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6.26.2020

Texts I never thought I’d send my wife:
“Do you know where my mask is?”
(A minute passes.)
“Never mind, found the one my dad put in my birthday card.”

FIVE.

1. Charles Booker leads Amy McGrath in the Democratic race for U.S. Senate — 43.5 percent to 40 percent — in what’s shaping up to be a record turnout for a Kentucky primary. Next Tuesday, we should know who’ll be taking on Mitch McConnell, after election officials tabulate all of those absentee ballots due to COVID-19. (Anybody else hoping to vote absentee every year?) On Wednesday, Booker tweeted: “I like our chances.” Imagine his odds not even a month ago, when he was campaigning in quarantined Kentucky and hadn’t yet become a national voice while marching in the streets.

2. Speaking of odds: Donerail, at 91-1, was the longest shot ever to win the Derby, in 1913. I mention this because, even though Churchill Downs says fans will be in the stands for the pandemic-delayed Derby on the first Saturday in September — not at full capacity, and with mask-wearing “consistently and frequently encouraged” but not required — what’re the chances that’ll actually happen? Confident now, sure, but what about 10 weeks from now? In other words: a McGrath. (And for the record: Out of habit I’ve mistakenly typed “first Saturday in May” every single time I’ve tried to write “first Saturday in September” since the Derby’s postponement was announced March 17.)

3. What’re the odds my first-grader will be able to keep a mask on her face at school next year when social distancing isn’t possible? Now we’re in Donerail territory.

4. Pandemic, protests, primary. Those topics (can’t believe the PPP acronym already exists) have taken up much of this newsletter since the first one in March. (Re reports about possible counterprotests: Yesterday Mayor Fischer tweeted, “We are aware of rumors suggesting that armed militia are coming to downtown Louisville this weekend. Our message is simple: We don’t need you here.”)
            Over the past month, though, I’ve been meaning to mention a C-J story from May:

            “More than 670,000 Kentuckians — roughly one-third of the commonwealth’s workforce — filed for unemployment insurance for the first time from the week ending March 14 through the week ending May 2.
            “More people are out of work in Kentucky than live in all of Louisville.”

            Though new unemployment claims are beginning to decline, C-J reporter Matthew Glowicki wrote about a woman today who has had trouble filing for unemployment, and she said, “It’s OK that I have to get rid of Disney+. That’s not a big deal. But it will come to bigger things if I’m not helped. That’s what freaks me out.”

5. And now some Burgoo, aka an emptying of the roadkill stew that is my monthly inbox.
 
“Be safe.” // The owners of New Wave Burritos have opened Toasty’s Tavern in Shelby Park, with a menu that includes bar food, breakfast sandwiches and a watermelon-mint margarita. // Andrew D. Harris is the new head of StageOne Family Theatre. // The Actors Center for Training (ACT Louisville) will premiere Straight Outta Quaranteen: The Musical Sunday on Facebook. // “Do you know the importance of a clean dog?” // The Waterfront Wednesday season is canceled this year. // Everything else is canceled this year. // The Community Foundation’s annual day of online giving, Give for Good Louisville, will be Sept. 17. // U of L Health has created the Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship. // Louisville native and independent-film producer Stu Pollard is using his nonprofit, Truancy, to give small grants to local film and video professionals. // “The towel that does it all.” // “Bernheim is now available for visitation on the popular virtual building game Minecraft.”     Or maybe you should step outside? // Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon will be out Sept. 2. // “Hi my name’s James. It’s my birthday, and I have something to say. … Thank you for your time.” Sorry, James: Don’t have any Birthday Bourbon for ya. // My three-year-old, Miles, said to me the other day, “Dadda, when can we go to the zoo? I’ve never seen a sloth and want to see a sloth.” Good news, buddy: The zoo is open. Bad news, buddy: They didn’t send an image of a sloth…but did of this addax.  // “Stay safe.”

Support for Louisville Magazine comes from the winery J. García-Carrión, whose Spanish Cava (sparkling wine), named Jaume Serra Cristalino, is for “celebrating the little wins.” Like, say, when a newsletter subscriber named Debbie Weeter reads to the final line (last week’s: “What movie should I watch tonight?”) and comes through by suggesting the documentary The Biggest Little Farm. And also, say, when I realize another reader who makes it to the very end of the newsletter is…my mom. Which led to this text exchange about movie recommendations:

I know, I can be a tough crowd. And if you’re wondering, “mc” stands for “mom cell?” because I was so surprised when she finally got a cellphone.

OH!

A little something from the LouMag archive.

Rapper Jack Harlow released his album Sweet Action in March and this week put out the remix to his biggest song to date, “WHATS POPPIN,” this version featuring Tory Lanez, DaBaby and Lil Wayne. Hearing Lil Wayne on a Jack Harlow track, especially that trademark lighter flick before his verse, made me smile big enough to *almost* forget I felt old for not having heard of Tory Lanez.
            I spent a year working on a profile of Harlow, from right after he graduated from Atherton High School until the next summer, when he performed at Forecastle. The story ran in the August 2017 issue, and during one interview he said to me, “I’m young. But I’m impatient. It’s crazy to be able to see your prime and not be there yet.”

TOO...

Earlier this month we wrapped up the magazine’s interview project with the 2020 class of high school seniors, and their answers will appear in our next issue, out next month. One of the questions we asked: What emoji reflects the current moment?
 
Here’s how they responded:

Josh Moss
editor, Louisville Magazine
jmoss@loumag.com

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