I have to laugh. People can read the same exact words and take them completely differently. Seems like some see them for what they are and some see them for what they want them to mean.
Any language has connotation, and simple phrases can mean many different things depending upon who says it and how they say it. The spoken language is rife with the easy double-entendre, and many people assume the more risque meaning. But that's not even what I was speaking of in the first place. I love facebook, because it is so easy to misunderstand what someone means in their updates. You really come to realize just how many people can't spell, but not only that, how few have a true grasp of their own language. How do they expect the world to take them seriously in the need to use English in America, when they can barely use English effectively themselves?
I was never really a grammar guru, unless someone was actually trying to sound intelligent, then I was always glad to help. I have always been proud of the fact that I can speak properly when I need to, but I also love to mangle the language on purpose. Sadly, too many people mangle the language completely oblivious to the fact that they are doing so. I'm entirely too lazy today to find and post examples, but one of my pet peeves is the current usage of the phrase, "All of a sudden..." entirely too many people are beginning to say, "All the sudden..." Absolutely incorrect, and the most annoying thing going right now. The other one that is killing me, is in the written language, when people say the word "Should've," ( which technically isn't really correct either as it should be "should have") and then spell it as "should of". It kills me!!
Oh well, sadly it will only get worse. "Idocracy" is more premonition than comedy.
Showing posts with label pet peeves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pet peeves. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Random thoughts put is no order
So it has occurred to me that our President could get more accomplished if he actually DID something rather than get on TV and talk about what he WANTS to do. I can't remember any President who has been on TV more than Mr. Obama. He is on in the middle of the day, he disrupts the afternoon soaps, or he gets some prime-time spots to screw up the TV viewing schedule. It has gotten to the point where the networks are actually deciding NOT to air his addresses live, because there have been so many of them! When the network news is no longer taking you seriously, it's time to rethink your approach.
If government run healthcare is good enough for our veterans and our elderly (well maybe not elderly, but them what's old enough for Medicare) why is it "socialism" to offer it to the general population? I don't understand how "Socialized Medicine" is good enough for our military personal, but not all of us.
Why is it ok to try to change the constitution to elect Arnold Schwarzeneggar president? President Obama was born in Hawaii which is a State and was a State when he was born there. It has been proven time and again, too bad there wasn't a video of the birth, but then in this day and age it is likely that even that would be called into question. Just because his dad was Kenyan, his mother was still American. He was born in Hawaii in 1961, Hawaii became a State in 1959, soooo.... He is a natural born American Citizen. Just like so many of the children born to the Cuban Exiles, or the Italian, Polish, Russian or whatever, immigrants, by being born inside the borders of the United States of America, he is a citizen. So bite it "birthers!"
How do you believe in a talking snake, but not evolution? How do you swallow that an omnipotent/omnicient being created all the universe in 6 days, but not that some lightening in the primordial ooze sparked life? Why does "God" support your team and not the opposing team? What is the difference between God, Odin, Zeus, Allah, and Whoever you choose to worship? Do not all religions essentially teach the same things? why is one better than another? They all have their problems and their good points. Take all the good stuff and discard all the bad and you don't need a church, temple, or mosque. It's time for religious institutions to pay taxes or to put ALL of their money into the charities that they profess to support.
Vote against the incumbent, even if it means writing in "None of the above". The Democrats control the White House, The Senate and Congress, yet they can't pass legislation. The Republicans will get something done, even if it is wrong. Why is that? Too bad that the people who are supposed to be smart, haven't got the brains to get something accomplished!
Crazy shit rolling around in my head. Tired of the crap, I just want to see people agree for a few days, and get something done that actually benefits the people of America rather than the people who are elected to represent us. In other "free" countries the Government is afraid of the people, but in our country the people are afraid of the Government. Why is that?
If government run healthcare is good enough for our veterans and our elderly (well maybe not elderly, but them what's old enough for Medicare) why is it "socialism" to offer it to the general population? I don't understand how "Socialized Medicine" is good enough for our military personal, but not all of us.
