Regurgitation vs. Education

As the school year gets started back, I want to talk about something a younger cousin of mine was talking about over the summer break. He said that all the tests he had to do at the end of the semester was a headache and it was basically just a giant review of everything they had learned in the year. In fact, the last three weeks of school before summer was nothing but being sure him and his classmates could recite every note they had taken throughout said semester. Now he is only a sophomore in high school, but this was interesting to me. Having experienced college already and seeing what the job market offers, this method of “regurgitation” learning does not sit well. Now I am not saying it was any different when I went to school. We had the same sort of “Megatest” at the end of the semester, but the questions were more hand-picked from everything we learned. However, from what he was saying, it sounds like it has gotten worse. Now it sounds more like you have to repeat everything you have learned verbatim as you pace through hundreds of monotonous questions that only want to know if you remember what you learned. This does not actually help kids. Because in the adult world, whether it be further education or the job market, professors and employers don’t want people who know a lot; they want people who can take what they know and apply it to a bigger scenario. In other words, they do not want regurgitation, they want someone who is actually educated. Imagine an example where a file has been lost in a system. Someone from this modern regurgitation style of schooling may know everything about the file and how the system works. They may even know why the file went missing. However, could they actually find the file? Moreover, if the file cannot be found, would they know what to do to remedy the situation that needed the file in the first place? My bet is no. They have a lot of knowledge and no means to apply it. An educated someone with actual problem-solving skills, however, would be able to not only fix the problem, but probably recreate the file from other files in the system. I know this example is a bit far-fetched and maybe even impossible, but it does speak to a growing problem in the education system. Children are taught to remember lots of things and not taught how those things can be used. Furthermore, it is often a situation that to teach so many things, the youth are given basic examples of the knowledge that makes a larger question nearly unanswerable using that base example. More than that, they are often taught to remember something until the test and then you can forget it. A theme of “you probably will never use it anyway.” It is disgusting. The original learning was “reading, writing, and arithmetic,” and while I won’t get into how wrong calling these the “three R’s” is, I will end by saying that knowledge for knowledge’s sake is fine, but to learn things and then learn how to apply them to life examples makes a population of very smart people that also know a lot of things. A population who remembers lots of information but also have the skills to work and create in a world that values adaptability and thrives on extending a base set is extremely important. By all means, let’s read and enjoy Tom Sawyer, but let’s also understand why Tom is inherently a bad character so we don’t end up painting the fence white. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

AI is a Tool...and It is Usable

The Master Control Program is going to destroy us along with help from VIKI and Skynet. Actually, I do not believe this in the slightest. Do I think there will eventually be a world filled with AI programs like this? Sure. However, we also have to consider that as far as we think we can take AI, we will also be able to take the safety protocols that far so that Sarah Conner will remain safe. So then why is everyone so worried about AI to start with? Well, I think it boils down to how people are interpreting what is happening with the technology. Many people think that it is some sort of entity that is going to act like it does in the movies. The truth is actually it is more akin to a new tool that is becoming more and more advanced and useful, which then leads people to want to use it in more ways. That is not necessarily a bad thing, even if some people do inherently have bad things in mind for it. At the end of the day though, one has to think about AI like an electric drill. Before its invention, the only way to drill holes was to wind a spoon shaped knife down into the thing you wanted a hole in. It took a long time and a lot of elbow grease. Then as drill bits got better and the electric motor became a staple, the electric drill was mainstream. Now, and I am reaching here, it can be used as a potential murder weapon. However, this does not make electric drills unusable or somehow a hateful creation that should never be looked at again. They are used to build many wonderful things and that is what we have to focus on while also trying to stop the dangerous ways they can be used. There is also another faction that feels AI is making things too easy for us. However, I can also give great examples of driving cars from place to place instead of walking, or talking on phones instead of sending letters, or even something as simple as using a calculator to add numbers. Imagine the first person to use one of those and how “lazy” he must have seemed. All in all, I feel AI will be a good thing for humanity, but its evolution will follow that of humanity. It will not be a perfect uphill line; it will be many trials and tribulations and many people working on it nonstop to bring it to a sort of “weird science” area where it will still have many flaws but will be the greater part of what helps the world keep moving forward. With any luck we will reach a point where we are using AI as a proper tool while not needing the help of Bruce Boxleitner, Will Smith, or Michael Biehn to keep us safe. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

