Month: December 2015

It has been getting harder and harder to string together ten minutes of writing on a consistent basis without it devolving into a rant or some sort of odd commentary on the world at large. On occasion I do slip into some dark thoughts about my favorite teams (Lawd, Giants what have you done!) Perhaps a simple resolution for the new year will be to be more aware of lapsing into these things and try to bring more positiveness or at least inquisitive thought to the page.

I’ll start with a brief gleeful squee about Star Wars: Daisy Ridley was great! Boyega was solid as well, but Ridley just leaped off the screen. Girl’s got a career ahead of her. Beyond the trio of Star Wars films she will have under her belt before long she can expect to get a lot of offers once she is allowed off set for anything more than a premiere or interview.

Some Thoughts:

1. I’m starting to understand that I’m out in the weeds on some of these opinions about how crazy and polarized people are getting. It feels a bit like that moment in The Hanging Stranger where the dude starts screaming about a hanging man and people just walk by. Okay. Live to fight another day then.

While many are familiar with the term ‘losing your shit’ most will apply it to an individual or perhaps a small group of individuals. I’m thinking we need to apply it to a whole damn country–My country in fact. Now I am insanely proud to be an American, which some readers have questioned over the years based on my criticism of our oft nutso culture and strange political system. I realize that to many, any criticism of the country looks like betrayal, nay terrorism, but that is just how stupid people think. So, this is for the rest of us out there who actually are down with a logical conversation about the way things are.

 

1&2. Guns, Gods, and Killin Islam
Thank you Mass Media and the Military Industrial Complex. You have officially scared the poo out of people to the point where false bravado is the only way we roll. Yesterday I was in Walmart trying to grab a last minute gift for a kids gift exchange and as we walked in there was a dude walking behind us strapped with a .44 Magnum revolver. I don’t have a problem with owning guns. I want guns. I don’t however see the need to carry them into your local Walmart. Now that isn’t all that unusual, but what was strange is that there were 7 gun toters (6 male) in there at the same time ranging from what had to be barely out of teens to old ass man. I saw four congregate near the front, shaking hands and introducing themselves–as if they were suddenly down because they all open carry. It was much like it is with black people in places where there are no black people. We suddenly know each other real well. I would’ve even let that go if not for this article I read today. Yes, America, this is what losing your damn mind looks like. I love the part where schools have to remove the shahada from world religion instruction. “A different, non-religious sample of Arabic calligraphy will be used in the future,” Really? Teaching world religion by excluding non-christian texts? Come on, man.

3. Post-OJ Next Level Rich
Unless you have been under a rock for, well, ever you know that a long time ago OJ Simpson got away with (possibly) murdering his wife due to the fact that he is rich and famous. Rich people getting away with murder isn’t new. It’s a trope in fact. What was new was that a black man got away with murder. That created a situation where there was, for a moment, equivalency between black and white. So, of course, we had to dream up some next level rich that is so blatantly about privilege that there is no rational way to justify it. Or, in legal terms, Affluenza.

I consider myself a deeply creative dude and I could not have made this up. Now the affor(linked) Ethan Couch has gone from too rich to be held responsible to on the lam with his mom. Here’s why I’m adding this as number 3: I don’t think that she’ll be charged or even he will be charged when caught. Why? Affluenza! The defense itself creates the means by which he can excuse this behavior. Only in Texas, y’all….

 

I’m grossly aware that only a few days (7) remain until xmas. I took my first born to see Krampus today as a little treat for the holidays. He’s in that age where scary movies are definitely intriguing. He’s also the first born, which means he’d just as readily consume the Good Dinosaur. On this occasion we chose Krampus. We dipped into that realm of maturity , turning pg-13 into ok-11 and hoping to grab some cheap thrills with minimal emotional damage. It turned out to be a bad booking. Krampus wasn’t damaging or scary at all. In reality, it was very stupid and made me question the rating system altogether.

I know the rating came from the mature language native to the film. The language was situational and, at times, unnecessary–something that would hit the Mormon sensors as R-level content but falls well short of that in every way save for language. The plot follows the classic revenge-horror tale. The Krampus is a revnant/poltergeist sent to carry out the ill will of an aggrieved party. The party in question is definitely aggrieved and the family situations in the film clearly suck, but so does the wow factor and so does the fear factor. I honestly expected a handful of jump scares but there was none of that. Once I realized that wasn’t happening I settled into the hope of a psychological horror. Nope. None of that either. In truth the whole thing came down to costuming and badly staged anticipation.

I don’t recommend this movie at all. A Christmas Story was more terrifying (especially after having drank out of one of those lamp legs… frightening). The acting was subpar and the effect work was limited. The gingerbread stuff presented moments of joy, but beyond that there isn’t much redeemable about the film. If I hadn’t had the chance to enjoy it with my son (a moment in time) I would be asking for a full refund.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. No, I’m not going to talk about Star Wars yet.

