Fall Of Man

Unless you've been living under a rock, then you're aware of society's state. What was taboo back in the day is acceptable. As I've been pondering over the Adam & Eve story, I got to thinking what would life be like if Adam & Eve hadn't disobeyed God? If they didn't eat the forbidden fruit, life would be bliss. There would be no sickness & disease, no disabilities, poverty, crime & violence or any moral depravity. Because Adam & Eve disobeyed God, we are paying for their mistakes. To be honest, when I read stories about people doing the most heinous of acts, all I can do is shake my head. God didn't intend for society to be like this but when one makes a conscious decision to do what they want, there are repercussions (good or bad). Those repercussions not only affect the person, but everyone involved is indirectly affected. It's like in grade school when one kid did bad, everyone (including the offender) got punished. The lesson learned was one person can mess it up for everyone. I wish there was a rewind & alternate ending button that you could press to take you back to Biblical days with Adam & Eve, edit the outcome and then replay.

Tallahassee, FL according to Richard

Florida's capital city needs to be changed. Here's the catch: Tallahassee was named as Florida's capital city because it was midway between St.Augustine and Pensacola, which were the largest cities at the time during Florida's history. So deciding a capital based on location is where it's at? Sometime in the 70's, Orlando was suggested as Florida's state capital but was shot down quickly. Jacksonville, Tampa/St. Petersburg & Orlando, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale would make GREAT candidates because they are constantly changing with the times. Big business, pro sports, ample recreational opportunities, good colleges/universities. Tallahassee could definitely take a page from the aforementioned areas. There's too much NIMBYism in Tally (Not In My BackYard). Tally is content with being a government town (private sector does better than public sector in tough economies) & nightlife is a joke here (How many times can you go to Top Flite and The Moon? Even Edge will soon be played out, if not already). Simply put, Tallahassee leaders need to get off their sorry butts and do what they were elected to do: Make Tallahassee a world-class city. I see why Rick Scott is cutting state jobs by the thousands because he's trying to get Tallahassee to stop being so dependent on the government as the sole economic engine. In other words, Tally needs to diversify it's economy. Tallahassee is one of the most transient cities in America: college students come here for an education and leave after graduation. You'll get a select few that stay here but for the most part, Tallahassee is transient because anywhere you relocate, it's expected that city has a decent job market and if you can't find a decent job in that city, keep it moving until you find a place that's on the go. Much of my view on Tallahassee comes from having lived here all my life. When you're born and raised in your hometown, you tend to think there's no world outside of your hometown. More and more I'm researching other cities, getting a feel for their job markets and I wouldn't mind living in Texas (2nd best job market in the country-preferably Austin, Dallas/Ft.Worth or Houston. I hear San Antonio is thriving), or any booming southern metro area in the US. Once I finish my MBA (which will be very soon as I'm looking into getting my MBA in a year to a year and a half), I will be more than happy to say bon voyage to Tallahassee. I'll come back for family reasons. Other than that, I've outgrown Tally.

Valentine's Day

It's about that time of year again, Valentine's Day. People go all out for their special someone to show how much they cherish them. My thing is, why wait to show love for your man/woman on V-Day when you should be showing them love year round? Valentine's Day is an excuse for many singles to rent a man or woman for one day and they never see him/her again. That's like spending hundreds of dollars on your senior prom and taking a random girl/guy out for one night knowing you two won't cross paths ever again. It's crazy to me. If I'm going to celebrate Valentine's Day, I have to have a special lady who makes my life better through her existence. This way, I have reason to go all out for her. You're proud of being single all year except for Valentine's Day; that's the one day out of the year you don't want to be alone. You solicit a man or woman to treat to dinner and a movie. If you really want to make an impression, you'll buy Russell Stovers chocolate candy. Buy a woman chocolates and you score major points. I just feel that you should show your mate love year round, not just on their birthday or Valentine's Day. The love shown to your mate on special occasions should be icing on the cake; the culmination of love shown year round.

