Emmy’s Changing Face

 

As you might imagine from someone who has a weekly blog spot called Tube Day Tuesday, the Emmy Awards program is pretty much standard viewing around here.  But as I grow older, I find that I do not enjoy the show nearly as much as I did in the past.  I think maybe I’m just not keeping up with the changing ways of television.

Year after year, I find that network television is being pushed more and more to the side while the latest and greatest from cable takes home all the awards.  Heck, these days, most network shows don’t even get nominated.  It’s sort of sad to me. 

Not that cable shows aren’t great. (Though, honestly, most of the big winners this year I haven’t even seen.)  But, I do think there’s a certain conceit to the choices, where people think it’s just not trendy enough these days to admit they enjoy network television.

But, for this year, it’s all in the history books now, so I guess that sometime between now and next year I’ll either have to start watching the edgy fan favorites on cable, or resign myself to growing more and more distant from the awards I grew up loving.

On a completely different note, I’m not ashamed to say I cried like a baby when Billy Crystal did his tribute to Robin Williams.  If I still can’t believe Williams is gone, I can’t even imagine how his closest friends are coping.  But Crystal held up well, and delivered a beautiful, thoughtful, real tribute to his friend. If you missed it, you really ought to watch it now.  But make sure you’ve got some tissues handy.

Happy Birthday to The Great Bird

 

 

It can’t be a surprise to anyone at this point that my love for television is a life-long affair.  Obviously, I can’t remember the very first program I ever watched as a child, or maybe even the first one I loved.  But I can remember the first one that really spoke to me and stayed with me long after the final credits rolled.

There was a time in my life before Star Trek, but not much time, and once the show took hold of my heart, it never let go.  And I have Gene Roddenberry to thank for that.

Like most people, Roddenberry had weaknesses, and parts of his life that shouldn’t be celebrated, but none of that can change the fact that he created a part of our culture that moved beyond mere entertainment and actually managed to change the world.

There are scientists practicing today because they were inspired by Star Trek.  Artists who followed their passion to write, direct, or design graphics because they hoped to work on something as lasting as Star Trek.  And there are everyday people—like me—who believe that the future that awaits us is a good one, because our world view has been formed in a very foundational way by Star Trek and the way it can be.

Today (well, as so often, I’m writing past the midnight hour, so technically yesterday), Gene Roddenberry would have been 93 years old.  In his early Trek days, he had picked up the nickname of “Great Bird of the Galaxy”.  According to the Trek mythology, the coming of the Great Bird was a wonderful event, signifying great prosperity and blessings for the planet he chose.  I’m pretty sure Roddenberry actually brought that kind of blessing to this planet, but I’m certain that, at the very least, he and his vision were blessings to me. 

Just Thinking

 

Just a couple of random thoughts tonight . . .

The first thing on my mind is that sometimes it’s hard to know if all the extra time both before and after a day(s) off is worth it.  So far, I’m still saying yes, but it’s only Monday!

Secondly, to revisit Robin Williams for a moment, I’ve seen a lot of video tributes this past week (as has anyone who has not been living in some sort of electronic black-out zone), but this one is so simple and sweet, it seems it should be shared.

Lastly, with every passing day, I wish more and more that I was not tied to a 9-5 office job.  I really need to win the lottery!

In Search of Why

 

There’s something about death, especially tragic, unexpected death.  People always want to find, if not a reason, then some sort of lesson.  We don’t want to let someone go without feeling that they contributed one last thing to this world.

In the wake of Robin Williams’ death, you can see this played out over and over in social media.  Depression. Anxiety.  Addiction.  And now, I suppose, we will add Parkinson’s.  The cries are out there: Don’t let his death be in vain.  And perhaps an awareness of some of these diseases will come, and that will be a good thing.  Will it prevent his death from being in vain?  I don’t know.  If lives are saved because conversations have begun this week that will slowly illuminate the dark secrets of depression, will that somehow make his death meaningful?  I don’t know how you determine that it was acceptable for one person to die so that others may live. 

What I do know is that depression scares me.  I’ve seen those stories—some are saying that as many as 25% of people in the world could suffer from depression in some form or another.  That’s a lot of people.  Personally, I’ve had a couple of bouts of situational depression, and I can remember how absolutely terrifying those days were. I can’t imagine living with that sort of anguish day in and day out for my entire life.

