so, what's with...

My hope is to have more "meaningful" blog posts of substance. A fellow writer, whose opinion I value, encouraged me to be true to myself in what I write and that I can't go wrong. He echoed my own sentiments.

Having stated this, I can promise you (my unknown reader!) that sometimes my blogs still will be about the somewhat superficial, the evidently elementary, and the mind-boggling maddening and moronic! Moronic might be a bit harsh... I was on a roll.

So, what's with...

*All those smirk-pout non-smiles girls of a certain age are doing for pictures ALL THE TIME nowadays? For one thing, it's so done by now, I can't believe any of them think it's even remotely "cool" (that is, unless cool actually means that every other girl and her puppy is posing in this EXACT same way). Also, I've seen REALLY cute girls look REALLY not cute when assuming this face pose. Eww! Stop it already!

*Letting your kids be loud at the library? Hey you... it's a LIBRARY! If you want to let your kids run around like the world is their own planet of the apes, take them to a Barnes & Noble. Better yet, take them to a park! Whatever you do, tell them to be quiet while you're in the library. Three crucial words to all who are or would be parents: WATCH YOUR KIDS!

*People STILL texting and driving? Who or what is THAT important? I'll tell you who or what... no one or nothing, that's who or what.

*Brooke Burke? I find that while I want to like her, I also want to hate her. Did she really just "write" and publish a book trying to relate to me in written form just because we both happen to 1) speak English and 2) share the same gender tag? The title of her book has the word "naked" in it. Relate to me? I don't think so, sister!

*Tolerance? I think I'm pretty tolerant. However, I find that lots of people who call themselves tolerant are among the first to get pissy when THEY decide someone else (usually someone who disagrees with them) is INTOLERANT. Hello? YOU'RE the one being intolerant by criticizing someone else whose opinion doesn't sit well with you. Come on!

*Ghetto-speak in writing? Look, I'm not perfect. I don't claim to be. I drop caps all the time (thank you, e e cummings) and use the occasional "u" or "b" (though NEVER in that sequence!). But sometimes, I can't even read it, much less make sense of it all. Maybe that's the point... almost-40-year-old women aren't supposed to be reading it. All I know is, ah cant haaang wit aw da stuf ah cant b reedin, boo. id b makin me krunkd uppp muh peeeeeps. (That was exhausting, and it made me shudder like the thought of breaking my leg!)

*Racist people? I have a friend who is racist! Right then I really wanted to write, "I have a friend who is kinda racist" but we all know either you are or you aren't. Old school generation people stick to their discrimination stories, new generations claim "I was brought up that way," and people in between form their own prejudices. I know it's going to happen, but it's almost the 20-teens! Racism is as outdated as cassette tapes and dot matrix printing.

*Alcohol? Is this an acquired taste? Do beer and vodka and deep red wines really taste good to some people? Did it taste good from that first sip? Is there a gene for that? Cause if so, I didn't get it, even though there was a time long ago when my parents liked their booze. Alcohol, to me, is far behind the likes of Coke, sweet tea and berry lemonades when it comes to taste. I just can't believe people like alcohol so much!

*Sports parents? I love sports as much as the next crazy mom. I really do. I love to watch my husband, my boys, pro and college sports, and even play when I get the chance. And I'm quite the fan! But I just don't understand how grown people think it's ok to be mean or aggressive with kids in the name of team sports and WINNING! I also don't get parents who place too much emphasis on sports and generally overlook reading, the arts, family time, communication, volunteerism, church, manners, life.

*People who refuse to recycle? Sometimes it's not convenient. Some cities still charge extra to get a curbside recycling bin. Some people are old or stubborn or stuck in their ways, or all of the above. Understandable, I guess. But to outright NOT recycle when it's an easy option is as acceptable as a 9-year-old stomping his feet in public. Yuck! We hear you... your ONE plastic water bottle might not make or break the earth's ecosystem... but if your lousy attitude caught on, it could be one messy planet. Ever see Wall-E?

*Getting old? It's like marriage and parenting. No one can prepare you. People don't even really try. They don't tell you how life-altering, exhausting and difficult any and all of these can be. It's like there's this secret code among married folks, parents and old people that says, "Don't tell 'em! In an effort to continue the species, for the love of God, don't tell them!"