Wow, the end of 2011. I won't get particularly reflective about the year, except that it was a much better year for me than the past few years the preceded it, no question about it. I intend to make 2012 even better, still. This'll be the year I turn 42, which is bizarre, truly. My 30s evaporated, dominated as they were with two wonderful boys and dealing with Exene. Still, it's weird to think that as B1 turns 10, how different my world was at 32 than now. A lot of the stress fractures were there between Exene and me back in 2002, of course. In fact, having kids was probably THE ultimate stress fracture. I think I enjoy parenting more than Exene, who faces the endless randomness, chaos and disorder of the world with much more stress than I do -- and if kids represent anything, it's endless randomness, chaos and disorder. My tendency to roll with everything was exactly what I needed to be able to handle parenting. Anyway, now ten years on, it's amazing how it all moves forward, seeing my boys growing up and becoming more themselves, growing into themselves. It's such a tender time.
On to a bigger, better, brighter future for us all. The end of this year will be whacked, of course, with all the loonies thinking the world's going to end. They'll be disappointed to find that, well, no, the world keeps on going. Funny, that. And wonderful.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Boys are Back in Town
The boys came back yesterday, and seemed to have a good time in Ohio. They got haircuts while gone -- I'm guessing Exene had her family pay for that. They were very glad to see me, especially B2, who kept hugging me and kissing me and telling me he loved me. Very cute. B1 was glad, too -- the first thing he did when he got in was he aimed his new telescope at the Moon and called me over to look at it. Sure enough, he'd zeroed in on it perfectly, and it was fun to look at it in detail. I can tell in his quiet, Capricornian way how much he digs that telescope.
Cannot believe the end of 2011 is nearly here. What a year it's been, too. I jokingly call it "The Year of the Dave" to my folks, just from all of the stuff that has gone on this year, and the contrast from 2010 to now for me. The last several years have been surreal, really. I'm tackling 2012 head-on, not with resolutions (because I really don't believe in resolutions per se -- that whole New Year's tradition feels contrived to me -- you should be resolute every day, not just one day a year, right?) but with a To Do List (TDL), stuff I need to get done. 2011 was very productive for me, across the board, but I want to get much more done, so I'm on that.
Cannot believe the end of 2011 is nearly here. What a year it's been, too. I jokingly call it "The Year of the Dave" to my folks, just from all of the stuff that has gone on this year, and the contrast from 2010 to now for me. The last several years have been surreal, really. I'm tackling 2012 head-on, not with resolutions (because I really don't believe in resolutions per se -- that whole New Year's tradition feels contrived to me -- you should be resolute every day, not just one day a year, right?) but with a To Do List (TDL), stuff I need to get done. 2011 was very productive for me, across the board, but I want to get much more done, so I'm on that.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
May the Farce Be With You
I blame my Star Wars ruminations of late on the Playstation 2 Lego Star Wars games, which I'd taken out of storage recently and played with the boys, along with other games. I'd had a Playstation 2 that I'd effectively mothballed after B1 was born, just because who has time to play games when you're in the middle of Baby Boot Camp, right? It was amusing for me to see the save dates on some of the games (like GTA III: San Andreas and Vice City, more blasts from the past). Anyway, now that the boys are older, I decided to bring out the console and we've been playing a bit. They love it, of course, although hearing them squabble as they play is both amusing and disarming -- nothing gets the boys more pissed at each other than trying to play Lego Star Wars together! One pushes the other's character off a cliff, one takes the other's coins, etc. Of course, I try to communicate and/or demonstrate the value of teamwork to the boys, which, I think, is slowly seeping in, although usually they're like "I want to team up with Daddy!" since I can usually get through a level. We take turns, since there are three of us, so it'll be B1 + B2, or B1 + me, or me + B2.
So, playing those games (the original one being far more entertaining than the actual prequel movies) has made me philosophical about the Star Wars universe. Now, of course, the Star Wars universe is space opera central, isn't a place of deep thought or characterization, but it's possible to think about the Empire as a kind of revolt of the norms against the paranormal oligarchy of the Jedi. I mean, as Obi-Wan said to Luke, "Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
From a certain point of view, the Jedi could be seen as the hitmen for the Republic, who we're supposed to accept as innately virtuous. However, from the point of view of a norm, a Jedi would seem oppressive and frightening. Here is this person who has paranormal abilities and a lightsaber who will cut you if you cross them, or Jedi Mind Trick you. We're told the Jedi are a force (pun intended) for Good, because they have benign avoidance of Anger, Fear, and Hatred -- the tools of the Dark Side of the Force. But a Jedi is a warrior, remains a human weapon, at heart. And a weapon is always going to be an instrument of oppression, even if used for ostensibly good purposes. So, there's that.
And there is the sticky wicket of the Dark Side of the Force, the eternal temptation of the Jedi to go bad and become Sith Lords (of whom we only see a few, right? Sidious, Maul, Tyranus, and Vader). The bad apples that spoil the barrel, the indictment of the power principle, basically. The Sith are nowhere near as numerous as the Jedi -- again, we just see a handful of Sith -- but they completely overturn the Jedi-enforced order of the Republic. All those Jedi (multiple generations of them) are no match for Sith machinations, and are nearly wiped out by their dark counterparts. But that the Sith exist as a defined entity points to a larger infrastructure in place -- an entire shadow organization of Sith out to overturn Jedi order, which gets at my problem with the paranormal police force the Jedi represent: if the Jedi can't prevent the Sith from appearing, and the Sith are so great at overturning Jedi order, this is a fatal structural flaw in the system.
It points to the peril of this Force thing to begin with -- if your enforcers are perennially vulnerable to "going bad," and only a few Sith are capable of demolishing your order (or worse, are capable of flourishing in the shadows, creating a shadow conspiracy that will destroy your order), when what good are you, anyway? It points to the fragility of this seemingly long-lived order. Of course, all of this happened to serve the needs of the plot, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how Luke (and Leia) could possibly restore order to the Galaxy in the wake of the Empire. I mean, if legions of Jedi were mowed down, at a time when the Jedi order was at its greatest, how could those two right things? What's more, would they even be righting anything, or merely returning to baseline -- namely, Jedi as enforcers of the New Republic. What's to stop another bad apple from spoiling the barrel again? It's not like Anger, Fear, and Hatred are hard to come by -- even Luke nearly succumbs to it several times, and lord knows Leia's quite the angry one.
And since, as Yoda and others said, the Dark Side was "quicker, easier, more seductive" -- it makes me think that those who can get their hands on the nanites that let people channel the Force, sooner or later, somebody else is going to go that quicker, easier, more seductive route again and presto -- a new Sith Lord for the New Republic. And it all repeats. Now, in the short-term, obviously, with Luke and Leia being the only two sporting the Vader bloodline, who is apparently the strongest Force-bearing soul ever, that threat isn't realized, yet. But a few generations hence? And it's a big Galaxy, after all. Anything can happen -- and entropy always wins -- Order inevitably becomes Chaos.
In a weird way, it almost feels cyclical, ala "The Matrix" -- that the New Republic will stand for awhile, and then Chaos will intrude, and we'll get another Empire of some sort. Much of that hinges on the appearance of another Palpatine/Sidious, of course, who just sort of appears.
Even though the Empire was led by Sidious and Vader, it was really a melange of normal humans, clones, starships, and droids. That was the real foundation of the Empire, with Sidious and Vader at the top, acting as dark mirror Jedi, keeping this order in check through fear -- or a different brand of fear than the Jedi had been pimping. The norms really formed the backbone of the Imperial order, were its administrative and business class, with the Sith and the Stormtroopers as the muscle.
If I were a norm facing the devastation in the wake of the collapse of the Empire, I'd be like "To hell with the Jedi. We don't want anymore Jedi around -- the risk is too great. Sooner or later, they're going to go bad, and we'll have Sith on our hands again, and they're going to frag us."
This is one of those things that would have some scold friends of mine saying "You have wayyy too much time on your hands." But it's still fun to think about.
So, playing those games (the original one being far more entertaining than the actual prequel movies) has made me philosophical about the Star Wars universe. Now, of course, the Star Wars universe is space opera central, isn't a place of deep thought or characterization, but it's possible to think about the Empire as a kind of revolt of the norms against the paranormal oligarchy of the Jedi. I mean, as Obi-Wan said to Luke, "Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
From a certain point of view, the Jedi could be seen as the hitmen for the Republic, who we're supposed to accept as innately virtuous. However, from the point of view of a norm, a Jedi would seem oppressive and frightening. Here is this person who has paranormal abilities and a lightsaber who will cut you if you cross them, or Jedi Mind Trick you. We're told the Jedi are a force (pun intended) for Good, because they have benign avoidance of Anger, Fear, and Hatred -- the tools of the Dark Side of the Force. But a Jedi is a warrior, remains a human weapon, at heart. And a weapon is always going to be an instrument of oppression, even if used for ostensibly good purposes. So, there's that.
And there is the sticky wicket of the Dark Side of the Force, the eternal temptation of the Jedi to go bad and become Sith Lords (of whom we only see a few, right? Sidious, Maul, Tyranus, and Vader). The bad apples that spoil the barrel, the indictment of the power principle, basically. The Sith are nowhere near as numerous as the Jedi -- again, we just see a handful of Sith -- but they completely overturn the Jedi-enforced order of the Republic. All those Jedi (multiple generations of them) are no match for Sith machinations, and are nearly wiped out by their dark counterparts. But that the Sith exist as a defined entity points to a larger infrastructure in place -- an entire shadow organization of Sith out to overturn Jedi order, which gets at my problem with the paranormal police force the Jedi represent: if the Jedi can't prevent the Sith from appearing, and the Sith are so great at overturning Jedi order, this is a fatal structural flaw in the system.
It points to the peril of this Force thing to begin with -- if your enforcers are perennially vulnerable to "going bad," and only a few Sith are capable of demolishing your order (or worse, are capable of flourishing in the shadows, creating a shadow conspiracy that will destroy your order), when what good are you, anyway? It points to the fragility of this seemingly long-lived order. Of course, all of this happened to serve the needs of the plot, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how Luke (and Leia) could possibly restore order to the Galaxy in the wake of the Empire. I mean, if legions of Jedi were mowed down, at a time when the Jedi order was at its greatest, how could those two right things? What's more, would they even be righting anything, or merely returning to baseline -- namely, Jedi as enforcers of the New Republic. What's to stop another bad apple from spoiling the barrel again? It's not like Anger, Fear, and Hatred are hard to come by -- even Luke nearly succumbs to it several times, and lord knows Leia's quite the angry one.
And since, as Yoda and others said, the Dark Side was "quicker, easier, more seductive" -- it makes me think that those who can get their hands on the nanites that let people channel the Force, sooner or later, somebody else is going to go that quicker, easier, more seductive route again and presto -- a new Sith Lord for the New Republic. And it all repeats. Now, in the short-term, obviously, with Luke and Leia being the only two sporting the Vader bloodline, who is apparently the strongest Force-bearing soul ever, that threat isn't realized, yet. But a few generations hence? And it's a big Galaxy, after all. Anything can happen -- and entropy always wins -- Order inevitably becomes Chaos.
In a weird way, it almost feels cyclical, ala "The Matrix" -- that the New Republic will stand for awhile, and then Chaos will intrude, and we'll get another Empire of some sort. Much of that hinges on the appearance of another Palpatine/Sidious, of course, who just sort of appears.
Even though the Empire was led by Sidious and Vader, it was really a melange of normal humans, clones, starships, and droids. That was the real foundation of the Empire, with Sidious and Vader at the top, acting as dark mirror Jedi, keeping this order in check through fear -- or a different brand of fear than the Jedi had been pimping. The norms really formed the backbone of the Imperial order, were its administrative and business class, with the Sith and the Stormtroopers as the muscle.
If I were a norm facing the devastation in the wake of the collapse of the Empire, I'd be like "To hell with the Jedi. We don't want anymore Jedi around -- the risk is too great. Sooner or later, they're going to go bad, and we'll have Sith on our hands again, and they're going to frag us."
This is one of those things that would have some scold friends of mine saying "You have wayyy too much time on your hands." But it's still fun to think about.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Boyo
The boys reached Ohio safe-n-sound, although Exene said that B2 puked on her (and himself) around five hours into the trip. Knowing B2, who is prone to carsickness, they probably had some McD's or something at some rest stop point in the bus trip, then he hurled later. I know from hard experience (hell, B2 first car-puked in the White Donkey, years ago, in his baby seat -- from that point onward, I was always mindful of not giving him much in the way of food while on the road). Knowing Exene, she didn't pack any "barf bags" -- even though B2 bus-puked on their last trip. I meant to remind her to bring some barf bags when I dropped the boys off with her, but hadn't remembered until a few hours later, when they were already on the road.
