Aug 1, 2022 3 min read

Wow! We’re into August already. Used to be that summer was a time to slow down, take a vacation, lounge in the back yard. But this year’s summer has been very stress-inducing: heat waves; droughts; flash floods; record-high inflation; a new strain of COVID.

Plus we have the revelations put forth by The House Select Committee Investigating the January 6 Attack on the Capitol. As a friend summed up, “You know you’re in trouble when anarchists start to organize.”

About the only light moment during the eight committee sessions televised so far came with the screening of video footage that shows freshman Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri fleeing the Capitol after rioters had breached the building. Now, you might say that there is nothing funny about a man fleeing an angry mob. True, but in this case, only hours before he fled the Capitol in terror, Hawley had been recorded on video while pumping his fist to incite rioters outside the building. Be careful what you incite!

The very brief video of Hawley fleeing instantly became hilarious after pranksters took the silent clip and set it to music – everything from the “William Tell Overture” to the theme song from “The Benny Hill Show” (Boots Randolph’s “Yackety Sax”). Even more chortle-worthy is the fact that Hawley has a book due soon: “Manhood: The Masculine Virtues Americans Need.”

Just a few weeks ago the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which for 50 years had allowed women to choose how to handle their own pregnancies. But last week Spain’s Equality Ministry launched a campaign that encourages women to stop worrying about their “beach bodies.” A supporting poster shows women of different ages, sizes and skin colors in bathing suits at a beach. “Summer belongs to us, too!” is the campaign’s slogan. Spain is also proud of its governing body, which consists of 14 women and 8 men.

Until McDonald’s premiered the Egg McMuffin in 1976, the idea of a “breakfast sandwich” had never crossed my mind. Yet the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich as offered by neighborhood bodegas has long been a favorite of New Yorkers. But that savory combo has fallen victim to inflation and supply chain shortages. Last week the Associated Press reported that the price of a typical bacon, egg and cheese sandwich sold at Francisco Marte’s bodega in the Bronx has nearly doubled, from $2.50 to $4.50. Fear not, however: an Egg McMuffin still costs only $2.79. A DIY, homemade version can be even cheaper. If you have the time to make one.

But maybe you woke up late and don’t have time to cook. All this can stress you, right?

That’s exactly why entrepreneur Kevin Bertolero is offering “watches” that don’t tell time. Bertolero figures that looking at a timepiece can cause stress: maybe you’re late for an appointment, or maybe the morning is dragging toward lunch. So he used a friend’s 3D printer to fashion tiny, magnetic yellow and white rubber ducks and a blue “pool” for them to float in. The assemblage is worn on the wrist, just like a watch. The ducks can be moved around at will, providing a pleasant distraction. Bertolero’s short video of his product went viral after he posted it on Tik-Tok.

“I created these watches because they made my inner child happy,” Bertolero told NPR.

If your inner child is hungry, just check your duckies.

“No wonder I’m starving! It’s white duck past yellow duck!”