Friday Filler – When is Enough of This…Really, Really, Enough?

Thank Grog It’s Firday!!

I know. It’s been nuts. I don’t care where you fall in the spectrum of being a good citizen, to the full opposite, by becoming a scofflaw (look up last week’s Filler).  But, I know you are feeling it.  How long are we going to have to keep this up? When is enough, really, really enough?

Well…for me it was seeing Homer dressed up, after I “won” his “Pride Homer” skin. Yay?

Enough. Really.

I’m not going to go into detail, but even the writing (which is usually great) for this event was clunky, and too full of silly double entendres, bordering on the fine line between pandering and ridicule. And frankly, I’m pretty well done trying to figure out the why, who, what the hell, when it comes to some of the intent from the writers.

It’s the Simpsons. Nobody is safe. I get it. But, this event, was over the top. Because it WASN’T actually in the spirit of RuPaul’s Drag Race, or any other example that makes the point that we are more the same, than we are different…if you have brains, talent, guts, and a fantastic wardrobe.

But, most of the jokes in this event were cheap and easy. Even the voice-over for Marge’s “Glamazon Marge” is simply out of character. “Let me assure you…the lids match the tubs,” or “lets put tops on bottoms.”  Come on. No thank you. I agree with Helen Lovejoy on this one.

But, maybe I’m just buckling under the strains of lockdown…and simply wishing for MORE than a watered down, half-assed attempt at humor, along with a real reward for persevering yet another repetitious, uninspired programming job from EA.

Maybe I’m just starting to feel the strain of the weird dichotomy of this worldwide mess.  I live in one of the safest sectors in the United States. But, even here…we are opening up slowly, and prudently. Unlike some of the most ravaged states, who are opening faster than common sense would dictate.

But, who am I to complain?  Because I do live in a county with almost no cases, I was able to get my first real haircut in months.  My favorite barber was masked (an improvement, according to his shop-mate), and they are only allowed one customer in the chair, every 45 minutes.  I was elated. We had a LOT of catching up to do.


My new “cataract corrected eyes,” are amazing…and I have already shaved 5 strokes off of my golf handicap.  Turns out, actually SEEING the ball is an advantage. That, is “getting back to normal” to how I my vision was 3 years ago.

And…best of all, I am in the home stretch of the upstairs flooring project, and can start building the new deck next week…just in time for the summer weather.

But, when people comment about all of the work I am doing, and how good I must feel, I remind them who is really in charge.  I know my place in the pecking order…

So yes…having to move everything five and six times…including the baby grand piano…was a royal pain in the backside. But, there was no place to put it, as I pulled the carpet and worked around it.  So…had to be done. And I am very happy it IS done.

But, enough is enough.  Yes. Our East Coast family is in the worst “Covid hot spot”in the country. But, we pulled the trigger on tickets for a 3-week trip to New Jersey, in July.  Sometimes you just have to trust that we can be safe…because the reward is worth the risk.

And, this little guy is worth the risk.

So yes…I am really, really, really hoping for some normal in our lives…both real and virtual.   I would LOVE things to go back to the “Good Old Days” when life didn’t seem insane, and every headline in the news didn’t make you wince.

I’d like an update that FEELS like it is fun, challenging, and rewards you for your work.  When was the last time things felt “normal” in TSTO?  Oh…let’s see…about 5 years ago. It’s been that long since EA really acted like they cared.  And it’s been at least that long since we were able to turn on the news without wanting to throw something at the screen.

I appreciate the little things. Getting out for a dinner at the club this week was amazing. We opened up to “Phase One” last week. Tables spread way apart…the patio almost empty.  But the food…to die for…without being afraid to die.

Winning my first League match in golf felt incredible. And looking at the ticket dates for our flights on the safest airline in the air today (Alaska), makes me feel almost normal.

Almost.

But, I delivered Emergency Food Boxes yesterday.  And I was a bit surprised that a good number of them were in upper-middle-class homes, not more than a few blocks from ours. It’s not going to be “normal” for a very long time.

Find your “normal,” and cling to it. We are all going to have to start measuring things in terms of “risk and reward.”  I’m not ready to go to a crowded public pool…or a concert…or a major sporting event.  But I am willing to sit in a half-filled plane for 5 hours…with a mask and eye guards on…to play trains with my grandson.

That is as normal as I can make things right now. And, we pulled the trigger.