New Year, Same Gripes
So it's 2011. It's a new year. And my goals (if you remember, I don't do resolutions) are largely the same. You can always be thinner, look better. Kudos if you know where that quote is from. And with the new year, I find I have many of the same gripes and observations. So without further ado...
I don't have a fear of flying. Well, correction, I don't have a natural fear of flying. Most people with a fear of flying think something bad will happen in the air. My phobia comes from landing. I fear the brakes won't work or the pilot won't land the plane correctly. Any time we're on approach, I calmly put down the book or magazine I'm reading and brace for the worst landing of all time. And, naturally, the landing is always smooth and safe. Terrorists? Mechanical error? Turbulence? I don't concern myself with these things. But landing? Yeah, I'm gripping the armrest.
The holidays have concluded which means I can finally try to get back in shape. Not because it's a stupid resolution of mine, but because I can go back to my regular scheduled eating habits of not gorging myself with plenty of home cooked awesomeness. Is there anything more confusing or counterproductive than a mother during the holidays? She sees you, sizes you up, tells you that you need to lose weight, then feeds you non-stop and gives you leftovers for days.
"Honey, how much do you weigh these days? You need to lose some weight. Now here is your plate, go get some more scalloped potatoes."
Thanks mom.
Speaking of my parents, they are so technologically inept, that going to their house is like going back to the 1970's. They have a TV (which means they haven't completely neglected technology) but of course they don't have HD which, as most of you know, is really tough on a pair of eyes that is used to HDTV. I personally don't know how we ever watched TV without HD before. It's so... grainy. But not only do they not have HD, they don't have the internet, nor a computer. To top it all off, they live in an area that gets no cell service. When I go to my parents place, I have no cell access, no internet access, and I have to watch blurry television. It makes me realize how much my generation and the younger generations have become reliant on technology. Being at their house for longer than two hours causes me to go to stir crazy. I feel like I have lost touch with the world. Which is crazy. What is the need for everyone to be reachable all the time nowadays? Seriously, when someone loses their phone or is separated from the internet for a small amount of time, you can almost sense the anxiety. It's disconcerting. How did we ever live without cell phones and more specifically, smart phones!? Sometimes I yearn for the days when we weren't all so connected and plugged in all the time. But then I visit my parents, and I realize, I don't really want to go back to that at all.
Technology has changed a lot of things. One thing it has definitely impacted is random hook-ups. Back in the "olden" days, you'd hook up with a rando and that would be it. One night stand. Done and done. Now? Now people hook up and the next day they're Facebook friends and they know way too much about each other. You have to be really coy if you want to do a full catch and release: fake name, fake phone number, fake email. Can't give out any real information because it's all trackable. But it has made booty calls way more accessible. Instead of one night stands, technology has allowed us to collect booty calls. Improvement? Who knows...
And speaking of all this technology, are we approaching an apocalypse? Is Judgement Day coming? One famous quote, I believe it's from the Bible, claims that "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth". Is this true? Are the meek inheriting the earth? You look at the billionaires out there and the people who are influential and you have Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. Three glorified nerds. Surely, they could be considered the meek. And they own a load of the world's money. Inheriting the Earth, indeed!
One thing that has me amped about 2011 is the return of great rap music. If you know me at all, you know I'm not the biggest rap dude. I'm a 90's grunge kid. That being said, I do hold an appreciation for rap artists I believe are the best of their kind. And in 2010, we saw a lot of old acts step up their game. Eminem, Kanye West, and Jay-Z all put out amazing new albums. Dr. Dre released a single that could be a precursor (finally!) for a new album in 2011. Kid Cudi put out another solid effort. Like I said, I'm not the biggest rap guy but I've been listening to rap almost nonstop the past couple of months. That tells me two things. That great rap is on the comeback after a really dull lull during the mid to late 2000's. And that the rock music scene is really terrible. Trust me, I'm on the lookout for great new rock and I'm just not finding it.
And that's another thing that has changed. The way music is received and viewed. We have become really focused on instant gratification on a whole lot of levels. But it really is amplified in music. There are not many songs I hear nowadays that I think to myself and say, "this song is going to last. This song is something my children will listen to one day." All the stuff we hear now is geared to be on the charts for a certain amount of time before it's dethroned by the next hit song. The songs have a very short shelf life to them. They're disposable. Yeah, they're catchy and fun to dance to. But then they're replaced. Easily. By other catchy songs. In 15 years, are we really going to hear Kesha's hit songs being played? I highly doubt it. There's no such thing as a great album anymore or long lasting hits. I hope this changes at some point but it's hard to see it happening.
And finally, we're in 2011. Yeah, the World Cup was in 2010 and Americans did seem to care a little bit. But really, when will the term "Soccer Moms" end? America doesn't do soccer. How did "soccer moms" ever even enter the lexicon of stereotypes for bored, stay at home domesticated housewives? I get it. Minivan. Bag full of balls. Kids. But why soccer? America has never embraced soccer fully. Why not "football mom" or "baseball mom". Hell, even "tennis mom" or "lacrosse mom" would be more suited for an American housewife stereotype. Soccer is Europe's sport. Ok, and South America's sport. And Mexico's sport. But it definitely is NOT America's sport. It'd be like Canadians using the term "baseball mere" instead of "hockey mere". Sure, Canada had the Expos for a bit and they have the Blue Jays, but you ask any Canadian what is their sport and it's hockey. You ask any American what our sport is and it's football. Yet we have this term "soccer mom" still being floated around in suburban America. It baffles me. Time for change America, time for change. It's 2011 afterall.
