Celebrity

I’ve been thinking a lot about celebrity lately; about how many of us aspire to be like them and how many of us let them determine our views on a myriad of subjects.  We let them determine how we believe without taking the time to form our own opinions.  It’s as if, because they are celebrities, they are wiser and more knowledgeable than we are.

I thought of this while I was stirring the peanut butter this morning, mixing the oil which had separated back into the ground peanuts. I was thinking of the Women’s March in Washington and all of the celebrities who attended and made speeches.   My first thought was, “I wonder if Madonna has ever stirred peanut butter for her morning spread on toast?”  My guess is not.  I doubt that she cooks her own eggs or pours her own milk very often. Continue reading “Celebrity”

Much Ado About Nothing

I feel like I’m living in a Shakespearean play, but rather than being the husband who was cuckolded by his wife (or vice versa) we’ve been duped by the weatherman.  More specifically, the National Weather Service and the Weather Channel convinced us that a catastrophe was upon us when I’ve seen more ice accumulate in my freezer with the door open.  It was supposed to arrive on Friday, then Saturday and finally on Sunday and it did for some, but not here in Emporia.  I watched the radar for two days and what was heading for Emporia never materialized.  In fact, it looked like the Red Sea parting for the Israelites.  There was freezing rain and sleet to the west, south, east and north, but we survived reasonably unscathed. Continue reading “Much Ado About Nothing”

The Best Things in Life Are Free

The best things in life may be free but you wouldn’t know it from looking at society today. Nothing is free!  Everything is about making the almighty dollar. It’s most obvious when using the modern technology of the internet.

I will admit I am quite enamored of my cell phone. It is loaded down with apps, a lot of which I seldom use.  Most of them were free to begin with and were fun or useful for a while, but if you want to go past stage one there’s always a price to be paid, and you are continually being bombarded with “upgrade to this”, “pay for this additional information”, or “buy this add-on” in every app and game.  It doesn’t matter if it is a game, a diet app, calorie tracker, travel app, they are all looking for the latest revenue stream. Continue reading “The Best Things in Life Are Free”

Annus Horribillis

The best things in life may be free but you wouldn’t know it from looking at

In November of 1992, Queen Elizabeth gave a speech marking her 40th anniversary as queen.  In that speech, she referred to the passing year as “Annus Horribilis” which means “Horrible year” in Latin.  “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.” She said.  “I suspect that I am not alone in thinking it so.” Continue reading “Annus Horribillis”