But, aside from that, they got where they were going. I really miss my guys. Having them gone from the city, knowing that they're not here, makes Chicago feel terribly empty to me. It's kind of funny, really -- when they're with their mom, in the city, even though they're not with me, I at least know they're around, and take some comfort in that. When I know that they're actually in another state, and are nowhere near me, then it makes me feel terrible, it colors everything around me.
With kids, your focus shrinks, your world zooms in on your household, and it's a wonderful thing -- I mean, it's like your eye in the storm of life, this place of peace and safety, your home (obviously, with kids, everything's far from peaceful -- but there is a peace even in the joyful noise of childhood, at least I think so). It's why empty playgrounds are creepy -- playgrounds require children in them to be joyful places. Take the kids away, and all you see is this vacancy where kids belong. A home can be like that, too. B1 turns 10 years old next month -- I'll have been a dad for a decade when his birthday rolls around. That matters a lot to me.
Anyway, I miss the boys. They're supposed to be back in town tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to that.
But, aside from that, they got where they were going. I really miss my guys. Having them gone from the city, knowing that they're not here, makes Chicago feel terribly empty to me. It's kind of funny, really -- when they're with their mom, in the city, even though they're not with me, I at least know they're around, and take some comfort in that. When I know that they're actually in another state, and are nowhere near me, then it makes me feel terrible, it colors everything around me.
With kids, your focus shrinks, your world zooms in on your household, and it's a wonderful thing -- I mean, it's like your eye in the storm of life, this place of peace and safety, your home (obviously, with kids, everything's far from peaceful -- but there is a peace even in the joyful noise of childhood, at least I think so). It's why empty playgrounds are creepy -- playgrounds require children in them to be joyful places. Take the kids away, and all you see is this vacancy where kids belong. A home can be like that, too. B1 turns 10 years old next month -- I'll have been a dad for a decade when his birthday rolls around. That matters a lot to me.
Anyway, I miss the boys. They're supposed to be back in town tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to that.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Ghosts of Christmas Past
The boys enjoyed their Christmas; it was pretty casual, but the gifts were well-received -- B1 absolutely loved the telescope I got him, and we promptly used it to scope Venus last night. He was really tickled about that, kept saying how Venus was the first planet we'd seen with his telescope. The Moon was just a crescent, but when it's full, he's going to love seeing it. I could tell he was enjoying it, just how he kept revisiting it, and talking about it.
B2 enjoyed the Lego Garbage Truck and the General Grievous Starfighter I got him, among other things. He's all about General Grievous these days, so he dug that. He also enjoyed some other knick-knacks I got for him.
Exene is going to have the boys with her for the next few days, as she travels to Ohio with them. I'm a little anxious about that, since they're taking the bus. I just hope it goes smoothly, without incident, and the boys make it back home safe and sound. Exene won't drive, so she tends to opt for the bus (back in the day, any time there was any traveling to be done, I would invariably be the driver). I almost wish she'd opted for a plane trip for the boys and her, since it would probably have cost as much as the bus, and be far faster, but she'll do what she'll do. The bus station is the Mos Eisley of Chicago -- never will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. I told the boys (without wanting them to be nervous) to stay together and stick by their mom when they're there. Having caught buses there a few times in the 90s, I know it used to really suck. Hopefully they renovated it and made it better, but I doubt it. Anyway, I am seeing the boys off this morning, will miss their sweet selves.
Gonna take advantage of the boys' absence to clean the hell out of the apartment, so when they return, it'll be all clean and pristine, ready for them to mess it up again. Haha!
The ghost I don't believe in rang jingle bells outside our windows yesterday morning. B2 had gotten up, was rifling through his presents, and while we were sitting there, we heard these bells outside our window. B2 looked at me in wonder and surprise, like "Did you hear that, Daddy?" and I said "Yep. Uh, must be Santa and his sleigh." and then the bells sounded again, and B2 ran into the boys' room, told B1 about it. Meanwhile, I'm thinking "Uh, okay, so the kid heard those, too, so it wasn't just me." and B1 said he heard them, too, only that they sounded like they were in the room with him! So, I just rolled with it, said "Yeah, Santa's just doing a fly-by before heading back to the North Pole." It was surreal, though -- the Ghost of Christmas Past!
B2 enjoyed the Lego Garbage Truck and the General Grievous Starfighter I got him, among other things. He's all about General Grievous these days, so he dug that. He also enjoyed some other knick-knacks I got for him.
Exene is going to have the boys with her for the next few days, as she travels to Ohio with them. I'm a little anxious about that, since they're taking the bus. I just hope it goes smoothly, without incident, and the boys make it back home safe and sound. Exene won't drive, so she tends to opt for the bus (back in the day, any time there was any traveling to be done, I would invariably be the driver). I almost wish she'd opted for a plane trip for the boys and her, since it would probably have cost as much as the bus, and be far faster, but she'll do what she'll do. The bus station is the Mos Eisley of Chicago -- never will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. I told the boys (without wanting them to be nervous) to stay together and stick by their mom when they're there. Having caught buses there a few times in the 90s, I know it used to really suck. Hopefully they renovated it and made it better, but I doubt it. Anyway, I am seeing the boys off this morning, will miss their sweet selves.
Gonna take advantage of the boys' absence to clean the hell out of the apartment, so when they return, it'll be all clean and pristine, ready for them to mess it up again. Haha!
The ghost I don't believe in rang jingle bells outside our windows yesterday morning. B2 had gotten up, was rifling through his presents, and while we were sitting there, we heard these bells outside our window. B2 looked at me in wonder and surprise, like "Did you hear that, Daddy?" and I said "Yep. Uh, must be Santa and his sleigh." and then the bells sounded again, and B2 ran into the boys' room, told B1 about it. Meanwhile, I'm thinking "Uh, okay, so the kid heard those, too, so it wasn't just me." and B1 said he heard them, too, only that they sounded like they were in the room with him! So, I just rolled with it, said "Yeah, Santa's just doing a fly-by before heading back to the North Pole." It was surreal, though -- the Ghost of Christmas Past!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Happy Holidays!
Another "Curb Your Enthusiasm" bit...
Larry Eats Jesus
*snicker*
"Ass Fetish"
Bahahah!
And one more...
The Flamboyant Kid
BAHAHA!
Larry Eats Jesus
*snicker*
"Ass Fetish"
Bahahah!
And one more...
The Flamboyant Kid
BAHAHA!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Chat & Cut
Bahahah...
"Chat & Cut" from "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
This reminds me so much of my stepdad, it cracks me up. Larry David doesn't look like my stepdad, but his pet peeves and what-not are totally like him. Bahaha! That said, I hate waiting in lines nearly as much as I loathe line cutters!
"Chat & Cut" from "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
This reminds me so much of my stepdad, it cracks me up. Larry David doesn't look like my stepdad, but his pet peeves and what-not are totally like him. Bahaha! That said, I hate waiting in lines nearly as much as I loathe line cutters!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Bandolier?
So, since I'm busy quibbling about continuity in movies, something came to me while watching "The Empire Strikes Back" after seeing it for the umpteenth time -- in the torture scene(s), when Chewbacca is in the cell, being subject to sonic torture, did you notice that he's wearing his ammo bandolier?
Now, these are, we are to believe, power packs for his famed "laser crossbow," whatever that is, exactly. Some kind of glorified blaster. At any rate, it's an effective weapon he'd put to good use a time or two.
But the Imperials just chucked Chewie into the torture room with his bandolier. Huh. Given the Wookie's propensity for tech prowess, I have to wonder what they were thinking with that. Now, maybe it was a part of the costume and Lucas didn't want to have to redesign it or whatever. But, strictly speaking, from a continuity perspective, the presence of that bandolier is troubling -- there are likely any number of things a knowledgeable soul could do with blaster ammo clips/power packs, yes? We see him put C-3P0 together without much more than a hydrospanner, so surely he could do a lot of damage with a bandolier full of power packs.
Continuity. Are we to believe the Imperials are so contemptuous of the Wookie that they'd let him go into a jail cell packing his ammo like that? Especially when they are careful to cuff Chewie later, showing that they are clearly aware of the Wookie danger.
Just something I noticed. Maybe not as egregious as Leia rolling over for Jabba, but still a troubling bit of discontinuity in the movie. Lucas obviously didn't think of anything like that for Chewie, since he was only a secondary character, and wasn't going to have the enterprising Wookie bust himself out of dodge with some adroit use of the ammo clips he was packing; still, it would have been nice for Lucas to have given Chewie the benefit of a doubt and showed him without his bandolier, just to reflect the thoroughness of the Empire's detention policies.
Side note: It's kind of ironic, isn't it, those torture scenes? I mean, when that movie came out, what was it, in 1980? Torture was seen as synonymous with Imperial evil (which, of course, it is, yes?) But now, watching even those sanitized, PG-rated torture scenes, it's sort of creepy to think that torture is now officially part of American policy (as is indefinite detention and rendition of prisoners, including Americans). What used to be a cartoonish stand-in for the villainy of the Empire (Leia getting interrogated in "Star Wars" by the creepy Imperial Torture Droid; Han, Chewie and Leia getting tortured on Bespin) is now our government's policy. How times have changed! The outrages of 1980 are the official policies of 2011.
*cue "The Imperial March" as new national anthem*
Now, these are, we are to believe, power packs for his famed "laser crossbow," whatever that is, exactly. Some kind of glorified blaster. At any rate, it's an effective weapon he'd put to good use a time or two.
But the Imperials just chucked Chewie into the torture room with his bandolier. Huh. Given the Wookie's propensity for tech prowess, I have to wonder what they were thinking with that. Now, maybe it was a part of the costume and Lucas didn't want to have to redesign it or whatever. But, strictly speaking, from a continuity perspective, the presence of that bandolier is troubling -- there are likely any number of things a knowledgeable soul could do with blaster ammo clips/power packs, yes? We see him put C-3P0 together without much more than a hydrospanner, so surely he could do a lot of damage with a bandolier full of power packs.
Continuity. Are we to believe the Imperials are so contemptuous of the Wookie that they'd let him go into a jail cell packing his ammo like that? Especially when they are careful to cuff Chewie later, showing that they are clearly aware of the Wookie danger.
Just something I noticed. Maybe not as egregious as Leia rolling over for Jabba, but still a troubling bit of discontinuity in the movie. Lucas obviously didn't think of anything like that for Chewie, since he was only a secondary character, and wasn't going to have the enterprising Wookie bust himself out of dodge with some adroit use of the ammo clips he was packing; still, it would have been nice for Lucas to have given Chewie the benefit of a doubt and showed him without his bandolier, just to reflect the thoroughness of the Empire's detention policies.
Side note: It's kind of ironic, isn't it, those torture scenes? I mean, when that movie came out, what was it, in 1980? Torture was seen as synonymous with Imperial evil (which, of course, it is, yes?) But now, watching even those sanitized, PG-rated torture scenes, it's sort of creepy to think that torture is now officially part of American policy (as is indefinite detention and rendition of prisoners, including Americans). What used to be a cartoonish stand-in for the villainy of the Empire (Leia getting interrogated in "Star Wars" by the creepy Imperial Torture Droid; Han, Chewie and Leia getting tortured on Bespin) is now our government's policy. How times have changed! The outrages of 1980 are the official policies of 2011.
*cue "The Imperial March" as new national anthem*
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Huh
While watching "Captain America: The First Avenger" on DVD, I was bemused to see during the credits, when they did their medley of WWII-era propaganda posters, that they had doctored a rather famous one...
They'd replaced the USSR flag with the Russian Federation flag, which I thought was a rather curious historical revision. I mean, obviously, the movie's ersatz 40s vibe is fictional, and, I imagine, most Americans don't dwell much on paltry issues like history, but the Russian Federation didn't fight the Nazis in WWII, and didn't exist in the 40s; but the USSR did both. The Russians lost something like >20 million of their people in WWII (and, I'm sure, much of the blame can be leveled at the feet of Stalin and the Bolsheviks, who were woefully unprepared for what the Germans hurled at them -- at least at first). But if it hadn't been for the Nazis invading Russia, and for the quagmire of the Eastern Front sapping the German war machine of lives and men -- in other words, if not for the sacrifice of those 20 million Russians--the Nazis might have won WWII.
So, to have the USSR's role in WWII excised like that, even in a fleeting credit, is a weird kind of thing. The Soviet Union was not a nice place, and did plenty of bad things--but they did fight in WWII, and they were instrumental in the defeat of the Axis. Omitting them is a curiously graceless thing on the part of the moviemakers. And why did they do this, exactly? Who were they worried about offending by showing the poster as it actually was, versus the doctored one? And as they were making the rounds of propaganda posters, were they realizing that doctoring a propaganda poster was, itself, a bow to propaganda? Or did the Hollywood blacklist so thoroughly sterilize and scour the movie industry that it couldn't even allow a teensy little hammer and sickle appear onscreen for two seconds?
