- 15:27 Mission: Accomplished. CARE packages winging their way over to the brothers-in-law. #
However, I wanted to point out that many in this nation are reeling from the passing of three different cultural icons within the past week. First, Ed McMahon; second, Farrah Fawcett; and third, Michael Jackson.
This is probably one of the first times that I've been swept up in the chaos that is a celebrity passing. Over the past couple of years, many celebrities have died, primarily ones that I watched in old movies. I didn't feel very much about it - after all, they were a bit older when they passed away, and I had little if no emotional connection with them, unlike my parents, who grew up watching their movies. There were also the more recent deaths of Steve Irwin, Heath Ledger, and River Phoenix (okay, so that was a long time ago), who shocked us because they were so immediate and so young.
However, the three that passed away this week seemed to really mark something for people. I asked myself this afternoon about why these particular celebrity passings were so shocking to people of my generation, and came up with the following conclusion: our childhood is dying. As a kid, I remember Johnny Carson on the Tonight show. I remember singing Michael Jackson songs with the rest of the second graders in my school. I remember my Dad watching Charlie's Angels and the Dukes of Hazzard reruns. And now these three icons have passed in a week, a sure sign that I Am Growing Old. Those who were in their prime when I was a child are now passing away - some early, some not so early - and that more and more of the cultural icons that we looked up to in our youth are now crossing that final bridge into the Great Divide.
As a nation obsessed with celebrity culture and staying young, we are fascinated by those in the spotlight, by their foibles and failures, by their successes and the shine of the red carpet. We get to know them, get to know their lives and their deep secrets, blown up by the media so that we think we know them. And hence we feel that we relate to them, and when these strangers pass away, we feel a sense of loss - not for them personally, per se, but for the simpler times we lived in as we were growing up.
- 17:00 I am finally down to under 200 Email messages in my inbox. I think I'll be lucky if I get down to 0 by Friday. #
- 10:46 I actually looked forward to coming to work. However, this is also because I only have 4 days of work until vacation next week. #
- 10:47 880 new messages to go through, not counting the ones I went through on the phone while I was out. #
- 15:43 Luna might have a URI - must also take her to the vet today, apparently. #
- 17:11 I have so far spent my birthday at: the car rental place, the DMV, the grocery store, the library, and the vet. #
- 17:12 Luna has a virus but no bacterial infection, and also weighs 11.8 lbs. Pasha is 10.2 lbs. #
- 17:12 Have also returned from the vet's with eye drops, food gel, and anti-gingivitis gel. #
- 12:22 Have returned from eastern Nevada in one piece. The Shoshone are great hosts! #
- 09:25 Pasha has the sweetest little warble to get my attention. Luna, however, will sit in a room and just cry until she gets her way. #
- 09:37 The plumber refuses to call before he shows up. Seriously, what's up with this? #
- 09:46 I am so glad that Andy is at home to respond to the plumber... I might actually get something done today. #
- 11:17 Pasha has just ducked behind the office door. How that cat can fit into such a small space is beyond me. #
- 11:18 And now, time to test until my afternoon o' meetings. I think I'll make it through, even if I sound like Darth Vader today. #
- 13:21 I should have moved my car before we started tearing up the driveway. I blame the cold for my lack of foresight. #
- 15:06 Discovered half an hour ago that the plumbers have removed all the pipes in the front yard without giving us notice. Guess I can't flush. #
- 17:28 Praise God, we can flush again. I've been trying to keep myself as hydrated as possible due to my cold, and whaddya know... bad timing. #
- 12:07 Staying at home today with a cold. That's 2 for 2, people. #
- 12:49 My day at home has turned into a cleanfest. Seriously, this is a good way to tell that I'm sick. #
- 15:31 I've averaged one bad thing a day so far this week, that latest of which is a major plumbing problem that's going to tear up the yard. #
- 11:34 I just had the slowest start to my day that I've had in a while. #
- 12:01 Just noticed that the clock without a second hand still ticks pretty loudly. #
- 12:03 I also find it fascinating that the minute hand jiggles each time it ticks. The things I hadn't noticed... #
- 15:45 Apparently the plumbing problem is, indeed, a tree root. Lossage - that's not covered by our home warranty. #
- 15:51 I'm getting this slightly icky feeling right now. I can't be coming down with a cold, can I? #
- 10:08 Some days, I can't win. Drove into make the 10am meeting to discover that it's been moved to Wednesday afternoon. #
- 10:30 Tweaked my back again over the weekend, simply by leaning over to put two picks in a guitar case. Chose to avoid yongmudo this weekend. #
- 10:34 Surprisingly enough, my back is feeling okay. However, this could be due to the Aleve I took before bedtime. #
- 13:53 Okay, flashbacks to the Apple IIGS... so now we have the 3GS (iPhone). #
- 12:03 My beautiful almost meeting free day yesterday is gone - today is all about meetings. #
- 10:45 Probably annoyed the husband this morning as my body craved 2 more hours of sleep. 9 hours FTW, but the poor hubby had to hear the alarm. #
- 17:13 It's so strange... it feels like a Friday, but it really is a Thursday. Bizarre. #
- 00:02 Finally finished the gift for this weekend. Glad I took the time to do this, but holy cows was this tiring. #
- 22:42 Someone from #vidgames either doesn't want to keep in touch with me or doesn't remember who I am. #
- 22:42 Obviously, I'm not cool enough for him. :) #
- 22:48 Had a fantastic risotto tonight while hanging out with some of the yongmudodans after promotions. Current plan is to go to Taiwan with Lily. #
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publ
- 10:16 Hitting the ground running, and working on the present for this weekend's bridal shower. Glad I finally found a good idea. #
- 11:34 So, how do the new pregnancy gain recommendations fit for someone who has a high BMI but also has a lot of heavy sprint muscle? Fail. #
- 09:14 YESSSS made the 9am shuttle! POINT FOR ME! #
- 09:20 Nrrrgh. BART fares to increase, and my FREE PARKING will no longer be free! #
- 15:01 3pm on Friday, and suddenly am having problems focusing. #
- 11:44 Last night, lights out at 11:30pm, woke up before my alarm but snoozed until 7:50. Still made it into work by 9:30. No points. :/ #
- 14:27 Gaah. Just spent my "free" hour and a half discussing ops plans for the rest of the summer. #
- 17:17 I really dislike a system that claims it supports a file format, and then tells me no, it really can't grok it. #
- 09:38 Okay, very close to meeting my goal last night and today. Last night, lights off at 11:30pm, and got to work on the 9:15 shuttle. #
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