It’s STILL Time To Retire It: Roman Numerals!

On the eve of 2014’s Super Bowl XLVIII, let’s return to my post of February 07, 2012 – HERE! 

 

It’s just as true, two years later!    

 

Hey, It's MET LIFE STADIUM!  We've got a SUPER BOWL!

 

 

Time to Retire It: “The Issue At Hand” APA and Fanzine Column. (1994-2012)

This past week, I submitted the final “print edition” of The Issue At Hand, an APA and Fanzine column I’ve produced since 1994 – and the basis for this Blog.

I’ve reached an “Official Count” of 100 installments – with an unofficial count that would be much higher – and that seemed like the perfect place to call it quits.   

For the last few years, most of the material seen in the “print edition” was culled from that prepared for this Blog, via the miracle of “Copy / Paste”.  And finally, the effort of actually printing copies, carrying them to the central mailer, etc. began to wear on me.

It is bittersweet to bring to a close the process that lead to this Blog – not to mention many friendships and acquaintances, and some wonderful years of writing. 

But all “things” come to an end.  …I’ll leave it to those who had read it, year after year, to decide if “The Issue At Hand” was a “good thing” or just a “thing”.  All I know is that I enjoyed doing it for the 18 years of its existence!   

For now, the Blog will suffice… Until the day (as some long time readers may remember) “Cerebro-TIAH” will activate – beaming my commentaries on Life, The Universe, Comics, and DVDs directly into your brains!

Now, THAT’LL be fun!  

Time To Retire It: Roman Numerals.

Quick, look at the phrase below in orange. Then, just as quickly, look away.



SUPER BOWL XLVII


No peeking or cheating, but tell me what Super Bowl that is.

Yes, it’s next year’s Super Bowl 47.

So why can’t we simply call it: Super Bowl 47?

And why do we continue to use Roman Numerals for ANYTHING in the 21st Century?

I think the only thing I’ve ever used Roman Numerals for is to tell when old movies and TV shows were made… as with this Lost in Space episode of 1968 – or MCMLXVIII.

In 2000, it became easy to tell a Star Trek Voyager made in that year, because it was designated as MM. …But why should we have to?

One wonders why did movies and TV adopt this convention in the first place?  Anyone know?  ...But, back to football.

Let’s just say the NEW YORK GIANTS beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46, 21 – 17.

It’s a heck of a lot easier than saying the NEW YORK GIANTS beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, XXI – XVII.

“Time To Retire It: The Issue At Hand APA and Fanzine Column!”

At a certain point, you find yourself “retiring” certain things. And… And…

Aw, as long as we’re retiring things, let’s just cut to the announcement as it will appear in TIAH # 96, published in the July, 2010 issue of the APA Grassroot Reflections.


Welcome to The Issue at Hand # 96. TIAH # 100 is about a year away, and that’s as good a time as any to pack it in!

Yes, I know you’re stunned. Perhaps even overwrought with grief. I understand. It wasn’t easy for me either. Naah! Actually it was very easy – and a matter of “numbers”.

Now that I’ll officially reach the milestone of 100 columns, it’s the perfect time to retire. It’s not as if I have much of a shot at 200, and no chance whatsoever at 1,000 – so, per the unofficial rules of our numbers-obsessed culture, The Issue at Hand, as an APA and Fanzine column, will be coming to an end.

TIAH Blog will still carry on, for those who will miss our quarterly meetings – all 2 or 3 of you. And, in truth, I’ve produced FAR MORE than 100 columns, given the number of “Specials” and “Non-Numbered Columns”, since TIAH’s beginning in 1994. So, the “100th Installment” is little more than a signpost, telling me to “Exit Here”.

And exit, I will. In four more columns – one of which may not appear in Grassroot Reflections. It’s been a great and wonderful experience, and I thank all of you for putting up with me for so long.

“Time To Retire It: Going to the Movies!”

At a certain point, you find yourself “retiring” certain things. I’ve become convinced that, with only rare and very special exceptions, “Going to the Movies” has become one of those things.

“Going to the Movies”, for me, has never been all that great a priority. It’s a good thing to do when you’re dating. Particularly, when you are going through a string of frequent first dates, it offers a perfect opportunity to be “with them”, but without having to engage in small conversation all evening long. But, thankfully, dating and all of the contrived niceties associated with it (on BOTH sides, I might add) hasn’t been a factor for many years.

I’ve since grown to dislike the movie-going experience. The crowds, difficulty parking, and especially the ticket prices! The theatre Esther and I frequent most often (…that is, if you can use the word “frequent” to describe our very occasional and irregular visits to the whatever-plex) now costs twenty-two dollars for two persons to attend an evening show.Add gas, any food or drink, and the annoyance of sometimes having to buy a ticket in advance (...or risk a sold-out show), actual commercials playing on the big screen (…not movie trailers, mind you, but product commercials!) and the usual late-comers, noise-makers, and view-blockers among the audience, and it is simply not enjoyable for me anymore.

Still, there was the allure of the BIG SCREEN to compensate for all this.

Then, in January, we got an HD TV and Blu-ray DVD Player!

While only 37 Inches (as opposed to the unimaginable 52’’ Sigh!), this TV is magnificent, when compared to the old Standard Def, Non-Wide Screen TV we’d been accustomed to for years. And the Blu-ray player makes even my old “sixties shows” look better than they ever have – much less today’s Blu-ray discs.

The clincher was this spring when Esther and I went to see “Sex and The City 2” in the theatre. I left saying “This isn’t much better than we have at home!”. And it wasn’t!

Add to this – and the list of negatives above – that actually BUYING the DVD of the movie will COST FAR LESS than two theatre admissions! And, you get all the convenience of Start/ Pause/ Step Frame/ Reverse/ Fast Forward/ Stop when you want, as well as having the thing to view to your heart’s content. With “extras” to boot.

Home technology has caught up with the average movie-going experience and, for me, has made the experience bothersome, expensive, and needless. So, it’s “Time To Retire It”! (…Unless, someday, they make that LOBO movie!)

Time To Retire It: “Reagan Democrat”.

“Time To Retire It” (or TTRI) will be an occasional feature of this Blog. It will highlight words, expressions, phrases, or just “things” that, while once useful or meaningful, have outlived said meaning or are no longer applicable.

During this election season, for the first time, I’ve begun to bristle at the phrase “Reagan Democrat”. And not necessarily for political reasons.

It was coined to describe the apparent phenomenon of traditionally Democratic voters casting their votes in large numbers for Ronald Reagan in the presidential election of 1980. A phenomenon it was, as voting patterns were established that continue to this day.

However, it’s now “Time To Retire It” because, regardless of any longstanding party affiliation, if you voted Republican in 1980 – and have reliably voted in the same way in most elections for the past 28 years – you are not a “Reagan Democrat”… you are a Republican. And it’s time the media (and those voters themselves) recognized this.

If you comment, please be civil and politely non-partisan. This is more a commentary on our language that it is on anything political. There are plenty of other places to go for that stuff!