I just find it curious, one of those glimpses behind the mask our society wears. A small thing, yes, but a revealing one, all the same. And, yes, the movie's a fictional tale about a superhero fighting a make-believe Nazi menace--but just the same, if they are wanting to trot out the propaganda posters of the era as a kind of tip of the hat to the era, don't doctor them for whatever weird ideological needs of the moment. As I said: over 20 million Russians died fighting in that war; give them their due, don't be so chickenshit (and, weirdly, Stalinist) to rewrite history...
You can see the doctored shot at 1:40.
They'd replaced the USSR flag with the Russian Federation flag, which I thought was a rather curious historical revision. I mean, obviously, the movie's ersatz 40s vibe is fictional, and, I imagine, most Americans don't dwell much on paltry issues like history, but the Russian Federation didn't fight the Nazis in WWII, and didn't exist in the 40s; but the USSR did both. The Russians lost something like >20 million of their people in WWII (and, I'm sure, much of the blame can be leveled at the feet of Stalin and the Bolsheviks, who were woefully unprepared for what the Germans hurled at them -- at least at first). But if it hadn't been for the Nazis invading Russia, and for the quagmire of the Eastern Front sapping the German war machine of lives and men -- in other words, if not for the sacrifice of those 20 million Russians--the Nazis might have won WWII.
So, to have the USSR's role in WWII excised like that, even in a fleeting credit, is a weird kind of thing. The Soviet Union was not a nice place, and did plenty of bad things--but they did fight in WWII, and they were instrumental in the defeat of the Axis. Omitting them is a curiously graceless thing on the part of the moviemakers. And why did they do this, exactly? Who were they worried about offending by showing the poster as it actually was, versus the doctored one? And as they were making the rounds of propaganda posters, were they realizing that doctoring a propaganda poster was, itself, a bow to propaganda? Or did the Hollywood blacklist so thoroughly sterilize and scour the movie industry that it couldn't even allow a teensy little hammer and sickle appear onscreen for two seconds?
I just find it curious, one of those glimpses behind the mask our society wears. A small thing, yes, but a revealing one, all the same. And, yes, the movie's a fictional tale about a superhero fighting a make-believe Nazi menace--but just the same, if they are wanting to trot out the propaganda posters of the era as a kind of tip of the hat to the era, don't doctor them for whatever weird ideological needs of the moment. As I said: over 20 million Russians died fighting in that war; give them their due, don't be so chickenshit (and, weirdly, Stalinist) to rewrite history...
You can see the doctored shot at 1:40.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Leia
Ah, Princess Leia. But for her "slave girl" costume, nerd girls throughout the universe would not have their go-to costume of choice. Something came to me, however, as I thought about it, having watched "Return of the Jedi" after not having watched it for a very long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
1) Leia is the biggest bitch in the cosmos, yes? I mean, that's not even a controversial point. She's a bitch's bitch. Grand Moff Tarkin understood this, which was why he tartly signed her death warrant.
2) So, granted that Leia is a supreme bitch, I ask you this: How'd Jabba get her in that slave girl costume? I mean, they do a screen wipe from the point when Jabba captures her to later, when we see her in the classic slave girl costume, chained to Jabba's throne/sedan chair.
I mean, we know why Jabba did this -- he was basically saying "You may be a bitch, but you're MY bitch, Bitch." (said in Huttese, naturally)
But what I want to know is how Jabba's minions managed to actually get Leia to wear that slave girl outfit, let alone a chain around her neck. Because if there was anybody in the galaxy who could not be made to do something she didn't want to do, it was Leia.
And yet, there she was, sporting that slave girl costume (not that I'm complaining, mind you -- that was one of the formative experiences of my burgeoning adolescent sexuality, Leia in that getup).
All the same, I only wonder how they got her to wear it. I mean, we know why Carrie Fisher wore it -- George Lucas was like "Wear this, we need to show a little skin, maybe, just to show what a dick Jabba is." But, as a character, it's hard to fathom how they got Leia to wear it.
I mean, even if Jabba's henchmen knocked Leia out and dressed her in that, she'd likely have gotten out of that getup the first chance she got, right? But Leia doesn't look roughed up -- rather, she's just lounging on Jabba's sedan chair, biding her time.
We know that Leia doesn't want to be Jabba's slave girl, obviously. But, how did Jabba manage to convince her? I mean, was Jabba a bigger asshole than Leia was a bitch? How'd he pull off the hat trick of getting Leia to be a slave girl? And in no time flat, mind you -- it's not like she'd been his prisoner for a long time; rather, Leia rolls for Jabba in no time.
Clearly, and this comes as no surprise, Jabba is a pimp. And not just any pimp -- Jabba is the greatest pimp in the history of pimpdom. He didn't even have to rough Leia up; we don't see how he did it, but, somehow, Jabba got Leia to don a slave girl costume and a leash, and, apparently, it didn't take much persuading to do so. Not just that, but the habitually mouthy Leia is silent when she's Jabba's bitch. I can't remember her actually saying anything when she's hanging out with Jabba. She just sits there, the shrew apparently tamed by Jabba's pimptacular skills.
Now, maybe Jabba told her to wear it or he'd kill Han. But, that's not very convincing, since Jabba was clearly intending to kill Han regardless of what Leia did. I don't know. It's one of those mysteries of "Star Wars" that one may never solve.
I mean, we're talking about Leia, here -- this is a woman who, rather than give up the Rebellion to Grand Moff Tarkin, risked (and lost) her entire homeworld, killing billions of people -- she's one seriously tough cookie. But Jabba rolls her in no time flat. How? Clearly, the Hutt race have some kind of Master Pimping power that rivals the Force in its awesomeness. It must be something like that. How else to explain it?
"Soon you will learn to appreciate me."
~Jabba the Hutt, to Leia Organa
1) Leia is the biggest bitch in the cosmos, yes? I mean, that's not even a controversial point. She's a bitch's bitch. Grand Moff Tarkin understood this, which was why he tartly signed her death warrant.
2) So, granted that Leia is a supreme bitch, I ask you this: How'd Jabba get her in that slave girl costume? I mean, they do a screen wipe from the point when Jabba captures her to later, when we see her in the classic slave girl costume, chained to Jabba's throne/sedan chair.
I mean, we know why Jabba did this -- he was basically saying "You may be a bitch, but you're MY bitch, Bitch." (said in Huttese, naturally)
But what I want to know is how Jabba's minions managed to actually get Leia to wear that slave girl outfit, let alone a chain around her neck. Because if there was anybody in the galaxy who could not be made to do something she didn't want to do, it was Leia.
And yet, there she was, sporting that slave girl costume (not that I'm complaining, mind you -- that was one of the formative experiences of my burgeoning adolescent sexuality, Leia in that getup).
All the same, I only wonder how they got her to wear it. I mean, we know why Carrie Fisher wore it -- George Lucas was like "Wear this, we need to show a little skin, maybe, just to show what a dick Jabba is." But, as a character, it's hard to fathom how they got Leia to wear it.
I mean, even if Jabba's henchmen knocked Leia out and dressed her in that, she'd likely have gotten out of that getup the first chance she got, right? But Leia doesn't look roughed up -- rather, she's just lounging on Jabba's sedan chair, biding her time.
We know that Leia doesn't want to be Jabba's slave girl, obviously. But, how did Jabba manage to convince her? I mean, was Jabba a bigger asshole than Leia was a bitch? How'd he pull off the hat trick of getting Leia to be a slave girl? And in no time flat, mind you -- it's not like she'd been his prisoner for a long time; rather, Leia rolls for Jabba in no time.
Clearly, and this comes as no surprise, Jabba is a pimp. And not just any pimp -- Jabba is the greatest pimp in the history of pimpdom. He didn't even have to rough Leia up; we don't see how he did it, but, somehow, Jabba got Leia to don a slave girl costume and a leash, and, apparently, it didn't take much persuading to do so. Not just that, but the habitually mouthy Leia is silent when she's Jabba's bitch. I can't remember her actually saying anything when she's hanging out with Jabba. She just sits there, the shrew apparently tamed by Jabba's pimptacular skills.
Now, maybe Jabba told her to wear it or he'd kill Han. But, that's not very convincing, since Jabba was clearly intending to kill Han regardless of what Leia did. I don't know. It's one of those mysteries of "Star Wars" that one may never solve.
I mean, we're talking about Leia, here -- this is a woman who, rather than give up the Rebellion to Grand Moff Tarkin, risked (and lost) her entire homeworld, killing billions of people -- she's one seriously tough cookie. But Jabba rolls her in no time flat. How? Clearly, the Hutt race have some kind of Master Pimping power that rivals the Force in its awesomeness. It must be something like that. How else to explain it?
"Soon you will learn to appreciate me."
~Jabba the Hutt, to Leia Organa
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Bahahahah
Kirk finds himself in a very Aries guy kind of situation, here. Amusingly enough, both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are Aries! Btw, Yvonne Craig? Taurus -- that's no bull!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
December Rain
It's raining outside. One of those dismal December rains that really would prefer to be snow, but it's just not cold enough for that, anymore, which sucks, right? I mean, we're nearly mid-December, and have only had one day where there was even a whisker of snow. Not to say that things won't get rolling in deep winter, say January or February, but still, sheesh. My boys look forward to sledding, and right now, that's nowhere on the radar. I remember when we would get actual winters in Chicago.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Finito!
So, I wrapped the last of the boys' presents, have them tucked away. B1 actually discovered one of his presents in the closet -- I know because the shirt I'd covered it with had been replaced with a different one. I had the thing wrapped, thankfully. I let him shake it once his brother was asleep (had to do that, because if B2 knew there were presents in the apartment, he'd be combing the place top to bottom). Anyway, B1 was stoked at the present (which is in a big box). He has no idea what it is, but he's going to love it! It's something he's asked for in previous years, so I made a point to get it for him this go'round. He'll be so excited to open it!
I was tickled that B1 successfully described the lunar eclipse the other day -- he knew it for what it was. Go, B1! Woo hoo! I told him about the theoretical possibility of diamond planets, too, and he was totally intrigued by that. I've said it before, but B1 is going to absolutely love physics. I can see that so clearly. I'm doing what I can to help him rock the mathematics so he can dive right into that, because he so clearly has a math-oriented mind.
Apparently Exene is going to take the boys to see her family after Christmas (like the day after, for a few days). That kinda bugs me -- even though I get Christmas Eve/Day with the boys this year, with that trip of hers looming behind the holiday that way, it feels kind of like the bum's rush a bit.
I need to bake some biscotti for the season. I love biscotti, especially around the holidays. No frickin' pizzelles or sesame cookies for me, Paisan -- gimme some frickin' biscotti! Which, in truth, I'll make myself, if you don't frickin' mind. And they will rock, because I make some damned fine biscotti. Mangiare!
I was tickled that B1 successfully described the lunar eclipse the other day -- he knew it for what it was. Go, B1! Woo hoo! I told him about the theoretical possibility of diamond planets, too, and he was totally intrigued by that. I've said it before, but B1 is going to absolutely love physics. I can see that so clearly. I'm doing what I can to help him rock the mathematics so he can dive right into that, because he so clearly has a math-oriented mind.
Apparently Exene is going to take the boys to see her family after Christmas (like the day after, for a few days). That kinda bugs me -- even though I get Christmas Eve/Day with the boys this year, with that trip of hers looming behind the holiday that way, it feels kind of like the bum's rush a bit.
I need to bake some biscotti for the season. I love biscotti, especially around the holidays. No frickin' pizzelles or sesame cookies for me, Paisan -- gimme some frickin' biscotti! Which, in truth, I'll make myself, if you don't frickin' mind. And they will rock, because I make some damned fine biscotti. Mangiare!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Done!
I think I'm well and truly done with Christmas shopping, now. Just got a couple more things for the boys. Shew. I picked up a couple of additional Lego things for the boys, was waited on by the world's cheeriest clerk -- I don't even know how she managed to keep that level of energy up in the retail hell of a Lego store, but she did it.
I'm amazed that both of my boys have grown 5 inches in the past 2 years! Lordy! I can tell they're getting bigger, but sheesh!
I'm amazed that both of my boys have grown 5 inches in the past 2 years! Lordy! I can tell they're getting bigger, but sheesh!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Jackhammer
Somebody with a jackhammer started working streetside at 5:00 a.m. sharp! Haha! Life in the big city!
