It’s time to separate Trick-O-Treat from Halloween

Two years ago,  I wrote about my well documented desire to move Halloween to a potentially better weather day in October.  I’ve argued that it is time to embrace the practicality of celebrating this holiday on a day other than the last day of October because it is almost always too cold in most parts of the country for an enjoyable celebration.  And any historical or religious associations with Halloween are vestigial at best, at least in this country.

When I was a kid, I recall the majority of Halloweens growing up as being cold, dark and rainy. Think how disappointing it is to a kid being told that you cannot go trick-or-treating because it’s freezing cold outside or raining cats and witches.  Fun fact: the advanced forecast for Halloween 2019 in Chicago is Snow!

And as Susan over at Looking for the Good pointed out that until recently, it was dark out every year because they did the time change before Halloween back then, which might be good for scares but not good for kids who are Trick-O-Treating.

Over the years, there have been petitions to move Halloween to the Last Saturday of the month.  So far none have gained the necessary traction.  People just don’t like extreme change.   So maybe the compromise is to decouple Trick-O-Treating from Halloween proper.

Recently, the Halloween & Costume Association, the group that petitioned to move Halloween to the last Saturday of October, proposed a new holiday: National Trick or Treat Day. It would fall on the last Saturday of October and thereby extend the official Halloween celebration, rather than moving it.

This takes the kid portion of Halloween and moves it to a more parent-friendly timeslot while letting Halloween purists still enjoy the true meaning of the holiday: hooking with people at costume parties!

It definitely will help alleviate some unintended consequences that parents of school-aged children face.  If Halloween falls outside of the weekend, parents still have to go to work the next day.  What if you have an important meeting the next day?  Do you really want to be out on the streets until 9 am begging for candy?   Or trying to get your kid out of bed for school the next day is even harder when they are sugar-drunk.  Teachers don’t appreciate having to deal with students who are recovering from a chocolate bar bender either.

If you think about it, many communities already do this unofficially.  They will have special Trunk-or-Treat events, Family-friendly parades or weekend block parties to substitute for going out on Halloween night.  Look, the traditions we associate with Halloween didn’t arrive all at once or from day one.  They evolved over time.  There is no reason we cannot continue to fine-tune Halloween and make it more modern while still honoring the traditional aspects.   

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I binge watched Lost In Space so you didn’t have to

Before I begin my review of Netflix latest series Lost In Space, I want to set the table, so to speak. First, it’s not easy for me to watch anything these days. Movies involve a babysitter and a tight window of opportunity. Our TVs are usually streaming Octanauts or PJ Mask (and whatever the next cartoon my douche-nugget 3.5 year olds find appealing). The intersection of time that I’m in front of a TV and there isn’t a small child usurping it is extremely scant.

So when I say that binged watch anything these days, I really mean that I watched consecutive episodes in a finite amount of time spread over a couple of days versus the more conventional definition of completing a season in an afternoon or a series within a weekend.

Second, I wasn’t going to bring up the 1998 Lost In Space movie and instead pretend it never happened. However, it should be noted that in my research for this post, I learned that the movie was meant to come out in 1997, which is the year the original series was set in. It also had cameos from all the living members of the original cast. But more importantly, the changes in the movie from the series cannon created a starting point for Netflix Lost In Space (heretofore LIS) to look at. There were a few things in the movie that worked and many more things that didn’t.

Finally, because the series has been out almost a week, which is practically a lifetime in these TV watching times, WARNING WILL ROBINSON! SPOILER ALERTS WILL ROBINSON!

The to-do list for a reboot is not as difficult as creating a new series from scratch. Most people who would watch this show are already familiar enough with the Robinson family. Sure we still have to introduce Dr Smith, the Robot, and some plausible explanation for why the hell a family is being sent into outer space.

When pitching the idea of a LIS reboot, one must decide if it supposed to be a grown-up remake for a more sophisticated era or just the original campy series with a higher budget. I read that the original series went from serious sci-fi odyssey featuring the entire family to campy show about the antics of a wacky doctor, a chatty robot, and a brainy kid. This reboot tries to shed the campy and be more like ABC’s Lost set in space instead of an island.

