Two Summers of Shared Crappiness

I’ve noticed something since that stupid verdict on Citizens United, frankly. While I don’t agree with the ruling, I understand it. Money donations, free speech, yeah, sure, whatever, I get it, that’s not my concern. But it also brought to light something people have been complaining about for eons.

Corporations suck moosepenis. They do. They really do.

And it surged into public consciousness, as well as my own, with the ruling. 

I mean, look at me- I worship at their altar. I go to Disney, like, hourly. I am writing this in a Starbuck’s. And Target just filed an amicus brief in favor of same sex marriage. And on the opposite end of the spectrum?  WalMart keeps people in poverty so government cash is being used and refuses to buy American products. Their choices, not mine. I’m cool with both sides of this. It’s hard to live here in the states without interacting with corporations.  

And that’s not my beef, either.

What is my beef? As a Buddhist, we’re supposed to see things as things. Stuff we can’t take with us into the afterlife. We’re supposed to live out in the open with as little as possible and let life be. I’m cool with that too. It’s hard to do, but it can be done, even outside of a monastery.

But corporations and businesses have a singular goal that goes against all religions.  It’s reason for existing is to make money. Now that money is not for itself, outside of costs that are used to sustain it’s existence. But someone is earning cash here. The middle men? Sure. Some. But the owners.

Again, I’m cool with that too, believe it or not.

And what the fuck does this have to do with Hollywood?

I’m getting there.

I’m even going to settle into a one-percenter crap either.

They have the right and reason to make money. Go ahead, that’s why they got into the racket. All four of them. Not their kids. Just the person who started whatever business in 1945 or whatevers.

My point is-Hollywood is a corporation.

And, like any corporation, they need to make money. It takes cash to make a movie. A ton of cash. Those leads need limos and their third houses are on the line. So? What do they do?

They make utter crap. This summer did not even break even on most movies, if you’ve notice. Each title pretty much died at the box office. And I’m glad. I have to say, all I saw were remakes and sequels. There’s even talk about a Ghostbusters 3. How’s about a new movie about ghosts that has nothing to do with a franchise? That would take untried mechanics and writers and such and Hollywood refuses the risk.  And, as I’ve said, they have a reason for doing it and it’s not actually a bad thing. But it makes me avoid movies.

In fact, the best movies, I noticed, were from outside the US. Snowpiercer and Lucy were unique affairs that I found were terrifically allegorical but still believed in its audience enough to come in from a different angle. I’ve pointed out, a long time ago in these columns, that Hitchcock really only made one movie, again and again. But a level of creativity and ingenuity made each picture a wonder to behold with scenes and sequences that were wholly original upon themselves. Psycho is about identity (his favorite theme) but a horrific shower scene that stopped up; Topaz was also about identity, but had a horrific homicide, done in silence, in a kitchen with a gas oven.

Even Godzilla, this time back to overseas creators, this summer was original in that it approached the storied monsters from a totally different angle, literally, from the ground up, not even showing the towering beast until the finale. How to Train Your Dragon 2 was also different in that it refused to play by the formula of a sequel (rehash the old! Save on money!), but adding non stereotypical plot elements. For example, two characters, married before one thought the other long perished. They become reunited and do they argue in comedic fashion? Nope. They weep at the lasting of their love over time.

In a kid’s movie.

Even X-Men: Days of Futures Past has fun with popping characters, ala Forrest Gump, into history and it reads, yes, like a comic book.  Wholly original.  A sequel-prequel. 

But the rest of 2014’s lineup is dismal and has been. 300…a prequel?  Expendables 3 with even more hasbeens.  Dawn of the Apes…with a trailer that tells you the movie. Transformers? I mean, really, Hollywood? 

That's two summers now I've noticed I've been disappointed. 

I’m never going to stop seeing movies, I know that. And they have a reason to make money. But people keep teasing me about being so critical when, well, it seems to me that that the studios aren’t really trying to hard. If we like a movie, they’ll just push it back out again in some similar form, dialing it in from a cell phone. I’m thankful I have an art house here in Orlando-I can go see original content every once and a while.

