February 26, 2026

I take back what I said about the Olympics being boring this year. This was awesome.

Congrats to both hockey teams, too. You still can’t pay me to watch hockey. Actually, you can.

ASAN, one of the few autism-specific advocacy groups I trust, did a breakdown of the upcoming Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act bill. I didn’t know much about it. From ASAN’s description, it’s one of those bills that seems reasonable on paper, yet would likely stop people with disabilities from being able to vote.

Reading between the lines, this is probably a bill meant to stop illegal immigrants from registering to vote. A more forgiving read is that the writers of the bill just forgot about disabled Americans and how this would affect them … which happens all the time.

Of all the ways to codify who gets to register to vote and how, this specific bill ~may~ be a little helpful in stopping ~some~ bad actors from registering … but it will ~definitely~ stop a ~lot~ of existing American citizens from being able to vote. A bill trying to combat a “maybe” at the expense of existing Americans … just like this current administration’s emphasis on ICE.

Not a fan.

Here’s ASAN’s simple language breakdown.

I also got a whiff of nostalgia from ASAN sharing Congress.gov’s Find Your Members, a website I haven’t seen in a few years.

I did a few calls to my reps back in my Brooklyn days. I want to get back into it, but now for my LA reps, since I’ve lived here long enough and know the city and county better.

Calling reps isn’t sexy or fun, but it is something.

With respect to ASAN, they send out a lot of plain language action alerts (great) but not much else (not as great). Though not every nonprofit can do everything and be everything to everyone.

Metallica coming to the Sphere? Hell yeah.

Excited to play the new Resident Evil out this Friday. Initial reviews make it sound like a greatest hits vibe. I’m into it.

This past week’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame short list announcement made me feel nothing. Except Oasis.

I’m not in the Rock Hall, but I have a few friends and colleagues who are. Here’s how I’d vote in order:

1. Oasis (c’mon)

2. Wu-Tang Clan (most young people would rather be in Wu-Tang than any of the following bands)

3. Iron Maiden (I’m currently wearing Ralph Fiennes makeup from The Bone Temple)

4. Joy Division/New Order (the Rock Hall historically has never been too big on “moody,” but this is the rare combo of critical and commercial success that is still undeniable)

5. Lauryn Hill (one album, still rocks, still influential)

6. Phil Collins (cringe but better than you remember, and I remember Tarzan)

7. The Black Crowes (cringe but better than you remember, and good guitar riffs)

8. INXS (secretly better and bigger than you think; I remember the reviews of the initial The 1975 EPs and albums comparing them to INXS, and they’re not wrong)

9. Billy Idol (not the strongest discography but some A+ hits, and I stand by my conspiracy theory that “Eyes Without a Face” is a proto Japanese city-pop jam)

10. Shakira (Impossible to dislike, will eventually get in)

11. Sade (Maybe will get a bump in a post-Olivia Dean world)

12. Jeff Buckley (one album, not bad but never as good as rock history says it is, spiritually Gen Z, easy to like but also easy to tease)

13. Mariah Carey (I think I’ve heard “All I Want for Christmas is You” just one too many times but you can’t deny her impact and vocal abilities)

14. New Edition (much respect, wouldn’t be mad if they got in)

15. Luther Vandross (much respect, wouldn’t be mad if he got in, every time I think of him I think of that one Kanye song)

16. P!NK (has Katy Perry’s hit rate, which most people don’t want to admit)

17. Melissa Etheridge (will probably get in because she probably knows every Rock Hall voter)

-b