: Gay Marriage :

Sigh.  Trust me, I’ll post more next week. I’ll have the time. THat includes Christmaskkah itself.

Peace!

Roo

: Gay Marriage :

Editor's Column: Gays, In Fact, Saved Marriage | The Contributor

 

I’ve always believed this. Frequently, VERY frequently, I’ve mentioned, “straights? Straights don’t get the concept of marriage.”

And it’s very, very true. I mean, animals don’t get married. Think about. Why tie down to one, right? Humans? It became a business contract, almost from the start. And it keeps going that way. Sure, it happens, frequently, in church, as per personal preference, but, really, does it have to?

No.

Gays get it. This is important to us, keeping our loved ones alive and safe and knowing that the government can’t treat us differently.

Good article. Enjoy.

Peace,

Roo

Editor's Column: Gays, In Fact, Saved Marriage | The Contributor

Former Florida GOP leaders say voter suppression was reason... | www.palmbeachpost.com

Wait.

Are we really that surprised? I mean, well, really?

When my coworker turned to me and said, “you need an ID to drive a car?”

“Where’d you hear that one?”

”Fox News.”

I knew then. You can’t make this crap up. Florida is too much of an important state to go through this crap, but we won’t hear about it for another four years, because the Dems down here are too anemic to do anything and our governor is a whiney pussyfoot.

Yes. Whiney.

But, are we really shocked? Next time? They’ll probably block all nonwhite voters and ‘mos.

Fuckers.

Peace,

Roo

Former Florida GOP leaders say voter suppression was reason... | www.palmbeachpost.com

Movie quote.

I'm stealing it from imgur, but I just have to say something. It's a horrible, dark poster, but, it says something. I've been questioning my faith in many things these past few years (I think it started in 2007, frankly, but maybe earlier) and have pretty much come to this conclusion. It's what irks me about the whole Rmoney and Why-Ryan running..."because God told me to." If God is omnipotent, why worry about getting someone elected? Why not just lean down and flick the switches that would make your worshipers lives better?

I hate it, the whole concept. We're left to our own devices, friends. I'm not saying there's not a God or Fate or Whatever Makes You Feel Whole. I'm just saying that their involvement is nominal at best and we better get to stirring the pot before things boil over.

Thanks Rorschach.  He's an anti-hero in the comic book "The Watchmen" by the way. He reflects what we already know.

Peace,
Roo

Hard to Believe…

….anyone in Canada can be mean.

Oh.

Wait.

Alberta.

Should have saw that one coming. It’s like Colorado Springs or Orange County, California or Orange County, Florida.

I have an excellent friend from there. I always wondered why he would want to leave such an awesome place.

Evidence, part one…

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/energy-resources/School+boards+reject+separate+policy+sexual+minorities/7597793/story.html

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Enjoy this day and weekend, my friends and dear readers. You've earned it. Peace and all that.

Roo

American Music Awards Crown Justin Bieber Artist of the Year | Music News | Rolling Stone

In many ways, I’m far from a music person. That title befalls my older brother, of amongst his incredible lacking skills in interpersonal communications and personal hygiene, who actually knows lyrics and likes old and new music. Still, I was born under the sign of the fish, and, supposedly, we have an ear for music.
I have noticed, from time to time, that my mood for genres of composing varies widely. One day, I may listen to reggae when I’m gaming; another, country twang whilst I’m getting chores completed. Perhaps, this tidbit is the sign that, well, maybe my star-sign has a ring of truth.
So it behooves me to say, I’m not okay with what this award has wrought. Justin Bieber isn’t particularly new. Pop music has keep the music industry humming; it’s grease in many ways for the wheels for the more sophisticated players located at the top of the heap. For every 400 teeniebopper girls buying a Bieber download, there’s 2 buying Miles Davis’ studio sessions uncut.
I’m not criticizing Beiber as much as it may seem. Pop music is important. Elvis? The King? His music sounded like pure fluff, but, deep underneath, you heard the melodies of gospel and southern roots. The Beatles made danceable hits, but their music eventually evolved into a panoramic reflection of the times. 
And Beiber might get there yet. What he has done isn’t new. What he has? He does have talent. Even I can’t deny the hummmmmm-ability of his frequent confections. But, well, artist of the year?
How can a 17 year old sing about love with the conviction of an elder?  To what does he know of loss, hope, disaster and fear? Art should reflect life. How much more living can he do before we see even more power out of his voicebox?
Of course, I can easily contradict myself here. Michael Jackson? Little Michael? He sang of love as well, but, now that we see his life in retrospect, I begin see, that, indeed, he knew of loss.
But old MJ was a horse of a very different color.
I guess, in the end, this is an illustration that awards aren’t always for the deserving, but for the art in and of itself.
Or some kind of popularity contest. Maybe? Something to think about. 
American Music Awards Crown Justin Bieber Artist of the Year | Music News | Rolling Stone

A Congress of Firsts

 

http://i.imgur.com/mqb1H.jpg

Just thought this was kinda cool. First? An African-American president. Now this. Nice to see the government reflecting its people for once.

Peace,

Roo

Papa John's Obamacare Costs Are Far Less Than Price Of Free Pizza Giveaway

This gives me another reason to use the term “douchecanoe” in a blog post on the same day.

He can give away free pizzas, but not healthcare. And RMoney wanted us to think that the wealthy cared for us in trickle down ways.

Hmmm, I see the love right away.

Peace,
Roo

Papa John's Obamacare Costs Are Far Less Than Price Of Free Pizza Giveaway

Romney Is President - NYTimes.com

I couldn’t have said it better myself. As my step-Dad and my brother whine about, um, whine, about, ah, well, something-something—they blindly followed RMoney’s rhetoric. For no reason.

And, when I say “reason” I mean, really, they had no REASON.

Peace,

Roo

Romney Is President - NYTimes.com

Gay Marriage Attacker Pat Robertson: Petraeus Affair OK Because ‘He’s A Man’ | The New Civil Rights Movement

Words cannot express the hostility I feel for this righteous schmuck.

How do people still listen to him? Oh. He has the church and cash.

I think, really, part of the problem is that his followers know he’s something of a doodad and are scared wit-less to admit that they didn’t notice it at first.

Isn’t pride a sin?

So, let’s recap, shall we? Marriage equality is bad. Straight marriage is good. So good, you can even have a bit of whoopie for a sidedish, since you’re straight.

What a douchecanoe.

