Following the Trend

The other day, my son and I were talking  about memes.  (Yes, the poor child seems to have a geek for a mom.)  We were talking about some of the  those various  words, "catch phrases", videos, posters...all manner of things that made their way into our collective consciousness.  Some of them have been more resilient than others and have actually become somewhat iconic.

What is it about certain phrases or ideas that plant themselves into our collective brain and cause us to want  to share and repeat them over and over?  Now that we have the ability via the Internet to spread our "cleverness" to the masses in just a matter of seconds it seems that each day brings a new "catch phrase" or some idea that everyone feels the need to hitch our reins to and ride that trend...until the next trendy idea comes along.  At which time will will quickly dismount and get on the new trend.

Definition according to the Urban Dictionary...gotta love the phrase "virus of the mind/"

It kind of makes me wonder how ideas spread so effectively prior to the Internet. How did the word "groovy" ever get in widespread use?   Were the words and images in the 1960's transferred by the media, by the music,  or by  advertisers?  Frankly, I don't remember how we all came to talk about "how cool and groovy" or "out of sight" things were....although I do remember thinking my brain would explode if one more person used the phrase "out of sight".

  
Thought Number One:  Conscious Uncoupling

Last week we have another new "catch phrase" in our lexicon and we can all thank Gwyneth Paltrow for getting the message out for us.  While Gwyneth, didn't come up with this bubble of brilliance, she posted it on her website, Goop, in a statement that her and her husband Chris Martin were separating...oh excuse me...they are Consciously Uncoupling.

The idea came from one of her frequent website contributors Dr. Habib Sadeghi and his wife Dr. Sherry Sami.   They have a lot to say on the subject.

A conscious uncoupling is the ability to understand that every irritation and argument [within a marriage] was a signal to look inside ourselves and identify a negative internal object that needed healing, "From this perspective, there are no bad guys, just two people," they say, expanding on the blame-free, "it's about people as individuals, not just the relationship" theory.

OK...some of that sound legit...no finger pointing, no blaming (unless, of course someone is to blame).

"Life is a spiritual exercise in evolving from an exoskeleton for support and survival to an endoskeleton. Think about it."

Oh, oh...now they have lost me!

"There's a scientific theory by Russian esotericist, Peter Ouspensky, that the creation of insects was a failed attempt by nature to evolve a higher form of consciousness.
 
How did insects get into this? I think we have crossed the line from new-agey to total bull****.

"Conscious uncoupling brings wholeness to the spirits of both people who choose to recognize each other as their teacher...If we can allow ourselves this gift, our exoskeleton of protection and imprisonment  will fall away and offer us the opportunity to begin constructing an endoskeleton, an internal cathedral, with spiritual trace minerals like self-love, self-acceptance, and self-forgiveness. "The misunderstandings involved in divorce also have much to do with the lack of intercourse between our own internal masculine and feminine energies.

 Maybe we should worry less about our internal energies having intercourse and worry more about who is having real intercourse and with whom.

Thought Number Two: Here comes the bandwagon.

I have been thinking a lot this week about why we ( I am including myself here) follow trends.  The "conscious uncoupling" will not be one of the trends I intend to participate in.  I am just not all that "new age-y" and still am pretty secure  in my belief that long term relationships can last a lifetime. 

 I, however, am not immune to following trends and often find it troubling to be one of the lemmings. This became especially true this week as I went to the "big company who shall remain nameless" to get the next generation of my iPhone.  (OK you iPhone haters...mock and berate me..but let's stop short of calling me an i-hole)

After installing the latest update on my  4S to the OIS 7 operating system.... it went "funky"  That is a technical term for "not working worth a damn."  So hubby and I both went to the cellular store thinking we would qualify for a discounted iPhone 5s because we were out of our contract period.   NOPE..there are no longer upgrades.  You buy your plan by the amount of media you need then you pay a fee to use a phone on that plan.  Oh..and if you want a phone you pay retail but they add it in  monthly installments to your bill. According to them, they are doing you a big favor. 

When I suggested that there wasn't a chance in hell that I would pop for $40.00 a month for 18 months to get a cell phone he gave me a number of reasons why "everyone else" thinks this is a really slick idea. At which point, my cynical side wanted to jump out of my skin and beat the man about the head...instead I went to plan B. 

Plan B is "Big Box wholesale club store.  Yes, I went elsewhere and bought the phone outright and had it activated to my "big cellular company" account.

