I've been wanting to post this for a while. Not necessarily to share it, but more so that I can have it. Some things are just worth keeping.
I am a big fan of the FX television series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". It is an absurd, often times raunchy, off-beat show; a kind of "If the people in the TV show Friends were scumbags". You can watch the whole series, as I have, via Hulu (and likely other streaming platforms). You can learn more about the series HERE.
Towards the very end of the last episode, there was a scene that I was completely unprepared for; granted that there is a lot that comes out of left field when it comes to Always Sunny...think guns, drinking green paint, huffing, rum ham, crowtein, anything MyPoyles related, etc. Yet what I saw in the scene, well, it actually meant a lot to me.
By way of set-up, the character Charlie finally meets his actual father, who then dies. Charlie goes on a quest to honor a tradition that involves taking his father's body to a certain place. Here's the scene...
...I could have said most of those words about my own father.
Preface: The title comes from a song by the Beach Boys, and a documentary about the life of Brian Wilson (reference HERE). There's a two-part bit of irony about this title though:
I don't actually like the song. Ditto for the lyrics. The sentiment fits for the theme of the posting though, and I have a soft spot for interesting titles.
Speaking of the sentiment, I personally am okay in these times...it's many other folks that I know where I have worries.
On to the posting.
******
Ms. Rivers and I were
talking the other day about how much the world has changed over the course of
our lives, which brought out some of the survivor guilt I occasionally feel
when my mind is allowed to think about the bigger, more weighty questions of
life. Damn, that was a long sentence. Note though that was in no way presented as some kind of admiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald*. And so, I digress.
Anyway, younger folks may not
appreciate what I’m referring to, but when I was a teenager, the following
things did not exist:
It’s worth the time to
reflect on just how much the above-mentioned things have become an essential part
of our lives.How many of us could go a
day…or a week…without access to some of the above?I readily admit that it would be tough for
me. I wonder how I managed to survive without those things all those years
ago.Yet some do to this very day,
although I’m not always sure that it is a conscious choice.
Today’s technology-infused
world requires a certain degree of (mental) dexterity, patience and a willingness
to explore.These are not innate
qualities that everyone has, for better or for worse, when it comes to
technology.While I am definitely not
intimidated by the latest techno-thing, whatever that might be, that’s far less
about the thing itself and far more about me.Where there are things that I have not adopted (some of the smart-home
stuff, for example), that’s entirely because I just don’t see the value in how
it would relate to my life.The main
thing though is that there is no barrier for me to add new technology into my
life if I see the benefit.
That last sentence is the
important one, in my opinion.What if
someone had some kind of barrier to the broader use of technology?Granted that there are adaptive technologies that
can make the use of things like the Internet easier for individuals with
disabilities, but that’s a different scenario.How so?It assumes that the
individual wants to use the technology in the first place, and they had the
ability to do so with assistance.
This leads to a bigger
picture kind of question: What obligation does society have to individuals who
choose (willingly or unwillingly) not to use this stuff?
Part of the above question
comes from reading the news and seeing that the Social Security Administration
may close some regional offices and do away with their phone system for certain
kinds of things.What would be
left?Physical offices that are farther
away and the Internet.Both remaining
options can present real issues for some.
All of this leads to the
central point I’m trying to make, namely that I think society has an obligation
to make doing essential things easy for everyone.That includes those who may not embrace
technology in the same way that the majority seems to, increasingly so.
A harsh reality is that
society is not doing this.In fact, and
getting back to my comments about the Social Security Administration, elements
of society are making this situation worse.Yes, I suspected that the same deliberation may have occurred when, for
example, the first telephones went into use.Conceptually that’s a valid comparison, but only until we dig a bit
deeper and see that, in the case of the telephone, that was one thing that
impacted one element of folk’s lives.These days, pervasive technology-driven change has reached almost every
aspect of life, and the impact is in fact cumulative.Think about it:If you are not comfortable using a
smartphone, then are you going to have trouble with the whole concept of an
App?What if the only way you can clock
into work is using an App?What if
that’s how you are supposed to pay for your car insurance?
I grieve for the many who
are falling into what seems this technology spiral. What are they going to do?
I don't have any (good) answers to that last question. That's the thing about big change I suppose, namely that it seems like some folks are always left behind as a consequence. At best I think we can collectively offer some measure of compassion to our fellow humans. We can also implore, as I often do at work, businesses to make sure that they are meeting their customers where they (the customers) are...not just where they think they should be.
