Junto Boys

E FOLLOWS SUIT

Great premise, Sir. It got me thinking and I created a list of my own. Dude and Manny?

SICK OF: Talk radio and the so-called political debate shows. The only place to hear real debate anymore is on C-SPAN and PBS. Everything is prepackaged talking points and no real exchange of ideas.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: eBay. I know, how old school. I still enjoy the whole notion of the global garage sale. It seems I cannot think of an item so obscure that someone doesn’t have one for sale on eBay.

SICK OF: Blaming the white man. This is a corollary to Sir’s observation that every sitcom makes the white dad the doofus. I am glad that my collegiate studies primarily involved reading the classics, because the sociology, psychology, history, film studies and anthropology classes all made sure I came out blaming the white man. White men have been the source of much wisdom, accomplishment, and cultural and economic advancement, not simply much misery.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: Excitebike 64. I am definitely not in the “early adopter” segment of the technology curve. Someone gave us an old Nintendo 64 console and a dozen games, and this motorcycle racing game has captivated my family for months.

SICK OF: TV generally. 40 channels, then 60, then 80, then 180, and still nothing to watch but Fresh Prince.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: Nutella. The chocolate hazelnut spread is good on anything except fish.

SICK OF: Fat. But until I enjoy exercise more than I enjoy cookies, I will have to live with it.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: Painting. We splashed some bold colors up in our son’s room and now I am looking at every wall with a fresh mental palette.

SICK OF: The 2008 presidential campaign. It seems like the frontrunners have been campaigning for years and we’re still six months removed from any real action. I am already tired of Hill and the Big O and McCain and Rudy, whose messages are so polished, and mostly empty, that I dread the thought of hearing them repeated for another year or more. Throw Pat Buchanan and Alan Keyes and Newt and Fred Thompson into the mix to liven things up, I’m beggin’ ya. But with the front-loaded primary schedule that requires half the electorate to vote by this time next year, it costs too much now for a candidate to compete, since they have to compete immediately on a national scale. The process now guarantees that only a big corporate candidate can win the presidency and limits my chances of hearing anything interesting or provocative from any candidate at any time. And don’t get me started on McCain-Feingold.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: RealClearPolitics.com. Who am I kidding? I eat it up. I want to stop and I can’t. I can’t. (sob)

SICK OF: Blaming the government. Government is not set up to solve our problems, it is set up to spend our money. Spread the word.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: Baseball on the radio. I don’t care who’s playing, I just like the sound of baseball.

SICK OF: Wintry mix. I drove three hours in second gear last Friday night through a horrible mix of rain, sleet and snow. After each winter weather event I ask myself why, with all the wonderful sunny places in the US, I live in Pennsylvania. Someday I will not.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: 24. It’s what every man wants to watch: action, suspense, testosterone, intrigue, fighting, gratuitous violence, beautiful women, dark meeting rooms, situational ethics, quick pacing, gunfire, explosions, sneaking around, mysterious technology, plot twists, insubordination, and the good guy beats the bad guys, all on DVD with a pause button, no commercials and no week in between jolts.

SICK OF: Controversial marketing. The hyper-salacious stuff, yes, but not just that. “The Passion of the Christ” got lots of free PR, whether by design or not, from the Jewish organizations that protested it. A few years later we have the Cartoon Network shutting down the city of Boston with suspicious devices hanging from bridges and in public spaces. Yesterday, an outcry regarding blood-spattered billboards promoting the new Elisha Cuthbert horror flick. Any news is good news as far as the marketing department is concerned, and controversy makes news. We haven’t seen the end of this trend by a long shot.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: juntoboys.blogspot.com. Please post!