Trivial Pursuits

I would say I'm beset by "ponderables," but that would imply my thoughts had some weight to them. Many of the bits of this and that which zig and zag through my brain are anything but weighty.

Gen-Y-Me?

Instead, they fall under the category of "trivial." 

For example, I'm of the Baby Boomer generation. My parents were part of the greatest generation. Then some genius, deciding that naming each generation was too onerous a task, opted instead to begin using letters. But instead of starting at the front end of the alphabet, they began with the letter "X." Were they thinking the world would end soon, thus relieving us of the need to decide where to go next? Perhaps we'll transition to emojis. Generation eyeroll might be a good choice.

Another of the random thoughts that came to me this week was about seasonal depression. Do people in Los Angeles, for example, get sick of winter? And if so, why? Maybe they just get tired of all that sunshine and warm temperatures. On the minus side, no leaves changing colors. On the plus side, no blizzards. Sure, a few mudslides and a bunch of forest fires. But mostly sunshine and warm breezes. Does that depress anyone? I guess it would be difficult to feel sorry for them if it did. Still, I guess too much of good thing could burn you out after awhile. But I wouldn't mind trying it myself, especially after the weather we've had here this week.

Speaking of weather, if scientists had called it "climate change" from the outset instead of "global warming," could we have avoided all the stupid jokes about "shoveling another six inches of global warming"? I'm asking for a friend.

The roads also become a popular topic this time of year because the salt trucks bring out the potholes. Some folks call them "chuck holes." So, who was the "Chuck" that so pissed someone off they named these bone-jarring pavement craters after him?

Why are Hallmark movies like crack cocaine for some of us? I mean, seriously, people, they have predictable plots, feature the same seven or eight actors (or lookalikes) and still, STILL, I've got my hanky at the ready for the ending. 

Do you cover up your milk chute or let it be, a bit of nostalgia that reminds you of your youth? We still have one at our house, although it's blocked from the inside. So we couldn't put our kid through it if we locked ourselves out (like our parents did with us). There was a lively discussion about milk chutes on my hometown Facebook page. I guess that's why I was pondering this one. Also, just to note, we have not one but TWO laundry chutes in our house as I write this. Ah, the labor saving devices of yore. We don't use them much. Things always seem to get stuck. I still remember my siblings coaxing the youngest patsy to stand in the basement at my grandmother's house right where the chute came out as they threw something down at us (like a shoe). Good times.

I'm sure there are lots more trivials I could be pursuing, but I'll let you get on with your day.

Think of me the next time you're sitting at a traffic light and some weird factoid comes bounding into your head.

You're welcome.