******
(*) I once tried to read
The Great Gatsby, but after a few pages (which likely totaled about 3 sentences),
I just gave up. Writing style aside for
a moment, a book about shallow rich people and their problems isn’t all that
appealing to me. If I liked that sort of
thing, I would watch “The Real Housewives of _________” instead. If you insist on reading it for yourself though, I highly recommend the Family Guy 10-minute version.
A minor mystery has been solved. What mystery, you may ask? Well, is this town named...
...Edin-boro?
...Edin-burg?
...wrong on both counts. According to our tour guide this morning, the very talented Ms. Roisin, it's actually pronounced something like "Edin-brah", where the "brah" part sounds like what a 20-something-year-old dude who vapes a lot calls everyone he knows. See below.
On a more serious note, I highly recommend anyone who happens to be in Edin-brah (sorry, that's the last time I'll use that gag, promise) to check out Little Fish Tours. Our guide, the above-referenced Ms. Roisin, was excellent. In fact, we decided to take another one of their tours later in the week. I'm not always a big fan of guided tours, but they do work best when you get to know the stories of the place...not just names and dates and assorted facts...but the very human stories of people who lived in a particular place. That's what we got today.
Today's event was the walking tour noted above, combined with some additional wandering about (sometimes in circles) in and around the castle area of Edinburgh. One of the things I find most fascinating about places, particularly older places, are the roof lines of buildings. Modern architecture, in my extremely amateurish opinion, lacks a certain kind of distinctiveness when the building hits the sky. Instead of a kind of crown, many newer buildings just look as if someone arbitrarily just cut them off at some point. That's certainly not the case here.
New vs. old building rooflines. See the difference?
One quasi-funny story: We were near the Scottish equivalent of the Supreme Court. As our guide was speaking, we were told to move back, and low and behold, the justices of the court walked by us (within about 10 feet), complete with powdered wigs and robes befitting the best of a 17th-century jurist. It was almost kind of odd in a way; as I mentioned to my stepson Alex if this were the U.S. we never would have gotten that close to the justices of the Supreme Court...it would have been one warning then 20 seconds later a taser shot to the abdomen.
Much of today's walking was centered around High Street/the Royal Mile. Some of the buildings were spectacular.
Unfortunately, there is a limit to how many photos I can share in a blog posting, but I'll be adding more to Facebook over the next few hours.
While the buildings seen today are beautiful, what I noted yesterday, which is a certain grittiness, complete with an odd assortment of sights and smells, was sort of familiar. This is not a clean place. In fact, you can tell this is a very much lived-in, working, functional kind of location. The tourists are just here for the ride.
Many years ago, when Ms. Rivers and I first started dating (that sounds pathetic coming from someone who isn't in their 20's or younger, but so I digress), I remember her telling me that she would not allow her sons to watch "The Family Guy". Given the content of the show, I was hardly in a position to argue the point. That, however, hasn't been what's stuck with me all these years later.
Before I go further, to make sense of this posting, the first thing you need to realize that the show is actually titled...
The second thing to know is that the moment I find something off-beat and funny, well, I'll literally beat it to death to the point of being ridiculous.
To that second point, all these years later, I've taken to adding random "The" to things. For example...
Today we are going to the Philadelphia
Where the show "It's Always Sunny in the Philadelphia" takes place
Last Sunday I had the Turkey Loaf for dinner
I got my younger stepson a vintage poster from the Supertramp for his bedroom
I enjoy listening to a CD from the Roxette on my drive to work
I have a great family doctor at the Geisinger
My younger stepson likes it when his Mom makes the eggs in a hole for breakfast
The odder the place where I can insert a "the", well, the better. Why? I can't really explain why, other than the fact that in some small way it amuses me and that I always need to have lots of different things pinging around in my head at any given time, including finding odd places where I can insert a "the". Fortunately, Ms. Rivers is pretty tolerant of my rampant silliness. Given the other myriad of things I could be doing, well, this seems like a minor inconvenience.
On a happier note, it's almost the 2021, which is truly good news.
What is your least favorite word?
Demand
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
People who are kind (to themselves, others, animals, etc.).
What turns you off?
Large egos.
What is your favorite curse word?
Sh*t
What sound or noise do you love?
A baby giggling.
What sound or noise do you hate?
Anything techno. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
An architect or an electrician.
What profession would you not like to do?
A dentist; I just couldn't ever see myself sticking my fingers in different mouths.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?"Welcome, Steve. Let me take you to your brother...he's over there with all the cats."*
(*) This pre-supposes that I will die before my wife, which is likely a good bet.