Peace,

Roo

Gay Marriage Attacker Pat Robertson: Petraeus Affair OK Because ‘He’s A Man’ | The New Civil Rights Movement

Rick Reilly: Gainesville State high school football gets the best gift of all: hope - ESPN The Magazine

There is humanity left in the world. I will always believe that. I still see castles. I believe in flying cars.

And I know, sometimes, there are good people. They’re just very, very quiet.

Read and enjoy.

PEace,

Roo

Rick Reilly: Gainesville State high school football gets the best gift of all: hope - ESPN The Magazine

What Paul Ryan’s Faked Soup Kitchen Photo Op Says About Romney Campaign | The New Civil Rights Movement

I’m struggling with this, on some level. Of course, I think it’s fine to have photo-ops in a campaign. I’m fine with people coming in and staging stuff, believe it or not. There’s safety (Lord knows, it is getting very easy to hate this faker) concerns to think about; it’s evident he has kids in tow.

And I was ready to dismiss it to the dustbin of whatever.

I have too many hours in my car at work. I got to thinking—‘but, well, Roo—aren’t soup kitchens run by churches?”

I’m okay with that too, frankly. Seems that the politicos don’t care for the poor, so someone has to, right? And a church has enough extra cash to get some more off the streets. Again, no worries. To keep that cash, they don’t pay taxes, as long as they don’t endorse any candidates.

I realized at that moment that, for one, my name tag had become unhooked and was driving itself into my chest with the seatbelt and, two, that soup kitchen had made a big no-no. A very big no-no.

This article supports my fears. Now that soup kitchen can lose money. Bad move, Mr. Ryan.  Another bad move. He wants to support churches and corporations. I don’t agree. And now, here’s our evidence—he’s not really smart, is he? If he supposedly loves churches, why do this to them?

I’m just curious, if a volunteer let them in-who are all those people standing there? If they’re homeless, they seem awfully clean.

I’m seriously starting to dislike this man.

Peace,
Roo

What Paul Ryan’s Faked Soup Kitchen Photo Op Says About Romney Campaign | The New Civil Rights Movement

11 Tips to Keep Employees Happy | BusinessNewsDaily.com

 

Seriously. Thumb through the itty bitty pictures and think…how many of those are allowed the crappily paid teachers of the universe? Benefits package? That was axed.  Give time for balance? HA! How many lives, including my own, were destroyed when several weekends in a row were given over to doing work. Oh yeah, work at home…HA!

I’m not bitter, I’m not bitter, I’m not bitter.

And I’m happier now. But obviously, this model isn’t for all businesses. Seriously, I should take up politics. But my hatred for money and working for it kills that ambition.

Peace,

Roo

11 Tips to Keep Employees Happy | BusinessNewsDaily.com

How much do we spend?

And a physical representation….

 

http://i.imgur.com/ilv77.jpg

Daily Kos: You WILL CRY watching Mister Rogers defend PBS in Congress

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you have probably heard that RMoney wishes to cut PBS. It’s sad, really, that he sees something as awesome as Public Broadcasting, which costs a smidgen of the budget, as the enemy.

This is not a new idea. A Republican trying to cut something that doesn’t have a dollar sign.

Let’s remember. I went into teaching because I didn’t want to work for money. I don’t want dollar signs to be my motivation.

Here’s one of my heroes speaking to Congress. I miss him.

RMoney? Please don’t cut PBS.

Peace,

Roo

Daily Kos: You WILL CRY watching Mister Rogers defend PBS in Congress

President Obama to United Nations: ‘We Do Not Ban Blasphemy’

Let me tell you a story.

I stand by this statement. In fact, in many ways I stand behind freedom of speech more than some other rights afforded us as Americans.

When I was in college (this is the story part, my friends, in case you got lost in a sentence or two), my roommate’s girlfriend, was a gifted cartoonist. She made one of the most offensive cartoons I’d ever seen. If you knew me and my job, I should have been outraged. Furious.

But the school newspaper, with its young, hip (and very hot) editor, ran with it. It made massive controversy. Even I disagreed with the cartoon’s content. 

The phone calls started to my room and hers. Nasty phone calls. Mean ones. I understood their anger. I agreed with them on many levels. But one phone caller (remember this was the late 80s, when we didn’t have caller ID), apparently someone who knew my major, asked, “how can you not say anything, Roo?”

“Freedom of speech and the press, dude."

No one was breaking any laws. As much as I disagreed with the message, she had every right to write it; they had every right to publish.

Just like this whole “Super PAC” bit. As much as I hate corporations, they have the right to express themselves and, yes, that means, they can give money. I don’t agree with them having any power, but in the eyes of the law AND this American, they can still do it.

I just have to remember not to listen.

Turning to even more current events, I agree with the President on this count. This is a stupid, vapid, arrogant video that says little and means nothing, other than to provoke. It’s a like a really bad Jon Waters movie-only those movies have a point (which is saying VOLUMES).  Porn has more going on, as it were.

But it has a right to exist. Even if we don’t agree with it.

However, that does not mean other groups can go and kill people because it exists.

There, had my coffee this morning and felt like pointing that out.

Peace,

Roo

President Obama to United Nations: ‘We Do Not Ban Blasphemy’

Voter Fraud Caught On Tape - YouTube

Ahhh, Colorado Springs.

Actually, the humor in this? The Right Wing is doing this. Are they afraid of something? And they are saying they are working for the county office. Are we truly shocked? Still, I’m just waiting for when I get out and vote. Wanna make a bet, this Out’Mo is going to be stopped?

I hope not.

Why isn’t this making a tour of the interwebs?

Peace,

Roo

Daily Kos: Mitt Romney wants airplane windows to roll down in case of fire so people can breathe more easily

 

Dear Fate,

Let this story be true. Please? Just because it would fit. Of course, it probably isn’t. I’m not that stupid.

Secondly, please note the first sentence. “Ann R-Money’s plane.”   This bothers me. Here’s how HelmetHead R-Money could get my vote. Pay off the US debt. Just use one of his debit cards. Puft. All gone. Sell, I don’t know, a few of those planes and car-elevator.

Daily Kos: Mitt Romney wants airplane windows to roll down in case of fire so people can breathe more easily

Peace,

Roo

Fifty years ago, today-Eep Opp Ork Ah-ah

 

 

I suppose I could chalk this up to the famous cliche, “When I Was a Kid..”

But in all honesty, we still have prime time sitcoms.  But this little clip is one for the ages. The Jetsons was about family in the future-future. Like all popular art, it reflects a simpler time, a life not complicated yet with immediate media and forced self-reflection.  Sure, it talked about the future (still, I’m sad to say, no flying cars), but had a value-system that still had a nuclear family unit with 2.3 kids.