Waiting to see the next big budget actioner until after my friends let me know it’s decent enough for the 20 dollars a ticket.

Peace,

Roo

Living The Writer's Life

As I have been writing a bit more and more these days, I can’t help thinking that, in terms of this blog, I should be addressing some things that haven’t been looked at. No, trust me, there’s no reason to panic. I don’t think it’s about coming out with any new and shocking news. In fact, I’m going to be quite sure, that the experiences I’ve had recently are totally just reinforcing items that can be better found elsewhere and with much better research to support it.

I’m shooting from the hip, as it were. 

Since moving to Florida, I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month at least, what, twice. That’s a 50% accuracy rate, which, when considering everything, is quite good. Novels are long ass fuckers that, like a mosquito drawing blood, pull energy from every facet of your creativity and give the concept of “free time” a run for it’s money.  There’s a podcast out there, “I Should Be Writing” that is quite excellent for the aspiring author. However, the title is all I need to place here.

At every moment, you’ll hear a voice in the back of your head—“YOU SHOULD BE WRITING.”

In fact, I like to think one of the myriad of reasons I left Colorado was to escape a horrible loop of non-writing. My friends and my family, avid supporters, supposedly, of my writing, would sing my praises, but, when I would sit down to author for a moment, I became a geek, a killjoy, or an idiot. In fact, some of my friends would avidly tease me with, “oh, come on, really?” 

Writing takes place in the cracks of our lives. Between professional obligations, familial pursuits, and collegiate obligations.  When the air settles around those moments, you find a dark corner, poke what lives there, and slam fingers to a keyboard. This means killing off that date night or shortening that dog walking. And it’s not fun.

Moving to Florida from Colorado quelled it and really helped. Sadly, and I am loathe to admit the sad truth-but the depth of my friendships here are still in development. I’m still working on connecting with individuals. And, as such, I’m finding the time to write much more palatable. No one is making fun of me, and those who are? I can just hang up that phone. 

I’ve heard of so many important authors who have stopped here to author and it is inspiring.  In Colorado? I can only think of Hunter S. Thompson. And even he wrote several pieces here in Florida. But Twain, Hemingway, Haissen, and Hurston all had time here. The irony, too, is not lost.  Florida is filled with idiots, idiocy, and wackos. 

A perfect place to grow imagination in any form.

This book I just finished.  I find that the depth that comes from theme is none existent, but, strangely, I’m okay with this. I noticed the tale is almost all plot-the bare bones, if you will. I have the story. Now? Time to flesh out the images and characters within the narrative. 

And, hopefully, I won’t have to leave to get to work. Discipline is difficult enough. It’s even moreso without the support system. 

Thank goodness for husOtters Who Paint. They get it.

What’s the point of all of this? Leave. Just leave. Physically? Sure. Go. Get away and write some place. Coffee house. The lawn.  The dining room table. Your office (but close the damn door).  Metaphorically?  Headphones. Invest in a pair.  Before the day starts.  But, get away and write something. Anything. It’s vital. Or, if you’d prefer, get away and CREATE.  I know so many who don’t have that particular feather in their cap. Cooking is an art.  Conversation is an art. Find your art.

And get away and do it.

Peace,

Roo

Cthulhu!

Due to a book I just wrote...

OMG! Hilarious!

Peace,
Bardy

The Perils of Being a Buddhist

To connect to the story, click this!

If you have been following, my one devout friend hsa been mentioning that, as a Christian, he feels he's persecuted for his faith. I find this mention growing, but, then again, on my FB page, I noticed, I know seven different ministers of different faiths.

None of them are Buddhists. None of them are Taoists.

Nor am I.

Neither am I.

There's something grammatically wrong there, but whatever.

But I try. I do believe in buddhism. I don't seem them blowing up stuff in Gaza, looking for wards to discriminate against their fellows, or using planes to kill people to show how peaceful they are.  Followers tend to be a peaceful lot and I like that. It's helped me more, it seems like, when Christianity left me because of my oreitnation and no one in the church would stop, other than to tell me I was wrong, going to burn in hell and to encourage me to kill myself.

