Thursday, April 23, 2009

Mark's Thoughts

...I see the big posters for Hannah Montana eyewear for kids at WalMart. Just one thing. Hannah is NOT WEARING glasses. So they're saying, buy these glasses and you can look like this young woman who...isn't wearing any?...I know I'm not musically sophisticated, but it seems to me that jazz - hot, cold, smooth or Dixieland - is lots of people playing more or less the same melody and ending more or less at the same time...but what happens between the start and the end is a lot of different voyages down different avenues by a lot of musicians...It's sad to see newspapers heading down the road to that Irish town called O'Blivion. I can't get used to reading the paper online, and what is Baltimore to use for lining the table at crab feasts all summer?...Prom and graduation season is coming right up. Make friends with someone who works at a tuxedo rental place, and get ready to hear stories about what gets returned in formal wear that will last you through Homecoming Dance time!...I see that good sense is coming back! People have started a drive to eliminate the use of the COMIC SANS font. Now if every advertiser who wants to look "hip" in every coupon clipper magazine could just stop using PAPYRUS...I look forward every week to Friday, when TheSmoking Gun.com treats us all to another batch of Mug Shots of the Week...I once said I didn't want a computer...then I said I didn't want to Facebook...so should I even bother to say I'm not going to Twitter, nor shall I Tweet?

7 comments:

Ralph said...

Comic Sans: oh no!!! I had no idea. I'll vhae to change my email font! I don't know why I like it, but I do know it's not meant to trivialize what I say in emails. I think I like it because the bolded version is so easy to read. And Times New Roman reminds me too much of work.

Peggy said...

I love the "Mark's Thoughts"! I have always enjoyed them. You and I both saw the Hannah Montana display - that was a bit odd!

amanda davis said...

I detest the Papyrus font...every salon, masssage parlor, health food store, new age gift shop etc uses that damn font!!Why do you always steal my ideas, Mark? ;)

I, too once uttered the words "there will be no computer in our house" my compromise: no computers in the kids rooms, watch out for how many hrs you have wasted online....ETC

I'm sorry but I think that the emphasis on the social networking site is going to erode our desire and ability to socialize away. Maybe it's not that drastic but have you ever notice that the people on Facebook and Myspace put up a false persona that you may know as false...in real life situations you would learn their little quirks and faults, but online they can be like "I love peaceful music and organic food and people who fight for justice" Right. And also homewrecking, gossiping, drinking too much and not tipping my waitress........

amanda said...

ps I got rid of the screen name with my initials due to a recent betrayal from an old high school friend named AJ.....using amanda now since that is my name.


oh yeah, one funny thing I saw on a dumb movie once was an old man who looked at some kid with a quizzical expression and said "What the f*^# is the INTERNET?"

Ralph said...

Amanda, I'm one who swore "never Facebook," but when I stuck my toe in, I had the time of my life reconnecting with old friends and have even met up with some. To the contrary, I've found all computer-assisted networking to a boon--blogging itself is really a form of socializing, and now I find myself with a circle iof "virtual" friends who add great flavor to my life. I think you get what you present on tehse sites. If you're real, the people you attract will be, too. (And there's nobody "realer" than you!)

Mark said...

Peggy - you know how I stare at everything in WalMart!
Ralph - Comic Sans is cool on email but not so as a logo font for a business. Plus, your emails are always well-received and cheery, friendly.
Amanda - I steal your ideas because you leave them on the kitchen windowsill cooling off like a blackberry pie! And I'm with Ralph - the reconnection aspect of Facebook is too good to ignore. I think it all comes down to whether you're a person who would attend a high school reunion. Some people live to go to them, and some would rather die. But if you like catching up with old friends, try FB for a month. You can always quit if you don't like it.

And that's cool that you're going by Amanda now. Never met an Amanda that I didn't like.

Amanda Ladish said...

you guys are the best! Facebook is also a great way to track your kids and make sure they are behaving online.....back in the day, the equivalent parent snooping would be looking under the mattress for nudie mags or diaries with little gold locks.......i find blogging refreshing compared to parenting forums where the women start the age old guilt trips abt. formula vs breastfeeding, working vs staying at home....the "realest" thing about me is that i have done all of the above and i have to try to be the peace-maker...me, the hot tempered red head.....making peace! EXHAUSTING.