David McMullen-Sullivan's Blog, page 4
February 12, 2020
Burger King Bullying
Injustice infuriates me. So when I saw this video, I was livid that people just sat and did nothing. Good thing that Burger King also has a sense of humor to combat people's sins of omission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e8fc...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e8fc...
February 6, 2020
The Art of Titanic
If you've seen the movie Titanic, this will be the funniest thing you've ever seen in your life. It had me in tears. So, I had to share it.
https://www.facebook.com/lunarcrofts/...
https://www.facebook.com/lunarcrofts/...
January 12, 2020
Knives Out
Hands down, the funniest line in this movie is: "... while the Nazi child was masturbating."
January 3, 2020
Ian and Edward
My latest book, a historical gay romance, is free over the weekend on Amazon Kindle. Love to get everyone's thoughts on the story.
Cheers!
Cheers!
January 1, 2020
A Secondary Happiness
My first career in life was in medicine. It was in that field that I learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It’s a pyramid theory on the levels of human necessities. One must have reached a particular level before moving on to the next one. For example, a person cannot learn when they are starving or in great pain; hence, the need to have those things alleviated must be met before being capable of higher functions.
I was reminded of this theory a while back in a discussion I had with a Chinese friend about happiness. We Americans possess the mindset that happiness is very important, and it is, but what I learned in that particular conversation was that it isn’t paramount to everyone.
I am an American. So, this didn’t compute.
Imagine, she explained, that you are struggling to get enough to eat or provide for your children. You may not have warmth or even shelter. For such a person, happiness is not essential. This is often seen in my friend’s native country. China is still developing, and the jobs people take, and the hours they may work to service western appetites, can be brutal. A typical American would quit a job that makes them miserable, but not someone in China. Yes, they are unhappy, but their despair is subordinate to more basic needs, the ones at the bottom of Maslow’s scale.
I had never – and I say this naively – considered happiness to be a minor consideration. But I got the take-home message. I’m very fortunate to live in a country that allows my basic needs to be met, so I can focus on my own self-actualization. It helped to change my perspective.
Why don’t they just move? Why doesn’t he quit that job? Why does she stay with him? Sometimes, it’s because other things are needed first. That’s the human struggle, and happiness is secondary.
I was reminded of this theory a while back in a discussion I had with a Chinese friend about happiness. We Americans possess the mindset that happiness is very important, and it is, but what I learned in that particular conversation was that it isn’t paramount to everyone.
I am an American. So, this didn’t compute.
Imagine, she explained, that you are struggling to get enough to eat or provide for your children. You may not have warmth or even shelter. For such a person, happiness is not essential. This is often seen in my friend’s native country. China is still developing, and the jobs people take, and the hours they may work to service western appetites, can be brutal. A typical American would quit a job that makes them miserable, but not someone in China. Yes, they are unhappy, but their despair is subordinate to more basic needs, the ones at the bottom of Maslow’s scale.
I had never – and I say this naively – considered happiness to be a minor consideration. But I got the take-home message. I’m very fortunate to live in a country that allows my basic needs to be met, so I can focus on my own self-actualization. It helped to change my perspective.
Why don’t they just move? Why doesn’t he quit that job? Why does she stay with him? Sometimes, it’s because other things are needed first. That’s the human struggle, and happiness is secondary.
December 19, 2019
Father and Child
Christmas is a stressful time of year for most people. It's why I don't do Black Friday. I avoid the mall for the month of December. The insanity is so manic that if they held "The Purge" during this time of year, most of the populace would be wiped out fighting over a 66" TV to replace their 64" TV.
But, I can't avoid the hustle and bustle entirely, and the other day, I went for a haircut. I was starting to look like Tom Hanks in Cast Away (day 1,460). This is how I found myself sitting in my car in the parking lot at a strip mall, checking emails on my phone. Nothing was out of the ordinary until I heard the sound of a child's wailing coming closer.
