29 March 2005
25 March 2005
The Supermarket Can Teach Us So Much....
The last two times I've been to the supermarket (the Succasunna Shoprite, cause I know you were all curious), I've learned so much more than I normally do.
Usually, I'll pick up the latest details on the Bat Boy, the migration patterns of Elvis, and the fat content of Edy's Ice Cream Sandwich Ice Cream (you don't wanna know).
The last two times have been much more informative.
I've learned that one of the key reasons that the agenda of the ignorant and mean-spirited continues to advance is because the carriers of that message are just so darn outgoing. Seriously, these people have no problem talking to the person in front of them at the checkout (me, natch). The first real eye-opener was an older couple (60s + - well out of my dating range) where the wife was commenting how it's always a delay when one of those people is running the checkout. She was referring to the Indian (or Pakistani, I didn't ask) woman who was doing her job. The bigot managed to ignore the couple in front of me, who split their cart up into three different orders, and questioned the price on every item as it scanned. Obviously, it's all the checkout lady's fault. I was waiting for a bad tsunami comment when I finally escaped.
Which bring us to yesterday. Another light bit o' shopping, and I'm on line and this woman gets behind me in line saying, "Hey - I think I'll join ya!" Now I'm a fairly genial person, so I smiled back at her and gave her as much space on the conveyor as my aluminum foil and chicken breast ($1.99/lb!) would allow. I'm nothing if not a considerate shopper. She proceeds to read all the horrible headlines off of People and whatever, and after mentioning the most recent school shooting, she says, "And you know, it's all because of them."
"Who?"
"All of them PC people who are so worried about everyone's feelings."
"Yeah - those people are just awful."
"Like you shouldn't hit your kids! That's ridiculous! Now who's going to teach these kids respect!? No wonder this American Indian shoots up a school thinking he's a Nazi.!"
"Wait. What? You lost me there."
"That kid in Minnesota."
"You don't think maybe his grandfather could have been a little more safe about his guns and bulletproof vest?"
"You want to blame his GRANDFATHER?!"
"Well, no. But I certainly think he could have-"
"Well who are you to blame his grandfather?!"
"Oh look, I'm all done... Have a nice day!"
New Jersey is a melting pot all by itself...
Usually, I'll pick up the latest details on the Bat Boy, the migration patterns of Elvis, and the fat content of Edy's Ice Cream Sandwich Ice Cream (you don't wanna know).
The last two times have been much more informative.
I've learned that one of the key reasons that the agenda of the ignorant and mean-spirited continues to advance is because the carriers of that message are just so darn outgoing. Seriously, these people have no problem talking to the person in front of them at the checkout (me, natch). The first real eye-opener was an older couple (60s + - well out of my dating range) where the wife was commenting how it's always a delay when one of those people is running the checkout. She was referring to the Indian (or Pakistani, I didn't ask) woman who was doing her job. The bigot managed to ignore the couple in front of me, who split their cart up into three different orders, and questioned the price on every item as it scanned. Obviously, it's all the checkout lady's fault. I was waiting for a bad tsunami comment when I finally escaped.
Which bring us to yesterday. Another light bit o' shopping, and I'm on line and this woman gets behind me in line saying, "Hey - I think I'll join ya!" Now I'm a fairly genial person, so I smiled back at her and gave her as much space on the conveyor as my aluminum foil and chicken breast ($1.99/lb!) would allow. I'm nothing if not a considerate shopper. She proceeds to read all the horrible headlines off of People and whatever, and after mentioning the most recent school shooting, she says, "And you know, it's all because of them."
"Who?"
"All of them PC people who are so worried about everyone's feelings."
"Yeah - those people are just awful."
"Like you shouldn't hit your kids! That's ridiculous! Now who's going to teach these kids respect!? No wonder this American Indian shoots up a school thinking he's a Nazi.!"
"Wait. What? You lost me there."
"That kid in Minnesota."
"You don't think maybe his grandfather could have been a little more safe about his guns and bulletproof vest?"
"You want to blame his GRANDFATHER?!"
"Well, no. But I certainly think he could have-"
"Well who are you to blame his grandfather?!"
"Oh look, I'm all done... Have a nice day!"
New Jersey is a melting pot all by itself...
16 March 2005
hmmmmm.... selfish selfish trotsky....