Why is it ok to try to change the constitution to elect Arnold Schwarzeneggar president? President Obama was born in Hawaii which is a State and was a State when he was born there. It has been proven time and again, too bad there wasn't a video of the birth, but then in this day and age it is likely that even that would be called into question. Just because his dad was Kenyan, his mother was still American. He was born in Hawaii in 1961, Hawaii became a State in 1959, soooo.... He is a natural born American Citizen. Just like so many of the children born to the Cuban Exiles, or the Italian, Polish, Russian or whatever, immigrants, by being born inside the borders of the United States of America, he is a citizen. So bite it "birthers!"
How do you believe in a talking snake, but not evolution? How do you swallow that an omnipotent/omnicient being created all the universe in 6 days, but not that some lightening in the primordial ooze sparked life? Why does "God" support your team and not the opposing team? What is the difference between God, Odin, Zeus, Allah, and Whoever you choose to worship? Do not all religions essentially teach the same things? why is one better than another? They all have their problems and their good points. Take all the good stuff and discard all the bad and you don't need a church, temple, or mosque. It's time for religious institutions to pay taxes or to put ALL of their money into the charities that they profess to support.
Vote against the incumbent, even if it means writing in "None of the above". The Democrats control the White House, The Senate and Congress, yet they can't pass legislation. The Republicans will get something done, even if it is wrong. Why is that? Too bad that the people who are supposed to be smart, haven't got the brains to get something accomplished!
Crazy shit rolling around in my head. Tired of the crap, I just want to see people agree for a few days, and get something done that actually benefits the people of America rather than the people who are elected to represent us. In other "free" countries the Government is afraid of the people, but in our country the people are afraid of the Government. Why is that?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
15 minutes of fame
Andy Warhol said that everybody will get their 15 minutes of fame. And this was WAY before reality shows. Back when he said these famous words the closest that most people ever got to that goal was to audition for a game show, probably one of those great quiz shows from the 50's and 60's. Boy how things change, and now Warhol seems as farsighted as Nostradamus.
The popular wisdom is that the reality show got it's start with Survivor, in 2000, but it all depends on where you want to go for the beginning of the reality show. I am not going to do a ton of research here to be the defining authority in the subject, but I do know that there were many shows in Europe that were competitions between everyday people in unusual settings, and perhaps even Japan was at the very head of the curve by putting entire office groups at odd in insane physical competitions. What really intrigues me about this subject is just what lengths people will go to to try and get famous. But I always wonder, is there a line? Is there something so stupid and disgusting or dangerous that some idiot won't sign up and send in a audition tape, or stand in line for hours in the beating desert sun, or the torrential rain or freezing cold?
Consider first the gameshows, who remembers Let's Make a Deal? Good ol' Monty Hall and the ever elusive airmail stamp. People put on stupid costumes and yelled like fools and were all ready to trade their first born child for the can of creamed corn that might be behind door number 1. Don't misunderstand me, I was 8 years old and it was the most entertaining thing to watch at 10 am on a snowday stuck home from school. It stuck with me. I will never forget the crazy people dressed in Halloween costumes and digging in their pockets and purses looking for a pair of tweezers to trade Monty for a crisp $100 bill. Jump ahead a few decades.
Millions of people line up for a place on any show you can imagine, for prizes ranging from A million dollars, to a new t-shirt. The biggest prize out there is debatable, and it is a toss up between The possible music career from American Idol or Nashville Star, or the business career possibilities from The Apprentice. But What about the Million Dollar prize for winning Survivor? The very first winner has done jail time because he failed to pay the taxes due on his winnings. Duh!! They even tell you in the paperwork that you sign to get the prize that you are responsible for the taxes. What is the draw of Big Brother? Why do you want to live in a house with a bunch of strangers, schemeing and conniving a way to get them all kicked out, until your the only idiot left. Cameras following you wherever you go, and watching your every move whether you do something nice or something nasty. For prize money, and maybe you turn out to be mildly entertaining and somebody offers you something more. Or maybe you go on to more reality shows. You gain fans and ( what is the opposite of fans? Haters, anti-fans? I'm gonna go with haters.) Haters and before you know it the paparazzi are chasing you around and looking for any opportunity to make you look stupid. The haters win!! They always tear it down. even the up and coming favorite ends up with a whole crop of haters after while. Thruthfully I would be willing to bet that for every supportive fan there are 4 haters out there. They may not always be as vocal, but they are usually the majority. Then there are the other 5 million who are totally indifferent, but we don't bother with them. that brings us to the big one...
