Tag Archives: Culture

Expiration Date

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Everything should have an expiration date.  Doesn’t everyone check the expiration date on the milk as they pick it up and before they put it in their cart and then look to see if there are any other cartons that have a later date? More time, give me more time.

Whenever I go on Yahoo, I scan the headlines. Most of the information is quite meaningless. However, today I came upon a gem. Sinead O’Connor is getting married. Not only that, it is her 4th time getting married. I can’t believe I was not informed the first three times. This is big news, and I am sure I would have remembered.  I say this with no venom – I hated her song. Again, by the way, that is song not songs or album or albums but one single song. Oh and by the way, my just completed research revealed that her 21 year old one hit wonder, Nothing Compares to You, was a cover. So, is there really any need to report on Sinead O’Connor whose bigger claim to fame was that she was bald (if we reported every marriage of the billion or so men who are bald, we might have the makings of a cable television channel)? Hasn’t she clearly expired? I don’t mean that maliciously but really, who cares?

Maybe, America cares. Aren’t quite a few reality shows centered on former celebrities trying to extend their expiration date? By the way, did you know Peter Brady got married?  Do we care for our own sake? Maybe, it’s pure nostalgia to take us back to another time in our lives. Maybe, it’s our obsession with celebrity and once you achieve it, you will always have it and therefore always be interesting. Anyway, as I was saying, maybe it is a way to escape the mundane.

In the end, I don’t really know what all the fuss is about.  I just wish the milk would stay good till the expiration date.

Thanksgiving – The Perfect American Holiday

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I love Thanksgiving.  It is the perfect American holiday. Many holidays are complicated and deep, but Thanksgiving is direct and to the point.  Be thankful and appreciate what you have and those around you. Who can’t get behind that thought? Yes, it’s something we should do every day, but what’s wrong with a little reminder?  We are all busy days and reminders are helpful – even Ernie used to have rubber bands around his fingers to ensure he would remember important events.   Of course, when Bert would ask him about why he had the rubber band, all he could remember was that he was supposed to remember something. I’m digressing now. The point is Thanksgiving is a reminder and it comes with Turkey, stuffing, cornbread, yams, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, etc. – I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. Isn’t that the kind of reminder you could deal with every day? Yes, we have our phones and various gadgets that can be set to remind us of our schedule and plans, but all it comes with is a buzzing noise of some sort – not even vegetables.

Thanksgiving gets most of us two days off from work. It’s like a two for one, and who doesn’t like a good deal?  These days when things are so challenging we have to take the bargains where we can get them. Those days off don’t need to be spent feeling one ounce of guilt such as Veterans Day or Memorial Day when most of us see it as a long weekend rather than appreciate the meaning behind them. I am guilty of this and only consider the seriousness of the holiday while watching the news where they inevitably have the scene of politicians at some event commemorating the solemnness of the day. No, as I said earlier, Thanksgiving is less complicated – be thankful and pass the turkey.

Even in this down year, I love football. I have a lot of company there as it is the most popular American sport and therefore, appropriately three games are played on the most traditional American holiday.  Games are on pre meal, during the meal, and after the meal, so you can watch all day or whenever it is convenient. Isn’t that nice – entertainment along with your Turkey?

I could go on about the parades, but I think you get my point. I love Thanksgiving, the most American of holidays. Happy Thanksgiving to all – appreciate the blessings!