My Name is Macster and I Approve This Message
I don't have a fear of flying. Well, correction, I don't have a natural fear of flying. Most people with a fear of flying think something bad will happen in the air. My phobia comes from landing. I fear the brakes won't work or the pilot won't land the plane correctly. Any time we're on approach, I calmly put down the book or magazine I'm reading and brace for the worst landing of all time. And, naturally, the landing is always smooth and safe. Terrorists? Mechanical error? Turbulence? I don't concern myself with these things. But landing? Yeah, I'm gripping the armrest.
The holidays have concluded which means I can finally try to get back in shape. Not because it's a stupid resolution of mine, but because I can go back to my regular scheduled eating habits of not gorging myself with plenty of home cooked awesomeness. Is there anything more confusing or counterproductive than a mother during the holidays? She sees you, sizes you up, tells you that you need to lose weight, then feeds you non-stop and gives you leftovers for days.
"Honey, how much do you weigh these days? You need to lose some weight. Now here is your plate, go get some more scalloped potatoes."
Thanks mom.
Speaking of my parents, they are so technologically inept, that going to their house is like going back to the 1970's. They have a TV (which means they haven't completely neglected technology) but of course they don't have HD which, as most of you know, is really tough on a pair of eyes that is used to HDTV. I personally don't know how we ever watched TV without HD before. It's so... grainy. But not only do they not have HD, they don't have the internet, nor a computer. To top it all off, they live in an area that gets no cell service. When I go to my parents place, I have no cell access, no internet access, and I have to watch blurry television. It makes me realize how much my generation and the younger generations have become reliant on technology. Being at their house for longer than two hours causes me to go to stir crazy. I feel like I have lost touch with the world. Which is crazy. What is the need for everyone to be reachable all the time nowadays? Seriously, when someone loses their phone or is separated from the internet for a small amount of time, you can almost sense the anxiety. It's disconcerting. How did we ever live without cell phones and more specifically, smart phones!? Sometimes I yearn for the days when we weren't all so connected and plugged in all the time. But then I visit my parents, and I realize, I don't really want to go back to that at all.
Technology has changed a lot of things. One thing it has definitely impacted is random hook-ups. Back in the "olden" days, you'd hook up with a rando and that would be it. One night stand. Done and done. Now? Now people hook up and the next day they're Facebook friends and they know way too much about each other. You have to be really coy if you want to do a full catch and release: fake name, fake phone number, fake email. Can't give out any real information because it's all trackable. But it has made booty calls way more accessible. Instead of one night stands, technology has allowed us to collect booty calls. Improvement? Who knows...
And speaking of all this technology, are we approaching an apocalypse? Is Judgement Day coming? One famous quote, I believe it's from the Bible, claims that "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth". Is this true? Are the meek inheriting the earth? You look at the billionaires out there and the people who are influential and you have Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. Three glorified nerds. Surely, they could be considered the meek. And they own a load of the world's money. Inheriting the Earth, indeed!
One thing that has me amped about 2011 is the return of great rap music. If you know me at all, you know I'm not the biggest rap dude. I'm a 90's grunge kid. That being said, I do hold an appreciation for rap artists I believe are the best of their kind. And in 2010, we saw a lot of old acts step up their game. Eminem, Kanye West, and Jay-Z all put out amazing new albums. Dr. Dre released a single that could be a precursor (finally!) for a new album in 2011. Kid Cudi put out another solid effort. Like I said, I'm not the biggest rap guy but I've been listening to rap almost nonstop the past couple of months. That tells me two things. That great rap is on the comeback after a really dull lull during the mid to late 2000's. And that the rock music scene is really terrible. Trust me, I'm on the lookout for great new rock and I'm just not finding it.
And that's another thing that has changed. The way music is received and viewed. We have become really focused on instant gratification on a whole lot of levels. But it really is amplified in music. There are not many songs I hear nowadays that I think to myself and say, "this song is going to last. This song is something my children will listen to one day." All the stuff we hear now is geared to be on the charts for a certain amount of time before it's dethroned by the next hit song. The songs have a very short shelf life to them. They're disposable. Yeah, they're catchy and fun to dance to. But then they're replaced. Easily. By other catchy songs. In 15 years, are we really going to hear Kesha's hit songs being played? I highly doubt it. There's no such thing as a great album anymore or long lasting hits. I hope this changes at some point but it's hard to see it happening.
And finally, we're in 2011. Yeah, the World Cup was in 2010 and Americans did seem to care a little bit. But really, when will the term "Soccer Moms" end? America doesn't do soccer. How did "soccer moms" ever even enter the lexicon of stereotypes for bored, stay at home domesticated housewives? I get it. Minivan. Bag full of balls. Kids. But why soccer? America has never embraced soccer fully. Why not "football mom" or "baseball mom". Hell, even "tennis mom" or "lacrosse mom" would be more suited for an American housewife stereotype. Soccer is Europe's sport. Ok, and South America's sport. And Mexico's sport. But it definitely is NOT America's sport. It'd be like Canadians using the term "baseball mere" instead of "hockey mere". Sure, Canada had the Expos for a bit and they have the Blue Jays, but you ask any Canadian what is their sport and it's hockey. You ask any American what our sport is and it's football. Yet we have this term "soccer mom" still being floated around in suburban America. It baffles me. Time for change America, time for change. It's 2011 afterall.
My Name is Macster and I Approve This Message
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