Month: September 2007

Humor, Media, Social Commentary

I Know Paul Potts and He’s No Pol Pot

Posted on by Bake My Fish

If you are looking for a Boomer reference in this post, you won’t find it. The Blog is titled Boomer Twilight; therefore, I apologize for failing in my expressed purpose.

There is this fellow named Paul Potts. He was born in 1970, which means he doesn’t qualify as a Boomer. I suppose the fact Pol Pot was mentioned in an effort to be quirky, qualifies as some skewed Boomer view, since Pol Pot was a Cambodian menace during the Vietnam War-era. But I am officially obsessed with Paul Potts. Here is a video of his audition for “America’s Got Talent.”  Grab a hanky.

America’s Got Talent is a phenomenon. I never watched it. My evaluation of the show was based strictly on the quick blurbs obtained from clips on TV. Simon always seemed mean and rude. Maybe he is. Paul Potts brought out the best in Simon, so maybe he’s not.

I have also not been a fan of Opera. No particular reason. Just never paid much attention and I don’t own a tux. Paul Potts has made me a fan. His album just came out, and I’ll either buy it or steal it on the Internet. Pavarotti died recently. Perhaps we have his replacement. Sorry . . . Paul’s not Italian. Isn’t that kind of blasphemous?

Paul is an inspiration. A short, chubby chap from Wales, with bad teeth and lacking confidence, who sells mobile phones (until now). Kudos to Paul for overcoming all this. When you hear his voice there is just no possible way you cannot be impressed. I have watched the video many, many times and I get misty every time. I mean every time. He ended up winning “Britain’s Got Talent” and is now a star. He has appeared on the Today Show (with backup singers), Ellen DeGeneres and several others of which I am not sure (probably Larry King). The point is, Paul has made it despite the odds.

In every interview I have seen, Paul Potts comes across as this real kind, unassuming, gentle, humble guy, who loves his wife. Hopefully the success he will realize as a star doesn’t change him for the worse. My guess is he will continue to be Paul Potts, provided his handlers let him be normal. You know the vultures are lining up to get a piece, and they will pick at him like Magpies on roadkill.

Please Paul, stay real and continue to please the world with your voice.

With Love,

Bake My Fish

P. S. Paul Potts now.

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70s, 80s, Boomer, Facts, Food, Health, Humor, Media, Music, Rock and Roll, Root Boy Slim, Social Commentary, Washington Music Scene

Dare To Be Fat

Posted on by Bake My Fish

One of my favorite musicians was Root Boy Slim; circa late 70s – early 80s. He was a genius, who attended Yale University and was a fraternity brother of George W. Bush (in fact when George took over as Fraternity President, he kicked Root Boy out of the club). His real name was Foster McKenzie, III. A noble name for a person thought by most to be a derelict; the type of guy you expected to be living in a Whirlpool refrigerator box over a steam grate in Washington, DC. Well, he did have an apartment above a garage in Silver Spring, MD at one point in time. If you have an interest in him, check out his biography Roots of Root If you attended the University of Maryland during his 15 minutes of fame, you may have seen him at the Varsity Grill or other haunts in the vicinity.

What appealed to me was his Rock/Blues style and the lyrics of his songs. He was a hoot. Some of his bigger “hits” were “I Broke My Mood Ring,” “Boogie ’til You Puke,” “Dozin’ and Droolin’,” “Too Sick to Reggae,” and my favorite “Dare to Be Fat.” He died about a month before his 48th birthday. Not surprising, since he was obese and abused every chemical substance possible. My purpose here is not to sell you on the wonder and fascination of Root Boy Slim . . . . it is to lead into “Dare to Be Fat.”

Most Boomers are daring their bodies to live with the medical marvel of maintaining obesity via drugs and surgery. Our bodies can only take so much, not to mention our Health Care System. Surely, my early demise could be caused by some other disease or calamity; however, it won’t be obesity that takes me away. Although it may seem cavalier given my own indiscretions, I am concerned about how our Health Care System has suffered because of our Lifestyle.

