3-15-2010 (Monday)

I had a very good weekend. I went up to Seattle on Saturday to the Emerald City Comicon and it was great fun. My friend Travis and I drove up in my new car and that was a nice road trip. It was a short one the drive takes for me four hours and from Portland three hours so it is not a long drive but it is a nice way to put some highway miles on the new car.

There was a lot of people there. I really have no idea how many but we got there at ten o'clock and the place was already packed. I think the most interesting aspect for me was the different celebrities from the comic book world as well as the film and television world that were there. The biggest name as far as the comicon was concerned was Stan Lee but also Leonard Nimoy was there along with Lou Ferrigno as well as Erin Gray from "Buck Rogers' and a few others. But what had me the most excited was that several of the creators of my favorite webcomics were going to be there. It really seemed like almost all of the big names were going to be there.

Now, I realize that a comicon is a busy time and it is hard for these guys to have to deal with so many drooling fan boys. I also realize that the fan boys seem to come in two separate camps. There is the "Oh My God!! I love your work and it is the best thing ever it changed my life camp." followed closely by the "Worst Comic Ever!" *sniff* crowd. I tend to be a little bit in the middle of both camps. I really have no desire to wait in line to meet someone unless perhaps they are going to sign something that I will keep or sell. I doubt that I have anything clever enough to say that will make them take notice of me amongst all of the other fans there. But if there is no line and I am going to purchase something because I want to support there work I am more then willing to say hello to them and to thank them for the work that I have enjoyed.

The responses of the artists at the comicon were interesting. Travis and I stopped by Kurt Busiek's table. He was there with his wife and daughter kind of against the back wall of the room. He was super nice. He signed Travis's books and chatted with us and answered some questions just really a nice guy. Later on Travis and I stumbled upon the writer of The Mice Templar series Bryan J. L. Glass and the artist Michael Avon Oeming. This is a series I enjoyed on the web but I did not know that is was out in print so I was pretty excited to see it and them there. Well both men signed my hard copy graphic novel and were very nice. Bryan Glass told us about some upcoming plans for the series and when the next set were due to be released and it was a very nice chat with the both of them. The a little bit later I went over to the webcomic area where a lot of the creators were gathered and the creator of Sam and Fuzzy was there Sam Logan. He was also very friendly and nice to chat with as I purchased a print from him.

I was feeling pretty good at that point and I decided to head over to the PvP table and buy something else from the guy I was most excited to see, Scott Kurtz. I had earlier picked up a stuffed Skull the Troll doll from him and now wanted to get a print from him that he had done for the comicon. Well I do not know what happened but as I realized as I purchased the print and waited for him to sign it. He did not seem to care for me. It felt like his whole manner changed to the point that even Travis noticed it. I realize that it can get pretty crazy and people can be annoying but I have never had that kind of response. I mean as far as I know people tend to like me. So it was a odd experience for me. I am just going to chalk it up to stress and things like that for now. Since I have really no other way to respond to it.

One last special mention goes to Andy Runton the creator of "Owly". He did a sketch for Travis as well as several other people and just was a super nice guy. I wish I would have purchased something from him but I felt like one stuffed animal was enough.

Overall though it was a great trip. I look forward to returning to it next year.

3-12-2010 (Friday)

Good morning again folks. Today I wanted draw your attention to a little quiz that I recently took online. It is only 10 multiple choice questions. The Nolan Quiz So give it a go if you like and please return and share your results with me.

In the spirit of facts and truths I took the quiz and I ended up pretty much where I thought I would. I am a centrist and I lean to the liberal according to the chart. I am close to that line but I didn't cross over. I am not saying that my result was the correct result by any means. I would just like to see where a few of my readers fall. But, this is not a perfect quiz by any means. It is very and I say very heavily weighted toward the Libertarian side of things. The choices for answers are not very nuanced at all but it is interesting and seemed pretty accurate at least in my result anyway. So please check it out and stop back by and let me know how you did.

3-11-2010 (Thursday)

Thursday! Thursday! Thursday! That is all.

3-10-2010 (Wednesday)

So where to begin? It is Wednesday morning and I am looking forward to a pretty good day. I get to go into the big city and pick up some stuff with Travis and that is always a fun time. I am also going to see my friend Eric for lunch and that is good as well.

One of the reasons why I am seeing Eric is to let him borrow my graphic novel "Wanted" now some of you may recall a movie with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman by the same title. Well the movie was LOOSELY and I do mean LOOSELY based on the comic. I just have to say that the comic is ten to a hundred times better then the film. In fact I would go so far as to say that other then the characters having the same names and perhaps one or maybe two small plot points they are nothing alike.

I thought the movie was horrible. I will post a clip below.



That is the trailer. As far as trailers go it is a very good one. It makes you want to see the film. But...it was just so bad. There are things that make absolutely no sense in this movie. But...when I read the graphic novel after having seen the movie. They made sense. It didn't make the move any better but I understood why it sucked so badly. So if you get a chance read the graphic novel. It is an R rated one but it is good. Then if you have seen the movie or see the movie and lets talk about how much they missed the target on this one. Please do it I would love to have that discussion.

3--9-2010 (Tuesday)

Well, here we are it is Tuesday morning and today is the last day for people to file in Oregon if they are going to run for office. It may be an interesting day but I am not sure. I was going to write some more about the upcoming elections in Oregon but I honestly am not all that interested in it. I will be shocked and amazed if a Republican were to win. I will be even more shocked and amazed of a third party candidate even gets any recognition in this state at all. I think the reality is that Oregon is basically a Democratic state. Or at least the population centers in the state are and until we start counting votes in a different way that is not going to change.

Now, understand me, I am not taking a pro or con on that position. I just think that is the case. The thing that may benefit the Republicans in this upcoming election is if maybe Chris Dudley can be thought of as some sort of political newcomer and can pick up some of the moderate and independent voters. They took a straw poll this weekend at Dorchester, the big Oregon Republican conference in Seaside, and Allen Alley won. I honestly am not sure what that means. I do not think Alley is going to be able to pull a moderate vote and I believe the majority of the people that attend an event like Dorchester are the pretty hard core true believers.

On the Democrats side I do not think anyone they are putting up in the primaries is going to beat Kitzhaber. While it is true that Bill Bradbury is making some noise I just do not see him actually toppling the Kitz. Also on a personal note Bradbury is not a friend of the work I do. He never has been and if he becomes governor he will most likely hurt the system in Oregon. I believe and believed even when I did not work in the process that the petition system is part of what makes Oregon special and lets the voters have a say now and then. Oh sure there are problems much like in any system but even at it's worst it still comes down to a vote and that is a good thing.

That is about all for today folks. Have a good one.

3-8-2010 (Monday)

Happy Monday folks. I hope we all had a good weekend. My weekend was pretty good. Well let me rephrase that. On Friday night my right eye was feeling itchy and felt like something was under the eye lid. But when I looked at it I could not find anything. But I spent Friday night and all of Saturday with my eye weeping and my nose running. It was an unpleasant experience to say the least. But, when I woke up Sunday morning everything was fine. I am not sure what was going on. I think I caught a little cold.

That was really about it. I did my best to have a pretty relaxing weekend overall. I really did not hear anything that I think I need to share with you folks today. I did see that 'The Hurt Locker' won the Oscar for best picture as its director won for best director so I am very happy about that screw you 'Avatar'. SCREW YOU!!

The Writer's Almanac

I was out late tonight. If you are reading this tomorrow morning then it was Thursday night. I went to see my friend Levi and we played a game called Magic at another friends house. But that really isn't the point of the writing. I met Levi because Nicole, my ex-wife, worked with then Levi's girlfriend Eva. Now Levi and Eva are married and Nicole and I are not. It is funny how things change and how plans change. Well as often serendipity seems to work. I was ruminating on that on the drive home and listening to National Public Radio (NPR). Well every night I think about 9:50 or so they a quick show called "The Writers Almanac". It is hosted by Garrison Keillor of "Lake Wobegon" fame. Well he reads a poem or two and tells about writers birthdays and different books. Tonight he read a poem that I am going place below. Please take the time to read it and I will meet you on the other side.