I didn't go to that show the other night, btw. Lame. But it was so cold and blustery, and that club was such a PITA to get to (that is, if it were summer, I'd have simply biked up there, but in winter, other transportation options = PITA), and since the ticket was only $15, I passed. Guess I'm getting old! Bahah!
Work has been crazy-busy of late. Which is fine by me, in truth -- I don't mind being busy at all. I never get people who complain about being busy; it's part of the deal, hello? You go to work, you work, right?
JACKHAMMEREREREREREERERERERRERERERER
Gonna do my usual morning write, now.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Train in Vain
I'm not really surprised by this...
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technocracy/2011/12/high_speed_rail_is_dead_in_america_should_we_mourn_it_.html
To be honest, I never thought high-speed rail ever had a chance in this country. It's far too much of a First World kind of conveyance for our country to seriously consider it, particularly as we slide into post-imperial Second World status (and, sorry, but that's where we're heading, folks).
The kind of capital expenditure and infrastructure awareness high-speed rail requires doesn't fly in the land of car culture -- Americans like cars, like sprawl, like highways (hell, I like cars, too, although I recognize that a proper rail network would strengthen our country, not weaken it).
Only when gasoline is about $10/gallon will Americans begin (and I stress "begin") to wonder if alternatives are desirable. And even then, the politicians are likelier to offer non-solutions like hydrogen fuel cells or some other meta-contrivance to something like a rail service, let alone a high-speed rail service.
This article is also illustrative:
Why Conservatives Hate Trains
So long as our government panders to reactionary crybabies, nutballs, flat-earthers and whiners (mislabeled "conservatives" in our Gliberal Media), we'll continue to fail to see progress in things like rail. Frankly, it should be confined to blue states, rather than trotted out across the entire country. Let those who get it, get it (although maybe, even in blue states, people don't get it). I dunno.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technocracy/2011/12/high_speed_rail_is_dead_in_america_should_we_mourn_it_.html
To be honest, I never thought high-speed rail ever had a chance in this country. It's far too much of a First World kind of conveyance for our country to seriously consider it, particularly as we slide into post-imperial Second World status (and, sorry, but that's where we're heading, folks).
The kind of capital expenditure and infrastructure awareness high-speed rail requires doesn't fly in the land of car culture -- Americans like cars, like sprawl, like highways (hell, I like cars, too, although I recognize that a proper rail network would strengthen our country, not weaken it).
Only when gasoline is about $10/gallon will Americans begin (and I stress "begin") to wonder if alternatives are desirable. And even then, the politicians are likelier to offer non-solutions like hydrogen fuel cells or some other meta-contrivance to something like a rail service, let alone a high-speed rail service.
This article is also illustrative:
Why Conservatives Hate Trains
So long as our government panders to reactionary crybabies, nutballs, flat-earthers and whiners (mislabeled "conservatives" in our Gliberal Media), we'll continue to fail to see progress in things like rail. Frankly, it should be confined to blue states, rather than trotted out across the entire country. Let those who get it, get it (although maybe, even in blue states, people don't get it). I dunno.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Naughty or Nice?
You better watch out! You better not cry! You better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list, checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming! Santa Claus is coming...
Here Comes Santa Claus! Here Comes Santa Claus! Right down Santa Claus Lane!
Santa's helpers will be coming in your chimney, ready to stuff your stockings, so be good, for goodness sake!
Here Comes Santa Claus! Here Comes Santa Claus! Right down Santa Claus Lane!
Santa's helpers will be coming in your chimney, ready to stuff your stockings, so be good, for goodness sake!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
This-n-that
Crazy-busy week. I've already had about 6 meetings in the past 2 days! Lots of stuff to deal with. But it's all good, for sure!
I've gotten the boys' Christmas presents mostly sorted out; I try to get them each three good gifts, plus stocking stuffin's, think that's sufficient. Each thing I pick out is well-chosen, based on what the boys actually have said what they wanted (ideally something they've said they wanted months ago, so they don't remember, so there's a nice surprise factor). I'm just glad to have it all (nearly) done. Then I just have to get B1 something for his birthday (his 10th -- oh, my), and then I'll be all set. One of the gifts I got for B1 is so perfect, he'll be super-thrilled. I know it! I'll just have to keep B2 from destroying it in a fit of little brotherly pique!
Amazing that there's not been any actual snowfall proper so far. We've had a couple of flurry moments, but no honest-to-goodness winter wonderland action.
I'm going to see a band tomorrow; or, at least, I've got a ticket to do so. We'll see how industrious I am, whether I go or not. It's at one of my favorite small clubs, but because it's a haul from where I live, if it's a rotten weather night or something, I may not go. We'll see. How jaded am I? Hah. It's only a $15 ticket, so it's not like a big investment or anything.
Speaking of that, I was amused to see a check in the mail, some kind of settlement for a class-action lawsuit I didn't even realize I was in on. Hah! $18, cash-money, out of the blue. Woo hoo!
I've gotten the boys' Christmas presents mostly sorted out; I try to get them each three good gifts, plus stocking stuffin's, think that's sufficient. Each thing I pick out is well-chosen, based on what the boys actually have said what they wanted (ideally something they've said they wanted months ago, so they don't remember, so there's a nice surprise factor). I'm just glad to have it all (nearly) done. Then I just have to get B1 something for his birthday (his 10th -- oh, my), and then I'll be all set. One of the gifts I got for B1 is so perfect, he'll be super-thrilled. I know it! I'll just have to keep B2 from destroying it in a fit of little brotherly pique!
Amazing that there's not been any actual snowfall proper so far. We've had a couple of flurry moments, but no honest-to-goodness winter wonderland action.
I'm going to see a band tomorrow; or, at least, I've got a ticket to do so. We'll see how industrious I am, whether I go or not. It's at one of my favorite small clubs, but because it's a haul from where I live, if it's a rotten weather night or something, I may not go. We'll see. How jaded am I? Hah. It's only a $15 ticket, so it's not like a big investment or anything.
Speaking of that, I was amused to see a check in the mail, some kind of settlement for a class-action lawsuit I didn't even realize I was in on. Hah! $18, cash-money, out of the blue. Woo hoo!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Cipherpunk'd
The latest book I'm writing is coming along very well; I'm about 20% done with it, after 3 weeks, which is a new speed record for me. I've mapped out the three parts of it, the chapters, the narrative arcs, all of that stuff. Am well-pleased with it. I even cooked up a cipher for a part of it, just having a bit of fun, tossing a puzzle into the book for the readers. Lots of folks use computers to craft ciphers, but the real problem with those is you can't ever get a truly random computer, so patterns can be discerned with computer-generated ciphers. No, the only way to get real randomness in the mix is to do it old-school, pen-and-paper, that kind of thing. Anyway, the cipher in the book is an intricate one, took me awhile to craft it. Just a bit of mischief for the reader. Good times, right? Bahah! It was just something that popped into my head while writing it, something one of the characters would definitely do, so I ran with it... F IIMF PRLBR DOSFKT OX
Friday, December 2, 2011
Lady Winter
Work has been good. Have been doing my thing. I'm tired, though, just juggling plates and what-not (figuratively, mind you, not literally -- although my grandpa could do that; he was good at that kind of stuff). December has stalked into the frame, taking hold of the season, even though it's not officially winter, yet, it's making what's left of Fall its bitch.
Some of the boys' Christmas presents have arrived, which I've stealthily stashed and wrapped. Loving that. They're none the wiser. Muahaha!
Working on some new fiction, am nearly 20,000 words into it after about three weeks. That's going well. I still need to get more organized -- need to give away a lot of stuff to charity, like clothes and toys and books the boys never use, anymore. That kind of thing.
Some of the boys' Christmas presents have arrived, which I've stealthily stashed and wrapped. Loving that. They're none the wiser. Muahaha!
Working on some new fiction, am nearly 20,000 words into it after about three weeks. That's going well. I still need to get more organized -- need to give away a lot of stuff to charity, like clothes and toys and books the boys never use, anymore. That kind of thing.
Dreamy
I don't routinely post dreams, because nothing's more boring than reading about somebody else's dreams, but my dreams have been odd, lately, full of celebrity cameos and what-not. For example, I dreamed that I was in some kind of cop movie-type scenario, flying low across the LA River (if you really want to call it a river), with 90s-era David Bowie riding shotgun with me, and offering commentary on the chase. We were cops, apparently, and Bowie was keen to get the bad guys, who were racing down the LA River whatever-you-call it--concrete apocalypse?
Another was an "Avatar"-scaled kind of war movie thing, with massive amounts of lasers and explosions and what-not.
Another was me chumming around backstage with young Stevie Nicks, who took me on a whirlwind tour of her world (there wasn't any other Fleetwood Mac folks around, although there were shadowy others around, but it was all about Stevie). And, ultimately, there was sex with Stevie Nicks, which both enticed and alarmed me in the course of the dream, because I was thinking "Wow, I'm having sex with Stevie Nicks!" and at the same moment, it was like "Oh, SHIT; I'm having sex with Stevie Nicks -- and I'm not wearing protection?!?!!" But the dream shifted before those thoughts went anywhere.
Still another had me in a protracted dispute with an Indian hair salon owner, who insisted that I owed her $800, and I as insistently pointed out that I didn't owe her place more than $20 for the haircut I'd just gotten, and we were going back and forth, and the stylist was embarrassed that their computer system apparently had no record of my transactions. I was arguing that I didn't have a running tab with the salon, that this was ridiculous. We both stood our ground, and the woman said she'd send me to small claims court, and I said "Fine. See you there!" and then the lady went back to her office and managed to find her financial records that showed that, yes, I had, in fact, paid my bill, and how sorry she was for the misunderstanding, and she wanted a hug to make things better. I was loathe to do so in the wake of the confrontation, but did so, while inwardly grossed out because the woman smelled like patchouli, one of my least-favorite scents in the world. Then I woke up.
Another was an "Avatar"-scaled kind of war movie thing, with massive amounts of lasers and explosions and what-not.
 |
| Stevie Nicks. Eyes UP HERE, Stevie. |
Still another had me in a protracted dispute with an Indian hair salon owner, who insisted that I owed her $800, and I as insistently pointed out that I didn't owe her place more than $20 for the haircut I'd just gotten, and we were going back and forth, and the stylist was embarrassed that their computer system apparently had no record of my transactions. I was arguing that I didn't have a running tab with the salon, that this was ridiculous. We both stood our ground, and the woman said she'd send me to small claims court, and I said "Fine. See you there!" and then the lady went back to her office and managed to find her financial records that showed that, yes, I had, in fact, paid my bill, and how sorry she was for the misunderstanding, and she wanted a hug to make things better. I was loathe to do so in the wake of the confrontation, but did so, while inwardly grossed out because the woman smelled like patchouli, one of my least-favorite scents in the world. Then I woke up.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Cool Yule
B2 loved that I'd put up the tree. He had run right up to it, and was just thrilled. He gushed about how the Christmas tree was his favorite part of the holiday, and went about rearranging some of the decorations on the tree. I loved seeing him so stoked about it. He would periodically go on about it, just how much he loved it. We set up the boys' GeoTrax train around the base of the tree, too, which B2 enjoyed, too.
This Christmas will be much better than last year's, thankfully, although I'm still being very prudent about what to get the boys, trying to pick things that they'll really want, use, and enjoy. There's nothing worse than facing some "must-have" toy that they play with for about 15 minutes. On the bright side, since we never watch commercial television anymore, the boys lack that hardwired consumerist instinct so many kids cultivate. So, I have it comparatively easy.
As ever the Christmas commando, I pride myself on being able to get gifts into the apartment without the boys seeing -- Exene already had B2 spot a present she'd bought; I don't know how she talked her way out of him tearing into that one! What amuses me is that, thanks to my good hiding places, neither boys are the wiser for it -- B1 would never think of doing it, because he's so honorable; and B2 doesn't suspect that I've got various niches and hidey-holes for presents. If he knew where they were, he'd totally ferret them out! This is the kid who, at 3 years of age, would methodically pull a chair into the kitchen, climb atop it, and then climb atop the sink in an effort to get something sequestered atop the fridge.
I'm figuring on four gifts per boy -- I think that's more than sufficient. And that doesn't count anything I put in their stockings, which are hanging from the windows, so Santa can see'em -- they loved that, too. B2 was already grilling me about a present, like "Will you get this, or will Santa?" and I said "I don't know, yet. We'll see."
This Christmas will be much better than last year's, thankfully, although I'm still being very prudent about what to get the boys, trying to pick things that they'll really want, use, and enjoy. There's nothing worse than facing some "must-have" toy that they play with for about 15 minutes. On the bright side, since we never watch commercial television anymore, the boys lack that hardwired consumerist instinct so many kids cultivate. So, I have it comparatively easy.