American Idol, tonight is the premier of the 8th season of the show and once again the craziness starts. Stupid costumes, lousy singers who whole heartedly believe that they are gods gift to vocals. The people who put all of their hopes and dreams into their auditions and then when they are rejected storm out the door grumbling about what a joke the show is and how they will make it no matter what. If the show is such a joke, why did you audition in the first place? I have to admit that I really enjoy the show, but over the years there have been some odd people make it for a long way into the competition. Ya know why? It's this odd little hater website called "vote for the worst". You have to wonder which of those rejected auditioners actually built the site, because over the years it have really begun to guide the early part of the competetion. To me there are a few true Idols who have come out of this show. Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Katherine Mcphee. Then there are the mid-packers who have made great careers such as Kelly Pickler, Bucky Covington, Tamyra Gray, and Jennifer Hudson. Proving that winning isn't always the first place finish. The Sanjayas, and Scott Savol's of the world will fall away and the cream will rise to the surface. But it take 10's of millions people to audition to find those few nuggets of talent that may end up at the top of the heap. And the producers put the worst of the worst on the screen. America gets to watch as people get their 15 minutes of fame and then get shot down like a tin duck in a shooting gallery. Simon, with his razor sharp comments, Randy, laughing behind his paper, and Paula, smiling in that treakely way of hers, trying to tell them nicely that they suck more than a Dyson Vacuum. Now there is a new judge, Kara DiaGuardi ( not sure I spelled it right, still new to me!) But she seems to be a little bit of all of them rolled into one. She has the experience of the singer and performer that paula and randy have, she has the producing experience of Simon and Randy, she has the sharp tongue of Simon and the humor of Randy and the niceness of Paula. Since this was only the first show it will take some time to learn her true personality. But anyway....
So then there are the odd shows, like The Bachelor, one single guy and a dozen or so women trying to win his attentions. The guy is the prize? Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire? Well, who doesn't? D'oh! Rock of love? You get to be the ultimate groupy and bang your favorite washed up rock star? Skanks lined up around the block! Average Joe? One hot babe and a dozen "normal" guys. She is misled to get there in the first place then the producers toss in a half dozen male models to make things "Interesting". And people watched this! ( I watched This! I watched this... LOL ) You know what the hot babe does, she picks the model. But the truth is that the genetic math rarely works, it is very unusual for 2 hot people to make a good looking kid. Because the good looking people are both recessive genes and when they get together they cancell each other out and the dominant uglies come to the surface. so when you think about it, it's like nature's little joke on hot couples, they end with homely kids to teach them some humility. If you really want good looking kids you need to mix the couples better. Woman need to be taught to look for the homely guys and the good looking guys need to be taught to look for the scary broads and that way the best will continue to thrive!! But how did I end up talking genetics here? Back to the 15 minutes....
So there are TV shows for the 15 minutes, but what else is there? YOU TUBE!!! yes I have my Youtube page and I am even in it, but I also have other stuff that I have put together on my own. What else? Infamy, become a killer!! Or worse a BLOGGER!!! yes indeed there are those who are famous because they write about stupid crap like 15 minutes of fame and idiot politicians. Hi! That's me I am not famous and I don't really want fame, just some discussion. I never expect to change peoples minds or to make a true differenc in the world, but I want to say what I think and even if nobody else ever reads it, I know that it's out there if somebody does want to read it. Then there are those people who are famous for being famous, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and a few others. They do nothing to add to the human experience good or bad, yet the world is so celebrity obsessed that they bestow the blessing ( curse?) of celebrity on someone simply because they have become famous for being famous. Not even sure how it really works, but it happens.