Cecil
by Stephen Dobyns

How calm is the spring evening, and the water
barely a ripple. My son stands at the edge
tossing in pebbles, then jumping back. He knows
that someplace out there lies Europe, and he points
to an island to ask if it is France. Here
on this beach my neighbor died, a foolish man.
He had fought with his daughter, his only child,
about her boyfriend and came here to cool off
when his heart stopped. Another neighbor found him
and thought him asleep, so relaxed did he seem.
He had helped me with my house, gave me advice
on painting, plastering. For this I thank him.
As I worked, we discussed our plans, how he wished
his daughter to go to the best schools, become
a scientist or engineer. I said how
I meant to settle down and make my life here—
My son asks me about the tide, why the water
doesn't keep coming up the street to wipe out
the house where he lives alone with his mother.
Is he scared, should I console him? Should I say
that if I controlled the tide I would destroy
that house for certain? Our plans came to nothing
and now, a year later, I'm just a visitor
in my son's life. We walk down to the water,
pause, and look out at the world. How big is it?
he asks me. Bigger every day, I answer.
"Cecil" by Stephen Dobyns, from Cemetery Nights. © Penguin Group, 1987. Reprinted with permission (buy now)

what did you think? I am not a great poetry reader. I do read all of the time and I fancy myself a bit of a writer but I do not have an ear for and never have really enjoyed poetry. But, as I listened to the poem being read and he mentioned the neighbor dying on the beach I thought "oh that is sad." and then he moved to the man's son asking about the tides and why didn't the water didn't come all the way up the street and "wipe out the house where he lived alone with his mother?"

That was when it hit me. The man was divorced and the plans that he had talked about previously with the now dead neighbor didn't matter. That the plans for the future came to nothing and now he is just a visitor. Well I do not mind telling you that I begone to cry as I was driving down the highway. I cried because the plans that I had now mean nothing. I cried because it feels like every time I have a good week or day something comes along from out of nowhere and makes me realize what I have lost. I honestly do not feel depressed a majority of the time. But in some ways I am dreading reaching a time where the thought of Nicole does not make me sad. As it is there is an empty spot in my life and for me to lose the memories I have of her, for me to lose the memories of the good times I do not know what that will mean for me.

As usual when the pain hits me. It hits me hard and it takes me by surprise. I have no idea how she is coping. Or even what she is doing to cope. The only thing that brings me some comfort is the vague hope that she is happier then I am now. At least I hope she is. I do not know. If she is not then this is truly a horrible thing for the both of us and there really was no benefit at all. I do not know that there should be a benefit but the thought that at least she might be happy or happier now has been of some small comfort to me.

Now, i sit in the garage and write on my laptop. Wullie is asleep in the ferret sleeping bag and Sebastian is roaming around like he usually does. "It's just you and me fellas." I tell them. I know they can't understand me. But sometimes it feels as if they are the only ones that I can really just let myself go with. Their needs are simple, clean food and water. Some bedding to sleep in and a little bit of attention but they do not even need much of that. I think they are aware that things are different but I am not sure what that would mean to them. I have no idea how aware they are of things. I wish I did...I wish I did.

3-4-2010 (Thursday)

Good morning folks. Today is March fourth or as some people refer to it March Forth. I think is kind of an interesting way to look at it. Using the calender to make today a day for stepping forward and doing things I would assume differently because why else would you want to feel this way. If you feel like things are going well and nothing needs to change then I doubt you are going to care one way or the other but maybe if things have seemed a little off then calling it March Forth maybe just what you need to start things fresh.

I am kind of on the fence myself. I realize that this has been a pretty crappy six months and I could use that as an excuse to make this day mean more then a normal day. But as far as the last week or so things are looking pretty good. Things at work are cranking along and there seems to be a future so that is good.

Other then that I got nothing today folks. My head is not really in it. But hopefully tomorrow the wisdom will flow forth like wine. We shall see.

3-2-2010 (Tuesday)

It is Tuesday morning and the sun has risen again and I am back at it. I hope you all are well and my lack of writing yesterday didn't leave to big of a hole in your lives. I know my wisdom that I give to you all freely is very important and without it most of you would not be able to really function. So rest assured that I am not planning on going anywhere. Also remember that when I rise to the top and I stand astride two pillars over the ashes of all who opposed me. Know that I will remember you and you all will have places in the new regime. Well some of you are going to. I really can't be expected to have a place for all of you. I am not sure who I can trust. So better safe then sorry. You know what? Just forget about that last part there. Things well work out you can trust me.

I listened to an interesting piece on NPR this morning talking to Mitt Romney and discussing his chances for 2012. He seems to be pretty obviously getting ready to run again. It is going to be interesting to see the build up to 2012. The Republicans feel that they have some momentum and that things are going to change in their favor. I think anything is possible but I wonder if Romney is conservative enough for the Tea Party crowd. I also still question as I did in 2008 if he can pull in the conservative Protestant Christians. I do not think he can. I have been wrong before but I do not think I am wrong on this one. It will be hard to tell anything on this one until we get closer to the primaries. I am not really sure who else the Republicans will put up.

That is all for today folks. As usual feel free to throw your thoughts at me.

3-1-2010 (Monday)

I do not have time for the blogging this morning. I just wanted to say hello and hopefully we will be back at it tomorrow. Catch you later.

2-26-2010 (Friday) The Birthday of Johnny Cash

1932-2003

I was going to write today about Johnny Cash and what his music means to me. But as I sit here listening to his music on Johnny Cash Radio
I am feeling myself slightly overwhelmed. I am really unable to put into words what it means what he mean. I realize he was a musician and just a man. He was a man, much like I am a man. But he was a man who fought his demons his whole life. He never presented himself as anything more then that. He also warts and all was a believer and he never shied away from that. One last album is getting released this week American VI: Ain't No Grave please check it out.

In closing I am going to leave you with his version of 'Hurt'




I MISS YOU

2-25-2010 (Thursday)

It is Thursday and I am having a bad hair day. I opted to not wear a hat or to put any sort of product in my hair and now it is falling over my face. I feel like I should be wearing all black and listening to the Cure. I really, really need a hair cut. It is days like this that I really miss the mo-hawk. I had a pretty sweet one going for awhile there. I also miss being bald. It was easier for me to take care of. I would just use normal soap in the morning and maybe apply a little lotion and boom done for the day. Then every week or so I could shave it or have someone shave it again. I think I am to lazy to have a haircut that takes a lot of maintenance.

Today is a pretty big day in the world of politics. It is the big Health Care Reform meeting with President Obama and Congress. I doubt much will come of this at all. There are to many vested special interest groups and to many people making millions and millions of dollars off of health care right now for there to be any kind of meaningful change.

Yesterday was also a pretty big news day with the head of Toyota coming to America to testify before a special committee about the Toyota recall. I found it pretty interesting and I felt like he said really all he could say about the whole thing. A thought that struck me while I was was watching and one I heard later on from someone on the television I can't remember who. The thought was now that the federal government owns a majority share in General Motors at what point does investigating another car company become a conflict of interest? I am not trying to be snarky about this. I really do want to know. I understand the need for automobile safety and I think you do need to build cars to some kind of standard so that our highways are relatively safe. Maybe this is why the federal government should not be in the business of buying up companies because then it makes any attempt on their part to regulate an industry a conflict of interest? I just do not know.

That is about it for today. Just a couple of thoughts that were ping ponging around inside my noggin.

2-24-2010 (Wednesday)

Good morning again folks and salutations to you. I hope this Wednesday finds you well. I wonder how many of you remember a movie from 1975 called "Doc Savage: Man of Bronze". I do and so do several of my friends. It is so interesting to me what will make you interested and what will stay with you years and years later. It isn't that the movie is high quality because believe me after looking at the trailer on You-tube yesterday it isn't I would say that the sets are probably at best 'Gilligan's Island' level quality sound stages.

But that isn't really the point. There are just things I remember from my youth that have stuck with me for my whole life. They exist in some sort of hallowed space inside my psyche that makes them the coolest thing ever. Well to be honest the coolest thing ever until I decide "Oh! That was cool I should watch it again." That invariably turns out to be a bad idea and what I thought was the coolest thing ever is usually some sort of hackneyed crap that is low budget and has some bad, bad, bad, scripts and plot lines. But as a kid I loved it. There was a channel then called KPTV 12 and this was before cable and satellite television and I think we had 5 channels at most. Along with reruns of 'Perry Mason', which is still awesome by the way, they showed an afternoon movie from 1 until 3 and then the reruns of the sitcoms would start. But I will get lost in the memory of those sitcoms if I go down that path. That is best left for another day.

But I remember watching these different films and just loving them. There were sometimes Tarzan movies which were always a favorite. My brother and I had a couple of rubber knives and we would reenact the movie fight scenes, that usually took place in water, on family camping trips.



Now this is a classic fight but it pales in comparison to the fight that I am going to show you next. This fight, brought to my attention by my good friend Travis is the finest example that I have seen of what he likes to call Kirk-Fu and I can't argue with that. So here it is and please enjoy it.



The 'Tarzan' fight scene above stars Ron Ely who also played 'Doc Savage'. He was a good 'Tarzan' but he was no Mike Henry. I think Mike Henry was the best 'Tarzan' ever. So what about you gentle readers is there a film from the past that you have fond memories of? Or perhaps a classic television show? Please let me know I would love to hear about it.