As ever the Christmas commando, I pride myself on being able to get gifts into the apartment without the boys seeing -- Exene already had B2 spot a present she'd bought; I don't know how she talked her way out of him tearing into that one! What amuses me is that, thanks to my good hiding places, neither boys are the wiser for it -- B1 would never think of doing it, because he's so honorable; and B2 doesn't suspect that I've got various niches and hidey-holes for presents. If he knew where they were, he'd totally ferret them out! This is the kid who, at 3 years of age, would methodically pull a chair into the kitchen, climb atop it, and then climb atop the sink in an effort to get something sequestered atop the fridge.
I'm figuring on four gifts per boy -- I think that's more than sufficient. And that doesn't count anything I put in their stockings, which are hanging from the windows, so Santa can see'em -- they loved that, too. B2 was already grilling me about a present, like "Will you get this, or will Santa?" and I said "I don't know, yet. We'll see."
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Hugo (2011)
I saw Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" last night, after work. I'm a big fan of his, love his directing style, so I saw this one with much anticipation, and was disappointed -- not in his shooting of it. It's compellingly shot, of course, as I would expect from Scorsese, who can probably shoot movies in his sleep at this point. But I found the story lacking. Without wanting to go into spoilers per se, the movie is sort of deceptive -- despite the title, the title character really isn't the main driver of anything, so much as he's the catalyst. The movie is really about another character, and the boy is just a means of delivering some kind of creative absolution to that other character. I found the characterizations to be lacking, and the tone to be strongly sentimental and nostalgic, and Scorsese's own intense love of film-making to derail the story, itself. If it wanted to be a movie about movies, it needed to be that -- but there are other things thrown into the mix, and the result is that the movie doesn't convince or persuade -- at least it didn't do that with me (I say that because some folks applauded when it was over). In terms of the shooting of the movie, it was fine -- but in terms of the story, it was wanting.
They likely crafted the story of this cuter, cornflower-eyed waif boy in the train station to sell the real story, which was less marketable -- namely, this old film director who has, for some reason, lost his will to create movies. Again, because of the lack of deep characterization, the whole exercise felt less than convincing.
The movie will likely coast to some kind of Oscar nominations, but it's likely simply because of Scorsese's justified status as one of America's Last Great Moviemakers. It didn't work for me, however -- I didn't feel it exceeded the sum of its parts.
They likely crafted the story of this cuter, cornflower-eyed waif boy in the train station to sell the real story, which was less marketable -- namely, this old film director who has, for some reason, lost his will to create movies. Again, because of the lack of deep characterization, the whole exercise felt less than convincing.
The movie will likely coast to some kind of Oscar nominations, but it's likely simply because of Scorsese's justified status as one of America's Last Great Moviemakers. It didn't work for me, however -- I didn't feel it exceeded the sum of its parts.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Holidays
Got the tree up last night. I love Christmas trees. The boys will love seeing it when they finally return, of course, they'll be wondering where the presents are. All in good time. I'm tickled that both boys still believe in Santa, and that I've been able to successfully carry out Santa operations in my apartment without the boys being the wiser. Daddy the Christmas commando!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Fort
I made a nice fort for the boys in their room, having cleared out the storage space where the Christmas decorations boxes have been. I made a nice fort in the corner of their room. They are loving it, are both in there. Forts are always fun!
Exene's family is in town, doing their usual "Thanksgiving for Exene" thing they do, where they drive up, cook the bejeebers out of a pile of food, watch the boys, and Exene partakes of it and then goes running. The boys'll at least enjoy seeing their relatives, and Exene will enjoy the repast that they serve up for her.
Me, I think I'll catch "Hugo" at some point. I work tomorrow, so I don't have a superlong weekend or anything.
Exene's family is in town, doing their usual "Thanksgiving for Exene" thing they do, where they drive up, cook the bejeebers out of a pile of food, watch the boys, and Exene partakes of it and then goes running. The boys'll at least enjoy seeing their relatives, and Exene will enjoy the repast that they serve up for her.
Me, I think I'll catch "Hugo" at some point. I work tomorrow, so I don't have a superlong weekend or anything.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Pepper Pike
I admit I am amused about the whole "Cop Casually Pepper Spraying Everything" meme that cropped up in reaction to the UC Davis debacle. There's your 15 minutes of fame (or infamy), Slick. Some people are known for inventing things, or creating works of art, or writing, or any number of other things; you're known for casually pepperspraying protesters in the face (I wonder if he went to Pepperdine?)....
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Umbrella Man
Having forgotten my umbrella today, and, correspondingly, getting spritzed with rain (thankfully wearing my squall jacket, so only my slacks and shoes got reasonably wet), I saw this short film in the NYT, on this 48th anniversary of the JFK assassination...
The Umbrella Man
Which is pretty good, worth a watch!
The Umbrella Man
Which is pretty good, worth a watch!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Randroids. *scoff*
Reading an article about something else, I saw this good piece on Ayn Rand from a few years ago...
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2009/11/how_ayn_rand_became_an_american_icon.single.html
I would say that "Atlas Shrugged" is the "Mein Kampf" of American fascism, truly.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2009/11/how_ayn_rand_became_an_american_icon.single.html
Ayn Rand is one of America's great mysteries. She was an amphetamine-addicted author of sub-Dan Brown potboilers, who in her spare time wrote lavish torrents of praise for serial killers and the Bernie Madoff-style embezzlers of her day. She opposed democracy on the grounds that "the masses"—her readers—were "lice" and "parasites" who scarcely deserved to live. Yet she remains one of the most popular writers in the United States, still selling 800,000 books a year from beyond the grave.She was nuts, too, apparently...
Her diaries from that time, while she worked as a receptionist and an extra, lay out the Nietzschean mentality that underpins all her later writings. The newspapers were filled for months with stories about serial killer called William Hickman, who kidnapped a 12-year-old girl called Marion Parker from her junior high school, raped her, and dismembered her body, which he sent mockingly to the police in pieces. Rand wrote great stretches of praise for him, saying he represented "the amazing picture of a man with no regard whatsoever for all that a society holds sacred, and with a consciousness all his own. A man who really stands alone, in action and in soul. … Other people do not exist for him, and he does not see why they should." She called him "a brilliant, unusual, exceptional boy," shimmering with "immense, explicit egotism." Rand had only one regret: "A strong man can eventually trample society under its feet. That boy [Hickman] was not strong enough."And a manifest authoritarian, too, a cult leader...
It's not hard to see this as a kind of political post-traumatic stress disorder. Rand believed the Bolshevik lie that they represented the people, so she wanted to strike back at them—through theft and murder. In a nasty irony, she was copying their tactics. She started to write her first novel, We the Living(1936), and in the early drafts her central character—a crude proxy for Rand herself—says to a Bolshevik: "I loathe your ideals. I admire your methods. If one believes one's right, one shouldn't wait to convince millions of fools, one might just as well force them."
Her heroes are a cocktail of extreme self-love and extreme self-pity: They insist they need no one, yet they spend all their time fuming that the masses don't bow down before their manifest superiority.A fitting end...
As her books became mega-sellers, Rand surrounded herself with a tightly policed cult of young people who believed she had found the One Objective Truth about the world. They were required to memorize her novels and slapped down as "imbecilic" and "anti-life" by Rand if they asked questions. One student said: "There was a right kind of music, a right kind of art, a right kind of interior design, a right kind of dancing. There were wrong books which we should not buy."
Rand had become addicted to amphetamines while writing The Fountainhead, and her natural paranoia and aggression were becoming more extreme as they pumped though her veins. Anybody in her circle who disagreed with her was subjected to a show trial in front of the whole group in which they would be required to repent or face expulsion. Her secretary, Barbara Weiss, said: "I came to look on her as a killer of people." The workings of her cult exposed the hollowness of Rand's claims to venerate free thinking and individualism. Her message was, think freely, as long as it leads you into total agreement with me.
She never really recovered. We all become weak at some point in our lives, so a thinker who despises weakness will end up despising herself. In her 70s Rand found herself dying of lung cancer, after insisting that her followers smoke because it symbolized "man's victory over fire" and the studies showing it caused lung cancer were Communist propaganda. By then she had driven almost everyone away. In 1982, she died alone in her apartment with only a hired nurse at her side. If her philosophy is right—if the only human relationships worth having are based on the exchange of dollars—this was a happy and victorious death. Did even she believe it in the end?
I would say that "Atlas Shrugged" is the "Mein Kampf" of American fascism, truly.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Q101
I haven't regularly listened to radio since, I dunno, 1995 -- that was the last year I remembered hearing anything remotely compelling on the radio. After that point, I increasingly just listened to music on my own, followed my own interests and preferences, bought a lot of CDs. Of course, even that trailed off from about 2005 onward. That, in itself, is kind of curious for me -- I have so many CDs, but as I found fewer and fewer current bands compelling, my music purchases declined, and I just relied on my existing archive of music, stocking up my iTunes to the critical mass of music I needed, which was about 7000 songs. I have the good fortune to work at a job where I can "plug-and-play" and listen to music while I work. But while I listen to music, I don't listen to music radio. There just wasn't anything out there that was interesting enough for me, and the lack of control of the format was perhaps less appealing, after years of iPod and iTunes.
Now I read this article about Q101 being turned from an "alternative" station to news, and I'm very surprised. Q101 was a kind of musical institution in Chicago; it may not have played music that I considered alternative, but you could at least count on it to play rock music -- now it's news? I wonder where all of those orphaned listeners will go for music? Again, it's sort of a weird thing for me, because I haven't regularly listened to radio for over 16 years, but I'm still sad for the demise of a major local player like Q101. And since I'm admittedly no longer a radio listener, I don't even know where those people will go. It's just curious to think about it that way, how alien such an omnipresent medium has become to me (and, likely, so many others).
Now I read this article about Q101 being turned from an "alternative" station to news, and I'm very surprised. Q101 was a kind of musical institution in Chicago; it may not have played music that I considered alternative, but you could at least count on it to play rock music -- now it's news? I wonder where all of those orphaned listeners will go for music? Again, it's sort of a weird thing for me, because I haven't regularly listened to radio for over 16 years, but I'm still sad for the demise of a major local player like Q101. And since I'm admittedly no longer a radio listener, I don't even know where those people will go. It's just curious to think about it that way, how alien such an omnipresent medium has become to me (and, likely, so many others).
Friday, November 18, 2011
Walkin'
Walked home from downtown tonight, just because the weather was relatively nice, compared with what it has been. Fun to see downtown light up for the holidays. Of course I snapped a few photographs of window displays and what-not.
Amazing that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means Christmas is that much closer. Lordy.
Amazing that Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means Christmas is that much closer. Lordy.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Koff
So far, so good -- just had a sore throat yesterday, but it appears to have mostly abated since then. Hopefully my body fought off the cold. I've been pretty lucky with that the last few years. I had a sneezing fit yesterday, but that was it.
Found $.25 today, so I finally broke the $50 mark on found money for the year! A personal best!
Had conferences for the boys. B2 is rocking kindergarten; he's ahead of where he should be on all things, and is very well-behaved in class. His teacher was really glad to have him, and commented that she'd had B1 last year, and was amazed at how different the boys are, how serious B1 is, relative to his happy-go-lucky baby brother.
B1's teacher had less sanguine stuff to report; B1 is hit-or-miss on his schoolwork -- if he's focused, he rocks it, but sometimes he loses focus and the work suffers. He's particularly off-put by standardized testing. I suspect he's stressing about the time factor involved. So, Exene and I are going to work with B1 independently, help him navigate that stuff.
Found $.25 today, so I finally broke the $50 mark on found money for the year! A personal best!
Had conferences for the boys. B2 is rocking kindergarten; he's ahead of where he should be on all things, and is very well-behaved in class. His teacher was really glad to have him, and commented that she'd had B1 last year, and was amazed at how different the boys are, how serious B1 is, relative to his happy-go-lucky baby brother.
B1's teacher had less sanguine stuff to report; B1 is hit-or-miss on his schoolwork -- if he's focused, he rocks it, but sometimes he loses focus and the work suffers. He's particularly off-put by standardized testing. I suspect he's stressing about the time factor involved. So, Exene and I are going to work with B1 independently, help him navigate that stuff.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Scratchy
I am catching a cold, irritatingly enough. I can feel it starting up in my throat. Hopefully, if it's been like the other colds of the past few years, it'll be comparatively mild for me. We'll see. Bleah.
The boys are with Exene the next few days; B2 didn't want to go, hid in the kitchen, crying. I had to pick him up and cajole him, get him transitioned to go to Exene's. They never fight about coming to my place; it's only when they're going to her place that they get down. B1 just grimly resigns himself to it, while B2 fusses.