I take a few drugs, which I want to discontinue. Medication for hypertension and high cholesterol, both of which can be attributed to allowing my body to grow to the point of obscenity, are a reality. Is it fair to those who take care of themselves to allow the Health Care System to keep me in check? These drugs are not cheap. Even though I absorb a co-payment, the overpriced cost of the medications is borne by the System. Sure, we can blame the drug companies for charging too much, but don’t we share some of that blame? If we didn’t eat ourselves silly, there would be no need for the drugs and no pharmaceutical companies to attack.

I don’t want to appear as some hero simply because I lost weight. I want those who are challenging the Health Care System to understand that it is only a band-aid. Obesity takes too many of us well before we should go. I worked until I was 68. Not just because I selfishly wanted to live a long time; I enjoyed the office atmosphere and being around people. Cutting it short unnecessarily, because I felt the need for too many bagels, doughnuts, Big Macs, Double Cheeseburgers and super-sized this and that, seemed a waste. Yeah, all those things taste good, but they’re deadly. Pay attention to what you are consuming before you are at the point of no return. Losing weight is not particularly enjoyable. I feel deprived. I also feel good.

Get a scale and get on it every morning. As your clothes start to feel tight, eat a salad. Drink a diet soda. Consume less. Exercise. It’s not the American Way, but don’t you think it’s odd that half the world is starving, while the other half is trying to lose weight?

That’s my speech for the day.

With Love,

Bake My Fish

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Boomer, Cynicism, Humor, Media, Social Commentary

Amber Alert Goes Red

Posted on by Bake My Fish

I was driving to work one morning, when the blurt of an alarm came on the radio to announce an Amber Alert. Personally, I think Amber Alerts are a wonderful tool; a way of combating the perverts who feel the need to prey upon young children, making it possible for us common citizens to lend a hand in the capture of the culprits. All well and good; however, the assumed need to be “politically correct” interfered with the Alert because the description of the suspect and victim was so veiled in obscurity it was useless.

This is what I heard . . . . “3-year-old, Kyren Parks, 47 pounds. Suspected abductor . . . . Robert Douglas, 6 feet, 170 lbs.” That’s it! That was the description! They gave a general idea of the locale, but it was just as vague. So, I am looking for a male/female, Caucasian American/African American/Asian American/Hispanic American (sorry, I can’t think of any more hybrid Americans) child, 47 pounds, and a pretty thin Caucasian American/African American/Asian American/Hispanic American/probably male, who is the suspected abductor. Thankfully for everyone involved, there was not a tragic ending.

What the hell is going on in this country? Why can’t we describe people? Why is it so insulting to the specific race/ethnic group/religious affiliation/cult/whatever to give a detailed description of the suspect so the Amber Alert can actually help? We’re talking about a child being abducted here, not some 7-11 being robbed of $23 and a Mountain Dew Slurpee.

I understand the concern about profiling when identifying various races/ethnic groups/religious affiliations/cults/whatever with various activities that seem to be overwhelmingly skewed in any one direction. We don’t want to immediately associate a race/ethnic group/religious affiliation/cult/whatever with any particular criminal activity by inadvertently categorizing the person as the member of a certain race/ethnic group/religious affiliation/cult/whatever because it would be innately wrong. But we are dealing with children when it comes to an Amber Alert, and unless you have no heart at all, children do matter.

I continued on my way to work and at every stop light looked around for a small male/female, Caucasian American/African American/Asian American/Hispanic American child, 47 pounds, and a pretty thin Caucasian American/African American/Asian American/Hispanic American/probably male, who is the suspected abductor. Fortunately, I didn’t confront a father taking his child to pre-school or the donut shoppe and make a fool out of myself by beating the snot out of him because he might be the suspect.

Let’s throw this silly urge to be unbiased out the window and give better descriptions during Amber Alerts of both the suspects and the victims. I would rather save a child than insult a race/ethnic group/religious affiliation/cult/whatever.

(By the way, Kyren is a boy.)

With Love,

Bake My Fish

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