Ground Hog Day

Whenever yours truly sees this "holiday" pop up on ye olde calendar, thoughts turn to a handful of old movies rather than speculations as to the end of winter.

That's because the film "Ground Hog Day," starring Bill Murray, was one of the select few that seemed to fascinate my late father.

He could watch it over and over and over and over again . . . and, often did, much to the chagrin of the rest of our none-too-patient nuclear family.

The other "classics according to Dad" were, in no particular order: Evil Roy Slade, Continental Divide, and Forrest Gump.

It always struck me as odd that someone who tended to take him self way too seriously was attracted to such a ridiculous bunch of movies.

To each his own, I guess.

And, there's very little that's better for waiting-out winter than to curl up on an overstuffed couch and popping in a DVD. Might just do that tonight, as there's really nothing good on TV til NCIS comes on . . . .

Pass the popcorn!

Concept of time

It's a cliche' you hear all the time, "That person has no concept of time."

So, it struck me as somewhat humorous as the topic came up while I continue to read Strauss and Howe's book "Fourth Turning," about the cyclical nature of American history/generations.

According to them, there have been (and, I suppose, continue to be) three ways of conceptualizing time:

1. Chaotic. This is the most ancient view, that things happen randomly. One historic event doesn't predicate another. Things just happen. (Think along the lines of Forrest Gump.)

2. Cyclical. As civilization progressed and historians began to record events for posterity, paterns emerged. Obviously, this is the way Strauss and Howe would like us to approach the passage of time. It plays in to their theories.

3. Linear. This is the mindset that has gripped western perceptions since the Protestant reformation, whereby events are seen as happening in a sequence. One thing leads to another in a progression, almost inevitably.

Anyway, I brought all this up in case you're ever accused of having no concept of time. You can just respond to your accuser, "Oh, I do, but I just think cyclically instead of linearly!"