Monday, January 28, 2008
I Had To Walk 10 Miles Uphill BOTH Ways!
If you are older than 30 you may recall thinking your parents were crazy and that their stories were ridiculous! I know when I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking five miles to school every morning through six feet of snow...and of course uphill BOTH ways. Yawn, stretch...what?...squint....were you telling me that sob story....I must have dozed off! I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I was going to spew for the crazy talk they gave me. You know, a bunch of bologna about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!
But now.....I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. Complain complain complain! They've got it so easy! They no clue how limited our childhood was, imagination was critical. I hate to say it but these kids today don't know how good they've got it! Everything is instant access, instant gratification, instant oatmeal, instant answers and instant information.
When I was a kid there was no The Internet. If I wanted to know something, I had to go to the library and look it up myself, I had learn the Dewey Decimal system!! Do they even no what that is?
There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter....with a pen! I remember learning in school how to properly address an envelope. Once you finished addressing the letter, you had to find a mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!
There were no MP3's or file sharing! If I wanted to steal music, I had to get to the record store and shoplift it myself (not that I did that)! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ usually talked over the beginning and @#*% it all up! The idea of a CD release date actually meant something. Now the music is leaked and millions of people have it before it is released.
Don't get me started about I-Pods either. 1000s of songs in your pocket. We were happy if our Walkman didn't eat our favorite mix tape! Then there was the Discman, we needed to have one CD for each artist and long trip required separate luggage to bring your music library! They have no clue how dedicated you had to be to music to enjoy everywhere you went when we were kids!
We didn't have fancy things like Call Waiting. If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it! Also we didn't have stuff like Caller ID Boxes either. When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
We didn't have any hi-tech Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! There were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! You could never "finish" a game. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! The high score was a badge of honor. Some might say "The Champion of the Universe" if you will.
At the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating, all the seats were the same height! If a tall guy, some old lady with a hat or some 80s big hair sat in front of you; you couldn't see, you were just screwed! And let's not even get started about the all that leg room you have now! You could drive a Mack truck through down the rows and not even have to get up!
Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no on screen menu to help you decide what to watch. You had to use a little book called a TV Guide delivered in your Saturday newspaper (and it still is by the way) to find out what was on! This one really busts my chops there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday morning....do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons! No wonder so many kids are babysat by television these days. 24/7 cartoons is nuts!
Popcorn was made with scalding hot oil or air popped. We took our lives in our own innocent hands to enjoy the fluffy white stuff. Now you pop it in the microwave and you are eating in about 90 seconds!
That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy.
You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980s!
Best Regards,
The over 30 Crowd
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Well I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle
Seriously I will be a Monkey's uncle! Wouldn't it be fun to have a niece or nephew that is a monkey? C'mon be honest monkeys are freak'in awesome!
Then you can imagine the looks of wonder when I introduce my nephew Jimmy and there I am walking hand in.....hand (?) with a primate. No worries he will be able to shake hands politely and perhaps squeak or squawk in a friendly manner.
I would be the talk of the town. Some people just won't get it but they are narrow-minded. Open your mind, expand your scope of reason. Let's be clear. I am talking about the very well trained monkeys. Not some wild and crazy bush monkey without any sense of class or style. Certainly not one that flings it's poop around, that just turns people off, I figure.
Monkeys unite! Monkey pets more than meets the eye....ah...no wait that is the wrong song.
pffffttff you get the idea!
My Two Cents
Jamie
Then you can imagine the looks of wonder when I introduce my nephew Jimmy and there I am walking hand in.....hand (?) with a primate. No worries he will be able to shake hands politely and perhaps squeak or squawk in a friendly manner.
I would be the talk of the town. Some people just won't get it but they are narrow-minded. Open your mind, expand your scope of reason. Let's be clear. I am talking about the very well trained monkeys. Not some wild and crazy bush monkey without any sense of class or style. Certainly not one that flings it's poop around, that just turns people off, I figure.
Monkeys unite! Monkey pets more than meets the eye....ah...no wait that is the wrong song.
pffffttff you get the idea!
My Two Cents
Jamie
Friday, January 18, 2008
Global Warming My Ass
Did Winnipeg miss the memo? Hello Mr. Arctic Cold Front did you sleep in the day the "save the planet" crew announced the World is melting?
The high for tomorrow is -25 degrees Celsius! Which means the overnight low will be minus 35 and should there be a sniff of a breeze the temp will plummet to minus 50! I am not talking wind here, just a "gentle" breeze is all it takes to create dangerous conditions. Not so gentle in January. If we are not careful penguins may start to migrate!
Hey don't think I am complaining because I'm not. I am not one of those Manitoba's who insists on letting Old Man Winter decide how I live my life. Not me, nope. I put on my big boots, pack a touque (sorry that's warm head gear for those who don't know), warm mitts, extra clothes, flares, candles, heavy wool blankets, bottled water, canned foods and off I go!
