StnaR

I keep a little yellow sticky pad by me most of the time, and record stupid things I run across till the “rant tank” is pretty full. Then it needs to be emptied.  Apparently (sadly?) one of my more popular postings, food be damned (for today), we'll draw down the tank (no pictures! no pictures!!)

Phone Culture

We all have one, and like the old saying: “you can’t live with ‘em, and you can’t live without ‘em” (WHERE’S my phone????) and with the onset of the giving season, commercials for same and associated topics have proliferated. 

There are GEICO commercials of dogs trained to snatch the phone from your hand.

The woman looking at some phenomenon yelling “Take the Picture! TAKE THE PICTURE!!” and the doofus with the phone protruding from his pocket and a Taco Bell chicken roll up in each hand, and just shrugs shoulders.

A woman extolling the beauty of some "amazing" mountain scenery saying to unseen partner: “look at those amazing mountains---you’re not even looking!”;   “no, I’m posting the amazing pictures I took with my iPhone(?); whereupon they launch into the phone and it’s features of THREE CAMERA’S.

Moral as the Feeder sees it:  Our society seems to be evolving to the point where the only reason to visit places of natural or man-made beauty is NOT for personal satisfaction, education, and enjoyment, it is only to take phone pictures and post them on your favorite site.  I think somebody could hold up a painting and the result would be the same.  Reality is my phone.  Sad.

And there is no doubt that most of the out and out phone commercials and networks are aimed at a generation that I am considered part of.  Most protagonists are young, vital, and whatever “hip” connotes today. The “music” that accompanies most of the pieces are atonal and almost akin to rap. 

One particular segment from (maybe) Boost Mobile is a bit difficult for me to describe.  It features Pitbull (whom I have heard of!) and somebody named Dale Mas (whom I have NOT heard of).  Dale (if that’s her name), could be described by a phrase MFO uses sometimes as: “someone who doesn’t mind a cheeseburger”, along with her troupe of similar body type “dancers”.  Anyway, while the announcer is extolling the benefits of Boost Mobile, Dale and her team are in the background, doing what I suppose they consider “dancing”, feet more than shoulder width apart, toes pointing outward (Ninja warrior like) and “stomping” while flinging their arms in the air in a series of what I would consider anything approaching graceful, more like grotesque..  It is hard (for me) to watch.

Just for the record, I DO NOT have a flip phone.  Okay, on to

Automobiles

No need to talk about re-treads (get it??), like the car that is not a car, but “love”, or the gentleman who gets a GMC truck for each of them (~$70K total); or the (luxury) car made in Japan with the very British lady asking us to make it a “Decembah to remembah” by purchasing said auto.

No, there are two that have caught my attention, one that I (believe it or not) actually like!

Don’t like:  An auto whose symbol is a circle with a three pronged "peace symbol" inside who says “the best or nothing” often featuring Santa with a fleet of said autos.  one with the little pup who has to go potty is kind of cute, but a newer one features a snotty arrogant kid who takes a phone photo of Santa bending over delivering packages, and the kid takes one of his ample (to be expected) hind quarters.  Holds his phone/image up and tells the jolly old elf: “it would be a shame if this went Viral” (there’s that phone culture thing again) and the red dressed gentleman jovially  says “Okay, kid you got me, what would you like?  A drone? A play station?”  Nope says the little brat, I want your sleigh!  Cut to a red German convertible.  Never he says.   Cut to next morning when dad and mom stand in driveway in jammies and a cup, saying “junior did well this year” Stupid all around.

Like (!!): actually another Geico commercial.  Extremely button down, naive mom and dad in driveway with blindfolded son, gleefully announcing “okay, Happy Birthday! Take off your blindfold, this is for you!”  Kid takes off the blindfold to see they are all standing around a behemoth bathtub like 4-Door station wagon, maybe an older Chevy Caprice or something with beige panels on a darker beige body.  Kid looks shocked like he’s seen a ghost or something “oh no beige on beige!"  How do you expect me to drive such thing?”  Goofy dad says “you turn the key, and mimics steering wheel motions”, and the “Harriet Nelson” Mom cheerfully says: “it has cup holders!”

I don’t know who the kid actor is, but he deserves an Oscar on the spot.  Look of total devastation is perfect and priceless.

A tease

Well, the tank is about ¾ empty, and the page count mounts so I’ll “leave them wanting more”, by saying in all my years of following Tom Sietsema’s restaurant reviews I have never seen him give an “award” of one half a star to an eatery.   Details to follow.

For now

DFD