Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like (some aspects of) the government shutdown. Some good people - - including family members - - have been furloughed by the recent government shutdown. This is not an aspect of the shutdown that I enjoy. However, I have no problem with parks, zoos or old clocks not operating at full capacity. Yeah, old clocks. Check this out:

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In short, the person(s) that gets paid untold amounts to wind this clock can’t perform his/her job because of the shutdown. I’m am completely OK with this. Our country is in debt to the tune of $17 trillion dollars. Maybe this shutdown is actually good for highlighting ridiculous expenses and helping us see that we can indeed get by without them.

This week, I love the Mannings. Grab the tissues and listen to watch this tale of how a broken circle of fatherhood was reformed and now thrives. In The Book of Manning, a film by ESPN about Archie Manning, his sons and their football success, it is clarified that the love and devotion Archie showed to his three sons stemmed from the loss of his father.

Archie had the money and other resources to develop all three of his sons into recipients of college football scholarships and Super Bowl MVP awards. But the resources he used were completely free: his time and love. His boys reached these heights anyway and Archie’s relationship with his sons is better for it. This film reminds me of how great my father is and makes me want to be just as great for my son.

This week, I don’t like pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice makes this list for two reasons: it tastes bad and it is highly annoying. Coffee, pie, air freshener, donuts, M&Ms - it’s more difficult to list the products that don’t feature a pumpkin spice variation these days. We can assume that pumpkin pie was the first edible use of this member of the gourd family. Do you know the history of this culinary evolution? I’m pretty sure it came about because times were tough and there was nothing else to eat. When conditions improved, eating pumpkin pies served as a reminder of how bad things can be. But that message got twisted somewhere along the way and now we have a spice that can make all things taste like pumpkins. Tell me that pumpkin spice reminds you of fall but don’t you dare say that you enjoy the way it tastes. That’s offensive to your ancestors.