July is a Wasted Month

Summer is riding right along and with July most of the way done I realize that it has been quite a waste of a month. Think about it: you start the month with a big cookout, or cookouts, and a spending spree on a mess of fireworks. Then there is usually a birthday or two that have some form of outside event, because it is the sunny season, and then you pace through the rest of the month trying not to spend any money or time outside. By the time August arrives, you are more than celebrating National Air Conditioning day because it is tremendously hot and your suntan is now sunburn. I know there is nothing to be done about this. We cannot just skip an entire month, but can we at least acknowledge that it is not as enjoyable as everyone makes it out to be. Let’s be honest, warm weather is nice and it makes it easier to do things outside that we couldn’t during colder seasons, but opening up our pool is not fun, it is a new chore. Next year, I fully intend to plan out my July with Spongebob’s Indoors song in mind. I also fully intend to ignore as much “traditional” July fun as possible. With the exception of ice cream. Because ice cream is great no matter what month it is. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

A Peek Behind the Curtain

Oftentimes when I am working at writing these rambles, it is not as easy as throwing an idea at the wall and then writing about it. Many times, I have to actively try to say something in these, even if all I intend to do is ramble. Most of these rambles are made even harder because talking is easy once a conversation has already started, but I purposefully have to start the conversation with an opening line. Once I get going it is easy enough to just type for a solid 5 minutes and get something down, but that start is very difficult at the best of times. The other 10% of the time I just write until I am tired of typing and then I wait a day and proofread and see if there are any improvements to be made, or if I even want to release the ramble at all. Let’s be honest, not all of them are worth reading, even if they are not necessarily supposed to be completely sensible. To be straight with everyone, I just wanted to give a glimpse into how my process works and maybe that starts a conversation about work in any form. The start, the ongoing processes that keep the work moving, and the struggle to keep coming back. The easiest part is the end. All I have to say is, “But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time,” and I am done.

P.S. See you next time.

Billy Joel Had It Pegged Down

We are halfway done with the 1^st year of our new president and man has it been rough. Nothing he is doing seems to be on par with what needs to be done. Prices are up, moral is down, and the country in total just seems to be a more miserable place. People I know say that it is the worst it has ever been. Then like a beacon of reasoning, I heard the Billy Joel song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and it got me thinking. If you really listen to the lyrics of that song, it has been really bad before now. The entire song is a grocery list of all the things over the years that were just not what the world needed. However, with a list that large, if we added to it, I don’t think it really would make a blip on the radar. In fact, I would say that among all the other “fires” he mentions in the song, the current run of the world would be a very small part of what is, and was, wrong. Not that I am saying we need to continue on the path we are on, but I am saying that our parents and their parents survived Billy’s song and lived to sing along to what are, for them, memories. It gives me hope that maybe one day the song will be covered by another artist who adds their own lyrics and this generation can reminisce as we sing along. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Birthdays Don't Hit the Same

It is that time of year again. I grow another year older and everyone makes it seem like a big deal. Almost like one year makes me somehow completely debilitated and incapacitated to do anything for the next year. It wasn’t always like that though. In my youth, birthdays were a time to invite friends and family to celebrate you in a special way. You got to hang out with your cousins that you only saw at Christmas. Balloons, party hats, and cake, but as you get older, it becomes more a razz on how old you are getting. The cake gives you heartburn, the balloons are crazy expensive, and the party hats don’t fit your dome. It is better to almost ignore your birthday and just try to relax most of the day. Although if you work, usually your friends at the office must make a big deal of it so that doesn’t work on those birthdays. Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means complaining. I still enjoy being above ground and look forward to the next year and what it will bring, but I imagine by another 30 or so years, birthdays will have been a dime a dozen, and I will care even less that I am aging like soured milk instead of fine wine. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