But the real reason depression scares me is not some concern that I might be dragged back into an abyss at some point, but because one of the most important people in the world to me suffers from it, and refuses to get help.  I think maybe that’s why Williams’ death has hit me so hard, because it’s all too easy to extrapolate the horrific possibilities.  I mean, if this wildly talented, hugely successful man—someone who arguably “had it all”—could not overcome his demons and saw no solution but death, then what does that say about the chances of the average guy fighting this battle?  It seems bleak.

And I’ve seen the arguments back and forth about whether depression should really be blamed as the “cause” of suicide, with one side saying that it’s a dangerous argument to make, because it sends the message to the deeply depressed that they have no say in the matter, that one day they are just doomed to lose the ultimate battle to their disease.  And I can see the logic of that argument, and it just sends another twinge of fear down my spine.  But the truth is, I land in the opposite camp.  I do think depression is to blame.  That while Williams technically had a choice, the state of his mind on that final day was such that he believed the little voice that whispered about hopelessness.  In that moment, I don’t know if he believed there was no other choice, but he obviously believed there was no better choice, and it’s one of those situations where the very action proves that something was wrong in the deepest parts of his mind.  And if your mind is betraying you, are you really making a choice at all?

I don’t know the answers.  Like so many, I’m still reeling from losing this amazing talent in this most tragic of circumstances.  And it might be that it hits harder because we all knew about his long-time fight with his various demons, and as much as we admired him for his talent, we admired him even more for his honesty and resiliency. 

And of all the terrifying parts of depression, maybe that’s the most terrifying part of all: that regardless of your strength, sometimes the demons still win.

Acting Out Optimism (In the Wake of Depression)

 

The passing of Robin Williams is weighing heavily on my heart.  I feel the need to write about what I’m feeling, but the truth is, I haven’t entirely sorted it out yet.  Strange, I know, to be so strongly impacted by the death of someone I’ve never met; maybe someday I’ll be able to sort that out, too.

In the meantime, because he is on my mind, and because he leaves behind a body of work that will entertain us for years to come, I’ll share a post from a couple of years ago:

“Comedy is acting out optimism.”~ Robin Williams

One of the few downsides of summertime is that most television programs are in their off-season with no new episodes airing.  For a TV-aholic like myself, that can be kind of a downer.  But because I am a die-hard TV-aholic, I’m certainly not opposed to watching re-runs, even if I’ve seen them many times before.

So it was that tonight I was scanning through the channels and found a couple of episodes of Mork & Mindy airing.  Brian wasn’t too thrilled with the choice, but watching that old goofiness is how we spent an hour of our evening.  When Mork & Mindy was in first run, you couldn’t keep me away, even in the final season or two when it became a pale imitation of what it had been originally.  And, sadly, the episodes tonight were some of their later shows. (Yet one more example of the pitfalls of putting the two main characters together romantically.) I watched anyway.

And besides being mildly amused by the show—and very amused by the 80s fashions—I was once again struck by my admiration for Robin Williams.  Truly, the man is a comic genius—a wonder to behold.  I know a lot of folks will say that he’s just a drugged-up comedian, and no doubt some of his hilarity was drug-induced along the way.  I’m glad he’s gotten himself free of those addictions, and still find him to be as talented as before.

So, I thought I’d share some moments from Mr. Williams with all of you, so that you may also be reminded of his talent, or maybe even witness some of it for the first time.  Pick one and see what you think.  Better yet, watch them all and see some of the many facets of his talent.  Enjoy.

(In the intervening years, it seems that many of the original links have been shut down due to copyright claims.  I hope that this was done long ago, and not studio executives now hoping to cash in on Mr. Williams’ untimely passing, but there are still representative samples available.)

 

              

   Some may not remember, but Mork’s original appearance was in an episode of Happy Days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Mork & Mindy—how it began

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The movie as a whole—and certainly this scene—is more drama than comedy.  But I think Patch Adams is some of Williams’ finest work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   I’ve been watching Disney movies all my life, and Aladdin is still my favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Inside the Actor’s Studio is often interesting to me, but with Robin Williams, it’s more performance than interview.

