Black Hole Sun

"Beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight." -- Yoda

I'm in a quandary. How many of you hold grudges? (1, 2, 3, ... ok, 10).

I don't normally hold grudges. They really don't do me any good. Most of the time, I forget what I was mad about anyway.

I'm in a mood to hang on to a couple of grudges that are simmering. Without going into great detail, I got disrespected, abandoned, and jerked around by a couple of people.

In the past, I would have reacted, and then gotten over it. But this time... this time is different.

It isn't that I want revenge. I wouldn't know what to do with a pound of extracted flesh anyway.

But I do want justice. There must be repercussions.

Is there a good time to hold on to a grudge? Or are grudges just a way to spin the wheels without actually doing any good whatsoever.

The good think is that I'm not obsessed about the people who torqued me. It is a switch in my head that flips on and off as I deal with the business of living.

But the dark side beckons... and I'm not ready to turn away.

"You are beaten. It is useless to resist." -- Darth Vader

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The next time someone says something bad about Cleveland, I'll have to correct them. It is all how you see the city.

I got to visit my "sister" and her boy toy in the city by the lake. If you really want to have fun, relax at the end of the day and tell everyone you visited a brewery, crypt and cemetery that day.

But not just any crypt. The crypt of a president.

I can have the best vacations! The idea is not to visit the tourist attractions and be willing to mix and match as you go.

Oh, and have great tour guides. Thanks, Mon and Deke!

Reversing Mirror

Fifth anniversary of 9/11 is over. Primary elections are over. I hired a news editor. And I'm going on tour.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled article.

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"Is this some sort of funhouse, Wonka?" "Why? Are you having fun?"

Recently, I attended my 25th high school reunion. Don't even try to do the math.

I really expected to recognize a couple of people, but not many. It turns out I recognized most of the women and nearly none of the men.

I'm not sure if the women didn't age that much or I just paid more attention to them in high school. The guys grew beards, expanded waistlines and sagged in all the wrong places.

This was a very unusual event for me. Normally, I can find a comfort zone in a group setting and expand from there.

I wasn't comfortable from the very beginning and I have no idea why. Kim and Joe both felt it and tried to help, but it wasn't good for me.

Was it mortality staring me in the face? Was it so many unfamiliar faces surrounding me?

Either way, it was unusual. I know I hadn't seen some of those people since high school. Maybe this was a sign for me to reach back and get in touch with them again.

Or maybe it was an indication that I've outgrown what I was, and become more than what I imagined I would be?

Or maybe it was just the fried chicken?

Don't Hide What You Can't Handle

"Heaven's gates won't open up for me/With these broken wings I'm fallin'/And all I see is you."

More after the holiday. Be safe.

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The Parents Television Council has filed an indecency complaint with the FCC because Helen Mirren said she was glad she didn’t fall “ass over tit” on her way up to accept her Emmy. And the PTC wants every NBC affil that showed it to be fined.

L. Brent Bozell of the PTC writes, “It is utterly irresponsible and atrocious for NBC to air this vulgar language during the safe harbor time when millions of children were in the viewing audience. People are getting sick and tired of networks allowing unedited profanity on their award shows in front of millions of youngsters, and with NBC this practice is becoming habitual.”

(the above paragraphs from Lost Remote)

Well, guess what? I'm sick and tired of people trying to tell me what is or is not vulgar. Instead of limiting input, why don't groups like this disband and talk to their own children about the use of language?

It seems that every day a new group or cause pops up wanting to limit something within our society because they don't like what is being espoused. Why not? Don't they know better than we do?

Of course not. Why should they have the say on how children are educated?

If my child (not that I have one, but just in case) does something unacceptable, shouldn't I be the one who teaches them right and wrong? But if the unacceptable material isn't present, am I not deprived of a teaching experience with my children?

I am also amused by the statement that millions of youngsters watched the Emmys. Really? If that is indeed the case, shouldn't we start airing the Emmys as childrens' programming on Saturday mornings?

The "holier-than-thou" attitude has to stop. We moan and berate the state of parenting these days, but yet, there are people who want to take parents out of the equation.

If/when I become a dad, I want all my options open. My parents did that for me, so it is the least I can do for my future children.

"Tinkle, tinkle in the car/You should really use a jar." -- Cheese