The Butterfly Isn't Effecting

We seem to be losing celebrities at a fast pace these days. For one reason or another, the people we know and love on the big screen are leaving us for a different plane. The tragedy is then further exacerbated when we find out that they were secretly battling cancer, ALS, or some other sickness or disease that they did not want everyone to know about. However, the light comes when we find out that a large portion of their estate gets donated to a cause they believed in, usually a cure for what ailed them. Then, usually within a few years, the organization behind a cure for the ailment makes progress. So, the question begins to develop in my head, if celebrities did not die, would we make as quick as progress on curing sickness as we have? In other words, is there a Butterfly Effect between people with a chunk of money and fixing human problems? I know this is probably an oversimplification, but it stands to reason: a celebrity gets sick and then cures for their sickness gets pushed. Alex Trebek passed a few years ago from pancreatic cancer. Patrick Swayze was before him. Donations for research for the particular form of cancer have poured in, and, recently, they have made progress on cures for the disease. It does not just affect dying celebrities though. Look at all the work Michael J. Fox has done for Parkinson’s Disease. I don’t think the research on that disease would have progressed near as far without Mr. Fox’s contributions. Moreover, I think if celebrities, with all their reach, did not put it out there that you can, in fact, donate to help with the research, that any progress would be made. Least of all, with the word of how dangerous these ailments are, we understand that cures need to be found. I am not saying that all celebrities need to take a platform on one disease or another, but if losing our beloved Tinseltown residents leads to cures for most cancers and things like diabetes, then at least the universe is trying to balance a scale. Maybe if we all worked a little harder at pushing the cure agenda, maybe we would not lose our loved ones even if they do play on the big screen. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

The News Is Irrelevant

Before it is even brought up, the title of this ramble is not referring to “fake news.” That is a buzz phrase that I wish would exit the zeitgeist. News is not “fake” at any time. It may be uninformed, it may be misguided, but it cannot be “fake.” The fact that someone took the time to gather any information and spread it makes it real. However, news can be irrelevant. It can be completely unrelated to anything anyone wants to know, and it can also be something that is completely useless to tell. In the old days these sorts of news stories were referred to as “puff pieces.” Bits of news or even entire stories that were simply used to fill the airtime as there was not enough relevant news to talk about. It was “fluff” in between important stories. Things like a dog learning to ride a skateboard, or a child hugging their mailman. This was all well and nice to have a feel-good moment when most of the other news was probably either weather or crisis. Currently, this is exactly the way news works. There is great drama and danger and negativity, then a “puff piece,” and then back to more drama and negative news. What ends up making news irrelevant is when there is so much fluff because news stations want to spread positivity that it is more like watching an episode of America’s Funniest Videos than it is watching the news. There is so much unimportant rabble in the news that we end up only watching the weather section. By no means am I saying this is a bad thing inherently, but there is a point where the viewers want actual news that means something to our day to day lives so that we can be informed. Otherwise, we will ask Google what happened yesterday and then tune over and watch our sitcoms while the news tries to be one. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

By Your Powers Combined

Gooooo Planet!!! That is what I think of every year at this time. April is usually a humdrum sort of month, but we do have Earth Day we can celebrate. What better way to appreciate the planet by just doing some eco-friendly and green things to better the world. Instead, most people forget this is even a holiday and become some of the most un-productive members of society by continuing their nasty ways by littering, driving everywhere they can, and jacking up their AC in their homes. I am by no means an eco-nut, but I do believe that we should all have the capability to come together for one day and appreciate our planet by doing as much as we can to make it better. So this Earth Day turn off the electronics, stay at home if you can, and enjoy life on the Amish side a little. Also recycle if you are able. We only have one Earth, and I like living here so I ask nicely. Captain Planet on the other hand will hunt you down and use his powers to make you comply, regardless of what the 5 kids tell him. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Does This Make Sense?