2-23-2010 (Tuesday)

Good morning folks. It is Tuesday morning and the rain has returned to Oregon. I do not mind the rain. It smells nice outside and is kind of refreshing. I think though that after about 3 or 4 days of it I will be back to wondering where the sun is and when is spring going to return. I like living in Oregon. I even like living in the Willamette Valley despite the months of gloom that can settle over us. When the Valley is in the middle of the rainy season it can get seriously gray and gloomy. But, once spring comes and we move into the summer Oregon becomes a really beautiful place to live. I am basically less then two hours away from the ocean or the mountains and when the weather is nice both places can really be nice. But I didn't come hear to lobby for Oregon.

I wanted to go back and touch on what I wrote about yesterday on how I agreed in part with what Glenn Beck said at the CPAC speech. But I also had to mention something he said that I felt didn't make any sense. He was doing his usual talking about how Communists and Socialists became Progressives because that let them be sneaky. He mentioned how things had gone from Revolution to Evolution and the change had allowed for the newly named Progressives to sneak in and undermine the foundation of America. Now I have heard him say this kind of thing before and he, I think, really does believe it. But at one point during his speech he was talking about how he was not a smart man and how he didn't go to college. But what he did do was go to the library because there the books are free. His exact phrase was

"I went to the library -- the books are free."

That kind of threw me for a loop. The biggest reason being that...BOOKS AT THE LIBRARY ARE NOT FREE!!!!! I pay taxes and part of my tax dollars go to fund the library in my town. Now maybe Glenn went to some hippy dippy socialist library where everyone who takes a book can leave a book and there is no librarian but I doubt it. What I found surprising about what Beck said was that libraries are basically communist institutions. They are funded out of the tax roles and anyone who wants to can get books there. I believe the first public library in the country was actually created by progressives who felt that everyone deserved equal access to books.

It just struck me as so typical of all of the talking heads on television be it Olberman or Beck or Limbaugh or Maddow they seem to speak without thinking. The basic idea of following a logical chain to it's conclusion seems to have escaped them. The saddest thing for me is that they make millions and millions of dollars doing this and most viewers just lap it up. They buy their books and listen to their radio shows and watch the television with out taking the time to do any critical thinking on their own.

These people depend on us to be angry but not on us to pay attention to the bigger picture. So lets all take a moment and really think about some of what these people tell us. They are all employees for big companies they wouldn't be working for these companies if they didn't agree with what goes on there. Keep that in mind when watch these shows. Look into where these companies do business and what products they make and sell. I do not think this will hurt us what this will do is make us better listeners and make us more aware of what we are being told. This goes for both sides of every issue. Think before you react. Take a moment and decide if what you are being told actually makes any sense.

This will benefit all of us in the long term.

2-22-10 (Monday)

Good morning and a happy Monday to you folks. We had a sunny weekend in Oregon and it seems to be nice today as well. So that is a good start to the week. Now anyone who reads me at all regularly knows that I do not care for Glenn Beck. I disagree with most of his positions on things and I think that his understanding of history and how that impacts America today is incorrect. I think he has good intentions but I think the way he goes about trying to get is message across is not beneficial to the process. But as he was addressing the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) he said one thing that I had to agree with.

Beck said:

“It’s not enough to not suck as much as the other side,” said Beck, on how Republicans can regain their ideals. “The first step to redemption is admitting you have a problem. … When they do say they have a problem, I don’t know if I believe them. … They’ve got to recognize they have a problem. … ‘I’m addicted to spending and big government.’”…

Beck went on to compare GOPers to Tiger Woods, who recently gave his first public apology for his cheating scandal. Beck said some people believed he was only sorry because he got caught. Beck, to GOPers in Congress: “You got caught. Are you sorry?”…

More Beck: “One party will tax and spend. The other party won’t tax, but spend. It’s both of them together. I’m tired of feeling like a freak in America.”

It was refreshing for me to hear someone from FOX News actually say that. I think anyone who has looked at or studied politics of the last twenty years realizes that it is incorrect and wrong to blame the countries economic problems on just the Democrats and President Obama. The idea of the federal government spending more and more and taking away the power from the states of the union has been going on for a long time. I often hear Republicans and Conservatives of today praising Reagan but in reality he grew federal government as much as his predecessors did. He was not the fiscal conservative that Republican historical revisionist historians want us to think he was. I am not saying he was a bad President but I would like for both Republicans and Democrats to be honest about things when they discuss past politicians.

All of that aside it was refreshing for me to hear what Beck said. I just hope the young conservatives that were at this conference actually took that to heart. Because he is right it isn't enough to point a finger at the other guy and say that they are bad and we are correct and continue to vote no on everything without coming forward with solutions. The reason that the majority of these Democrats are in office is because the voters were fed up with what was going on during the last Bush administration. The voters voted out the Republicans and the only other choice available to them in this horrible two party system of ours was the Democrats. Well the Democrats just basically said thank you very much and continued with business as usual. Now it seems that the voters are growing fed up with the Democrats and are going to vote them out of office and put back in the Republicans. I just hope the Republicans actually understand that this is not a mandate from the voter for them to do whatever the hell they want to do. It is a mandate for the other guy the only other choice there is.

So you heard a rare thing from me today. You heard me acknowledge that something Glenn Beck said I agree with. I do not know if that will happen much in the future but you never know.

2-19-2010 (Friday)

It is Friday. I hope everyone has a good weekend and I look forward to talking to you all on Monday. It has been an interesting week. My post that mentioned the issues that I have currently with the sport of Roller Derby and how it is being played in Portland has had the most comments of anything and the most comments of anything I have written in quite a while.

I find it kind of funny that I really am unable to predict what will draw peoples attention. Sometimes I write something that I think is very witty and will be sure to ruffle some feathers. "Here comes the comments!" I think. But nothing comes of it. Other times I write something that I think is purely a throw away post and people pop up out of no where to comment. It is one of the things about blogging that makes me keep doing it.

So I will talk to you on Monday. Catch you later folks.

2-17-2010 (Ash Wednesday)

Good morning folks. I hope you have good day regardless of whether or not you decide to do anything for Ash Wednesday.

Well as everyone seems to know we are in an economic downturn or recession. I have been reading a lot lately about a state in America that is doing pretty well. That state is North Dakota now every state is different and they all have different products that allow for different levels of income. But the biggest difference that North Dakota has is that they have a bank that is totally run and owned by the state of North Dakota. Now, according to the Huffington Post

"The Bank of North Dakota serves as an economic development agency and "banker's bank" that lessens the loan risks of private banks and helps them finance larger projects. It offers cheap loans to farmers, students and businesses.

The bank had almost $4 billion in assets and a $2.67 billion loan portfolio at the end of last year, according to its most recent quarterly financial report. It made $58.1 million in profits in 2009, setting a record for the sixth straight year. During the last decade, the bank funneled almost $300 million in profits to North Dakota's treasury.

The bank has the advantage of being the repository for most state funds, which can be used for loans and occasional relief for private banks that need a jolt of cash during sluggish credit markets."

Also another mention in the article is that North Dakota has an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent. That is the lowest in the nation and something that my home state of Oregon could only dream of. Now I am sure there are other things that makes North Dakota different then Oregon and also makes them more successful then Oregon in terms of jobs and state budget issues. But what I wonder is what is working about their bank. One of the biggest difference is that they are not part of the FDIC so if the bank were to lose money the residents of North Dakota would be on the hook for it. But, so far that has not happened. The bank is running a surplus.

I am just wondering what makes North Dakota special? Is this a model that could work in other states? Should it be something that is attempted? Should it be something that we totally write off as a cursed socialist idea that would fail and hurt the state in the end? Any thoughts out there folks?

2-16-2010 (Fat Tuesday)

Hello again, Hello. Here we are it is Tuesday morning and we are heading further into the week. They mentioned on the television this morning that today was Fat Tuesday. That honestly does not mean a lot to me. I have never been a big Mardi Gras fan and I do not go to the church and get ashes daubed on my face on Ash Wednesday. It might be a bigger deal if I lived in Louisiana or had grown up Catholic but I am not sure. I would go so far as to say that it is one of the few things in life that I do not really have an opinion on either way. I think for some people it can really be a time of focus and concentration on faith and their life and for others it is a chance to have a huge party and just go nuts.

I went with my good friends to Roller Derby in Portland on Saturday night. I like Roller Derby and the Rose City Rollers
are starting their fifth season. But it just wasn't the same for me. I went to most of the bouts during the inaugural season and I absolutely loved it. This was a sport that really had been started by a group of women. They were not professionals they were playing because they loved playing. It wasn't about big contracts or advertising deals and they were out there having lots and lots of fun. So was the audience. They played loud music during the matches and during the halftime break they would have a show of some sort. One time it was a circus act with people doing rope work. Once it was an adult dodgeball league and I got hit in the face by a ball. It didn't matter it was fun. You could sit right on the edge of the track and the skaters would whip past you. Sometimes they would crash and could end up slamming into you. It didn't matter it was fun. That was the key, fun.