There will always be those who wish to be famous, who live their life wanting the adoration of the masses and they will do anything they can to get it. William Hung, the most famous of the worst auditions ever. He went on a tour and people wanted his autograph. He could barely speak the language and he sure couldn't sing or dance. Yet he was famous for exactly that! Wow, scary what passes for celebrity!
Here's to you and to me and our 15 minutes of fame. I'm doing exactly what I want to do and if it brings me the 15 minutes, great, but if it doesn't, so be it, I would rather have the can of creamed corn behind door number 1 anyway!
The popular wisdom is that the reality show got it's start with Survivor, in 2000, but it all depends on where you want to go for the beginning of the reality show. I am not going to do a ton of research here to be the defining authority in the subject, but I do know that there were many shows in Europe that were competitions between everyday people in unusual settings, and perhaps even Japan was at the very head of the curve by putting entire office groups at odd in insane physical competitions. What really intrigues me about this subject is just what lengths people will go to to try and get famous. But I always wonder, is there a line? Is there something so stupid and disgusting or dangerous that some idiot won't sign up and send in a audition tape, or stand in line for hours in the beating desert sun, or the torrential rain or freezing cold?
Consider first the gameshows, who remembers Let's Make a Deal? Good ol' Monty Hall and the ever elusive airmail stamp. People put on stupid costumes and yelled like fools and were all ready to trade their first born child for the can of creamed corn that might be behind door number 1. Don't misunderstand me, I was 8 years old and it was the most entertaining thing to watch at 10 am on a snowday stuck home from school. It stuck with me. I will never forget the crazy people dressed in Halloween costumes and digging in their pockets and purses looking for a pair of tweezers to trade Monty for a crisp $100 bill. Jump ahead a few decades.
Millions of people line up for a place on any show you can imagine, for prizes ranging from A million dollars, to a new t-shirt. The biggest prize out there is debatable, and it is a toss up between The possible music career from American Idol or Nashville Star, or the business career possibilities from The Apprentice. But What about the Million Dollar prize for winning Survivor? The very first winner has done jail time because he failed to pay the taxes due on his winnings. Duh!! They even tell you in the paperwork that you sign to get the prize that you are responsible for the taxes. What is the draw of Big Brother? Why do you want to live in a house with a bunch of strangers, schemeing and conniving a way to get them all kicked out, until your the only idiot left. Cameras following you wherever you go, and watching your every move whether you do something nice or something nasty. For prize money, and maybe you turn out to be mildly entertaining and somebody offers you something more. Or maybe you go on to more reality shows. You gain fans and ( what is the opposite of fans? Haters, anti-fans? I'm gonna go with haters.) Haters and before you know it the paparazzi are chasing you around and looking for any opportunity to make you look stupid. The haters win!! They always tear it down. even the up and coming favorite ends up with a whole crop of haters after while. Thruthfully I would be willing to bet that for every supportive fan there are 4 haters out there. They may not always be as vocal, but they are usually the majority. Then there are the other 5 million who are totally indifferent, but we don't bother with them. that brings us to the big one...
American Idol, tonight is the premier of the 8th season of the show and once again the craziness starts. Stupid costumes, lousy singers who whole heartedly believe that they are gods gift to vocals. The people who put all of their hopes and dreams into their auditions and then when they are rejected storm out the door grumbling about what a joke the show is and how they will make it no matter what. If the show is such a joke, why did you audition in the first place? I have to admit that I really enjoy the show, but over the years there have been some odd people make it for a long way into the competition. Ya know why? It's this odd little hater website called "vote for the worst". You have to wonder which of those rejected auditioners actually built the site, because over the years it have really begun to guide the early part of the competetion. To me there are a few true Idols who have come out of this show. Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Katherine Mcphee. Then there are the mid-packers who have made great careers such as Kelly Pickler, Bucky Covington, Tamyra Gray, and Jennifer Hudson. Proving that winning isn't always the first place finish. The Sanjayas, and Scott Savol's of the world will fall away and the cream will rise to the surface. But it take 10's of millions people to audition to find those few nuggets of talent that may end up at the top of the heap. And the producers put the worst of the worst on the screen. America gets to watch as people get their 15 minutes of fame and then get shot down like a tin duck in a shooting gallery. Simon, with his razor sharp comments, Randy, laughing behind his paper, and Paula, smiling in that treakely way of hers, trying to tell them nicely that they suck more than a Dyson Vacuum. Now there is a new judge, Kara DiaGuardi ( not sure I spelled it right, still new to me!) But she seems to be a little bit of all of them rolled into one. She has the experience of the singer and performer that paula and randy have, she has the producing experience of Simon and Randy, she has the sharp tongue of Simon and the humor of Randy and the niceness of Paula. Since this was only the first show it will take some time to learn her true personality. But anyway....