And, no, I wasn’t even born when it premiered in 1962, on this very date. But when it went into syndication, I was glued to it, even on Saturday mornings.

And we still have a nuclear family, but it has become social critic, like Family Guy or the Simpsons. Or, in the vein of these Jetsons, we have now have Futurama (which to me, surpasses many a television program for social commentary!) 

So? Let’s not look to the old in disgust, but see the pure joy in old fashioned comedy. In this very famous clip, Judy, the teenage future-daughter sent in a poem for a lyrics-contest to be made into a song by a Justin Beiber kinda guy. Only her younger brother, Elroy, instead deleted the poem and substituted his own lyrics in an attempt to sabotage the context. The weird words won and the joke was on her little brother.

No violence. No insults. Old fashioned comedy. With a weird Tomorrowland-vibe. Float back for this bit of Roo-nostalgia.

Peace,

Roo

Daily Kos: Romney to teacher "I didn't ask you a question"

 

As if this man needed another nail in the coffin that was his campaign.

I can see him saying this to a teacher. You don’t become a businessman without being strong willed.

Education’s funding has been cut every year, yet, private schools don’t get that. Private schools do better. Hmm? Weird how that works. And now? Getting cash, via vouchers, to go to the private schools, so they get MORE money?

Are we really shocked?

Here’s how I’d change education, if I may.

*)  Use standardized testing that has already been normed to determine where kids are. Not the state testing that is written on the fly, changes yearly, and isn’t normed to the grade level being assessed. They are private companies, in the pockets of politicians, earning extra cash. Instead, look to exams like the IOWA basic and SATs.

---from there? Use it as a diagnostic tool to inform teacher decisions.  Do not use it to cut funding, but, instead, to merely get a bead on kids.

*)  Increase the salaries of teachers. Let’s go ahead and attract the best and the brightest. Private schools do it. They pay their teachers well. And look what happens? People aren’t going into education any more. Let’s get reasons to bring young people and, even, older ones, back into the fold.

*) Merit pay systems don’t work. Most people don’t go into teaching for cash. Think about it. Yes, this contradicts the last statement, but hold on. Knowing you have a middle class income for a while, you can focus on the non-monetary aspects of the job.

*)  Look to the cultures that value education and see what happens. Europe has been enacting these kinds of things and yet, no one, no one seems to think that’s a good idea. It’s laughable. “We’re falling behind other countries in reading!” But we never sit down and ask what they are doing! If we did, we’d see a vastly different system that doesn’t seek to destroy teachers and make a buck off the plight of children.  Watch the face of a Japanese person when an American tells them they are a teacher. There are deep bows and much respect.  Here? “I didn’t ask you a question.”  Rudeness is the respect given to an individual that is giving over her life to helping children achieve their potential.

I wonder how he’d treat other Americans? Or is this an example of what’s going to happen to the other 47%?

*)  Enact the arts. Not all kids are book learners. Sports are going strong, so keep them. But where’s the Home Ec? Ah. They aren’t tested, and schools get funding for passing grades. That’s silly. Every kid is an individual. Let’s move to having more classes and more places to learn different topics.

*)  Better food. Wanna know why kids are fat? Homes, not schools. But imagine if schools were offering plates of food that they need AND want?

*)  Build schools. Teachers shouldn’t have to worry about the leak in the ceiling.

*)   Yes, raise taxes to do this. It’d be something in the shortrun. This summer, the city of Colorado Springs sadly burned as the people there, a bastion of GOP wannabes, cut funding for fire departments. Looks like it didn’t help. Wonder how they feel about that now?

*)   Cut the angry rhetoric, and yes, I’m looking at you R-Money. Wanna know why there’s shootings at schools? Open hatred. What if they fostered a willingness to collaborate?

*)  Okay, I hate to bang on unions, but, truly, administration does need a bit more control over their personnel. Something does need to change over that. But how?

 

Ranting, done. I feel better now.

Peace,

Rooy

Daily Kos: Romney to teacher "I didn't ask you a question"

What’s under your mask?

I just thought this was cool.  Not mine, all rights reserved, etc.  Plus, just seeing if I can post again.

Peace,

Rooy

Aesop to the Right: Why I Believe Bristol Palin | Owldolatrous

Go ahead and read. My husOtter made burgers for dinner and those things smell here in the new house. I gotta go light a candle, that’ll afford you a moment. Unless you scream and start clawing out your eyes some. I guess it fits that I read this about chicken (no, not the boy kind, but the breast kind…wait, that doesn’t really work either…) and I’m about to eat hamburger.

I wanna draw attention to something annoying that the bigot who wrote the note initially mentions. That she feels picked on and discriminated against for being a Christian.

As she sees it, during the recent, “let’s let pop culture define what we’re feeling” flare up with Hate-fil-a, she went and got her fried breasts as a way of expressing how angry and put upon people are misjudging her. How she was being called a bigot for just doing what she believes.

Interesting way of looking at it.

Now? It’s time to get all Tao and Zen on her chicken, if I may.

But, ah, forgive me when I point out the obvious here—but if she feels discriminated against, truly, truly feels put out for mere existence, well…

….wouldn’t that mean she understands how it feels to be gay. To be African-American? To be, well, a woman? If it hit her on an emotional level, an empathic level, that means she would understand. She’d not SuperSize her waffle fries and go about how to make this world a better place, because, dangit, she knows what it feels like to be gleefully crapped upon by people you once thought you trusted.

No. She didn’t feel empathy when she was discriminated against. Instead? Strangely, she felt hungry. And that she needed to yell.

Amazing. Grant you, I like to eat when I’m upset too.

But, well, really?

Peace,

Roo

Aesop to the Right: Why I Believe Bristol Palin | Owldolatrous

Campaign launched to oust high court justice

 

Well, since they’ve been trying a few years now, NOM is working on this again. Lemme draw your attention, however, to something I noticed in this article. 100K is being used to oust a high court justice who basically followed the law.

So if you follow the speed limit, screw it, the churchies are coming for you.

But then I reread the statement. 100K is being used to get a person out of office. Not to give to children starving. Not to enable free counseling for families in crisis; not even for divorce lawyers.

This is the way America is going. Now, on the Right Winger/Red State side of things, they claim that too many people are welfare, so, well, its time to tax them, the middle class but give tax breaks to the wealthy. Okay, so, this money? Who’s giving it to someone in NOM?

