Well, we are just one Rant away from the magic 2,000 posts level, and I guess it's time to party like it's 1999.
There were some interesting things that happened in that year--was it the last year of the 20th century or was it simply the year before Y2K?--including that the world's population reached 6 billion people during 1999.
My wife and I had nothing to do with that, as we had our son in 1995.
The euro was introduced in 11 countries on January 1 of that year, and Ford also purchased Volvo during 1999.
I don't know what those two facts have to do with each other, but I bet they probably had a lot to do with each other--did Ford spend dollars or euros in the purchase?
President Bill Clinton was acquitted of perjury and obstruction of justice, and "SpongeBob SquarePants" premiered during that year.
There must be some connection between the two, but I have no idea what it is.
The Columbine High School massacre also happened during 1999, and no, I won't be making any snide comments about that horrible incident.
And no, Prince's single and album of the same name were NOT released during 1999, but actually 17 years earlier in 1982.
But you just know that "1999" got lots of extra airplay in 1999, because the song just fit the year so snugly.
I was 42 in 1999, and yes, it seems like eons ago, and yes, it really was eons ago. My daughter was 11 years old in 1999, my son was four during the year, and my wife was---- (not going there).
Heck, 1999 was 18 years ago! That's a long time ago, and just think, high school seniors who graduated in June of 2017 were born in 1999!
That makes me feel kind of old, because I graduated high school in 1975.
Why are there no songs called "1975?"
I think because our focus was on 1976, our Bicentennial, and 1975 was simply the year before that, a mere footnote to our country's 200th anniversary.
Back to 1999 ...
Honestly, I really don't have much more to say about the year in question than I have already said.
So onward and upward to 2,000--2,000 Rants that is.
That is an accomplishment, and I will highlight that accomplishment tomorrow.
It's like celebrating a birthday or anniversary, but without the gifts.
Wow 2000 essays? Am I the only one other than yourself who has read each and every one? I have admitted it, I come here because I have a compulsion to do so, and what else is there to do on the bus ride into NYC at 5AM? How many essays have out of the 1999 have been self congratulatory pats on the back with little or nothing said? Approximately every 100. So go ahead, pat yourself on the back tomorrow, 2000 is a round number, and you won't do it again until 2100. Who knows, maybe 2001 will be an actual opinion piece or a review and I won't be looking for a refund on 3 minutes spent.
ReplyDelete...I know, I can't get a refund.
ReplyDeleteI'm stuck for an idea for my blog today ...I suppose I could congratulate myself on 2863 blog posts ...
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, you are lucky you even got this today, because I am under the weather today, stayed home from work, and I am at the doctor now. But that being daid, you people are so miserable, much more miserable than I could ever be even when sick. I am not in competition with anyone, and if you don't like the subject matter, don't read it. Didn't your mothers tell you that if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything? Probably not.
ReplyDeleteYou both are severely in need of some justification or some recognition of your existence which you obviously don't get from elsewhere. I really don't get it. You are to be pitied.
ReplyDeleteYou have it seems 2 readers who take the time to read and react to your writing, yet you don't seem very appreciative. You do want reaction, I mean isn't that why your essays appear here? You could be writing in a diary and keep your thoughts under lock and key, but you don't.
DeleteFeel better, enjoy the game and I'll see you bright and early for 2000.
He doesn't love us, Jim Bo ... I'm crushed.
DeleteI think you and Larry should take the show to the airwaves. Larry and Songbird has to be better than Curtis and Eboni.
DeleteAnd there you have it, folks. Whenever someone calls Larry out on his behavior, he projects his own shortcomings onto those who dare to criticize him.
ReplyDeleteLarry, I am sorry you aren't feeling well, I am sorry you're at the doctor, and I do hope you feel better soon.
I cannot speak for Jim Bo, of course, but I can tell you that I am not miserable. I had a miserable day yesterday, the kind of day that made me want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head. But today is a better day. I'm putting a smile on my face and trying to make the most of it.
You should try that sometime, it'll do you a world of good.
