#Jaded #Television

It has become a tradition in our home to find a likeable television show either long after it ends or when it is nearing its’ closing finale scene.

The absence of cable television has been easy on the bank account as well as the mind. TV for the last several years as declined into a stupor of moronic space fillers with unintelligent blithering fit for being stepped on once it hits a cutting room floor. The Learning Channel is one of the most obvious examples of the declining quality of television product. It used to be a television channel about actual learning. Now it teaches an audience that psychic powers are somehow real, albeit there is no scientific proof proving otherwise, and that reality shows are somehow meant to be a glimpse into actual real life.

If you run the dial with your remote even for a few seconds you will see how inviting a cable disconnection is.

In all of this chaos, the good shows that provide real value for entertainment are getting lost in the madness. You can still turn to Classic Television on a great station but you are better off paying for a NetFlix subscription at a much lower cost. Netflix is great because it’s a way for you to program your content. With Netflix in particular, I have found a few shows and great movies both classic and new that have been worth exploring. Some of the fun of having a Netflix subscription is looking through different movie categories and checking out something that you hope might be good. With movies and TV shows that fall under the “Critically Acclaimed” category, I like to pick one and try to get into the story while figuring out why it was so critically acclaimed.

My natural tendency to pick out things in the writing never overshadows the enjoyment of movies and shows either. If anything it enhances it because I learn so much from seeing the transposition of words from script to screen.

The recent passing of actress Jean Stapleton, who was best known for her role as Edith Bunker in the groundbreaking “All in the Family” sitcom, made me think to a line from the classic opening song her and Carroll O’Connor would sing to start the show.

Those were the days

How true. When you could dial up something on cable television at any time and find something that was worth watching.

The benefits to not having cable TV have far outweighed everything else. So being jaded on television is perfectly fine with me. If I continue to enjoy my favourite shows of all time such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, Seinfeld, just to name a few, then why not continue with discovering a few decent shows late in their run like I did with Everybody Loves Raymond.

Interestingly enough, Arrested Development is the latest one that Cheryl and I both decided to start watching. Netflix picked up the show after it was long cancelled by Fox in order to air a fourth season of episodes and it is set to continue. There are enough laughter-filled comedic moments in it that my interest is set.

If you are jaded by television, what classic shows do you continue to watch and why? What is it about current television you like or dislike? Comment, Share, Tweet, and #BeKindToAnimals

Dann Alexander is a freelance writer based just outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Author of Planned UnParenthood – Creating A Life Without Procreating (available online worldwide) is finalizing a book of short satirical fiction for a fall release.

Politics & Humour

They just don’t seem to mix anymore.

It seems to me that the most successful Canadian humour talent that has been able to cross-over into more opportunities are people who branch out beyond political humour.

Politicians certainly deserve to be the butt of many jokes. It is the nature of the business. Regardless of what belief background they are from. Poking fun at politicians, especially in this country has been a mainstay of comedy for many a decade.

It has become tiresome and boring humour. Even for those who are somewhat politically inclined and knowledgeable. Because I left the political game some time ago, I especially find it lame. Although I was starting to tire of it in the late 1990′s.

One need only look to the CBC for some supposedly great humour. This Hour Has 22 Minutes and the Rick Mercer Report still offer up a nauseating dose of Senatorial Satire. The Royal Canadian Air Farce based entire shows on political pun-pokings for the entire length of its’ run. Towards the end though, people were starting to yawn and turn the televisions over and off.

We can all agree that being able to take shots at politicians is our right. Even politicians themselves who have gotten in on the acts have taught us valuable lessons with respect to laughing at ourselves every so often. We can disagree with things they are doing and saying so we satirize them and make them our verbal punching bags. Of course we ultimately speak on voting day when we go to the polls and mark that X.

When I want to find entertainment part of that search involves looking at shows, movies and books to laugh along with. I no longer want to read and listen to jokes about politics or politicians because it has been overplayed.

Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are the first names that come to mind for me when I think of shows and comedians in the U.S. who have spun the political record in order to make a living at what they do. Like much of the Canadian talent, they are quite good at it. The reason they keep rolling along and manage to hold audiences is that they have thrown in just enough variety to bait listeners in. In Stewart and Colbert’s case, they will offer bowlfuls of comedic Capitol Hill Chowder to their audiences, then look at throwing in material about other stories. If you ever really listen to late-night television monologues you will notice the same thing. Rarely if ever will you see Letterman, Fallon, Kimmel and Leno constantly harp on politics throughout their opening message delivery.

After much research, I still cannot come up with any names of Canadian talent who crossed-over into global success with a platform of material drawn from political observation. I would welcome any names in the comments section below if there is anyone you can think of.