Oh. That’s right. People can get a tax break for donating to nonprofits. And since no one seems to have money lying around, it’s a good thing those “job-creators” have some cash lying around.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if the “job-creators” actually created jobs?

So, let’s recap. 100K to take down someone for doing their job.

Numb. I’m numb.

Peace?
Roo

Campaign launched to oust high court justice

Paul Ryan Virtually A Zero at the Human Rights Campaign | gaycitynews.com

Okay, okay, okay. What do I do this to myself?

Paul Ryan Virtually A Zero at the Human Rights Campaign | gaycitynews.com

I mean, really. It’s like looking at those NSFW videos over on reddit.com and then hoping that it really is? No, it’s like seeing if you have the fortitude to walk away unscathed. Unruffled by the horror presented before you. As if to say, “see? I’m manly enough, that was nothing.”

So I clicked on this link and read the article. Yep. All the horrors there that I expected.

I didn’t see any mention that he still thinks the earth is flat, but, judging by his other choices and comments, we can pretty much figure that one out.

Maybe, however, I went to that webpage to just, I don’t know, hope that he was slightly different than R-Money. That Uncle Mittens would try to play his opposite, to attract more voters, and have someone who didn’t waffle on everything; someone who was slightly more moderate, to get those middle ground voters moving his way.

R-Money, instead, went with the conservative base. Makes sense. Churches bus these people to the polling places, folks.

I wish, deep down, that we’d rid ourselves from the party system, really. Just open up the field and let everyone just go to town. Less money, more personality. Maybe it’s just me, but I like to think that many people vote conservative just because there’s a GOP on the label, frankly. They don’t think. If they did, or, at least, know how to read, they’d not vote for them. It’s like, well, they’re not for Obama, so they vote the opposite, never really thinking. It’s okay NOT to like the president. But really, to vote FOR someone you know is bad, just because they aren’t him? Whoa.

But I know many on the right side, many conservatives (have you seen my family? They think it’s 1954 still); but they aren’t the base that the GOP is pandering too. In fact, I don’t see them in any Republican “way.” But that’s the way they’ve voted; that’s the way they’re going to vote.

And people wonder why I stopped going over there for the holidays.

Sigh.

So, yeah, there was this glimmer of hope, quickly dashed, that Mr. Ryan might have something nice to say.

I hate being an “one-issue” voter. But until I feel equal, I float to the side that will respect my marriage with fortitude.

Peace,

Roo

NOM Defends Biblical Marriage, Including Slavery, Concubines, Polygamy, And Rape | ThinkProgress

 

NOM Defends Biblical Marriage, Including Slavery, Concubines, Polygamy, And Rape | ThinkProgress

I have long wondered about the misleading title, “National Organization of Marriage.” It’s mission, according to it’s website, is a bit nebulous. I see Kirk Cameron, many things about keeping marriage going and, well, that’s about it. My guess is that the group likes marriage between man and a woman, but it claims to defend Biblical marriage.

Okay, cool, I understand that. But further investigation of the website shows nothing about the leading causes of marriage breakdown that research supports. Divorce doesn’t seem to be mentioned (it is a text rich site). There are no mention of the three leading causes of divorce in America:  lack of communication (most men and women are brought up with unrealistic expectations of the partnership and few have the coping skills to help it survive); money (the largest, IMHO); and cheating.  So, to combat that National Organization of Marriage goes ahead and…

…fights gay marriage?

Not only that, they swear they are upholding the Biblical version of marriage. The ones listed, if you wish for a quick glance (there is nothing quick about marriage…), there’s a infographic imbedded in the article that spawned my writing.

I’m all for old books giving us insight into the present. In fact, I do believe the Bible has a great many things to say about our life at present. We shouldn’t kill, period. No more wars, people. Heck, I read Taoist poetry. That’s even older than the Bible. But I find the meaning of it. I don’t have someone do it for me.

But really, no more shellfish?  Okay, for my friend who’s allergic, I’ll give you that; my dad, who is Jewish, him, too. 

No more pork? WHAT? What about ribs????

Ahh, those principals illustrate an outdated system. So those they can pick and choose to avoid.

But marriage is a different kettle of fish, right?

The fact is, when the Bible was written, it was meant when there were few Christians in the world. They needed to create the rules to keep everyone having babies. Take a look at it. No touching yourselves; no contraceptives. Makes sense. And since gays can’t make the newer Christians, they should be outlawed, right?

David Cross has a great comment about the Bible:

It just bothers me to no end that people are still having issues with my marriage. I would rather they say, “you’re gross Roo!  I don’t like the idea of two men being together!” Than using the Good Book to make others hate me for no reason at all.

Colorado had protections for gays and lesbians in the workplace and housing until 1992, and no one said a word about it. Then, because someone needed a platform—and didn’t want to deal with economy or job creation-amendment two was written and voted for. No one cared until that point. And it has been happening again and again.

Argh.

So, if you eat at Chick-fil-hate or follow NOM, I guess your version of marriage is going to be very, very different from the rest of the world.

Sigh…

Something to consider..

 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirO7M-JBzu2i-iXpaJXsBsEZILnvqgm1ty-21zzT46m9nyO1cKGhH0fGewzfxSGZAF_yGt6Qw07iM1D6jLUwgWy8eJFImYDQcQ-f3BedPmj8HAKlI3JoW29YvcvRa0zZOGtMQupA/s1600/Cartografia.png

First off, sorry about being away from my computer. Family was visiting (which is prone for the course when you live in Florida!) and then I decided I needed a new house.

These things take time, friends, they really do.

I stumbled across this wee map here and I realized I’d not chimed in on the Chik-fil-a debate like everyone else has these days. I knew about Dan Cathy’s belief that the Earth Was Still Flat, Thinking is the Devil’s Work philosophy for a few eons. I never ate there. I refused his food when it was catered.

But, here’s the thing, I let others go there. If they suggested eating there for a meeting-lunch-thing, I’d go, I’d just being my own food. It was really surprising that NOW this is an issue. But when you look back to those beginning moments, before the press actually listened to Yours Truly, I believed that everyone had to make the choice for themselves.

Remember? Taoist here. I cannot control others.

And, for many of my coworkers (I can’t really call them ‘friends,’ can I?) they’d be sensitive to it and, well, stop eating there when I was around.

And my job was done. People, like my students, were learning.

Then came a few weeks ago, when I was talking to my neighbor. I told her that I was scared, still, about being so “OUT” to the world at large. Her response? “Well you have laws that protect you. You just can point out the discrimination.”