I really wanted to like this series, I really did. One of my childhood staples was watching LIS reruns on TV. And I don’t hate this reboot. I enjoyed it for what it was and would look forward to a Season Two and beyond if that happens. But halfway through the 10 hour series I was still waiting for something meaningful enough to happen so that I would be cheering for the Robinsons to succeed.

What I liked

The gender switch of Dr Smith. Didn’t see that coming and thought it was very refreshing, just like when they made Starbuck a girl on BSG reboot. I just hope this doesn’t become a lazy goto thing with reboots. “Luke, I am your mother!”

The Robot.  As I said above you need to introduce the robot.  In previous iterations, the Robot was a standard issue piece of equipment on Jupiter ships.  In this reboot they made it an alien quasi-lifeform.

Judy and Don West.  In the 60s series, they were engaged but you wouldn’t know it.  In the 1998 movie, it’s a boring subplot that Don is trying to get into Judy’s pants win her affection.  In this one the sexual tension is subtle, real and organic.  They don’t even realize how attracted they are to one another because — d’uh — they are too busy trying to survive on a hostile planet.

What I didn’t

The pace of each episode moved very slowly. Each episode feels 20 minutes too long.  In the original series there was the predicament de jour.  In this series if feels like a never ending series of predicament, solution which leads to new predicament.  It’s exhausting.

There’s a difference between not being scientifically accurate and being lazy. In most sci-fi sagas, technology only works as much as the plot needs it to work, usually just enough to get someone into or out of a bind.

I can accept that on some planet, water freezes rapidly enough to trap someone yet it is warm enough for a thin spacesuit to keep you alive above the ice.  But its a stretch to think that an alien engine can suddenly propel a ship that is out of fuel.

Here’s some more Lost In Space thinky-thoughts for your digestion:

• Parker Posey
• Dr Smith
• Stream or Skip
• Not Evil

 

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Not so fast: Summer Ain’t Over Yet

It’s after Labor Day and my social media feed is filled with first day of school pictures and people saddened by the symbolic end of summer.  Although many people defines Summer as the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the Autumnal Equinox isn’t for another two weeks!  And even after that, the Midwest usually gets its politically incorrect Indian Summer (well we did before climate change — see what I did there, I likely offended conservatives and liberals!)

There’s still plenty of summery things you can do before the cold and snow arrives.  For instance, this weekend in Lincoln Square is German-American Oktoberfest.  If Mayfest signals the start of summer, Oktoberfest ushers in the fall.  This festival is free and is a good place to begin the hunt for that winter body warmer, aka standing date for the holiday parties.

The beach is less crowded and while the water might not be warm enough to swim in, the sun is still good.  You might even get your  friends together for a few sets of beach volleyball.

If this doesn’t scream impromptu Beach Tournament, I don’t know what does

There’s still a few weeks of baseball left.  This year White Sox tickets will be easier and cheaper to come by, but in years past, both teams are usually so out of playoff contention that they might pay you to sit in the stadium.  [I try to write these posts so that they become Everygreen Content.]  And if you are a glutton for punishment with a large bank account, catch a Bears game before the weather and their season gets too ugly.

If you work downtown you can still eat lunch outside.  Brown bag to Millennium Park or maybe even splurge a week’s paycheck to eat lunch on the River Walk.  Or take a day off and hit the museums.  Kids are back in school so they won’t be as crowded.  Combined with the baseball game, you could essentially re-enact Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

All I’m trying to say is that just because the calendar says it’s after Labor Day that does not mean Summer is over.  Not officially and not if you put your mind to it.

Other posts you might like to bookmark for next summer:
This one- Summertime fun for Chicagoans

Or this one-Don’t Let Summer Slip away…

OOOOR this one- 7 ways not to let summer slip away…

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Parents need kidproof appliances, not refrigerators that can stream Game of Thrones

I like technology as much as the next geek, but only to the extent that it either really helps make my life easier, or it is really cool without a high cost of entry.  Alas there are some technologies out there that miss both these markers and will not be seen in our household any time soon.

