THE END OF SLEEVERY and the RIGHT TO BARE ARMS

It seems to the gg that Barack Obama gets blamed for lots of things these days that weren’t his  fault, so I’m going to give him a rest and pick on his much more popular wife, the former First Lady, Michelle Obama.  Why, you ask?  Wasn’t she a good first lady?  Didn’t she promote lots of measures to improve the quality of life on this planet?  Well, yes.  But as I recall she was also  the first one to appear in public wearing that widely publicized sleeveless dress which set off a frenzy in womens’ fashion, with every major designer of women’s clothing clamoring to incorporate that same look in their offerings.   We all know that Abraham Lincoln is credited as the one who ended slavery in this country, but few may know that Michelle Obama is the one who ended sleevery.  Let’s face it - the trend of sleeveless dresses has taken this country - no, not just this country but the entire world of women’s fashion - by storm and there appears to be no let-up. Don’t believe the old gg?  Then do this:  Turn on your TV to any cable news show or any other kind of program that features women in some kind of important role.  Still not convinced?  Then go to any department store. Go to Wal Mart.  Heck, go to church even.  You will see women of all ages, all heights, all weights, all body sizes wearing those sleeveless tops. 

The gg spends a fair amount of time watching cable news, switching back and forth among the various networks so as to try to absorb a “balanced” account of the “news.”  It’s here that I first began to really appreciate how the sleeveless phenomenon has taken over women’s fashion.The Fox News women seem to have embraced the sleeveless craze slightly more than their counterparts on their rival networks.  In fact, some of their attire reveals not only arms but shoulders as well, with round or diamond-shaped cutouts in the front.  At the same time, the necklines are plunging  down and hemlines are continuing  to go up.  It’s almost as though they are in a contest to see which of them can reveal the most of themselves and  still retain their creds as  journalists.   (Dear reader, it’s called “Foxxy News” for a reason.) 25 or 50 years ago, their mothers would have come onto the studio set and covered them with a blanket.  But today, the mothers are dressed the same way.

So is Mrs. Obama to blame (or, I suppose, to thank depending on one’s point of view), or is this all a harmless, even healthful development and a simple norm for the times we live in?  After all, this is now a society where unshaven male executives  wear T-shirts and blue jeans to work and even to what used to be formal social occasions that required suit and tie.  Now I know what you’re thinking – that this is just the latest example of the old gg being way behind the times and needing something to grouch about.  And you’re right, I am and it is.  And that’s just how the gg likes it.  But I have to admit – there is at least one practical justification for the sleeveless look:  It makes it much easier to get that flu shot during the flu season.

Oh, well, I have to close this posting now – I’m running late to my  appointment with this seamstress I’ve hired to cut the sleeves out of all of my shirts.  Who knows – I might just kick start a similar revolution in men’s fashion.  The gg is more than willing to lead the charge.  And I will have the weight of the US Constitution on my side.  Somewhere, doesn’t it say something about the right to bare arms?

gg

PSST -- HEY MEESTER -- WANNA SEE SOMETHING KINKY?

When the old gg is not encamped in my study ruminating about the  world’s injustices and contradictions, I can sometimes be found outside trying to connect together various lengths of garden water hoses so that I can water the  paltry amount of grass and plants around the house that have managed to escape the ravenous appetites of the  varmints and critters that frequent this place during the nighttime hours.  This is often a challenge since all my hoses were, when I bought them years ago, the cheapest available in the local hardware store.  Like the gg himself, they are old and leaky.  This past week,  after much tugging, pulling and twisting on the old things,  I was finally able to assemble enough of them together to be able to do some watering.  However, when I finally turned on the spigot, nothing happened, meaning  no water came out the open hose end.  Over time, I’ve learned instinctively to recognize the problem – the deadly KINK.  Not one or two, but several.   This time, I’d had enough.  I gathered up all the old hoses and threw them into a corner of the garage.  Then I set out to the same local hardware store and bought 4 brand new water hoses in various lengths.  More importantly, this time I bought hoses that were represented to be “kink-free.”  Made out of rubber and not vinyl, I paid a pretty penny for those things but I told my self it would be worth it to no longer have to contend with kinky water hoses..  Today, I hooked up two of the new hoses so I could water a portion of the garden.  After connecting one end of the hose to the spigot and screwing on my hose nozzle to the other end, I was ready to enter watering nirvana for the first time in many years.  I turned on the water and put the nozzle on “spray.”  But to my utter surprise, once again nothing happened.  Zilch. Nada.    Walking back along the length of the brand new hoses, there it was – the biggest kink I had ever seen in a water hose, and believe me, the gg has seen plenty of those.  Tomorrow,  I’m going to return the hoses to the hardware store and grouch at the man or lady behind the counter who sold me kinked hoses they said wouldn’t kink.  Tonight, I going to sit in my study and ruminate about why it is that some companies sell products that aren’t what they say they are or that do or don’t do what they say they will or won’t do. 

