Talk of a Twenty-Five Dollar Checked Bag

I always check a bag and my carry-on bag is so small that it goes under the seat in front of me.  Just couldn’t imagine getting involved in a squabble over overhead bin space while boarding a plane.  My jacket will fall nicely over someone else’s checked bag in the bin.  My travel habits won’t change over twenty-five smackers.  Do I begrudge the airline a profit?  Well, No. I actually like them having a sufficient budget for airplane repairs when needed. .   I recall seeing an episode of “Mayday” whereby a plane went down because the airline was too cash strapped to conduct repairs without cutting corners.    That money comes from money charged to passengers because that’s where their revenue is derived.  It comes from the service they provide you, the passenger.  In capitalist North America, we have the opportunity to vote with our feet.  Don’t fly.  Find a new airline.  Boycott for a period.  Voice  your displeasure in a manner which detrimentally affects their bookings.  Take a bus.  Hitchhike.  Beg for a ride on kijiji.  You get the picture.  Your world won’t crumble over $25.  In fact, reallocate the wasted funds from the duty free shop and you’re back on par. Enjoy the excitement at the carousel upon arrival.  Maybe find a new love by feigning the retrieval of some lovely ladies luggage as it drops from the chute.

Immunization From Negativity

If not careful in this information age, one can become overexposed to the phenomenon of what I like to call “inspiration deadening” and consequently one must continually strengthen one’s immunization from  negativity in order to keep the success path flowing.  The mind requires exercise in order for it to filter out meaningless chatter from useful data.  Unfortunately, most people’s filtering mechanism is weak and subject to anything and everything it encounters.  Instead of whizzing through uninterruptedly, extraneous information gets absorbed, digested and interpreted in a context where it doesn’t belong.  An excessive manifestation of such mind activity contributes to paranoia like behavior.

Dr. Robert Cialdini is his book “Influence” makes reference to the power of a collective pattern of behaviors when ascribing a typical response anticipated from a new cast of characters.  Without citing the numerous examples highlighted by Cialdini, people are unfortunately drawn into behaviors principally because of other’s responses first without exercising their own cognition in interpreting events.  Advertisers love you!  A purchasing decision is apparently directly correlated with star power given the endorsement money paid to celebrities and athletes. You love companies because you follow the stars.  You are influenced highly according to Dr. Cialdini.

The bigger question then goes begging, if you are so significantly influenced, what does this say about your own personal power when it comes to exercising intuition about your strengths unbeknownst to the influencers?

At any instant in time someone is writing something negative on the internet and you are either purposefully ignorant of its message, open to suggestion but off line, reading and filtering, or reading and absorbing.  You’ve perhaps already experienced family forces from an alien domain.

Your potential is huge but it can be eroded through suggestion from people who have no business entering the passageway to your glorious self revelation.  You are developing your own personal protocol for immunization from negativity.

Boorish Pouters At The Open

Do permit me to stand up and condemns the on court antics of the spoiled brat boorish pouters at the Open.  Professional tennis players apparently have either never comprehended or have totally lost sense of the good sportsmanship qualities which foster healthy competition thereby contributing to the good of the game.  Players are not the only ones responsible.  Sports broadcasters and news media outlets as well as chair umpires contribute to the phenomenon of on court pouts by either outright condoning the behaviour as a cathartic necessity or compelled to believe that the highlight reel will be incomplete without the imagery of a racquet being destroyed.  Sponsors show no particular disdain for the character behind their product representatives.  Does an umpire feel intimidated should they actually levy a penalty against the skulking multimillionaire whiner who plays a sport for a living while Joe Family guy who treats his daughter to a special event gets to explain away the proceedings during the car ride home?  It’s frankly shameful.

Melissa Etheridge Concert Review Calgary September 2 2014

Who knew she was playing at the Jube? Thanks Tanika for the picture and apres bus ride banter contributing to this Melissa Etheridge concert review! I came to learn of Melissa Etheridge’s solo gig on the same day through lucky happenstance over at Kijiji.  My spontaneous side said let’s go and moved to the kitchen to prepare a late afternoon office snack for later hitching a ride on transit to the show.

I expected a couple hours of Melissa sitting idly playing unplugged given no accompaniment.  However; instead she brought along two banks of guitars, a piano and a metronome like percussion and rhythm aid which enabled her to bring a big band feel to her vibrant hits of yesteryear.  That raspy rock voice was unmistaken as she took to the stage playing feverishly to a hard core Calgary following.  Her supreme stage presence and signature high key were on display early.  Softness and subtlety was also demonstrated in her piano cover of Joan Armatrading.   Harmonica and slide guitar added breadth and intricacy to melodies inspired by rich lyrics sometimes laden with social innuendo.  A Melissa Etheridge concert review would be incomplete without acknowledging her charming persona obviously enriched through life experience and motherhood.

Two new songs, “Take My Number” and “Monster” were showcased from her soon to be released album “This is MMelissa Etheridge Concert Review.E.”  Look to see the former hitting charts.   Other big hits included, I Want to Come Over, and Chrome Plated Heart.

Bring Me Some Water closed out the show prior to a most fitting encore.  Lead guitar skills were on extreme display with “Like The Way I Do”.  The ballet theatre turned absolute rock house for this ten minute tirade!  Particular explosive moments had her hitting high vocal notes with purity to the delight of an audience either stymied by her brilliance or lost in the uninhibited ecstasy of this masterful musical performance.

For upcoming tour dates:

http://www.melissaetheridge.com/tour/

 

September 2nd, 2013, Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, Alberta Canada