Four Thoughts for Friday...

Every week there are things that show up in the news...on my social media feed...on a weird CNN news blip...or somehow otherwise cross my path that really make me think. Sometimes, these thoughts are pensieve and meaningful. Other times these thoughts are more in the realm of 'WTF!?!' This week tended to lean more towards the 'WTF!?!' side of the spectrum. So, if you haven't been completely puzzled or perplexed by these issues this week...you're welcome! You can now head scratch and eye roll with the rest of us. (Or...you know...me!)

 1. Fireworks: There were two mind blowingly (and in a minute you'll see why that's a TERRIBLE pun!) stupid things that caught my attention about fireworks this week. Ok...there were three if you count the fact that I can't understand why people don't pick up their firework trash after the 4th of July!? I digress... First, you may have heard the story of the 22 year old that lit a firework on his head, immediately dying when said firework exploded. ('mind blowingly stupid'...right!?...Too soon?) It seems almost too obvious to state in writing how bizarre and idiotic this is, but stupider still might be the fact that his parents are now calling on politicians to put stricter regulations on fireworks. I'm not saying fireworks shouldn't have some kind of regulation. I mean, they are essentially bombs. HOWEVER, there is no way to regulate that kind of stupidity. I just...I don't even have the words for this ridiculousness.

If the firework on the head thing wouldn't have happened, the most annoyingly stupid thing that would have happened with fireworks this 4th of July would have been the NFL player who blew off 2 of his fingers with a firework, thus likely ending his NFL career. What?! WHAT!? I'm sorry, because I know I'm a semi-paranoid, semi-hypochondriac, but if I was a multi-million dollar NFL player who relied on my body and hands to make a living, do you know how careful I would be with my body and hands!? I'm not saying they should be living in a bubble and be a slave to the gym, but maybe not blowing your fingers off in the name of freedom and independence would be a great place to start!

2. The 2016 Presidential Election: Donald Trump is inexplicably climbing in the polls...another no name Democrat has tossed his/her hat into the ring to challenge Hillary Clinton...Scott Walker is set to announce his candidacy any minute now...my "I Side With" quiz results gave me Bernie Sanders as my candidate of choice, but I fundamentally disagree with just about everyone of his stances on foreign policy...there are 19, YES 19 candidates in the Republican field...I already dislike everything about the 2016 election and it's not even 2016 yet!

3. The Bachelorette: I am a total "hate watcher" of The Bachelorette, and, because I don't have TV and can only watch it on Hulu playback, I usually don't even subject myself to a whole episode. Instead I browse for, what I call, the 'dirty highlights,' which pretty much involves crying, drama, or interviews that look particularly awkward. Basically, that means I've ended up watching A LOT of this season...which has got to be the worst season ever. J Word wonders how/why I even bother, and this was the best analogy I could give him: Sometimes, when I'm driving along the highway, I'll see a particularly nasty piece of roadkill coming up on the shoulder, and I'll tell myself not to look at it, because I really have no stomach for that kind of thing, and I know it will be disgusting and (if gross enough) maybe even make me gag...but then as I drive past I look anyway! And guess what happens!? It's completely gross, and momentarily nauseates me, and I knew it was going to happen and that I should not look, but morbid curiosity makes me do it...

...and that's The Bachelorette!

But I can't help it...and then Mookie and I speculate on what's going to happen in the end, and how everyone on the show is ruining their lives, and how people are generally insane. I hate myself a little for actually being curious about how this whole season will end.   

4. It's Shark Week: First of all, ABC should buy the rights to "Shark Week" and run it after The Bachelorette on Monday nights! It's like the same thing. Secondly, I don't watch "Shark Week" because, as previously mentioned, I don't have real TV, and something about Hulu-ing Shark Week just seems weird. And then it dawned on me...Shark Week is on Hulu! And it's on Netflix! Which means every week can be Shark Week...and this goes without saying because it's not like sharks disappear the other 51 weeks of the year. Not that you'd know this from reading my friend's Facebook statuses. I can only take one more "Guys!! Sharks are like AMAZING! Like WOW!" We all recognize that the Discovery Channel didn't actually discover sharks this week, right!?

If you want real entertainment, watch Shark Tank because I seriously saw this thing in Bed, Bath and Beyond the other day. That's right...someone's making millions of dollars on a smiley face sponge!

Enough with the ranting! Rage on runners and readers! 

Happy Trails,