Wisdom of the Sages
Episode X
October 2008
Happy Halla' een evera'body! (Can you even read that?)
Man, being out of it for seven weeks, takes it toll! I’m out of it for a little while and the world just goes to hell. You know?
How am I doing? Better. Here's the deal: Those gut-punches I told you about? Well, I’m pretty much on the other side of them. There is still a long path ahead but I’ll traverse it because I am supposed to. The ronin on the path to self-worth....
The first and the biggest some of my friends already know about and, while it still stings like a m*therf^cker, I am getting better, bit by little bit. Just writing this once: I’m getting divorced.
The second came from home and it scared and shocked me but now it seems to be getting better as well. My little sister’s health. I’ll have to wait and see on that one. The last one played out like I expected it to. Yay. So here I am, little beaten, a little bruised, but feeling well enough to put you Dear Reader, back as the center of my life. And all is well again with your world....
Anyways, let’s get this edition started;
:[ Up until now I have never commented on our new two-month-old Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. I never really thought about her as some tangible, viable candidate. Yet, we hear about her almost daily as if she is the bestest thing ever. I noticed that in the news coverage of both lady candidates while Hillary "worked" to united Democrats (‘cause they’re split, you see, unorganized) Palin was WOWING them at the RNC.
Sure, I seen the silly Photo shopped pic of her in the swimsuit and carrying an air rifle, but, that never made a big impact on me. (I like SMART women with glasses.) But it did seem to push her more into the spotlight. Which is supposed to happen I guess. Then there is the furor over her baby and her daughter’s baby and how it is at odds with their Christian morality, yet, that is hardly spoken of. It is media hypocrisy at its best when covering what is basically the Republican Party’s "Pretty Object".
It is sad that she allows herself to be exploited like this because she thinks that is how you get ahead. Another sad thing is that is what the Republican Party thinks Americans want, a woman Vice President and the GOP is gonna give it to them. God forbid they should focus on policy and the economy when we got such a pretty ornament to look at right? And one that’s going to make history to boot. Oh well, what do I know? I’m a Political Agnostic.
:[ They say that 2 out of 3 people watched the Summer Olympics (on NBC). I guess I was that 1 out of 3 that, you know, had a life. Don’t deny it ladies, that you watched mainly for Michael Phelps. Ha.
:[ For many, the Mayan Calendar states that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012, a scant two years and change from now, mainly because that is where their calendar ends. Weird that many people have this unhealthy obsession with the end of the world. They also have this unhealthy obsession with preserving Native American artifacts. But, they get it all wrong. Natives never built or made things to last forever. From arrows and stone pyramids to pottery and totem poles. If something broke or went missing, they simply made or built another. We are an adaptable society. I think we as Native people lost that some how. People these days preserve Native things to preserve their version of the myth.
You really want to know what December 21, 2012 meant to the Mayans? Think about this really hard. I’ll let you in on some deep Native secret info; Here’s what December 21, 2012 meant to the Mayans: Time to get a new calendar. That’s it.
You see? They actually thought that on that day, they would have to re-calibrate their calendars and that they would be STILL BE AROUND to do so....
:[ Thanks to my new living situation, I have had more time to check out entire TV series’ from the library. So, now I am a fan of "Battlestar Galactica", "Firefly" and "30 Rock". I also recently checked out the entire CCTV series on the life of Lord Guan from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It had some cool kung fu trailers as special features. Some Shaw Brothers stuff as well as really weird stuff that made you stop and say "What the f*ck was that? Did I just see that?"
:[ I am officially in love with Tina Fey. (See above item) I recently watched the first season of 30 Rock. That Tina Fey is a beauty. As you probably know by now, I have a thing for beautiful, smart women with glasses. (Hell, I was married to one.)
:[ I have seen The Dark Knight a total of eight times before it left theaters. Yep, further proof that I’m that much of a loser...
:[ Red Cliffs - The Review CLICK HERE FOR THAT.
:[ I have seen a ton of credit assistance ads on the buses and trains. The TV commercials proclaiming help with your credit debt seem endless. Yet, with the $700 billion bailout of banks, would it not have made more sense to take some of that money and help poorer people pay down their mortgages? I mean, the banks would still get the money, right?
