I don’t follow sports – especially politics – but I do like the movies. Personally, I see the entire newspaper as a giant sports report. We have the financial sports, geo-political sports, who out-lived whom sports, oh, and yeah, sports sports. While I do admire solo sports – I think solo sports represent the honing of one’s mettle and soul towards the aim of being the best you can possibly be, as opposed to competitive sports where the goal is to be named the best in the world as proved by the whopping of others. You can be the best in the world yet not achieve the best you can be. I believe solo sports to be a growth path and competitive sports to being a narcissistic beauty pageant. I am an avid avoider of competitive sports. I must say that the current election cycle is the dark winter of my discontent. My leanings are what they are – and are largely irrelevant to the “Olympic semi-finals” with which we are now bombarded. The conflation of so many other issues come into this Herculean pre-election sporting competition; that they distort a clear view of the character of the speakers. Continue reading
Category Archives: Pop Culture
THE 411 ON A REAL 911, IMO – OR HAVING A REAL LIFE AND BEATING A CELL PHONE ADDICTION
Cell phone addiction is a problem that began as a solution. You felt bored or lonely – you reached for the phone. You saw a great sunset – you reached for your phone. You reached for your phone – you reached for your phone – and now you reach for your phone like a true addict. Continue reading
HO HO HO – OH NO
When I was younger I used to make a joke that on the day after XMAS there were only 365 (or 366) shopping days left. I would usually notice the first Santa Claus on Labor Day add supplements in the newspapers.
Today is freaking June 28, 2015 and I just saw an Ellen Degeneres commercial for some sort of Xmas line she is hawking. Now, I enjoy the holiday season, and I like Ellen, but summer has just begun – a week ago! Please, go away Ellen; and anyone else hawking XMAS this early.
SEXLESS MARRIAGE – WHERE’S WALDO
I’ve worked with many long-term couples in sexless marriages. They didn’t start that way. We are all fairly clear that romance starts with lust. It takes a crowbar to make it out of the bedroom. Earlier in marriages it is harder to get out of bed than to get in it. And well it should be. In more mature marriages (5-7 or more years) it is harder get in bed. That goes hand in hand with evolution. Mother Nature cares more about reproduction that she cares about our feelings. In fact, she is quite happy to have us broaden the haploid bank by taking other lovers. It has been hypothesized that the 7 year itch is 7 years because that is how long it takes to get pregnant and to be protected while being an 8 – month, pregnant, slow waddling tiger-food-mom to be. And it takes about 7 years from conception for the fetus to become a child who can and start to contribute to its tribe. After that Mother Nature’s risk/reward assessment favors spreading the genes.
AGING WELL – HOW OLD WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOUR AGE?
I am often asked about aging well. I answer with a question: ” How old would you feel if you didn’t know your age?” After some preamble, I ususally then hear something along the line, “it’s all in your mind, right?” Much as we would like to believe that aging is in your mind – it is just not so. The leading cause of death is …. birth.
OMG! IT’S NOW SO COMMON, FEAR OF MISSING OUT IS NOW KNOWN BY ITS ACRONYM: FoMO
Boy, if there ever was a seductive siren it is the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO.) It has been around since earliest times. FoMO has had many iterations over the centuries. The poorer hunters got the lesser cuts of the catch; and the lesser choice in women. Later, in the 1950s, it became “keeping up with the Jones’s.” Now it has become 1500 friends (you’ve never met – yet feel you must answer every text, post, instagram, etc., and always be (for God’s sake) at least equal.
BRUCE JENNER, MY HAT’S OFF TO YOU!
Bruce Jenner, my hat is most definitely off to you. Last night while my friend was winning an Emmy (congrats David Doyle – you deserve it not only as a producer but as a human being – proud of you!), I was watching the Bruce Jenner interview. It was a very interesting story. 16 hours later I find I feel for him on two counts. The first is compassion for his suffering the weight of a life lead dealing with the issues that are part and parcel of realizing that you are living with being born in the wrong sexed body. Second, I was concerned for him having to “come out” in Macy’s window.
WHAT DO JUSTIN BIEBER, CONRAD HILTON, AND ROBERT DURST HAVE IN COMMON?
So what do Justin Bieber, Conrad Hilton and Robert Durst have in common? Recent events made me wonder about that. A friend of mine asked me if I was going to write a blog about Justin Bieber trying to remake his public image by putting himself at the center of a celebrity roast that was filmed this past weekend at the Sony lot. Early reports seem to indicate that no one was fooled. In fact at least one roaster reportedly told Bieber he didn’t like him at all and hope this attempt to rehabilitate his image failed. It’s a sad commentary as well as a testament to his history that even one of the most entitled groups in the world: celebrities, found Bieber‘s antics deplorable.
MORAL OBLIGATIONS OF JOURNALISTS VS. ENTERTAINERS
I’ve been asked a few times for my opinion on whether or not what Brian Williams, and just recently, Bill O’Reilly, did was wrong by allegedly “altering” facts in news stories. Now, I must confess, neither Brian Williams nor Bill O’Reilly (nor the moral obligations of journalists vs. enterainers) are much on my personal radar screen. As for watching the news, I believe that Bob Dylan was correct when he said, “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” And certainly when you do need a “weatherman”, media that covets and survives on followers, is not my “go to” source. Obviously, when major events occur I do turn to the News networks. However, it’s not, as I have said, my modus operandi. That being said, I was intrigued at first as to what all the fuss was about with Brian Williams. It seemed to me that he did what pretty much everyone who lives does at some point or another – he over-exaggerated the story for the story-telling excitement or to elevate his own importance. However, digging in a bit and discussing the events with friends I realized that indeed, a news broadcaster is responsible to deliver the news as it occurred. I think that is especially so when one wears the crown of “the most trusted name in news.”
DOG DAY AFTERNOON: DOGS AND RESTAURANTS
Dog Day Afternoon, Indeed! Yay, California! Though still far behind say, France, California has passed a law that makes it legal for dogs and restaurants to co-exist. Restaurants can now seat you with your dog – IN OUTDOOR AREAS. Do keep in mind; the law does NOT make it that the restaurateurs must allow dogs in outdoor/patio dining areas, it does, however, make it legal for them to allow dogs in those areas. There are some details like dogs are not allowed in seats and kitchen staff cannot pet them. All in all it seems to be an easing in the law long overdue.
