Tiger, Tiger Woods Nah!

Tiger Woods's life has spiraled out of control since November 2009 when it was discovered he had cheated on his wife with several other women.

His golf career stayed steady at best as he has had five back surgeries, and not as many major wins or even qualifications.

Now unless you've been on Mars, you have seen Tiger's mugshot from his DUI this past Memorial Day weekend. What you may not have seen is the arrest profile. For a number of years now, Woods hasn't wanted to claim the black side of his ethnicity  (think Halle Berry). The police report noted the famous golfer to be black.

Now this brings up another issue. If you claim to be biracial, are you suddenly black when you commit a crime  (or if you do the worst, like OJ)?

In any event, Tiger doesn't have many strikes left in golf and life. Yes we all make mistakes and are human. But now this has become a pattern that needs to be addressed. He needs to get some positive folks in his corner to humble him, realize there is life beyond golf, and to help him enjoy himself in moderation. He cannot afford to be reckless anymore.

Tiger Woods doesn't want his legacy to go down like this. Adultrer. Has-been. Drunk. He's at a crossroads and it's time he get himself straight. It's the least he can do for his children and for the game of golf.

Meanwhile, unless he still has a personal driver, he better keep Uber and Lyft on speed dial for the time being.

Fidget Spinners and it's explotation (yep that's what it is, can't argue)

The latest trend and fad out now are fidget spinners. They're everywhere and are selling like hotcakes. I'm surprised they haven't been bootlegged yet or didn't drop around Christmas.

That said, when I did my research and found out what their purpose is, I was irate as a dragon trying to blow out birthday candles! It's targeted for people, especially children, with autism, ADHD and anxiety.

Now that doesn't mean other people can't buy it, and the inventors and marketers can't get rich from the profits. I'm all for entrepreneurship and business, creating a job and an empire. My problem is it's a low-key method of exploiting the mentally ill and getting rich that way. That's a touch subject for me, especially since myself and others have been affected by mental illness. My mother suffers from anxiety and has panic attacks that bring her down for days. So yeah I'm heated.

I'm more heated that the information is out and the creators and business people behind it aren't giving any proceeds back to mental health foundations. They need help and financial backing, that's the least they could do.

Many have defended them (the same number that obviously do not deal with the same or similar issues) with circular apples/oranges rebuttals. Let me put it for you like this. Suppose you're deaf, and suddenly a once in a lifetime idea comes out that enhances sound everywhere and is like an advanced hearing aid/cure. Folks everywhere, including Apple folks, love it, but the deaf and hard of hearing aren't getting a dime from it. And that's the target audience. Now there's another issue folks.

This isn't the first time in history this has happened and sadly it won't be the last. However, we will continue to have sheep and other followers that bounce at the latest cool thing, even if it is exploiting a condition or a shortcoming. Educate yourself my people.

Or how about those that still aren't getting this: take my mom for a week and make her wait for hours at a place and tell her she can't smoke during that time. Your views may change then..

TABLES: Lots of Estrogen

It's been a while since we checked in on Eli. Here's a summary of what's been going on with this young coworker.

He decided to branch out and sit at a table near the rear of the break room near a bunch of ladies, some from the same department they work in, some from another one. He still keeps in touch with the old guys, but he tired of their repetitive whining and negative attitudes.

Eli gets a different vibe at his new table. He has really bonded with another older man, Mr. Moe, a department mate Patricia (who is real and as crazy as they come), and with some other randoms. These various folks realize that it's only a job and they actually talk about other stuff. Imagine that?

Here are some of the things Eli has experienced:

The loud, rude millennial Lala always having her laptop on loudly to Netflix or music, or FaceTiming her daughter. Nice young lady but her cornbread isn't quite done in the middle.

Old cougar Rose Catrina (RC) casually flirting, and even fussing/teasing Eli because one day his butt crack was inadvertently revealing

Being left out of a delicious cake one of the leaders brought by and apparent it was only for a few folks. That was borderline inconsiderate.

The daily attendance or "where is that person" report by Rolanda. It's like why do you care why this or that person is out?

Patricia and Rolanda low key hating on Heather since she's in school to be a paramedic and she's rarely at work due to study and accommodations.

It's definitely a different world for Eli. He even has his eye on a certain gal, and may even try the popular table on a slow day. Time will tell,...

When Did The Friend Zone Become Offensive

It was during the 90s that Chris Rock helped coin the phrase "the friend zone." This is basically where a guy tries to holla at a woman, get down and dirty, but she sees him as no more than a good friend. Said guy is then placed in the friend zone, where everything is strictly platonic and he has no perceivable chance of smashing the lady. Cue "Never Gonna Get It" by En Vogue.

This phrase has become big in popular culture and social media. Numerous memes have been created around the friend zone. Yet men and women alike continue to friend zone each other, and then often end up with a mate that treats them like crap, cheats and beats them, etc. You always got the friend though, right?

I was posting about the friend zone on social media recently and man the discussion it brought on, which spawned another discussion. It appears, according to this post in Nerve, that "the friend zone" has become offensive to women, misonynic, and probably should be retired. Here's the link http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/why-everyone-should-be-insulted-by-the-term-friend-zone

I read it and here are my thoughts. First, how can a word or phrase be offensive when it refers to both sexes? Second, this was created out of jest by Chris Rock, a comedian. It's not like a psychologist did the study, although there is a lot of truth behind this phrase. And, third, the friend zone actually does have a lot of benefits, making it more myth than phrase. Men and women do grow up and change, and so do their tastes and preferences. Both like to keep certain people in their lives because they are cool to be around. Romantic sparks can and do happen. Now the friend zone is very real, but two grown consenting people can still get together if they so desire.

Basically, there are too many words and phrases that have become offensive and taboo. Let's not allow the friend zone to be one of those. How about we act better towards each other and treat people like human beings and realize that things could always change? I've been to three high school reunions and go to my college Homecoming every year. There are so many people happily together now that nobody would have expected. Let's not allow pop culture to dictate our lives. Social media already does a good enough job of that.

Are you offended by "the friend zone". Do you think only sad and lonely men feed into it?