshine.

No more basking for us. We have to hide like rats.

To think, we’ve lowered ourselves to the standard of rats. It’s demeaning.

I feel so small even with the fluffy tail.

At least my tail is still fluffy. It’s the little things that matter.

At this point, the two squirrels paused to fluff their tails and admire the fluffy tails on each other. At the other end of the park, a human child started screaming.

Oh those kids. The squirrel said exasperated.

Those kids. They’re everywhere. They used to spend all day at the large building at the end of the road, but now they’re everywhere every day.

I won’t lie. I’ve been chased.

And some of them climb trees. Terrible, just terrible. We have to climb higher.

To high!

Suddenly, a dog on the leash started circling under the tree and sniffing.

Oh no. Here comes another one.

The dog looked up and spotted the squirrels.

Woof-woof went the dog.

The squirrels unleashed a barrage of naughty words which we will not repeat here.

After a few seconds, the dog lost interest and walked away with its human.

Realizing that the squirrels had nothing more to say and wanted to only eat their nuts, Dustin climbed out of the tree and walked home to file this report.



Sunshine Jen here. Smashwords which carries my ebooks is doing an ebook sale, and many ebooks are available for free. I’m offering my two fiction ebooks for free on Smashwords as part of sale. Go to www.smashwords.com and search for Sunshine Jen. You can download Beautiful Collisions and Dragon’s Mate for free. . . if you need something else to read.
]]> https://www.happyrobot.net/words/sunshine_jen.asp?id=10716 Greetings from Social Isolation. I hope everyone is doing okay. I am fine, thank you.

I remain positive that we’re gonna get through this. I remember reading accounts of survival a few years ago, and consistently the people who survived had hope. They stayed positive.

What’s the alternative? Negativity? I don’t want to be miserable. I’d rather go out with a smile on my face. I wonder if in a past life, I was part of a group facing a firing squad, and I was the one who said, it’s okay, we’re gonna be okay, right before bang-bang-bang. Oh well, that’s that.

Let me reassure you that I’m not happy all the time. I have moments of worry, concern, stress, and stagnancy. But they pass. I’m going to keep on keeping on. Let’s do this. I’m writing this for me as well as you. Chin up, stupid grin, drink some gin. It’s okay.

Right now, I feel like we’re in a waiting game. In America, this is hard. We’re people of action action action. We do do do (a dah dah dah). We have to do something, but there is nothing to be done. All we have to do is isolate and wait. For pointers on how to wait, I recommend Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot. Those guys waited for two acts, and one of them had bad shoes.

How do we win the waiting game? There’s no way to win the waiting game because there’s no action you can take to move farther down the board. The time has to pass. That’s all. How do we lose the waiting game? Sadly, there are ways to lose it. It makes me sad to think of that, so I won’t go there.

In the meantime, keep doing your thing. I’m still doing my thing---which is very much like the thing I did last month. I like to keep to myself anyway. Now that everyone is keeping to themselves, it’s like a community of solo artists.

If you want wisdom, look to the great Jedi Master and social isolator, Yoda. He spent decades on the swamp planet Dagobah which wasn’t so bad except for the swamp creature that tried to eat R2D2 and the cave where the dark side lives. Otherwise, it’s a pretty nice place. Yoda said: Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you, here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes, even between the land and the ship.

And if you don’t believe in mystical fields, it’s okay to fall back on simple tricks and nonsense.
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Happy Pandemic Everyone. I hope wherever you are that you are healthy in body, mind, and spirit. I wish you joy and happiness, but above all this, I wish you looooooooove.

I am well, thank you. I am self-quarantining and socially isolating. I used to call it an extreme writing day. Now every day is extreme writing day.

This morning, as I was replacing the toilet paper roll, I was mindful that I was replacing the toilet paper roll even though there is plenty of toilet paper in the house. Then I wondered if this will be the new normal. By the way, I have heard of at least two pizza places that have included a roll of toilet paper with every order. What does that say about the pizza?

I must apologize if this post seems a little more stand-up comic than the usual Sunshine Jen fare. I’ve been binge watching Mrs. Maisel.

It’s been raining in LA and Southern California. The pictures of Disneyland closing looked very dark and ominous with people in plastic rain ponchos and thick grey clouds. It was just some rain. We haven’t jump started the apocalypse out here. We just had rain and a pandemic happen at the same time.

There is one group that is winning in these crazy times: dogs. I live with a dog, and he is getting walked more than usual. I communicated with several dog owning friends, and they are experiencing the same thing. Their dogs are much happier. The dog humans are home more and take them walking more. No more being left alone. No more quickie walks before going out at night. The dog walks are lonnnng and special because the humans need it as much as the dog.

By the way, July is National Hot Dog Month. However, there is great uncertainty in my world about National Hot Dog Day. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, National Hot Dog Day is July 17th. However! The North American Meat Institute will be hosting their annual Hot Dog Lunch on Capital Hill on July 22nd. There are two National Hot Dog Days this year. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Something to look forward to.
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