I really need to clean the apartment, like top to bottom, front to back. Fall cleaning, I guess. I just want to purge a lot of the toys the boys no longer play with, but which are still around, cluttering their room. And vacuuming the corners, sweeping it up, all of that jazz. I'm going to do that the next few days, since I won't have the boys in the mix.
The boys are with Exene the next few days; B2 didn't want to go, hid in the kitchen, crying. I had to pick him up and cajole him, get him transitioned to go to Exene's. They never fight about coming to my place; it's only when they're going to her place that they get down. B1 just grimly resigns himself to it, while B2 fusses.
I really need to clean the apartment, like top to bottom, front to back. Fall cleaning, I guess. I just want to purge a lot of the toys the boys no longer play with, but which are still around, cluttering their room. And vacuuming the corners, sweeping it up, all of that jazz. I'm going to do that the next few days, since I won't have the boys in the mix.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Weekender
I've had the boys since Wednesday, and they are doing fine, having fun, of course. They haven't once asked "Where's Mommy?" I'm sure they'll be glad to see her when she finally returns (maybe tonight; I asked her, but she wasn't clear on it). But, as ever, I'm keeping everything rolling.
Did I mention that stores over here are starting to sell Graeter's Ice Cream? Wow! I stumbled onto that the other day, couldn't believe it. Of course, it's expensive: $5.49 a pint at Treasure Island (I have to see if they have it at Dominick's). But their Coconut Chocolate Chip and other flavors are fab.
Seeing Graeter's (and things like Great Lakes Brewing Company beers, among others) reinforces just how many Ohioans have fled Ohio for greener pastures. Under the withered hand of a Republican-dominated state government for the last 15+ years, pursuing Republican economic policies, the state has hemorrhaged jobs and population. I'm hoping that enough people are sick of that bullshit to try to turn things around for Ohio, but we'll see. As someone who grew up in Youngstown, I think Youngstowners saw that kind of stuff early -- that is, it appears that the rest of the state is catching up with where Youngstown was decades ago. And, by extension, what Ohio has been experiencing for decades is what the reset of the country has begun to experience from about the point of the housing market crash, onward.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2011-03-09-ohio-census_N.htm
Anyway, the result of this ongoing economic death spiral is that there is an Ohioan "expatriate/refugee" community in Chicago, to the extent that bars give themselves over to Buckeyes fans during the season, and you see a lot of Buckeyes jerseys and Browns jerseys peppered around. Of course, plenty of Miami of Ohio bumper stickers and so forth. There is a bar, too, I think it's called "Reds" or something, that is tailor-made for Reds fans (big shock, right) with Cincy fare at it. Ohio's loss has been Chicago's gain, to be sure (although it looks like Columbus has also benefited from the losses of the other cities in Ohio). It's just weird for me, since I was an early emigrant (1993), when almost nobody from Ohio was in Chicago. Now, they are all over the place.
Did I mention that stores over here are starting to sell Graeter's Ice Cream? Wow! I stumbled onto that the other day, couldn't believe it. Of course, it's expensive: $5.49 a pint at Treasure Island (I have to see if they have it at Dominick's). But their Coconut Chocolate Chip and other flavors are fab.
Seeing Graeter's (and things like Great Lakes Brewing Company beers, among others) reinforces just how many Ohioans have fled Ohio for greener pastures. Under the withered hand of a Republican-dominated state government for the last 15+ years, pursuing Republican economic policies, the state has hemorrhaged jobs and population. I'm hoping that enough people are sick of that bullshit to try to turn things around for Ohio, but we'll see. As someone who grew up in Youngstown, I think Youngstowners saw that kind of stuff early -- that is, it appears that the rest of the state is catching up with where Youngstown was decades ago. And, by extension, what Ohio has been experiencing for decades is what the reset of the country has begun to experience from about the point of the housing market crash, onward.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2011-03-09-ohio-census_N.htm
Anyway, the result of this ongoing economic death spiral is that there is an Ohioan "expatriate/refugee" community in Chicago, to the extent that bars give themselves over to Buckeyes fans during the season, and you see a lot of Buckeyes jerseys and Browns jerseys peppered around. Of course, plenty of Miami of Ohio bumper stickers and so forth. There is a bar, too, I think it's called "Reds" or something, that is tailor-made for Reds fans (big shock, right) with Cincy fare at it. Ohio's loss has been Chicago's gain, to be sure (although it looks like Columbus has also benefited from the losses of the other cities in Ohio). It's just weird for me, since I was an early emigrant (1993), when almost nobody from Ohio was in Chicago. Now, they are all over the place.
Friday, November 11, 2011
11/11/11
Of course, I think it's weird that there's a meme of people making wishes at 11:11 on 11/11/11, as if the entire universe bowed to our clocks, time zones, calendars, species, and individual wishes. Lordy. If there's one lesson life on Earth should teach you, it's that The Universe Doesn't Care About You. Not to be a cynical buzzkill, but there is an enormous amount of ego gratification tied up into the idea of a caring universe (and, by extension, an all-knowing, all-seeing, ever-present God). It requires ignoring all the petty cruelties and grandiose outrages that occur daily (I mean, 44 million Americans without health insurance; over 16 million children living in poverty -- how does this fit in with God's master plan?) In all the vastness of space, for the Earth to occupy such a singular and central position is ludicrous. I mean, for us to be a sand grain on a beach would be a promotion, in terms of the scale of the cosmos -- that's for the entire planet, people!
The cosmos doesn't care about us; that's why I think people have to care for each other. I mean, we have so-called Christians who could give two shits about the poor, the weak, and the downtrodden, and who actually think they are avatars and arbiters of morality! And, of course, because I'm an atheist, I'm somehow a bad guy, even though I can see this hypocrisy laid bare.
Wishes won't save you. What can save you is: 1) reason; 2) empathy; 3) action; 4) an open mind; 5) imagination; 6) hope. That'll save you while you're living. Be rational, be compassionate, be industrious, be adaptable, be creative. That will get you out of any jam.
And if you're a believer reading this, thinking "You're wrong, Mr. Atheist Man, only God and magical thinking can save you," I offer a simple proof: All evil (as we choose to see it) stems from the opposite of the 5 things I listed above. Just take the opposites:
Show me an insane, ignorant, stupid, cruel, lazy, close-minded, blinkered, despairing person, and I'll show you somebody who is not a good or worthwhile spirit, but somebody who is fucking evil -- or at best, somebody who is far from being an exemplary human being. And that person is likely to believe in magical thinking, and in wishes (and their dowdy, prim cousin, prayer). They can blow their qualms with atheism and atheists out their pious asses.
Sorry if this is more strident than you're used to seeing, but I got pissed off today when I saw that whooping cough is coming back, as is measles. There's an outbreak of it in McHenry County, one of the staunch, Republican "collar counties" around Chicago. *golf applause* Nice going, idiots -- you know why this is happening? Because you people aren't vaccinating your kids. You God-fearing, corporal punishment-loving, evolution-rejecting, science-loathing, atheist-fearing, hyperpartisan dolts -- you are endangering your kids, and you are endangering the rest of society with your ignorance. And equivocators, you can blow it out your asses, too -- me calling out ignorance and intolerance doesn't make me ignorant and intolerant, myself.
Track record of vaccination = good. History and evidence is on its side. Life before vaccination = BAD. Whooping cough = BAD. Measles = BAD. That this argument even has to be made is a testament to the pervasive power of ignorance.
And I say this because, obviously, I understand that a disease has no ideology, it has no faith, it has no politics, it doesn't care. It wasn't sent by a caring, benevolent God to smite thine enemies (or your faithful flock, for that matter); rather, it's an organism that will make you sick, because your life is bound up in your biology -- break enough rules of that biology, and you die (or if a disease breaks those rules for you). Vaccination is a means of using reason to find a way out of the deathtrap of disease, a way of gaming biology's grim calculus in our favor. And you want to reject that? Truly? Based on what? Oh, right, the misguided, evidence-free opinion of a former Playboy Bunny? Yes, magical thinkers, you're endangering us all with your fucking ignorance.
Anyway, enjoy your wishes today. And don't forget, you've got them in the AM and the PM, so there are two opportunities to make your magic wishes! Word them very carefully. And no need to vaccinate your kids, right? God'll sort it all out.
Seriously, that just pisses me off so much. Groundless, baseless, needless.
GRRR.
The cosmos doesn't care about us; that's why I think people have to care for each other. I mean, we have so-called Christians who could give two shits about the poor, the weak, and the downtrodden, and who actually think they are avatars and arbiters of morality! And, of course, because I'm an atheist, I'm somehow a bad guy, even though I can see this hypocrisy laid bare.
Wishes won't save you. What can save you is: 1) reason; 2) empathy; 3) action; 4) an open mind; 5) imagination; 6) hope. That'll save you while you're living. Be rational, be compassionate, be industrious, be adaptable, be creative. That will get you out of any jam.
And if you're a believer reading this, thinking "You're wrong, Mr. Atheist Man, only God and magical thinking can save you," I offer a simple proof: All evil (as we choose to see it) stems from the opposite of the 5 things I listed above. Just take the opposites:
- Reason: Insanity, Ignorance, and Stupidity
- Empathy: Cruelty, Ruthlessness
- Action: Laziness
- Open mind: Closed mind
- Imagination: Lack of vision
- Hope: Despair
Show me an insane, ignorant, stupid, cruel, lazy, close-minded, blinkered, despairing person, and I'll show you somebody who is not a good or worthwhile spirit, but somebody who is fucking evil -- or at best, somebody who is far from being an exemplary human being. And that person is likely to believe in magical thinking, and in wishes (and their dowdy, prim cousin, prayer). They can blow their qualms with atheism and atheists out their pious asses.
Sorry if this is more strident than you're used to seeing, but I got pissed off today when I saw that whooping cough is coming back, as is measles. There's an outbreak of it in McHenry County, one of the staunch, Republican "collar counties" around Chicago. *golf applause* Nice going, idiots -- you know why this is happening? Because you people aren't vaccinating your kids. You God-fearing, corporal punishment-loving, evolution-rejecting, science-loathing, atheist-fearing, hyperpartisan dolts -- you are endangering your kids, and you are endangering the rest of society with your ignorance. And equivocators, you can blow it out your asses, too -- me calling out ignorance and intolerance doesn't make me ignorant and intolerant, myself.
Track record of vaccination = good. History and evidence is on its side. Life before vaccination = BAD. Whooping cough = BAD. Measles = BAD. That this argument even has to be made is a testament to the pervasive power of ignorance.
And I say this because, obviously, I understand that a disease has no ideology, it has no faith, it has no politics, it doesn't care. It wasn't sent by a caring, benevolent God to smite thine enemies (or your faithful flock, for that matter); rather, it's an organism that will make you sick, because your life is bound up in your biology -- break enough rules of that biology, and you die (or if a disease breaks those rules for you). Vaccination is a means of using reason to find a way out of the deathtrap of disease, a way of gaming biology's grim calculus in our favor. And you want to reject that? Truly? Based on what? Oh, right, the misguided, evidence-free opinion of a former Playboy Bunny? Yes, magical thinkers, you're endangering us all with your fucking ignorance.
Anyway, enjoy your wishes today. And don't forget, you've got them in the AM and the PM, so there are two opportunities to make your magic wishes! Word them very carefully. And no need to vaccinate your kids, right? God'll sort it all out.
Seriously, that just pisses me off so much. Groundless, baseless, needless.
GRRR.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Snow Foolin'
First snowfall of the season -- no accumulation, but snow came down, regardless. Big, thick flurries. Today was oddly unsettled -- rain in the morning, then clouds, then snow, then sun, then snow. Now windy. I biked to work today, although, clearly, my biking days are numbered. The winds are picking up, and it's getting sloppier. Makes it something of a liability to travel. I actually fell over on my bike today, something that hasn't happened in years (not even when that wave swamped me). I was at a light, waiting for it to change, and went to put a leg out to step on a curb, but I misjudged the distance, and went right over, like a tree falling over! Whoopsie! Pedestrians, to their credit, came over to help, probably thinking I had had a stroke or something, the way I just went over. I thanked them and helped myself back up. I wasn't even embarrassed, although it was certainly embarrassing. It was just one of those things, like slipping on the ice or something. Gravity reminds you who's running the show in moments like that. I was just glad I hadn't torn my slacks or messed up my shoes or anything like that.
The boys are super-stoked to have so many Daddy Days in a row. They are loving it! I am, too!
The boys are super-stoked to have so many Daddy Days in a row. They are loving it! I am, too!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
RIP, Joe Frazier
I saw that Joe Frazier died. He was one of the legendary boxers of the last century, never quite got his full due, just because he had the misfortune to be a heavyweight in the time of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in their prime. His ungainly slugger style and lack of charisma always made him the straight man for Ali's gleeful imp. But he was definitely one of the greats.