I’m so gonna take over this house while you are sleeping Inferior Human

I’m sure there is some benefit to having a fridge with a video screen. “Playing music, displaying the weather, showing a calendar, functioning as a digital whiteboard, and putting together a shopping list are all activities that might make sense on a fridge. Some other features, like mirroring your TV or smartphone contents” might be beneficial if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

What parents really need are refrigerators and stoves that are smart enough to prevent little children from fucking with them.  We have a french door fridge and for a long time, moose and squirrel could only open the freezer section.  Now that they are older (two and a half) they can reach the fridge doors quite easily.  They have the dexterity to open the doors but lack the understanding that they can break any of the ridunkulously expensive drawers within.  Don’t bother replacing those because finding the one for your exact model will be a Sisyphean task and will likely cost almost as much as a new fridge.

I want a fridge that will lock. Yes I know you can buy locks but those look ugly and are a PITA to open and close when you want something. How about a simple code or button that locks the fridge so toddler cannot open them? The best that is available today is you can lock the ice maker. BFD!

As for ovens, is it too much to ask for ones that with oven door locked? How about burner knobs that can be disabled and re-enabled when children are around?  I’m really not gonna leave food in my stove the way I do a slow cooker and use my phone app to monitor, preheat and adjust the oven’s temperature.

 

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CPS Proposed Acceptance Letter Graduation Requirement insane, out of touch

Mayor Rahm Emanuel obviously isn’t looking to run for a 3rd term.  Otherwise he would reconsider or seriously revamp a plan requiring high school graduates to have a post high school plan.

“Starting with next year’s freshman class, in order to receive their high school diploma, all CPS students would have to show an acceptance letter to a four-year university, a community college, a trade school or apprenticeship, an internship, or a branch of the armed services.”

update 4/6/2017:  It appears this plan isn’t officially implemented and is still  in the planning stages.

This sounds like something someone who hasn’t been in high school for centuries thought up.  Or doesn’t have any friends with diverse life situations.  What if you don’t know what you want to do after high school and want a Gap Year?  Sucks to be you Malia Obama.

So what if you don’t get accepted to college?  Are you forced to join the military?  How many kids are gonna fake an internship to Vandelay Industries?

• Rahm should drop this idea
• How the plan may be discriminatory
• What wrong with Rahm’s plan?

Know who wouldn’t have to abide by this requirement?   Private schools, Religious schools, Charter schools and I suppose Home schooled kids.  And let’s not forgot, Mayor Emanuel sends his kids to private school.

Do you think this requirement is detrimental or a big nothing burger?  Tell me about it here in the comments, then swing by my Facebook page and LIKE it! You’ll find funny, informative links and interesting pictures.  Don’t worry, your FB feed won’t get overwhelmed.

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Does Tomi Lahren deserve any empathy?

Tomi Lahren, the 24-year-old firebrand angered many of her followers when she said during an interview on ABC‘s “The View”:

“I’m pro-choice and here’s why. I’m a constitutional — you know, someone that loves the Constitution. I am someone that’s for limited government. And so I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say I’m for limited government but I think that the government should decide what women do with their bodies. I can sit here and say that, as a Republican, and I can say, you know what, I’m for limited government, so stay out of my guns, and you can stay out of my body as well.”

This did not go over well with her bosses at The Blaze, a conservative media site founded by Glenn Beck.  She was initially suspended for a week. Then the suspension became permanent.  Beck said that it if you are pro-choice you could still work for the Blaze as he employee people with differing viewpoints.  So then why the suspension?

I’m a little torn on this one.  People say she would not have had the successful rise she had if she wasn’t pretty and I think people are hating on her for the same thing instead of taking this opportunity to show that some conservative outlets are hypocritical by eating their young.

On the other hand, she did rise to fame by saying such toxic and outlandish things.  I do not follow her or troll her like I do Matt Walsh but I have watched a couple of video clips of her and she definitely spews hate and disdain.

A good friend said “Good for her for standing up for one thing she believes in despite blowback from her tribe, but I can’t feel any sympathy for her despite this single good thing she’s done. If this situation causes any of her current or former fans to pause a moment and reconsider their stances on things, then maybe some good will come of it.”

• Internet blogger and self-proclaimed truth sayer Matt Walsh surprisingly did not have a disparaging word about Tomi herself although he naturally defended pro-lifers.
• Eric Zorn thinks Tomi will have a epiphany that brings her back to the conservative fold.
• Meanwhile, some people just go for the jugular.
• And finally, her former employer is fighting her for her Facebook page.