So then there are the odd shows, like The Bachelor, one single guy and a dozen or so women trying to win his attentions. The guy is the prize? Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire? Well, who doesn't? D'oh! Rock of love? You get to be the ultimate groupy and bang your favorite washed up rock star? Skanks lined up around the block! Average Joe? One hot babe and a dozen "normal" guys. She is misled to get there in the first place then the producers toss in a half dozen male models to make things "Interesting". And people watched this! ( I watched This! I watched this... LOL ) You know what the hot babe does, she picks the model. But the truth is that the genetic math rarely works, it is very unusual for 2 hot people to make a good looking kid. Because the good looking people are both recessive genes and when they get together they cancell each other out and the dominant uglies come to the surface. so when you think about it, it's like nature's little joke on hot couples, they end with homely kids to teach them some humility. If you really want good looking kids you need to mix the couples better. Woman need to be taught to look for the homely guys and the good looking guys need to be taught to look for the scary broads and that way the best will continue to thrive!! But how did I end up talking genetics here? Back to the 15 minutes....
So there are TV shows for the 15 minutes, but what else is there? YOU TUBE!!! yes I have my Youtube page and I am even in it, but I also have other stuff that I have put together on my own. What else? Infamy, become a killer!! Or worse a BLOGGER!!! yes indeed there are those who are famous because they write about stupid crap like 15 minutes of fame and idiot politicians. Hi! That's me I am not famous and I don't really want fame, just some discussion. I never expect to change peoples minds or to make a true differenc in the world, but I want to say what I think and even if nobody else ever reads it, I know that it's out there if somebody does want to read it. Then there are those people who are famous for being famous, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and a few others. They do nothing to add to the human experience good or bad, yet the world is so celebrity obsessed that they bestow the blessing ( curse?) of celebrity on someone simply because they have become famous for being famous. Not even sure how it really works, but it happens.
There will always be those who wish to be famous, who live their life wanting the adoration of the masses and they will do anything they can to get it. William Hung, the most famous of the worst auditions ever. He went on a tour and people wanted his autograph. He could barely speak the language and he sure couldn't sing or dance. Yet he was famous for exactly that! Wow, scary what passes for celebrity!
Here's to you and to me and our 15 minutes of fame. I'm doing exactly what I want to do and if it brings me the 15 minutes, great, but if it doesn't, so be it, I would rather have the can of creamed corn behind door number 1 anyway!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Love/Hate Relationships
You bet, Love /Hate. Ever really wondered about about that term? Try living with a birthday that is 10 days or less before Christmas. I have a serious Love/Hate relationship with Christmas.
I know lots of people who share this feeling, and in fact I share my birthday with my father, I was born on his 21st birthday. ( thank you Mom, for that, it really is cool ) My reasons are pretty selfish to be truthful, as are most people who share this particular problem. You see we get ripped off at Christmas or our birthdays, there is only one part of this group who do well and that is the part who were actually born on Christmas Day. Let me elaborate...