Joe Frazier Tribute
Sylvester Stallone effectively stole Frazier's story and turned it into "Rocky," which, I'm sure, had to make Frazier that much more embittered, to see his story turned into a white man's boxing epic.
32 wins (27 by KO), 4 losses, 1 draw.
I always had some fondness for Frazier, just because he was so clearly a great boxer who was forced to stand and fight with some incredible boxers, and who never flinched, never gave up, showed a lot of heart in the face of that.
Bizarrely, I was playing "Knockout Kings" with the boys on the Playstation last night, and I actually picked Frazier for a match against B1, who was playing Ali. I hadn't even known about Frazier's imminent demise until after playing, but that was weird.
I will be genuinely sad when Ali finally dies. Parkinson's has shut him down for decades, but he was an amazing figure in a brutal sport. Frazier's passing is a tolling of the bell. Of course, these greats have actually managed to overshadow the sport, itself, which has fallen to the canvas and will never really get up -- UFC , WWF and the other assorted man-grappling arena stuff has long eclipsed boxing, and boxing's own corruption and what-not has forever tarred the sport. But Frazier and those like him came from a time when boxing was a huge and compelling event. Boxing was always a brutal sport, and Frazier was a brutal boxer, but there was beauty in that brutality, as hard as it might be for non-fans to imagine. Boxing wasn't known as "the sweet science" for nothing -- there was elegance in a perfectly thrown set of combinations, in a boxer's heart, in setting up an opponent and taking them down.
Frazier was one of the last of boxing's true Greats.
Ali on Frazier
Joe Frazier Tribute
Sylvester Stallone effectively stole Frazier's story and turned it into "Rocky," which, I'm sure, had to make Frazier that much more embittered, to see his story turned into a white man's boxing epic.
32 wins (27 by KO), 4 losses, 1 draw.
I always had some fondness for Frazier, just because he was so clearly a great boxer who was forced to stand and fight with some incredible boxers, and who never flinched, never gave up, showed a lot of heart in the face of that.
Bizarrely, I was playing "Knockout Kings" with the boys on the Playstation last night, and I actually picked Frazier for a match against B1, who was playing Ali. I hadn't even known about Frazier's imminent demise until after playing, but that was weird.
I will be genuinely sad when Ali finally dies. Parkinson's has shut him down for decades, but he was an amazing figure in a brutal sport. Frazier's passing is a tolling of the bell. Of course, these greats have actually managed to overshadow the sport, itself, which has fallen to the canvas and will never really get up -- UFC , WWF and the other assorted man-grappling arena stuff has long eclipsed boxing, and boxing's own corruption and what-not has forever tarred the sport. But Frazier and those like him came from a time when boxing was a huge and compelling event. Boxing was always a brutal sport, and Frazier was a brutal boxer, but there was beauty in that brutality, as hard as it might be for non-fans to imagine. Boxing wasn't known as "the sweet science" for nothing -- there was elegance in a perfectly thrown set of combinations, in a boxer's heart, in setting up an opponent and taking them down.
Frazier was one of the last of boxing's true Greats.
Ali on Frazier
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Musical
I'm uploading some of my umpteen CDs to my computer. It amuses me, just because CDs were supposed to be THE thing -- I mean, decades ago, I remember when they were trotted out that way. Now, they are effectively obsolete. At some point, CD/DVD players will cease to be, and CDs will vanish as everything becomes MP3 (at least until the next proper storm of energy from the sun blanks out everything electronic -- haha). All the same, it's funny to wade through these old discs. Exene always wanted me to throw them out, said her usual mantra "What's the point?" with anything she didn't value or appreciate. I would say "I am keeping them so I can have an archive of the music I like, in case I need to upload them, or if a computer crashes, etc." She'd just shrug it off, as she did so much. All the same, I've got'em, and am loading them up to my new computer, something I hadn't done for years.
Say what you will about Hole -- their "Live Through This" was a good album for its time (1994 -- now squarely in the confines of "a long time ago"), and the album cover was killer. That picture was so damned perfect -- the snarly-smiled, Heathers-esque beauty pageant winner/prom queen from Hell? Masterful...
Say what you will about Hole -- their "Live Through This" was a good album for its time (1994 -- now squarely in the confines of "a long time ago"), and the album cover was killer. That picture was so damned perfect -- the snarly-smiled, Heathers-esque beauty pageant winner/prom queen from Hell? Masterful...
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| Model Leilani Bishop: "I WON! YAY, ME!" |
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Hey, you Fawkes!
Happy Guy Fawkes Day! Not like it means much in the States, although Occupy Wall Street and Anonymous have certainly made the Guy Fawkes mask and, of course, V for Vendetta, more common sites. I remember reading "V" in the long-ago time -- like a year or two after it came out, since I liked Moore's "Watchmen." Anyway, I bet Moore is pleased to see the proliferation of V/Fawkes masks on the whole protest movement front.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Old Man Winter, on the march
Halloween past, Autumn has definitely given up the ghost, and Winter is well on its way. I'm near the end of my biking season, just because it gets too sloppy and crazy as Winter comes on the scene. Yesterday I had 30 mph wind gusts hitting me on the ride down and back, which makes for a challenging ride (given that my top biking speed is about 12 mph!)
I have the boys the next two weekends, because of Exene's runningobsession err, hobby. I'm fine with that, and the boys are fine with that; they love "Daddy Weekends." B2 always hugs me lots when he first sees me again, says "I love you, Daddy! I missed you!" which is always touching. When they found out they had a cluster of Daddy Days, they were stoked.
Exene is actually going out of town next weekend, on a trip with one of her "gal pals" as she puts it. Running another race. I told her I'd be fine with watching the boys, so long as I get equivalent "comp time" at some point. Not that I have any travel plans, but I just always have to be sure for reciprocity, where Exene is concerned.
Anyway, as biking season nears an end for me, it'll mean taking the CTA, which is fine, but it'll be an added expense I have to factor into my already-packed budget. That was the nice thing about the biking -- free transportation (and I worked my exercise into my commute). As Winter kicks into gear, it'll mean X expense, moneywise, and me having to block out more time for exercise. Ah, well. Not complaining, just aware of the options ahead of me.
Of course, I never actually complain about the weather; it simply is. And since Fall/Winter is prime Writing Season for me, I welcome it, honestly. If I lived in Hawaii, I'd never get a damned thing written, would just drink rum and walk the beach, collecting shells, or hike around the volcanoes and in the jungles. But living in Chicago, the bad weather is an incentive to create, honestly. And so, I will.
I have the boys the next two weekends, because of Exene's running
Exene is actually going out of town next weekend, on a trip with one of her "gal pals" as she puts it. Running another race. I told her I'd be fine with watching the boys, so long as I get equivalent "comp time" at some point. Not that I have any travel plans, but I just always have to be sure for reciprocity, where Exene is concerned.
Anyway, as biking season nears an end for me, it'll mean taking the CTA, which is fine, but it'll be an added expense I have to factor into my already-packed budget. That was the nice thing about the biking -- free transportation (and I worked my exercise into my commute). As Winter kicks into gear, it'll mean X expense, moneywise, and me having to block out more time for exercise. Ah, well. Not complaining, just aware of the options ahead of me.
Of course, I never actually complain about the weather; it simply is. And since Fall/Winter is prime Writing Season for me, I welcome it, honestly. If I lived in Hawaii, I'd never get a damned thing written, would just drink rum and walk the beach, collecting shells, or hike around the volcanoes and in the jungles. But living in Chicago, the bad weather is an incentive to create, honestly. And so, I will.
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| Olive Park, right near Navy Pier. |
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Scuffles, Sniffles, and Skittles
Poor B1 tripped (or was tripped; still trying to suss that out) at the playground yesterday, and scuffed up his face. He has a scrape on his cheek and across the bridge of his nose. Poor lil' scamp looks like a boxer! He's okay, otherwise. I'm just glad that he didn't crack any teeth. Lordy. When B1 falls, he's like a tree being felled -- he never manages to get his hands out to catch himself.
Got a flu shot the other day. Woo hoo! We'll see if I get the flu. Any time I get that shot, I eventually catch the flu. Fucking flu!
The boys were too jaded to go trick-or-treating on Halloween! After hitting the business districts in our 'hood over the weekend, when Halloween came, I asked'em if they were up for it, and they were both "Meh." I'm old-school in my trick-or-treatery, so I was like "Really? Not even for more candy?" and they were like "Nah, we have enough candy." Wow!
Got a flu shot the other day. Woo hoo! We'll see if I get the flu. Any time I get that shot, I eventually catch the flu. Fucking flu!
The boys were too jaded to go trick-or-treating on Halloween! After hitting the business districts in our 'hood over the weekend, when Halloween came, I asked'em if they were up for it, and they were both "Meh." I'm old-school in my trick-or-treatery, so I was like "Really? Not even for more candy?" and they were like "Nah, we have enough candy." Wow!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Space Bridge Too Far
Watching the original "Transformers" now and again with the boys, I keep wondering: why the hell did the Autobots never build their own space bridge? How is it that the Decepticons had no problem whipping one up, but the Autobots never were able to? Are the Decepticons more intelligent? I mean, who designed their space bridge, anyway? For all the engineering acumen of Wheeljack and Ratchet, who is their equivalent among the Decepticons? I dunno. All I know is that the Decepticons sure seem sharper than their Autobot enemies.
Friday, October 28, 2011
You Don't Know Jack-O'-Lantern
I carved pumpkins with the boys tonight. Obviously, I do the carving, but B1 was great about helping scoop out the guts, and B2 was having fun hanging out and watching us and offering commentary. Here are our results, which the boys were well-pleased with...
I like to pretend that the green turban squash one is some kind of monster fish-man one.
I like to pretend that the green turban squash one is some kind of monster fish-man one.
Hello? Daylight Savings?
Man, I really wish they'd shift the Daylight Savings Time date back to what it was before GW Bush set it for; it sucks to have everything so dark in the morning. It makes it hard to get the boys up and at'em.
I had weird dreams last night, like stuff with a ventriloquist's dummy (never a good sign in a dream, right? Sheesh) I can only remember some of it, but it was like being in the basement of this place with this guy with a dummy, and somebody walked up and muttered to me "You know, the DUMMY is the one doing the thinking, here, not the GUY." And then when the guy was talking to me, I was wondering that, and was keeping an eye on the creepy dummy.
Had some other weird dream that flowed from that one, but I forget what it was, now.
Gonna pick up some pumpkins today for the boys and me to carve. They're stoked about that.
I had weird dreams last night, like stuff with a ventriloquist's dummy (never a good sign in a dream, right? Sheesh) I can only remember some of it, but it was like being in the basement of this place with this guy with a dummy, and somebody walked up and muttered to me "You know, the DUMMY is the one doing the thinking, here, not the GUY." And then when the guy was talking to me, I was wondering that, and was keeping an eye on the creepy dummy.
Had some other weird dream that flowed from that one, but I forget what it was, now.
Gonna pick up some pumpkins today for the boys and me to carve. They're stoked about that.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Musica
This was a good piece...
http://www.salon.com/2011/10/27/have_wilco_and_radiohead_become_the_new_adult_contemporary/
http://www.salon.com/2011/10/27/have_wilco_and_radiohead_become_the_new_adult_contemporary/
Birthdaze
Today's Exene's birthday. She turns the big 42 today! I'm sure she'll celebrate with her "gal pals" and assorted running chums. I have the boys for the next few days, so I'm not sure what I would do with the birthday thing, vis-a-vis them. I mean, I know that were today my birthday, and Exene had the boys, I know she'd not do anything for me (in the sense of telling the boys it was my birthday, or having them sing Happy Birthday), so I guess I won't do the equivalent. It's hard to know the route to go with that -- all too often, I would "play nice" without a hint of reciprocity. So, in the wake of that, I'll just maybe mention it in passing. I'm sure Exene will be keen to remind the boys, one way or another, anyway.
So, it looks like the police are clamping down on OWS in many places. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. Maybe the authorities realize so many people are pissed that they tried to let people let off steam before taking action. Not sure. The thing is, structurally, nothing has changed -- everything that has boned the economy, has mortgaged our future, has held all the politicians captive -- all of that is still in place. While it is good that people are actually bestirred to get pissed, the changes required for our country are huge. I've said it before, but a lot of heads are going to have to come out of countless asses for real progress to be achieved in this country. Much of that involves breaking the Beltway Consensus -- the staid duopoly that keeps 99% of the country screwed for the gain of 1%. The things that need to be done aren't getting done, and won't be getting done. And what that means for the future, in a democratic society, is more protest. A lot more. OWS is really just a preview of what's in store. I mean, the economy is still crap -- the Republicans have their anti-immigration initiatives that are already causing bad effects in their states (by scaring off the immigrants who were willing to work the shit jobs for low wages that Americans won't take because they don't pay nearly enough). The Democrats are nearly as captive to Wall Street as the GOP. Really, what we have seen in the past decade is the triumph of Capital over Democracy, and you have people finally waking up to that cold reality.