And now, Chase is buying up all the smaller banks that have failed. Don’t you think it’s kind of scary that the nation’s economy and its cash is in the hands of fewer and fewer banks? Government-owned banks, thanks to the bail-out. Media is owned by five companies, the government run the banks. This isn’t good. Think about that one for a while....
:[ Mystery writer Tony Hillerman, who gained fame from his Navajo-based mysteries, passed away recently. While I am an advocate of Native self-representation, I did admire some of his books. "Skinwalkers" remains a favorite book of mine. He will be missed.
:[ A big misconceptions about The Hagakure: it was written 80 years into a 200 year period of peace when the power of the samurai class was ebbing due to less fighting and wars. The fact that it somehow dictated the behavior of the samurai is often overblown as samurai were the ultimate pragmatists when it came to war. You fought, if you suffered too many casualties, then you retreated. No dying selflessly for the lord. This info comes from the many, many samurai journals written during the "Country at War" Period of Japan, about some 200 years before the Hagakure was written.
I was reminded of the time I inserted the word "ronin" into one of my self-portrait videos and one of my pretentious classmates said that I was stating a desire to kill myself because that is what samurai do, they die faithfully for a lord or daiyomo. I said, that samurai were ordered to become ronin quite often, according to the Hagakure. He actually said, "Well from what I learned about the samurai comes from a director called Kurosawa, you might have heard of him".
At which point I dropped the line of discussion because he had made up his mind that Kurosawa films were the best source of info on the samurai class. Weird what stuff comes to mind after so much time.
:[ Have you ever noticed that all "Director’s Cuts" DVDs of movies are just simply a longer version of the movie? I mean, the only one that really comes to mind in the form of altering the form of the story told is "Blade Runner". "Star Wars" does not count because it only altered your perception of how you viewed it as a child, but Darth was still Darth after all that. But every movie purported to be a "Director’s Cut" just has extraneous scenes added back that really offer nothing but "new" scenes to watch. Weird.
:[ I recently discovered the 7-11 Brand Kettle Cooked Potato Chips! Yummers! The Cracked Pepper flavor tastes like the fried potatoes my mom and Rye make. I cannot get enough of them and I highly recommend them...
:[ In London, it seems that scientists have isolated the brain chemical associated with the sudden loss of a loved one from death or separation of divorce. You just know that soon you will be seeing the prescription commercial for a drug that you can take to combat the depression of Separation Anxiety. (Side Effects include: bleeding, pain, suffering, death.) I don’t know. Me, I need my pain I guess. For all I’ve gone through and lost I need it and my scars to prove my history exists. Or else I would simply vanish. I am the person I am for the pain and joy I go through....
:[ I was on the train to work when these bunch of strangers got into a loud, friendly discussion about the Chicago teams making the play-off. This was before both teams, well, choked, basically. I was reminded that we as a society will argue loudly and more passionately about baseball than the course of this country. Think about it. More people complain that they cannot drink booze after the fourth inning than the fact that this current President can have them held without charges, without due process, without a lawyer, without the right to face your accusers and TO NOT BE TORTURED!
Ban smoking? F*CK NO! I’m gonna get water boarded? Hell yeah, I’m a American! Bring it on!
:[ The Last Item of the Month: I received my semi-annual report on my oil royalties and lease accounts through the BIA and BLM. (Yep, I’m an Oil and Land Baron.) Now, inside the envelope was a flier for a Chase Bank debit card. Yep, it seems we Natives can have our oil and lease royalties directly deposited into a Chase Bank account and have it available on a Chase Bank Mastercard/Debit card.
Once again the Indians swoop in to save America’s banks....
That will do it for this month. And thanks for the support from my presidential campaign video. For those of you whom did not view. Shame on you! I’m just kidding. But not really. And please, no notes of sympathy. I am working on moving on. You just take care of yourselves, Dear Readers. Because what else would you do with your life if you didn’t have Wisdom of the Sages? I mean really?
Until Next Time; "I’m not a monster. I just ahead of the curve."