But after Saturday night I am not sure if it is fun any more. There are all kinds of new rules and at one point one team had less then half of their girls on the track. I spent more time watching the refs and trying to figure out what penalty was called then I did actually enjoying the bout. I know things change and as something becomes more mainstream the rules get manipulated to allow for different things. But I think this new batch of rules just slows the game down. There was no real flow to it and I am not a new watcher I have seen lots of matches and I understand how the game is played.

Maybe I am wrong and what is going on is going to be drawing in all kinds of new fans. But as for this one. I am not sure if I will return. Other then me being able to see my friends it was not a fun evening for me. The atmosphere was not the same. It was not the almost rock concert scene I remember. I just do not see it lasting much longer if this model continues. I hope I am wrong I really do.

You folks have a good day

2-15-2010 (Presidents Day)

Good morning everyone. I feel like I have emerged from the gloom that was possessing me last night. I hope my posting wasn't to depressing for you. I also would like to apologize for the video I posted. When I get gloomy I often find that music works for me to get my feelings out but choosing 'Mad World' as much as I like the song was just plain melodramatic. That being said I hope at least some of you got to hear a song you had never heard before.

Today is two things both Presidents Day and the day that we observe Washington's Birthday. According to Patriotism.org

"This holiday is often called President’s day as well, though the official name is Washington’s Birthday. This federal holiday is celebrated each year on the third Monday of February, though it was originally celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday of February 22nd.

It’s the first federal holiday to recognize an American citizen and was enacted in 1880 as a holiday for the District of Columbia only. In 1885 it was named a federal holiday for all federal offices in the U.S. It wasn’t until 1976 that Washington’s Birthday was moved to the third Monday of February in an attempt to establish it more along the lines of President’s Day to also honor Abraham Lincoln who was born on February 12th. Though the change in day passed the change in name did not.

Currently 12 states have renamed Washington’s Birthday, President’s Day or a similar variation to honor all of the U.S. presidents. In Massachusetts the holiday focuses on honoring presidents from that state and a few other states have passed similar holidays as well."

I am glad that we honor the men who have run are country over the years. I think that even if you do not like all of the decisions that a particular President has made we should all be able to agree that it is a hard job and, I think, a thankless one. I myself would not want to be President at all. When I think about the abuse that the President takes it is pretty upsetting to me at times. And by this I mean all Presidents not just the current one. The President is second guessed at every turn. There always seems to be someone who thinks they know better then the President and in this day and age of the Internet these people have more opportunity then ever before to express that opinion. I am often more guilty of it then most as I step up on my blogging stump and throw my opinion out on the tube of the Internets.

I do not think this should change. One of the great joys of living in a relatively Democratic society is that I am free to put my opinion out there. I am free to write or say pretty much any crazy thing I want to without fear of reprisal. That is a great thing. Yes I am aware that we are living in a Representative Republic and not a true Athenian Democracy. But, honestly, in some ways I actually prefer this model. I say that even though I disagree with what my elected Representatives often do. I think the sheer size of the United States would make true Democracy a really messy, messy experience.

Though that does make me wonder that if what kept purely at a individual state level what it would be like. I know it would be messy and everything but I wonder if it would be a manageable mess. Then each state would just send one representative to Congress and they would kind of stream line issues. Hmmmmm, I realize this is an idea that would need lots and lots of work and I am sure there are all kinds of problems with it. But, it intrigues me. I may have to do some thinking about this one and get back to it later.

All of that being said and all of my rambling aside. Please take a moment today and be thankful for our past Presidents and present as well as future Presidents and at least acknowledge the hard job they have done. It is a job that frankly I would not want to do and I think most of you wouldn't want to either.

2-14-2010 (Valentines Day)

I normally do not blog on the weekends but I am sitting here getting ready for bed and I figured I would write a little bit. I imagine this will replace tomorrows post but we will see. I hope those of you that were able to have a three or four day weekend due to Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays had good ones.

This was a weird weekend for me. I have never been crazy about Valentines and of course this is worse by far. My first Valentines with Nicole we went to the Oregon Zoo and she gave me a pocket knife. It was then that I knew she was special. I did not know what the future would bring and had I known I am not sure if I would have done anything differently. Ironically, our last type of real date or couples time together also was a trip to the Oregon Zoo. I doubt if I will ever go to the Zoo again. As I sit here thinking about it I am barely able to hold the tears back. I always enjoyed the Zoo and I enjoyed my time there with her most of all. It will never be the same again. Nothing is ever going to be the same again. I am not sure what that means.

It seems like every time I start to feel a little bit better then something comes along to knock me right back into some kind of emotional spiral. What is more frustrating for me is that this is not even a real holiday it is totally put together by the greeting card companies and makes them millions of dollars every year. But I am not writing this to complain about Valentines day. It is to easy of a target and is done a million times every year by the long time and newly single divorced.

I am not sure why I am writing this in all honesty. I just felt like I had things that I needed to get out. You see I loved maybe I still love Nicole. I just do not know any more. I know that I can't think of her without intense pain. I have good days and bad day but mainly I have days that are just gray. It is a relatively good day if I can make it through with out thinking of her. Yet I still hope to get an email or some kind of text message or instant message nearly every day. It isn't that I have anything to say because I don't. I don't know what I want.

I do know what I miss. I miss her being in my life. I miss having dutch babies with her on lazy Sunday mornings. I miss staying up late and making cupcakes while we watched a movie on Netflix. I just miss her being around. I do not know if I was comfortable and in that level of comfort I just did not show her the love that she needed. I do know that I blame myself for what happened. I did not listen and I did not react and do what was needed to keep things going okay and now I am paying that price in my being alone. I fully realize that I have friends but this is on a different level then that. It is hard for me to fully articulate the level of emptiness that I am dealing with.

I imagine that things will get better I do not see how they couldn't.

I realize that this may be to intensely personal of a blog for many of my readers and I apologize for that but sometimes there are things that need to be said. If you return I soon will be back to my usual slightly humorous and topical thoughts and political ideas. So please bear with me.

2-11-10 (Thursday)

Another day, another dollar. Good morning folks. I am here and ready to gift all of you with my wisdom. There just does not seem to be much wisdom flowing today. I am just not feeling it. I spent some time looking at Facebook and I guess I shouldn't have today because I can feel myself starting to spiral. I hate when I get like this and I think the most frustrating aspect of it is that while I do not know when it is going to happen. I can feel it when I am on the precipice of it and am unable to stop it.

I am well aware that everyone deals with things at different speeds but I wish my speed was faster. I am tired of feeling this way on and off. I would just rather be done with all of the emotions. Sorry to get all emotive with you guys but sometimes blogging is cheaper then therapy.

That being said I do not have much more to say, I hope tomorrow or later today I might feel more inclined to write a little bit.

Quote of the Day

"There is room for social programs in a free-market economy without it becoming socialist. America, you are not on the road to serfdom." Colin Horgan

2-10-10 (Wednesday)

It is Wednesday morning and it is the middle of the work week. I hope everybody is having a good one so far. Things have been going pretty well so far. I have just been working and trying to stay busy. I mentioned on Monday that I haven't been able to work up any righteous indignation to allow me better blogging and one of my friends said she didn't realize that you needed righteous indignation to blog.

Well I thought about it and while I may not need it. It certainly makes it easier for me to get the words out when I am upset about something even if it is a silly of an issue as James Cameron and that fact that he steals ideas for his films and doesn't give credit to his victims. The funny thing is that just writing that down just now has got me a little bit fired up. See that is all it takes for me. I am going to control myself and not go off on a rant about Cameron and his actions as well as the movie business in general and how the overall stupidity of the movie going public is what allows criminals like Cameron to stay in business while younger and perhaps newer more creative voices are being left out in the cold.

See! Look at that. I said I wasn't going to and then I couldn't help myself. It is just sad. I do not know James Cameron personally. I doubt I will ever meet him and I am sure that he cries himself to sleep at night on his bed stuffed with $100 bills at the idea that I am upset with him. But I do not care. All I care about is getting out here on on stump and letting loose with a few good broadsides.

I think that is how I few myself. I am the captain of the ship of reason and sail about upon the seas of lunacy and idiocy. "Sharing" my wisdom with others. By "sharing" I mean lots of chest pounding and screaming and since it is my ship there is usually a show tune or two followed by some fancy dancing. I like my crew to be multi-talented. Ummmm, never mind about that last part lets just pretend that I never said it. "Hey, Jackson, put away those tap shoes!"