I was thinking that I had averted a monetary crisis until I got my bill from the "big cellular company that shall remain nameless".  Turns out they didn't charge me the $40.00 per month for the next 18 months but the bill was chock full of  other surprises... all with $$$$ attached.  The phrase "one time charge" might not have had  the pacifying effect that the company hopes that phrase imparts.  GGGRRR

While I may participate in herd mentality and often follow trends...I do recognize this in itself is part of the meme  of  "This is a First World Problem". 


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Last Chance Deductions, Maybe or Maybe Not

 Crabby Pants and Cheryl P. are awfully busy today rounding up all those receipts and such to figure out how much  "who owes who" so today, we are posting a post from a couple years ago.  For those of you that have been long time readers, hope you aren't bored with old information. 

Today is the day!.  April 15th is here and I just wanted to help you out by offering up a couple of ideas for last minute deductions. 

Disclaimer - these ideas are to be used at your own risk (risk of an audit and risk being thought of as an idiot).  I got my information off of the ever reliable, never wrong on any subject, have to believe it because I read it and it looked accurate enough to have me repeat it, Internet.  I am not an accountant, don't want to be an accountant, worry about why anyone would be an accountant and can hardly add simple numbers
together so would make a miserable accountant.  Never the less here are my "last minute deductions" advice to you.  Take them or leave them.  I don't really care as I don't have to pay your tax bill. I am just out here trying to be helpful.

Lost, Found and Please, Take Down

What Would a Woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck something?


Hudson, NY- For the third time in a week, American flags were ripped from their staffs at the Republic Civil War section of the Cedar Park Cemetery.  Now the police believe they have collared the perpetrators.

Last Saturday, after another 15 flags went missing bring the total to around 75, the Hudson police installed three surveillance cameras.

Caught in the act..woodchuck vandal

It turned out there is a gang of vandalizing woodchucks have been taking the flags down into their burrows. 

Is That Yard Art?

A Michigan woman said police showed up at her house after her stepfather carved a part of the male anatomy into a tree stump in her yard.

Mariah Cordes, who recently moved into a home on Clyde Park Avenue in Wyoming, Mich., said her stepfather carved the male organ into the stump as a prank and her neighbors were not entertained, WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, Mich., reported Thursday.

 

"Cops came a couple of times," Cordes said. "We decided to take it down."

Cordes said her stepfather removed the stump bearing the offending image. Police said they would have contacted the city attorney's office about possible disorderly conduct charges if the stump had not been removed.

While I can't imagine why a person would want to carve a tree into that particular shape, especially given the fact, they are the "new people"  in the neighborhood but I find it ironic that the TV station that came to do the story was WOOD TV. Is it possible to be the "bad neighbor" on day one?

Where the Chips Fall

Police followed a “trail of chips” to arrest a Pennsylvania man who allegedly broke into a Subway restaurant early yesterday and only made off with nine bags of the savory potato crisps.

Investigators charge that Benjamin Sickles, 21, broke out three glass windows at a Subway in Washington, a city 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. He then broke a glass door and entered the store around 2:23 AM.

Sickles approached the cash register, but apparently was unable to secure some loot. So he “threw cups at cash register, grabbed two hand full of chips (9 bags)” and exited the Subway with the stolen snacks.

When Washington City Police Department cops arrived, “a trail of chips lead to suspect who was on steps of Washington High School,” according to the complaint. The Subway eatery is only a couple of blocks away from the school, from which Sickles graduated in 2009.

Charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft, and criminal mischief, Sickles is in the Washington County jail, where he is being held in lieu of $30,000 bond.

That is a really bad day on the job when all you get are nine bags of potato chips. I would have gone for at least a couple of tasty subs before leaving. Who would of thought being a messy eater would land you in jail.

The Good News and The Bad News


The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that a southwestern Orgeon city's police department can collect a ONE MILLION DOLLAR  cash prize originally awarded to a woman who authorities say bought the winning lottery ticket in 2005 with a stolen credit card.

The Mail Tribune reported that 45 year old, Christina Goodenow argued that stripping her of the winnings was excessive punishment.

In 2005 Goodenow stole the identity of her boyfriend's dead mother and used the deceased woman's Visa  credit card to purchase $12,000.00 worth of goods which included the lottery ticket.
She pleaded no contest to the crimes and was sentenced to probation.

As part of her sentence, the lottery money was forfeited to the Medford Police Department. In Oregon, police departments can collect money that is seized through criminal activity. Goodenow, filed the appeal in 2007, as an attempt to retain the winning money.

Seems that Ms. Goodenow was bad and now she doesn't feel  good...Isn't there some old adage about " Losers Never Win and Winners Never Lose"     Seems that would be wrong on both counts.