“Ah,” this old bear mentioned. “No. There’s no such laws.”

“Yes there is.”

She seemed to think that gays and lesbians have some kind of protection from harassment.

She was shocked when I pointed out that there was no such thing.

And this map proves my point.

Now, I’m writing this on the fly. Normally I’d have all the links of August first, when all the people in the world who hate me and my family went and ordered unnatural food. Not today.

I will point out, however, that my demeanor has changed. Probably going against my adopted religion here, but I’m tired, very tired of this mess. Upon further review, I found out some things about Chik-Fil-A’s CEO-personal Hitler, Dan Cathy. That money? That wasn’t just going to stop gay marriage.

It was going for other things as well….

To make sure Uganda’s kill-the-gays bills continue.

For damaging reparative therapies.

And to make sure my family doesn’t get equal rights.

In fact, my house purchase was held up because I’m married to a man. They didn’t recognize it. So everything got held up.

Now? I let emotion take control.

Chick-fil-a isn’t alone. I’ve published here before of several companies off my shopping list. Salvation Army. Wal-Mart (for nongay reasons as well). But to ruin my ability to live in a free society?

The deal is sealed.

I guess what bothered me the most was my friends, mostly on facebook. How they could say, “its just a sandwich. What about free speech?”

So that 1.99 they had just spent to make my life more difficult? Nice. So they’d be saying that my life, my husband isn’t worth that 1.99.

Ouch.

And I’m the bad guy?

Dannie can say what he wants (I’m sure he’s probably got a few skeletons in his closet, so that could explain volumes to why he’s such a wingnut), but when he starts using his money, then it becomes an issue.

How many teenagers have to die because of this kind of rhetoric? Apparently quite a few.

And I do apologize. I’m sorry my struggle to have equal standing with who are not like me is taking away from your ability to order food. 

Whoa. I guess I had some things I wanted to get out there.

Back to your regular scheduled programming.

Peace? I hope so….one day.

Roo

Christopher Nolan Statement -- Speaks About Tragic Shooting

This is the gift of a great writer. His words hit the note about this tragedy.

Christopher Nolan Statement -- Speaks About Tragic Shooting

I wish I could say more. I will say this, people, and that is…don’t watch the news right now. Really. Don’t. I accidentally left the news on after Judge Judy. I was vacuuming, getting ready for some visitors and, well, there you have it. I had the captions on. So I couldn’t escape the headlines of this awful event. Then I thought, what the heck?

This is the lead on the five pm news? That makes no sense. So I watched a bit more and realized they had no new information. So, basically, they were riding on the fact that no one knew that this had happened? That’s malarkey. 

Unless they were weird.

Now I took my older brother to the premiere of Batman in 1989, yes, at midnight. The first man I ever kissed was after Batman Returns in 1992! I could have been at that midnight showing. 

So its hitting me harder than some. Now it is easy for me to walk away from the news. It’s an Election Year. And if the news doesn’t irk me, then the mudslinging commercials do.   And let’s not forget, media news is a business. A corporation. And, despite what Mitt Romney wants you to think-it isn’t a person. It’s a machine that is created around playing commercials so you’ll buy stuff. I watch the news, when I do, to see the weather. That’s about it. Oh, and what BradJelina are doing. But beyond that? Squat.

Here’s a clip, I think, that really does understand this sad assault on the public:

I don’t dare post this on FB. Too many of my family and friends, greatly affected by the proximity of this tragedy, would flip out on me. And they should. It is a tragedy and they should be mad. But, I think with my moving to Florida, I have a bit more physical and emotional “space” to see the spin this event is going to create. It’s vulgar. My family and friends don’t need to have this horrid things relive, like some kind of Frankenstein’s Monster, so that a new pair of crocs can be run on the screen again.

As to what will happen to this man? I cannot imagine. If we let him live, we cannot satisfy our anger. If we kill him, then to what will we have learned? He killed, we kill—so that makes us the same as him, not above him.

I will admit, along with a gay version of Lolita I shelved due to the subject matter just being too risque that I was not comfortable with it—I also had a text and outline about a mass murderer not unlike Nathan Dunlap and Columbine Killers. Again, I was, heck, I still am, too entrenched to write those works or pick them up again. Maybe I should? I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to understand how someone could do such things and then put their gun down afterwards and just simply be arrested, yet never truly explain why he does what he does.

Maybe. One day. Please, let’s be safe out there.

Peace,

Roo

The Walking Dead Season 3 Comic-Con Trailer - YouTube

Now, this is what I’m talking about…

Just remember, these things can get a bit violent.

I wrote a zombie novel myself, so this show holds a special place in my heart.

The fact is, horror is a terrific way to explore allegory. With or without the emphasis on the “gory.” It’s an opportunity to see the world and to try to symbolize it into more direct terms. Science fiction and fantasy also have that option.

One thing I have noticed (gee, I’m learning a lot lately. What’s the cliché? Something about an old dog turning new tricks???), between the husOtter and myself, my fiction preferences tends towards the realistic. I love to read highly dramatic literature, weather its true crime, thrillers, horror or nonfiction.  My Better Half? He goes for the World Building stuff, Orson Scott Card; Mission to Mars, Lord of the Rings. In the end, it is the story that counts and we switch sometimes, but says something about our character, I believe.

Lastly, it should be duly noted, I hate television. I watch movies on television; I will watch The Price Is Right or Judge Judy when time allows. I will watch the Daily News and the Colbert Report if I need news, but I will not play into the corporate machine that is reporting. I’ll listen to NPR for that. And, as such, I don’t DVR anything. I don’t like a computer deciding what I find entertaining, I should come to the table hungry and know what I need, and if I don’t, there’s no reason an unloving computer should decide that.

I will sometimes watch the morning news for weather and emergencies. For every rule, there is an exception.

But this show? I’ll watch. I’ll sit down, bowl of popcorn, corgi in my lap and really pay attention. Like they did in the forties with radio shows. I won’t even answer the phone. Not even if its Ma. And her house is on fire.