If a hen and a half can lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many waffles does it take to shingle the roof of a doghouse? First we have to consider the hen and a half. A full hen, sure, but then the half must be the bottom half. Otherwise, how would it lay a half an egg? Then there is the egg and a half. Half an egg? Which half? What if we just made it easy and say in 3 days there would be 3 eggs? Then there wouldn’t be a worry of half an egg leaking out into the nest. That also fixes the day and a half scenario. Who measures in half days? If I say it took me a day, then you can assess 24 hours or 1440 minutes or 86,400 seconds worth of work. However, a half a day is an entirely other set of calculations. All that said, if we look at the roof of the doghouse as a square that is split into two parts, then it is much easier to calculate the number of waffles to cover it, but that raises more questions. How big is the dog? Are we talking small-welled waffles like Eggo, or are we talking large-welled homemade waffles? I guess in the end, if it were raining syrup to cover those waffles, it would be a sticky work day anyway trying to put the roof on. Moreover, I can only eat ¾ of an egg anyway so 50% of the day and a half’s produce would go to waste. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

P.S. Happy April Fool’s Day

Drinking is Not a Sport

Every year at this time, it is a race to the liquor store for the same item. Happy juice, the drink of choice, hard water. Whatever you call it, I am talking about alcohol. Now, I will be the first to tell you, I am not a teetotaler. I imbibe just like everyone else. Well, maybe not like everyone else. I only drink a few. Some, however, have made drinking a sport, and they seriously break a sweat. With New Year’s just a few months ago, you would think the massive hangover would still be lurking in most people’s minds, but it doesn’t. Every year the green is worn and the beer never gets a chance to get warm. People drink like it will be their last time and all for a holiday that was supposed to be a time of cheer to celebrate a man who would probably abstain from gluttony of alcohol. I don’t want to yuck on someone’s yum, though. If you enjoy the day after St. Patty’s Day headache, then, by all means, party ‘till your heart’s content. Just don’t come crying to me when I am able to enjoy my day after because I had a sensible dinner of corn beef hash and cabbage to accompany my delicious beer. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Agnostic is the Best Answer

Oh! Praise thee the possible lord and savior. If my judgement should falter, may your guessed existence sway me for I do not believe. No, I have not had a stroke. In fact, I believe myself to be a clear thinker full of nonsense as I spread it on the internet. With that thought in mind, I have a query that irks me and I am going to talk about it. That query has to do with whether or not there is a god. There are two sides to this equation. There are the faithful believers who have no doubt about an entity that exists somewhere in the nether that possibly controls everything we do. Then there is the other side of the equation that believes all parts to science and that if there is no empirical proof of existence, then there must not be existence. My problem is that both sides are at fault because they inevitably contradict themselves through their absolute thinking. Take the believers for instance. No matter what religion, although, for the purpose of this ramble, I am more talking about Christianity followers, the thought is that a greater being is out there that we look to for guidance and, in many cases, justification or retribution. However, many of the Christianity branches talk about not putting a godly figure above the “one true God.” In other words, one should only worship the God we hear about in the bible. Yet, we also see pictures of a figure that is supposed to be “God.” By all branches’ definitions, we have no idea what God looks like. In fact, the books about him say that we, as living humans, cannot comprehend what he looks like. So, the “God” most are worshiping towards is another being altogether, thereby breaking one of the rules. Moreover, if we cannot comprehend what “God” looks like then maybe he does not even “exist” by our human definition. But let’s not just poke holes in the believers. The non-believers are at fault as well. They say that without proof of existence, there is no being. However, these same “scientists” for lack of better words, claim that they can only hypothesize about theories until eventually they are definitively proven false. There is no way to definitively prove false there is no God. Unless we somehow learn to talk to the recently deceased, who could then tell us one way or another, those “scientists” are stuck in a limbo of only being able to hypothesize the non-existence of a greater being. So, what do we believe then. I think an agnostic viewpoint works for both. If we choose to believe that there might be a higher power and that it is possible they exist, then we can worship the being we believe to be there but also not completely stop hypothesizing that “it” may not even be real to begin with. Either way until I have more proof, I will just continue being a good human being and do as the "good book" says, while also continue to try to find evidence of this being, if only to satisfy my own curiosity. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Candy Cannot Fix It

