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

I read a story recently about a fairly well known personality who was observed dancing & partying with some gal pals. The young lady was criticized by a dumbass podcaster because her even more recognizable significant other died less than a year ago. Keyboard Warriors (the good kind) were quick to defend the woman, and rightfully so. The story had me all up in my feelings. Now I’m not famous, nor am I a party animal, but I have lost loved ones, and insomuch as I have whatever shred of a social life that may exist, I choose to enjoy little things as much as possible to honor their memory. That doesn’t mean there aren’t tears or days when the grief sneaks up & overwhelms, but I feel like wallowing in sadness 24/7/365 would be disrespectful.

You can’t say that you “welcome open discourse” then follow that up with “we’ll ban anyone who expresses opinions we disagree with”. Which is it?? If only certain perspectives are tolerated that’s fine…whatever floats your boat, but don’t claim otherwise & talk out of both sides of your mouth.

Friends, citizens, and fellow music lovers, I come not to bury Taylor Swift, but neither will I praise her. First things first, I am a middle aged man who enjoys classic rock, jazz & blues, and old crooners like The Rat Pack. I am not T-Swift’s target audience. That being said, an opinion is like…well, you know…everybody’s got one. My observation is that Swift is a vaguely attractive, moderately talented young lady who has been marketed brilliantly for the female youth demographic. She seems to write alot of songs about heartbreak & past relationships that didn’t end well, which strikes a chord with millions of cynical divorcees & jilted lovers. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. It’s not my thing, but obviously resonates with millions of girls & young women. However, it seems as if her latest album contains slightly more mature content, including some anti-God rhetoric. So now the Church Moms have chimed in, which has compelled Swifties to retaliate & defend their gal. It’s all quite silly, but…if you are one of those people posting how it isn’t Taylor Swift’s responsibility to be a role model or cater to others’ spiritual beliefs you are atleast misguided, albeit not totally wrong. Swift can’t have it both ways. She cannot build an empire on the hard earned dollars of parents trying to make their daughters happy then act surprised or offended when those folks take issue with songs that mock & blaspheme their faith. While she certainly should write & perform whatever kind of music she wants, the masses retain the reciprocal right to call her out on material they perceive to be objectionable.

There’s an old saying…”death by a thousand cuts”. Dealing with certain people reminds me of that occasionally. They just chip away at my patience & goodwill like a woodpecker on a maple tree, with absolutely no self-awareness or ability to control their exasperating bullshit. It’s exhausting. Just shut the %#*^ up. Stop talking!! I have zero interest in anything spewing from your mouth.

Not long ago I inquired about the accessibility of a venue that was hosting an event I had interest in attending. I got the following reply: “the first floor (where the majority of the vendors are) is. Parking is across the street from the venue.” So, no…your venue is NOT handicapped accessible. Got it 🙄.

One of the most fascinating words in sociopolitics is “progress”, as in “progressive”. The dictionary definition of progressive is “making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities…moving forward or onward…believing in social improvement by governmental action”. I agree, in theory, that it sounds great. Moving forward is better than backward. New, fresh ideas are cool. Improvement is a good thing, right?? Or is it?? Who decides if new ideas are actually better than doing things the old way?? The truth is that sometimes new is good, but sometimes it isn’t. Forward is not a wise direction if it leads to peril. And don’t even get me started on “governmental action”. That concept is always a slippery slope. Too many people enjoy patting themselves on the back when advocating for something that passes a vibe check, but when one dives into the details it turns out to be a horrible idea. It’s akin to judging a book by its cover, which we’ve all been taught is a bad thing.

People without a sense of humor not only lack the ability to understand a joke, they don’t realize how irritating their density is to others. I lean toward posting lighthearted silliness on social media because I long ago gave up trying to use those platforms to inform the obtuse masses or “win” a debate. I’m just out here trying to have fun and make people smile. So imagine my occasional frustration when a completely cavalier post is replied to with an ultra-earnest comment. It has happened a few times thru the years and I have successfully avoided replying with “What the f^*k is your problem?!?!?!??”. I’ve come to the conclusion that those folks are unhappy people with shitty lives, and I’m not going to let them dilute my delight. If you are such a person I would encourage you to simply scroll on by and not offer commentary on something you don’t seem to understand. No one needs your negativity.