Life 2.0

The Gay Episode!

I try my best to ignore that which evaporates my remaining brain cells. But, for the last two weeks, I've been subjected to the word "gay" from so many different angles, that I had to finally come out (so to speak) and speak out. As the DEI mandates begin to take effect and the references to "gay" and "trans" are scrubbed from various govt. websites, it was time to take a deep dive into the history of the word, how the meaning has changed since the 12th century.

But what about how the Flintstones have been subliminally grooming kids since the '60s? And that line from "Deck The Halls"  that insists you "don your gay apparel?"

And, what about attending the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas show or watching "The Gay Divorcee?"

America-The Reality Show!

With all the upheaval in Washington D.C. these days, and so much of it surrounding Elon Musk, I think we'd all be better off if TLC just gave him a reality show and instead of eliminating jobs at the VA, he could just jet around the world wielding his chainsaw. I mean he's a reality show producer's dream! Elon Musk has at least 14 children with multiple partners! But wait there's a spinoff in the works! His dad Errol "We are only on Earth to procreate" Musk just confirmed he's fathered his 2nd child with his stepdaughter who is 31 years younger!

Ratings gold! 

Also, a little background on the rise of "reality" TV and how easily humans confuse highly produced reality with real life and how that eventually helped to put a former real estate developer in the White House-twice.

 

Full Circle Moments

Fifty years is a long time.

The number of people in my life from 1975 is small, maybe 10 or so. My sister, a few high school friends, and extended family members. My mom and dad are both long gone. So, when someone stepped back into my life AFTER one-half century it was cause for both celebration and a bit of sadness.

There was a time that I paid my bills pumping gas, checking oil and doing tune-ups and when the man who was my boss on half-century ago agreed to meet for breakfast, it was a serious full circle moment.

Take Me Home...

Another interesting week behind me, with some serious reminders about not letting other people stuff your backpack, the importance of finding your path, understanding that it's later than we think, and that a Super Bowl commercial can put one of the biggest names in music history back on the charts, decades after his death.

THE WALK

Bill Bennett is a multi-award-winning Australian filmmaker who captures the human condition like no other. His latest work, "The Way, My Way" is based on his best-selling book of the same name and is the captivating true story of a stubborn and amusingly self-centered Australian man who decides to walk the 800-kilometre-long (497.8 miles) Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through Spain. He doesn’t know why he’s doing it, but one step at a time it will change him and his outlook on life forever.  

Living An Uncommon Life

This past week I purchased a copy of my first book, and there was an interesting note inside from whoever first bought it back in 2006. It gave me a chance to review and remember the lessons from 21 extraordinary people like John Denver, Wayne Dyer, Jerry Kramer, Dorothy Hamill, Cheryl Richardson, Dr. Kathleen Hall, Walter Payton, and three young people (Chelsey, Timmy, and Jerry) who left the game of life early, and who had (and still have) a major effect my life.

SUPER-BOWL!

Yes, I was one of the 127.5 million people who tuned in to watch Super Bowl LIX and the ferocious dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs by the Philadelphia Eagles. But it was the Super Bowl held the day before that grabbed my attention. I think it's time that the PBA follows the lead of the NFL and starts to ramp up their half-time (beer frame!) activities to get in some of that cold hard advertiser cash!

Jerry Kramer

Only a handful of men remain who played in Super Bowls I and II. My longtime friend and Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer is one of them. JK takes us back to a very different time in the game when tickets were $12 bucks, there were 10,000 empty seats, and that first contest between the Packers and Chiefs was broadcast on two competing television channels. Now, a ticket to the game tomorrow could run you $10 grand, one network will make serious coin and there will not be any empty seats at SB LIX in New Orleans.

The Wednesday Rant!

Taking a pro-active stance on the impending tariffs, I thought a good pre-emptive strike would be to buy a few cases of my favorite beer before we went into a trade war with the Canadians. It didn't quite go as I expected. The Moose is loose!

Pale Blue Dot

It's the 2nd episode of Earth Matters Monday, which will air on the 1st Monday of every month in 2025. Today, it's all about the moral responsibility each of us has to be a spiritual steward of our part of the planet. As Carl Sagan pointed out... there is no Planet B we can escape to, and for better or for worse, we make our stand here on the pale blue dot.