Red hearts, cards, flowers, and a box of nasty chocolate. That solves everything. Or does it. It is simple for most people this time of year. No matter how much of a piece of trash you have been, you can give a gift, a kiss, and an “I love you,” and that makes up for all the wrong-doings. It is hysterical to me when I see a partner putting up with the crap from their significant other 360 days a year and then on a few select holidays, Valentine’s being one of the big ones, these horrible partners all of sudden change for a day. All is forgiven and then it is another marathon to the next holiday. I am here to rant on the fact that this should stop. I am talking to both sides. Abusers: stop being horrible people except “when it matters,” and abusees: stop taking it. We all can do better and deserve better. Now let me slow for a second and say that I am not talking about domestic violence; that is a ramble for an entirely different time, if I could even do justice to any of those very bad situations. What I am talking about is a general nasty person, who is just on the edge of being a complete putrid pile of trash. They wine all the time, never have a beneficial opinion, or contribute in any way that expands a relationship further than two people who engage in coitus once in a while, but you better believe, they are ready on Valentine’s Day for their coitus. I mean after all, they bought flowers and chocolates for their special someone. My opinion is that all people should have partners that value them every day and both people should be willing to give and take in a way that makes a balanced scale of love, affection, and, most of all, appreciation of your forever Valentine. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

The Rocket Power Kids Must Be Fit

Indeed, I am about to ramble about that 90s Nickelodeon show “Rocket Power.” It was not one of my favorite shows, but I did see enough episodes that when I saw a rerun the other day on one of Nickelodeon’s off-shoot channels, it reminded me that the logic of the world was a bit different back then. Nowadays, kids’ programs are so tailored to fit in a modern world that is afraid kids will always take away a wrong message. However, in the 90s, or at least in the case of “Rocket Power,” writers just made a fun show. What kid wouldn’t want to watch a show about 4 youngsters living in California, participating in every sport imaginable, while also generally having very little adult supervision. It’s the greatest dream, or it was for 90s kids. I am here to say that this show definitely would not fit the bill today. Not just that there are not as many kids touching grass these days, but also that kids today are not as independent. Lack of adult supervision meant that kids had to find ways to entertain themselves while also staying out of trouble so the parents would never have to supervise. We did just this back then. We learned how not to get hurt, by getting hurt. We also probably put ourselves in very bad situations that our parents would have stopped us from. It taught us to be independent and think for ourselves. Wild plotlines aside, “Rocket Power” showcased this very well. Their father figure was very seldom around, so when there was a problem, the kids had to solve it. They also did a lot of dangerous things, but let’s be honest, they all were probably in really good shape, because sports. So, in the end, they were probably going to be okay no matter what. In any case, the differences in television back then and television now is glaringly obvious with a show like “Rocket Power.” Nowadays the show would be 4 kids with an iPad and adults in the next room. The one similarity that would remain is the punishment of washing endless dishes in our uncle’s restaurant. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Marry Your Friend Group