What do you do in a country where 400 people are worth more than 150 million of their fellow Americans? How is that democratic? It's not. It's plutocratic. You can propagandize those 150 million so they feel like they have something in common with the 400 -- but propaganda doesn't fill an empty stomach. That might only bamboozle, what, 3 million of them. What about the rest? No, it's untenable.
Americans never like to talk about class -- we like to pretend that we're all Americans, immune from history. But a system where 400 > 150,000,000? Democratically speaking, it's not sustainable. Especially when those 400 enjoy far more political and economic voice than the 150 million. Telling those 150 million "You suck. Go get a job, Hippie!" isn't actually going to solve anything. It doesn't speak to the daily reality for those people. And in an economy driven by consumer spending (around 70% of it), it's very clear that those 400 people cannot possibly consume enough to lift the economy up. At some point, those 150 million will have to be helped, and in a meaningful way.
I saw the other day that real wages have stagnated for 50 years. And this was in a business magazine. That means that the late time people enjoyed actual, tangible buying power for their dollar was in 1961 -- that pay levels have plateaued since then. It's why food costs crush people, housing costs, car expenses, all of that. It's why people went to two-economy households to try to make ends meet. It's reflective of the declining power of the working class relative to the owning class.
And, I know, a segment of the owning class likes to say "Tough shit. You suck, Po'folks." But it's not a productive or constructive stance to take. Not when you're outnumbered 375,000 to 1. Think of that. Each of those 400 equals 375,000 other Americans, in terms of economic power and clout. It's not sustainable. The amount of police and military repression required to keep those people at bay? Too much. It'll destroy everything our society thinks it's about.
Or, we just give up on the notion of having a democratic society entirely, or become a hollowed-out, democracy-in-name-only kind of nation. Really, we're there already; it's just that most people don't realize it. If we really move into a postdemocratic future, then all pretense toward justice, fairness, equality before the law -- that all gets tossed aside. The rich will hunker down behind their walls, with paramilitary protection, and the impoverished hordes will mill about outside said walls. The sad truth of that is that neither group is free in that situation.
No, OWS is just a preview of what's to come. A last, peaceful gasp of a dying order. Rough times ahead for the country -- and that goes for the rich few as well as the poor multitudes.
So, it looks like the police are clamping down on OWS in many places. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. Maybe the authorities realize so many people are pissed that they tried to let people let off steam before taking action. Not sure. The thing is, structurally, nothing has changed -- everything that has boned the economy, has mortgaged our future, has held all the politicians captive -- all of that is still in place. While it is good that people are actually bestirred to get pissed, the changes required for our country are huge. I've said it before, but a lot of heads are going to have to come out of countless asses for real progress to be achieved in this country. Much of that involves breaking the Beltway Consensus -- the staid duopoly that keeps 99% of the country screwed for the gain of 1%. The things that need to be done aren't getting done, and won't be getting done. And what that means for the future, in a democratic society, is more protest. A lot more. OWS is really just a preview of what's in store. I mean, the economy is still crap -- the Republicans have their anti-immigration initiatives that are already causing bad effects in their states (by scaring off the immigrants who were willing to work the shit jobs for low wages that Americans won't take because they don't pay nearly enough). The Democrats are nearly as captive to Wall Street as the GOP. Really, what we have seen in the past decade is the triumph of Capital over Democracy, and you have people finally waking up to that cold reality.
What do you do in a country where 400 people are worth more than 150 million of their fellow Americans? How is that democratic? It's not. It's plutocratic. You can propagandize those 150 million so they feel like they have something in common with the 400 -- but propaganda doesn't fill an empty stomach. That might only bamboozle, what, 3 million of them. What about the rest? No, it's untenable.
Americans never like to talk about class -- we like to pretend that we're all Americans, immune from history. But a system where 400 > 150,000,000? Democratically speaking, it's not sustainable. Especially when those 400 enjoy far more political and economic voice than the 150 million. Telling those 150 million "You suck. Go get a job, Hippie!" isn't actually going to solve anything. It doesn't speak to the daily reality for those people. And in an economy driven by consumer spending (around 70% of it), it's very clear that those 400 people cannot possibly consume enough to lift the economy up. At some point, those 150 million will have to be helped, and in a meaningful way.
I saw the other day that real wages have stagnated for 50 years. And this was in a business magazine. That means that the late time people enjoyed actual, tangible buying power for their dollar was in 1961 -- that pay levels have plateaued since then. It's why food costs crush people, housing costs, car expenses, all of that. It's why people went to two-economy households to try to make ends meet. It's reflective of the declining power of the working class relative to the owning class.
And, I know, a segment of the owning class likes to say "Tough shit. You suck, Po'folks." But it's not a productive or constructive stance to take. Not when you're outnumbered 375,000 to 1. Think of that. Each of those 400 equals 375,000 other Americans, in terms of economic power and clout. It's not sustainable. The amount of police and military repression required to keep those people at bay? Too much. It'll destroy everything our society thinks it's about.
Or, we just give up on the notion of having a democratic society entirely, or become a hollowed-out, democracy-in-name-only kind of nation. Really, we're there already; it's just that most people don't realize it. If we really move into a postdemocratic future, then all pretense toward justice, fairness, equality before the law -- that all gets tossed aside. The rich will hunker down behind their walls, with paramilitary protection, and the impoverished hordes will mill about outside said walls. The sad truth of that is that neither group is free in that situation.
No, OWS is just a preview of what's to come. A last, peaceful gasp of a dying order. Rough times ahead for the country -- and that goes for the rich few as well as the poor multitudes.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Damned Right!
I saw The Damned at Metro last night, part of their 35th Anniversary Tour. Was glad to have caught them, since they still have it! They turned out a great show, covering their debut album ("Damned Damned Damned") and their "Black Album," their fourth album. They looked good, sounded good, and seemed to be having a good time, although, sadly, no Rat Scabies on the drums. I was right near the front and center, and it was slamdance-tastic! Yes, I still call it "slamdancing" -- moshing is what Metalheads and Grunge kids do, and only after Punks first came up with slamdancing! Bahah!
They were one of THE seminal Punk bands of old...
Amusingly enough, I got caught in this cellphone clip during the show -- I called out "Love Song," which they then played; you can see Captain Sensible pointing to me when they call out the title, and you can see me in the clip!
At the end of the show, this drunk-as-a-skunk guy was lamenting loudly that they didn't play "I Just Can't Be Happy Today," and I said "Yeah, I wanted that one, too." and the guy shook my hand, said "Thash MY theme song, Man." and he introduced himself, said "Jesh wanned to say yer a real snappy dresser, Fella." Bahah! I said "Thanks!" as I was leaving. I normally would never wear a tux to a fucking show, but for the Damned, it kind of demanded it, especially with it being so near Halloween. As I left, I saw one other guy wearing a bowtie -- his girlfriend pointed to me, and he said "Hey, I thought I was the only one!" and I just whooped and pointed to my skull-and-crossbones bowtie...
They were one of THE seminal Punk bands of old...
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| Dave Vanian, frontman, working his mojo. |
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| Captain Sensible and Dave Vanian. |
At the end of the show, this drunk-as-a-skunk guy was lamenting loudly that they didn't play "I Just Can't Be Happy Today," and I said "Yeah, I wanted that one, too." and the guy shook my hand, said "Thash MY theme song, Man." and he introduced himself, said "Jesh wanned to say yer a real snappy dresser, Fella." Bahah! I said "Thanks!" as I was leaving. I normally would never wear a tux to a fucking show, but for the Damned, it kind of demanded it, especially with it being so near Halloween. As I left, I saw one other guy wearing a bowtie -- his girlfriend pointed to me, and he said "Hey, I thought I was the only one!" and I just whooped and pointed to my skull-and-crossbones bowtie...
Monday, October 24, 2011
Yo
Youngstown gets a nod in this SALON article (in fact, two out of three of the cities referenced are in Ohio...
http://www.salon.com/2011/10/25/occupying_the_rust_belt/
http://www.salon.com/2011/10/25/occupying_the_rust_belt/
Occupation with an expiration date
Youngstown, Ohio, is an elegiac city a few hundred miles to the west of Allentown. What was once the manufacturing district is a mausoleum of industry. A brick smokestack stands sentinel over acres of cavernous shells that once poured out streams of goods. Crumbling brick buildings sprout trees two stories up, while inside pancakes of concrete drip toward the ground, suspended precariously by a bramble of rusted rebar.
Demolition is one of the few signs of economic life. Starting in 2006, the city tripled its budget for razing abandoned buildings. In an open-air yard in the industrial quarter, heavy machines whine and billow exhaust as they pound large concrete slabs, surrounded by small mountains of rubble sorted according to size.
With more than 43 percent of the land vacant, Youngstown is slowly being erased. In some neighborhoods boarded-up houses and empty lots island the remaining inhabited homes, which shrink behind spreading foliage lest they be next.
Since 1950, the population has declined from a high of 218,000 to less than 67,000 today. The poverty rate is a stratospheric 32 percent, and the median value of owner-occupied homes is a paltry $52,900. Manufacturing dropped from 50 percent of the workforce in 1950 to 16 percent in 2007. This includes a staggering loss of 31 percent of manufacturing jobs in the region from 2000 to 2007 – and that wasbefore the economy fell off the cliff.
At the downtown crossroads, Occupy Youngstown has taken up position in the shadow of three different banks, including a Chase branch. The occupation is a latecomer, having started on Oct. 15, with a rally more than 400 strong at its peak, according to Chuck Kettering Jr., an aspiring actor who has been unemployed for a year from his previous position as an HVAC technician.
“We were once a huge steel city for America,” says the cherubic, 27-year-old Kettering. “In the 1970s they started closing up all our steel mills, taking all the jobs and shipping them down south and overseas where labor is cheaper. Youngstown’s been a city that has been going through this economic struggle for almost 40 years now, and I think we have a valid voice of addressing these issues on a national scale.”
His family is living proof of the toll of deindustrialization. In a phone interview, Chuck Kettering Sr. calls himself “the poster boy for the Rust Belt.” A Youngstown native, he went to work in 1973 at age 19 and worked at two local U.S. Steel plants that shuttered, one in 1979, the other in 1982. Next, he landed a position with Packard Electronics in 1985 making electrical components for GM cars. After GM spun off Delphi in 1999, Packard was subsumed by the auto-parts maker. The company started moving jobs overseas.
“Local operations were pressured by wages, and most operations moved south of the border” because of NAFTA, he says. Following Delphi’s bankruptcy in 2008, Kettering and some co-workers were given a one-time chance to work for GM itself and keep their wages, benefits and pensions.
“It was a no-brainer,” he says, but their seniority did not transfer to plant assignments. Despite nearly 25 years at Packard and Delphi, Kettering says, “I found myself at the age of 54 starting at the bottom, working alongside 21-year-olds trying to keep up on the line. Many of us who transferred were not spring chickens and it was hard to keep up.”
His wife, hired by Packard in 1979, worked her way into management, was forced to retire after 30 years with a monthly pension that was slashed in half to $1,600 and with expectations of further cuts. Now he’s on disability.
“I’m really proud of our local guys,” he says. “The police and the firefighters really support the occupy movement. Our mayor supports it. We have a united front here in Ohio.”
Unlike the seven other occupations I have visited, Occupy Youngstown embraces electoral issues. Kettering and other occupiers wave signs and wear buttons opposing Issue 2, which would strip some 350,000 public sector workers of collective bargaining rights.
Karen Joseph, a soft-spoken 59-year-old mother of two whose family spends one-third of its household income on health insurance, is by no means the only one who is against Issue 3, which would exempt Ohio from the incoming national healthcare law.
Everyone is against privatizing the Ohio Turnpike, which is being pushed by Republican Gov. John Kasich. All the occupiers we talk to express dismay at the prospect of hydrofracking in Mill Creek Park, which Kettering describes as “the jewel of the area with waterfalls, streams and lots of wildlife.”
This occupation comes with an expiration date. The city asked the occupiers to “take down the tents before business hours on Monday, Oct. 17, when the banks were opening,” according to Chuck Kettering Jr. He says they complied, but Occupy Youngstown still maintains a 24-hour presence and has pledged to do so until Nov. 8, Election Day.
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