So, where were we? Oh yes, I travel around visa vie the Internets and tell everyone else what they are doing wrong and how I can fix them. For me to be able to do such a thing I have to be surly and dissatisfied otherwise I just can't work up the energy level I need to really get things fired up. That being said there maybe up days and down days where I didn't read or listen to something that really ticks me off. So please bear with me and keep checking in because I hope to continue blogging I am just not totally sure what form it is going to take on any give day.

That phrase reminded me of the movie "Any Given Sunday". As most of my friends know already I hate Oliver Stone and the only good work he ever did was writing the screenplay for "Conan the Barbarian" that is all nothing he has done ever since has any merit or well have any merit and "Any Given Sunday" was a prime example of his hackitude. That is all for now.

2-9-10 (Tuesday)

Good morning folks. I hope everybody had a good weekend and a good Monday. I frankly was surprised at the outcome of the Super Bowl. I thought for sure that the Colts would win it. I was even more surprised that Payton Manning threw an interception. I really went into the game thinking well he isn't Brett Favre and there is no way he will make a mistake that could cost the Colts the game. I was wrong. But, I have been wrong before and I will be again. That is one of the many reasons why I watch sports. I like to be surprised. If I always knew the outcome of every event I watched I think things would get a little boring.

In political news Democratic Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania has died. He was 77. He had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. The retired Marine Corps officer was an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. It is going to be interesting to me to see how this shakes out in terms of who replaces him. I am not sure what the policy is in Pennsylvania. I know that it varies from state to state with some state having the Gov appoint a replacement until the next election and some run a special election. Either way I am sure the Republicans are going to be "chomping at the bit" to get one of their own into office. He had been in office for 36 years and it will be pretty fascinating to me to see what happens next. I am sure that the "Tea Party" folks will begin rallying for some sort of candidate as well as the Democrats.

Interesting story on NPR this morning about the paper published in the "Lancet" several years ago that claimed a link to Autism from Vaccine. This caused a pretty strong anti Vaccine movement and now the "Lancet" has released a press release saying that the paper used false information and bad data and there was no link. One Doctor went on the air and said that the paper was basically a hypothesis and that it shouldn't have been published. He said it would be akin to him saying that "peanut butter causes Leukemia, and then tracking down five children with Leukemia who had eaten peanut butter a month before diagnosis and using that to make his case." I also found that fascinating and it is going to be interesting to see what potential fallout may come of this.

Thanks for reading and you folks have a good day.

2-8-10 (Monday)

Happy Monday...I do not have much today. I hope to have some more tomorrow to write about so please check back in. I have been having a hard time working up the righteous indignation I need to blog effectively but I hope to be my usual disgruntled self tomorrow.

2-2-10 (Wednesday)

Good morning folks. It looks like six more weeks of winter the Groundhog saw his shadow yesterday. Over here in Oregon it has been a pretty mild winter overall. We have had some snow here and there but nothing really stuck for a long period of time. Unlike last year where we had a serious stretch of frozen snow.

Today appears to be a slow brain day. There isn't anything popping into my head that I feel really upset about. Or even really inspired by. It seems like it is just a blah kind of day. I am okay with that. I can't exist on a sense of outrage all of the time. To fuel myself with energy generated from apocalyptic over the top rage is the path of Olberman and Beck and I refuse to go down that path. Sure it is fun sometimes to get wound up to really get myself going about the, big G, government and different liberal and conservative conspiracy theories. But really who does that benefit other then the people watching me foam at the mouth as I stomp around muttering different key words and punching the air.

"9-11 was an inside job, Kennedy was killed by the mob, Roosevelt knew about Pearl Harbor, Obama is selling us to the Chinese!!"

That feels better. I got all the crazy out. Actually one of the things I said above is totally true. Don't believe me. Google it!! I'll wait.
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Oh, your back. You didn't find anything? Hmm well that is just more proof that the government is covering it up because in my experience you can find anything on Google. Or, Or!! Perhaps you are part of the conspiracy? Do not try to deny it. I can see it in your beady little eyes. I will be watching you. Count on it!!

That's all for today folks

2-2-10 (Groundhog Day)

It is Tuesday morning February 2nd and it is Groundhog day!! Weeeeeeee! I am not sure if the Groundhog saw his shadow or not this morning. All I am interested in is seeing the bottom of my coffee cup. I can smell the coffee brewing this morning and it smells so good to me. But moving on from my unnatural relationship with coffee.

Today is also the day that the Academy announced the Oscar nominations so without further time wasting I give you the nominees. These are courtesy of the www.oscar.go.com You can for there for a full list. I will see you at the bottom of the list.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY - 82ND AWARDS -
Performance by an actor in a leading role

* Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
* George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
* Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
* Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

* Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
* Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
* Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
* Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

* Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
* Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
* Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

* Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
* Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
* Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
* Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

*
"Coraline" (Focus Features) Henry Selick
*
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
*
"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
*
"The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
*
"Up" (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Best motion picture of the year

*
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox)
A Lightstorm Entertainment Production James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
*
"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
An Alcon Entertainment Production Nominees to be determined
*
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Block/Hanson Production Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
*
"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
*
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)
A Voltage Pictures Production Nominees to be determined
*
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)
A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production Lawrence Bender, Producer
*
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
*
"A Serious Man" (Focus Features)
A Working Title Films Production Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
*
"Up" (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production Jonas Rivera, Producer
*
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
A Montecito Picture Company Production Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers


So, what did you think? I think there were some pretty interesting films this year. I was not on board with the "Inglourious Basterds" I thought it was far to talky and sequences just drug on and on and on. Particularly the opening sequence it was horrible. But much like with most films I am in the minority. In fact when I do Oscar pools I never pick what I think are the winning films. I always pick what I think the Academy will pick and I do pretty well. It is easy I just remove my brain and sit there slack jawed and drooling for awhile and then I am as smart as any celebrity. That being said I think I will post my picks in a few days and maybe we can have a little Oscar party right here on "One For The Ages" so give it some thought people and we will see what happens.

2-1-10 (Monday)

Well here we are Monday morning Feb 1st. I hope you all had a good weekend. While mine was by and large uneventful I would say that the most eventful thing I did was to finally stop working at the church. Now, those of you who read this blog and know me in meat space are all well aware of how long I have worked at the church on and off over the last I would say nearly 20 years. I was not a pastor or any kind of officiate there. I used to call myself a church sexton But I was really just a custodian. I grew up going to that church. My parents had been missionaries in Indonesia coming out of there and I went with them. In fact I lived in Indonesia for basically the first three years of my life and when we returned to the states I spoke better Indonesian then I did English.

I grew up going to the church and being involved and once I got out of high school and after spending some time working in a few different movie theaters I ended up working at the church. I enjoyed it there but it also was a place that allowed me to be lazy and to not move forward or to pursue things that I might have had I not had that safety net to fall back into. It isn't the church's fault it was my own doing. Basically a mix of fear and a desire to be comfortable kind of locked me into place. Well! I have already written more about this then I intended to. I guess it was more of a big deal then I thought it was or wanted to admit. I guess that is what happens when I write without the filters in place. I hope people didn't mind a little bit of the old autobiographical this morning.

On to the politics....................I read an interesting quote by Gore Vidal this morning,

"“It makes no difference who you vote for — the two parties are really one party representing four percent of the people.”

I am not sure when he said it but it really rings true for me today the Monday after President Obamas state of the union address. Because we have a two-party system, the only choice people have if they 
don’t like what’s happening is to vote for the other guy,
 even if the other guy is largely responsible for what’s happening, and the 
guy that’s in there now is in there because of the other guy’s mistakes.

People are angry at deficits, largely run up by the irresponsibility of the 
Bush administration, and topped off by Obama.
 They’re angry that the bankers who got us in this mess are making millions
. Thanks mainly to deregulation
 promoted primarily by Republicans (but signed off on by Clinton). They’re 
angry about jobs, but there would be a lot more of them if the 
stimulus package had been larger, which would have increased the deficit, 
which they are angry about. They are angry that Washington 
seems totally controlled by special interests, so they’re going to vote for the
 party that loves special interests at least as much as the 
party in power now. They’re angry at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which 
were started by the party they just voted out a year ago.
 They are angry that President Obama has accomplished so little of his agenda, so 
they’re going to vote for the party that has unanimously opposed
 every single aspect of it.

I have said it before and I will say it again. The two party system is a failure in America. There is no real difference. The agenda they both seem to have is to look for themselves and not for the good of the American people. The Democrats in Congress have proven that with their actions over the last few years. It was interesting to see the populace rise up in anger and shake their collective fist at the Republicans a few years ago and pretty much sweep them out of Congress. Oh the Democrats cheered. "It is a mandate from the people." they said. What is was was a mandate for these guys stink and we have no other option. Sure the Democrats said they would be different...they haven't been. So few years have passed and nothing has changed and surprise, surprise, surprise people are angry. Throw those bums out they are yelling. We will replace them with the same kind of bums we threw out before and then we will act surprised when they screw us.