Honestly, I don't mind the posts, but they are generally not of the critical variety, maybe somewhere where we can have a discussion. I don't mind those at all. Unfortunately, they are generally nasty--which is not fine with me. What you get out of being nasty is beyond me, but it pretty much replicates the current liberal (or for you, Robin, in particular) phony liberal credo: you have the nerve not to agree with me, so I am going to be nasty to you. In your world, that is the way to act, Harvey Weinstein or not. But if you want me to, I can be just as nasty, just as off topic, and just as snide as you can be. Here goes: And by the way, where are your Mets, Robin? The last time I looked, the Yankees were moving onto something bigger. You see, I can do it too. And I am feeling much better today, thank you. Take your phony liberal attitude, and maybe you can spew that venom on some people and get away with it, but I am not one of those people. I see through you and your nonsense. You cannot simply agree to disagree, but you must always be right. Sorry, that is a character flaw that I won't attempt to delve much further into here. How about let's have some fun, which is what I try to do at this blog? I write on weightier topics at times, but for the few minutes it takes to read this thing every day, why not simply have fun with it, like I do? You can't, because you always have to be right.
ReplyDeleteLarry, there you go, projecting again. No one can get through to you, can they?
ReplyDeletego look at my blog post from yesterday. It's ehre: http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2017/10/wednesday-hodgepodge_11.html
Reason I am asking you to look ....I am sure you have no real interest in Joyce's questions or my answers, but I have a number of people who responded to my post. Why? How did I get so many people to respond?
It's simple. I read and comment on their blogs.
And some of their blogs are a lot more popular than mine.
We all learned a lesson in kindergarten: If you want to have a friend, you have to be a friend.
Your best blog posts, Larry, are about your family, your wife, your son, your parents. We, the readers, feel the emotion. Even if I did not know you in real life, I'd be able to tell how much you adore your wife, just from reading your posts. You're a devoted husband, father, son, brother. people will respond to that.
your problem comes when you write about the "weightier things", about news, about politics, even about popular culture. soemtimes your blog posts on such subjects are good. but sometimes you take a very snide, dismissive tone (e.g., when you label current TV shows "garbage"), and then complain when that tone is echoed back at you, telling us that we are intolerant of other opinions.
You actually did it just now, with your sneering reference to my (long-suffering, injury-plagued) Mets. FYI, I am one of those rare Mets fans who actualy likes the Yankees, and I am thrilled they are moving on (much to the consternation of my better half).
It has nothing to do with my being a "liberal" and everything to do with my being a human being.
Please consider what I've said here, and keep it in mind when you write your next post. Your readers will thank you for it.
And don't give me the stats that blogger gives you about who is reading your blog. I get the same stats on mine.
ReplyDeleteI generally do not read other people's blogs, not purposely, but I really don't have any interest in doing so, unless a topic interests me. Honestly, I do not care if I don't get s single comment here. I know people read this thing each and every day, and that is fine with me. They don't want to comment? OK by me. I never meant this to be a money maker, and it hasn't been and will never be. And yes, current TV shows are garbage. There, I said it again.
ReplyDeleteWhat you also seemingly fail to recognize is that I put up my blog posts on Facebook every weekday, in several places, and many of my blog posts are also on the Evo new page, so my blog does get around quite a bit. And yes, I do get replies, in particular on Facebook, so I am satisfied that many thousands of people are actually having access to the blog each and every day. They don't necessarily have to come right here to read it, so yes, my hits here are probably fewer than they would be if I just had it available here.
ReplyDeleteLOL, my blogger stats say I've got thousands of readers, too. I don't believe it. I've seen your Facebook and the handful of people who respond to your blog. I've also seen blogs that really are popular, with many followers who interact with the blogger . Go read Neil Kramer's blog and see how it's done.
ReplyDeleteI did not design this as a blog that was to be widely read. So with all my outlets for my blog, I am quite satisfied. And yes, I do believe the statistics. They do not come out of thin air.
ReplyDeleteAgain, you appear to be looking for some type of affirmation with your blog. I am not. I don't need it. You read my blog, fine; you don't read it, that's fine too. I am happy where it stands, and where I stand. And again, I do this for fun. I get nothing from it other than it gives me an outlet to write what I want to write. I am not looking for accolades like you appear to be. To each his own.
ReplyDeleteActually, Larry, I don't publicize my blog.
ReplyDeletehttps://evonews.com/entertainment/2017/oct/02/monty-hall-dies-mccreator-of-lets-make-a-deal-game-show/
ReplyDeleteYou didn't say that Evo had actually picked up one of your essays. Congrats.
And I mean that sincerely.
though I must call you out on the number of views...when I looked at the piece, the view count was "20". and I think at least one of those views was me, searching your name.