An Unexpected Goodbye

 

In honor of the man who made so many laugh, I wish I could say something witty. 

In recognition of the pain the man suffered, I wish I could say something healing.

In tribute to the man’s great talent, I wish I could say something profound.

But I can say none of that, for my heart aches.

 

Six Word Serenade

 

 

 

Michael Bublé, from the cheap seats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talent Show

 

You know how I can tell when I need a television break?  It’s when nothing holds my attention, even the shows that are really good and that I really enjoy.  And do you know how I can tell I’ve reached it today?  I’m watching America’s Got Talent.  Nothing specifically against that show in particular, I’m just not a fan of those types of shows in general.  But Brian’s been watching it this season, and I’ll admit there are a few acts I feel connected with that I’d really like to see advance, so when I found myself sort of dazed this evening, and unfocused on anything, turning on the show seemed the easiest thing to do.

But, though I’m not really a fan of the show, I will say that Howie Mandel is generally a pretty entertaining guy, and—amazingly—even Howard Stern makes a decent judge.  So, all in all, it can be a harmless way to pass a couple of hours when you don’t want to put a lot of effort into your television viewing, and I suppose that’s not the worst thing you can say about a program. 

Farewell, James Garner

 

 

 This past weekend, the acting community lost another great one. 

  James Garner played a variety of roles during his career—moving easily from television to film and back again as time rolled along—but this picture shows him in my favorite role, that of Jim Rockford.  That cheeky grin and his sardonic attitude entertained me for a long time.

  At some point during my childhood, spurred on by my enjoyment of the Rockford Files, I started watching Maverick reruns, and found yet another reason to enjoy Garner’s work. 

Like many people, I was drawn in by Garner’s easy charm.  He wasn’t your typical leading man, smooth and polished, but he definitely still had rugged good looks and that elusive “star quality”.  For myself, it probably didn’t hurt that I always thought he looked a lot like my daddy.  I mean, not “looked like” in the sense that people confused my dad for Garner or anything, just that they shared a similar stature and had that same sort of outdoorsy, man’s man type of a persona.

And, to top it all off, he’s from my home town.  Garner hailed from my very own Norman, OK, and like most people, I really enjoy seeing a hometown boy make good, even if that good got made long before I was alive.  It’s like sharing a little something with a stranger you’ll never meet, and it’s kind of cool.  A few years ago, the town put up a statue honoring Garner and his iconic Maverick character; since his passing, its turned into something of a shrine. 

 

It’s a nice tribute to the man, a way of showing that his hometown still loves him, that we’re grateful for what he gave us, and that his talent will be missed.

Money Can’t Buy It All

 

In the random news of the day, apparently Casey Kasem has disappeared—or, at least, his kids don’t seem to know where he is.  Apparently they are estranged from Kasem’s current wife, and believe that she may have moved him somewhere to deliberately keep them apart.   A judge has intervened in the family drama, and ordered an investigator to locate Kasem. 

Besides being sad to the young me that cherished the weekly countdown, it’s also a sad reminder that it doesn’t really matter if you’re famous or rich; none of us are guaranteed our health, nor a family that cares enough to always make the best decisions when we are unable to care for ourselves.  

Kasem has been ill for a while, requiring constant care, and may not even be fully aware of everything that’s going on.  But, I have to believe that he’d be better if all those who love him were able to visit with him, so I’m praying for a positive outcome for him, and his family.

Facebook Friday, April 4

 

What sort of fun things did Facebook bring me this week?  Well, it’s been sort of a sickly week, so I didn’t spend a lot of time on the computer, even for important things, much less random scrolling through social media.  But, I logged on one day in search of a particular message, and saw that Patrick Stewart was littering my newsfeed.  I don’t know about you, but I think Mr. Stewart is always worth taking a few minutes, and this was no exception.

Sir Patrick made news this week by playing tourist with his good buddy, Sir Ian McKellen, as they wrapped up a Broadway run.  Tourist photos are always fun, but these are exceptionally so.  I think the one below is my favorite, but do take a few minutes and check out some others.  I like seeing the celebrity types being plain silly, and I would love to have been an actual tourist watching them create some of these shots.

