Generation Z

This past weekend, I had a mildly rude awakening.  It started innocently enough--a simple trip to the movies with my niece, Sydni.  The last time we went to the movies to see the newest Ice Age movie, we had seen a preview for Frankenweenie, Tim Burton's newest creation.  Since then, I think I've driven her completely crazy trying to schedule a time for us to see Frankenweenie.  (This entailed saying that movie name out loud way too many times to count).  In any case, after a last-minute debate between Frankenweenie and Hotel Transylvania, we went with the Burton film.

After about a half hour or 45 minutes into the movie, Syd looked over at me in the dark to see if I had any gum.  Her eyes were welled up with tears, but she was acting totally normal.  I had to ask in a couple of different ways, but I finally got a confession that the movie was upsetting her.  I felt awful, of course, but we were able to leave and continue on with a really enjoyable day.  Why did we have to leave?  Let me explain.

Early in the movie, there is a depiction of a boy who is very close with his dog--does everything with him.  Next thing you know, the boy is pressured into playing on a baseball team, the dog chases one of his balls into the street, and the inevitable happens, killing the boy's beloved dog.  While I knew this was a natural condition for Frankenweenie to be Frankenweenie, I guess I was a bit surprised at how detailed the story was surrounding this portion of the movie's action.  The movie was rated "PG," so I didn't even think about it, and I thought about it even less since the preview had been shown in a movie that would have a pretty young audience (Ice Age).

Unfortunately, Sydni and I have both lost beloved pets in the past year, so perhaps this contributed to our strong response to the sadness.  But, this really made me start thinking because this is not the first time that I have submitted Sydni to a seemingly kid type of movie that made her cry.  Now, I want my niece to be realistic in how she digests the world and all it has to deal, but I also would love to take her to the movies without her crying.  And I have to say that most of the previews we saw before this movie started were more in the dark realm than I would expect for kids.  I compare them to ones I watched as a kid, and I can't really draw a comparison because movies, for me, were a total escape from the real world.  Fun, animated, sometimes with a tinge of real, but never too much.

I worry about a lot of things, but the more I see, the more I worry about "Generation Z" and beyond.  They're exposed to such adult concepts so young, from grown up concepts camouflaged in animated movies to constant networking with the world, and I wonder how that will ultimately play out for them.  I hope that I can resume taking my niece to see youthful and inspiring movies, shall any be made in the foreseeable future.  And I hope more than anything that kids will get to be kids for a good long time--before they get tossed into the real world and see that the dark and complicated are superfluous.  They should have some time of wonder, about how things work and things that they cannot simply have but have to wait for.  Simple is good and kids need a dash more simple and good.    

Furry Friday Edition: Pet Goods

Pet apparel has never been for me.  First, I've always had cats, and they're not so supportive of pet apparel experimentation.  Moreover, though, I've never been able to really appreciate it.  My thought has always been that there are many, many other things to spend money on.  However, this pet apparel pictured at right?  That is a dog shirt, purchased by me, for my 60 lb. goldendoodle puppy.  Obviously, something has changed.

This new affinity for dog apparel is rooted in the discovery of Fido's Fashion Collars.  I didn't even really count this as a venture into dog apparel because every dog should have a collar.  So, it was a little more along the lines of a need.  However, I started to buy Tucker these customized collars when he was just a pup, and being that he weighed in at 8 lb upon arriving at home, you can imagine the number of collars we have gone through.  Add to that the fact that I cannot bear to place an order with Fido's unless I order multiple collars.  Why?  My only answer is puppy apparel is like crack.  It's a terrible habit just lurking in the wings for you to bite.  There are rotations of holiday collections, seasonal collections, just because collections.  And once you've bought in once, it's all over.  

More recently, I've hit an issue that further compounded this situation.  Tucker is a big guy, and he doesn't hesitate to drag me through our walks.  I've found one harness that reels in his power a bit.  Funny enough, that harness is the sole harness on the market that has no padding in a crucial portion of the harness structure, which causes occasional scraping to a dogs skin behind their front legs.  I figured this was like the listing of side effects for any medicine.  There was a 1 in 1000 chance that Tucker's harness would actually rub him wrong.  But, alas, I was wrong.  I was really disturbed the first time I discovered it was rubbing him, so I quickly started to replace the harness...only to be dragged through our walks again.  Then, I had my light bulb moment.  If I place a t-shirt on him, then the harness won't rub!  There will be a protective layer!  You would think that the initial discovery that dog t-shirts run about $25 would have deterred me.  But, no.  BaxterBoo.com reeled me in just like Fido's Fashion Collars, and I have purchased my first two dog t-shirts.

So, remember.  Things change.  One day, you see yourself as a level-headed consumer, aware of the tricks of the dog apparel trade, and the next day you could be in the thick of a brand new bad habit.  All I can say is thank goodness Tucker cannot speak English.  I feel sure he would be pulling me aside for a word after parading around the neighborhood in his new dinosaur-themed t-shirt, complete in fall colors.

