A semi-regular attempt to address some of life’s minutiae that might otherwise be overlooked…..

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Contrary to popular opinion, maybe sometimes it is okay to walk away. As children we are inundated with platitudes like “don’t ever give up” and “winners never quit & quitters never win”, but in the real world there are occasions where it might be best to make a course correction. A job you hate. A loveless marriage. A toxic friendship. A commitment or responsibility one can no longer adequately fulfill due to changes in life’s circumstances. Certainly one should ponder & pray before making any impetuous decisions…that’s obvious. However I think it is possible that there are situations where quitting might actually be the courageous & mature choice.

 

 
I recently headed to the friendly neighborhood multiplex to check out the new reboot/sequel/follow-up to the 80’s National Lampoon’s Vacation series simply called Vacation. I didn’t hate it yet didn’t particularly like it either. You’ll have to wait for the year-end Sammy Awards for further pontification. For now though let me say that IF a sequel is given the green light (and I expect it will be) I have an idea. Citizens of The Manoverse are familiar with my love for Christmas movies, with 1989’s Christmas Vacation amongst my favorites. The new Vacation could…should…be followed by a Christmas Vacation sequel!! Clark & Ellen Griswold have a short cameo in the new Vacation, but their roles could be expanded in Christmas Vacation 2.0. Chevy Chase hasn’t aged well and Beverly D’Angelo has had more plastic surgery than Meg Ryan, but they still have the chops to pull off supporting roles as the wacky grandparents. They could come to visit Rusty & his family for the holidays. Leslie Mann as Audrey Griswold (who also is underutilized in the new Vacation) could come visit too (sans her weirdo husband). You might even throw in a grown-up Cousin Ruby Sue, Jane Krakowski could reprise her role as the original Cousin Vicki, & I believe both of the grandmothers (Doris Roberts & Diane Ladd) are still alive. If Randy Quaid ever regains his sanity and can legally return from his Canadian hideout an appearance by Cousin Eddie would be the cherry on top. The world needs more Chevy Chase/Ed Helms scenes!! I don’t have a fully formed plot in my mind, but I do know one thing…this film cannot be written and/or directed by the same guys who did the current one. They just don’t cut the mustard. Maybe Judd Apatow would be willing to take a crack at it?? He’s the closest thing we have to John Hughes nowadays. Come on Hollywood…make it happen.

 

 
One of the definitions that Dictionary.com assigns the word ghetto is “something that is considered to be unrefined, low-class, cheap, or inferior”. I recently used the term to describe some classless language that another person had utilized. Not surprisingly I was immediately accused of being racist because that’s just what we’ve come to in 21st century New America. A person, situation, idea, or language can most certainly be considered ghetto without any kind of racial connotation, and anyone with a brain should know that, but it’s much easier and fashionable to consider just about anything & everything racist or otherwise offensive nowadays. People need to wake up & realize that if everyone was so sensitive in this country a couple of centuries ago we never would have achieved the greatness that once made the United States the world’s foremost superpower. I’m not politically correct. As a matter of fact I sometimes go out of my way to spit on political correctness just to annoy those who embrace such stupidity. If you’re not down with that then I don’t need to have you in my life.

 

 
I think militancy is amongst the biggest problems our world faces. Are all Muslims bad?? Of course not. It’s the extremists that wreak havoc. I may not agree with homosexuality as a lifestyle, but I’ve had a few gay friends over the years who are quite lovely people. It is militant gay people who want to be given special treatment and put up on a pedestal that make things unpalatable. Is racism an issue?? Unfortunately yes. However I feel like many so-called “racists” are mostly hostile to militant minorities whose favorite pasttime is wallowing in victimhood and seeing racism in everything or fabricating it out of thin air. In other words, I am not so sure that it is the color of a person’s skin or their religion or their particular lifestyle that is the primary source of a lot of animosity. Much of the time disdain is a response to peoples’ behavior. If you act like an idiot people probably won’t like you very much regardless of your race, religion, sexual orientation, or anything else. Behave like a normal, polite, respectful, well-adjusted person and chances are you’ll probably get along just fine with most folks. It’s pretty simple.

 

 
Not only did support for Donald Trump not diminish after his poor performance in the first Republican debate…his numbers actually went up. I get it…I really do. The disgust for the current occupant of The White House cannot be understated. Trump is an outspoken, politically incorrect rebel with nothing to lose. He definitely stands out from the crowd and people are into it. But I just don’t understand how anyone could have watched that initial debate and not become really nervous about him as the potential President of the United States. He doesn’t have any solid answers beyond tough talking sound bytes that appeal to the disgruntled masses. “Making America great again” is a really cool idea and I’m all for it, but at some point a candidate has to offer specifics. Trump is able to get away with meaningless platitudes and a defiant attitude that everyone thinks is awesome because right now no one is really paying attention and the field is so crowded that there’s really little opportunity for meaningful discussion. That will change, and when it does Donald Trump will have to convince voters that he legitimately believes what he is saying, explain his flip-flops/evolution on issues that he has leaned left on in the past, & temper his rhetoric enough that he becomes more palatable to judicious citizens that can’t be influenced by entertaining yet meaningless bravado.