Socks are bastards.
You are feeling good because all of your clothes are in the wash. Then you look at the hamper, and one sock is either sitting in the corner of the hamper or just outside of it. All you can do is look at it with contempt and say, “You Bastard!”
Joe Biden was a guest on the Stephen Colbert this week and he defended some inaccuracies he has made in some speeches. The incorrect statements have occurred when he recounted some personal interactions with constituents.
During the interview with Colbert, Biden said he wasn’t intentionally trying to mislead people and the context of the message is more important than the facts. Well, that is ridiculous! Facts matter!
This has nothing to do with politics, but it has everything to do with doing the right thing. Context is great but it doesn’t mean much if it’s not surrounded by facts. Get it right and if someone points out that you got the facts wrong, don’t be afraid to acknowledge it. I think we all respect others who can admit their flaws. I have many flaws and I will point them out.
So, I tell Biden and anyone else who is too stubborn to admit their missteps – get over it! We all make mistakes. Don’t double down on the mistake. Admit you screwed up and move on.
I like noise. Sometimes I do my best writing with the television on. I often fall asleep with the TV or radio on. For me, noise can be productive, but there are times when silence is grand. I usually listen to sports talk or new talk radio when I am driving, but recently I decided to drive in silence to various places around town.
Just hearing the noise of cars driving by and other sounds of a busy world is enough to fill my brain and provide me with some solace. It is also a great way to think. Sometimes, you need to get away from the competing voices and noises going into your head, such as the radio and the TV.
We all have a lot going on in our lives. It is tempting to turn on more noise to get away from things we don’t want to deal with – work, school, personal relationships, etc. However, driving in silence allows me to think with some clarity about some of the things I have going on in my life.
Besides thinking about my life, driving in silence allows me take in all the surrounding environment – clouds, trees, neighborhoods – I sometimes don’t pay too much attention to when I have the radio on. Looking at nature and the surrounding environment helps me appreciate life.
So, take some time to drive or sit in silence. Take some time to observe what’s around you and listen to yourself. I think you will find some clarity when you get away from those voices that often distract us.
You have probably heard this before, but a person who only reaches out to you when they need something isn’t a friend. That person is a non-friend or a worse – a leach. No one needs someone like that in their life. A friend should always reach out at least to say hello or text you to find out how things are going on in your life.
People who only contact you when they need something are irritating and quite frankly – jerks and a-holes. Here’s a small piece of advice: If a non-friend is using you – cut them off. Sometimes, you have to cut off communications with non-friends for your own good. It’s better to do that than to get frustrated for that person’s non-friendship.
On the flip-side, if you realize that you are a non-friend/leach/a-hole – get your butt in gear and be a friend. Stop using people. The only butt hole people need in their life is the one that is attached to their body. Be a better person. Be a friend.
Politics have become so divisive these days that talking about compromise is considered a dirty deal. Joe Biden has received criticism from people on the far left for stating he would speak with Republicans to get policies passed. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans openly say they are not interested in working with Democrats on bills. This is ridiculous!
Life is about compromise. There are some things that you can impose your will, particularly when it comes to dealing with yourself, but once you are dealing with others, compromise is always on the table. We compromise in our personal and professional relationships. You pick what hill you want to defend, and on other occasions, you decide to meet the other person halfway, or you decide their way is best.
It’s clear many politicians have lost their way. They care more about protecting their party than protecting the country. It makes no sense that we don’t demand compromise in politics. You have to work together to get things done. No politician should be disparaged for wanting to work across the aisle to get things done.
A few weeks ago, Magic Johnson stepped down as president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers. During an impromptu press conference, Johnson said he decided to walk away from the job because he didn’t like the some of the negative talk surrounding the team and his performance in the role. To that end, he said some of the criticism he received surrounding drafting players and fines that were given to him for tampering with players – talking to players on other teams during the season – were not his fault. He claimed, “I did nothing wrong.”
But in reality, he did several things wrong. He did tamper with players. He undermined the head coach early in the season by publicly insinuating the coach’s job could be in danger if things didn’t go well. And one of his last wrong-doings was not letting the owner of the Lakers know ahead of time that he was resigning. The owner learned he was stepping down when the rest of the public learned – during the press conference. That’s just wrong!