Episode X
October 2008
Happy Halla' een evera'body! (Can you even read that?)
Man, being out of it for seven weeks, takes it toll! I’m out of it for a little while and the world just goes to hell. You know?
How am I doing? Better. Here's the deal: Those gut-punches I told you about? Well, I’m pretty much on the other side of them. There is still a long path ahead but I’ll traverse it because I am supposed to. The ronin on the path to self-worth....
The first and the biggest some of my friends already know about and, while it still stings like a m*therf^cker, I am getting better, bit by little bit. Just writing this once: I’m getting divorced.
The second came from home and it scared and shocked me but now it seems to be getting better as well. My little sister’s health. I’ll have to wait and see on that one. The last one played out like I expected it to. Yay. So here I am, little beaten, a little bruised, but feeling well enough to put you Dear Reader, back as the center of my life. And all is well again with your world....
Anyways, let’s get this edition started;
:[ Up until now I have never commented on our new two-month-old Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. I never really thought about her as some tangible, viable candidate. Yet, we hear about her almost daily as if she is the bestest thing ever. I noticed that in the news coverage of both lady candidates while Hillary "worked" to united Democrats (‘cause they’re split, you see, unorganized) Palin was WOWING them at the RNC.
Sure, I seen the silly Photo shopped pic of her in the swimsuit and carrying an air rifle, but, that never made a big impact on me. (I like SMART women with glasses.) But it did seem to push her more into the spotlight. Which is supposed to happen I guess. Then there is the furor over her baby and her daughter’s baby and how it is at odds with their Christian morality, yet, that is hardly spoken of. It is media hypocrisy at its best when covering what is basically the Republican Party’s "Pretty Object".
It is sad that she allows herself to be exploited like this because she thinks that is how you get ahead. Another sad thing is that is what the Republican Party thinks Americans want, a woman Vice President and the GOP is gonna give it to them. God forbid they should focus on policy and the economy when we got such a pretty ornament to look at right? And one that’s going to make history to boot. Oh well, what do I know? I’m a Political Agnostic.
:[ They say that 2 out of 3 people watched the Summer Olympics (on NBC). I guess I was that 1 out of 3 that, you know, had a life. Don’t deny it ladies, that you watched mainly for Michael Phelps. Ha.
:[ For many, the Mayan Calendar states that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012, a scant two years and change from now, mainly because that is where their calendar ends. Weird that many people have this unhealthy obsession with the end of the world. They also have this unhealthy obsession with preserving Native American artifacts. But, they get it all wrong. Natives never built or made things to last forever. From arrows and stone pyramids to pottery and totem poles. If something broke or went missing, they simply made or built another. We are an adaptable society. I think we as Native people lost that some how. People these days preserve Native things to preserve their version of the myth.
You really want to know what December 21, 2012 meant to the Mayans? Think about this really hard. I’ll let you in on some deep Native secret info; Here’s what December 21, 2012 meant to the Mayans: Time to get a new calendar. That’s it.
You see? They actually thought that on that day, they would have to re-calibrate their calendars and that they would be STILL BE AROUND to do so....
:[ Thanks to my new living situation, I have had more time to check out entire TV series’ from the library. So, now I am a fan of "Battlestar Galactica", "Firefly" and "30 Rock". I also recently checked out the entire CCTV series on the life of Lord Guan from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It had some cool kung fu trailers as special features. Some Shaw Brothers stuff as well as really weird stuff that made you stop and say "What the f*ck was that? Did I just see that?"
:[ I am officially in love with Tina Fey. (See above item) I recently watched the first season of 30 Rock. That Tina Fey is a beauty. As you probably know by now, I have a thing for beautiful, smart women with glasses. (Hell, I was married to one.)
:[ I have seen The Dark Knight a total of eight times before it left theaters. Yep, further proof that I’m that much of a loser...
:[ Red Cliffs - The Review CLICK HERE FOR THAT.
:[ I have seen a ton of credit assistance ads on the buses and trains. The TV commercials proclaiming help with your credit debt seem endless. Yet, with the $700 billion bailout of banks, would it not have made more sense to take some of that money and help poorer people pay down their mortgages? I mean, the banks would still get the money, right?
