My kind of funeral...

Okay, today we are going to cover a little bit of everything.  But first, let me get the political stuff, brief as it is, out of the way.

First:  Meryl Streep.  I don't know exactly what she said, and more to the point, I don't care.  In the middle of their make believe world, awarding a self-glorifying movie for being glorifying to themselves, Meryl had something to say about the new President- and MMA and football as well, I guess.  Now yesterday, I saw on SocMed an excellent article which I have now found out came from the In Jennifer's Head blog by Jennifer Hast, clear back in Summer 2010.  You can click the link to read the whole thing... or, just settle for the gist of it that applies so well in these occasions...



I’ll crank the organ grinder; you dance.

I don’t really care where you stand on issues.  Honestly, your stance matters far less to me than that of my neighbor.  You see, you aren’t real.  I turn off my TV or shut down my computer and you cease to exist in my world.  Once I am done with you, I can put you back in your little box until I want you to entertain me again....

 I’m supposed to care what the director of fluffy tripe made for gullible people thinks of those who realize global warming is a scam?  Get back into your bubble.  I’ll let you know when I’m in the mood for something blue and shiny....


Second, I heard part of an interview with our outgoing POTUS with David Axelrod on Christmas today on the way home, and something struck me in it...

OBAMA: It's interesting. You and I both, I think, would acknowledge that when we were campaigning, we could connect. Once you got to the White House and you were busy governing, then...
AXELROD: Right.
OBAMA: ... partly, you're just constrained by time, right? You are then more subject to the filter. And this is -- you know, I brought up Fox News, but it was Rush Limbaugh and the NRA and there are all these mediators who are interpreting what we do, and if we're not actually out there like we are during campaigns, then folks in -- in a lot of these communities, what they're hearing is Obama wants to take away my guns...
AXELROD: Right.


So let me see if I have this straight.  If Obama could be a full time campaigner, then the people who would have listened to him wouldn't have listened to Rush and the NRA?  I thought the people that listened to you DIDN'T listen to Rush, that he only attracts the lunatic fringe and alt-right?  Or is it that if YOU are not in someone's face 24/7, they MIGHT be influenced by Rush?  So either Rush is an amazingly mesmerising speaker, or the people you try to suck into voting for you are easily brainwashed by the media.   I think I'll go with #2 on that one.


Third and final on the political end, it strikes me- the Democrats are falling all over themselves to blame the (now) evil Russians for pretty basically exposing Hillary for a huge idiot who casts secure documents to the four winds.  But wait a minute, I always thought that you guys were ideologically aligned with the Soviets.  Oh wait, I know why you're throwing the Russians under the bus NOW...


Who's still Communist, Russia- or CHINA?

That same China that Donald Trump spent a fair amount of time bashing?

Makes a bit more sense now, don't it?


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Moving on, I'm going to share something here I rarely do- a dream.  Last night, Laurie, KC, Shenan, and I were walking in this big park, and we came to a spot where the trail becomes this giant circle around an open green.  We turned to the left and began going along the circle, when we came to one of those old wooden signs with the built-in pointer.  It was pointing across the circle to the other side, and read, "CRITTERS".  We said, okay, lets go the other way.  On the other side, there was a little picnic area, a flowery crossway to another trail, and another wooden sign that read, "CRITTERS".  At this point I laid down on a picnic table whilst everyone else wandered off.  Looking at the crossway, there were like four wooden "fans" at each corner, like a decoration- until I looked closer and realized that they were four little peacock like birds with tails like a peacock's fan, only looking like balsa wood.  At this point I noticed what I thought was my group coming up behind me.  I farted at them, only to learn later it was another family, who swiftly went back whence they came.

Soon, my group appeared, and as I told them the tale of my errant gas, KC was kinda kicking the "wooden fans."  I told him that they were really birds, and he bent down close to see.  Just then, the one he was looking at turned towards him, and he jumped.  It came over and pecked at his leg- and then all of the sudden, he was Scrappy, and the bird was pecking his tail.  Higher and higher he pecked, until he started pecking at Scrappy's butt, and Scrappy finally got up and left.  Laurie asked, "Is he all right?"  And I answered, "His butt's not bleeding, but it's sure tenderized!"  And with a hearty laugh, I woke up.


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Finally today, I saw a story yesterday that made me say, "I want a funeral just like THIS:"

A Taiwanese funeral featuring 50 pole dancers has become the talk of the Chinese internet this week.
Videos of the funeral procession, which took place on Tuesday, have been circulating online showing skimpily-clad women gyrating on top of jeeps in the southern city of Chiayi.
The funeral was for local politician Tung Hsiang, who died last month.
His family said they wanted to honour Mr Tung, who loved "having a lively fun time", local media reported.
The procession, featuring the convoy of colourful jeeps blasting loud music, brought traffic to a standstill in the city centre.
It also had a drumming troupe, a marching band, performers dressed as deities and giant puppets.

Mr Tung, a local councillor, was a well-known figure in the city and was active in politics for decades.
He died from an unspecified illness at the age of 76 in December.
"He told us he wanted this through a dream two days before the funeral," his brother Tung Mao-hsiung told Taiwanese broadcaster CTS.
Since Tuesday, videos of the procession have been circulating on Chinese media and social network Weibo, generating much interest.
"Now this is what I call a funeral!" said one user, while another wrote: "Looks like when it comes to funeral matters, Taiwan still comes first."
Others praised Mr Tung and his family for providing an entertaining afternoon for the city's residents. "This is what it means to be the 'people's councillor'!" said one netizen.

Another person joked: "The city's residents are asking: please die one more time!"