During the press conference, Johnson acted though everything was roses and puppy dogs. He said the team was going in an upward trajectory. That’s definitely not the case. The Lakers missed the playoffs even though LeBron James, one of the best players in the world, was on the team. The team has issues.
My question: Why don’t people just tell the truth? Just say ‘I made some mistakes and I want the team to have someone who can dedicate all their time to this job.’ And this goes for everyone. Admit you could have done a better job. There’s no harm in admitting you screwed up. I think people respect you more when you acknowledge your faults. We have all made mistakes in jobs, relationships, etc.
So, swallow your pride, and fess up when you screw up. No one is perfect.
Listening to politicians is maddening — very few answer Yes or No questions. Instead, many politicians will answer a direct question by trying to paint a picture so you will forget the question. It’s ridiculous, but a clever ploy to straddle the line.
We should demand that direct questions are answered with a direct answer. If you want to explain your answer with a little paint, so be it, as long as it is not a dissertation.
I am a firm believer that news reporters and quite frankly, anyone giving a speech or presentation, should use terms or words that everyone is familiarity with. I was watching a news story on how many Americans have little or no savings despite the economy seeming to be strong. The reporter said is this a warning that the economy isn’t that great for the working class, but the reporter used the term “is this a canary in the coal mine” situation.
Though the reporter correctly used the term “canary in the coal mine,” the question is how many people know what that means. The term is used to denote a warning. Coal miners used to take a caged canary into a coal mine to determine the level of carbon monoxide and other gases present in the mine. If the canary died or got sick before the miners left the mine, then the workers knew that was a warning that the toxicity level in the mine is dangerous.
I think reporters and other public officials should use analogies and terms that everyone understands. I doubt many people understand the term or know the story that created this saying. I am not suggesting we dumb down our language, we just have to make sure we explain sayings and analogies that many may not know. If you can’t explain it, don’t use it.
If you are doing the Bird Box Challenge, you are a Grade A idiot. The Bird Box Challenge is inspired by the Netflix movie “Bird Box” in which people do ordinary, daily routines such as cooking and washing the laundry, blindfolded. This is a stupid idea.
Of course, you have the true imbeciles of the world taken it a step further. Some people have attempted to drive and walk out in traffic blindfolded. These folks are what we call “Dumbasses.”
How incredibly stupid must you be? You not only put yourself in danger, but you put the lives of others in jeopardy.
Apparently, so many people have filmed themselves doing the challenge that Netflix put out a statement asking people not to do it. It’s not Netflix’s fault. Some people don’t use common sense, and quite frankly, are not smart.
These are the people that the Amoeba, the single-cell animal, would call a moron. I can hear the Amoeba now, “I thought I was a simpleton, but I am a genius compared to these dimwits.”
Bird Box is a movie, and it is fiction, and a lot of the actions that occur in the movie are unbelievable. Don’t do stupid things based on an unrealistic movie. If you do, you are an idiot.
Recently, a freshman congresswoman received push back from fellow representatives and the media for saying “we are going to impeach that motherfucker.” Her remark was made in front of supporters at a bar, and she was talking about the president. Some people said she shouldn’t use that word to describe the president, while others said it was inappropriate to use profanity in general.
Though I can agree the use of profanity was probably not the right way to go, it amazes me people seem to get upset when profanity is used in such a public forum, particularly by a public official. Consider this: profanity is used on a daily if not hourly basis in television, streaming shows, movies, and video games, and no one seems to blink an eye. Yet, people are a gasp when a congresswoman uses it. Really?
Grow up, people! You are upset about a word but seem to have no problem with the violence we see in movies, TV shows, and video games. I think the violence we see in these entertainment mediums is a lot more detrimental to our society, particularly impressionable children, than a profane word.
Should the congresswoman have used a better word? Of course. But should she have been on the receiving in of a lot of media flack? No.
Let’s get upset about real things that are having a detrimental effect on our nation and world – violence, racism, sexism, homelessness, sexual abuse, and so many more abuses against humanity.