Being something of a knowledge junkie, I wanted to better understand how tobacco products were sold over the years. Enter YouTube, and after about 3 hours of videos, I've come to some conclusions. Some of these are serious, some are stupid, but so be it...you've been warned.
(Weird cartoon toilet bowl seat man smoking; from THIS video.)
Before I get to the list, I do want to make an important point: Smoking is an incredibly stuping thing to do. If you smoke, I really and truly wish you would stop. Honestly, I do. It's a truly senseless habit: It costs a lot of money, it smells...and makes you smell...bad, it's basically a delivery mechanism for a highly addictive drug and it can kill you in ways that are just ridiculously horrible (citation HERE). By any objective measure, smoking makes absolutely no sense.
Oh, and by the way, the argument that "well, it's no worse than obesity" doesn't fly here. Why? Obesity, while dangerous, represents an excess of something all humans need...food. Yes, the worst food has some nutritional value, even if that's to provide basic calories. There is, however, absolutely zero redeeming value in smoking. Again, please stop smoking.
Anyway, here's the list.
Teeth - Everyone in the commercials seems to have perfectly white teeth. That's remarkable given the damage that chronic smoking can actually do to your teeth (see HERE).
Tips - Filters that were made of cork, tobacco itself, activated charcoal, inverted or extroverted. Or no filters at all. Riddle me this Batman: If you accept the need for a filter, which stops bad stuff from going into your lungs, doesn't that basically prove the very act of smoking (where bad stuff goes into your lungs) is in fact bad?
Robot - The number of commercials narrated by Bob Tufeld...who also voiced the Robot on the original Lost in Space television show...was incredible. I kept waiting for the phrase "danger Will Robinson" to come out at any moment as someone started smoking.
21 - A commercial noted that "21 different tobaccos" made up their product. I didn't know that there were that many different types of tobacco. I've since learned that there are three basic kinds of tobacco plants, but they each have been engineered into countless different varieties. Interesting, but I suspect there are probably 21 different kinds of maggots as well.
Athletes - Back in the day, athletes apparently smoked, a lot.
Everyone Smoked (except everyone really didn't) - Smoking commercials painted a picture of every adult smoking. That's not actually correct by the way; the highest smoking rate, among men in the United States, was 56.9 in 1955 (citation HERE). By the year 2000, the rate had dropped to below 25%.
Coupons - Once upon a time you could collect smoking coupons by giving yourself lung cancer and then use them to buy stuff for your home (or even a puppy).
Cartoons - The number of cartoons used to sell tobacco products was shocking. Be it a particular brand sponsoring the Flintstones or an animated penguin selling menthols, it was, by today's standards appalling. I know, get in line.
It's Hot In Here - Actual cigarette commercial premise: Two young people are dancing in a crowded room. The young lady says "It's hot in here, let's get some air", so she and her male companion go out to a balcony to smoke. Isn't wanting "some air" and smoking, which actually prevents your lungs from getting air, somewhat contradictory?
Minorities - Minorities didn't seem to smoke too much in commercials. Nice to know that white-washing was an equal opportunity endeavor.
All the Time - The commercials showed people smoking at work, at home, while eating, after eating, while making food, while relaxing, while being active outdoors and everywhere else imaginable. There was even a commercial that showed someone smoking while taking a shower.
Smells - Some tobacco products were sold as smelling "great". That's ironic, given the fact that prolonged smoking harms your sense of smell (citation HERE). As a side note, I'll also add that, by and large, smoking smells horrible.
Taste Good - Another common theme among smoking commercials was that they "taste great" or something along those lines. As is the case with the smell, smoking can actually harm your sense of taste (citation HERE).
It's Cool - Smoking makes someone look chic, hip, hard-working, fun, and countless other things..at least according to the commercials. They fail to mention though how cool it is to wake up and cough up a lung. Every morning.
Doctor Recommended - Countless early commercials touted the smoking habits of doctors. That hasn't exactly aged well, now has it?
Menthol Magic - Some commercials touted the "magic" of menthol. I'd call that one down-right insidious. Why? There is plenty of scientific evidence to suggest that menthol infused tobacco actually turbo-charges the negative effects of smoking (citation HERE).
T Zone - One brand touted the "benefits" smoking had in the "T Zone", which was basically your nose and throat. Another example of a selling theme that basically says: "This is bad, but not as bad as others, and that makes this thing actually good". That's smoking logic for you, circa the 1950s.