  

The Debate Debate

'Tis the high season of political debates.  As a disclaimer, this post will not be a medium to convince you of who should be president.  It's more a commentary about the antiquated debate system and how little help it really lends voters.  The official tradition dates back to 1960, but there are also other instances referenced before that time.  Overall, however, what's learned through these debates is what follows:

1. No matter who is placed as the moderator, participants ignore them.  So much discussion surrounds debate format, rules, etc.  However, this all falls apart once the debate starts.  Lesson learned?  These debates are simply a microcosm of the state of our political system.  Politicians do what they want, when they want, and no rules or morals or laws will stop them. 
2. Candidates spend more time talking about what the other is not doing or not planning to do than they spend time on their actual plans and an explanation of effects of those plans.  When they're not discussing what the other has not done, they discuss their version of what the other will be doing.  Lesson learned?  We could view the endless negative political commercials at our fingertips, learning the same set of information and have 90 minutes more of our life back.  Everyone wins!
3. The debate system is inherently flawed.  Perhaps there was a time, once upon a time in history, when you could take any candidate for his or her word.  Today, however, truth is an illusion.  We have learned this through the plethora of political scandals that have unfolded before our eyes.  So, the fact that some insist that these debates are key to political races is absurd.  I don't want to hear infinite iterations of what these folks plan to do, I want to actually see what they will do or can do.  Give me a list of what you see, as a candidate, as the top 5 issues in our country.  Then, tell me what you're going to do about it...and then?  Tell me what you have done previously that would support that you can actually make this happen.  Using debates to determine a candidate's qualifications, to me, would be like putting together a pro sports team by simply having players tell you what they can do.  Sports, like politics, are about doing.  If you can't do, then you are not qualified.  It seems in today's world, though, that more and more decisions are made by what people say they can do.  I wonder how this has worked out? 
4. Lastly, as long as our political world is dominated by partisan ideals, with no interest in unity, then debates will remain an extension of that philosophy.  We will learn nothing, they will repeat the same stuff we see and hear otherwise, and we will continue to get nowhere.  It's great to know what the Democratic and Republican candidate want to do and how much they detest one another's solutions and ideals.  But, how is that a barometer for how they'll do their job...with those hundreds of others who must help them get the job done?  I would rather see a format where they must sit down with those across the aisle and actually demonstrate how they would walk through solutions together.  Isn't that what they really must do to get the job done?  Where is our common ground?  How can we expand on that...and...in the end...actually benefit our constituents? 

I have always been underwhelmed by politics, and it's for these reasons.  For me, it's more an act of theater than what it should be, which is pretty serious stuff with pretty high stakes.      

The Tech Glitch

As a member of the generation that has essentially grown alongside technology, the internet--the digital age--I have come to accept the years of convincing that technology is good, that it simplifies, and that it's super duper smart.  However, just like us, technology can have its bad days, and now that I've cycled through enough of those days, I've decided to highlight my latest experience so as to eradicate the huge technological elephant in the room. 

I have to say that I don't see our government as a technology "power user."  However, this became even more clear several weeks ago when I attempted to buy a treasury bond for my niece.  This experience was already feeling a bit heavy because it was the first time this idea had come to mind for me, and it reminded me that this was my grandfather's favorite gift to give throughout much of my childhood.  This memory made me realize that only the aged think of this as a gift option, and this would make me aged.  But, then, to make it even worse, the timeless tradition of buying treasury bonds has been catapulted out of the Stone Age and into modernity.  My nostalgia for times past came to a screeching halt when the bank informed us that banks no longer sell treasury bonds.  Why don't our financial institutions sell these financial products?  Well, that is because the government decided to throw the entire process into the trusting hands of...the internet.  This seemed a good idea until I reached the "Treasury Direct" rabbit hole/web site.  In order to buy bonds, you must create an account.  In order to gift bonds, the recipient must have an account.  Regardless, you purchase your bond and then you can only electronically transfer it to the recipient 5 days later.  This is a very brief version of a very difficult process. 

I agree that technology can be super great.  I mean, what would we all be doing with our endless minutes of life if it weren't for the ability to bounce from app to app, site to site and e-mail to text?  And what would I do when I end up in Jebbia's, looking to buy a fresh herb and have no idea what I should be looking for?  Without Google images, these moments would force me to actually speak to a store clerk.  In any case, though, I do think there are some things best left untouched by the digital age.  The treasury bond purchase process would be first on that list...and the up-and-coming driverless car may very well be a second. 

Outdoor Reading, Part Two

Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods is a super delightful read.  He is one of the funniest writers I have read, who also manages to be very educational in his telling of a tale.  I've always known of the Appalachian Trail, of course, but it wasn't until last year that I happened across the National Geographic:  Appalachian Trail documentary on Netflix and became more intrigued.  There are people who can get lost in the woods for months at a time?  I needed to learn more about this.

While the National Geographic film was wonderful for sweeping views of the best parts of the trail, with a little splattering of personal experiences on the trail, Bryson's book is told from the perspective of a completely clueless hiker of the trail and his haphazard companion. His side commentary about just about every aspect of the trail and its quirks is laugh out loud funny.  For instance, as he researches black bears and what to expect of them as he treks up the East Coast, he tells of nighttime reading about black bear attacks, and it's recalled with as much removed fascination as it is immediate concern.  While a grown man is clearly writing of these preparations, it's sometimes a young boy, fascinated by the horrors of nature, that comes through.  And that crack in the narration ends up hilarious.

A Walk in the Woods brings a refreshing reminder of how fulfilling it can be to slow down life a little bit and take in the world around you by foot.  It illustrates that this point is agreed upon by all people of all shapes and sizes, professions and origins.  It also offers the nuggets of history that produced the Appalachian Trail and lots of other natural history that illustrates flattering and not so flattering aspects of government intervention in nature. However, all is told with a small spritz of sarcasm, which helps to make it digestible and entertaining.

If the winter gets you down, and you need to escape from a little bout of cabin fever, definitely keep A Walk in the Woods on your list of possible (and cheap!) excursions.