Otherwise, I will continue to believe that any comics who restrict themselves to Political Humour are destined to never branch beyond a self-imposed limitation.

Taking Risks

This photo is from a Cemetery in Halifax. Not the famous one in Fairview which is the burial ground for many of the victims of the Titanic. This one is Camp Hill, near the famous Halifax Public Gardens. The remains of a true writing inspiration lies a few dozen yards away from where I am standing. Joseph Howe. He was a man who took risks for the right reasons. Initially an anti-confederate, he ultimately worked to do things in the best interests of Nova Scotia and ultimately evolved to a life of pro-confederate service to his profession and people.

As a risk-taker, Howe accepted a cabinet post in one of the governments of Sir John A. MacDonald on the promise of better terms for Nova Scotia. Whether he actually achieved this goal still is debatable well over a century later.

One thing that Joseph Howe’s career can be taught to all writers is the idea that you must take risks. In this context, I continue to work through some short satirical pieces which I started to write while in between edits for “. Inspired by the humour collections of Woody Allen gave me a bit of encouragement to pen characters and stories that I have always wanted to write.

Writing anything is a risk. Writing satirical material can be even more of a risk. Where the goal is to make the reader laugh, you want to accomplish that with the majority of readers. One also has to accept that not everyone will understand the intent or influence behind the satire. This is fine all in itself. In many satirical pieces I have read, I may find areas where for me the humour falls flat while learning some valuable lessons about the craft. It gets to a point where I find myself breaking down passages with the intention of seeing if perhaps there is something there that I can find funny on the second or third read-around. Occasionally it has happened. In instances where the words get no chuckle out of me, I tell myself at least I am reading instead of watching television.

There’s always a positive.

A few minutes ago before I began to write this, I sent out a call on my Facebook Account to friends, colleagues and family members who might want to test-drive a couple of pieces that I have worked on. For me this is taking a big risk. Because I thrive on all levels of feedback, I thought this would be a great way to get a few people into the mix and have them check out some material to see if it is something they might enjoy.

Putting a book out there has been a rewarding risk in so many ways. So I suppose this is another great evolution in what I want to accomplish in the business.

So if there is a point to this, it is perhaps that you consider going back and re-visiting some old ideas that you were perhaps afraid to put words to and see what happens. If you work strictly in freelance copy for clients, maybe you have a great idea to spruce up some content for them on a web page, or in a brochure that they have.

Take chances. Ultimately, you learn from them.

Social Media Silence #Facebook #Twitter

Social Media has been a gift for some and a curse to many.

It has brought the world closer together. It has allowed old friends to connect, family to unite and reunite, and for business to give a platform to reach out to clients on a very personal level with increased accountability. It has also become a valuable vehicle to promote causes. Some worthwhile, some in my view that are worth nothing. But I digress….

For me, Social Media has become a valuable tool of the writing trade. With a book out, I am able to connect with readers and advertise for free. Sure I may eventually pay for a Facebook or Twitter promotion to reach out to even more people but for now I like creating those moments of self-promo by myself. It is fun and it also challenges my ability as a writer to come up with a great line or two.

Social Media is not absent of a few obvious pitfalls. There is no point in my going into a few of them because this piece is meant to be reflective and positive. Which now brings me to my main point.

I believe for the good of our collective thinking in the digital age, we must occasionally break from Social Media every so often. I have made a point of taking an entire weekend as necessary. There may be a week where I feel Twitter trends have become dominated by news stories instead of material that I like reading, so I might take a break from it. Many of you know I am not a fan of watching or reading the news. Unless it is something I am actually interested in.

Social Media often becomes hijacked by those wanting to promote negative news and political pie throwing. This should be enough of a reason to want to stay away from it for a few days, or even longer.

It goes without saying that with any of these platforms you can most certainly control what you read based on who you follow on Twitter, or what stories you can read on Facebook. Mind you these are two very basic examples of content control.

A break from Social Media for me puts things into perspective. I can take the focus off of things that are happening on the grid and become instantly more aware of what is going on in my own surroundings. Usually, I will plan a few days before that a particular weekend will be off the grid. Staying off Social Media even while I am working is fairly easy. I never need to go on to any of these platforms while researching any of my writing.

To those of you who are glued to your smart phones, or your laptops waiting to see what appears in the news feed, think about closing it all off for a day or two and see how much of a perspective you can gain.

It will open your eyes and make you more aware of a seemingly simpler existence.

