Between Something and Nothing

So - these questions go out to you folks of a certain age:

Remember when there was only one MTV?

Remember when MTV played only videos?

Remember when new videos were an event?

Along the way, MTV decided to add features that were not directly linked with music, like the once-groundbreaking "Real World" and its kid brother "Road Rules." The flood gates opened. MTV unleashed the likes of Snooki and Speidi on the world, and the innocent were left crouching in the corner, rocking ourselves to sleep, singing in hushed tones that "Reality TV Killed the Video Star."

When MTV started changing direction, they created MTV2 as a place for non-stop, commercial free music video viewing. [Sure, now MTV2 has its own roster of reality shows and videos seem to be going the way of the buffalo. But I digress.]

In a sort of lowbrow comparison, I see my blog as original MTV. It started out as a place where I could share my poetry, discuss poetry, blah blah blah. BUT. In attempt to set the right tone and express myself in other ways, the poetry got lost. The poems became few and far between, and just didn't mesh with the rest of the blog. But I still write. You just haven't seen it. So...I'm migrating the poetry-related stuff to my own MTV2...called "Between Something and Nothing."

The title is tribute to one of my favorite Ocean Blue songs and a seemingly good description of where my poetry often rests. So...we'll see how this goes. It's still a site in transition, and I hope to get some new material up soon.

For poetry related posts, visit: Between Something and Nothing.
For everything else, stay tuned to The Humble Pen.
For those who don't care either way, here's a bit of music for you to enjoy:

the ocean blue-between something and nothing

Such Random Things (NJ edition)

• It's official - Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 will be held at the New Meadowlands Stadium...in NEW JERSEY, thank you very much! Not New York. Even the so-called New York teams play in New Jersey. Just admit it, New York. You wish you were us.


• Is it the end of an era? The end of times? The end of the innocence? No. It's just the end of fictional TV shows, people. Life will carry on. Except if networks resort to more trashy reality shows (especially about NJ!) to fill the empty time slots. Then, I would share your tears.


• Just watched the original "Karate Kid", for the umpteenth time. Classic '80s. You can't remake a classic and still think it will be as good as the original. "Karate Kid" (2010) may or (more likely) may not live up to the hype. Either way, it just can't compare to the story of Jersey transplant Daniel LaRusso learning the ways of the master, Mr. Miyagi, and getting the girl in the end (played by real-life Jersey native Elisabeth Shue)


• It's almost Memorial Day weekend and around these parts, that means alot of good things - most notably, the start of beach season! Think you know the Jersey Shore by watching those orange kids punch each other out? Sorry, friend. This is the real Jersey Shore. And this. And I'll be there. Maybe you'll be, too.

Livin' the Dream?

When I was a kid, we didn't have "Career Day" - those school days when adults (typically, parents) come into the classroom to discuss their career choices and talk with the students about their career aspirations. Because, we all know what we want to be when we're 8. Being that I never experienced a "Career Day," I can't say too much about it, except that even though kids typically have no clue what their parents do for a living, with such an educational day, at least they might get an glimpse of what options are out there. Maybe.

I don't recall receiving too much career guidance in high school or college either. Maybe I wasn't driven enough to seek the answers, but I think it was that I didn't even know what questions to ask. Even when selecting a college major, as a young adult, I had no idea what was out there or what I could even do with my degree once I graduated. I envy those who ever had such clarity in their life's direction. I graduated with honors in my major and have done well enough in my career since then.

Now, as an adult, I find myself wondering yet again, "What do I want to be when I grow up?"

Blank.

I know what I've done, kinda know what I could do with my experiences going forth, but there is a nagging feeling that there is still more out there, more that I can do with my time here on Earth. And in typical Chrissy fashion, I find myself too scared to take the leap into the void to seek what that could be. After all, I'm not getting any younger, and there is more at stake now than when I first left college.

Someone I know recently made the decision to explore that void, and I am in awe of her. She did the brave thing and is seeking to fulfill her dreams. She has talent like no one I've known, and whatever she does, I am confident she will do amazing things. She listened to that voice within her, growing louder over time, pushing her in the direction she was meant to travel. I'm straining to listen to mine...or at least accept what it is saying.

So, because I'm struggling with this, I would really like your feedback:
Have you followed your career dream? If so, are you happy that you did? If not, why not?

It's an Octogenarian's World

Who said this world is being taken over by a bunch of whining 20-somethings? OK, maybe alot of people said that, but it seems the tide is turning - and quickly!

Case 1:
Everyone's favorite 88 1/2 year old, Betty White, just hosted Saturday Night Live (thanks to a Facebook fan campaign) in some of the funniest sketches I've seen on that show in ages. Now there's a Facebook campaign to have her host the Academy Awards. She's red hot now, with rave reviews of her Snicker's commercial, her role in "The Proposal", a new TV show Hot in Cleveland, among other guest spots. And those of you who are my age remember her most fondly as the lovable but naïve Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, a show I still watch in re-runs. In short, she's kicking some major young-starlet rear with every bit of zest.

Case 2:
Now, said Facebook fans are looking to have another funny lady host SNL, Carol Burnett. The 77 year-old comedienne has a new book out and is touring (and had I known earlier about her NJ appearance this weekend, I would have loved to have seen her!) Another one who seems much younger than her years, she always makes me smile, and even if she comes to SNL in nothing but a curtain rod and drapes, it would be great to see her knock it out of the park like Betty.

Case 3:
Today, there are stories of an 81 year-old grandmother from Britain, who sang beautifully on Britain's Got Talent, and some are asking if she's the next Susan Boyle, the phenom who blew everyone away with her gorgeous voice. I don't see her star reaching those heights, but the fact that she had the guts to go on stage, sing wonderfully, and have the world talking about her in such a positive way is amazing.

We young folks have a lot to learn from these women - and all seniors, really - that life doesn't stop when you reach a certain age. It keeps going, and can be better than expected. We love these octogenarians, not because they are cute or elderly, but because they show us how it's done - and they do it all so well.