But seriously I think Winnipeggers find it hard to believe the Global Warming theory when year after year we are submersed in what can only be described as bone chilling temperatures. We are infamous for it. Many people south of the border think it is brittle baron landscape filled with igloos and pet polar bears. It seems the dividing line between the USA and Canada is some sort of magical weather line. On a return trip from Fargo a few months back we experienced this magic first hand. The weather was nice in Fargo, Grand Forks and the highways leading to our great nation. We stopped in Grand Forks for breakfast; the sun was out, the temperature was comfortable, very little snow on the ground. Then we crossed the border and no more than a mile out of the USA (I kid you not) the temperature dropped, there was snow everywhere and highways were getting worse the further North we went. It is no joke what they about the people who decided where the line between Canada and USA was drawn. The group responsible was walking along in a Northern path, wondering among themselves "So, where do think we should draw the line?". They had no idea how much further the land would go. Then suddenly, the temperature changed from +5 to -20 and they looked at each other and said "This should be far enough boys!".
I think Global Warming is a legitimate issue, but DAMN it gets cold here in Winterpeg Manitoba this time of year.
Go green everyone. You do your part and the World will be a better place.
My Two Cents
Jamie
The high for tomorrow is -25 degrees Celsius! Which means the overnight low will be minus 35 and should there be a sniff of a breeze the temp will plummet to minus 50! I am not talking wind here, just a "gentle" breeze is all it takes to create dangerous conditions. Not so gentle in January. If we are not careful penguins may start to migrate!
Hey don't think I am complaining because I'm not. I am not one of those Manitoba's who insists on letting Old Man Winter decide how I live my life. Not me, nope. I put on my big boots, pack a touque (sorry that's warm head gear for those who don't know), warm mitts, extra clothes, flares, candles, heavy wool blankets, bottled water, canned foods and off I go!
But seriously I think Winnipeggers find it hard to believe the Global Warming theory when year after year we are submersed in what can only be described as bone chilling temperatures. We are infamous for it. Many people south of the border think it is brittle baron landscape filled with igloos and pet polar bears. It seems the dividing line between the USA and Canada is some sort of magical weather line. On a return trip from Fargo a few months back we experienced this magic first hand. The weather was nice in Fargo, Grand Forks and the highways leading to our great nation. We stopped in Grand Forks for breakfast; the sun was out, the temperature was comfortable, very little snow on the ground. Then we crossed the border and no more than a mile out of the USA (I kid you not) the temperature dropped, there was snow everywhere and highways were getting worse the further North we went. It is no joke what they about the people who decided where the line between Canada and USA was drawn. The group responsible was walking along in a Northern path, wondering among themselves "So, where do think we should draw the line?". They had no idea how much further the land would go. Then suddenly, the temperature changed from +5 to -20 and they looked at each other and said "This should be far enough boys!".
I think Global Warming is a legitimate issue, but DAMN it gets cold here in Winterpeg Manitoba this time of year.
Go green everyone. You do your part and the World will be a better place.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Thursday, January 17, 2008
It Has Finally Happened, I Defended The Old Fashioned
My son is going to be 12 this year and I am not sure how that happened. No silly, I understand how it happened, but when did the baby become 12?
Yesterday we stopped off at Safeway for a an onion and some bread, what you don't stop and buy an onion and some bread? Anyway, we grab up the produce we need and the bread; we are now meandering through the store for nothing in particular (and I wonder why the kids hate going shopping-HA). I have to walk the length of the store, ya never know what might be on sale! But I digress. We are walking down the condiment aisle and my son points out to his sister (9), with great enthusiasm, "Look, they have old fashioned ketchup! The kind in the glass bottle!"
They stare and ogle this incredibly foreign container through which every kid's favorite dipping sauce/spaghetti sauce/fry topping/overall simple addition to any meal is displayed. After some very poignant conversation regarding the ketchups usefulness it is declared the "old fashioned" glass bottle is useless. I even believe the word hate was used.
The next course of events could have been somewhat out of body. I began to defend the glass bottle as if I were the inventor. Like some how my personal worth was tied to the glass ketchup bottle's acceptance. I begin to explain the glass bottle gets a raw deal because people don't know how to use it. I try and give them a physics lesson as we walk to find a register to pay for our things. I explain that the "secret" to glass bottles is NOT to tap the bottom of the bottle, but to tap the side of the bottle. With wonder and amazement, or perhaps a feeling of what the heck is this old guy talking about, my children listen in awe. I am going with awe for my own peace of mind. I continue my Physics 101 class, by tapping the side of the glass you are moving the ketchup to the side of the bottle allowing air to move up the bottle away from the opening and using gravity to push down on the ketchup. By tapping the top of the bottle you are pushing to opposing forces together, eventually the ketchup will come out but because your force is greater than the other two, but it can result in an 'explosion' of sorts.
