[psmith2.0]

Oh, life is a joy. You just have to avoid/sidestep all the idiocy and nuttiness that negatively impacts that: Cable news, “reality” TV, morning talk shows, social media, Spike Lee and Zack Snyder movies, ESPN, “Sons of Anarchy” wannabes, fad diets, conspiracy theorists, “bro country” music, award shows, SNL and late night talk shows, party girls, anyone whose iPhone and Instagram feed consists solely of pics of themselves, people who will not shut up about electric cars or shows on Apple TV, guns or Bud Light, anyone whose favorite person is either Tes Nugent or Oprah Winfrey, etc.

Steer clear of all the above and life is beautiful and a joy!

[kscherer]

That narrows it right on down to Little House On the Prairie. In today's reality, though, there would have to be some steamy sex scenes of Charles and Caroline whipping up some baby Grace's.

Oh, the dirt, sweat, and armpit hair in that scene would just be … 

Or, you could just go for a hike _ and don't take a selfie every three meters.

[Matsu]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 ... anyone whose favorite person is either Tes Nugent ...

I'm seeing an absolutely brilliant Drag Queen character here... "snakeskin cowboy... "

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by kscherer That narrows it right on down to Little House On the Prairie. In today's reality, though, there would have to be some steamy sex scenes of Charles and Caroline whipping up some baby Grace's. Oh, the dirt, sweat, and armpit hair in that scene would just be …  Or, you could just go for a hike _ and don't take a selfie every three meters.

That's asking for the moon in 2023.

I know some people and that's the ONLY thing on their iPhone, pics just of themselves. Not mountains, rivers, sunsets, giraffes, cool cars, craft beers, puppies, cacti, historic buildings, etc. But themselves, by the dozens (if not hundreds). And their Instagram feed too. That's just a level of "look at me" I'll never understand. Sorry, but nobody's THAT interesting or good-looking. You've seen 4-5 pics, you've seen 'em all.

[Frank777]

Originally Posted by 709 It's called the House of Representatives for a reason.

I missed this comment. Take your star, while I quietly sit here and mourn what Western Civilization has become.

[psmith2.0]

I hate to beat a dead horse-face, but, to my surprise, things have been surprisingly quiet on the Midget with a Thigh Holster and Bolted-On Titties Department the past 36 hours. I just assumed she was going to spend all week saying something even more embarrassing/damning than she already had (and refusing to shut up), but I guess one of her handlers/staff got to her, pleading with Boebert to just "shut the hell up!".



Probably just as well, it felt like too easy piling on, like I was going after somebody "special", which I'd never do in real life.

Well, it was amusing while it lasted.

Speaking of Beetlejuice (that was the musical she was attending), I read the other day they're actually making a (unasked for, sure-to-bomb) sequel. I say that because if nobody gave a shit about a Blade Runner sequel or 80-year-old Indiana Jones or Michael Keaton's Batman, and the recent Star Wars sequel trilogy hitting with more of a "thud" than any sort of "OMG...AWESOME!!!", then I find it really hard to believe nostalgia and Gen-X dollars are gonna propel a 30-years-after-the-fact Beetlejuice sequel to any great heights. Keaton and Ryder are back, not sure who else, or any new cast members, other than that Wednesday girl, Jenna Ortega (who, as the sudden new "it" girl will now be shoehorned into every project requiring a dead-eyed, mopey, sardonic emo teen for the next 5-6 years, until she implodes from overexposure/saturation.

I just never thought this movie needed a "part 2". When it takes this long, that should be viewed as a sign to the folks involved. It won't, of course.

It's just about impossible to recreate something so off-kilter/out-of-nowhere, without coming across as a weak parody or SNL sketch. Ask the Ghostbusters people...I'm guessing this will hit about like that did. A lonnnnng, wet fart in the middle of Sunday school.

Just asking Michael Keaton to turn that persona back on again after about three decades might be a tall order, and cringe-inducing for everyone involved.

[kscherer]

The first one sucked. How can part two be anything but suck?



Hollywood is out of original ideas and seems hell-bent on nostalgia, either to force-woke something awesome, or to desperately pry us 50-ish-somethings from our stubborn past-clinging.

No, and thanks for playing. Gimme something original!

And something that doesn't have Michael Keaton in it. Or Harrison Ford. Or, at this plastic-altered point, even Jennifer Anniston.

[psmith2.0]

At the risk of not being cool, I'm not a Tim Burton fan. He's a bit one-note/trick and kinda reminds me of those artsy, "proud to be weird" types I'd encounter in high school and a few times in college (where they could REALLY let that "freak flag" fly, and probably get course credit for it).

I saw Beetlejuice once, upon release, and it just struck me as "trying real hard to be weird, purely for the sake of being weird". I just thought it was kinda off-putting and gross, and cutie-pie Winona Ryder was the only part I liked. I remember thinking/muttering to myself "man, if I was high I'd probably eat this stuff up!" But I wasn't, and so I didn't.