gg

BUY ONE -- GET ELEVEN FREE

The gg has been retired for a number of years now, so my need for wardrobe maintenance and replenishment has diminished.  However,  after being advised by Mrs. gg  that I was starting to look a little shabby, I  decided recently to retire a few of my older shirts left over from my working days and replace them with new ones.  Since the gg is now an online shopper, this  meant taking to the trusty internet to see what was available.  (I won’t reveal the merchant I visited by name, but here’s a hint:  its first name was the father of perhaps the most important person to ever live; the last name is a place too big to fail where I keep what little cash I have.) Much to my surprise, I was shocked to see how the prices of men’s  clothing have gone up in the past few years.   I never paid more than $35 for a dress shirt during my working years, so I was shocked to find out that those same shirts are now going for $79.95.  But wait – the ad I’m looking at says if I buy one at the regular price ($79.95) I can get another one free.  Two for the price of one – now there’s a good deal.  Isn’t it?  Only if you believe the shirt is really worth $79.95 and that is truly its regular price.  This comes down to $39.98 per shirt, still more than my ceiling price of $35: so the gg took a pass.  This new marketing gimmick seems to have really caught hold in the men’s clothing business.  I don’t see this “buy one get one free” marketing technique being used to sell women’s clothing.  The ad people must think we men are dumber than our female counterparts. Well, aren’t we?  The gg used to think this gimmick was only used to sell fireworks.  But now it’s used to sell shirts to grouchy geezers.

gg

ALL I WANNA DO IS PEE –E-E-E-E----PEE, PEE, PEE-E (with apologies to the Everly Brothers)

Dan Patrick of Baltimore,  the current Lieutenant Governor of Texas,  has adopted  as his latest cause célèbre the task of keeping transgendered female students (males by birth who transgender to become females) from using girls restrooms.  "Urine in the wrong restroom" is what Dan Patrick of Baltimore would say to those students.  Dan Patrick of Baltimore’s concern is that among these persons are those who presumably would use their claimed identity as females to access girl’s restrooms where they would be able to look at young girls (or even old women, I suppose) with their pants down using  the restroom  According to Dan Patrick of Baltimore, this is an urgent matter of public policy that needs addressing without delay (notwithstanding that it is already against the law in Texas for a male to use a female public restroom).  It is so important that Dan Patrick of Baltimore has said that he would be willing to forego on behalf of the State of Texas as much as $10 billion in federal revenue for use in the public schools of Texas just to show that Dan Patrick of Baltimore won’t be pushed around by Barack Obama of Washington, D.C.  And Dan Patrick of Baltimore  means it by golly.  As do the legion of Dan Patrick of Baltimore’s  crazed followers who have followed  Dan Patrick of Baltimore’s  zaniness and crazy antics for years on Dan Patrick of Baltimore’s  ultra right wing Houston radio station and now voted him into high office as a State official.  Dan Patrick of Baltimore is being aided and abetted in his efforts  by Texas Attorney General  Ken Paxton, who is apparently devoting  whatever time to this problem he has left over after meeting daily with his private lawyers trying to dodge charges of securities fraud.

Now you, the faithful reader, might wonder why the old gg is so agog at this development involving Dan Patrick of Baltimore.  Surely, you’re saying to yourself, the Grouchy Geezer does not believe that people with male genitalia should be allowed to do their business inside a women’s restroom – does he?  And surely the gg must be aware that the main reason that males elect to transgender to females in the first place is so that they can go inside the girls’ restroom and “look.”  That is their real reason, isn’t it?  Dan Patrick of Baltimore must think so.   If not, why would he go to such great lengths to stir this up and make it into such a big issue? Dan Patrick of Baltimore has  proclaimed this to be the most pressing issue facing the great State of Texas (which Dan Patrick of Baltimore secretly would like to return once more into the  Republic of Texas).  To be exact,  Dan Patrick of Baltimore think it’s a problem worth $10 billion, the amount of federal education dollars he is willing to give up to keep transgendered females  from using the girls restroom.  But the gg wishes that Dan Patrick of Baltimore would give his supporters and fellow Texans the answer to the following question:  If a transgendered “Henry turned Henrietta” cannot use the ladies’ restroom at school or out in public, then what should she do when she has to pee?  According to Dan Patrick of Baltimore,  Henrietta should be required to use the men’s room, since Dan Patrick of Baltimore obviously  presumes that Henrietta still retains male plumbing. Dan Patrick of Baltimore must believe that since he has proclaimed that transgendered persons like Henrietta should use the bathroom compatible with their sex at birth.  But since Henrietta has gone to great lengths to convert to female sexuality because deep inside she feels like a female and knows she’s a female, isn’t it safe to assume she looks, acts and dresses iike a girl?  So what does Dan Patrick of Baltimore think will happen to Henrietta, dressed as the female she now is, when she is forced to go  into the boys’ restroom to pee ?  In that case is Dan Patrick of Baltimore concerned in the least for the safety of Henrietta, who is surely to be bullied and teased, if not worse, by the male occupants of the boys restroom?  So far,  Dan Patrick of Baltimore has never uttered a word condemning or proposing any solution for school bullying.  Since those incidents are much more common, you would think it would have gotten Dan Patrick of Baltimore’s attention by now.  Could it be that victims of bullying are just not ripe for use as props for Dan Patrick of Baltimore’s attacks on the federal government?  The gg thinks $10 million  could go a long way to help stem the tide of school bullying in Texas.

