Anyone can be a car guy, even a woman.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red had no idea why President Biden was driving at all, let alone a weird looking truck, but she knew who would … her sister, who has loved cars since childhood.
The first thing that grabbed Red's attention was that strange paint job that looked like bad wallpaper from the 1960s. But, at least, she felt like she was in good company when Black said,
I heard some of the White House press corps had questioned the camouflaged test vehicle, not realizing that it is standard to keep parts of a new car's design "secret" before they make their public debut. But in the journalists' defense, they are used to covering politics and the president, not cars and trucks.
And before Red could even say anything about whether presidents are forbidden from driving or it's just presidential protocol, Black sent her an article explaining why presidents (and former presidents) aren't allowed to drive, but told her to watch the associated video of Jay Leno with former President George W. Bush through to the end … as it proves President Biden is a car guy. Of course, Black was more than happy to send more car videos, including the "sneak peek" of Jay Leno and then Vice-President Biden at a Secret Service Training Facility and one where Biden and Julia Louis Dreyfus are both VPs (one real and one a sitcom character), that shows his great sense of humor (and a wonderful cameo appearance by Michelle Obama)!
The various images of then Vice President Biden with his Corvette brought back memories for both of us. Black always dreamed of owning a Corvette one day (she still never has, although she has owned Porsches and Ferraris – both street versions and race cars), and Red remembers her constantly talking about them. So, it made sense that once a car guy – always a car guy.
But what about President Biden driving this specific vehicle? Well, he was speaking at the Ford plant in Detroit that's producing the all-electric F-150 Lightning on May 19 (the day before the truck was officially introduced), and according to Ford CEO, Jim Farley, in the Detroit Free Press article about the factory tour and surprise joyride,
At the end of his speech, he kinda turned to everyone, he goes, 'You know I'm a car guy. And I want to drive this truck.' Everyone politely laughed. Because presidents don't drive vehicles.
But then he did. The rest, as they say, is history. But the clip of him on the test drive shows not only what the truck can do, but what a true car guy President Biden is, as his first words after driving it were,
This sucker's quick.
Red started to write warm and fuzzy Christmas and holiday greetings, but Black said some things are worth repeating … like our simple Christmas post from 2023 (check out the movie clip) …
No matter what holiday you may celebrate, Red can’t help but quote a line from one of her favorite Christmas songs, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. From now on, your troubles will be out of sight.”
And Black can’t help but point out that the song wasn’t introduced in a Christmas movie but in the movie "Meet Me In St. Louis."
Wishing you a merry everything and a happy always!
Sadie Hawkins Day … some may find it sexist. Some may find it inspirational. Others just nostalgic. Our take on it hasn’t changed since we first issued this post. But if you asked Black for a car analogy (she always has one), she’d tell you it’s about taking the wheel and leading the way …
Comic strip or reality show: A group of bachelors participates in a foot race, and whoever's caught by the single woman in the race will become her husband.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: We may be sisters, but except for growing up with the same parents in the same house in New York, that may be where the similarities end; especially in terms of dating "protocol" as Black never thought twice about asking boys (and later men) out on a date, while Red never gave it any thought, accepting the convention that boys did the asking. (She did make an exception for her senior prom but was shocked when he accepted.)
When it comes to Sadie Hawkins Day, we both agree it's a quirky holiday that makes it "acceptable" for girls to ask out boys, but of course, we have very different perspectives. For Red, it conjures up images of Sadie Hawkins Day dances, although she never went to one and doesn't even remember how she knows about them. While Black's fascinated by how it all began with the cartoonist Al Capp and his popular "Lil' Abner" comic strip and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.
Now, over 80 years later, if you were to analyze Sadie Hawkins Day, you would probably find it outdated and sexist. But why not just laugh at its silly beginnings and enjoy the day. The funny thing is Red still thinks men should ask out women, while Black always believed that every day's Sadie Hawkins Day.“A Dictator & His Mistress” might have been a catchier title, but that doesn’t change the fact that the combination of history and food makes this one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites. While Black loves the leadership lessons (from a dictator?!). Curious? If so, read on …
Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.
Which is what got Red to realize, much to her surprise (shock, if truth be told), that even as a straight-A student with a love of history, that when it came to Julius Caesar, a famous historical figure and possibly one of the greatest generals and statesmen of all time, she couldn't tell you dates or battles or anything "historical" associated with him.
Even as a theater major in college, she never read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," although she knew just enough about the play to know that it was where the fortune teller warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." Instead, her knowledge of Caesar came from her love of movies.
My first, and probably my most enduring, memory is of a brilliant general who not only commanded armies as he conquered lands far from home but was a great statesman who was also involved with one of the world's most beautiful women. And while he was Julius Caesar and the woman was Cleopatra, to me, they'll always be Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, a movie almost as controversial as the general himself.
And Black? Besides knowing that Caesar Salad was invented by a different Caesar, she appreciates Julius Caesar's leadership skills and way with words,
There is much we can learn about leadership from Julius Caesar, whether on the battlefield, in politics, or in business (start small, take risks, communicate well), including what ultimately led to his death (always consider worst-case scenarios, never get complacent or arrogant). Many of his quotes speak (pun intended) to his powerful way with words, and the ability to not only deliver a message but to inspire (and story tell), with my favorite being, "I came, I saw, I conquered."