I’m sure Tomi will end up all right.  Whether it’s in her rightful spot somewhere on Fox or somewhere a little more to the left, I’m certain we have not heard the last of Conservative Barbie.*

*hat tip to Nancy Nall

 

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Some things to consider before cutting the Cable Cord

Cutting the Cord is the new thing these days. So much so that Cable Companies are actually paying attention. You can find a lot of good articles about how to do it here and here and here.

But there are some things to keep in mind before you ditch cable. Essentially it boils down to what are you trying to accomplish?

Maybe you want to be a purist and just have a regular old TV with local OTA stations. Get yourself a good OTA HD antenna and you are good to go as long as you live in an urban area with good line of sight television stations.  Or you could just get rid of your TV and do things like read Proust in the original French and then interpreting it into postmodern dance.

Most people want the benefits of cable without the high costs. Here’s the thing. you still need an internet connection and a good one at that.

In 2015, the FCC redefined what constitutes “broadband” speed in the US as 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) download speeds, up from 4 Mbps, which was the standard since 2010…. In the FCC’s 2016 Broadband Progress Report, it said 34 million US citizens (10 percent) lack access to such speeds; 23 million of those people are in rural areas.– PC Mag.com

We have Comcast, also known as Satan’s Overachieving Sibling, for our internet.  Like most (all) cable companies, Comcast doesn’t separate their internet package from their basic bundle, so we get all the OTA channels and other lame stations no one watches.   Before we had cable, I simply connected an old PC to our TV and watched a lot of stuff online.  I was using an older technology but today most laptops come with at least one HDMI cable and if you have a new HDTV, you are in business.

However, most people want a Living Room Theatre-like experience without getting too techie.  You need a some type of Media Streaming device, i.e. the hardware.  There’s Roku, AppleTV, Chromcast, Amazon Fire TV, (others I’m missing).  You can also buy a SmartTV but these aren’t the panacea they promised.  For one thing, as the model gets older, the supported apps diminish.  And some  SmartTVs don’t play nice (I’m looking at you Samsung) and some media streamers are locked out.  For instance, for the longest time I couldn’t get HBO Go on my Roku, even though I could get HBO on our cable and on my SmartTV.  Though Samsung and Sling swear there exist Samsung TVs out that that it will work, I cannot get SlingTV on my specific model.

The streaming hub is just one part though.  Most come with some free channels but again, just like with cable, you get what you pay for.  You’re not gonna be able to watch Game of Thrones, Walking Dead or The Hunger Game movies for free until you add Subscription Service  (read: paid) like SlingTV, Netfix, Hulu, etc.  Some of these have free and pay options and again, the free stuff is very limited.

Some linkage for your research:

• Pros and Cons of Cutting Cable
• Ultimate Cord Cutter’s Guide
• How to Watch All TV without a Cable Bill
• How to get rid of Cable

 

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Gia Alvarez cannot run away from Boston Marathon Scandal

Note: this story is ongoing as as new information is made available this post may be update accordingly.

Gia Alvarez, an avid runner, blogger and running coach, has been banned from running the Boston Marathon and any other Boston Athletic Association events for life.  Alvarez did two No-Nos in the racing world.

1. She let someone else use her bib entry into a marathon.
2. She used that person’s time to qualify for the next Boston Marathon.

Outside of race officials, no one gives a flying fuck if you let someone else use your bib in a neighborhood 5K or local Turkey Trot.  In larger races Bib Exchange is particularly common because of high price entry fees and the inability to transfer or defer ones race entry because of injury, health or family reasons.  That doesn’t necessarily make it right, but it is more of a misdemeanor in and of itself.

The second offense is more felony territory.  Boston has strict qualification requirements and even if you meet the time requirement for your age group, you still might not get in because of “rolling admission process” the BAA uses.  That means her entry most likely bumped someone else who genuinely qualified. That a blog dedicated “to work with runners and race officials to analyze race results and detect course cutters, bib swappers and other questionable results” exists and doesn’t seem to be want for material tells you this is a bigger problem than you would think.

update (4/10/16):  Derek from Marathon Investigation explains: “Basically, you were accepted if you beat the qualifying time by 2:30 minutes. They do not allow additional entries if someone is Disqualified after acceptance.”  This makes what Alvarez did even worse because even if she is found out before the race, there is no mechanism to identify and reward a legitimate qualifier a place in the next Boston Marathon.