I'll have to say the kid had a mean set of pipes, and looking out the window, I saw the source of these high-pitched decibels. A father was walking through the parking lot with (I'm guessing) his three year old son over his shoulder. The boy was screaming and bucking against his father's hold. It was dark, but I could tell by the parking lot lights that the father was very angry. He appeared to be on his last nerve, and I wished that I was standing outside my car so I could tell him to breath. In truth, a bit of me was worried for the boy's well-being. These situations can cause a parent to lose control and hurt their child.
How was this going to go?
By coincidence, the man's SUV was next to mine. I looked over my shoulder and saw the back seat door open in the car. The cabin light came on. I saw the boy hit his head as the father put him through the door opening and place the infant in his car seat. He strapped the boy into the seat and shut the door. Little fingers went over little, tearful eyes as the boy sat alone.
The light went out in the cabin. Now a crying, hurting child was alone in the dark. But where was the father? My hand reached for the handle of my door. Had the father walked off and abandoned his son? Unconsciously, I started to tightened my grip on the door handle. I began to pull on it ever so slightly until my eyes finally found the father. He was standing at the back of the SUV. He was visibly upset. He was trying to get back control. The boy's violent tantrum had him shaking.
Little time transpired before I saw the light in the cabin come back on again. The father leaned in, pointing a finger at the boy. He was talking to him, but he wasn't shouting. I relaxed. My hand's grip slowly loosened.
The father took the boy from the car seat. He closed up the vehicle. I turned to looked over my other shoulder as they walked back to the shops hand in hand. The moment had been resolved. A father and son walked in love, and there went a man who did what he was supposed to do. He remembered to breath.
But, I can't avoid the hustle and bustle entirely, and the other day, I went for a haircut. I was starting to look like Tom Hanks in Cast Away (day 1,460). This is how I found myself sitting in my car in the parking lot at a strip mall, checking emails on my phone. Nothing was out of the ordinary until I heard the sound of a child's wailing coming closer.
I'll have to say the kid had a mean set of pipes, and looking out the window, I saw the source of these high-pitched decibels. A father was walking through the parking lot with (I'm guessing) his three year old son over his shoulder. The boy was screaming and bucking against his father's hold. It was dark, but I could tell by the parking lot lights that the father was very angry. He appeared to be on his last nerve, and I wished that I was standing outside my car so I could tell him to breath. In truth, a bit of me was worried for the boy's well-being. These situations can cause a parent to lose control and hurt their child.
How was this going to go?
By coincidence, the man's SUV was next to mine. I looked over my shoulder and saw the back seat door open in the car. The cabin light came on. I saw the boy hit his head as the father put him through the door opening and place the infant in his car seat. He strapped the boy into the seat and shut the door. Little fingers went over little, tearful eyes as the boy sat alone.
The light went out in the cabin. Now a crying, hurting child was alone in the dark. But where was the father? My hand reached for the handle of my door. Had the father walked off and abandoned his son? Unconsciously, I started to tightened my grip on the door handle. I began to pull on it ever so slightly until my eyes finally found the father. He was standing at the back of the SUV. He was visibly upset. He was trying to get back control. The boy's violent tantrum had him shaking.
Little time transpired before I saw the light in the cabin come back on again. The father leaned in, pointing a finger at the boy. He was talking to him, but he wasn't shouting. I relaxed. My hand's grip slowly loosened.
The father took the boy from the car seat. He closed up the vehicle. I turned to looked over my other shoulder as they walked back to the shops hand in hand. The moment had been resolved. A father and son walked in love, and there went a man who did what he was supposed to do. He remembered to breath.
November 11, 2019
What Happened to Dinnertime?
When I was a kid, smart phones and iPads didn't exist. I'm glad for their absence in my childhood because these devices are ruining one of the key foundations of families, dinnertime.
At dinnertime, we gathered together. It was mandatory, and it wasn't just a time to eat. It was a time to connect and be a family. We talked to each other, spoke of our day and were engaged in each other's lives. It was just as it should be, how it should always be.