Facebook Friday, March 28

 

I’m sure I’ve mentioned, at least in passing, that The Tonight Show pretty much ceased to exist for me after Johnny Carson left the air.  I don’t know; it’s not that I particularly idolized Johnny, or anything, but I did grow up with him, and I did feel like he somehow got shafted in the whole deal, which I thought was pretty sucky.  Anyway, not only did I watch significantly less than I had before, but I never really even called the show by name anymore.  It became “The Jay Leno Show”, or, for a very brief time, “Conan”, but it never really was “The Tonight Show” for me.

Now that Leno has moved on—seemingly for good this time—I still haven’t really watched the show too much, but I have to say that I’ve really liked what I’ve seen.  Jimmy Fallon has brought with him a sense of humble jocularity that I haven’t seen in a really long time.  I think that’s a good thing, and it’s possible he’s even brought a return of The Tonight Show.

And so, I’m a little bit disappointed that I did not see either of these following clips live, but they did pop up several times on my Facebook feed over the past week, and they made me smile, so I’m going to share them with you today.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

 

The Day

 

It’s been fifty-five years since the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” Richardson, which was four years before I was born.  I always think it’s just a little bit strange, the way the pop culture icon types live on forever.  I grew up listening to the music of my mom’s generation, so I knew the giants hits of these men.  Plus, back then, you could still find them on the radio.  Not that you can’t still, but these days it’s only on the oldies channels.

But then, within my lifetime, Dan McLean went and wrote himself an anthem abut these people who died years before I was even born.  I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s possible that I didn’t even really know they has passed until the song—and until I bothered to figure out what it was about, of course.

Anyway, I think it’s cool the way celebrities achieve that sort of immortality, leaving behind a piece of themselves in the thing that they loved to do, but I do still think it’s sort of strange, the way subsequent generations might know their work and still assign life to them. 

And, I wonder how it is for the family.  Do they enjoy surfing the radio dial and hearing their husband/son/father suddenly booming from the speakers?  Or is it a sudden onslaught of pain all over again?  Or, as I suspect, is it really a combination of the two, never knowing how the memory might make them feel on any given day?  I know for myself, when unexpected thoughts of those I’ve lost come crashing into my consciousness, sometimes it brings a smile, and sometimes I am brought to totally unexpected tears.  I’d assume it’s the same for the family of celebrity, only for them, that unexpected thought might be triggered at any time when faced with the work of their loved one. 

And the other thing family and friends of the rich and famous have to deal with is the very public recognition of each anniversary of their loss.  As I’ve mentioned before, those anniversaries are difficult for me, and that’s without having my own loved ones’ date of death plastered all over Google and listings of significant dates in history.  I really can’t imagine how that must feel. 

So, today, while I can recognize the talent lost so quickly all those years ago, and while I can mourn that loss of potential, it’s really the surviving family and friends who are most on my mind.  I thank them for being willing to share their loved ones with the rest of us, and I hope that they find more joy than pain in their memories.

 

  And speaking of that anthem, here’s a live version.  I’m something of a purist, so I’d generally prefer to hear the recorded version I’ve known forever, but it’s good to mix things up now and again.  And, besides, I really do love this song.

Facebook Friday, January 24

 

Just a couple of images from Facebook this week that struck a chord . . .

Given yesterday’s topic, this really cracked me up.   It’s probably a little mean, so I suppose I shouldn’t laugh, but I couldn’t help it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, on a more serious note . . .

I’ve said many, many times that the world might be better off without organized religion and we all just tried to treat each other better.  The idea seems a pipe dream, but I am encouraged when some of the most “religious” among us seem to agree.  There is always hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s it for today; hope you all have a good weekend!

The Times, Are They a Changin’?

 

I oscillate back and forth when trying to decide if I actually grew up in a more innocent time, or if the world now is just so much better connected and reported—I’m pretty sure there are no true secrets these days—that everything seems more tainted than it really is.

And why do I wonder this today?  Because Justin Bieber has been arrested for drunk driving.  And Miley Cyrus is . . . well, honestly, I don’t know what she is.  The word lost comes to mind.  And they’re far from the only teen idols making headlines for things having nothing to do with their particular talents.

Of course, these idols aren’t exactly teens anymore (well, technically Bieber is, but not for much longer), but they are the people our teens look up to, and I have to wonder sometimes if this is really the best we can do these days.  But that’s when I start wondering about earlier days.