Politics

It's about that time of year again, the time where presidential candidates travel across the country and solicit votes from citizens. They make promises on what they're going to do once they get into office. Just about every campaign involves mudslinging; candidates airing each other's dirty laundry. It's ridiculous to me because I thought most people grew out of that nonsense but I guess not. Instead of focusing on the issues, the Democrats and Republicans are too busy bickering like clowns. One side doesn't want to bend to the other and vice versa. Look, both sides need to cut this nonsense out and work together to get America back on track. I watched President Obama's State Of The Union address and it was on point. Valid points were made and essentially Obama called out both sides and said that we need to work together to get America back on track. I enjoyed the initiatives he laid out for education, unemployment, job creation, etc.

TV Shows

TV isn't the same as it was in the 80's & 90's. In the 80's and 90's, you had shows like A-Team, Magnum PI, Cosby Show, 227, Martin, Fresh Prince and the list goes on. Nowadays, TV has gone downhill. Everybody and their mama has their own reality show. You can't watch any station without some reality show being on the line-up. I like reality shows just as much as the next person but some shows are just corny. Recently, there was a show that came on WeTV at 9pm Tuesday nights called Downsized. Downsized grew on me quickly because it was REAL. It was about a blended family called the Bruces: Todd was a contractor and Laura was a teacher, they had 7 or 8 children between them. Before the economy crashed, they were living large. As soon as the economy tanked, the Bruce family had to cut back and at one point, the wife considered selling her wedding ring in order to get extra money. The Bruce family suffered one setback after another and I felt for them because no matter what they did, life dealt them one blow after another. Arguments ensued and it looked like they were going to get a divorce but they stuck it out. That show painted a realistic picture of what most couples go through in their relationship when the economy tanks. WeTV didn't renew the show which was stupid because Downsized got very high ratings. Many of my favorite shows came on in the 80's and 90's and after those shows went off the air, I've been hardpressed to find good, quality programming. At least I can watch re-runs on channels 173-174. Another one of my shows was Good Times. I loved that show for the simple fact that it painted the black family in a positive light. No matter what hard times the Evans family faced (believe me, they've had more than their share of hard times), they stuck together. James Evans was that strong black father who kept the family together. He did whatever it took to provide for his family. At times he would get frustrated because for every step forward he took, life would knock him back 2 steps. Most families living in the inner-city could relate to the Evans family. There are very few contemporary shows that I watch; most of the time I watch throwback programming on channels 173-174.



Divorce

Once upon a time, people got married and stayed married for life. Come what may, they were determined not to get a divorce. A couple could be going through the hellish of times but they were determined to stick it out. For marriage vets, they saw hard times as a test to see what their marriage was made of. If they made it through the rough times, they can deal with anything. My hat goes off to all the marriage veterans who have been married for 40+, 50+ and 60+ years. You have marriage legends who have been married for 70 years and up. I read an article about this black couple who has been married 85 YEARS! 85 years of marriage is awesome, it really is. Only God can keep a marriage together that long. The man and woman are in their low 100's. I think what was different with old-school couples and contemporary marriages is that old-school couples understood that marriage is a committment to love each other for better or worse, rich or poor, sickness and health, til death do they part. In today's world, most people give up too quick on their marriages. The first argument they have, one or both parties are ready to sign those papers. Everyone has limits (rightfully so) of what they won't deal with but to split up over minor issues (mostly misunderstandings that can be fixed with clarification) is not that serious. Going further, divorce wouldn't be an issue if couples took their time in getting to know each other. I think a couple should wait at least 3-5 years before they get married. In this manner, they have ample time to get to know one another and if they find out they're not compatible, they call it quits and move on. It doesn't make sense to get married and come to the realization that you two weren't meant to be.

Family Reunions

Family reunions have been in existence for as long as I can remember. Family gets together once a year to find out the happenings and enjoy good food and fun. Some of the greatest memories are from family reunions because you never know when your time is up so it's important to make an effort to spend time with your loved ones. I've been going to family reunions for years; they were fun when I was little but now, I've outgrown them (yes I said it). I love my family but I see them at various points in the year. The best family reunion I went to was Daytona Beach when I was little. Went to the Boardwalk on the beach and had fun all night. My favorite family reunions are in Tyler Perry movies because all the characters look like they have fun being together. Good food & fun, old school music playing...you can't beat that.