Entry 132: Back in the Habit in Much Ado About Nothing

Genuinely, cannot think “Back in the Habit” without thinking of Sister Act 2. For all you Gen Z babies and younger… Millennials are absolutely a product of their Media Culture! I daresay Gen X and Millennials might be the most Defined by Shared Media than any other generation. By 1960, almost 90% of American Homes had at least one television. By 1970, over 95% of American Homes had at least one television. So while the Boomers had Movie Theaters and Radio and the beginnings of Television.... that wasn’t as universal reaching quite so many people consistently (though I am willing to admit there may be evidence that refutes this). That said, television in the home brought MEDIA directly to the masses… and with so few available channels, it meant everyone was pretty much receiving the same Media. Even after the proliferation of Cable, this was still largely true. Shows like Cheers, Newhart, Seinfeld, Friends, the Golden Girls, Roseanne.... we had a cultural language centered around this media landscape. Even to the point where who is your media reference grew to define Generational Divides. If you got your news from Dan Rather, that meant that you were watching serious media like a responsible adult. If you got your news from Kurt Loder, that meant that you were watching MTV like a rebellious child. The argument, then, focuses on why it “stops” with Millennials. Why Gen Z isn’t wrapped up in the same Media Landscape. And ultimately, without exception, you can point to the Internet and the massive expansion of the Internet Media for that. Like all transitions, those on the cusp are evidence that proves and breaks the rule. If Millennials were “digital natives” than us Elder Millennials can distinctly remember and describe our childhoods as a transition to digital as opposed to being born into it. Likewise, the Elder Zers will distinctly remember SHARED Internet Culture like “Llamas with Hats”, “Funny or Die”, Charlie the Unicorn” and even what we might refer to as meme now like Star Wars Kid, Dramatic Chipmunk, or Numa Numa Guy. But all of that was still while the Internet as Media was young. Some of the first YouTube video era successes. But then things exploded. Social Media, multiple Video Streaming sites, Movie/TV going Internet/Streaming, the rise and fall of sites like VINE… the media landscape grew wide! And this both increases our isolation and enhances our tribalism. NOT everyone has access to John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight… thus, isolation of media. But if I run into someone that saw John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight and wishes to discuss it, I’m absolutely down… thus, enhancing our tribalism. We see this perhaps most clearly in places like TIKTOK. With how quickly trends catch on and then die off… there are MANY MANY people using these apps legitimately wondering “What the hell?!” But part of the “fun” and “success” of these trends is as a matter of isolating or enhancing. “I’m so hungry I could eat a GYAT” then entering a multi-layered referential place.... using slang, often intended to indicate a Tribalism and sense of unique belonging… and tying it to an almost Absurdist Humor Social Media Trend… this making it almost indecipherable to the uninitiated. Which then speaks directly to the Social Concerns of the age. Many many people are saying, even without referencing Cult 45, that we are entering a decade rather like the 1960s where the threat of “Cult Engagement” has increased exponentially. BECAUSE as we create isolated worlds that increase our sense of tribalism… that’s the bedrock of Cults. A language, a set of practices, and a set of beliefs that mark you as outside of a mainstream but still connect you to/with likeminded people. To dunk on an easy target.... see a sentence like “I just had my e-meter reading for my thetan and I’m hoping to go clear by Saturday!” That… is meaningless sci-fi garbage if you’re not aware of Scientology’s practices, beliefs, and rituals. See also, “We need to kill woke so DEI doesn’t make our kids trans!” is a sentence that makes ZERO SENSE without the specific indoctrination or bombardment of AltRight talking points.
SO… yes. I am suggesting that when we stopped sharing MEDIA CULTURE AS A SOCIETY, we started to usher in the downfall of our society. We lost a shared, mutual sense of Tribalism. Could I BE wearing any more clothes?! hasn’t been replaced. Especially as it seems everything anymore is hidden behind a paywall… we just don’t have that shared lexicon. And I do think that says a lot!

Sorry, the above was rambling and not well organized. But that’s how I write when I get an idea. If I were to submit that to a published (HA! Unlikely as with everything I write); I would go over it, make sure I know exactly what I want to say, then reorganize it with a more persuasive and informative approach, citing to specific instances, examples, and bits of evidence for or against the intended point. As it stands? LITERALLY after writing “Back in the Habit”… the rest of all of that just spilled out. So, forgive the overinflated poorly structured indulgence.