Lucille Ball - Listen to Lucille Ball's voice during one of the many early commercials she did for the tobacco company that sponsored her television show and then in the years right before she died. It's borderline shocking. By the way, smoking was linked to her death ("Ironically, Arnaz died of lung cancer in 1986, and Ball of heart disease three years later — deaths that have long been linked to their cigarette smoking."; citation HERE). She went from high-pitch to a frog.
Language - A "short smoke" is when you only smoke a part of a cigarette and is indicative of the need to switch brands. There was also other smoking lingo used in the commercials. Kind of like a cool kids club secret language. I'd suggest adding "lung rot" to the lingo list.
Older Folks - A large majority of smoking commercials featured younger to middle-aged folks and were centered on getting people to switch cigarette brands. Older folks were excluded. I suspect the marketing thought was that it didn't make sense to sell cigarettes to older people who were going to be killed by your product before too long anyway.
Too harsh? Too snarky?
Probably yes on both counts.
If this offended you, well, you can get even with me by kicking the smoking habit. Deal?
Dear News Outlets...You're not doing your collective jobs when, at any given time, half the content in one of your stories consists of copied Tweets. I don't care what people think about a particular story. I just want the story. If I want to read tweets I will go to Twitter. Please stop.
Culm Bank...I spent time recently wandering around an old culm bank. If you don't know what a culm bank is, well, click HERE. There's a longer posting in the works about my visit. There is also a larger, cautionary tale in places such as this when we think about the natural gas extraction business happening throughout Pennsylvania. More to come.
Work from Home...I don't like to work from home. Well, I do sometimes work from home...in the evenings and over the weekend...but making it part of the Monday to Friday routine isn't something I have done much of in the past. This is mostly because I need a kind of buffer between me at work and me at home, and a long commute does that trick rather nicely. Anyway, that's going to change, at least over the short-term. I actually had a decent work from home day this past Friday, so I'm going to do it again over the next few Fridays. We'll see what happens.
Game of Thrones...I have never watched the show. Ditto for Breaking Bad. And countless other things on television. I put television shows into four categories:
1) Educational - Shows that I enjoy because I can learn something.
2) Mindless Fun - Shows that involve unwashed Alaskans (for the most part).
3) Offensive - Anything involving "Sister Wives", "Breeders", and "Real Housewives of _______".
4) Other - Everything else that I can't be bothered with (for the most part).
Game of Thrones is in the 4th category.
Scranton School District...Follow-up from THIS posting...I heard back from one SSD Director who said that the family relationship I referenced in the posting wasn't known or disclosed during the vetting process (or lack thereof ) for the newly appointed director. Add that to the list of things that the SSD needs to do better. Rumor has it that Silicon Valley has invented a cutting edge new piece of technology to help the governmental bodies identify potential conflicts of interest: It's called a CHECKLIST.
Spring...I'll admit it: I feel better in a lot of ways when Spring finally arrives. Part of it is the fact that I just enjoy being outdoors. As a kid, we spent a lot of time outdoors, all throughout the year. Another part of this is the fact that I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with working in the yard. The grass is too high...you cut it...and there is an immediate improvement. That kind of feedback is often times missing in my professional life.
Firefighter Under Investigation...There is a Scranton Firefighter under investigation for potential involvement in a recent multi-vehicle crash. You can link to the story HERE. I mention this because I was thinking the other morning about how we have to be very careful using the word "hero". No one, in my estimation, is a hero by virtue of their occupation. Not firefighters, not policemen not soldiers. Someone is a hero because of what they actually do in a particular situation. For example, a firefighter that risks his life to save a child in a burning building is a hero. A firefighter than goes into a burning building as part of putting out a fire isn't a hero...he is trained to fight fires...that's what he does. Anyway, The firefighter in this story shouldn't be held to a higher or lesser standard of conduct based on his occupation. Judge him based on his actual conduct, not his day job.
Colonoscopy...Probably not the most pleasant of subjects, but what the heck, I'll go there anyway. If you are over age 50 you should get a colonoscopy every 5 years. If you have a family history of colon cancer you should have the procedure performed more frequently. I started having the procedure done in my mid-40's due to some other issues, and now have three under my belt. The test itself is a non-issue; the worst part is the IV insertion and the prep the day beforehand. Those are but a minor inconvenience when you consider just what this test can do for you, as in it can save your life. Seriously, talk to your doctor about this test. You can learn more about the procedure at WebMD.