Please do not misinterpret the title of this ramble as me giving all of the noncommitted multi-partnered “situationships” a reason to continue their struggle. What I am trying to convey by this title is that people should have many friends before they ever consider trying to date. The reason? We learn social interaction by being socially active. If we have many friends that we spend time with, and I do mean many friends, of all shapes, sizes, colors, and genders, then we can become socially adept enough to relate to nearly anyone. This includes potential partners that we may end up spending a lot more time with for the rest of our lives. You always hear about these couples that say they married their best friend, and that is exactly how it should be. You cannot go from never knowing someone to being in a great relationship without at least being friends first. One night stands are not your friends. They are a way to satisfy a carnal urge and nothing more. I am not saying that it can’t blossom into something more, but it definitely takes work on both sides. That work becomes a lot easier if we already have the know-how of how a friend should be treated because we have many friends whom we treat with the utmost respect. I also detest the 90 Day Fiance trope. There is no way in 3 months you can completely know someone enough to make a committed relationship. It is fine if you are committed to committing and marry them and then get to know them. Just know there is a great possibility that the wedding cost will be a small sample of a larger divorce cost down the road when the person you married after such a short time turns into someone different. Save the money and get to know them as a friend first. It is also always a good laugh to me when I see vampires that barely touch grass thinking that they can just download an app and instantly find a partner that will be everything they want and more. It does not work that way. You have to be able to talk to people, have a friendly demeaner, give of yourself, and be empathic to the plights of others before anyone of any gender will ever give you the time of day. So to all those lonely ones out there, don’t worry about finding a mate in a hurry. Start first by making many good close friends, treat them with respect and dignity, learn to be socially adept in many situations, and then, and only then, will the dating scene become a place for you. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Soft-Launching a New Year

Happy New Year!!! Also, happy trails to the “I’ll get to it tomorrow” of yesteryear. Tomorrow is here and with the rolling in of the new year, most people attempt to set a goal or two they wish to accomplish in the new year. Then the old trope of unaccomplished resolutions becomes more of a statistic as people fall off the wagon after about 3 weeks. For me, New Year’s resolutions are always a trial-and-error situation all year long as I may fall off, but I do get back on. I feel that it is not about if you have failed or not, it is about the fact you keep trying all year long and then re-evaluate your situation toward the end of the year. It is more like a soft launch with an easy landing if it all goes to hell, than it is an ultimatum followed by a downtrodden diary entry of “I wish I could have kept going.” I am not saying that all resolutions can be done this way. In fact, most resolutions are a do-or-die with no in-between. I am also not saying that all resolutions are even possible. Honestly, there is no easy way to lose 200 pounds in 365 days. What I am saying is that if we phrase the resolution in a tone of “Let’s see how far I can get”, instead of a “I do it or else,” then maybe, just maybe, we will be happier come December 31^st knowing that we may not have fully succeeded, but we sure did try our best. Besides even if you have been dry all year, New Year’s Eve is just more fun with a drink in hand. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Merry FestiKwanYuleHanamas

Holiday greetings and gay, happy meetings when friends come to call. Words of a carol have never rung so hard. The issue comes when people get so disheveled at what a holiday greeting should be. My family is bad for this. To my parents, it is “Merry Christmas” or nothing. They absolutely despise the idea of saying “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays.” I then have to explain that it is something most companies do as a measure to not offend anyone. Which is where my ramble starts. Why do we have to worry about offending people with a holiday greeting. I think everyone should say their holiday greeting, whatever that should be. If I say “Merry Christmas” to you, then by all means say “Happy Kwanzaa” back to me. I will take no offense because you did not wish me my holiday be happy. In the same sense, you should not feel upset because I do not know what you celebrate. Honestly, we all need to settle down about how we send cheer. It is not about religion or freedoms of speech or any other thing like that. It is simply one person trying to make another person’s day a little better by passing on festive spirit, because the holidays is no time for downtrodden feelings. So, to all my ramble readers, may your days be merry, may your candles burn all 8 days, may your ancestors get much gratitude, may your log stay hot, and may your pole stay silver. This year lets all have a great holiday, greeting people with a gay, happy smile. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