I grew up with Donny Osmond, David Cassidy, and Michael Jackson, among others.  While I can’t really recall any scandal surrounding Osmond (though that doesn’t mean there wasn’t), Cassidy certainly dealt with his own demons, and we all know what happened to MJ.  And I’m sure there were others of the day who had their own issues, too. 

But back in my day, if you wanted to read about these heartthrobs, you had to shell out for a copy of Tiger Beat, or something.  You couldn’t just turn on the TV and let the 24 hour news channel fill you in on their troubles, and there was no internet to both glorify and vilify the behavior.  So the problems still seemed to be there, but without so much of a spotlight.

Which, of course, makes me wonder about other aspects of life.  I never heard of a school shooting in my youth, but there were groups of people openly called “hoods”, and, in retrospect, I guess I’d be surprised if at least one or two of those hoods wasn’t armed with something more than a bad attitude and a sneer. 

As for drugs and/or alcohol, I’ve always been with the goody two-shoes crowd, but even I knew which kids I could reach out to if I wanted to partake.  The substances that are readily available might have changed some, but my guess is they’re not any easier to come by than they’ve always been.

And, in terms of bullying, we didn’t talk about it so much back when I was a kid, but it certainly still existed.  In a way, it may have even been more common, since there was a definite attitude of “kids will be kids”, rather than understanding the harm that was being done.

So, was the world a kinder, gentler place in generations past?  I’m still not sure.  Maybe.  Or maybe it was just a little more relaxed, things happening in just a little bit of slow motion compared to today.  Or maybe it’s just a nostalgic haze that makes the old days seem different even when they were exactly the same.  Either way, I’m pretty sure that every generation of fifty year olds have looked at the antics of the current crop of teen idols and wondered exactly when the world became such a crazy place, so in that regard, I guess things really do remain the same.

Television Tradition

 

 

  On this final Tube Day Tuesday of the year, I was thinking about Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.  It’s been on a really long time now.  Of course, anniversaries like that can make a person feel old, when you realize a show that’s been airing for forty-one years hasn’t been on all of your life. 

  Still, in my youth, I really enjoyed watching New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and though the music long-ago ceased to be my cup of tea, I like the idea that it’s still going on year after year.  It’s not the same without Dick Clark, of course, but I suppose Ryan Seacrest does an okay job.  I still tune in every year to watch the ball drop, even if I gave up on most of the show quite a few years ago. 

On the other hand, television gave up on the show a little bit itself, since it’s no longer broadcast all evening long, the way that it was back in the day.  Maybe I’m not the only one who doesn’t really care for a lot of that music. 

But, whether you’re watching Seacrest carrying on the Clark tradition, or maybe pining for the olden days of Guy Lombardo, or out celebrating with the throngs of revelers, I wish you a joyous new year and a very healthy, happy, and prosperous 2014.

Facebook Friday, December 20

 

There is absolutely nothing “feel good” about today’s topic, though it has certainly been front and center on my Facebook newsfeed for a couple of days.  I’m a little sick of seeing it, really, and it makes me wish I had a hide button for an entire topic.  (Now that I think about it, that would frequently be a pretty good idea; somebody get Zuckerberg on the phone.)

So what’s so overwhelming and unwelcome these days?  Well, it’s probably no surprise to anyone with a news feed, but it’s Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson and the entire firestorm surrounding his recent interview. 

Obviously, he’s not the first celebrity to say something offensive and get social media buzzing, with people lining up to take sides, and anyone who thinks he’ll be the last is living in a fantasy land.  And it’s not even the first “controversy” to annoy me as I scroll through my friends’ posts, though this one does seem to be bothering me more than most.  I’m not sure why that is.  I don’t watch Duck Dynasty, nor do I particularly care what its stars have to say about most any topic.  I’m not gay, black, or an adulteress or addict of any sort, so most of the offensive comments in his interview weren’t directed at me, so I’ve got no real skin in the game.  You know, except for the idea that I think any decent human would be offended by the careless way he denigrates people and assumes that everyone who doesn’t conform to his particular way of believing is in need of salvation.   There’s no doubt that I’m easily annoyed by narrow-minded people, so I guess that part is no surprise.