Yes.

You know, that "Thou Shalt Not Kill" thing, apparently means alot in the faith.

I live in the Bible Belt as well and this kinda thing that is mentioned in the article is everyday. I tell people I'm a "Zennist," a form of buddhist philosophy, and I get laughed out and then sought out when they put up a Christmas tree-to make sure I see it. As if the presence of a pagan token will some how make me like God more. It's painful-but here ya go. Another child...A CHILD was put down for his beliefs.

Yes, I am a Christian too, but I had the benefit of being raised by a father who was not the same faith. I think it went a long way in understanding that we can, all, coexist.

But there's something else here too, and I think it infuriates me more. This was a teacher, a supposedly educated professional. I think to my own personal example. One of my conservative friends detests the Muslim faith. She goes about actively talking about it at our workplace. However, we have a huge Muslim population at several of our workspaces.

I watched her work with a young lady in a beautiful chador/burka without incident. And she said, "the child isn't the problem. It's the faith that is."

Misguided, yes, but I think she is half-way there.

So, yes, I'm a Taoist. And a Zennist.

And a Christian.

But, moreso, I'm everything, because, in the end, I can't take words with me. I can only take my history and actions. So I know better than to put down a kid who doesn't agree with one of my views.

Peace,
Roo

Because Roger Ebert is awesome...

All my life, I wanted a writer's life, a life where the page is the thing. Roger Ebert was that man. He had the life. And you want to see why? Check out the following article. Read a few of his sentences and you'll know why:

13 Funniest Lines from Roger Ebert's Pans....

Peace,
Roo

Happy Fourth of July, Folks!

Hey Dear Readers,

Enjoy this three day weekend and a celebration of our independence.   We've come a long way--but it's been all worth it.

Peace!
Roo

To Write or Not to Write about this....

I hate coming here.

No, not this blog. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time right now. I need to blog more. The fact is, life has sorta gotten away from me and it has become, finally, Summer Break. What can I do?  I gotta write. I want to work on my novel. Really, it’s the priority.  And that’s why I’ve not been here, blogging. But today? Today’s special. The Penelope monster is at the PetSmart, having her day at the spa, getting all pretty-like with the wonderful Miss Chelsea.

And the only coffeehouse is his shittyass Joe Mugg’s. I mean, really. Old candy at the counter. Bad coffee.

And no fucking free wifi.

So I can’t even post this shit up until I get home. If I remember. Half the reason I go to coffeehouses and the like is because it gets me away from the distractions that having a life tend to offer, like laundry, letting the dog out, and making lesson plans. I go out? I can actually just sit and focus on what’s important. The writing. And, with my headphones on, I’m pretty much in my own little world. But this place?

What a crock.

Joe Muggs is located with a Books-A-Million. The only bookstore in the north part of this very Southern County. You know the stereotype. That Southerners don’t read at all. Here’s your evidence.

Not a single fucking bookstore for miles. There’s one Barnes and Nobles in the Villiages. Another hour from here. Which means that the corgilou would be stuck at Miss Chelsea’s, whining that no one loves her just a bit longer than most times.

But this Books-A-Million is one of those dank, dark discount bookstores that sells crap moreso than books. Thank Fate for my Nook (which also doesn’t connect to the wifi) and the online world.   So I am worried about working on my book a bit, since I tend to save it on the cloud. But the wifi here? Pay for use. Seriously. Disney World? American Libraries?

FUCKING McDONALD’S….all of them free.

I guess I should run over there, come to think of it. There’s one nearby.

Thanks folks. I’m an idiot.
But there was a point I had whilst I was here.

I’ve been contemplating a lot about some things about Gay Rights and I’ve had a change of some feelings.

I’m discovering that that I’m more moderate than I realized.