Worst part, I would never buy a glass bottle of ketchup!!! I have to laugh. Kids are funny creature. They change your World so immeasurably it is astonishing.
Do I think I swayed their minds, nope! But I think I crossed a line I can't return from. I find comfort in things from years past even if I don't have a vested interest. I guess I ask myself does this make me old? I don't think so, but it was sure funny.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Yesterday we stopped off at Safeway for a an onion and some bread, what you don't stop and buy an onion and some bread? Anyway, we grab up the produce we need and the bread; we are now meandering through the store for nothing in particular (and I wonder why the kids hate going shopping-HA). I have to walk the length of the store, ya never know what might be on sale! But I digress. We are walking down the condiment aisle and my son points out to his sister (9), with great enthusiasm, "Look, they have old fashioned ketchup! The kind in the glass bottle!"
They stare and ogle this incredibly foreign container through which every kid's favorite dipping sauce/spaghetti sauce/fry topping/overall simple addition to any meal is displayed. After some very poignant conversation regarding the ketchups usefulness it is declared the "old fashioned" glass bottle is useless. I even believe the word hate was used.
The next course of events could have been somewhat out of body. I began to defend the glass bottle as if I were the inventor. Like some how my personal worth was tied to the glass ketchup bottle's acceptance. I begin to explain the glass bottle gets a raw deal because people don't know how to use it. I try and give them a physics lesson as we walk to find a register to pay for our things. I explain that the "secret" to glass bottles is NOT to tap the bottom of the bottle, but to tap the side of the bottle. With wonder and amazement, or perhaps a feeling of what the heck is this old guy talking about, my children listen in awe. I am going with awe for my own peace of mind. I continue my Physics 101 class, by tapping the side of the glass you are moving the ketchup to the side of the bottle allowing air to move up the bottle away from the opening and using gravity to push down on the ketchup. By tapping the top of the bottle you are pushing to opposing forces together, eventually the ketchup will come out but because your force is greater than the other two, but it can result in an 'explosion' of sorts.
Worst part, I would never buy a glass bottle of ketchup!!! I have to laugh. Kids are funny creature. They change your World so immeasurably it is astonishing.
Do I think I swayed their minds, nope! But I think I crossed a line I can't return from. I find comfort in things from years past even if I don't have a vested interest. I guess I ask myself does this make me old? I don't think so, but it was sure funny.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
First Impressions Last a Lifetime
I am on a road of discovery. Discovering how hard it is to shed the weight of a first impression. I was recently submersed in a terrible event. It stemmed from a reoccurring theme where people misunderstand me. Ya see, I have serious trust issues. I hide it fairly well, but honestly it is a powerful factor in my life.
I am a shy, however, most who know me would disagree. But the truth is I have known most of my friends for more than 20 years. Naturally I am comfortable with them and trust them to allow me to be me. But with new people it takes time for me to get to that point. During that time I do what I love to do, people watch. I observe and try and get a feel for the dynamics. How would I best fit in to this situation in the future. Unfortunately my shyness has been taken as indifference, arrogance or that I am a very serious guy. Nothing could be further from the truth. I care about people, sometimes too much; I don't feel I have anything to be arrogant about and I am a guy who likes to have fun. I will admit I find it hard to 'let loose' if there people around I don't know very well. I think this is pretty normal, however, I am sure I am at the extreme end of things.
Some where along the line in the last 10 to 15 years I have lost my ability to let loose without worrying about what others think. It seems my large network of friends has caused me to not trust anyone else unless I have to! That's ridiculous. I find when around my kids I have to be this authoritarian on constant vigil watch to ensure they are learning to be good people and that they are safe. That too is ridiculous. I think all involved would be served better if I was more relaxed. In years past I was known for being the life of the party and spent a great deal of time on the dance floor or being crazy (good crazy, not embarrassing crazy). I had a lot of fun. Truth be told, I still have a lot of fun, but in a different way, mostly on the inside where my fun is safe and won't be criticized. I need to find my way back to being the life of the party (so to speak). Not interested in partying per say, but being more fun to the casual observer. Which is what happened in the above mentioned event. I joined a group of people (none of which I knew) and after a period of time elapsed was accused of not enjoying myself and not having fun. It was completely untrue. The worse part was I was unceremoniously ousted. Because my enjoyment and ability to have were not in line with the rest of the group. Funny part about this story is (or sad really) nobody and I mean nobody took the time to talk to me, get to know me. They had a meeting without me present and decided. At one point it looked like someone actually cared. I received a call and I thought everything was good. The I receive an email (yes an email) to inform me that my part in the group was no longer necessary. Naturally I tried to plead my case. I sent no less than 10 emails trying to get some sort of response. Any kind of response. I would have been happy with a "please do not email us anymore". But what I received was to be cut off completely like I was some sort of plague. And I am the serious one?