Here's a guy, that says "current TV shows are garbage" and still laughs at Leave it to Beaver. Is anyone going to take him seriously?
ReplyDelete"Leave It To Beaver" is a classic TV show. It has been on the air continuously for more than 60 years, the only show that can say that; even "I Love Lucy," another show I love, can't claim that. If that isn't something that you like, fine, but I happen to love the show. We won't know what current sitcom will be on forever, but it will never touch "Leave It To Beaver." I guess you like "2 Broke Girls." That show is REALLY one that will stand the ages!
ReplyDeleteLarry, I hate to disillusion you, but do you really think millenials watch "Leave It To Beaver"? No, the audience for that show almost entirely the generation that grew up watching the Beav. Seriously. When we all went to the "Dark Shadows" convention, what was the average age of the fans in attendance?
ReplyDeleteYes, some 1950's TV will endure. Lucille Ball was a comic genius, for example. The same way that the best Hollywood movies from the golden age of film will endure, but the clunkers ...and,yes, of course, there were clunkers. And decent movies and shows that are now horribly dated.
These days I'm finding myself very much enamored of "The Orville", Seth McFarlane's love letter to "Star Trek". It's gentle parody, yet it's not afraid to confront issues of ethics and morality. He's taken on issues of gender identity, racism, religious extremism...go ahead and tell me that show is "garbage". I'll just laugh.
My other "must see TV" is "Designated Survivor". It's my wish fulfillment TV. And very good political drama. Is that show "garbage" too?
Didn't Larry once say he doesn't watch any hour long dramas,never has?
DeleteI do prefer sitcoms, but I have watched hour-long dramas in the past, and most recently, as I said, I did like Bates Motel, and I did like Zoo until the season that just ended, where the show became a mishmash and hard to follow. And then we come to Once Upon a Time, a show that has so veered off course that I find it unwatchable at this point, much like Lost was some years ago towards the end. So as you can see, I do watch hour-long dramas, but yes, I prefer sitcoms.
DeleteI generally cannot get into the new shows. I did enjoy "Bates Motel" for what it was. And I do think that the audience for Baby Boomer stuff is much wider than you think. Look at all the generations that have enjoyed "Beaver," "I Love Lucy," and shows from the 1950s and 1960s. Those shows continue to be the programs which current stuff aspires to be, but can't, because the writing is terrible, nobody knows what comedy is anymore (it isn't continual sex jokes), and the actors are boring. Of course there is an audience for it, and yes, I am going to stick with what I said but expand upon it: compared to the stuff we grew up on, TV today, or at least represented by sitcoms, my favorite TV genre, is garbage. It goes for the lowest common denominator, sex jokes, the writing is terrible, and it is boring. The last shows I enjoyed were "Everyone Loves Raymond" and "King of Queens," which I do think tried to "copy" the old shows while still being fresh and new, and I think they generally succeeded. Sure, there were more "adult" things on those shows than in the shows of yore, but the writing, actors and storylines were quite good. I mean, just look at "Big Bang Theory"; just about every "joke" or comedic situation is sexual, and I don't find it the least bit funny. I know millions do, but I have watched dozens of episodes, and I would rather watch "Revenge of the Nerds," which this show borrows liberally from and which was pretty funny. I guess my "problem" if you want to call it that is that I do not like current humor, which is more putdowns than being funny. Look at the late night hosts: you call that funny? Johnny Carson is turning over in his grave at the trash that is on during the hour of the day that he ruled for decades. Yes, sorry, it is my opinion, and TV is trash, and that is why the cable networks jumped at the chance to show what they can do with episodic television, because they simply had to do better than the networks could do.
ReplyDeleteActually I’m pretty fond of Jimmy Fallon. And I’d love to be able to stay up late and watch Seth Meyers, he was excellent on SNL weekend update. Not to mention, Bill Maher. Saw him at the NYCB Theater at Westbury. His language is a bit crude, but he’s not crude just for the sake of being crude.
ReplyDeleteI can't get into any of them because I don't care for their humor. There is a time and place for any type of humor, and I just like the cleaner stuff, always have, always will. The current crop of late night hosts, to me, are simply anti-Trump, and just go off on him unmercifully, which I don't think they should be doing like they do. Johnny Carson also went off on political leaders, but he kept it middle of the road--if he went off on one party, he would go off on the other, too, and he wasn't vicious about it. I can't stay up anyway, which is probably a good thing.
ReplyDelete