Category Archives: My take on…

MMeM, Vol. 14 Issue 3 – a hard place

slab and a hard place

So we are always told by science about the dangers of the sun and skin cancer. Use sunscreen, no exceptions, especially if you are in or around water. Following these guidelines as we are told, many of us know our SPF needs better than our own blood types.

But, apparently many sunscreens contain chemicals that aren’t safe or friendly to the environment. Case in point, the coral reefs in the oceans as you may have heard are dying at an alarming rate. I don’t care who you are, hearing about this even if you’ve never snorkeled around an ocean reef gives you a sick feeling. Helpless and hopeless are the only feelings that come to mind for me.

Subsequently, officials in Hawaii have proposed legislation to ban sunscreens that damage sea life, i.e. coral. “Environmental groups and lawmakers gathered Wednesday at the Capitol in support of a bill to ban coral-damaging sunscreens.”

Thus, we find ourselves between a hard place and a hard place, because I don’t think there are those among us that like the term “rock & a hard place” anymore. Ok, “slab and a hard place”.

MMeM, Vol. 14 Issue 2 – Flat Earth?

HOW is this possible ?

What is the reason or purpose of the Flat Earth Society way of thinking anyway? I mean seriously, what is the end goal here? Are Flat Earthers saying that the Earth is flat and there has been a more than 500 year conspiracy going on to hide this fact? If so, why? What would be the benefit to keep this a secret from, anyone? Why would all governments make sure that all high altitude pilots, astronauts, people with telescopes, and humans with IQ’s higher than 80 keep this a secret?

Usually, there is some hidden agenda by a secret power-playing-organization to control such a huge secret for hundreds of years. But with this one, I’m coming up with nothin’. No reason.

So, who are the Flat Earthers? Well, apparently they are largely composed of “Millennials”. I’m sorry, but recent surveys reveal it. I know it’s a shock to me too. I mean, the same generation that has brought forth the “The Cinnamon Challenge”, the “Tide Pod Challenge”, and most recently the “Condom Snorting Challenge”. Yeah the results surprised me too. I just don’t know what to say other than always being connected to an infinite amount of information is simply dangerous. While we first thought this was a recipe for extreme intelligence, it has instead proven to produce expansive vacuums of empty craniums (craniums, niums, iums(echo))) .

YouGov.com asked the question of 8,215 US adults on Feb 6, 2018. Results are weighted to be representative of the US population.

In short, “Just 66% of millennials firmly believe that the earth is round”. How, is this possible?

MMeM, Vol.13 Issue 46 – Powerball was NOT 8

…relieved to HAVE NOT WON the LOTTERY!

Look, I don’t usually play lotteries as a rule. Every now and then, I’ll get sucked into the madness like everyone else. Take the MegaMillions and Powerball jackpots that are currently running at $393 and $356 million respectively. Just like the time last year when one of them got north of ONE BILLION I dropped a couple of dollars on a ticket or two.

I look at lottery like this, IF I am to buy tickets, don’t stand behind me because I am due. However with all of the reasons making that way of thinking legit to me, comes much of the anxiety that led me to the very reason for that belief.

To wit, the night of the last Powerball drawing that caused another rollover I had a MAJOR mental malfunction. I had both of my recent single MegaMillions and Powerball tickets in the visor of my truck. I was driving with the windows down trying to save money by not using the A/C and sucking down more gas. All of a sudden, a ticket whips past my face from out of the visor and out the window!

I quickly check the remaining ticket hoping it was the MegaMillions which had rolled over the day before. NO! It was the Powerball ticket! To make matters worse, all I could remember about this quick-pick ticket was that the Powerball was 8. I don’t consider myself to have a “lucky” number, rather 8 is my “favorite” number. What are the chances? What do I do? The drawing is at 10pm CDT tonight!

I didn’t turn around and look for the ticket in the road or roadside, but I debated doing so for about 15 miles. Rather, I worried with a sick feeling thinking about what to do if

  1.  the Powerball was an 8 tonight
  2.  the winning ticket was sold in IL

It was a long, sickening, hard, and harrowing night. Never, have I been so relieved to HAVE NOT WON the multi-state $300+ million lottery!

This is my world. My reality. My life.

MMeM, Vol.13 Issue 36 – 2017 Change Part 2 of ?

…changing things up a bit.

The decade of the 2010’s has brought a great deal of change and I’m not referring to more state quarters. While I mention the decade, what do we call this decade? The “Tens?” The “Teens?” I don’t know anyone from the 1910’s to ask what they did then so I’m not sure what the protocol was. But anyway, I digress.

This nameless decade has been a doozy for changing things up a bit. It’s been a real humdinger, a real bally hoo as one may have said back in the previous “xx10’s” decade.

Here’s a list that I’ve been jotting down the past few years, to denote some of this “change”.

  • Mt. McKinley, once so named to honor the assassinated 25th President of the U.S. William McKinley Jr. is now called Denali as the area was previously known by indigenous people in Alaska.
  • SeaWorld no longer has Killer Whales, err Orcas.
  • Bruce Jenner, 1976 US Olympic Gold Medalist in the Decathlon, is now Caitlyn Jenner.
  • Columbus Day is being renamed to Indigenous People’s Day.
  • Q-Tips have no safe use involving ears.
  • Hooded pullover sweatshirts once called “Hoodies” have been all but banned.
  • Clowns have become murderers and legitimately frightening Halloween costumes.
  • Ski Masks are only allowed during bank robberies.
  • Mini plastic baggies have been banned.
  • Crayola, for the first time in its 100-year history, retired a color from its 24-count box. They retired dandelion. Erasing it from the color bank. Sending it into the crayon black hole.
  • Monopoly’s Thimble & Iron are GONE!
  • Ketchup & Mustard makers are making each other’s products.
  • After 146 years Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ends .
  • Cable companies want to be phone companies and phone companies what to be cable companies.
  • Some women want to be men and some men want to be women.
  • The USPS has begun to deliver on Sundays when needed due to the influx of Amazon packages and deliveries that need to be made.
  • You have to present ID showing you are over 21 to purchase O’Doul’s.
  • You have to show ID to purchase spray paint
  • The phrases clockwise and counterclockwise will one day very soon lose all meaning to current and future young persons.

…to be continued

MMeM, Vol.13 Issue 30 – Mannequin Challenge = The Happening?

…freeze in position and then…

Mannequin Challenge. Does everyone remember that? From Wikipedia- “The Mannequin Challenge is a viral Internet video trend where people remain frozen in action like mannequins while a moving camera films them, usually with the song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd playing in the background. The hashtag #MannequinChallenge was used for popular social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. It is believed that the phenomenon was started by Dr. Dre in Kush’s music video in 2010. The initial posting has inspired works by other groups, especially professional athletes and sports teams, who have posted increasingly complex and elaborate videos.”

Perhaps you can remember just how huge this all got as everyone got in on this bit. Throughout 2015 and well into 2016 teams, organizations, artists, huge gatherings of people, any major events sponsored a “Mannequin Challenge”.

Well, separately I’m a fan of M. Night Shyamalan’s movies and TV shows. From “The Sixth Sense“, “The Village“, “Unbreakable“, to “Signs” and “Wayward Pines“, they are all great experiences that promise to deliver on nothing that you’d ever expect. Well, a somewhat lesser known one of his works is “The Happening“, where people suddenly freeze in position and then, well, I don’t want to ruin for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but I don’t think, you’ll look at the #MannequinChallenge the same way ever again.