This "family glue" is sadly breaking down. When eating out, I can't help but see parents paying no attention to their children, and children doing the same to them. They do not communicate, and for the duration of the meal they are strangers. The substance of any emotional bonds are relinquished in favor of Facebook and Fortnite.
Will tightly-knit families be a lost relic in years to come? Have people forgotten the nurturing that is needed to maintain these complex relationships? Such connections require a lot of facetime, and that's really what dinnertime is.
Now here's where I ask you a favor. Next time you're with your family, sharing a meal, unplug. Please. There's nothing on the internet that's more important than that individual sitting across from you. Talk to them. Connect with them. Facebook can wait, but being a family cannot.
At dinnertime, we gathered together. It was mandatory, and it wasn't just a time to eat. It was a time to connect and be a family. We talked to each other, spoke of our day and were engaged in each other's lives. It was just as it should be, how it should always be.
This "family glue" is sadly breaking down. When eating out, I can't help but see parents paying no attention to their children, and children doing the same to them. They do not communicate, and for the duration of the meal they are strangers. The substance of any emotional bonds are relinquished in favor of Facebook and Fortnite.
Will tightly-knit families be a lost relic in years to come? Have people forgotten the nurturing that is needed to maintain these complex relationships? Such connections require a lot of facetime, and that's really what dinnertime is.
Now here's where I ask you a favor. Next time you're with your family, sharing a meal, unplug. Please. There's nothing on the internet that's more important than that individual sitting across from you. Talk to them. Connect with them. Facebook can wait, but being a family cannot.
October 14, 2019
Amazon Book Club
Last year, the guys at Amazon Book Club - they do a podcast - did an episode on Moorehead Manor for Halloween. It was so funny. I begged them to do the second book in the series for this year's ghoulish holiday. They were very kind and said that they would.
Of course, I'm excited. I'm keeping my eye out for the episode and will put a link in my blog to it when it comes out.
Thanks ABC!
Of course, I'm excited. I'm keeping my eye out for the episode and will put a link in my blog to it when it comes out.
Thanks ABC!
September 22, 2019
Just for Dummies
Because, at my age, it's good to have a refresher, and because there were several mistakes my editor found in my latest book Ian and Edward, I decided to read English Grammar for Dummies. There are so many things I'd forgotten about since my school days like:
1. Don't split your infinitives
2. It's all right not alright
and
3. Don't take PE after lunch
So, my advice for today is: refresh your knowledge base. It'll be good for you, and then you won't feel so much like a dummy.
Cheers!
1. Don't split your infinitives
2. It's all right not alright
and
3. Don't take PE after lunch
So, my advice for today is: refresh your knowledge base. It'll be good for you, and then you won't feel so much like a dummy.
Cheers!
September 5, 2019
When a Premise Hits a Wall
Premise can only carry a story so far. If Hollywood realized this there'd be fewer sequels; that's for sure.
I realized this axiom recently watching the final episode of the Netflix series The Boys. It had started off strong, but by the time I'd finished the last installment, I was over the series. There was no payoff, or even the promise of one, and all the characters had become pathetic (never good).
Would anyone even watch a cross between super heroes and Fast Times at Ridgemont High?
Even worse, all the questions had been answered. The show had no more mystery. The final conflict had jumped the tracks from the primary protagonist to a lesser character, leaving the central goal to fizzle.
Do you remember the show Heroes? Same thing. Started off strong and then tanked. Hopefully, unlike Heroes, the showrunners will know when to wrap things up and call it a day.
I realized this axiom recently watching the final episode of the Netflix series The Boys. It had started off strong, but by the time I'd finished the last installment, I was over the series. There was no payoff, or even the promise of one, and all the characters had become pathetic (never good).
Would anyone even watch a cross between super heroes and Fast Times at Ridgemont High?
Even worse, all the questions had been answered. The show had no more mystery. The final conflict had jumped the tracks from the primary protagonist to a lesser character, leaving the central goal to fizzle.
Do you remember the show Heroes? Same thing. Started off strong and then tanked. Hopefully, unlike Heroes, the showrunners will know when to wrap things up and call it a day.