1. Check out his display ten yards from my crusty cabaret table.  It’s Dang Duck Dynasty. I posted it about it on facebook.com. It upset me greatly. How many people supported them and their “Freedom of Speech.”  Even my own brother. Yes, a glorious middle finger at his younger brother; a prime example of why I left Colorado many moons ago. Now when Paula Deen make such comments about race? She was vilified and hung out to dry. Freedom of Speech? Nada. But put down the gays? You get a display case in the middle of the store.   Yes, I find it offensive. But that’s my personal issue. You don’t have to take it down. But it will limit what I buy here.

2. Here’s the tic. I posted a reminder on Facebook, that, ahem, I’m a flaming flamer. Gay as tiara on a Tuesday.  Everyone either forgets or doesn’t want to acknowledge this vital part of my existence. Instead, family and friends ran to support those individuals on that “reality” program, regardless of the fact that those individuals put me down and reminded my family and friends that I would rot.  More “Freedom of Speech.”  I learned who my family and friends truly were.

3. Now there’s those laws in Arizona, so that groups can put down the gays and not be followed upon or sued. Interesting. It doesn’t seem to matter that there’s already, written into the constitution about Freedom of Religion. You can fire a hot blonde dude for being gay at your work. He has no rights or recourse. Try firing them because they go to church. You can’t. Not at all. (This was written before the Hobby Lobby quaqmire)

Yet they feel the need to make another law. It stems from the fact some people have refused to serve a gay person’s wedding and they were sued.  In other words, they feel threatened.

How? Has there never been a Christian president? Has there been a huge sweeping of Christian bashing?   Does my mere existence threaten them? No more than any other sinner, I like to think.

TOP DOWN and BOTTOMS UP..

Okay, so let me ponder this puppy a bit more. I guess, the title for this section is meant to be dirty. I means, it is not okay for those above us to discriminate, but we, the peons, should have choices.

Where does that leave those in the middle? I’m not too sure.

I refuse to go to ChicFilA, no matter how much my coworkers love to go there and remind me of my place in the world. So, I elect to discriminate, I guess, on the basis of shitty chicken. And they have the right to do so as well.  But the top means the government. I am to move freely within the confines of the government. And that means the government needs to see me as a person. They should give money to organizations that put me down, no?

Well, they shouldn’t give money at all, frankly, but that’s me.

So? The top, downwards, shouldn’t discriminate.

Those of us on the bottom? We should be able to choose on where we do business.

Isn’t that already happening, however?

I am really at a loss here. I sound so much like a hypocrite and it bothers me to no end. I choose not to buy books here or chicken over there. But they can’t have the same kinds of choices as well? Or should they?
Personally? No. I don’t think they get a choice. But shouldn’t they have one? Again…where the heck are my lawyer buddies. I’d ask my friends, but they’re all on party lines and like to yell and hurt each other feelings, making sure neither will side with the other.

Look at these photos, from right here….I thought I’d take a walk, since my conservative friends and allies do tell me they feel just has persecuted as I do.  That they have no rights to anything. So,when I saw this Duck Dynasty, I figured I’d walk over and take a look around.   How discriminated are they?  Having been discriminated against both with having Jewish parents and being gay, I'm a bit sensitive. I even work with minority students. I see their pain.  I understand it.

I found Bibles. Okay, a popular book. Unrestricted purchasing power to get them. Christian Living. Inspirational Christian books in fiction. In fact, I found four aisles of books.

   

So? I elected to look at the magazines. 28 different Christian magazines.

Impressive.

I went to look a gay and lesbian magazines.

Two. A whopping two.

Now, this isn’t scientific, Dear Readers, I know that. But I think that if a group is going to claim being oppressed, their evidence is lacking.  Media? Sure. Gays are making strides and are on the news nightly. But established institutions, race, religion, gender, are as well, but not in the numbers we would see in, say, like the sixties. And, in that, I’m beginning to wonder, if the “feeling” of oppression is probably more due to mass consumption than realities. My straight friends, I’ve noticed, never get mocked or stared at Disney World and have never been thrown out of some place.

But, I could be missing something. Maybe they were…but was it for wearing a cross?

I guess I did write something. I’m just trying to understand. Like I said, I’m beginning to feel like a hypocrite. I choose not to watch Fox. But does that mean certain companies have the right to not serve me? Like this place does, er, doesn’t?