The question here is did Alvarez know what she was doing was wrong?  Because she actually posted on her blog that she was going to give her bib to a friend, it would appear that she wasn’t aware that was a no-no or at least wasn’t aware of how Big a Deal it was.  According to her posts, she wasn’t able to run in 2015 because she was pregnant and a miscarriage prevented her from taking part in 2014.

I’m not giving her a free pass but I will give her some credit. This is a hard thing to walk back from and she appears to be legitimately owning up to it. While she has closed comments on her blog (probably because of volume and/or trolls) she didn’t hide critical (yet polite) comments that made it through like the Food Babe would have.   While she didn’t do herself any favors by taking three days to post an apology I’m going to cut her a little slack.  We want everything fast in our Internet Age and the cost behind that is that Alvarez is still a human being who hopefully is processing the wrongness of what she did while also being a mom to a toddler who probably reaches for her keyboard whenever she starts to blog.

The question still remains: did she give her bib to a friend who happened to be fast enough to qualify for Boston with the intention that she could use that time to participate in the next Boston Marathon (2016)?

Hierarchy of Cheaters

I don’t think Alvarez deserves to be banned for life. It’s not like she pulled a Kip Litton and invented a fake marathon with a fake website, fake competitors, and a fake winner.  Or had the unbelievable luck of Julie Miller who happens to lose her timing chips at just about every event she participates in.

She didn’t kill anyone and she did qualify for Boston twice previously.  According to her posts, she wasn’t able to run in 2015 because she was pregnant and even asked for a pregnancy deferral.  However, The BAA “stopped awarding deferrals for things like injury and pregnancy in 2010, except in extraordinary cases such as extreme weather or the 2013 bombings.”

Because of course they did.  I’m sure they had a valid reason for doing so, but in some way the BAA brings this upon themselves.  The event is already so hard to get into that most runners never get the chance.  Now you are making it even harder for the ones who do qualify.  I’ve always thought that big races should have some type of bib deferral or transfer program just for this sort of thing.

To be clear, Alvarez broke the rules and should be punished.  But the punishment should fit the crime.  A lifetime ban is a bit extreme when a few years would do the trick of punishing her and serving as a warning to others.

What do you think?  Let us know in the comments.

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My Star Wars: The Force Awakens theory on who Rey is

By now you probably have seen the movie and if you haven’t, well okay spoiler alert. I think there are at least three camps for who Rey’s parents are.

1. She’s Han and Leia’s other child
2. She’s Luke’s daughter (hopefully with EU favorite Mara Jade)
3. She’s Ben Kenobi’s grand child

There are probably a few other smaller camps out there but these are the front runners. The obvious flaw in #1 is that Han and Leia would not forget they have another child. The flaw with #2 and #3 is that Jedi aren’t supposed to have attachments, or marital relations.

If you watch this video, at around 3 seconds, Ben Kenobi says “I was once a Jedi Knight…”

Once, as in no longer. It’s very possible that after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan no longer considered himself a Jedi. Or to avoid suspicion perhaps he even tried to have a relationship with someone while waiting for young Luke to grow up.

My just thought up 5 minutes ago theory is that Rey is a clone with Skywalker DNA. Think about it. Anakin was supposed to be the Chosen One. What if someone wanted to create another Chosen one?

When Luke lost his hand (and his light saber) at Bespin, it had to go somewhere. What if someone found it, brought it to Kamino and plugged it into the clone machine and set it to female? [Note: I’m making these references without needing to look them up, go geek me.]

Bonus argument: the Stormtroopers of the Star Wars universe were copied influenced by the Sardaukar of the Dune universe. In the Dune books, a multitude of Duncan Idahos are created as Gholas, essentially clones. While there are some technical differences, Gholas are essentially clones. Gholas are able to awaken their original memories when they experience a psychological trauma. As a plot device, all the Duncan Idaho Gholas are put through a psychological trauma to make them true Duncans.