Peace,
Roo

Living the Writer’s Life

     Since coming to Florida, I’ve found a new flowering of life I never knew I could experience. For the first time ever, I found that the escape to the virtual worlds of Disney, once a fleeting, every other year thing, and it has put much in my life in perspective. Basically, that if my problems are so big that I can ride though (fake) space in a mountain, how, truly, big are my problems? If I can pretend, for just a moment that I really am in a Krustyland Carnival, then, why, oh why, am I dwelling on the aggravations of the week?
     My problems still exist, but I can put them into a much smaller box than ever before. I can’t talk for my husOtter, but for myself, this has been a boon. A true boon. Because, for the first time, ever, I feel like I’m living the kinda of life I’m meant to lead. My problems are greatly reduced for the first time ever. 
     Oh. Wait. Lemme rephrase that.
     I still suffer the usual pain and aggravations of my job. I still have the same stresses. I still feel the same burdens that make me want to eat forty pounds of ice cream when I get home from work.
     But I can clear my mind, even briefly, for the first time; I’d like to think, in twenty years.
     And it means I can start living. That means doing the things I need to be to become a better individual.
Now, I’ve always known I was a writer. Fuck the publishing bit, but really, I like to write. And I don’t mean just the occasional journal. I mean, like, make up stories and try them out. Because of that, many a summer, I’d try to pen shit.
     With really bad results. During the school year? Forget it. I would put aside two hours on Sunday to writing and I would end up doing planning. Now? I put aside two hours on Sunday to do planning and, at the end of it, I’m done. No more staying till 8pm on a school night at the school. Now, I come home and go to the gym. 
     And, well, write.
     This article is really born out of two events and I’ve been making notes over two years about some of the things I’m about to say. One thing is for sure, I’ve been able to participate in National Novel Writing Month for the first time in many years this November past. It was truly a joy to finally get a novel squeezed out. The novel, well, we’ll talk here in a moment, was actually a very educational experience, regardless of the results.
      Then there is this summer. For the first time ever, I treated myself to the fact that this is a job, this writing stuff. That’s why you see so many posts on my blog. I’m trying to communicate more. But, also, everyday I’m trying to pen a tale or two, for two pages. And, finally, I’m trying to do something creative that wasn’t the same as the day before. That means writing on one big story arc for a novel.
      The experience has been very, very telling. I am, truly, living the Writer’s Life. And because of that, I’ve discovered a few things in my ramblings. Here are some observations that I think are vital to notice:

1. WRITING CLEARS MY HEAD AND MY SOUL…When you are creative daily, and I thinks this goes for anyone who has an outlet, be it painting, gardening or writing; you free-up space in your brain. When I’m not writing daily, my head fills up with nonsense. Schedules elbow their way in; stuff I want to write about hits me while heading to work. If I am not writing, I am not totally in the moment. Put it another way, when I am writing, it becomes quite meditative. I’m able to control my brain just a bit more. Getting the stuff out on paper means that I can’t dwell on it at work or when I’m with friends. That means, well, I’m more in the moment than ever before.
2. THERE’S SOMETHING EERIE ABOUT INVENTING ‘PEOPLE’….Story creating is very, very weird. It is like reliving memories for other people. I know these characters I’m creating are not real. But the more I review them and discuss them to myself and on paper, they start to become an experience with a person I have never ever met. It’s a bit disconcerting. I caught myself saying to my husband, “well, so-and-so would never do that.” We had been discussing a plot point in my more recent novel and, when I heard myself say that, I was like…whoa…how would I know that? These people, these characters aren’t real. But, yet, I see their entire arc of life, like a child I never had. It’s a very alarming.
3. YOU CANNOT STEP AWAY FROM THE TRAIN WRECK, NOT EVEN FOR A DAY…These characters have a reason to live and I can’t let them go. Now that I’m focusing on characters, I need to write about them every day or gaps develop. See, I read some texts from authors about their writing lives. Several of them communicate something I’ve never done before when story-creating. They talk about writing strong background analyses of every major character. I tend to agree, character is story. By creating strong and full characters, the novel basically is writing itself. I’m already seeing a pattern in three characters that link them together and are shifting the tale I was hoping to create. When I take a day off, I lose that thread.
4. I HAVE TO KEEP READING, LIKE SOME KIND OF DRUG ADDICT…Reading feeds writing; but it is not an expression of art. Many people love to read; I know for myself that I always try to balance the two. Reading gives me examples of what I enjoy and don’t like about a given text. I have to keep reading, but reading fills my head back up with ideas that need to get back out on paper. I have to keep this in mind.
5. ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE, I’M REALIZING I MIGHT BE BETTER SUITED FOR SCREENPLAYS…I’ve written about ten children’s plays, all without thank you, at my previous job and, well, no one noticed. Now, jump to me reviewing my most latest novel, and I notice a trend. I am really good at driving a plot. Think of it like an action movie, scene to scene, there’s an economy of the story arc that keeps things moving to a conclusion. However, I’ve noticed the characters are flat and really, they’re there to keep things moving from exciting set piece to the next. Perhaps it is born out of those plays I wrote where story is key to dramatics. Movies tend to be like this. Novels? The best ones, I’ve discovered, are about character. Will I change formats? Not really, no. I’m learning on improving my novel writing.
6. I NEED ASS-GLUE…There’s something to be said about just sitting and writing. I procrastinate like crazy. Like crazy. But, all I need to do is sit and, well, write. So when I sit, I will author. Now there is an axiom to this. I have to write that first paragraph. Once that first paragraph has been started, I’m on a roll. But it is,truly, a matter of just sitting down and getting the writing started.
7. THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR WARMING-UP…I’m sure, if you’re reading this, you know of the advice given to many writers is to write, and then, delete that first paragraph. You have to warm up before your focus hits. I’ve noticed another way to focus my writing. My writing greatly improves when I write one-two pages prior to doing what I want to work on. For example, I start with some kind of writing exercise-something mundane, like, “Think of Worst Monday,” try it into something fictional for two pages. Throw care to the wind. And there you go, I’m ready to write.

But the fact is, most of all, is that I’m writing. I had wanted to write the Great American Novel for some time now. I’m hoping we’re getting closer. On another note, people in Florida are very, very different about writing. When I lived in Colorado, I would tell my contemporaries (teachers, folks) and was looked at like I was a fool. There was never any interest. I had two friends, outside of work, would occasionally look at my work. But in work? Nothing.

I came down here, and even my boss asks, “how is the writing going?”

This is encouraging.

Peace,

Roo

More Retailers Are Courting Gay Customers - WSJ.com

Here ya go…its even mentioned in the WSJ…

More Retailers Are Courting Gay Customers - WSJ.com

Peace,

Roo

Here’s some companies…

You should use your money at!

http://i.imgur.com/1E7bB.jpg

You Would Never Believe Which Anti Gay Corporations You've Been Supporting With Your Money

I was torn where to post this….but then I realized, well, it should go where I have the most traffic…

You Would Never Believe Which Anti Gay Corporations You've Been Supporting With Your Money

What’s humorous is that I have refused to go to many of these companies, regardless.