And, not to be guilty of as much stereotyping as Phil, but I’ve been exposed to a lot of redneck types in my lifetime, so even though I don’t watch his show, I’ve heard enough about it to have formed a rough idea of the Robertson family values, and I’m not surprised by his viewpoint.  And I’m also not surprised that a television network would take steps to distance themselves from that viewpoint in the wake of public outcry, though I notice A&E has not removed the show from its lineup.  Call me cynical, but I’m guessing they’re not really surprised by Phil’s comments, either, and probably not really that bothered by them (at the corporate level, I mean; I won’t presume to know what the network execs think personally), since these sorts of controversies often lead to increased viewership. 

And I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised by the number of Robertson defenders flying the banner of FREE SPEECH, though I think it’s possible that’s the root of what’s really irritating me.  Somehow, these people seem to have missed the entire point:  his speech was not hindered, even though it was clearly offensive to any number of people.  Phil hasn’t been arrested, whisked off to some government torture chamber, or put to death for his beliefs.  I’m fairly certain that’s precisely the sort of protection the First Amendment guarantees.  And I’m equally certain that the founding fathers never meant to imply that there would never be any sort of consequences as the result of practicing your free speech, only that you wouldn’t be persecuted by the full force of the government because of it.

It’s really a pretty simple process:  Robertson has the right to say what he thinks, a magazine has the right to give him a platform to share those thoughts, people in general have a right to agree or disagree with what he thinks (and flood Facebook with those opinions), and his employer has a right to reconsider their working relationship as a result of those thoughts.  You might not agree with A&E’s decision to suspend the man, but unless you’re working for yourself, I bet there are things you can’t do if you want to keep your job.  And I bet a lot of those things have to do with offending whatever customer base you serve and potentially driving them away.  Bosses don’t like that sort of thing.  It isn’t a Constitutional issue; it’s business.

But, whatever people want to call it, I’m tired of seeing it debated on Facebook, and while I never thought I’d say this, I will be very relieved when my feed gets back to pictures of food, weather, and cute kittens. 

Weight Loss Wednesday, December 11

 

Another week, and another 1.5 pounds gone; yippee!  And that’s with one totally sick day and one before that when my body must’ve known what was coming, because all it wanted was rest.  Oh, and a couple of evenings sitting immobile for hours cramming for finals.  I will gladly take the pound and a half loss in those circumstances.

I did manage to squeeze in one trip to the gym this past week, and I hope now that I’m done with school I’ll find a little more time.   I still think maybe not until this weekend, since Friday I’ve got a paralegal club commitment, and tomorrow evening I hope to put up our Christmas tree, but after that, I’m hoping to find a bit of motivation to go along with the free time.  I still would like to lose a few more pounds before our vacation, so gotta start working it.

As a slight aside, there are stories floating about that Justin Bieber was approached by a fan at a hotel swimming pool.  She was in a bikini, and he supposedly commented that she looked like a beached whale and should go on Biggest Loser.  Now, I’m a long ways past my days of fascination with teeny bopper boys, so I don’t follow the Biebs except for whatever story is making the shocking headlines of the day, and, sadly, there seem to be quite a few for him.  I would hope that no one would be so cruel and heartless as to say such a thing to anyone, much less a total stranger, and some adoring fan on top of that.  But the unfortunate commentary on our society is that it wouldn’t surprise me if the story were really true.  We have been trained to put a premium on skinny girls, preferably with blonde hair and blue eyes.  And while I can admit that I am overweight, and there are myriad reasons why I should be smaller, I’d really rather not add into my thought process the fact that a great number of folks find my size repugnant.  I especially don’t like to consider the fact that no matter what I do, I will never be skinny, (though I know from experience I can get my weight down to a far healthier number), nor will I ever be blonde-haired and blue-eyed.  (Technically, I suppose I could dye my hair, and maybe get some colored contacts or something—can you change brown to blue?—but that’s not really the point.)  The point of this little diversion is that people need to stop judging other people.  Honestly, they need to stop judging for a lot of things, but they really need to let go of the idea that anyone not a perfect size zero ought to be the subject of ridicule.  Oh, and if Bieber really did say those things, well, he should be treated like the spoiled, childish brat that he apparently is. /slight aside.