There seems to be a dividing line somewhere between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, where people decide that it isn't worth the effort to get a person two separate gifts, and they get only one present "for both days." It seems that those inside the 15 day barrier are the most prone to this affliction. It usually goes something like this, " I really hope you like the (insert gift here) because I just couldn't afford / didn't have time/ to get you second gift for your birthday/Christmas, and I wanted this one to cover both." Not everyone does this, and it is not like I am asking for gold bars or something. I don't care if I get a personal photo framed with popsicle sticks, or a simple hand made card, it's not a gift that I am looking for so much as the mental seperation of the birthday from the holiday. What I am truly griping about is the fact that these people with birthdays that fall outside the 15 days before Christmas barrier would be completely disappointed and hurt if you came to their birthday party and gave them a gift then said, "I hope you like it cuz it's your Christmas present too." Or if you gave them a Christmas present and then stated that they won't be getting a Birthday present this year and you hope they understand that this covers both. It's almost like the closeness of the Biggest shopping holiday of the year ( why is it a shopping holiday?) Excuses them from treating you like they treat all of their other friends and family.
So the aforementioned subset, the "Christmas Day Babies", these people seem to have a special situation all their own. Their families often go through special pains to make sure that their birthday is celebrated on Christmas day, and that it is a completely seperated event. In fact I know one family that actually decorates one room of their home as a "birthday room" where there are no Christmas decorations allowed during the Birthday celebration so that the Birthday honoree feels that they have the family's undivided attention just like on everyone elses birthday. A little bit overboard? Perhaps, but still they get their separation.
Because of this funny little relationship that I have with this holiday, I never start my Christmas shopping until after my birthday. This way I can be inside my "love area" for Christmas. Inside this window, I am happy to hear the songs on the radio, and the decorations everywhere. I don't mind the crowds at the mall, or the lines wherever I go, because it is then, for me, the Christmas season.
So that's my 2¢. you can keep the change, after all it's nearly Christmas.
I know lots of people who share this feeling, and in fact I share my birthday with my father, I was born on his 21st birthday. ( thank you Mom, for that, it really is cool ) My reasons are pretty selfish to be truthful, as are most people who share this particular problem. You see we get ripped off at Christmas or our birthdays, there is only one part of this group who do well and that is the part who were actually born on Christmas Day. Let me elaborate...
There seems to be a dividing line somewhere between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, where people decide that it isn't worth the effort to get a person two separate gifts, and they get only one present "for both days." It seems that those inside the 15 day barrier are the most prone to this affliction. It usually goes something like this, " I really hope you like the (insert gift here) because I just couldn't afford / didn't have time/ to get you second gift for your birthday/Christmas, and I wanted this one to cover both." Not everyone does this, and it is not like I am asking for gold bars or something. I don't care if I get a personal photo framed with popsicle sticks, or a simple hand made card, it's not a gift that I am looking for so much as the mental seperation of the birthday from the holiday. What I am truly griping about is the fact that these people with birthdays that fall outside the 15 days before Christmas barrier would be completely disappointed and hurt if you came to their birthday party and gave them a gift then said, "I hope you like it cuz it's your Christmas present too." Or if you gave them a Christmas present and then stated that they won't be getting a Birthday present this year and you hope they understand that this covers both. It's almost like the closeness of the Biggest shopping holiday of the year ( why is it a shopping holiday?) Excuses them from treating you like they treat all of their other friends and family.
So the aforementioned subset, the "Christmas Day Babies", these people seem to have a special situation all their own. Their families often go through special pains to make sure that their birthday is celebrated on Christmas day, and that it is a completely seperated event. In fact I know one family that actually decorates one room of their home as a "birthday room" where there are no Christmas decorations allowed during the Birthday celebration so that the Birthday honoree feels that they have the family's undivided attention just like on everyone elses birthday. A little bit overboard? Perhaps, but still they get their separation.
Because of this funny little relationship that I have with this holiday, I never start my Christmas shopping until after my birthday. This way I can be inside my "love area" for Christmas. Inside this window, I am happy to hear the songs on the radio, and the decorations everywhere. I don't mind the crowds at the mall, or the lines wherever I go, because it is then, for me, the Christmas season.
So that's my 2¢. you can keep the change, after all it's nearly Christmas.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
on greed and gluttony...
This subject from a fat guy who wants to win the lottery....