By the way. If you want to take a break also from reading the news, go and read content that can be informative, inspiring and entertaining at one of my favourite sites

Dann Alexander is the Author of “Planned UnParenthood Creating A Life Without Procreating”. Available at online retailers worldwide like

Charging Forward With #Writing

The show must go on. It’s heard everywhere and in at least two songs I can think of. One from Queen, the other Pink Floyd. It is a constant reminder to keep going.

Anyone who works in the business of writing. Whether it is your full-time living or not, has to work as much as possible. The only practice one gets is going through the motions of actually working.

Writer’s Block is cured by writing. Free writing will usually take care of this fairly quickly. Some have suggested that free writing will only serve to display a string of nonsensical gibberish on the paper or screen. This might be true to an extent but you must think of it another way. That possible gibberish could become the next decent idea that you have.

If you feel you have some sort of a block, then look through some paper or computer files which may have an idea or two on them. I regularly return to my note books or pieces that I have deemed failed to see if I can build up on them. At least they get the mind going.

Charge Forward. Work Lots and Often. Sometimes that little bit of work could save your sanity.

William (Dann) Alexander is the Author of “Planned UnParenthood Creating a Life Without Procreating”. Available at most online book retailers worldwide such as

#Childfree Reading

Planned UnParenthood Creating a Life Without Procreating Offers is about celebrating a lifestyle choice. It also gives those who may be fence sitters insight into why people will choose no kids versus the lifetime commitment involved with having them.

This book is also intended to shed light into the stereotypes surrounding this decision. People will often say that by not having kids there will be no one to take care of you when you are older. This kind of ignorant thinking is narrow-focused nonsense that does not see the big picture. Just some of the reasons people say no to kids is discussed at length. It is a book that starts discussion and encourages debate.

Whether you have kids or not, my book offers a great perspective from the male point of view. It is a fine entry into the market of books on the subject of not having children.

Available online everywhere!

http://amzn.to/PUJsmQ

Ten Years After

Canmore Alberta. For nearly a year I spent time walking through town only driving occasionally when the family I was staying with would ask me to take their truck to do something for them. After a while time and necessity dictated that I start shopping for a vehicle. A few junkers were abundant, and I even went out to test drive a Dodge Shadow for some dude who was moving back to Israel to take up arms and defend his country on the Gaza Strip.

Didn’t end up driving the Dodge only because it was a standard. Wish he had mentioned it in the advert.

I remember checking in to see my friend Roger who ran a popular local pharmacy to tell him how my car shopping was going. After telling him my luck seemed to be running out, he produced a photo of the car you see in this post. A 1988 base model Camaro. He assumed I was looking for something relatively inexpensive. He hesitated at first thinking I might not be interested, then asked if I wanted to test drive. Although I was not really sure if I was going to be able to buy this car, the idea of owning a Camaro was a bit of a childhood dream. My fascination for older model Chevrolets was still there although rarely thought of.

The next afternoon I landed at his townhouse and we went out for a drive. I fell instantly in love with it. Even for a base model, this car had some jump to it that I had never experienced in any sport car that I had driven. Roger’s wife was the original owner, and the vehicle had low mileage. So with a little help, I decided to buy it.

That old car and I went through a ton of things together. Life changes and life happenings. A few breakdowns in busy traffic, and over 100 thousand km which I logged on my own in road trips through the Rockies. I would bestow the nickname of “Charlie’s Angel” to this car as a salute to my mechanic from New Glasgow. He proudly hung a picture of this car in his garage during his last few months of work before retiring from the business. When I ran into him this past September, he still fondly remembered me talking about this car and that he still had the picture at home.

Ten years ago I was one week into a job with a trucking company. They specialized in overnight hauling on a busy route through the Rockies from Calgary through to Vancouver. That day I drove home for a bite. The gas I spent to drive home probably was not worth it, but the peace and quiet was worth it for a few minutes of recovery.

In front of Frank Sisson’s Silver Dollar Casino, a Garbage Truck that was driving too fast slammed into the rear end of my car. I was taken to Rockyview Hospital with a few injuries which set in fairly quick. Was certainly lucky to get out of this in one piece.

You will never see me reflecting negatively on that time of life. As much as I miss that old car, life moved on. The next several months were spent healing from these bang-ups and reviewing a change in direction. As I began to heal I started to take more positive action towards my health.

Never will you find me mourning the loss of this vehicle. As much as I would like to have her back for a day, it was an event that certainly did change my perspective on things. It was certainly not an easy time for myself or Cheryl, but with her help I was able to heal much quicker and make life continue onward.

William (Dann) Alexander is the author of Planned UnParenthood Creating a Life Without Procreating, available at Amazon and other online retailers worldwide. http://amzn.to/PUJsmQ