Holiday Cleanup
Happy Labor Day, kids. I hope everyone's had a great weekend so far. I accomplished basically nothing on Saturday, and then yesterday was spent at church, eating lunch with Surfer Dude, helping an elderly couple from church with a couple of things, and then I set to work cleaning up my own flat. There's a lot of work yet to do, mainly in the living room, but I have the bathroom most of the way clean, I made some progress on the kitchen, and I think I could actually have the place ready to entertain guests by the end of the day. That's my goal. It will require a trip to the grocery store (which I needed to do anyway), but I'm optimistic.
You don't even want to know how many beer bottles I'm going to have to clear out of this place; and there's a several-months-old pizza box, just for good measure. So much for reducing my carbon footprint.
Okay, a few items for today. First, many of you will have read a few weeks ago that Mighty Mo (who's currently vomiting at the thought of a several-months-old pizza box) has shut down her blog. Well, as her regular readers would have guessed, it didn't take long before she started a fresh blog. Go check her out at Mojangled.
When I was at Wal Mart the other day, I was shocked and amused to see that the New Kids on the Block are apparently back on tour... And sponsored by Suave deodorant. Yes, you read that correctly. Hilarious.
I saw a really interesting article this weekend, though I didn't completely agree with it. It was a lengthy piece by the author of a book titled Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. There's certainly a phenomenon in which young men flake out after college and continue trying to "live the dream" or something. I question how widespread it is, though. Maybe I come from a small, normal microcosm, but just about all of my friends from college are married at this point, with either kids or the intention of having them at some point. They all wanted, and got, steady work in various places around the country. I can't think of a single friend from college who's just ambling aimlessly through life, hooking up with girls and jumping from short term job to job. Even my brother, who was a party animal in high school, has a fiancee, a house, and a solid job as a mechanic at a mine. It may be nothing but anecdotal evidence on my part, but I'm in the demographic he's talking about, and what he describes is a phenomenon that I just don't see in the concentration that the author claims. I shared a couple of passages with Triathlon Goddess, and we both commented on this one:
I can almost guarantee you that if Greg's father and grandfather both worked at the steel mill, they didn't want that for him. How much do you want to bet that Greg figured on the steel mill as a sure thing, goofed around during high school, got horrible grades, and then couldn't get into college because he was a loser? And, of course, the "Bush fat cats and all the illegals" line is absolute nonsense. There were times when I moved to California, and right after I moved to Virginia, when I had less than a hundred dollars to my name. By working hard and spending responsibly, I was able to make it through and get to good financial footing. At any rate, the fact that such a quote was included in the article is proof of the author's bias. The bottom line is that guys still grow up in this country; and if you're not a complete and total idiot, you can get ahead in this country - even if you're an "honest white guy" like me. That's one of the many reasons why America kicks so much ass.
And finally, a study shows that people are listening to podcasts like you wouldn't believe. I've become a lover of podcasts, so I'm not surprised. One of the greatest things about the Internet is it's ability to give us on-demand media - and it's not even always pictures of women without any clothes on!
Okay, so assuming you're reading this on a holiday, tell me: do you listen to any podcasts? If so, which ones? Have a great Labor Day, folks, and check back tomorrow.
You don't even want to know how many beer bottles I'm going to have to clear out of this place; and there's a several-months-old pizza box, just for good measure. So much for reducing my carbon footprint.
Okay, a few items for today. First, many of you will have read a few weeks ago that Mighty Mo (who's currently vomiting at the thought of a several-months-old pizza box) has shut down her blog. Well, as her regular readers would have guessed, it didn't take long before she started a fresh blog. Go check her out at Mojangled.
When I was at Wal Mart the other day, I was shocked and amused to see that the New Kids on the Block are apparently back on tour... And sponsored by Suave deodorant. Yes, you read that correctly. Hilarious.
I saw a really interesting article this weekend, though I didn't completely agree with it. It was a lengthy piece by the author of a book titled Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. There's certainly a phenomenon in which young men flake out after college and continue trying to "live the dream" or something. I question how widespread it is, though. Maybe I come from a small, normal microcosm, but just about all of my friends from college are married at this point, with either kids or the intention of having them at some point. They all wanted, and got, steady work in various places around the country. I can't think of a single friend from college who's just ambling aimlessly through life, hooking up with girls and jumping from short term job to job. Even my brother, who was a party animal in high school, has a fiancee, a house, and a solid job as a mechanic at a mine. It may be nothing but anecdotal evidence on my part, but I'm in the demographic he's talking about, and what he describes is a phenomenon that I just don't see in the concentration that the author claims. I shared a couple of passages with Triathlon Goddess, and we both commented on this one:
Greg, for example, never made it to college. He didn’t regret it at the time, but now he wonders. The son and grandson of steel workers near Bethlehem, Penn., Greg knew he’d end up at Beth Steel also — except the steel plant closed and suddenly all those jobs disappeared. Even if he could go to college now, it’s too expensive, and besides, he needs to save for a new car so he can move out of his parents’ house. In the past two years he’s worked at a gas station, Home Depot, a mini-mart convenience store, and as a groundskeeper at a local university. “I’m trying, honest, I really am,” he says, with a certain resigned sadness already creeping into his 24-year-old eyes. “But there is just no way an honest white guy can make a living in this economy — not with these Bush fat cats and all the illegals.”
I can almost guarantee you that if Greg's father and grandfather both worked at the steel mill, they didn't want that for him. How much do you want to bet that Greg figured on the steel mill as a sure thing, goofed around during high school, got horrible grades, and then couldn't get into college because he was a loser? And, of course, the "Bush fat cats and all the illegals" line is absolute nonsense. There were times when I moved to California, and right after I moved to Virginia, when I had less than a hundred dollars to my name. By working hard and spending responsibly, I was able to make it through and get to good financial footing. At any rate, the fact that such a quote was included in the article is proof of the author's bias. The bottom line is that guys still grow up in this country; and if you're not a complete and total idiot, you can get ahead in this country - even if you're an "honest white guy" like me. That's one of the many reasons why America kicks so much ass.
And finally, a study shows that people are listening to podcasts like you wouldn't believe. I've become a lover of podcasts, so I'm not surprised. One of the greatest things about the Internet is it's ability to give us on-demand media - and it's not even always pictures of women without any clothes on!
Okay, so assuming you're reading this on a holiday, tell me: do you listen to any podcasts? If so, which ones? Have a great Labor Day, folks, and check back tomorrow.
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