I am finding that I'm commenting on other people's LJs a lot more than I'm actually writing in my own journal.
I think that means that my friends are WAY more interesting than men, and I'm just sponging off of their interesting things and adding my lame two cents. Well, not a lame two cents. I'm a witty mutha.
But whatever.
I'll try to improve.
I think that means that my friends are WAY more interesting than men, and I'm just sponging off of their interesting things and adding my lame two cents. Well, not a lame two cents. I'm a witty mutha.
But whatever.
I'll try to improve.
08 March 2005
Book of Note
I've become fascinated by the used books available on Amazon for cheap (next up: Joe Jackson's autobiography).
I happened to stumble upon one recently that I read last night. (It was only 230+ pages, so reading it in one night isn't any real accomplishment)
The Day the World Came to Town is an interesting bit of nonfiction about 9/11 and the people whose planes were diverted and stranded at an airport in Canada. I found myself really moved by the generosity of a community and of the different ways people deal manage a crisis.
An incredible tale, I only wish it was a little better written, the people more fully fleshed out. It seems to me like there may have been a rush to publish (hardcover edition released 9/1/02), which didn't leave much time for research, writing, and editing. But it's still an interesting read. If you're an easily emotional person, have some tissues handy. I may have had my hay fever act up once or twice myself.
I happened to stumble upon one recently that I read last night. (It was only 230+ pages, so reading it in one night isn't any real accomplishment)
The Day the World Came to Town is an interesting bit of nonfiction about 9/11 and the people whose planes were diverted and stranded at an airport in Canada. I found myself really moved by the generosity of a community and of the different ways people deal manage a crisis.
An incredible tale, I only wish it was a little better written, the people more fully fleshed out. It seems to me like there may have been a rush to publish (hardcover edition released 9/1/02), which didn't leave much time for research, writing, and editing. But it's still an interesting read. If you're an easily emotional person, have some tissues handy. I may have had my hay fever act up once or twice myself.
05 March 2005
Couple of teeny random thoughts.
1) I'm thinking of inventing a new word: Outrageful. It just seems to me that "outrageous" doesn't carry the outrage as much as the crazy tag. And I think "outraged" has been trademarked by Johnnie Cochrane.
2) The best commercial I've seen in a while is the new commercial for the Toyota Prius. If you haven't seen it, it shows a variety of people and machines moving in place. It's visually interesting, pretty effective.
3) The most disturbing commercial is easily the Nike Pro Apparel commercial. The first time I saw it I was really jarred by the music and the images. Great commercial, but spooky. Like Julie Taymor meets Faces of Death.
2) The best commercial I've seen in a while is the new commercial for the Toyota Prius. If you haven't seen it, it shows a variety of people and machines moving in place. It's visually interesting, pretty effective.
3) The most disturbing commercial is easily the Nike Pro Apparel commercial. The first time I saw it I was really jarred by the music and the images. Great commercial, but spooky. Like Julie Taymor meets Faces of Death.
01 March 2005
I started reading Seabiscuit last night
Wonderful so far - grabs you right out of the gates.
Fantastic style, great construction, doesn't go out of its way to describe every detail of 1930s life but leaves it to our imaginations. And I'm only about 50 pages in.
Anyway, it occurs to me:
We used to be a nation built on legends, then on stories. We've now become a nation built on anecdotes.
We used to aspire to be legends and giants, now we want to be personalities, or even worse, we are people who worship personalities or want to be close to personalities. What kind of person dreams of being in someone else's posse?
That's it. Maybe I'm just being nostalgiac because of the book, or maybe the whole Paris Hilton/Fred Durst world that we live in sucks mightily.
I'm going to have some chocolate now...
Fantastic style, great construction, doesn't go out of its way to describe every detail of 1930s life but leaves it to our imaginations. And I'm only about 50 pages in.
Anyway, it occurs to me:
We used to be a nation built on legends, then on stories. We've now become a nation built on anecdotes.
We used to aspire to be legends and giants, now we want to be personalities, or even worse, we are people who worship personalities or want to be close to personalities. What kind of person dreams of being in someone else's posse?
That's it. Maybe I'm just being nostalgiac because of the book, or maybe the whole Paris Hilton/Fred Durst world that we live in sucks mightily.
I'm going to have some chocolate now...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
