Thursday, May 3, 2012

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape Vs. Lost In Translation









* = Leave it to a comedian to the be voice of Reason.









It’s amazing how once you get a bit of ‘free’ time you get motivated to start blogging again. Today is going to be slow as I’m a victim of my own ability to get done my tasks at incredible speed. So I was thinking what the hell could I even write about today, and then it hit me. There were two things I saw yesterday that really caught my attention, my emotion, and my ire.

First was the death of Junior Seau.

I grew up watching and dreading twice a year, the San Diego Chargers wrecking machine making life for the Chiefs miserable. The guy was amazing. He was one of the fastest linebackers in the league, he could stuff the run, and he could match up with just about every back or tight end in coverage. He also just seemed like a genuinely good guy, gave to charities, and played the game the right way. When he went to the Patriots, a team that while not ‘My’ team I really love, I was hoping he’d FINALLY get that Super Bowl ring. Even as he got older, he never stopped playing the game with reckless abandon, with what seemed like good humor, but more than anything playing it in a way that made the rest of us we could be him, at least for one snap. It was shocking to hear he killed himself. There is all sorts of speculation of why. Was it due to all the head shots, is he just another victim of the game he loved or was it more like what Rodney Harrison, a former teammate, speculated that the man just didn’t know anything else BUT football. He was 43 years old, and played linebacker in the NFL for 20 years. Think about that. Half of his adult like was playing professional football, and playing it at a pro bowl level. Where do you go and what do you do when the thing you’ve known, you’ve counted on, you’ve loved is gone? He was a divorced father who was now re-entering the Real World, with no fanfare or outlet. It just seems like with all these potential issues hanging like an albatross around his neck that it was just too much for him, and that’s a damn shame.

The second was watching David Barton on the Daily Show. For those that don’t know Mr. Barton is an Evangelical activist. He’s big on the idea that there should be NO separation of Church and State. I found it an interesting watch. In fact I was quiet impressed with Mr. Barton, not just for his passion but for his ability to frame his argument effectively. And then he was pressed on the idea that we live in a country where Christianity is the religion by majority and yet it’s constantly treating everyone else as if it’s in peril. It’s constantly trying to enforce its doctrine upon anyone and everyone who doesn’t adhere to its dogma. Granted Stewart soft pitched this part of the argument in the nicest way possible, but he did it insistently. The thing is Barton made NO effort to explain this. In fact he used the same ‘FAIL’ logic that Christian Conservatives use all the time.

He just kept pointing fingers to what everyone else has ‘done’. This is my thing with folks like this; you don’t get to pick and choose. You don’t’ get to pick and choose the parts of the Bible that are “FACT” and then ignore the things that are crazy pants. You don’t get to point at other religions radicals and then ignore your own homegrown terrorists. You don’t get to attack people based on their Freedom of Speech or content of art or music and then scream at the top of your lungs that you’re being discriminated against when those same said new regulations are used against you. Last time I checked you’ve been in ‘power’ for a long time. In fact I can’t think of a time since the founding of this country that Christians haven’t been in ‘power’. So as an agnostic let me reassure you that you are not under attack. In fact I really don’t care all that much about you at all. UNTIL you begin actively attacking others, pushing your relentless ‘conversion or ELSE’ agenda, and begin to use your religion to further issues that are counterproductive to humanity at large.

I grew up on the buckle of the Bible Belt. I attended a religious college for one VERY unfortunate semester. I’ve seen the zealotry that is there under the surface. I just never thought I’d live in a time in this particular country, you know the one founded on Freedom Of Religion, where the majority would be actively attacking the minorities while claiming self-defense. What was it that Ghandi said, and I’m poorly paraphrasing here, ‘I like your Christ, I just don’t care for your Christians’. That’s where I’m at. I’m beginning to become what they claim I already am, someone who doesn’t care for Christians. The sad thing is it’s a self-fulfilling prophesy, it’s as if they are going out of their way to create new enemies en masse.

