I Sound Grumpy, Don't I?

In Which Michael Responds to the Headlines...
(Because everyone's been waiting for my opinions on this stuff-- with bated breath.)


--Britain's Royal Engagement... Betrothal... Whatever.
Yeah, "whatever" pretty much sums up my response, as well.  A wedding?  That's fine, but I don't particularly care.  It was fun to pretend "princess" when I was a little girl, but in those days, I was usually a princess myself... or my favorite Barbie doll was-- either of which was infinitely more exciting to imagine than a real royal wedding in another country.  I just can't bring myself to view it with anything more than the most casual of passing interest.


--Scanners and "Enhanced" Pat-Downs.
I get that there needs to be security screening of some kind-- but I'm afraid that in the end, because the people we're dealing with are insane, willing to kill themselves along with their victims, there's no way to completely protect ourselves (or at least not just by screening people boarding flights).

When I see or hear about elderly women and nuns being selected for special screening, I'm very frustrated.
 So let me get this straight... They're asking me to endure greater inconvenience-- further prying into my personal space-- the indignity of a pat-down or the (supposedly minute) radiation of some new scanner that reveals every detail of my body?  ...If I agree, they had better be using whatever other methods are at their disposal-- including some form of the much-maligned profiling.  It's common sense.  It's possible that at some future date, we will find that elderly women and nuns are recruited as terrorists (or that terrorists disguise themselves as such), but until that day, let's not waste time hassling Granny, ok?

Mostly, I'd just rather not fly again, ever.  Unfortunately, that's probably not an option.


--Local News Guy Entices Viewers to Stay Tuned-In with the Promise that They'll Get to See Him Get a Flu Shot Later On.
...Well, that does sound mighty fun...  I mean, the only thing better than that would be getting a flu shot of my very own... but... I think I'll pass.  (...Who comes up with these things?  Since when is is Great Fun to see news anchors getting medical procedures?  Nightmarish.)


--Gwyneth Paltrow on Glee!
Remind me not to watch.  Er, well, considering that I never watch Glee anyway, don't bother.  ;o)



...and at this point, I realize that this has become nothing more than a grump-fest.  So I'll stop.

One-Way Ticket to Mars? Any Takers?

Have you heard about this?  "Scientists propose one-way trips to Mars" because "human travel to Mars could happen much more quickly and cheaply if the missions are made one-way".  Well, I can't really argue with the logic, but I wonder what kind of people would hear that proposal and say, "Sign me up!"

I guess my initial reaction ("No way, no how, never-ever, unh-uh!") is not a particularly useful gauge of the average person's opinion of the idea, because that is also my reaction to the idea of going into space at all (even one of those brief joyrides that are supposedly going to become so commonplace).  I'll leave that to other people.  Me, I'm staying here on home-sweet-Earth, thanks all the same.  I'll take my chances with the asteroids, etc., right here.

That-- asteroids-- is what these types of articles always seem to mention as the reason that colonization is so crucial.  They casually inform us that the Earth will probably be destroyed, sooner or later, so we don't want to leave all our eggs in one basket.  Gee, thanks for trying to ruin my mood this morning, random journalists.  I really appreciate these frequent reminders that the whole world could go ka-blooey in the blink of an eye.  It makes life so cozy and cheerful.  *grump grump grump*  Look, I'm perfectly fine not thinking about crap like that, so would you mind keeping your daydreams of cataclysm to yourselves?

One of my favorite lines from the article?  "They argue that it would be little different from early settlers to North America, who left Europe with little expectation of return."  ...Yeah, except that most of those people were going in search of a better life for themselves and their families... and there would be quite a few other people with them, including maybe their immediate family (and if not, they probably intended to have the family follow them eventually)... and they probably thought that if worse came to worst, they might possibly be able to find their way back to the Old Country... oh, and they were "only" going to a different continent, not a whole 'nother planet! 

But apart from those things, yeah, it's totally the same thing. (Good grief.)

(By the way, I'm not saying this won't or shouldn't happen... just... I'm really glad I'm not the one making the trip!)

Probably Should Keep My Mouth Shut...

(As a female Michael, maybe this is one of those subjects I have no business addressing, but maybe it's for that very reason that I find it of interest...)

I read a story today that included a list of the names that grew the fastest in popularity in 2009.  Three of the top ten are "Twilight names"-- names that (it seems very likely) were chosen more often because of their appearance in the Twilight series.  (The names, in case you're wondering, are Cullen-- #1 on the list!-- Emmett, and Jasper.)

Well, I suppose it's a step up from naming your baby after someone in a soap opera... I mean, they're books, so there's reading involved, which imparts a certain degree of "class"... But still.

Who am I to judge, though?  Go ahead!  Add another little "Cullen" to the world.  For the rest of his life, everyone will know that Mommy has/had a thing for YA vampire fiction, but so be it!  I guess it's no worse than naming a baby after a popular song or a president's daughter.

I can even try to understand.  Maybe you just really liked the name "Jasper"...  "It's so different," you think.  "So fresh!"  And it doesn't hurt that you also like the character.  Of course, now it won't be quite such a unique name, but, eh, it's different enough.  Now to just figure out how to convince your husband that it's a great idea to name your infant son after a sparkly vampire...

(And yes, I realize that this is an old story.  Fortunately, few people read this blog for breaking news.)

Grief Counselors? Seriously?

Heard about this?:

A staffer for a congressional Democrat who came up short on Tuesday reports that a team of about five people stopped by their offices this morning to talk about payroll, benefits, writing a résumé, and so forth, with staffers who are now job hunting.

But one of the staffers was described as a “counselor” to help with the emotional aspect of the loss — and a section in the packet each staffer was given dealt with the stages of grief (for instance, Stage One being anger, and so on).

“It was like it was about death,” the staffer said. “It was bizarre.” The staffer did say the portions about the benefits and résumé writing were instructive.

Yeah, that does sound pretty bizarre.

Look, I'm all for good mental health.  If you're having problems, find someone to talk to.  Don't be ashamed to admit you're having trouble.  But this?  This is just ridiculous.

Obligatory Midterm Election Commentary

(But I'll keep it brief.)


Come what may in the months ahead, watching the midterm election results roll in Tuesday night was a pleasant change after the last election.  One of the high points of the evening:  We happened to be watching ABC when they (finally, long after the other networks had done so) announced that the Republicans would take control of the House.  Diane Sawyer apparently couldn't quite contain her disappointment; she frowned and shook her head (slightly) while turning away.  Ha!  Yeah, really unbiased and professional there, Diane*.  She's not alone, though.  It was clear that many of the anchors that night (and the morning after) were displeased by the turn of events. 

Also:  Are they really going to keep calling the whole thing "Midterm Madness"?  Like voters had to be crazy to vote the way they did?  Ugh. 

*The next morning, I read that at one point she expressed dismay at the news that Republicans are active on the Internet-- or, as most seem to remember her putting it, "You say you've seen signs that Republicans have moved into the Internet?  And are now dominating there?" ...I know it's hard to believe, but yes, non-liberals also use the computer box, and a few of us have even managed to figger out howter git on thuh Internets.