Dairy Queen

Points of Ponderation…..Episode 4.18

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

 

 

 

 

A few thoughts on recent developments in television…

*Though it had become, in many ways, an inferior imitation of The West Wing I did enjoy recently cancelled Designated Survivor. Neither show could hide its liberal bias, but I was willing to ignore that annoyance, especially since The West Wing was brilliant. Designated Survivor couldn’t overcome two issues. First, it couldn’t decide if it really wanted to emulate The West Wing or if it was more like an action-adventure retread of star Kiefer Sutherland’s former hit show 24, so oftentimes it tried to be both within the same hour. That didn’t really bother me, but apparently it caused a lot of viewers to change the channel. Secondly, the central premise of the show was that some unknown entity blew up the U.S. Capitol and killed almost the entire federal government. Not only was the mystery solved by the end of the first season, but the culprit was a wealthy businessman obviously meant as a riff on Donald Trump. The mystery could’ve & should’ve been dragged out over multiple seasons but wasn’t, and after that particular plot concluded it seems like a lot of folks lost interest. I understand that there is a glimmer of hope that Netflix may pick up the program, which could be fun.

*I guess it’s nice that Fox is reviving Tim Allen’s sitcom Last Man Standing, which ABC cancelled a year ago. At the time I wrote that the show was “slightly above average” & “good but not great”, and that its demise was “not worth getting too worked up about”. I stand by those remarks, but evidently enough people did get fired up to convince Fox that it’s worthy of a second chance. I suppose I’ll check it out next fall, and I assume after all the uproar the numbers will be solid & that Last Man Standing will stick around for a few more years. I’m cool with that.

*I’m ambivalent about the concept of karma, but if there is such a thing Kevin James & his sitcom Kevin Can Wait surely received a heaping helping. The show was probably doomed to fail from the outset, but deciding to kill off the lead character’s wife in between Seasons 1 & 2 and hire actress Leah Remini for an uninspiring King of Queens reunion with James really didn’t seem right, and everyone involved got what they deserved.

 

 

Food for thought…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always say I’m trying to eat healthier, but despite my best efforts the truth is that I love food and have very little willpower. But that’s a deeper topic for another day. At the moment I have a few opinions that anyone & everyone connected to the food industry needs to consider:

*Napkins should ALWAYS be included with a drive thru order. I hate when I pull over to eat my meal (because if I was going to go home & eat why would I go to a drive thru?) and discover that there are no napkins in the bag, especially when the food is rather messy. That kind of oversight is unacceptable.

*I shouldn’t have to ask for ketchup with onion rings. As Forrest Gump might say, they go together like peas & carrots, so why would anyone ever not include the ketchup?? It’s madness!!

*Dear Dairy Queen…I couldn’t possibly care less if you turn my blizzard upside down, but for the love of God please put a LID on it so that it doesn’t start to melt & spill before I get around to eating it!!

*These kinds of issues never happen at Chick-fil-A because that place is a tight ship with well-trained & courteous staff, not to mention excellent food.

 

 

Presented without comment…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been missing intelligent conversation in my life. The people who I used to count on for such stimulation have abandoned me for reasons I don’t understand, and have been replaced in my life by individuals that, though they mean well & have the best of intentions, are incapable of holding up their end of the bargain. I can feel my mind withering, like a lovely flower being denied water.

 

Points of Ponderation…..Episode 12.16

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

 

 

 

 

 

nightmareI never know whether to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas on Halloween or during the Christmas season…so I just don’t watch it. Stop confusing me Tim Burton!!

 

 

 

You can’t spell Louis L’Amour without Islam.

 

 

Prepare to be amazed. Yours truly is about to recommend yet ANOTHER new television show. In the last edition of PoP I gave props to ABC’s thisisusDesignated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland. Today I want to endorse NBC’s innovative dramedy This Is Us. It’s one of those big ensemble family deals, which on the surface isn’t really breaking new ground, but the creators of this one have come up with a unique angle that almost kinda sorta involves time travel. Let’s just say that Mandy Moore portrays a 30 year old and a 66 year old…in the same show. Mind blown, right?? It is really well-written and the cast is superb. I kept missing it and finally decided to seek it out online, and when I did I was so hooked that I caught up on five episodes in one evening. I’m not sure if This Is Us is a show that can be sustained for the long haul, but even if we only get one or two seasons it will be greatly enjoyed.

 

 

 

I wonder if anyone has ever had four daughters and named them Autumn, Winter, Spring, & Summer.

 

 

 

I have remained relatively quiet during this election cycle, atleast for me. However, with the big day right around the corner allow me to briefly opine. I just don’t understand how any thinking person can cast their vote for Hillary Clinton. I’m tired of Hollywood celebrities…especially females (no offense ladies)…pulling out all their “glass ceiling”, “historic election” poppycock. I do NOT care that she is a woman. I have nothing against the idea of a female President. I‘m sure that there are several qualified contenders out there that’d vote-touch550make a fine chief executive. But I do not believe that gender alone is a good enough reason to vote for anyone. I happen to like my Constitutional rights and have valid concerns about how freedom of speech, freedom of religion, & the right to keep & bear arms would be negatively impacted under an HRC administration and perhaps for generations to come…certainly for the remainder of my life…if she is allowed to pack the Supreme Court with “progressive” justices (she has even floated the idea of nominating President Obama!!). I can’t honestly say that I am excited about casting my vote for Donald Trump. I had hoped that the GOP would nominate a dyed-in-the-wool conservative with atleast some high level government experience. Having said that, I understand the movement that has propelled Trump this far and am more comfortable gambling on his outsider shtick to find out if his business acumen really can translate into political leadership than I am giving Hillary Clinton any legitimate power. I am not one of those doomsdayers that think Trump will somehow lead us into World War III or otherwise do irreparable damage to the country. Worst case scenario?? He ticks off some people who take their ball home and refuse to play with us anymore. If the United States can withstand Vietnam, Watergate, the extreme lows of the Carter Administration, the overstated yet undeniable foibles of George W. Bush, and the what I believe to be intentionally destructive actions of the past eight years, then I hardly think Donald Trump will do any permanent damage. I believe Mrs. Clinton would do far more harm to the cause of freedom.

 

 

The world would be a much better place if people would just stop & think how their actions might negatively affect others.

 

 

 

Dear Dairy Queen (or any other purveyor of tasty ice cream treats):

milkshakeYou do realize that there is a slight difference between ice cream & a milkshake, right?? When buying a milkshake it does not impress me that it is super duper thick. I don’t care if you can flip it upside down and not spill the contents. What I do care about is being able to drink the darn thing thru a straw. I feel weird sitting in my vehicle sucking so hard (on the straw) that the eyes of children under 18 should be shielded. Obviously I wouldn’t like a watery consistency either. I am merely suggesting that there should be an acceptable middle ground. Surely someone somewhere gets paid a fair salary to deal with such issues.