When columnists slip, someone's watching
Yo, it’s Wednesday and that means Chat Day.
Celine Dion is off this week, but I’m thrilled to announce that we get to open the show for actress-comedian Melissa McCarthy.
I think Melissa is terrific, partly because she grew up on a farm in Illinois with about 30 cats.
You know me and cats, right?
“When I was 8 or 9, I was always nervous when somebody else’s parents drove me home,” McCarthy said. “We’d go up the gravel road and then...
“You know these people are thinking, ‘Oh, my God, this is where we die.’
“They’d always just tell me to get out of the car right away.”
Another great thing about McCarthy is that she not only can laugh about her weight and how it changes, she’s not afraid to tell the world that a few pounds don’t define anyone.
“I’ll go up and I’ll go down, probably for the rest of my life,” she said. “The thing is, if that’s the most interesting thing about me, I might as well go live on a lavender farm in Minnesota and give this up.”
Amen.
You go, Melissa.
ITEM: Now then, a clarification...
I spotted a mini-mistake after the paper was in print last week, but there’s nothing you can do at that point except clutch your stomach and wait for somebody to haul you out behind the woodshed.
This time around, it was Rich Gerhard.
Rich wrote to mention that while I was describing Paulette Jordan’s explanation of something she said early in her campaign for governor, I made the mistake of referring to an AR-15 as an “automatic” weapon, which it’s not.
The AR-15 can be fired as a semi-automatic, which most folks around here well know is letting loose a single round with each pull of the trigger.
I really do know the difference, having fired an actual automatic (M-16) in the military.
If you hold the trigger back on those things, you can fire 20 rounds in about half a heartbeat — and produce three shots somewhere close to your target and the other 17 into the sky.
For the record, Jordan claimed that in the earlier interview, she had been referring to bump stocks, which indeed can convert a weapon like the AR-15 into an automatic.
And she wants bump stocks to be illegal in Idaho.
End of story, except...
Rich also weighed in on our debate over Halloween candy, and said he actually likes candy corn (boo) but like me would take Snickers every time.
Attaboy, Rich.
ITEM: Yes, there is such a thing as a mood map of the United States — showing the personality and emotional traits of folks in the 48 contiguous states.
Time magazine has just printed the thing, which came from a 13-year study involving responses from 1.6 million people.
In case you don’t subscribe to Time, you’ll no doubt be happy to know that Idaho generally falls into the same category as a few other Rocky Mountain states — Utah, Nevada and New Mexico.
Our most obvious traits: relaxed and creative.
You probably won’t be shocked to hear that things get worse as you travel east.
Washington, D.C. is the least agreeable place in the country, and West Virginia is a surprise winner as the most neurotic state.
Frankly, I like being an Idahoan, creative and...
And...
Zzzzzzz.
•••
Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press.
A Brand New Day appears from Wednesday through Saturday each week.
Steve’s sports column runs on Tuesday.
Email: scameron@cdapress.com
Facebook: BrandNewDayCDAPress
Twitter: @BrandNewDayCDA