It was reported wihtin the past few days that Donald Trump may not be able to find anyone willing to run with him as his VP or in his cabinet or as an advisor.  The gg would suggest Dan Patrick of Baltimore would be a great fit (see reference to zaniness and crazy antics above).  There is just one catch – in a surprising and refreshing answer to a question, Trump said he believes that a transgendered student should be able to use whatever bathroom he/she feels most comfortable using.  In other words, everyone should just keep on keeping on with the way they've been doing it until  the likes of Dan Patrick of Baltimore and his clones in some of the other states decided to make this a burning issue.  Since this is apparently  the most important issue of the day, and since Dan Patrick of Baltimore and Donald Trump of New York do not agree on how to resolve it, Dan Patrick of Baltimore is obviously not  an appropriate  running mate or cabinet appointee.

The gg thinks a more burning question is:  What restroom should be used in Texas by  transplanted idiots from Baltimore who want us to believe they’re native Texans?  By the way, have I mentioned that Dan Patrick is from Baltimore?

gg

IF YOU'RE OUT THERE, RAISE YOUR RIGHT FANG AND GIVE ME A BIG HISS

If there’s anyone who loathes snakes more than the gg it’s Mrs. gg.  Recently, I was summoned by her to our front driveway to dispatch a copperhead who had ventured onto our property from the neighbor’s garden.  Following that episode, I went to the hardware store to purchase some snake repellent, thinking that would encourage all existing snakes to leave and at the same time discourage any would-be newcomers.  Boy, was I wrong,  Now if there’s one group of varmints that make me grouchier than snakes it would have to be the folks that write product instructons, warning labels, etc. on the boxes and packages of items that we purchase for our day to day lives.  I think in industry parlance they are called technical writers. The gg was all prepared to buy this snake repellent when  I read this warning on the back of the box:  “Do not use this product if snakes are already present on your premises..”  I pondered that statement for a while and then I pondered it for a greater while.  And then I tried to apply it to my present situation by first asking myself:  How in the world do I know whether there are any snakes already present on my premises?  And if there aren’t any, then what am I doing here purchasing a product that I don’t really need because I don’t have a snake problem?  I wound up buying the snake repellent but I still haven’t found a way to determine whether I have any preexisting snakes on my property so I don’t violate the warning on the product box.   Snakes make the gg very grouchy.  What makes the gg even grouchier are puzzling instructions written in small print by obviously puzzled technical writers on the back of the box of a product that I can’t tell if I should buy .

gg

JOHNNY (KASICH) WE HARDLY KNEW YE

Those of you who are regular visitors to this blog know that only rarely does the gg post on matters having to do with politics.  Today will be one of those rare occasions.  I watched and listened to John Kasich’s speech this afternoon during which he announced that he is abandoning his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.   He did so in his customary fashion of appealing to our better angels – to our bright side and not our dark side.  He recounted his meetings with  various individuals he had met along the way who inspired him – people who had arisen above themselves and influenced others to do the same.  He thanked all of those who made it possible for him to pursue his  quest to rise above himself by serving the public good .  There was no gloating, no name-calling, no anger, no hint of any narcissism.  Just a good,  humble and gracious man with a positive vision of what we could accomplish  by working together, thankful just for the opportunity given him by his creator to serve his fellow man.   Watching him, I thought how wonderful a President he would  have been and why  it was that the voters in the Republican primaries rejected him.  But perhaps this is no longer the  time for good and decent men to be in charge of our affairs.   And if that is indeed the case, that makes the gg grouchier than usual.

gg

SHE'LL BE COMING ROUND THE MOUNTAIN, BUT WHO CARES?

The gg grew up with trains.  Trains were a part of my daily life.   Our house was only a short distance from the railroad tracks where at least 7 or 8 trains would come through town every day.  I would ride my bike down to the tracks and wait for the train to come through.  It was a sheer delight every time I saw  the old coal-fired locomotive pulling the cars.  And it was such a comfort to see the always reliable caboose at the tail end of every train.    I would  wave at the brakeman on the back porch of the caboose and if he saw me he would wave back.  One day the railroad company decided it no longer needed a brakeman on its train and hence there was no longer a need for a caboose.  It was sad enough when the locomotive was replaced by the sleek new diesels.  But not nearly as sad as losing the caboose.  Today’s trains make the gg very grouchy.  I no longer get exicited when I see one; in fact, I’m likely to curse whenever I get held up by one.  I wonder if a train without a caboose is really a train at all?  Is a sentence without a period really a sentence?

gg