Don’t get me wrong I know plenty of Christians who represent their religion in a way that makes someone like myself not only happy to know them, but also intrigued by their organization. That being said I’ll never join. I don’t need someone else to interpret a book for me, nor do I need to be represented by a hierarchy that I have no say in. Not to mention it goes against my Groucho Marx philosophy of never wanting to be part of a club that would want me as a member. I don’t need to hate to dig on gawd’s word. I don’t need to judge to belong. I certainly don’t need to give money to a tax free organization that then uses it to push agendas that I vehemently disagree with. So while I have faith, believe it or not, I just have NO faith in the organized religion that so desperately wants to play the role of martyr.

But I mean, who really cares what I think. Hell I barely care what I think half the time. I think the real issue is I THINK. I refuse to have someone or something dictate my morality, my loves, my hates, my imagination, etc. to me. I remain, and will remain, an individual. I invite you all to do the same.

That last bit came off a bit dickish. Ah well you’ll get over it if I give you some…

RANDOM CRAP!

- I finished Hugh Matthew’s Song Of The Serpent (*** ½ out of 5) last night.

I think I’m slightly frustrated because this book had INSANE potential. I mean the idea of Krunzel & Scanderbog running around and having mad adventures is awesome! The adventure they have in this book is just sort of ok. The ‘twist’ is sort of obvious. The other main characters uneven, in fact the merchant’s daughter is VERY unlikable for a protagonist. The climax is a tad too abstract. It’s as if the author is trying to cram a lot of great stuff into one book, but instead it just comes off disjointed. You get a nasty little almost ‘Western’ vibe from one part, you get a Lord Of The Ringe-esque war chapter, and at the we get Lovecraft. The only component keeping them connected is a set of characters that just not fleshed out as much as I’d like. That being said I liked the book, and would DEFINITLY read another adventure starring Krunzel & Scanderbog. I just wanted it to be more than it was.

- I wish I had unlimited wealth so I could buy Nerdy crap and LEGO’s.

- As much as a part of me is concerned a big storm will cause either of the dying trees in our lawn to careen over in a way that could destroy any number of things, including our home, I have to admit I love this weather. Not so much the mugginess, but the cool breeze, the smell of rain, the lightening, the thunder, and the sound rain pitter pattering off of everything. It’s relaxing, makes me sleepy, but more than anything just sort of makes me happy.

- I love French Toast, it’s true.

- Saturday I’m flying solo as my incredible wife is off doing her thing. I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I talked about playing Board Games with Dave, but I’m not sure about his schedule. I could paint, which I still might. I need to knock out about 8 more cards to finish another Monster Deck, and I need to do so before the current Artscow deal is over. I could watch Doctor Who episodes. I could play the hell out of Smackdown Vs. RAW 2012. There is all this cool stuff and I can’t decide. It’s sort of frustrating. Maybe I’ll just try to do a bit of everything.

And with that…

”Sun Eyed Dandelion,

Seen You Garden Gnomes Gone Pass By?

Small One Wear A Pointy Red Hat.

The Big One He Just That He Real Fat.

If You See Them Please Tell Them Without Delay,

"You Taked My Saffron Now You Got To Pay!"

Sunned Dandelion,

You Say They Got An Airtight Alibi?

Then how'd They Get Themselves Them Diamond Rings?

You Know Well No Gnomes Don't Make. The Good Money.

If You See Them Please Tell Them Without Delay,

"You Taked My Saffron, Now You Got To Pay."

Sun Eyed, What Now Hey Hey Hey Your Hair Is Turning Gray.

Is There Something That You Need To Say?

Suspect, You're Looking Through And Through.

I'D Take To The Wind If I Was You.

Good Bye Saffron, Know That You Did Good By Me.

'Till Wicked Weeded Wild In My Garden.”







* = Indeed Spidey, INDEED!

2 comments:

  1. I think everyone wishes they were wealthy enough to buy a billion LEGOS! This morning over cereal, Q and I were watching 'star wars legos' videos on youtube and he found one that had lego star wars vehicles crashing into each other in slow motion. It was fantastic. Quincy was squealing and covering his eyes yelling, "Oh my gosh Mom, it's SO BAD, I can't take it!" and laughing. He wants what he calls the "Death Star Playset" the one that has the cut away rooms you could play with like a giant awesome Death Star doll house.

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  2. H.,
    What's really sad is Cassandra and I have conversations like this all the time. Usually she is playing the part of you, and I am playing the part of Q.
    That 'Death Star Playset' sounds INSANE!
    I love LEGOs.

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