Thought For Food

I’ve had this notion stirring around in my head lately and it’s beginning to come into focus.  So, since it’s not fully formed yet, I decided to write it down.  You know me, I can’t ever wait until it’s right.

I’ve finally figured out why it is that (I hesitate to used this expression, you’ll see why) “the younger generation” think that they should begin their careers at the top of a corporation instead of at the bottom and working their way up.  It’s Guitar Hero’s fault.  Yep, you read me right.  Guitar Hero and every other video game that let’s you think you can play guitar, fly a plane, fire a machine gun, etc. without ever having any real experience with any of these things. 

I can sort of play a guitar.  I say sort of because I know how to make about eight chords and I can fram on the strings.  I can’t pick.  I can’t do any of the more complicated chords, I can’t do any real playing.  I play well enough to satisfy myself and most drunks who are listening for free.  I know what it took to learn just that little bit.  I know what it takes to get back to doing it again when I’ve let that guitar sit for awhile, too.

I’ve fired a machine gun.  (Let me just say that it was an exhilarating experience.  I blew the holy hell out of the tops of some young timber!)  You don’t just pick one up and fire it well.  An XBox 360 cannot give you anything even remotely resembling a real feeling for what it’s like. 

    (I’ve never flown a plane.  I’ve ridden on one.  That’s it.  I like the riding, for the most part but I’m not real keen on the taking off or landing part.  It just gives me the willies!  The most primitive part of my brain starts talking to me during those times in a language that has been dead for many millions of years, asking me what the hell I am thinking, allowing myself to be hoisted up off the ground in a flying machine.  It all just gives me the ooobla doooblas big time.)

Younger people have a tendency to believe that having played Guitar Hero, they can play guitar.  Having flown an airplane on a video game, they can fly a plane.  It takes only a few hours to make a lot of progress on Guitar Hero or any other video games.  It seems easy.  After twenty hours of Guitar Hero, you’ve mastered the entire disk, opened every song, every video, bought everything available in the store.  Hell you’re a total ROCK STAR Baby!!!!!! 

Therefore, after four years of college, they should be able to be the CEO of a major corporation, right?  I mean, damn!  They put in four years already!!!!!!!   That should buy them at least the President of a major corporation!  What is this “start at the bottom and work your way up” crap, anyway?  They believe that having gone to college, they have already put in the work.  Going to college IS the work. 

Video games like Guitar Hero give them the impression that they can DO something that, unless they’re a prodigy, takes tons of hard work and dedication.  It gives them the impression that there is a shortcut to something that actually takes time and experience.  It’s no wonder that they come out of high school and college thinking that they can all start at the top. 

This whole thought process is prevalent in young people today.  It’s a common thread throughout their lives.  The appearance of accomplishment as opposed to actual accomplishment is easier.  I can feel like I can play the guitar with Guitar Hero instead of putting in the time and effort required to actually learn to play the guitar.  The problem is that the world doesn’t hold with the same belief system.  The disappointment and disenchantment that follows is sad.

Parents: Teach your kids to work towards the things they want.  Don’t hand them a car, let them work towards one.  Don’t hand them a cell phone, let them help pay the bill on theirs.  Help them plan for what they want and help them reach that goal.  Give them a reality check.  You’ll be doing them a far bigger favor than you will if you just hand it to them when they ask for it.  I’ll do it if you will!

**I almost said that kids today don’t know what hard work is.  That back in MY day…….but then I started hearing this echo in my head.  It was my parents and their parents and their parents parents.  It got really disconcerting.  But it was kinda like being high on drugs too so I kept on for a while and then deleted it all.

****** Just so you know I LOVE Guitar Hero and could kick ALL your asses at it!  Don’t make me prove it.

I have been being chastised by several of my dearest friends, and probably the only people who actually check this thing on a regular basis, for not writing something.  Therefore, I shall update.

First off let me congratulate My Dearest Husband on being The Most Kick-Ass Driver EVER!!!!  He took a driving test last night using a fire truck.  Not a little fire truck either.  A big old HONKIN fire truck!  And he passed with flying colors.  I am suitably impressed.  Not even remotely surprised, but very impressed.  The man can drive like nobody’s business.  He backs up better than most people can drive forward.  However, since he hadn’t been able to practice driving the fire truck, it was truely awesome that he was able to do so incredibly well on the test.  Congratulations, MDH!!!  Yer still my hero!

