According to a news report I heard this morning, yesterday--the last Monday in January--is the most depressing day of the year.
I find it hard to believe that a Monday in January could be more depressing than April 15th or opening day of the Detroit Lions football season, but that's just my opinion.
According to the news, not only are the days still relatively short, but the Christmas decorations are put away and the holiday bills have begun to arrive. Those facts coupled with a long stretch of winter still ahead of us apparently increase depression.
There is probably some truth in this. If I don't have the windows uncovered to let in what little daylight there seems to be and keep myself occupied, I find myself wanting to eat an entire box of chocolates while drinking a bottle of wine as I lay in bed reading "The Bell Jar." If alcohol, excess pounds and a Sylvia Platt novel aren't a cry for help, I don't know what is.
Studies have proven that those of us not exposing ourselves to enough light this time of year can suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I can almost hear the electric meter spinning with all of the lights I have been keeping on lately.
I may owe my soul to the electric company, but I figure it is better than being a candidate for psychotherapy. Or perhaps "a better candidate" would be a more accurate description.
I should probably turn on more lights--I feel a chocolate craving coming on. Guess I should also cancel the DVR recording of "Ordinary People."
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Politics As Usual, Unfortunately
If I see one more image of Harry Reid on television or hear his name mentioned on any news program, I am going to throw something at my television.
The news media has latched on to the latest political faux pas and, naturally, is rehashing it ad nauseam.
I get what old Harry was trying to say. He was stating that most white Americans would prefer to vote for an African American candidate who looks and sounds more like them.
Of course, he could have stated this in a more delicate way, but politicians always need to learn from the "Open Mouth, Insert Foot" School of Political Science. He also could have kept his mouth shut, which politicians never seem to learn.
Instead, we have the annual media circus parading through Washington and politicians on both sides tripping over themselves to demand resignations and assess blame.
As I see it, the only purpose this serves is to keep people from wanting to enter the political arena. In every political race--no matter if it is local or national--it seems less time is spent explaining how a candidate would fix problems in favor of seeing how much dirt they can dig up on their opponent.
Who wants to run for office when some researcher may discover that your great grandmother's uncle's sister-in-law's cousin twice removed once loaned a cup of sugar to a neighbor whose father's stepmother's nephew's dry cleaner had ties with the Mafia? Obviously, this candidate has organized crime connections. At least his shirts might if they were labeled "dry clean only."
The only thing the current political climate is good for is discouraging people who may actually be able to solve some of our most pressing problems from serving their communities. People with integrity and intelligence now fear putting themselves in the spotlight, and that is the true political disgrace.
As for me, I would never in a million years run for political office. The opposing party would sick PETA on me. I accidentally ran over a squirrel a few weeks ago.
The news media has latched on to the latest political faux pas and, naturally, is rehashing it ad nauseam.
I get what old Harry was trying to say. He was stating that most white Americans would prefer to vote for an African American candidate who looks and sounds more like them.
Of course, he could have stated this in a more delicate way, but politicians always need to learn from the "Open Mouth, Insert Foot" School of Political Science. He also could have kept his mouth shut, which politicians never seem to learn.
Instead, we have the annual media circus parading through Washington and politicians on both sides tripping over themselves to demand resignations and assess blame.
As I see it, the only purpose this serves is to keep people from wanting to enter the political arena. In every political race--no matter if it is local or national--it seems less time is spent explaining how a candidate would fix problems in favor of seeing how much dirt they can dig up on their opponent.
Who wants to run for office when some researcher may discover that your great grandmother's uncle's sister-in-law's cousin twice removed once loaned a cup of sugar to a neighbor whose father's stepmother's nephew's dry cleaner had ties with the Mafia? Obviously, this candidate has organized crime connections. At least his shirts might if they were labeled "dry clean only."
The only thing the current political climate is good for is discouraging people who may actually be able to solve some of our most pressing problems from serving their communities. People with integrity and intelligence now fear putting themselves in the spotlight, and that is the true political disgrace.
As for me, I would never in a million years run for political office. The opposing party would sick PETA on me. I accidentally ran over a squirrel a few weeks ago.
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