That's just not really my bag. Burton, and his "style", just gets on my nerves, really. I'm just not all that interested in, or impressed by, goth-y weird-asses. I've known more than my fair share throughout life and I'm just kinda over it/them. Go wear your black trench coat and your big bug-eye/Jackie Kennedy "artist" sunglasses somewhere else, and stop bothering me with it.

[kscherer]

We should hang out and drink beers.

[psmith2.0]

And fix the world?

If I'm ever in Boise, or you in Chattanooga, let's.

Man, I could go for a tall Blue Moon with an orange slice, no doubt. Heading down to my Dad and stepmom's for dinner in a while. They always have Blue Moons, so I'll have one in about 90 minutes.

[kscherer]

Blue Moon? With an orange slice?

Damn redneck!

[psmith2.0]

Is it? I don’t know. I don’t get cute/pretentious over beer. I drink anything, even *gasp* Bud Light.

[psmith2.0]

People around here wouldn’t call me “redneck” over a Blue Moon with an orange slice.

“Faggot”, perhaps. But definitely not “redneck”.

[kscherer]

Lol.

My wife likes Blue Moon with oranges, and she isn't a redneck, either.

But, saying what I was really thinking would get me in trouble.

[psmith2.0]

Around here, the more blue-collar/redneck crowd always went for the Budweiser/Miller/Coors offerings (regular or light). Well, now that everyone had to lose their shit and melt down over the Bud Light thing a while back, I don't know what they've switched to, but I know many people/places around me have kicked Bud Light to the curb. That was always my choice, just walking into a place cold and ordering something I know I liked/would drink.

Still do, I don't give a rip about all that stuff. I don't get all Ted Nugent or Kid Rock about ANYTHING...I drink anything, and I'm impervious/invincible to name-calling/jokes. They bounce off me like bullets off that blue-suited guy.

But when I played pub trivia religiously a decade or so ago, some of the nicer venues we played always had Blue Moon on tap (that's when I discovered/started drinking it), and the waitress or whoever would always put an orange slice on the glass lip, like you see in the commercials (but this was before I ever saw commercials) and I just fell in love with the taste. A tall, curvy (pilsner?) glass with a delicious Blue Moon/orange slice made me smarter, I was convinced. Haha.

Over the years, they've put out a couple of variants (Mango Wheat Blue Moon, which tastes like the kind of beer I'd invent if I knew how) and some others. With or without an orange, it just actually tastes like something, something good, so that's what I usually seek out at a place, tap or bottled. Dad and my stepmom always keep a six-pack in their fridge, and I sometimes do, if/when I'm in a beer mood. Oddly enough, I tend to drink beer more in the cooler autumn/winter months than I ever do the hot summers, when it actually makes more sense. With autumn coming on, I'll be sure to have some beer in the fridge for my evening HGTV or ID/true crime watching. Sitting here, windows open, flannel shirt, a crisp Blue Moon and that sexy pink-haired forensic/crime scene expert on the TV...good times

Yeah, I just like what I like and the politics, scandals, controversies, etc. never factor in for me* like maybe they would my dad, uncle and brother-in-law (three separate people, BTW...I feel that, coming from Tennessee, that might be necessary to clarify; they aren't all just one person, like a "full screen iPod, next-generation mobile phone and Internet communicator").




*The politics/rules of "redneckery" is something that's taken me a lifetime to kinda get a grasp on. Seeing as how, geographically, I check the box, yet I'm actually not one. Compared to some folks here, I'm sure I must seem like one, but trust me, compared to some (most?) of the people around me I'm surely seen more as Charles Nelson Reilly than The Bandit or Snowman.

I've not bought a toupee, silk ascot or a little sailor's cap. Yet.

"Play dumb" is always my tactic. Dumb and unaware. "What's everyone's issue with Bud Light? Did I do something funny? It's what I've always ordered here, and it was never a problem or joke before. What's up? Why are the Duke Boys kinda glaring at me?"

[kscherer]

There are some situations where I can see a person joining a boycott, but when it comes to the big companies, why? All of them are greedy assholes and all of them engage in whatever locker room/woke behavior gets them love from their "fans".

I've determined that boycotting any of those guys mean I have to boycott them all, and then I have to starve while trying to figure out how to grow enough corn in my backyard to actually live off grid, and that doesn't sound like much fun.

I'd rather just laugh at the nonsense and get on about my day. Get up, go to work, mind my business, go home, drink (real) beer, and enjoy a little time with my family before the lefty-righty game strips its own threads and takes it all away.

[chucker]

lol @ Americans discussing beer

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by chucker lol @ Americans discussing beer

You know your talking to an American when the discussion devolves into beer, guns, or American football.

[psmith2.0]

One out of three.

[_Ω_]

Originally Posted by chucker lol @ Americans discussing beer

Originally Posted by PB PM You know your talking to an American when the discussion devolves into beer, guns, or American football.

I think this was more a making love in a canoe statement than a devolution statement

[chucker]

Originally Posted by _Ω_ I think this was more a making love in a canoe statement than a devolution statement

Yeah, it was a "haha, what do Americans know about beer" snark.