It Is Not About Neo-Dystopian Outlaws

Have you ever seen a movie with a friend and gotten into a hot debate about what the movie was actually about? Is your friend one of those people who over-analyzes every scene in a way that makes it nearly impossible to enjoy said movie? Welcome to my life. A life full of watching movies alone, because I have more than one friend like this. Long gone are the days of simply enjoying a movie for what it is. Unfortunately, I have a friend group that actively try to get their rotten tomato basket full as they decide what movies are actually about. The Barbie movie was a woman empowerment movie that spelled out how bad it can get if we ignore the signs of sexism. The Rise of Skywalker was about overcoming inner darkness and how we choose our identity. I remember one time trying to have a conversation about what a great movie The Fifth Element was, only to be told that the movie was actually a view on a dystopian future where the female has become a true object of sex and the only real masculine character was Bruce Willis as Corben Dallas. Now don’t misunderstand me, some of this is probably true. Moreover, what is a great movie without a little subtext of one theme or another, but does every movie have to be analyzed to death? What is wrong with just enjoying a movie for what it is, a piece of cinema. We are not in English class folks. We can watch a movie, enjoy what we saw and heard, and move on. What’s worse is when you have a friend who clearly has a bias and tries to make their bias seem correct for every film they see. The inequality of people of different race, gender, faith, and social class is something that everyone should be aware of, but if you expect me to feel this sense of inequality in The Secret Life of Pets, you are crazy. I am a movie buff. It brings me great pleasure to sit for a solid 2 or 3 hours and gnaw a bucket of popcorn, but I refuse to have a lengthy discussion about how deep Meet Dave gets. For me, I just like any movie Eddie Murphy plays in. In the end, I guess the aliens in control of my body need to learn how to overanalyze movies instead of just having opinions about random subjects. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Turkey Companies Cashing In

If you are like me, food shopping for the holidays is always a tear-jerking, soul-smashing, pocket-destroying mess of a time. Every year to prep for Turkey Day and Christmas, a massive grocery list is made so that we can get everything we need for said holidays. Then, as we are packing it into our freezers and refrigerators, I look at the receipt and nearly have a heart attack at how much was actually spent. Food prices are crazy! I understand it is impossible to buy an entire Thanksgiving meal with $10, but it amazes me that turkey companies are able to sleep at night for the price of some of this meat. Even the “knock-off” turkey brands are steeper than I feel they should be. My family usually enjoys a ham at Christmas, but those aren’t cheaper either. Honestly, it would just be easier to make all the sides and go meatless for the holidays. Rolls, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie; who would even miss the turkey. I see now why Charlie Brown’s crew ate popcorn, jelly beans, pretzel sticks, and toast. Their allowance just would not cover the cost. The worst part is, the meat companies don’t care in the slightest. Instead of trying to find a way to make it cheaper for the farmers to provide their meat, thereby making the market price lower, they just “adjust for inflation” and watch us buy it anyway. If a meatless holiday boycott is what it takes for these companies to realize we are sick of their wild price race, then so be it. Besides, kids will definitely eat their veggies if they are smothered in gravy. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Don't Give Out Raisins

Trick or treat, smell my feet, here’s a ramble that can’t be beat, or something like that. Halloween is here and I cannot believe the conversation that I had with a parent a few days ago. Instead of giving out candy, this person was buying raisins to give out to the local candy grabbers because she did not want to contribute to the obesity problem in America. The conversation arose when she saw my shopping cart full of candy and wondered what I was going to do with it all. I explained that I was the hit of the neighborhood for giving out full sized candy bars and not those fun-sized jokes. She could not believe that I was being so irresponsible with the neighbor’s children. I had to hold back laughter as I listened to her explanation of why she had raisins in her cart. Let’s get something straight here. The obesity problem is not going to be fixed by not giving out candy at your house. In fact, it will probably not have an effect at all, because you will be known as the raisin witch of the neighborhood. Kids will avoid your house, and they will still be able to come to houses like mine and stock up on the good stuff. Honestly folks, it’s one day a year. What is the harm in having a fun-filled night of terror, tooth rot, and mild regret for the next day as kids fill up their pillowcases and plastic pumpkins, eat way too much candy, and possibly wet themselves from all the haunted houses they will visit. You are only young once and no child wants raisins, apples, toothbrushes, or pennies for Halloween. Otherwise, there may be a good egging and a roll of toilet paper in one particular house’s future. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.