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that I have some very mixed feelings about. I love the family get together, ( even though mine is very small in recent years ) and I love the food. Too much food though, and one truly feels compelled to "have a little of everything." Why? Simply put, out of politeness. In my family, each dish of the dinner is made from scratch by a professional chef who just happens to be my father. Occasionally there are additional dishes made with equal care and attention to detail from other family members, and to skip items, for anything other than moral standing ( meaning you can skip the meat if you're a vegetarian ) is to insult the cooks who have labored long and hard over each course of your meal. From the peeling of the potatoes, to the basting of the bird, from the cooking of the pumpkins to the kneading of the pie shells, it's all done for "You!" The afternoon sitting in the livingroom, the smells from the kitchen making the stomach growl in anticipation of the big meal. The table is set with the good Corelle ware, and silver. Dinner is served and The plates are loaded up. Take a little bit of everything, but some extra of your favorites, and my personal favorites are the dressing and the cranberries. ( whole cranberries cooked in a sweet jelly that is made with cherry brandy! yummy!) By the time the main meal is done it's gonna be a bit of work to have some dessert. But what's Turkey day without Punkin pie? It's tradition!
So why so many different foods for one dumbass holiday? If you can set a decent table and serve a complete meal, what more needs to be done? Why must we gorge to the point that we feel sick afterwards? ( thank you I haven't done this in a few years, I know what you were thinking!) Is this a holdover behavior from the days when it was truly possible to run out of food over a long winter and we were programmed to eat hearty when it was available so that we might fatten up for the hard weather? Or is it simply tradition to see who can gain the most "turkey weight"? I know many otherwise sensible people who will gorge on a thanksgiving meal until they can barely walk without pain. As a lifelong overeater, even I don't do that with anything other than lasagna. ( me and garfield!) I'm, of course, joking, I don't eat anything like that anymore, in fact it has been years since I ate so much of anything that I was in pain. Uncomfortable, yes, pain, no! SO the Gluttony precedes the greed of "Black Friday."
Do you know why it's called "Black Friday?" It's not about the feeling of doom that most retail employees feel for this day, rather it is about the color of ink that the management of retail store hope to be able to use in the ledgers at the end of the day. It is said ( and I really have trouble believing it) that while most retail establishments run in the red ( losing money) for the large part of the year, the 4 week stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas bring the books into the black ( showing a profit ). If this is indeed the truth then it's a poor business model that they have been following. To depend on 4 weeks out of a year to bring your yearly sales into the black is insane. But it sure explains why they started pushing Christmas in September. Sad.
So that brings me to the real greed part of this thing, because on Black Friday this year a Wal-mart employee was trampled to death trying to control the crowd pushing through the door at opening. The full story is here. In the story an employee is quoted as saying that the crowd took the doors off of their hinges. This is stupidity at it's worst. The story even tells how these very same customers were refusing to leave the store when police closed it because of the death! Where is the sense of these people? The worst has finally happened, and now we have to see what comes of it. I think that store could be a little more cautious when advertising a "door buster" sale! Too many people take this a little too literally, but unfortunately the retail management has no morals and will continue to advertise such sales in hope of getting every descretionary dollar available from the public, as well as as many indescretionary dollars as possible too. Retail management has proven that they know this is a dangerous practice:
I am about this close to opting out of Christmas. It has become far too gimme, gimme, gimme and lost it's love. As a person who is cursed with a December birthday I have a love hate relationship with Christmas to begin with, and this kind of things just makes it worse.
