New Normal

A while back Brandon commented on something that I thought was just a small part of one of the blogs I wrote. He made a remark about what I had called 'The New Normal', that is to say that there is a new order of things that are becoming the constant state of all our lives. Life without certain people, less communication between others and certain activities just being much harder to accomplish than they have in the past.

I remember a time when I would be winding down to watch television right about now, when Futurama was on and then Simpsons and the X-Files after that. That was my normal Sunday night routine. Back then I didn't have a car, (Gas was like 99 cents) I didn't even have a cellphone, not that I needed it because I never talked on the phone much anyway. Back then there were things that bothered me, normal teen drama bullshit...but nothing like the problems I have today. And back then the world was a simpler place. I felt safe no matter what, the News was just the News, but it was hardly ever Doomsday talk. My friends and I were a solid group, I knew where I stood with each one of them, and the few people I had around me that I didn't like were so insignificant that I didn't care if they were there.

Now all of this is not the case everything has changed and not for the better. The world, my life, everything around me has just gotten darker. And I'm not sure if we can just call this growing up or some kind of growing pain. But I hope dearly that all of this is not the New Normal. I noticed that more and more banks are open on Sunday, that used to be one of the most taboo things you could do. Sunday was the Holy Day. I see more and more that people just don't care about you, or anyone else, and its hard to care for others if every time you do you get stabbed in the back.

People's lives are shrouded in fear, their entire day to day being is marked by the trouble they manage to avoid, not caring who else might run into that same trouble. Lying and cheating have become commonplace. Underhanded practices are encouraged in most businesses and even in some school. This isn't the world that we wanted to grow up in? This isn't the world we wanted for our Children.

I hope for their sake this is not going to become the Norm.

King of Calamity

Well it began Sunday afternoon, its a period of time from the first weekend in February pretty much until Spring break that I dread every year. The Super Bowl, Valentines Day, My Birthday...things that almost undoubtedly end badly for me, regardless of my best efforts. My roommate Brandon called himself the King of Coincidence one time, I guess that makes me the King of Calamity. And this is the King:

Let's start with why I hate the Super Bowl...well here's my idea on sports. Watching sports is just about as useful as masturbation...with out the pay off. And there are plenty of things I could do all of a Sunday Afternoon that involved something more to my liking. I could play a game, write, talk to someone, tell PJ we're going to draw only to spend all of the time playing a game...anything. And the Super Bowl makes people do dumb shit, like ignore their wife all day or pay four million dollars for a commercial. (Now lets not get rash, the commercials are the only reason to watch this awful mess)

The Super Bowl is so out of hand they are having sales before it now...okay, I know what you are thinking, "But Justin the sales are on things you need for the big game." Well I have to ask you this then, where does it stop? I mean what's next, Popeye's Black History Month Sale? Not everything warrants us trying to press shit on people. I mean who buys a 6,000 dollar big screen for one game that, historically, has a tendency to be one sided?

But I could go on about that too long, my beef with Valentines Day, just once I want to take a special girl out and just make her happy, that's all. But you know what the problem is? The same problem there always is, even when I accomplish trying to surprise someone to make them happy, I usually fuck up something. Whether it be a big rose throne in my arm, girls not taking the gift, or me getting yelled at (it happened) there's always some issue.

Finally there is my birthday, which falls on a Friday this year (yay)...during Lent (oh...) Which means I won't be have meat that day, which is not a big deal, but then there is the kicker of the fact my birthdays have a way of turning into a shit storm before the calm. And this year might actually break the trend if my friends come down from San Antonio. But if not I will try and avoid this day's past repeating by just hanging out with PJ where nothing can possibly go wrong, besides me getting my ass kicked on Resistance Fall of Man, but that's a whole different story.

Hmm, on second thought I should have spelled Calamity with a K, it worked for Mortal Kombat...would you like to accept these KOINS as a token of my appreciation.