WAKE UP PEOPLE!! The system is broken and the Tea Party pipe dream is not going to fix it. Keith Olberman and his Olbermaniacs are not going to fix it. Glenn Beck is not going to fix it. There needs to be! There must be viable third party candidates that are willing to listen to the needs of the populace and not the needs of the business as usual crowd. I hope one day true change will come in America but I am not holding my breath.

1-29-10 (Friday)

Yesterday the big news on the Internet was that Howard Zinn died and J D Salinger. I have not read Zinns work but he seems to have been quite the polarizing figure. I personally know people who are progressives that love him and I know a few conservatives who feel that he was worthless. It makes me want to track down his writings to see what all the hubbub is about.

Now as far as Salinger goes I have read 'The Catcher in the Rye' it was several years ago. Actually over a decade and I am unable to remember if I thought it was good on not. That isn't a good sign for me. If I really like something I am going to remember it and I can point to 'The Hobbit' or 'Fight Club' as books that have carried a real weight for me. Yesterday as I was looking around and seeing different things about Salinger I came across a clip from the film 'Dead Poets Society'. The clip I linked is from the end of the movie after they have SPOILER ALERT.......fired the teacher and he is returning to the class room to collect his personals.

Now when this movie was released I was working at a movie theater in Salem and going to Chemeketa Community College and had a pipe dream of working someday as a film director. I took film classes at school and really lived and breathed the movies. I was a projectionist at the theater and would often watch the movies from the booth as they ran. It wasn't a great viewing experience. The machines would clank and squeal and I would have to make sure the change over happened just right or I would have a real mess on my hands. But every now and then a film would come along that as I watched it from my perch in the booth. Viewing it through a grimy little window, a film would transcend its surroundings and take me away. 'Dead Poets Society' was such a film for me. I would stand in the booth and weep. I want you to watch that clip above and if you have seen the film before just enjoy the power of it. Watch it and think back to when you were younger and things seemed so important. When it felt like no one was listening to you and all that you had was your books or art or movies or music or whatever it was that made you a special person.

When you knew deep down in your heart that 'The Man' existed solely to stop you from achieving your greatness. Then take a look around you and realize that somehow with out you realizing it you have become 'The Man'. I would watch movies like 'Dead Poets Society' and get so mad. I would weep with frustration at the actions of the parents in the films and shake my fists at the screen. "How can they not understand?" I remember yelling out in the middle of 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' as one of them was going to be sent to military school. "Just punch him!!'. Well people around me laughed and that was all well and good but I was not trying to be funny. I was legitimately angry.I miss the passion that movies used to generate in me. I still love film and I think I have a pretty nice and intelligent DVD collection of some classics as well as some more of the modern films. But the passion I used to feel is not there.

I think that is partially the fault of modern cinema but that is a story for another day. All that being said I want to know your top 5 most emotionally impactful films.

1. Dead Poets Society
2. Fight Club
3. Gatteca
4. Requiem For a Dream
5. Charlie or Flowers For Algernon

1-28-2010 (Thursday)

Good morning folks. It is Thursday and I am back on the train. I just decided that I did not want to drive today so I pulled into Wilsonville and here I am. I enjoy the driving but I was not feeling it today.

Pretty big things going on in my corner of the world. The Presidents state of the union address was last night. I didn't think that he said anything extreme or really thought provoking. If anything I think he has chickened out on his ideas of change and has begun to act just like any other politician and that is sad to me. But, I guess I should have realized that when he asked Joe Biden to be his VP. If anything said "Hey, I am going to say change but really it will be the same old, same old." The presence of Biden should have clued me in. Now granted I did not want the kind of change that McCain was pushing with Palin but I wanted something more then we have gotten from Mr Obama. I hope the next two years may allow for some of that.

In Oregon, the fallout from Measures 66 & 67 is building. It really felt like someone had died yesterday. Because everywhere I turned on Facebook there was someone expressing sadness at the bills passing. Now I realize that there were some pretty heated things being sad and statistics being thrown back and forth about job loss and such. But, the sad reality is that it really did not matter if these bills passed or not. Because in Oregon right now there would be, will be job loss. I think the biggest thing that the bills did was to decided from where that job loss was going to happen either the public or the private sector. The other big thing these bills did was to highlight the differences in what the people of Oregon think is good politics and isn't. When I looked at the county listings of the vote outcome it was pretty obvious that along the I-5 corridor and through the Willamette Valley these counties voted yes. But east of them and south it was a no vote. What this means is that the population centers of the state are controlling the future of the state. While I realize that this is frustrating for people I think that is Democracy and when the populace has a vote well sometimes you have to eat a crap sandwich.

I have also heard a few people mention, one on the radio, that they wonder about voter fraud. I hope that isn't the case. I like the vote by mail system in Oregon and I do not want it to change. I do not think there was voter fraud and until I hear actual evidence of such a thing I am going to continue thinking it was a fair vote that played out along party and population lines.

All of that being said. I think Oregon will get through this. The wheel keeps turning and life moves forward. Big business will stay and return to Oregon. We will get out of this recession and the jobs will come. I am confident of that. I do not think our state is going to go the route of California or Arizona. So hang in there Oregonians there is always sunshine after the rain but we all know that sometimes the rain lasts for several years.

1-27-10 (Wednesday)

Well...in what I think is a surprising result Oregon voters decided to pass measures 66 and 67. This is the first time in 70 years that Oregon has voted in a tax increase. In fact 9 times in the past Oregon has said no to a sales tax. So I think there are more then a few of the so called experts that are shaking their heads over this one. Now as I mentioned yesterday, only time will tell if this is going to be a net gain or loss for Oregon. While the supporters of the measures feel that this is going to be a gain because of the tax revenue it is going to generate that anti people feel that the amount of private industry jobs that Oregon is going to lose because of this will make this a net loss. I have no idea and I am not even going to attempt to make a prediction on it.

Tonight President Obama gives his State of the Union address. I am not overly excited by this. I think the primary reason for me is that because Mr Obama has been out speaking so much I am not feeling a need to listen. With other Presidents it was rare to hear them speak so I would sometimes view it just because I wanted to see how they spoke publicly. But with Mr Obama that is not anything I haven't seen before. As a matter of fact, along those same lines of public speaking I saw a clip of President Obama last night speaking to a class of 6Th graders, somewhere in America I am not sure where, the clip was on the daily show. What was interesting to me and what Jon Stewart mentioned was that the President was in a 6Th grade classroom with the presidential podium set up and two 'TELEPROMPTERS' set up!! One to his right and one two his left!! I mean come on! You are in a grade school class room!! Do you really need to have teleprompters? I am beginning to feel more and more just like the old Who song says "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" I know people will disagree with me and it isn't that Obama is the same as Bush. It is that he is becoming the same business as usual politician that infects this country. The conservatives are excited right now about Scott Browns victory in Massachusetts. I would argue that given a year or maybe as little as six months he will be sucked into the machine will be spat out the same politician as the rest of them.

It doesn't matter what party they are from. The lobbyists for the corporations and the corporations run things in Washington D.C.. I am beginning to feel more and more that the only real safe haven for people is what can happen for them at the state level. Maybe what we need is a return to federalism and a step back from the large umbrella of national government. I do feel that I am in favor of the new spending freeze idea. I just hope it works.

1-26-10 (Tuesday)

Well I took a side trip last night on my way home from Beaverton and stopped into the Comcast office to pick up my new HD/DVR box for the new television. That was an eye opener. I had decided to pick up my box under the mistaken assumption that it would be faster...it was not. It was much like going to the DMV. I walked in the office at about 4:45 or so and there was a line of people along every open wall space as well as every chair except one being full. After that initial shock I noticed that I needed to take a number from the number machine. But it wasn't that simple. I had to choose what I was there for since it seems each of the six windows were for a different function. I choose equipment pickup/drop off and it was time to take a seat.

It was at that point that I noticed my number was T405 and the numbers on the board were T495. I begin to get nervous. Had I taken the wrong number? All of these people couldn't be here for equipment could they? How embarrassing was this going to be for me? But at the T499 mark the numbers flipped over to T400 and I breathed a sigh of relief. It had been all I could do to not go get another number. That kind of momentary panic is pretty common for me as is the follow up worry about am I going to look foolish or be embarrassed in front of people who do not know who I am.

It is funny to me that I worry about that. Because anyone who knows me can tell you that if I am around a group of people who do know me I am not afraid to look foolish if I can make people laugh. It isn't like I am some sort of smooth James Bondian fellow anyway. I can be clumsy. I have fallen over in public several time and usually because I stepped on uneven sidewalk. But I survived the experience and now have HD at home and let me tell you. I realize I am a little late coming to the HD party but wow! I am even more looking forward to the Olympics and the Super Bowl then I was before.

That is all for today. I hope you voted if you live in Oregon. You still have time to get out there and drop it off. Tomorrow should be interesting as the results begin to come in.

