AS I carried on with Joe Pera’s work, I inevitably found his skits with the Conner O’Mally character. I was bummed about the “How To Make It In USA” series. Deep psychological garb out to the side, I’ll just say it right out. I did grow up with people in my life that were of low impulse control and little intellect, which the character perfectly portrays. So it is of little appeal on that count to me. But it is also of low appeal in the sense that the world outside of the skits is plenty like it already, and Pera’s characterization needs no such contrast to emphasize his gentler nature. I bring my own dissatisfaction with the world to the show to contrast it with. But that’s just me.
I prefer the mellow skits that force me to slow down, and to think a little, and to be patient. Those are attributes that are a pay off in their own right. In a world of instant gratification patience with another human being cannot be pushed aside the way we are seeing it done with road rage and other far worse social crimes that happen daily. I cannot stress how important it is to slow down for other people, and to take them as we meet them, and enjoy them. I suppose that applies to the O’Mally’s of the world, too. I am only impatient with the characterization because I find it redundant, and unnecessary.
The particular genius of the O’Mally character occurs in places like the name, which seems to be rooted in the French, mal, for bad. The vulgarity of the character instantly embodies what it is trying to portray, and leaves little question as to what it represents. There is likely a little or a lot of Conner O’Mally in most people, just as most probably have a bit of a Joe in them, too. It’s a bit Lucy Van Pelt, and a bit Charlie Brown. We’ve all got them in us. Easy to recognize. But as I say, I bring my own to the table, and that’s just me.
Can I overlook the redundancy and the lack of appeal of the character? I have long enough to see the whole series of “How To Make It In USA.” I should watch the O”Mally solo work and see if the character is the same. But I will give it a pass for myself. Others will perhaps find him relatable, and should watch. I’ll be a snob, if that’s what that is, and stick to the gentler side of things because I find it more appealing, and more of what I need.
So, that’s my critique of what more I have discovered since first finding Pera’s work online. I have to accept that for some reason he felt the need to sit across the malcontent called Conner, and to have the vulgarity in his skits. I am not compelled as to the reasons why. That’s a part of him, too. So be it. I am prepared to be let down. On the other hand, I am hopeful he will carry on with his more philosophical work, such as disposing of a pumpkin, or meandering through different topics while talking to those who cannot sleep. They are far more down to earth, and far more generous discussions, to me. And that is what a lot of what this critique comes down to really being about. Me. What do you think? Have you seen Joe Pera Talks You To Sleep? Have you seen Fall Drive?
I have to go out later today to get rabbit food, and to put some gas in the gas can for the mower. Hauling hay in the mower trailer is far easier and less wasteful than trying to carry it across the yard in any other way I have discovered. Our wheelbarrow broke a few years ago, and no longer serves any purpose other than as a roof over the area next to where the cats get their food. While the mower seems to need a bit of a tune up, I am still not ready to invest in a new wheelbarrow.
I also have to call the estate agent to have him de-list the land today. There are no serious offers coming through, and with water not available at the moment, there is no value in it that will exceed the value of grass to feed our animals.
I will be taking the ham out of the freezer today, ready for the holiday on Thursday. I’d like to whip up the cream for the pumpkin pie too, but that would be seriously premature, and totally so I could just sit and knock myself unconscious eating it. The pie, that is. Not just the whipping cream.
It is a quarter to five in the morning now. There is plenty of noise in the house already with fans downstairs to circulate the warm air from the wood stove around, and a TV in the next room, and the beeping of a lonely alarm in the bedroom upstairs. The girls are still asleep. My youngest has all the dulcet tones of a 104 piece orchestra falling down a stairwell.