J.J. Goodman: Writings, Musings and More

So it's Monday morning, and I've been observing. And I have thoughts.   (Oh. Sweet. Cripes. I'm gonna need more coffee for this, aren’t I?)   Probably. While I am going to comment on a couple of arguably political topics, I will do my best to refrain from offering my opinion on the subject matters. Nay, I sayeth to thee, my purpose here is to comment not on the topics themselves but on the comments and commentators to the subjects on which I will comment without commenting.   (Ok, nay comment… wait, what? Please don't do this on Monday…)   Too late. I'm on a roll. Therefore, I shall begin with my conclusion and work backwards. In a nutshell, Americans are stupid. And we collectively prove that time and time again. If you ask me, it's not the political policies of one party or another that has diminished American clout world-wide, it's the invention of the Internet. Never before in our history has the voice of the stupid bee...

He didn't belong there. Between his faded jeans, the legs of which were tattered from rubbing on the heels of his well-worn boots, a World War II pin-up t-shirt and the aged, black leather jacket he wore over it, it was a wonder they let him in at all. Of course the pair of Franklins he slipped the bouncer at the door might have had something to do with it. No, this was a younger man's club. It wasn't even so much the grey in his two-day's worth of stubble that set him apart; it was the fact that he wasn't either completely clean shaven or sporting a hipster beard. Looking around he noticed that there was no in between, except for him. The men there were pretty, and that annoyed him. Doing his best to ignore the denizens around him, he made his way from street level, down the industrial, metal staircase and over to the bar. It was lit from beneath and the garish illumination, contrast against the darkness of the rest of club, hurt his eyes. "What the f...

So here's the thing… We are a little over a year and four months away from the next United States Presidential election… and it's started already. What's started, you ask? The vitriol. The political extremism on social media. The ignorance. It's going to be a long year. A long, long year.   I generally try not to venture into the political fray, and the purpose of this post is not to espouse one political agenda over another. No, the purpose of this post is simple – To tell all of you to stop being assholes before you truly become them. Like I said, it's already started. It disappointments me, frustrates me, and sometimes angers me, because the vast majority of political postings I see on social media are nothing more than invectives with little or no social or political substance. It's easy to cast aspersions. How about you try discussing issues?   Perhaps the biggest issue for me is the hypocrisy. And it comes from both sides of the politica...

So I'm feeling the need to write. No jokes, no parenthetical heckler, just words. Why? Because I've realized something recently that troubles me. I look around and I'm plagued by one overreaching, all-encompassing query: Why does everything suck, everywhere? This isn't intended as a Debbie-downer post. It's more a philosophical one, in which I simple desire to post some thoughts, some questions, and some theories centered on the reason why a proverbial darkness has cast a pall across my social landscape. Please keep in mind that I am speaking in general terms here. By and large life is pretty damn good for me right now. I have a new home, good job, wonderful friends and family, and a dog that does a happy dance every single day when I get home from work as if I'd just returned from a six month hike in the Himalayas. That being said, I still find everything around me coated, to paraphrase from Christmas Vacation , in a non-nutritive varnish of malai...

So it's Tuesday, and it's raining, and it's a new month that should feel like the month it is but it really feels like a month that it's really not because instead of feeling like this month it feels like a month four months from now.   (I…wait, I think I understood that, but…. Dude. Seriously. Decaf.)   HAHAHAHAHA…No. Drinking decaffeinated coffee is like going to a hooker for a hug. You pay the same price but get none of the rapturous joy.   (And you know this, how, exactly?)   Because someone gave me decaf once. ONCE. Anywhoos…. I've been having some random thoughts. I think I'm gonna share them.   (Oh sweet bejeebus, this ought to be good.)   Shut it, you. I think you'll find some of them downright inspiring. By way of background, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about myself, the people in my life, the people that have come and gone over time. I've pondered my actions, reactions, succes...