(Especially Bud Light has a "making love in a canoe" reputation here.)

[psmith2.0]

I always liked it. Reasonably beerish, affordable, etc. I still drink it, culture war wigouts aside.

I don’t “boycott” and act all stupid/triggered over things that have no real impact on me. What do I care who some company I don’t own or work at buddies up with for lane marketing efforts.

In fact, depending on the company involved, I’ll go out of my way to buy more, just to annoy/trigger various crybabies and professional offense & outrage types, Left, Right and otherwise. I’m on the side of whatever makes me chuckle or grin. Bud Light partnering with a trans “influencer” is the funniest thing I’ve seen/heard in a while, so… *shrug*

They get my support just by beng so pandering and tone deaf/unaware of how it would go over. I truly don’t give two shits about that Dylan person, at any level. The whole thing is just funny, seeing known, atomic-level asshats like Kid Rock shooting up cases of perfectly good, drinkable beer on video and all these tough guy types apparently thinking they’re gonna turn gay or trans if they crack open a Bud Light. Those are the people I direct my snark and ire to, not some bubblehead “influencer”.

I just find that level of hysteria funny. I expect it from the Left over most things. Seeing it from “Tap-Out”, Sons of Anarchy wannabe alpha male 101 types from the Right is funny as can be. Seeing Ted Nugent clearing his throat and trying to use $20 words, like some respected politician, will never not be funny to me. And all the Alex Jones wannabes with their eagle/flag-draped YouTube channels, collectively shitting their (camo) pants makes me howl with laughter. I love how many of them, like the mindless pussies they are, have suddenly adopted Trump’s stupid-looking mugshot as their channel/page’s symbol/branding, as though that’s something to really be proud of!

It’s shorthand for “I’m an unhinged, graceless fuckwit…won’t other unhinged, graceless fuckwits find their way here so we can all act brain-damaged together.”

When big companies make big PR missteps, my piling on presence isn’t required. I can just sit back and laugh/mock from the sidelines, without genuinely losing my mind over it like everyone I know has done. Beecause it’s all funny. Budweiser, the response (both sides), the coverage/presentation, the fallout/wigouts, etc. All so much funnier than anything aired on Comedy Central in 5-6 years. You don’t need “comedy”-focused basic cable networks when real life does a far better job, for free.

[PB PM]

You want to see people triggered ? You will love this. The speaker of the House of Commons in Canada brought in a Ukrainian guy ( 98 years old) in when Zelenskyy was there visiting last week. The speaker praised guy for his service to Ukraine during Soviet occupation. Minor problem though, the guy served in the 14th SS Division and is a hard core Nazi, wanted for war crimes. 😩

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ant...logy-1.6977117

[psmith2.0]

Isn’t it someone’s job to check/vet that sort of stuff? You know, just so you don’t accidentally wheel in some old Nazi by mistake. Good grief.

I guess they didn’t all make it to South America.

[PB PM]

Yeah, not sure how they managed to mess that up. Sometimes I think these politicians get so excited about something and forget to do background checks.

For some reason I think I’ve even heard of this nazi guy before, maybe 10-15 years ago. Which makes sense, the guy had a blog on which he posted, sometime in 2011, how 1944-1945 were the “best two years of my life”, referring to his time in the SS. I think it blew up in the news back then. I think the deal is Germany wants him, to try for war crimes, but Canada refuses to send him due to his age and poor health.

[drewprops]

I know someone who is fully against the Ukrainians, insisting that they are all Nazis. This will only underscore his belief.


...

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by drewprops I know someone who is fully against the Ukrainians, insisting that they are all Nazis. This will only underscore his belief. ...

Yeah the Russian's and Jewish communities are pissed off about this too. Putin must be salivating over this.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by PB PM Yeah, not sure how they managed to mess that up. Sometimes I think these politicians get so excited about something and forget to do background checks. For some reason I think I’ve even heard of this nazi guy before, maybe 10-15 years ago. Which makes sense, the guy had a blog on which he posted, sometime in 2011, how 1944-1945 were the “best two years of my life”, referring to his time in the SS. I think it blew up in the news back then. I think the deal is Germany wants him, to try for war crimes, but Canada refuses to send him due to his age and poor health.

Of course they do.

I believe everyone must answer for the things they did under that symbol. They’re not all dead yet.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by drewprops I know someone who is fully against the Ukrainians, insisting that they are all Nazis. This will only underscore his belief. ...

What did they do in all this? Only one side seems to be acting that way. What a mess.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 Isn’t it someone’s job to check/vet that sort of stuff? You know, just so you don’t accidentally wheel in some old Nazi by mistake. Good grief. I guess they didn’t all make it to South America.

It's like a far worse version of politicians who try to tweet shit for Memorial Day but use a photo of a rival nation's aircraft carrier or something.

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 What did they do in all this? Only one side seems to be acting that way. What a mess.

There are some far-right elements in Ukraine, specifically parts of the Azov Brigade, and they should be stamped out. That doesn't mean Ukraine itself is in the wrong here though.