1-25-10 (Monday)

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine wasn't anything special although I did purchase a new television and my good friend Joel came over and helped me get it set up. It wasn't all that complicated but it was easier to do with two people that is for sure. Now if things go well today I should be up and running on HD for both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. I am looking forward to watching both of those particular sporting events. But, to be honest with out the Pittsburgh Steelers this years Super Bowl does not hold a lot of interest for me. I will be loosely rooting for the Colts to win but only because I think Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL today. He plays with such consistency and poise that it seems almost effortless for him. As far as the people who will say that Brett Favre is the best QB, I have to disagree on the grounds that he throws too many interceptions. He forces passes and it hurts his team as proven by the game yesterday. He threw one too many passes and I think it cost his team the game.

The close of voting is Tuesday night at 8pm for Oregons big tax bills. It is going to be interesting to see the end result of this. If they pass then taxes will go up on corporations from $10 a year to $150 and individuals making over $250,000 a year. If they do not pass then the state legislature will have to meet and decide where and how to cut some things and make the budget balance. That is going to be an interesting process. I think it is all going to come down to which pro or con groups had the best propaganda because right now you can't turn on the radio or the TV without hearing a commercial. I am personally torn on this one because I realize that we need taxes to pay for the services that we get from the state government it is also true that Oregon government is seriously bloated. This really seems like a lose, lose situation for both sides because I think either result is going to result in job loss for the state in one form or another. I hope I am wrong about that.

With that I leave you good folks, I hope you all have a good day and I will see you tomorrow.

1-22-23 (Friday)

Good morning America. Say hello to our new corporate masters!! Yesterday in a 5 to 4 vote the United Stats Supreme Court ruled that there are now no spending limits on how much money a corporation can spend on or for a political campaign or candidate. To put this in different terms. If a company like Nike wanted George H. W. Obama III to be in office they could, in the past, give him a limited amount of money or open a PAC (Political Action Committee) that they could use to raise money and to funnel money through. Now with the new Supreme Court ruling Nike could spend say a billion dollars to run commercials or buy blocks of advertising. Really with no limits to the shape it could take. While it is true that they can't give the money directly to the candidate this still concerns me.

The reason it concerns me is that humans are lame. We are not pleasant people, sure some of us are but allow me the generalization, at our core humans tend to look out for number one. I am already in low opinion of most politicians to begin with. What this ruling means that the pressure a politician may already feel to rule in favor of a financial supporter may be magnified ten or even one hundred fold. In my personal life if someone gives me money for something even if it is a gift for a holiday I tend to feel like I need to give them the benefit of a listen if they have a suggestion as to how I might spend it.

So how is politician supposed to not listen and even do what a corporation asks or tells him to do when they say 'hey pal, we spend x millions of dollars to get you elected. If you do not we will spend it on your opponent in the next cycle.' I just do not see a good outcome for this. I think it will make the public more cynical of the whole process and make politicians more corrupt if that is even possible.

Maybe I am wrong and if a reader can explain to me why. Then by all means please do so. I would love to hear it.

1-21-10 (Thursday)

Good morning folks. I trust you are all well today. The week seems to be moving along nicely over here on the west coast of America. I noticed when I was looking at who visits my blog that last week I had received a visit from someone in Hong Kong and from someone in Brazil. I think that is pretty cool. I do not have even a medium sized reading audience and that is fine with me. So to me it is even more amazing when people from other countries find their way here. I have a pretty regular visitor near as I can tell from England and I have had a visit in the past from Venezuela.

To me, and I may have mentioned this before, the greatest strength of the internet is that people from all over the world are able to communicate with each other. But I do not come to praise the internet. I do not think that it needs me to. I just think it is great that I can talk to people in basically real time from all over. I think it is great even if we disagree because at least there is some communication and then it helps me to realize that despite our disagreements that person is a human being. Well all except for Van, I am pretty sure he is a soulless robot. :) I kid, I kid!

I think the reason that these thoughts popped into my head today is that as I was listening to the radio on the way to work today they were talking about yesterdays midterm elections in Massachusetts and how that election was a sign of the will of the voters in America. Well my first thought was. What? I am not a part of Massachusetts and I do want there to be some kind of health care reform. So how can that vote be about anything other then what the voters in Massachusetts want. My second thought was besides "Why, should I care in Oregon what anybody does over there? They do not seem to care about me." So it is interesting to me because on a person to person level I love to hear what people think and I love to read blogs and stuff. But on the statewide voting level. I really could not care less how Massachusetts as a state votes. I do not like the Boston Redsox, Bruins, Celtics or any other team of Boston origin. As far as I am concerned it will be a good day when global warming causes the bay to rise and floods Boston.

You folks have a good day! ... I said Goood Day!!

1-20-10 (Wednesday)

Well, well, well and interesting turn of events in Massachusetts last night. The Internet is a buzz this morning as was Facebook last night with all of the usual suspects taking their usual sides and being all excited about something that they think is going to change everything.

I say phooey! I say nothing is going to change and that in the end this whole thing is just going to be business as usual for the people that really run this country. Oh sure the right is all fired up. The Tea pot is boiling over!! We have turned back Obama they yell. It is the death knell for universal health care others proclaim. I would argue that if you actually thought that universal health care had a chance of passing in this country you were deluding yourself.

The only way it will pass here is if it would in some way benefit the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies. This will never happen. The big drug companies depend on the amount of money they take in from there medicines and insurance depends on the premiums that they take in. These two groups alone will never give up their stranglehold on health care. I would argue that this is also another reason that marijuana will never be legalized nationwide in America. It may get legalized on a state by state level which it appears to be on the path toward just that. But I do not see the drug industry getting out of the way of and allowing the legalization of a pain killing substance that people are able to grow in their back yard or basement.

But that is a side issue and I didn't intend to talk about that today though it relates to lots of things. I think most if not all of what goes on in Washington D.C. is done at the behest of the large corporations and special interest groups. I remember when President Obama was elected a large amount of Americans started buying up guns and ammunition and reloading materials to the extent that it became hard to find them in the stores. Several of my friends were convinced that Obama was going to move to ban guns. My response was this. "What do you think the NRA is doing in Washington? The NRA (National Rifle Association) gets millions of dollars a year from people in America who love guns. They know that if guns were to be banned this money tree would dry up. It is only reasonable that they do all they can to ensure that the new president does not ban guns." So has there been any movement to ban guns from the White House? Not that I have seen so far. I think the only way there ever will be such a thing in this country is if a large lobbying firm came in with billions of dollars and went head to head against the NRA in a battle of who had the deepest pockets. Then we would truly see how much greed runs things in this country.

Because in the end this is what truly runs America. The almighty dollar and the desire to get more and keep more for yourself even if that means climbing over the backs of others to do so. I think this is true of the ruling class in this country regardless of their claiming to be right or to be left. It just doesn't matter! With that being said I leave you with this lovely picture of Massachusetts newest Senator Scott Brown. He does appear to be ready to lead.

1-19-10 (Tuesday)

Good morning again folks, I hope today finds you well. I guess I should take it as a good thing because I am not feeling really fired up about anything today. I realize there are probably plenty of things in the world that I could get worked up about but I just do not feel the need to poke at them this morning.

I think one reason might be that I am just drained from hearing about Haiti every morning on the radio. It just seems like the reports are getting worse and worse and I wonder when things are going to get better. I also wonder in what form the rebuilding is going to take in Port-au-Prince. It is going to be interesting to see because while this is truly a tragedy it also is an opportunity to rebuild a city and that is a rare thing. A lot of issues will be with cost and safety but with the Haitian government being pretty much nonexistent at this time I wonder what is going to happen.

My dead, cynical, acorn sized, coal made, heart says 'Not Much!!'. But I am hoping that for once he is wrong and that something good will come out of this for the people of Haiti.

That is about it for today. I realize that the posts have been short the last couple of days but I have been trying to get the schedule adjusted since moving into the new place. I think things are going to settle down here pretty soon and hopefully I will be back to my usual tricks. That may not be something that all of you like but oh well.

Jan 18, 2010 (MLK Jr Day)

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Good Morning folks, I hope you are all well today and had a nice weekend. I posted the quote above since today is MLK day and I am hoping to do something on the blog each day there is some sort of honoring of some one in America or maybe the world I am not sure. So most of the time I imagine it taking the shape of me posting a quote and then maybe a few thoughts about that quote but sometimes it may just be the quote. I am not fully committed either way yet.

That being said I do find today's quote pretty interesting to me on a purely personal level. I have been struggling with what faith means for a long time. I really feel that any thinking person has to struggle with this issue now and then. Even more so if you are at all religious in nature. The amount of mystery that goes with believing in a higher power makes faith a huge issue. At least I think it does. I would love to have the sheer confidence of the true believer or the sheer confidence of the hard core atheist.