I heard a story today that someone who’d already seen the new Star Wars was giving away the big secrets. I am not going to be that guy, so if you tuned in just for spoilers, begone, heathen!

For those who aren’t interested in ruination I have another bit of talk to give. No, this isn’t about football, or politics, or what madness has descended upon my life this time. This isn’t even about writing. No, this is about things mattering, and why I think it is important to care about Star Wars.

Let me start by saying Star Wars doesn’t actually matter in any greater sense of the word. It is a piece of storytelling–a mythology designed to entertain and, in a sense, inspire and inform. In that sense you can say that Star Wars is important. You can compare it to some of the greatest stories ever told–stories that people attach meaning to and live their lives by. As we all know, humanity is about popularity. The more popular a story becomes, the more important that story becomes. In the modern era we tend to attach monetary value to such things in terms of marketing, franchising, and the ubiquitous toy rights. However, when you rewind everything to its base you are in fact talking about a story that one person told another person with the dual purpose of entertaining them and perhaps informing them or allowing themselves to reflect on ideas and feelings they don’t truly understand.

By now some of you readers are waiting for the inevitable comparison of Star Wars to religion. That isn’t going to happen. We all accept that Star Wars isn’t real, though the concept of the force is no more ludicrous than a man rising from the grave, another man parting the sea, and, well, you get the idea. The primary reason I won’t compare the two is that religions take on a greater purpose. Star Wars serve the role of being that one great thing we use to mark an era. I remember being alive for the first (4,5,6) three movies and recognizing how that did, in a sense, define a generation.

The new series (7,8,9) as with the last (1,2,3) serves the role of connecting new generations to the wonder we experienced as kids when we first saw a beam of light escape from the hilt of a saber. For that reason alone it matters. It matters to me to remind my kids of what was and what could be.

May the force be with you all.

I’m going to focus the entire 10 minutes on the Giants tonight. In truth, this game is the one that matters. The game is the one that will surprise a lot of people, because this is a game that is going to show who the real teams are. By that I mean we are going to see who the Giants are from 1-54 and the same applies to the Panthers.

I want to start with a discussion of records. Looking at my G-men, there haven’t been a lot of blowouts. Despite a defense that is widely seen as incapable, the Giants are hanging in there with most teams. The losses are coming in the 4th when the bench is worn out and struggling from already being thin. Add a little bit more depth to the team and we could be looking at a 9-5/ 10-3 record, but we aren’t. Instead G-unit is fully aware they need to win out in order to get to the playoffs. That is where I think the G-men have an edge. The mentality of this team has always come out when their backs are against the wall. Furthermore they are emerging. late in the season, as a team that understands what to do on office and has a philosophy that gets them points.

The Panthers get points too and are poised around the arm and attitude of their superstar QB. Here is the problem: that poise and professionalism is also built around a solid running game and a quiet RB who has already been ruled out. With a backup in play the Giants have a chance to up the pass rush and throw Cam out of river–necessary to a win.

On offense the Panthers will look legit. My hopes pivot on the ability for the Giants to force mistakes. We know the G-man o-line is held together by ductape and spit. No injuries can happen here in this game. If they can hold out and find a little bit of an aggressive spark as they did last week, win for the G-men.

The last day of a semester comes with the promise of great things in the coming semester. I’ve studied my course list, careful to ensure the numbers are sufficient to be able to teach the classes. I’l be able to teach all my classes next semester, a listing that includes Sociology, Mythology, Creative Writing, and several composition/dev comp classes. Armed with that knowledge I am finally able to plan ahead and create something that is, structurally, deigned to give students the best experience I can offer.

Unfortunately, the end comes with a great deal of fatigue, which is how I manage to find myself falling asleep during this blog…

I’m watching the G-Men fighting for their playoff lives against the all-but-mathematically-eliminated Miami Dolphins. On the one hand the game is about the Dolphins showing respect for Hall of Fame former coach Don Shula on his special night. On the other hand it is about the subplots: Beckham v. Landry, Giants trying to win the east, Campbell playing against his former team, Campbell trying to earn a job… All of this adds up to a deeply interesting game that has become a 17-17 deadlock indicative of the Giants season(s) over the last decade.