Thankfully I have a good support system and was able to get through the initial emotional roller coaster. I had a visit from a some good friends who once a reminded me I AM a good person. They showed up unannounced because they had heard about the situation and wanted to be sure I was okay. Good stuff.
Also I was able to get to the healthy place where I realize I can do no more and that the ownership of this issue lies with the group (or members within the group that caused this to happen). I know what I brought to the table and even though I was misunderstood I know it is because they did not bother to try and know me. They judged, tried and convicted without any input from me. I have moved on. In a way I feel sorry for them. They don't fully understand the implications of their actions.
From all this I have felt I need to work on my own ability to be less guarded around new people. I need to shed a few layers of protection and lay it out there. I am guessing, but think more people would appreciate my fun loving side as a better way to get to know me, rather than my closed off, wait and see facade I use now.
It's amusing to me. Friends I have made in the last five years or so really don't know me. I give them credit because they know me for what they have seen thus far, but the true me is not something they have had the benefit of seeing. The strange part will come when I can find my way back to the real me and the newer friends will think I have changed. When really the person they know is the changed version of me! 2008 is a year of change. Changing back to a happy, more easy going me.
Sounds like fun.
My Two Cents
Jamie
I am a shy, however, most who know me would disagree. But the truth is I have known most of my friends for more than 20 years. Naturally I am comfortable with them and trust them to allow me to be me. But with new people it takes time for me to get to that point. During that time I do what I love to do, people watch. I observe and try and get a feel for the dynamics. How would I best fit in to this situation in the future. Unfortunately my shyness has been taken as indifference, arrogance or that I am a very serious guy. Nothing could be further from the truth. I care about people, sometimes too much; I don't feel I have anything to be arrogant about and I am a guy who likes to have fun. I will admit I find it hard to 'let loose' if there people around I don't know very well. I think this is pretty normal, however, I am sure I am at the extreme end of things.
Some where along the line in the last 10 to 15 years I have lost my ability to let loose without worrying about what others think. It seems my large network of friends has caused me to not trust anyone else unless I have to! That's ridiculous. I find when around my kids I have to be this authoritarian on constant vigil watch to ensure they are learning to be good people and that they are safe. That too is ridiculous. I think all involved would be served better if I was more relaxed. In years past I was known for being the life of the party and spent a great deal of time on the dance floor or being crazy (good crazy, not embarrassing crazy). I had a lot of fun. Truth be told, I still have a lot of fun, but in a different way, mostly on the inside where my fun is safe and won't be criticized. I need to find my way back to being the life of the party (so to speak). Not interested in partying per say, but being more fun to the casual observer. Which is what happened in the above mentioned event. I joined a group of people (none of which I knew) and after a period of time elapsed was accused of not enjoying myself and not having fun. It was completely untrue. The worse part was I was unceremoniously ousted. Because my enjoyment and ability to have were not in line with the rest of the group. Funny part about this story is (or sad really) nobody and I mean nobody took the time to talk to me, get to know me. They had a meeting without me present and decided. At one point it looked like someone actually cared. I received a call and I thought everything was good. The I receive an email (yes an email) to inform me that my part in the group was no longer necessary. Naturally I tried to plead my case. I sent no less than 10 emails trying to get some sort of response. Any kind of response. I would have been happy with a "please do not email us anymore". But what I received was to be cut off completely like I was some sort of plague. And I am the serious one?
Thankfully I have a good support system and was able to get through the initial emotional roller coaster. I had a visit from a some good friends who once a reminded me I AM a good person. They showed up unannounced because they had heard about the situation and wanted to be sure I was okay. Good stuff.
Also I was able to get to the healthy place where I realize I can do no more and that the ownership of this issue lies with the group (or members within the group that caused this to happen). I know what I brought to the table and even though I was misunderstood I know it is because they did not bother to try and know me. They judged, tried and convicted without any input from me. I have moved on. In a way I feel sorry for them. They don't fully understand the implications of their actions.
From all this I have felt I need to work on my own ability to be less guarded around new people. I need to shed a few layers of protection and lay it out there. I am guessing, but think more people would appreciate my fun loving side as a better way to get to know me, rather than my closed off, wait and see facade I use now.
It's amusing to me. Friends I have made in the last five years or so really don't know me. I give them credit because they know me for what they have seen thus far, but the true me is not something they have had the benefit of seeing. The strange part will come when I can find my way back to the real me and the newer friends will think I have changed. When really the person they know is the changed version of me! 2008 is a year of change. Changing back to a happy, more easy going me.
Sounds like fun.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)