The World Outside

I've been pretty wrapped up in my own life the last few weeks/months. I'm not a big fan of the "news" anyway - it's usually depressing, left-wing propaganda - and I think it's terrible to invade the lives of the celebrities (but I'm as a big a gossip as they come about it when I DO hear anything). But I feel I need to make a note for posterity about the events in Hollywood this week. First, Ed McMahon passed away. Very sad, but he had lived a long life and left his mark. Then Jon and Kate split up. I can't imagine the pressure having twins and sextuplets would put on a couple, much less how much it was compounded by their show (which I did enjoy when I managed to catch it), and their lives being in the public and subject to that kind of scrutiny. But the worst part is those poor kids. It's hard on any family when the parents separate, I know. At least they have each other.

Yesterday, was a double-whammy: in the morning, Farrah Fawcett passed away. She'd been battling cancer (there was even a documentary about it, I guess - I had just heard that the day before - see how out of the loop I've become?), so it was somewhat expected, but still sad. There were specials planned for later in the week that were bumped up to last night due to the news of her passing. The shocker was in the early evening when the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died suddenly of cardiac arrest. He was 50 years old (which when I type it, sounds like a reasonable age, but I think of him as too young). He is such a megastar that his death superceded Farrah's - an icon in her own right. He's been out of the limelight for some time, but was apparently planning a comeback tour that was to start later this year. It's weird to think he's gone. I was never obsessed with him like many my age were, but I did like most of his music and thought he was a great performer. He kept getting stranger as the years went by, so that overshadowed his talent for people younger than me. A guy I work with is 25 and he said he never understood what the big deal was about MJ. But he is just too young I think - his memories of him are the ones after he got Bubbles and the oxygen tent and married Lisa Marie and was arrested for child molestation. My memories are of Thriller , the moonwalk, the veritable Beatlemania that ensued, his one sequined glove and white socks with black shoes, scenes of people the world over - even China - going crazy for him.

I think when someone passes away, regardless of whether it's a celebrity or not, it makes you stop and think, count your blessings, take stock of what's important in life, and bring the focus back in. Which is why, for now, I'm going to bring that focus back to my own little world and leave the outside out.