I instead fall somewhere in the middle of the two camps and shift back and forth depending on the books I have read or where my emotions are, are any given time. I do not think this is a good thing or makes me better in some way or another then any body else it just is. Sometimes even when I can see the whole staircase I have a hard time believing it is real. So I am not sure what that actually means.

I am also not actually sure where I was going with this today. So I think I will stop there. Perhaps I will expand on this theme at a later date I am not sure. Anyway I hope you all have a good day and I hope to hear from you soon.

Tuesday, 1/12/10

Hey everybody, here we are on day number two of the work week. I hope things are progressing nicely for everyone. I am doing okay on my end. I had to drive today because I am doing some courier work this afternoon and let me tell you I did not enjoy it. I realize that I have outlined on here before my love for the train. Some people probably wish that I would stop talking about it. But, on the days when I have to drive in I realize how much better it is for me to be able to relax a little bit and not be worried about what the obviously insane person in the car next to me is doing. "Hey! Hey! Stay in your lane! Knucklehead!"

I came to the conclusion today that a lot of my frustration in the car comes from the fact that I do not know where the other drivers are going. When I am on the freeway I tend to drive looking ahead to where my exit is going to be and I do what I can to get over into that exit lane with out forcing my way in or making others slam on their brakes. So I am always amazed when someone comes flying up beside and and forces their way in. Did they not realize this was where the exit is? Or, do they just not care? It is at times likes this that I wish for a megaphone so that I can ask them these questions in what I hope is the most polite manner possible.

We are gearing up for the 'Castle Doctrine' referendum at work. The simplest way to explain it is that going back to medieval times and some would argue that back to the Torah that a mans home is his castle and he has the right to defend it from trespassers. Some states have a clause that before a person can defend themselves or others in their home there must be no chance of retreat. Other states, Texas for one, allow you to pretty much shoot someone if they enter your home. You do not even have to be sure that your life is at risk. They broke in and you shot them simple end of story. The Oregon law will not go that far and it also cleans up some ambiguity in the way the present law is written. The one thing it does that I am the most interested in is that it will stop a land owner from being sued if someone gets hurt trespassing on their property.

I feel like I am okay with that. Having been a landowner I was always a little fearful that if someone climbed into our hot tub and drowned I would be negligent even if I hadn't given them permission and they were in effect breaking into the tub. So I will be watching the debate on this one with some interest. I believe that it will get on the ballot without to much trouble.

I also have been watching with some interest the debate on the two tax measures in Oregon. One raises the minimum tax on business and the other raises the income tax on people making over $100,000 and then $250,000 a year. The debate on this issue has been very heated with pro tax people saying that Oregon will be bankrupt if these do not pass and the anti-tax people saying that these taxes will drive business out of Oregon. I think the end result of this either way it shakes out is going to make things interesting.

Jan 11, 2010, Monday

Happy Monday everyone!! Whenever I say that it reminds me of the film 'Office Space'. That is a film I enjoy quite a bit. But I didn't come here today to talk about films or politics or even theology. I came here to address something that occurred to me yesterday.

I moved yesterday into yet another new place. This is a better place, newer and actual insulation in the walls and air conditioning. But, the process of moving was a hard one for me. I can already tell that I am going to be more comfortable in the new place. I am living with a good friend of mine and he and I seem to get along, we have lived together before and that worked out pretty good if you discount the chicken grease on the remote control incident, as well as the steak left in the oven incident. I shall speak no more of these.

But I wanted to touch on friends and there existence in all of our worlds. My life has been really in an upheaval lately as several of you know. Well I realized yesterday as my friend Chad made several trips with me back and forth to the new place. This is the easily the third or forth time that he has helped me move as well as helped me just in my daily life of living. I have known him since grade school and he has been with me through thick and thin. I owe him so much that it is hard for me to add them up.

The other guy I wanted to say by name is my friend Travis. I have known Travis since high school and have worked with him and for him in several different capacities. I have always found him to be both fair and understanding in the work environment yet still be able to just be friends outside of the office. He is whom I am working for now and I really enjoy what I do. What I realized this weekend as I looked at the boxes of books and DVD s and other assorted detritus that my ex-wife dropped off for me. I realized that if it were not for Travis and this job that he reached out to me with I would not have survived this whole mess. I do not say this to be melodramatic or to ask for people to explain to me the value of my life. I understand all of that.

But, the simple reality is that what this job and my friendships with others has done is allow me to land on my feet. It has allowed me to continue moving forward and to do something that I find interesting and sometimes exciting. If I had not been working I am not sure what would have become of me. That is the truth. There would not have been a reason to get up each day. A reason to keep moving forward and to keep looking into the future. My life changed and it changed in a dramatic way that I did not want it to. It is still changing and each day brings new challenges and new things to adjust to. But I realize that I can do those things with the help of my friends.

There are a myriad of other friends who will feel left out if I do not mention them. Nick, and Joel and Dean and Christopher come to mind as well as my friend Anthony who reached out to me and helped me move forward. I do not have time to address all that these have done for me. But, Joel I am sorry I left my water bed in your basement. I am not sure what I was thinking.

I just remembered that there are several woman in my life who have helped me along the way and I meant to include them in this overall tribute. I am by no means a woman hater despite the divorce. That is a side issue that is as much my fault or all of my fault then hers. Woman are not the root of all that is evil. I find that they smell nice and are easier to look then men. But, lately the most consistent woman in my life has been Chads wife Cassy. I know she has put up with a lot from me over the years and I really am thankful for her and her presence in my life.

But all of this is to say to people please remember your friends. Because even if they do not always tell you or show you that your presence in their lives changes things it really does. So call them, send them a note, text them, or email but make contact and say thank you.

Tuesday, 1-5-2010

Good morning folks. I hope the day is treating you well so far. I heard something interesting on the radio this morning about the Democratic party here in Oregon. It was a piece they did about a meeting that the Democrats had concerning delegates and the so called super delegates.

The basic idea is that the National Democratic party wants to strip the Super Delegates power. They would prefer that the delegates vote how the people in the party voted. I myself have no problem with that. I think if we as a country are going to give, at least, lip service to the idea that everyone has a vote then the elections need to be decided by popular vote and not by the choice a political insider makes. Sure, there may be times when the majority of the populace make a bad decision. But, since we have a system in place that ensures multiple elections as well as limits to the time spent in office things tend to even themselves out.

The head of the Oregon Democratic party mentioned that rather then take the powers of the Super Delegate away why not have the primaries for each state take place during the same month. I like that idea and in fact I would further argue that it should all take place in the same day. The way things stand now with the different primaries taking place months and months apart and this frenzy of television shows detailing the race for President does not benefit any of us.

Well, it benefits the networks as far as ratings and selling ad time but the normal person it does not help. I would go so far as to say that it also affects how people vote because as they see if their particular candidate of choice is slipping in the race they may switch their vote to the best opponent or who they think may be the ultimate winner so they do not feel like their vote is for naught.

I also think that having the elections on the same day would also clean up the advertising that is all over the airwaves as well. I get so tired of seeing and hearing the same commercials over and over again.

I know we are a long way away from the next round of elections but since I write whatever comes to mind this is what you guys get. So deal with it.

Happy New Year!!

Well, well, well. Here we are folks Jan 4th 2010. I think I am going to pronounce it "twenty-ten". I just like the way that sounds.

Lets see what is new for me this year or for this upcoming year. On the social and emotional level I will still be recovering from the divorce and hopefully that will involve copious amounts of controlled substances as well as strippers. I turned 40 so I figure why not go out in a blaze of drugs and alcohol and physical abuse.

I also purchased a blue tooth ear thing yesterday. I drive at minimum an hour or more a day and longer if I drive all the way to the office. I have held off from purchasing such a device for a while because I do not get that many phone calls in the car. But with the new law in Oregon making it illegal to talk or text while driving I figured I better get one just in case I do get a call. The fine is $174.00 which does not seem to excessive to me. The danger that talking and driving causes is, I believe, akin to that of the drunk driver. Now they put some exceptions in the law for those who use the their phone for work like tow truck drivers and delivery drivers but I am not sure why they did. Those folks can use a hands free device just like everyone else does and it is not hard to do.

All that aside I think this is going to be an interesting year. I think the paranoia will rise concerning 2012 and if that will mean the end of time. I think that the Conservatives will continue to follow Beck and Palin and their actions will make the political world an interesting one as we build toward the next Presidential election. I in fact am going to go ahead and put this out there. I do not think that President Obama is going to be elected to a second term. I think that the damage that the economy is in as well was what some people feel is his failure to follow through on his plans for 'change' because lets face it. It is still business as usual in Washington. So we will see but I would be surprised if he gets a second term.

So what about you fellers? Any thoughts for the new year?