1.  Chikfila? I’ve hated their food and now, moreso.

2.  Exxon? Easy to avoid.

3.  Avoid those bell ringers at Salvation Army. I knew, back in the early nineties when they would refuse to help people suffering from AIDS, regardless of orientation. Boom. Off my list.

4.  Urban Outfitters only has clothes for thin people anyways.

5.  I’ve hated WalMart for other reasons. They’re the reason so many are on welfare and the need for insurance reform. They refuse to pay decent wages. They refuse unions, to the point where they’ll close a store where there is one and open another up the street and not hire those people. We went there once in 2011, due to the fact it was 2am and the dog was sick and I had no other place to go.  It was awful, just awful. I wanted to stab myself in the eyes with rusty kitchenware.

6.  A-1 storage? Never heard of them. Now I won’t go to them.

 

Peace,

Roo

25 Greatest Unscripted Scenes in Films - YouTube

 

Keep the captions on…this is pretty cool.

I am fully aware I’ve not gone ahead and written a review yet for Magic Mike, but I stumbled across this tasty morsel of filmdom. Between theater and film, there’s very little crossover. You can improv on stage. In fact, it’s a skill that you might wish to have set away. Movies, in contrast, are massively scripted, to make sure every dollar appears on the screen. So these little snippets are moments outside the lines, a glimpse of the professionalism and ability of the assorted performers-and the filmmakers who left these items in the finished product.

Enjoy.

Peace,

Roo

Louisiana Republican: When I Voted for State Funds to go to Religious Schools, I Didn’t Mean Muslim Ones

Oh, where do I begin…

Louisiana Republican: When I Voted for State Funds to go to Religious Schools, I Didn’t Mean Muslim Ones

For those who know me, you know that education is one of my passions and how I detest the school voucher system. Seemingly for forever, Christians have wanted the funds from public schools to follow them into their private schools, using the money to pay for their churches. Churches that don’t pay taxes. Basically, getting the funding they want for free, under the guise of “vouchers.”

SInce the schools can’t be monitored, those schools can pick and choose who they hire (you’re black? Too bad. Asian Buddhist? Sorry, no) and which students they allow in the doors (we’re not wheelchair accessible! Sorry!). 

And now we have proof. Since schools are all or nothing situations, meaning everyone in America gets a free education, even Islamic children have the right to go to a school of their faith and family’s choosing. And, well, we have our evidence with this article.

This also goes to show you how well those in government are truly educated. This young lady probably also went to a private, Christian academy. It was such a good school, she didn’t have the forethought to imagine what the ramifications were for her vote. What a loss.

Please, people, think before voting…

Peace,

Roo

Wildfire Tests Police Force in Colorado Anti-Tax Movement’s Home - Bloomberg

 

Wildfire Tests Police Force in Colorado Anti-Tax Movement’s Home - Bloomberg

Having lived in this hellhole of a town (I keep thinking it is time to blog why I left, so that its out there and people know what they did…) this makes sense. I remember that historic vote. How, sponsored by churches and GOP stalwarts, they cut the budgets of police forces and, well, firefighters.

And when I saw the news and heard the phone calls, I knew this would come up. Would things be different with more firefighters available?

You bet your ass it would have been different.

So now? The Naked City that doesn’t want to spend money or depend on the government will have to turn around and ask for Federal assistance. They already have to call out the National Guard. Get a fucking clue, people.

Sorry. Bitter. They hurt me.

Peace,
Roo

Anderson Cooper: "The Fact Is, I'm Gay." - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast

 

Anderson Cooper: "The Fact Is, I'm Gay." - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast

Here I was, writing about Tom Cruise, and this happens. I’m am very, very glad that Mr. Cooper has come out, frankly, but I understand and can respect his hesitancy. I just finished the EW article they talked about and how the whole process of coming out has changed. But, at the same time, is it truly necessary?

It shouldn’t be.

Where I’m torn is that kids need role models. They really do. And people in the public eye can do a world of good, if, in some way, let teens today know, well, basically, “it gets better.” 

I can respect Anderson. He kept quiet because he could be hanged in Saudi Arabia. The mere fact that he continues to talk to Kathy Griffin is evidence of his queer-ness besides.

I am working on a novel and, one day, would love to have a bestseller. And I think about my partner of 12 years and what that kind attention would do to him. He is a massively private man (yet strangely, can make friends every twenty feet…blindfolded) and doesn’t deserve to be thrusted out into the public like that. We joke about me once thinking about becoming a pastor. He would have to be, like the First Lady, the Pastor’s Wife. There are many unwritten but totally expected aspirations of that role. Things that were not mentioned within the wedding vows.

So, good for your Anderson. Now? Go back to being the man we get our news from. God, he looks like my college roommate. And I crushed on him too.

Peace,

Roo

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes Divorce: Couple To Split After 5 Years Of Marriage

See? He’s cute too. I’m not an idiot. He’s difficult NOT to admire in that aspect.

 

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes Divorce: Couple To Split After 5 Years Of Marriage

Third time’s a charm. Please note: National Organization of Marriage, who, supposedly, wants to preserve the institution of marriage, has said very little about this upcoming divorce. We’re talking popular culture, here, folks. Tom is, frankly, one of the more bankable stars in Hollywood. He does have the ability to pick the scripts that he wants; he tend to pick bigger pictures that ring in the dough for the Hollywood snob studios (you know, the ones who think they are being robbed of their third and fourth houses…)

When it comes to the accusations of homosexuality, I’ve been very, very patient. However, these rumors fly again and again about Tom and John Travolta. It bothers me that they even come up at all. First off? Who the heck cares, really?

If they are gay, think of the message they’re sending. I mean, they’re basically saying its not okay and they need to hide it forever and ever. As much as I want to play this down, when someone has the ability to stop the hurt and show the world you can be gay AND bankable (a reality that is coming to light…see Neil Patrick Harris et al).

But enough is enough already. There’s a fuck-ton of news out there. Can we report on starving children, the uprising in Syria, the impact of ObamaRomneyCare?

LIke I’m much better. Look at me. I’m blogging about it. Oh well, it’s a Saturday.

Peace,

McBoingBoing

Supreme Court upholds health-care law, individual mandate - The Washington Post

Supreme Court upholds health-care law, individual mandate - The Washington Post

Okay, I usually step aside and leave my other blog for more political commentary, but the fact is, this one isn’t getting much traffic these days. So, well, why not post about what is aggravating me and see if it riles up someone to respond to it?