Now a pet peeve that has been on my mind a lot lately, GRAMMAR! the following is correct, "In an emergency...", while this is incorrect, "In a emergency...". The following is correct, "It would be a historic event." The following is incorrect, "It would be an historic event." If the word following the article begins with a vowel the article "an" is used, if the following word begins with a consonant the article "a" is used. A very simple rule that I have seen screwed up repeatedly of late and it is driving me insane!! ( and that's just a short walk to begin with. )
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that I have some very mixed feelings about. I love the family get together, ( even though mine is very small in recent years ) and I love the food. Too much food though, and one truly feels compelled to "have a little of everything." Why? Simply put, out of politeness. In my family, each dish of the dinner is made from scratch by a professional chef who just happens to be my father. Occasionally there are additional dishes made with equal care and attention to detail from other family members, and to skip items, for anything other than moral standing ( meaning you can skip the meat if you're a vegetarian ) is to insult the cooks who have labored long and hard over each course of your meal. From the peeling of the potatoes, to the basting of the bird, from the cooking of the pumpkins to the kneading of the pie shells, it's all done for "You!" The afternoon sitting in the livingroom, the smells from the kitchen making the stomach growl in anticipation of the big meal. The table is set with the good Corelle ware, and silver. Dinner is served and The plates are loaded up. Take a little bit of everything, but some extra of your favorites, and my personal favorites are the dressing and the cranberries. ( whole cranberries cooked in a sweet jelly that is made with cherry brandy! yummy!) By the time the main meal is done it's gonna be a bit of work to have some dessert. But what's Turkey day without Punkin pie? It's tradition!
So why so many different foods for one dumbass holiday? If you can set a decent table and serve a complete meal, what more needs to be done? Why must we gorge to the point that we feel sick afterwards? ( thank you I haven't done this in a few years, I know what you were thinking!) Is this a holdover behavior from the days when it was truly possible to run out of food over a long winter and we were programmed to eat hearty when it was available so that we might fatten up for the hard weather? Or is it simply tradition to see who can gain the most "turkey weight"? I know many otherwise sensible people who will gorge on a thanksgiving meal until they can barely walk without pain. As a lifelong overeater, even I don't do that with anything other than lasagna. ( me and garfield!) I'm, of course, joking, I don't eat anything like that anymore, in fact it has been years since I ate so much of anything that I was in pain. Uncomfortable, yes, pain, no! SO the Gluttony precedes the greed of "Black Friday."
Do you know why it's called "Black Friday?" It's not about the feeling of doom that most retail employees feel for this day, rather it is about the color of ink that the management of retail store hope to be able to use in the ledgers at the end of the day. It is said ( and I really have trouble believing it) that while most retail establishments run in the red ( losing money) for the large part of the year, the 4 week stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas bring the books into the black ( showing a profit ). If this is indeed the truth then it's a poor business model that they have been following. To depend on 4 weeks out of a year to bring your yearly sales into the black is insane. But it sure explains why they started pushing Christmas in September. Sad.
So that brings me to the real greed part of this thing, because on Black Friday this year a Wal-mart employee was trampled to death trying to control the crowd pushing through the door at opening. The full story is here. In the story an employee is quoted as saying that the crowd took the doors off of their hinges. This is stupidity at it's worst. The story even tells how these very same customers were refusing to leave the store when police closed it because of the death! Where is the sense of these people? The worst has finally happened, and now we have to see what comes of it. I think that store could be a little more cautious when advertising a "door buster" sale! Too many people take this a little too literally, but unfortunately the retail management has no morals and will continue to advertise such sales in hope of getting every descretionary dollar available from the public, as well as as many indescretionary dollars as possible too. Retail management has proven that they know this is a dangerous practice:
Hank Mullany, president of Wal-Mart's northeast division, said the company took extraordinary safety precautions.
"We expected a large crowd this morning and added additional internal security, additional third-party security, additional store associates and we worked closely with the Nassau County police," he said in a statement.
"We also erected barricades. Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred."
I am about this close to opting out of Christmas. It has become far too gimme, gimme, gimme and lost it's love. As a person who is cursed with a December birthday I have a love hate relationship with Christmas to begin with, and this kind of things just makes it worse.
Now a pet peeve that has been on my mind a lot lately, GRAMMAR! the following is correct, "In an emergency...", while this is incorrect, "In a emergency...". The following is correct, "It would be a historic event." The following is incorrect, "It would be an historic event." If the word following the article begins with a vowel the article "an" is used, if the following word begins with a consonant the article "a" is used. A very simple rule that I have seen screwed up repeatedly of late and it is driving me insane!! ( and that's just a short walk to begin with. )
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