Saturday, August 21, 2010

Beer Commercials

Beer commercials are just funny. They are! They usually imply that there are dumb beer-drinkers and smart beer-drinkers, but really, doesn't drinking beer really kind of level that playing field?

Beer commercials that imply that anyone drinking beer is concerned about his caloric intake are just lame. You don't drink beer as part of a heart-healthy diet, for cryin' out loud; you drink it so you can be social, witty, and oh-so-clever. Just because you usually end up behaving like a jackass doesn't mean that's where you intended to go when you began your journey. I'm just sayin'.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Commercials - WHY?

Why are commercials so condescending? Why can't the dads and the kids in commercials: take their own medicine, wash their own clothes, or cook their own food without making the kitchen look like Hiroshima after the bomb?

If I were a woman I would be offended that most ad-makers think we are Dr. Mom, Maytag Mom, Dentist Mom, Chauffeur Mom, etc. etc. etc.

As a man, I am offended that ad-makers think I am so stupid, uninformed, callous, lazy, clumsy, and so ignorant that I cannot take care of myself and my own adult needs.

I'm just sayin'.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

What the heck is a vacation?

To cite Merriam-Webster (and who doesn't), the word "vacation" means:

1) a respite or a time of respite from something;
2) a scheduled period during which activity is suspended;
a period of exemption from work granted to an employee;
3) a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation.

There is nothing in the dictionary I own that says anything about being constantly in contact - during one's vacation - with one's work environment by telephone, computer, cell phone, email, or pager. I have come to believe that Americans do not understand the concept of vacation, and don't therefore appreciate what can be gained by having one.

Let me elaborate. Of what use is a computer or cell phone or pager if you are lying on a beach hundreds (even thousands) of miles from your actual office? If something comes up that requires your attention, is it really so immediate and crucial that someone else in your office cannot handle it? If so, you really need to do some training and learn how to delegate or else work harder before you go on vacation so situations like these don't come up.

I can testify from personal experience that no one on a beach or in a seaside restaurant is the least bit interested in hearing second-hand about some crisis at your workplace.

It also baffles me that people seem to feel the need to connect (while on vacation) with every family member and friend they know. I've never figured out whether they are really that insecure, they are afraid they'll miss something, or they truly enjoy being indispensable (translation: an enabler).

So come on, folks, let's really chill out. Let's give ourselves permission to truly go on vacation. Leave the electronics at home or in the hotel safe, do a little basking on a beach or hiking across a mountain, and really truly "get away from it all". That's a real vacation.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Is it blogging or mental diarrhea?

Since I began this blog and began following other bloggers, I began to wonder what makes any blogger (including me...maybe especially me) think that other folks (bloggers or non-bloggers) are interested in the stream-of-consciousness b**ls**t that appears on our blogs. The only answer I could come up with is morbid fascination with the grotesque. In much the same way that drivers slow down to absorb all the grisly scenes of car wrecks, we read others' blogs, hoping to catch them in in some egregious mistake, misspelling, or misapprehension. It makes us feel better to think our blogs are better than their blogs. Other than that superficial connection, we don't really want to know the other bloggers better, just their errors, which we can point out with great enthusiasm and smug superiority.
Isn't this right?