The reason MDH wasn’t able to practice driving the firetruck was this:  On the day he was supposed to practice driving, our eighteen year old daughter came into town.  He chose to see her instead of going to firetruck driver training.  We haven’t seen her since she turned eighteen.  *sigh*  She looks great and she seems to be very happy and healthy.  It was a settling visit.  We agreed that we had forgotten how tiny she is.  She looms so large in our thoughts that she seems much bigger.  When you are in her presence, she is in actuality much smaller. 

I recently went to The Buddha’s school for “Are You Smarter Than Your Middle Schooler” night.  Last year I did really well.  This year, not so much.  I did well in geography.  I got demerits for not dressing out and participating in PE.  I did well in science and I want to go back every day and audit that class.  It’s very interesting and I learned a lot.  In math and math academy, I found myself sorely lacking.  The Buddha laughed at me.  😦  Had I not been so humiliated I would have laughed at myself.  Math?…..FAIL!!!!!!  Language Arts ruled.  I want to audit that class also.  Mainly because I would only have to read the stories and not have to do all the other work involved.  I’m sure I would fail the spelling tests.  My GOD the spelling word list for ONE week!  I used to be a spelling whiz and that dang list just about put me off my feed.  All in all I think I got about a C.  Being on the A-B honor roll, it left The Buddha feeling suitably superior and happy when we returned.  It was a good time.

Princess Bella……I’m tempted to refer you to my previous post.  ADHD, genius, entitled, way the hell too much like me, hard headed, curious, smart mouthed, ill tempered, short tempered, ill mannered, and fun, funny, sweet, smart, curious, intelligent, artistic, hard working, and a willing accomplice in anything you want to do.  She exhausts me within the first five minutes of every day.  If you can get her into bed at night without a screaming match, you can pat yourself on back and call it a success.  I have yet to see anything at all she cannot do, yet she will balk at doing everything, even if it’s her idea.  Example:  “Gammie, will you help me with my homework?”  “Sure, Bella, what do you need help with?”  “This right here.  I don’t get it.”  “Okay, let’s look at it.”  “AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.  GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHDDDDDDDDKAHLGFDLFJDSLKAGKFDJGALKSD.”   “Would you like some time in a quiet room to reflect on whether or not you actually need help?”  “NO I NEED HELP I DON’T GET IT!!!!!!”  “Then you might want to stop screaming long enough to look at the problem and see if we can figure it out.”  “WHY CAN’T YOU JUST TELL ME THE ANSWER?” “I won’t do that Bella.  You can’t learn how to do it if I answer it for you.  I will be happy to help you learn how to do it.  It’s not MY homework.”
“I HATE YOU.IHATEYOUIHATEYOUWHYCAN’TYOUJUSTDOWHATIWANTYOUTODO???????”  “Tell ya what, Belle.  You go in your room for a while and when you’re ready to do homework, you can come back out and we’ll look at that part that you don’t get, okay?”  STOMP, STOMP, STOMP.  When she’s calmed down, she will come back and we’ll get done.  But the initial argument MUST come first.  Why that must be is beyond me.  Maybe my answers will come after I have that imminent heart attack. 

Rocky has learned her way around a little better.  She can come and go as she pleases.  If I had the money I would buy her a GPS for Christmas.  Then she could go wherever she wanted to.  Podunk here is a FAR cry from Orlando, Florida.  It frets her to no end when she looks out the window and sees no living thing but animals.  She’s used to bright lights and non-stop action.  She loves that.  Those are the very things we moved out here to get away from.  It’s just not her kind of place.  I feel guilty that she’s here because of me and that she dislikes the place so much.  She left her home, her job, her friends, her life and her lifestyle to be here with me and to be completely honest, I am NOT good company.  She got screwed. 

The dogs are the dogs.  They are funny as hell and irritating beyond belief.  Dash, DeeDee’s son, has found his “special purpose in life” and is relenlessly humping his mother and sister.  *sigh*  I liked him better before that.  Which bothers me because he’s supposed to be that way.  I discussed snipping his nads last night with MDH.  MDH informed me that I could stop talking about that IMMEDIATELY.  *giggle*  That discussion has the same effect on all my male friends.  I used to do that when I worked at the vet.  It was stunningly easy to do.  This is not comforting information to guys. 

I am.  That’s about all there is to say about me.  My job is as a facilitator.  I fix it so that everyone else can have a life.  That’s MY life.  I swear one of these days I’m gonna take up drinking.  At least that way I’ll have something to do!