We can blame the injury bug (the 10 yr bug? get new trainers and scouts, please), or we can blame the philosophy, or we can put it on a number of factors that have kept the Giants totally mediocre–until they aren’t. So far they really are and are suddenly trailing in a game that shouldn’t even be close. What can you say about that as a fan? There isn’t much really to say or do but to keep chugging on and keep trying to support the team in any way you can. I’m starting to understand a bit more of what the Cubs fans go through…

Some Thoughts:

1. I’ve never mentioned it before, but this commercial is crazy funny to me.
2. Gameplan/practice plan for football is coming together.
3. Legit writing schedule also coming together. I’ve been given too many chances to be somebody to continue being nobody…
4. WWE TLC was not what I expected. They worked pretty hard to get Roman Reigns over as a fan fave, but will it work?
5. Hand is feeling better–broken but better.

During my weekly meditation and accounting of self I allowed myself to step back and really consider how I feel about the events of the last year. I took a moment to embrace my anger and disappointment in some of the things that have transpired in my professional and personal life. I let myself be angry for a good half hour, reflecting on how it felt to be mad and reasoning where some of that anger came from. Doing this helped me to recognize that I’ve been angry and operating with that anger as an undercurrent for some time.

I cannot go into details about the conditions of my anger without casting down negativity on a number of people. I don’t want to do that. There is no real need to be that person anymore. What I can say is that I internalized a great many things and allowed that to take away from who I am and what makes me happy. Moreover, I found myself worrying about what people think about me, which is very counterproductive and worthy of lighting the flames of anger within me. Once I’d rolled around in all of it for a while I decided to consider the impact of the anger.

Being angry makes me less effective as a person. The trick then is to recognize the triggers and to learn how to turn that emotion into something else–something that has nothing to do with undoing lies told or righting wrongs or managing impressions–something that is born from the core parts of you. For me that means returning to the idea of story and space and connecting with those emotions that swirl within me in order to embed them in story.

I’m fortunate to have writing as an outlet.

I’m going to tell you a story. It isn’t about anyone you know but it will be worth your while. I’ve always wanted to begin something with that promise. It comes from Andrew Stanton of Pixar and is the implicit promise that every writer makes when they first depress a key or put pen to paper or even derma through an idea. We promise that what we are saying to you is relatable and is worth of your attention and, often, of your purchase. The promise is often true–always true to someone but sometimes true to many. The promise reaches out past the stars of our imagination to the center of our hearts where it grabs us and allows us to be suspended in a weave or words that we call story.  It is an intricate and layered promise that leads to some of the most intimate relationships in our lives. As I think on the writers I have known and loved I believe that one rarely loves as deeply and thoroughly as one loves story–and by extension the writers who create them.

Remember Misery? The creation cooked up in the East coast addled brain of Stephen King sent a writer to hell. The writer wound up with a warden named Annie Wilkes who loved a writer’s work and hated the writer for what he did to it. It argued that sometimes the work becomes to property of the fans. Their investment in the outcome is based on their loves and lives and situation, which leads to visceral reaction based on how things turn out. I’ve been thinking about this especially in regards to Empire Strikes Back (best Star Wars movie EVER) and the new film, in which the originally director is not deeply invested.

I write this post to suggest that the implicit promise of story comes into play more now for writers than in recent times. We are writing to audience–especially in TV and that can lead to a creation and investment based on what audience might want–what might be worth their while–and not the story the writer feels needs be told.

I write this as a warning to the writers who come next. We are not a group who is meant to be controlled by audience. We are reflections of the society–where it is and where it should go. Lets hold on to that job… its worth it.

Recently a national news network kicked up the debate about saying ‘happy holidays’ vs. saying Merry xmas. This latest conversation was originally rooted in a false controversy about Starbucks supposed war on xmas, since proven to be false. While the latest rant started out with Starbucks, it flowered into a general disappointment in those who ‘narrow’ their holiday praise to ‘happy holidays’ but here’s the thing: I always say happy holidays. I don’t do it to attack Christmas, but to be reflective of the wealth of people I know who aren’t necessarily Christian.

I grew up in NYC. Half my friends were Jewish. I remember being a kid and thinking, ‘why do they get gifts everyday, and those gifts seem to improve over the course of the Jewish holiday, and I gotta settle for a couple on one day long after these kids are having fun with their toys. I grew out of that… sorta… but growing up with Hanukkah and later Kwanza, I came to understand that I needed to say something that represented all people. It didn’t mean that xmas meant anything less–the same way that calling it xmas doesn’t make it any less of a holiday. Happy Holidays is an inclusionary simplification that allows someone to praise a holiday without walking down the list of many.

Now this false anger about how Christians are under attack is merely a media and political ploy to jack up fears. It is working, of course, or the Starbucks hoax wouldn’t have ever worked. Moreover, I wonder why those of a Christmas/Christian mind would even get so angry. The date does not actually celebrate the birth of Christ and is actually a Pagan holiday drawn into the fold as a way to attract more followers.

So, happy holidays, people. Don’t get mad at my inclusiveness…

Some Thoughts:

1. Perhaps a bit heavy on the snark at the end there…