I have to admit my hesitancy in supporting the President before this year. I remember a bevy of campaign promises and the anti-gay agenda of the GOP and, so, painted into a corner, I sorta HAD to vote for him. Then I noticed things weren’t getting any better. Then, suddenly, he announced he’d stop supporting DOMA.  Then, he nails out "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." 

Lastly, he comes out in support of Marriage Equality.

And I’m swayed.  Frankly, I think I’m okay. I think it is okay, even as a democrat, to question the president. And my problems with Mr. Obama were not like my issues with Mr. Bush. The last president appeared as a bully, yelling, YELLING about how he hated gays and lesbians. My issue was with this president, at least, appearing to do something for my culture and group.

Then this all happened.

I use this as a preface to the article at the top of this.  I saw a while ago the movie, “Sicko,” by Michael Moore. Yeah. I know. You know you’re a dem when you watch Moore’s comedies (which is, why, well, his movies are a bit more watchable) and like them. But it really got me researching. I couldn’t believe the message it had been sending.

Now I work and play in the Deep South. And it is humorous. Most are down here are living off the government’s dime but feel that we shouldn’t. The irony is a bit painful to watch.

But we need coverage for everyone. It is getting silly the amount help costs. I get tired of the argument, usually coming from the lips of someone who labels themselves a “good Christian,” that—“we need to get those people off of welfare!”  I thought religion was about caring for one another. So, instead of stopping and saying a statement like, “get them out!” Why aren’t we asking, “what can we do to help those in need?”  Yes, there are some who are greedily sucking from the teat of government (there’s an image that’ll stay with you), but we should probably find out why they have failed so hard in the mainstream. What message have we sent out as a society to get people to that point? Have we given them ample opportunity to succeed? Can they find a job? Usually no. And when the cycle has repeated itself over and over, no wonder.

I am glad to hear the Supreme Court supported this, I guess. I wish it didn’t have to come to this, but, well, now that people can feel secure in their health some, maybe things might change here? It’s an idea.

There. Back to your regular programming.

1979 Muppet Movie Camera Test - Part Two - YouTube

You can see the natural sense of comic timing and performance these “handlers” have. Too awesome!

Muppet Movie camera test.

Just something beautiful...

I'm envious of Matt here. How I would love to travel the world and use various toilets from eating food that isn't FDA approved. No. Lemme rephrase that. There's just something beautiful going on here. One of the reasons I love Anthony Bourdain is that he shows a distinct facet of ALL cultures. Food. People define themselves by what they eat. It's true on many, many levels.

And Matt here? He shows us another cultural facet. Dancing. Even if it isn't their dance, their costumes, expressions and responses give us a brief but very telling glimpse into their worlds. Look at North Korea's dancing moments. Those are fifties moves the gentleman is doing! Look at the pride in the faces of the people in Pennsylvania and Seville, Spain. And yes, those women's faces are blotted out in one part, but look at the lithe movements they incur.

So, just a brief share. Truly enjoy.

Chronicle

This recent trend in SuperHero movies was made for me. I was big in comic books, long before Kevin Smith made it fashionable for the jocks and the dweebs to read them as well. Surely, I remember aching, ACHING for an X-Men movie even in the late eighties.

And then I got married and that movie opened. The flood gates have opened and picture after picture of heroes have flooded the market. Luckily? These movies are the bastion of special effects so they aren’t cheap. The various studios really have to make a decision to make a movie about being a super hero. I thank them for it. It gives me time to make a decision when it comes to purchasing a ticket.  It also means Hollywood should seriously consider hiring a screenwriter for a few of the lines.

Now, see, The Dark Knight had a profound effect on the super hero genre. Not only a decent actioner, it was a movie with a bit more going on in the heady department; you were required to actually participate in the movie by thinking about the consequences of every characters’ actions.   This was new. Before that point, superhero movies were mere fluffy, great for a last minute movie decision on a Friday night.  What a change in things.  Now, you couldn’t be drunk, high or tired to watch a superhero movie. Suddenly, these movies had a bit more credibility.  Again, I was thankful. This meant that superhero movies might start in a different direction.

Chronicle is a superhero movie that is a step in that direction. Its central conceit, instead of relying on a story we’ve read in the comic books or Saturday mornings, is that three ordinary high schoolers find they have psychokinesis powers and elect to document (the “Chronicle” of the title) it with the latest technology.  Think of the famed Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity. I guess another super power they inherit is the ability to keep batteries from dying out. Never once in the entire picture is there a bad image or a red light for a dead battery. Amazing how that works!

The fact is; the movie does work on some level.  Josh Trank and Max Landis bring what appears to be an experienced picture. This is director Trank’s first foray into directing for the big screen; he has only handled some television programming. No complaints, mind you, the best directors get started this way. Even Speilberg. Landis brings pedigree, being he’s the son of director John Landis (Animal House, MJ’s Thriller), but, looking over his resume, I don’t see much on there that sticks out-in other words, this seems to be his first big screen try as well.   The drawback is, sadly, we’ve been down this road before. I kept pointing out what would happen next—and that was when I first heard the drunken father yelling through the door in the first five minutes.

The film is amazingly brief in 84 minutes, but moves at a decent clip, hitting the needed script points. In this tale, a socially awkward youth goes to a party with his cousin and a friend they discover the usual McGuffin-giving them incredible powers. However, things quickly dissolve through trying to live a life that everyone experiences and the ability to make things fly through the air.

I liked it, thought it to be decent. All the actors are right on cue; the special effects are well blended into the scenery and the script. But, well, here’s the thing with these kinds of movies. Blair Witch worked due to a mythology and a terrific marketing campaign that blurred the line between reality and fantasy. And that was the last time it worked. Both Paranormal Activity and Chronicle really don’t cover new material.  We lovingly hate reality television in the world today. Why would we pay for further copies of it?  Not many people would. Paranormal Activity came off with only one scare. Chronicle? We’d seen it before, so why should we care.

Yes, you’ve seen this movie before. Take away the super hero antics and you have a very violent John Hughes movie; a rated “R” Sky High.

However, I can’t help thinking this is a stepping stone. There’s something more here, almost like a sketch of a future picture that will add more depth and cause then this movie tries to do. Is it possible? I hope so. I liked the idea, and everyone was truly trying. Now? Get to making the next Big Thing….

Morning Fluff - The Daily What

Just to test to see if this works.

 

And, in the end, I just gotta say, have you ever wondered why true joy looks like? Look at this video.

Morning Fluff - The Daily What