Wish I Understood...

...why bad things happen to good people? I know that's a cliché statement, but I can't think of any other way to sum things up. For me personally, I can usually see how I've brought things on myself, but every day I hear of things happening to people who deserve better. I guess in the grand scheme of things, good things also happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people, and there is no rhyme or reason that we can see. This weekend I'll be attending a funeral service for the older sister of one of my good college buddies. About 10 years ago, his mom passed away, and at the age of 83, his father has now outlived both his wife and his oldest daughter. My friend's faith is strong and he seems to have a good attitude about the whole thing, missing her while accepting that she's with God now and not in pain. In addition to three siblings and a father she leaves behind a husband, and I'm not sure but possibly children as well. I don't think this was something that was expected but I don't have the full story yet. It sounds like she got meningitis while visiting, got hospitalized for about a week and then suffered liver failure. I'm guessing she was roughly in her late 30s or early 40s based on my buddy's age. That's too young, and somehow these things are always worse when they're unexpected. I remember when my mom lost her cousin, who was more like a kid sister to her. The woman went from having a broken leg in a cast to getting some kind of blood clot to some kind of instant diabetes that put her in a coma, and she was gone within three days. My mom actually questioned God for a while after that, was angry and couldn't understand how He could let something like that happen. It's hard, and I have to admire my friend and his brother for viewing this as “see you later” more than “goodbye”. I know not everyone believes that, but even if those of us that do turn out to be wrong, it has to make the situation easier to process. If the atheists are right, we'll no longer have any form of consciousness to know that we were wrong, at which point it won't matter. Still, it's only human for us to want more time with the people and places we love in this world.

...why people still equate animation with children. It's an artistic medium, the same as illustration, painting, sculpture, music, or any other creative endeavor, and as such can convey subject matter for any age. As I mentioned, there were a lot of parents with small children at the matinee for Fantastic Mr. Fox. There is a difference between a G movie and a PG movie, but I suppose on a Sunday morning with antsy kids, there weren't any other options playing. It's not as bad as the time a woman's crying baby disrupted my viewing of Saw III. What was she thinking? Could she not get a sitter? Did someone graffiti the word “See” before the title on the movie poster outside? I don't get it. Meanwhile, in a world in which 3/4 of FOX Animation Domination is ruled by the envelope-pushing Seth MacFarlane and films like Fritz the Cat and Heavy Metal are 30-40 years old, I'm thinking a little more research wouldn't hurt. With the internet, a parent has all the information he or she needs. A review here or a message board post there would clarify whether or not an animated feature was child-friendly. It's even possible to find trailers or clips to preview ahead of time.

...why some people think vomit is funny. I never understood the appeal of the pie-eating contest scene in Stand by Me and I don't like the vomit jokes in the aforementioned Mr. MacFarlane's work. I won't link to the video, but he already did one scene to death in Family Guy in which everyone in the room starts puking. It's so gross and lowbrow compared to the more sophisticated pop culture references, both nostalgic and obscure. The Cleveland Show tends to have a surprise edge to it, and I'm shocked and impressed by some of the things they've gotten away with on there. They manage to allude or imply certain things without blatantly showing it, and I think you'd be hard pressed to explain to a small child why you were laughing so hard at certain gags. It's probably best to not have a small child in the room though. Still, even on that show he threw in some throwing up, first during a dinner scene in which the main character blows chunks upon hearing his father just did some nasty things with a Madea-inspired transvestite, and later on the porch when he breaks the news to the old man, causing him to now cover the windows, deck, walls...etc. MacFarlane has this technique of repetition that's hit or miss. Certain things become funnier the more he does them. Other things shouldn't even be shown once. I just don't like it. I actually subtracted a star from the not-great-to-begin-with film Duplex because one character throws up on another's face. Why? What writers sit in a room and decide that this is their best joke for a given scene? In my book, there's a clear distinction between shocking and disgusting.

...why people put work before their own health. And that makes me a hypocrite, because I don't take sick days. The last time I missed work for my health was back in 2000, when I was literally bleeding to death. And even then I waited a week to go to a doctor, putting up with sharp pains, weakness, and dizzy spells because I didn't want to miss meetings. The experience did teach me that my health is a priority over doing work for a company. You never know how long a job will last, and though I made it another 7 years before losing that one, I still don't think it was remotely worth almost dying for. As far as colds go, coming in to work increases the risk of infecting others, so going in is probably inconsiderate of others. I would need to have a fever or be in really bad shape to stay home though; minor stuff like a cough, sneeze, or sore throat don't deter me. But on Wednesday, I overheard a fairly extreme example outside my office, as someone was talking about how he hadn't slept in days and was really sick. My ears perked up when I tuned in to him saying something about a doctor calling him about having highly infectious pneumonia with a 67% mortality rate, but by the tail end of the conversation I realized he was describing a hypothetical situation in which he played a practical joke and had a doctor call his office mate with that information. Even if they guy wasn't dying, he still sounded pretty sick, and protested to everyone who told him to leave that he had too much work to do. I'd heard that before, nine years ago out of my own mouth. And with H1N1 concerns, the office has not only installed stations with anti-bacterial soap dispensers, but a slew of absurdly detailed posters on the proper way to wash ones hands. I always do, but if I followed that sign to the letter I'd be ready for surgery. So, with all this awareness about not spreading germs, the sick guy took things to the next level. I swear I thought he was losing a lung when he had a massive coughing fit, and by this point he was no longer in the hall outside my office, but a few hallways away. It was LOUD. And, in an unfortunate segue back to my previous rant, he was apparently vomiting. I heard someone come to one of the offices in my aisle and complain that this guy did it right outside his office. Later I'd hear the same account from someone else, that he'd grabbed a waste basket and just lost it. I feel bad for the cleaning staff. Should you go to work if you're sick? Probably not. Should you go to work if you're THAT sick? Hell no. I hope the guy's okay and feels better, but on a more selfish note, I hope neither I nor anyone else catch anything. There are many things in this life I wish I understood, but some I never will. And right now, I should probably just drink some orange juice and take a ton of vitamins. Perhaps some surgical handwashing is in order.