And now, back to our regular programming, the other thing I’m  had intended to do to do with a bit of free time, was spend a few nights crawling into bed before midnight.  Apparently that trend won’t start tonight, but if I hurry, it’ll be really close.  Goodnight!

	Steps	Activities
Wednesday	11,030
Thursday	7,089
Friday	5,079
Saturday	10,335	17 min treadmill, .85 miles; 22 minutes on exer-bike, 3.25 miles
Sunday	1,886
Monday	2,525
Tuesday	7,363

Feel Good Friday, November 15

 

The first stop in today’s Feel Good Friday happened in the copy room at my office.  Late in the afternoon, I was just going about my business, mailing off a settlement agreement and such, when our intake manager—who also happens to be our senior partner’s wife—walked in and asked if I had plans for the weekend.  I thought it was just typical Friday afternoon chatter until she said, “Could you go to the game?” and handed me a pair of tickets to tomorrow’s OU game.  Dang good seats, too.  I’m not sure how I got to be the lucky one, but I’ll chalk it up to clean living.  Or something.  Whatever the reason, I will accept it gladly.  Though I did tell her she’ll spoil Brian, letting him sit in such good seats. 

As for the next part of Feel Good Friday, I think you probably had to be living under a rock somewhere today to have not heard about this already, but I think it’s worth sharing at least one more time.

When I was a kid, I probably wanted to be Batman, too.  Fortunately, I never had a potentially fatal disease that would cause an organization to try to make that wish happen.  Miles Scott wasn’t lucky enough to avoid the horrible disease, but he was blessed enough to have the Make a Wish Foundation go all out to make his dream of being Batman a reality.  And he was even more blessed that so many thousands of people cared enough to help make his day extra, extra special.  And then we were all fortunate enough to get to be a tiny part of the day just by hearing about his exploits all over the Internet.  If you’ve somehow missed it up until this point, read his story here.

And the very best part about the story?  Miles is currently in remission, so maybe he’ll get to cherish the memory of this amazing day for a long, long time to come.  And if that doesn’t warrant our shout out for today, I just don’t know what does. 

Snapshot Sunday, Musical Edition

 

Have I mentioned before how much I really like Keith Urban?  If not, I have been remiss.  I’ve been listening to his music for . . . well, I don’t know how long, really.  Five years?  Ten?  A long time. 

Well, a quick check of Wikipedia tells me that the first song I really noticed from him (“Where the Blacktop Ends”) was released in 2001, and my favorite song ever from him (“Days Go By”) in 2004, so I guess a little longer than ten years that he’s been on my radar, and just under ten that I’ve been truly smitten.  So, yeah, a long time. 

Anyway, his Light the Fuse Tour came through OKC last night, so of course I had to be there.  That seemed like a much more sure thing back when I ordered my tickets this past spring, and even last week when I was looking so forward to it.  But by Friday, it was seeming less and less thrilling as I spent the day in bed fighting what I thought was maybe a weirdo migraine.  By Saturday morning (almost noon), when I woke up with gunk running out of my ear, I decided it was likely some sort of sinus problem and I probably should take myself to the doctor.  A quick visit to the walk-in clinic and a $100+ visit to the pharmacy later, I was back home and ready for a nap.

Still, I’d been looking forward to the show for months, not to mention spending seventy-five bucks a pop for the tickets, so there was no way I was missing out.  So after my nap, I loaded up on my expensive medications, stuffed my ears full of cotton balls, and donned a big pair of dark sunglasses, and I was ready.  I can’t say that it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert, but I can tell you I’m glad I went.  Mr. Urban puts on a great show—full of energy and fun to go along with the fantastic music—so it’s not really the sort of thing you want to miss out on.  Oh, and at our stop, he had opening acts of Dustin Lynch and Little Big Town, plus a surprise appearance by Miranda Lambert, so lots of bang for your buck. 

Of course, all that energy equals a lot of movement, which, when combined with concert lighting, crowds, and distance, makes it a little difficult to capture photographs of the moment.  This seems especially true when the photographer has to keep closing her eyes to avoid particularly painful direct lighting or strobe effects, but I did manage to get a few that turned out pretty decent, so I’ll share those.  And, if you’re a country fan, (though Brian says, “In what universe is that country music?”) keep an eye out for Keith’s tour in your neck of the woods; it really is an awesome show.