Damn!  This year is flying by right before our eyes.  Already it is Saint Patrick’s Day.  And here my liver has just begun to recover from last years holiday season. In the news this year’s parade chairman for New Haven is saying that the parade is going to be the biggest in years.  I don’t know how that is going to be possible being that I am pretty sure the city has not overturned the ban on the famous open-containers being allowed outdoors while the parade is underway.  I mean it was the closest thing to being in New Orleans this side of - well New Orleans.  Of all the things that made New Haven a destination for tourists the Saint Patty’s day parade was hands down the most successful one day event ever.  Anyway, I hope all of you take the opportunity to come out and have a blast.  The clubs are all geared up to serve the crowds and celebrate some guy named Patrick who chased some snakes out of Ireland some time ago.  Didn’t know that did ya now?  I personally think the drinking part of the celebration comes from him having to get tanked in order to deal with herding thousands of snakes around.  Who knows about that part but it’s a good reason to party so get out and enjoy.

The next thing I want to rant about is Charlie Sheen.  I hate the idea that we live in a society where we love to be right behind someone when they are on the top of their game but as soon as they fall we are all over them like white on rice.  And the worst part is that as with him, even on the local level where we all live we live to kick a guy when he’s down.  And the people yelling the loudest and pointing the sharpest fingers are 99 percent of the time just as or more guilty of the same crap if not guilty of much worse!  It begs to ask, why can’t we all just get along?  The unfortunate answer is the cost of therapists.  WHAT?  Yes, the cost of getting therapy is to blame if you ask me.  Here is my concept.  There are a lot, almost overwhelming amounts of people out there that are not happy with their lives.  This can be for God knows how many reasons but for the most part we either don’t know what is out of balance or we don’t know how to deal with the things life throws at us.  And being human, we all need to find relief from the pressure that is subconsciously there and we get that by watching someone else go down in flames.  Not literally in flames but for a short time as we watch and talk about someone else’s problems, for a few seconds we get to pay attention to something besides our own problems and thus we get a small but much needed respite.

I just wish we could re-channel all of that into help and support for each other when we are down.  Charlie is a very talented actor.  Is he the best, no.  But he is the reason I tune in to watch the show.  And just because he has fallen into the same kind of rut we all fall into from time to time is not a reason to condemn him.  Sure he has a bigger drug and booze problem then we would have.  But then lie everything in life, his problem is supper sized because he has the resources and money to pay out. If we want to drink our problems away and only have a hundred bucks we pretty much are cut off at that point.  Not true with those people that have black American Express cards. That, in my opinion, is the reason their problems are so much bigger.

Well enough of my rant now, Josh is telling me I am blowing deadline so I have to get this over to his office so I will leave you with this; just imagine how much better off we all would be if we all reached out a hand when someone falls instead of getting recreation from watching that person go down in those proverbial flames.  I for one plan on in the future, turning off the gossip channel, saying a prayer and not pointing any fingers.  Sounds a little like the golden rule doesn’t it.  Hey, it’s Saint Patty’s day and I hope to see you out and about.

Tags: 2011, 38-05, EARLY MARCH