Weblog 122

June 08, 2008~ 1:00pm
Although Father's Day is next week, I've been thinking about it. My own father is dead, but that doesn't mean I ignore this holiday, for like all holidays, it's iconic in its own way and therefore influences the culture. It's about how we view the family itself-- and about male and female roles, mothers and fathers. Fathers traditionally are seen as the problem-solvers. The Thinkers. The Rational Ones...



Mothers are more emotional, less cerebral. I have to say that in my own family my father was the emotional one, and Mum was the tower of strong practicality, but from TV sitcoms like "Father Knows Best" to "Bachelor Father", back in the 50's, dads have been depicted as the one you run to with problems.

In many homes, the father still remains the "Grand Poobah"



if only in their own minds. LOL!! I do suspect that there is a bit of 'fantasy feeding' there-- homes where they allow the father to 'think' he is Emperor of Everything-- and maybe he even knows, and plays along. Some family units work best like that. (Truth to tell, I think my own was a bit like that...and I can say that my dad was definitely in on the joke.) Whatever the social clustering around the main- ('usually')- breadwinner, dads may have it more difficult than mothers, if only in the way they are supposed to be strong at all times. Let's face it.....some guys just aren't. They may find nurturing more their liking, or softer things like confidences and showing emotions more suited to their personalities. I say-- let the dads be who they are-- and on Father's Day next week, hoist 'em high, and give 'em a grand salute.



Whatever their make-up...they sire us... raise us, teach us things. Almost instinctively we wanna lean on them, and that can be an awful lot of pressure on top of everything else. I say we cut them a break, and let dads be the fellas they are deep down. You might find out some wonderful things about that person if you let him crawl out from behind the stereotype.....and oh yes! Ties! I came upon an amusing site that features 'corporate ties', and some of the stuff they come up with can be hysterical. For instance, Absolut Vodka has a SPECIAL FATHER'S DAY TIE....



Now look closer



Yep! Little sperm tadpoles fashioned from Absolut bottles! LOL!!! Leave it to the Swedes and those inventive, free-thinking Scandanavian countries to come up with something like that. If you're interested in seeing what other companies have done in the world of tie fashion, pay a visit to The Museum of Corporate Neckties. There's creativity, despite the tight collars.

And that should sum up our dads as well. Give 'em room to stretch a bit. They aren't all 'Robert Young' or 'John Wayne'.....but the person they are will surprise you every time. A week early, I'm celebrating 'the dads'. Bless you, fellas.





June 09, 2008~ 6:00pm



'Nuff said. That 'corpus' is yours truly. What the hell happened to the climate?? We went from chilly nights, all the way to the top of the scale, ringin' the bell at 95 f*cking degrees...and it's only early June. Pittsburgh is a moist, unpleasant sweatbox presently. I find nothing good to say about any of it. People who are afflicted with 'seasonal affective disorder'- or 'winter depression', are looked at sympathetically by so many. Those of us on the opposite end of the scale, who HATE HEAT, who despise summer...are simply 'dismissed'. (Well, maybe an eyebrow raises. The only thing missing is the universal hand signal for 'nuts': the circular motion of the index finger place an inch from one's ear. Often accompanied by a whistle. And an eyebrow raise.)

I can't help it- and never could....hated heat from diapers, on, and yes, I know you've heard this from me before, but it brings people out. Yuck! Less people = tranquility. Crowds, noise = misery. That's the only equation that's ever made sense. Still does.

Even typing this, with THREE FANS facing me, I'm fighting the urge to pack it in upstairs in the one air-conditioned room I have, the bedroom, and calling it a night. At 6 p.m.---that's what heat does. Creates insanity and isolates.....(for 'some')...and I is that someone. Gonna grab some grub and burrow in upstairs.




June 11, 2008~ 6:00pm
Well, now I've seen everything



looks like disapproval from the highest source- (or shall I say 'highness source'?) What in bloody hell is going on here? LOL!! According to Wikipedia, this is a sampling from a Gurning Contest which is, according to their definition, "a rural English tradition once common at travelling sideshows, fairs and freak shows. They are still held regularly in some villages, and the contestants traditionally frame their faces through a horse collar - known as 'gurnin' through a braffin'. The World Gurning Championship is held annually in Egremont, Cumbria as one part of the Egremont Crab Fair. Those with the greatest gurn capabilities are often those with no teeth, as this provides greater room to move the jaw further up. In some cases the elderly or otherwise toothless can be capable of spectacular gurns covering the entire nose."

That's where this picture was snapped. In Egremont. With the queen in attendance. Gives a whole new meaning to the familiar childhood scolding- "Your face is gonna freeze like that!" For some, that's the objective...so that one day they can push their mug through a horse's collar and be declared 'champeen'. Wonder what the prize is? Lord knows, it isn't a mirror.....ah, the things we humans cook up to amuse ourselves. Makes me like us a lot better, that's for sure.





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