And now, Chase is buying up all the smaller banks that have failed. Don’t you think it’s kind of scary that the nation’s economy and its cash is in the hands of fewer and fewer banks? Government-owned banks, thanks to the bail-out. Media is owned by five companies, the government run the banks. This isn’t good. Think about that one for a while....
:[ Mystery writer Tony Hillerman, who gained fame from his Navajo-based mysteries, passed away recently. While I am an advocate of Native self-representation, I did admire some of his books. "Skinwalkers" remains a favorite book of mine. He will be missed.
:[ A big misconceptions about The Hagakure: it was written 80 years into a 200 year period of peace when the power of the samurai class was ebbing due to less fighting and wars. The fact that it somehow dictated the behavior of the samurai is often overblown as samurai were the ultimate pragmatists when it came to war. You fought, if you suffered too many casualties, then you retreated. No dying selflessly for the lord. This info comes from the many, many samurai journals written during the "Country at War" Period of Japan, about some 200 years before the Hagakure was written.
I was reminded of the time I inserted the word "ronin" into one of my self-portrait videos and one of my pretentious classmates said that I was stating a desire to kill myself because that is what samurai do, they die faithfully for a lord or daiyomo. I said, that samurai were ordered to become ronin quite often, according to the Hagakure. He actually said, "Well from what I learned about the samurai comes from a director called Kurosawa, you might have heard of him".
At which point I dropped the line of discussion because he had made up his mind that Kurosawa films were the best source of info on the samurai class. Weird what stuff comes to mind after so much time.
:[ Have you ever noticed that all "Director’s Cuts" DVDs of movies are just simply a longer version of the movie? I mean, the only one that really comes to mind in the form of altering the form of the story told is "Blade Runner". "Star Wars" does not count because it only altered your perception of how you viewed it as a child, but Darth was still Darth after all that. But every movie purported to be a "Director’s Cut" just has extraneous scenes added back that really offer nothing but "new" scenes to watch. Weird.
:[ I recently discovered the 7-11 Brand Kettle Cooked Potato Chips! Yummers! The Cracked Pepper flavor tastes like the fried potatoes my mom and Rye make. I cannot get enough of them and I highly recommend them...
:[ In London, it seems that scientists have isolated the brain chemical associated with the sudden loss of a loved one from death or separation of divorce. You just know that soon you will be seeing the prescription commercial for a drug that you can take to combat the depression of Separation Anxiety. (Side Effects include: bleeding, pain, suffering, death.) I don’t know. Me, I need my pain I guess. For all I’ve gone through and lost I need it and my scars to prove my history exists. Or else I would simply vanish. I am the person I am for the pain and joy I go through....
:[ I was on the train to work when these bunch of strangers got into a loud, friendly discussion about the Chicago teams making the play-off. This was before both teams, well, choked, basically. I was reminded that we as a society will argue loudly and more passionately about baseball than the course of this country. Think about it. More people complain that they cannot drink booze after the fourth inning than the fact that this current President can have them held without charges, without due process, without a lawyer, without the right to face your accusers and TO NOT BE TORTURED!
Ban smoking? F*CK NO! I’m gonna get water boarded? Hell yeah, I’m a American! Bring it on!
:[ The Last Item of the Month: I received my semi-annual report on my oil royalties and lease accounts through the BIA and BLM. (Yep, I’m an Oil and Land Baron.) Now, inside the envelope was a flier for a Chase Bank debit card. Yep, it seems we Natives can have our oil and lease royalties directly deposited into a Chase Bank account and have it available on a Chase Bank Mastercard/Debit card.
Once again the Indians swoop in to save America’s banks....
That will do it for this month. And thanks for the support from my presidential campaign video. For those of you whom did not view. Shame on you! I’m just kidding. But not really. And please, no notes of sympathy. I am working on moving on. You just take care of yourselves, Dear Readers. Because what else would you do with your life if you didn’t have Wisdom of the Sages? I mean really?
Until Next Time; "I’m not a monster. I just ahead of the curve."