I do intend to respond to notes soon. I’ve really appreciated the notes I’ve been getting and want to engage in the conversation as possible. It’s funny, though, and I lay it at the feet of Past Memory. Nala hates it when I am at the Computer in the evenings! Last night, she was even outside as I was mowing… so she and I spent 2 hours outside doing physical work. I come inside and try to start following up with Crunchyroll and doing some other stuff and… Nala voices her displeasure. Which makes sense. She wants a more interactive, more engaged evening. But I also can’t help but think this is what stems from a dog who was 15 months old when the Pandemic hit. She’s used to seeing me head to the computer, sit there for 8 hours and “ignore her” or worse separate her entirely, blocking her access to the very level of the house I was on!! So it makes sense. It’s just… it impacts my concentration to a point that effects what/how I write.

Ironically, I did have something that I wanted to say when I sat down but the Free Writing thing knocked me off course. Which may be for the best. If it wasn’t important enough to compete with a Societal Critique strangely born of a Whoopi Goldberg reference… it wasn’t worth writing about in the first place!

At lunch, I realized why I wanted to come here and I wrote it down in a note. It says
Weekend Home/Office?
Then as I went through the day I wrote on the note more and added
Fence Wood or Chainlink?
Wasps: Professional or Amatuer
And I’ll come back to all of that because that is what I would call the “INTERACTIVE” portion of this entry. But… my afternoon was holy fuck!

SO MUCH SO that I’m making it its own entry. Because dayum! BUT circling back around to the LESS fucking insane part(s) of my day!

I finished work as best as I could. Went to the store to get a Mother’s Day Card. Ate a 680 calorie dinner and went to rehearsal. We’re finally at the fun part where we’re focusing on character and interaction and the director thinks like me in a lot of “Shakespeare is music” ways. There isn’t like… singing… but there is a lyricism in the prose and beats and dance; especially in Benedick and Beatrice. So that’s fun. Then came home to take the dog to the dog park. And finally back home to actually wrap up this (expletive deleted) day. BUT BEFORE I GO

THE INTERACTIVE PORTION:
What I wrote down during lunch!

SO, the new guy that came out to give me a fence estimate? MUCH MORE FUCKING REASONABLE!!
A full wood privacy fence, with permits and previous fence disposal? $13k That’s a full 7k down from the OTHER company’s estimate. AND they can get the work done faster.
A full chain-link fence, with permits and previous fence disposal? $8k. THAT’S… that’s a considerable difference from the freaking 20k!!
So now I have to weigh those options!
I have 5 neighbors that I share a backyard with. Two of them have dogs that hang around outside, one of them has an outdoor cat. These are arguments against the Chain-Link Fence. Plus, Nala would be able to see the racoons and opossums (and other animals) even if they weren’t in her yard. In short… the Privacy Fence makes for better neighbors.
On the other hand, the chain-link is cheaper, it is the kind of fence I grew up with and the kind of fence Nala grew up with prior to living here. So, some strong arguments for chain-link. SO… I’m asking around, and that certainly includes all of you! What are your thoughts on Full Privacy versus Chain-Link?

Moving on to the other items, however.... I originally wanted to ask about this weekend. Friday, I am helping the theater for a show opening… on the same night as a championship Hockey Game… and the Hockey Fans always steal our parking lot because they “don’t have to pay to park here.” No, you swiss-cheese brain having dumbasses, we are an ART CENTER and do not charge our patrons to park. If the CITY and the ARENA are charging you to park maybe respect that parking lots are for the buildings they are attached to!! Thus why we have started asking for any LEO Volunteers to help. It’s particularly galling during the Children’s Shows! Little Timmy is doing his first play and his entire family want to see the performance; but they have to park three blocks away at a Parking Ramp because Gordon’s tail-gating the Hockey Game in our parking lot? Get fucked! SO: Friday night is spoken for. Sunday, I have a rehearsal at 1:30 pm and church at 9:30 am. So SATURDAY is my one weekend day. And I am left wondering how to spend it. I could (A) focus my energies on the house and try to get through some of my HOUSE List; I could (B) focus my energies on the office and try to get through some of my OFFICE list; or I could (C) focus my energies on REST and DOG and take Nala for a Hike at our old favorite trail back in Old Town. I am taking suggestions! :)

And lastly… I found more wasps. So, I tracked it to a wasp’s nest under the deck. Now, I have certainly gotten over my Bee Phobia but I also appreciate an armed and dangerous animal who will object to me destroying its domicile. Do I… try to whack the thing down myself and bug bomb the area.... or do I reach out to an exterminator who will likely have protective gear and hopefully, the kind of chemical bomb that might prevent those stingy bitches from returning. Thoughts?