AND AS A TALK SHOW HOST, THAT'S A PROBLEM I usually come to work with some idea of what I want to talk about. But between my vacation hangover (that's a real thing), the horrible news of this weekend, the political stupidity running rampant and the crap going on with China, I am worn out from it all. So what are we going to do? I'll let you pick, but here are some fun things I have been thinking of.
IS THERE ANY WAY TO MAKE MOVING NOT SUCK? My mom is moving from Denver to Las Vegas and this morning I got up and helped with the last bits of packing tvs and wrapping up elephants and whatnot. My mom has already done the overwhelming majority and she is just exhausted. And now she gets to go to Vegas and unpack all the stuff she just packed. Don't even tell me to hire movers, when I did that they packed all of Chuck's really nice hats with a Fry Daddy. Is there anything worse that you have to do during your life?
IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TRUMP DOES IT'S NEVER ENOUGH Because after his very good speech yesterday we were told that even though he said exactly what everyone said he should say he totally didn't mean it because it was what they said he should say. There is no winning for Trump with the media. Shame.
LIFE IS SHORT SO PAY ATTENTION In addition to the very public deaths we had this week, I also learned of the death of a close family friend's son. He was only 40 years old. Not sure what happened, but it was very unexpected although he'd been feeling ill. Between this and the shootings it's got me a bit introspective and more conscious of appreciating waking up on the right side of the dirt everyday.
WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE TO WEIGH IN ON THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS? When I was pregnant I only had a few circumstances when someone did something weird of said something that made me want to punch them. But this article has all sorts of stories of examples of how pregnant women handled rude and inappropriate comments. Why in the world do people think they need to be the boss of everyone else?
WERE WE ALL THIS NIHILISTIC WHEN WE WERE YOUNG? A super depressing survey done in the UK shows that 9 in 10 young Brits say their life lacks purpose or meaning. Furthermore, 84% of Gen Zers say they are "failing to live their best life". What the hell does that even mean? Is this merely a function of being spoiled and lazy and having only first world problems?
BARNEYS HAS DECLARED BANKRUPTCY And Dave is waxing nostalgic about a commercial from his youth.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE STUFF YOU RETURN TO THE STORE? Y'all I return a crap ton of stuff because I buy so much online and I honestly never thought about what happens to it when I do. Here's the story.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE UNIQUE TO ONE AREA GETS SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA There is a thing in Kentucky called Fancy Farm and it's a barbeque where politicians show up and insult each other and the crowd hoots and hollers and barbs and insults are hurled and taken. If you aren't from Kentucky it makes no sense, trust me, but it's a tradition that's been going on for a really, really long time. I never went because it just seemed really dumb. Now some of the tom foolery has been shared on social media and outsiders don't get it. Now AOC is overreacting and trying to turn it into something it's not.
A THREE YEAR OLD BOY FALLS THROUGH A NON-GENDERED MAINTENANCE HOLE COVER And the video is pretty scary. The boy is okay. I really just wanted to make a non-gendered maintenance hole joke.
MILLENNIALS ARE PUTTING OF COLLEGE AND I THINK THIS IS A GREAT IDEA A quarter of millennials say they are putting off college because it costs to much. I think this is a great idea if you are one of those young people who doesn't quite know what they want to be when they grow up (that would have been me). Don't waste money getting a degree in something stupid. Get a job. Work. Do things. Decide what you want out of life then go get it.
THE ECONOMY IS ADDING REALLY GOOD JOBS And this is very good news. Job growth overall has been slowing, but there is a lot of good in the latest jobs news. Higher paying knowledge jobs are STILL being added at a good clip. That means higher salaries and hopefully more stability. Check the whole story here.
FATHER PARTY POOPER WANTS FUNERAL ATTENDEES TO STOP WITH THE BAD FUNERAL GIFTS Apparently in Ireland it is tradition for funeral attendees to bring a small token or something to a funeral that tells something about the person who has passed. Fr. Tomas Walsh has been less than pleased with what some are bringing, so he wrote a missive in the church bulletin. From the essay:
“Bringing things such as a can of beer, a packet of cigarettes, a remote control, a mobile phone, or a football jersey does not tell us anything uplifting about the person who has died,”
I actually think it does. It says they are alcoholic smokers who watch a lot of soccer on tv.
INCREASED MINIMUM WAGE MEANS FEWER HOURS AND CUT SHIFTS And this is the liberal mecca of New York City. From the Wall Street Journal (which is paywalled):
More than six months after the $15 minimum wage went into effect in New York City, business leaders and owners say the increased labor costs have forced them to cut staff, eliminate work shifts and raise prices.
Many business owners said these changes were unintended consequences of the new minimum wage, which took effect at the beginning of the year.
The story goes on to talk about how some retailers are eliminating overtime completely. And how there has been an uptick in business closures in NY this year. But I'm sure it will be fine.