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.
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