Just something I’m pondering. I’m far from right on the subject.

Peace,
Roo

Hollywood's Favorites....

Take a look at this list. Know that, too, I've seen every movie on it.

Now, are there any real surprises? Other than the fact that they are all originals-nothing here is a rehash. And there's not many sequels that I see. So? Hollywood is lost in finding new material and the box office drives production.

Assholes. The whole lot of them.

Peace.

Religious Survey....

Heh, Who Knew?

I had to laugh, because the experience typfied my experiences in the South. The set up sounds like a bad joke: A Baptist, a Catholic and a Queer were having lunch...

....but, seriously, the amount they didn't know about religions only equalled the amount of hate they had for Islam. Now, I understand where that was born from, and, well, let's face it, religion runs on making sure you find something to hate and then creating the "cure," but in this case, they had no reason to hate other religions at all.

But, dang, as soon as they put up a Christmas tree, they thought, "You hate that don't you?"

"Not at all, I have two Christmaskkah trees in my house. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK THAT?"

And, for atheists, they're always going to have to argue their point (but most people in the US don't even go to church), so that makes sense they understand all the misinformed out here.

I am not atheist, by the way. Not in any way. But it makes sense. Same with the Jews.

PRAYER MUST BE IN SCHOOLS!

If you're Jewish, there's a reason to be nervous by that sentence.

Just, interesting. Nothing wrong with it. Something to ponder. Given my multifaith background, I had to grow up knowing things from religions I had no intention of going near. But I still would visit various temples to get the good snacks, trust me!  Oh...and faith too. God is too big for one religion and one path.

That I do believe.

Peace!

Stumbled across this on Reddit. It looks sad and depressing-but it isn't. It's joyous. I thought about putting it on my Facebook page but I think the immaturity of some might not be handle it. There's something wonderful here. "Ghetto" is a negative term here, but not there, it just means from a certain lifestyle in Uganda, where this video is from.

Hard to believe this fabulousness is a country that executes gays.

Jimmy Somerville re-records Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ for 30th anniversary

Ah, the beauty that is music...

A recap of a thirty year old song...and song with a profound impact...

Go ahead, and listen. I'll try to include just the video below, just in case. It's hard to believe this song is thirty years old. I would have been fourteen. Yes. I knew then. I knew. I knew that my feelings didn't match the world around me; everyone kept telling me I was to date girls and make families, but, when I slept, I dreamed of doing the same thing with men. I knew. Even at fourteen, when the hormones swooned and pounded on my temples.

Times, they were different in the 80s. I would have to go to the public library and hide in the stacks to find those books that helped me understand.  And entertainment was abject hell. Every word was negative; and the gay characters usually ended up dead.

We had MTV back then, a time when it still played music. And, since, even then, sleep was a fleeting concept, I would sit up and watch videos. I discovered, interestingly, that Britain actually had a separate "Top 10," and Wham!UK had a cool song on it, called "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go!"

I was mesmerized. I had to see more.

And I would have to learn how to find it.

I was hooked on the British New Wave, a kinda of synthpop that sounded like rock but had electronic backgrounds that gave it a pop-ish hold.

It was only a matter of time before I saw this song. Once. Just once one of those late night television viewings, while my parents were asleep in their room.

I was hooked a song about a man like myself. Falling for another dude and suffering the angst that comes with it. Of being utterly alone. But it also worked on another level. That wonderful falsetto was singing TO ME. He was Out and Proud.

I wasn't alone.

No. There were others.

And now, he obviously, must, understand the importance to that song to the Generation X crowd who are now making waves with marriage equality and equal employment.

We're still not alone. I'm at as much as I can be-so others never feel that unending dread that, one day, they'll be a victim. No. No more. You'll be just as annoying and satisified as the rest of the world. It does, in the end, get better.

Enjoy...here's his newer rendition.

Good music is good music.

And? Here's when he found a busker doing it on the streets and sang along...good going Jimmy!

Peace all, I'll try to write more.