What if whomever is cloning Skywalkers decided to not leave anything to Nature versus Nurture chance, and plop them down on a desert planet that recreates as much as possible the conditions Anakin grew up in. Who knows, there are probably lots of desert planets in the Star Wars universe. And if dropping a young kid off there with vague promises to return some day isn’t psychological trauma, I don’t know what is. There could be Darth Vader clones all over the place.

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST I BET YOU’LL ALSO LIKE: Thoughts and Questions about The Force Awakens

 

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2015 Year in Review: half-assed edition

Every December I think about writing a year in review post but I always forget things that happened in the early part of the year (and by early I mean Jan-early Nov because, old age). This year I tried to keep a notepad file chronicling events as they occurred.  Unfortunately, while that was an improvement over relying on the old memory banks, the effort still fell short since I stopped logging in earnest in early June.

Note: I provided links where I deemed appropriate to content/sources I deemed appropriate.  I strongly encourage you to Google for yourself to find sources you may prefer.

•  While I did a sucky job, the Tribune keeps an excellent gallery of people who passed away in 2015
• The Charles Hebdo attacks in January.  Little did we know that in November Paris would once again experience terrorism from extremists.
• Jackie Robinson Little League team had to forfeit its title.
• Even in death the White Sox and the Cubs compete as Earnie Banks and Minnie Minoso left us.
• Speaking of sports pairs, Patrick Kane and Derrick Rose get injured at roughly the same time.
• The Mayoral race in Chicago extended to a runoff.  If the Laquan McDonald story had garnered more spotlight, the runoff might have turned out differently.
• 19 inch snowfall was one of the largest in Chicago history.

Photo courtesy of Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune

Let’s not forget the really important events like The Dress — was it black & blue or white & gold?  All that proved was something I already knew:  women can distinguish between colors much better than men.  There was something about llamas on the run, which would make a pretty good name for a band.  [hat tip to Kathy Mathews at Quilting Sewing Creating  for reminding me of those.]

Some more random notes from that file:

•  Hilary Clinton emails,
• 47 republican senators love letter to Iran
• On the Ides of March  Elton John Leads Boycott Against Dolce & Gabbana Over ‘Synthetic Children’ Remarks
• March 27 Horrific plane crash / apparent mass murder in the Alps
• Indiana and “religious freedom.”
• Terror suspects arrested in Aurora
• Bears sign a sketchy player

April 12th:   At the Coachella music festival on Sunday, Madonna  stunned Drake and the rest of the world when she planted a long intimate kiss big one on another celebrity also known for his first name (Drake).  Everyone is quick to remind us that Madonna is 56-year-old.

“Some of us are pausing, uncomfortably, to acknowledge that our response would have been outrage if a man had forced a woman into a kiss. Others among us know that a 56-year-old man kissing a 28-year-old woman would be referred to as no big deal.”  http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/04/14/madonna-drake-coachella-kiss/

April 18th:   ESPN reporter Britt McHenry is the latest anti-darling of America’s collective rage after video surfaced of her being a huge twat to a tow lot employee.

Earthquake in Nepal.  Two earthquakes in the spring killed over 8,500 and also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that killed at least 17 people.

4/27/2015 — Protests and Riots in Baltimore because of the death of Freddie Gray.

May/2015  Duggar Scandal.  Joe Biden’s son dies.

6-1-2015  Caitlyn Jenner

Charleston shooter and the Confederate Flag

6/26/2015  SCOTUS rules marriage for all.  Some states tried to force exceptions. And Kim Davis, a county clerk, refused to issue licenses for religious reasons.  It didn’t end well for her but at least she got to meet The Pope.

August: lion gets shot, dentist gets skinned.   Cecil the lion that made your Facebook feed explode after being killed by an American dentist in Zimbabwe. The dentist regrets it. The natives of Zimbabwe, not so much.

Sept: pope visits, House Leader John Bohner retires.

That’s essentially where I stopped.  Luckily I subscribe to the Daily Skimm and was able to augment some of these as well as remember a few more items.  [hat tip to Julia Passamani at Lipstick, Lollipops and Life for turning me onto the Daily Skimm.]

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