Happy Independence Day!

Okay, it’s not really Independence Day just yet. We’ve got one more day to go until the big celebration. For all the talk that we hear about how it’s no longer socially acceptable in some circles to be patriotic, I’m very excited for tomorrow and just about everyone who I know is as well. My family and I are up at the lake for the weekend and I’m looking forward to watching the fireworks light up the sky while being reflected in the water below.

Why am I so proud to be an American? A lot of it is because being an American means that I can share my opinions on a site like this without having worry about the police knocking on my door because someone got offended. Not everyone in the world has that freedom. I would also point out that, in the grand scheme of things, America has accomplished a lot in 250 years. Compare what we’ve done in our first 250 years to what Europe did in its first 250. And then starting chanting USA! USA!

Bye, Freddy

I was saddened this week to learn that Freddy, the German soccer fan who won the heart of the nation, shut down his twitter account because he was getting harassed by a small group of European communists and whiny yankees who refused to accept that he was actually having a good time in the U.S. I understand Freddy’s decision but I’ll miss his updates. It’s kind of sad how some people are so bitter that they cant just accept that someone else isn’t as sad and angry as they are.

That said, he apparently will be spending the 4th in Texas. I’m glad that he’ll be here experiencing a real Independence Day with everyone.

Big Brother Is Coming Back

I used to watch Big Brother religiously and I even blogged about it for another site. The new season starts on July 10th and I’m struggling to work up any enthusiasm for it. I haven’t even decided whether or not I’m even going to watch, much less write about it, this season. I’m not alone in that. Out of the large group of people that I used watch Big Brother with, only a handful still watch the show.

A lot of that is because the show itself has gotten too gimmicky and the houseguests are no longer as quirky or eccentric as they once were. I know quite a few people were turned off by Julie Chen Moonves’s decision to start pushing religion while also standing beside her husband even as he was credibly accused of sexually harassing and assaulting numerous women. I know I certainly cringe whenever Julie ends the show with, “Love one another.” It’s very performative and it feels very fake.

I probably will end up watching the show this season. But I probably won’t feel very good about it.

Last night, I tried….

….to get my family to watch Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band with me but most of them left the room while Donald Pleasence was singing I Want You. I get the feeling that I’m the only person in the world who likes that movie.

The 4th Is Calling Me

And I look forward to answering! Have a good and safe holiday! And remember, fireworks are cool but shooting them off at two in the morning is not!

Happy birthday, America!