Not much of a joiner

I've never been one for big groups. You can ask David, who frequently laments my tendency to "hide" when we "have people over" (quotes make everything sketchy), or even the athletic trainer at my high school, who, when I asked his opinion on whether I should go to Brown or UVA, pointed out that UVA has a very active Greek life and that I was "not much of a joiner."

I got indignant.

Then he pointed out that I was sitting on an overturned ball bucket, the same spot from which I had watched every home game in my three years of varsity play. And it was true. I hated watching from inside the dugout. Even when softball girls aren't being mean (I say that with love), they are chatty, and I don't like to be distracted.

So why am I telling you all this?

Because starting on Tuesday, I'll be reporting to you from the Democratic Convention. My boss is speaking there, and so we'll all be going down partially as support and partially to run some programs about social justice. We were supposed to go to the Republican Convention as well but we couldn't get credentialed. Words can not express my disappointment--- I have a feeling going to the Republican convention would be akin to when I visited Adelaida in Austin and people would eye-ball me and immediately ask where I was from. It was awesome.

Not that I'm trying to cast Republicans as the almighty Other or something. I've worked for Democrats for all of my professional life, but I've always been registered independent and I tend to cast a skeptical eye towards anyone (and there are many) who views party politics as a team sport. Or any type of sport. And with that as the criteria, I'm quite confident that the convention down in Charlotte will sport an enviable cast of normies and crazies.

Although perhaps nothing as amazing as Clint Eastwood talking to an invisible Obama.  A girl can dream.

Michael Higgins kicks some ass

This clip is a little old, but it's new to me and so I post it here. Not only is it nice to hear some cut-the-bullshit from a credible source, but it's done with such style.  Michael Higgins here is the current President of Ireland and also went to school in these United States.

 

Also, I love his Limerick accent. Dropping the "h" off of every "th" combo just makes me happy.

Fergaliciously Nostalgic

There has been a debate (with myself) on how to get back into guest blogging and what I could bring to TFLW. It is what would keep me up at night if I didn't pass out immediately upon getting in bed. I considered going the topical route and give my two cents towards the big or little issues of the day. This could be a soapbox to expound my views and attempt to justify those views. Or this could be an opportunity to pull a Seinfeld, and talk about nothing of importance.

About 2 weeks ago there was a trending topic on Google+, #TakeMeToYourChildhood,  which is a much creepier way of saying #Nostalgia. I can get very nostalgic (full disclosure - iTunes playlist with over 200 theme songs). I'm known to get nostalgic about Rumors (great D.C. hotspot by the way) and that place still exists. Idealized walks back down Memory Lane (no Minnie Ripperton) are the way to go. In my youth I was heavily exposed (indoctrinated) to Nickelodeon; PBS and other television programs geared towards my age group which leaves me with knowledge of cartoons, live action game shows, and educational shows that pass as game shows.

Ladies and gentlemen, for my first entry I've decided to talk about a show from 2 decades ago (late 80's - early 90's) when cartoons had implausible storylines, but just seemed better. I'm sure people of all generations will say the same thing, but guess what, this isn't their entry. Ladies and gentlemen, for your enjoyment, I present Denver The Last Dinosaur. How does a prehistoric guitar playing, english understanding human-size dinosaur seem so well adjusted to the 1990's... who cares, he is my pal and can be yours as well.

Oh those were the days, before cynicism kicked in and everything had to be examined. But really, shouldn't we care? After sharing this entry to the trending topic steam I received a comment from a random person which is what happens when you make things public, "He's my friend and a whole lot more.... hmm...wonder what they meant by that." I mean his point is valid by todays standards, but in yesteryear, we wouldn't even pause

.

So I say that to say this, listen to theme songs, talk about the shows you grew up on and remember them fondly, but under no circumstances really take the time to examine what you use to watch. It ruins things! Childhood is a magical time and we are really losing magic people. Kids are growing up too fast and arguably worse, the programming is terrible with the exceptions of Young Justice and http://www.tv.com/shows/the-avengers-earths-mightiest-heroes/. So in reviewing what was written, I did decide to make this a soapbox.

I'll leave you all with some theme songs to some random shows.

So audience of The Famous Last Word, has there been any nostalgia that has been ruined or almost ruined by going back and re-examining your past?