Wisdom of the Sages
January - Winter 2009
Episode One
Hello People of the World;
Welcome to the new year people. You look at the months ahead and for a minute you wonder what great things are ahead for you, how can you make that big thing happen, make that special someone notice you, how you can turn things around. But, as I said, that lasts for a minute. Then the kids scream, or work calls, and the bills need to be paid and you realize that January 1st is just another day.
But fret not. For one constant in life is that I, dear Reader, will be here for you to brighten your day a little. Maybe. Chin up Jerks, it’s just a measure of time. There is still plenty of bad road and scenic trails ahead. Stand it like a man. And give some back.
And here we go:
:[ Everybody hates the Dentist. Right? They pull your teeth, basically inflict pain on your mouth. I had an Orthodontist who was an adamant believer in Old West dentistry. Anyway, with things being as hard as they are for my little sister back on the Rez, one thing that makes things worse are trips to the dentist for her kids and nieces. Now, the Rez, any Rez, never gets the top-notch care or professionals that private practice get. No. They get people either assigned by the military, or recent grads assigned there and have a chip on their shoulder about it.
So, one of our nieces had an impacted tooth which her mom and my sister mistook for a temporary malady. They could not afford to go to the dentist and waited to see if the pain would go away. When it did not, they immediately went to the healthcare center to await a walk-in appointment. It is terrible to have to wait two hours to get in. They did. When they final got to see the dentist they mentioned that they had to wait a long time. To which this dentist remarked snottily, "Well, you waited this long before you came in. Now she in pain."
Frickin’ Jerkwad....
:[ It seems that Jennifer Aniston is still getting quite a bit of coverage. Having "Friends" in syndication is not help either. I decided that I am going to try getting my little sister on the cover of a magazine somehow. She’s had it rougher than Aniston, why not let America show the same kind of compassion towards her, hm? Who’s with me!
:[ Think of this: Under Saddam’s Regime, what would have happened to the journalist who threw the shoes?
:[ Ron Burris was not allowed to take Obama’s vacant seat in Congress due to paperwork which went unsigned by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White because he opposes Blogojevich’s appointment of Burris, even though it is constitutionally correct.
F*cking leave it to petty Illinois politics to f*ck things up for the new Democratic Congress and new Administration even before anyone takes power!
UPDATE, while Congress finally allowed him to take the seat, people all over are saying that once Rod Blogojevich is out of office, the next governor should remove Burris. Wow, typical petty Illinois politics sure is being a d*ck about everything, huh?
:[ Geek Discussion of the Month: There were plenty of reviews out there bashing Frank Miller’s "The Spirit" movie. For those of you not in the know, Frank Miller is a comic book writer/artist. He is responsible for some of the coolest comic constructions of the last decade. His "Sin City" was adapted into film by Robert Rodriguez and him self. His "The Dark Knight Returns" is considered a milestone. His "Batman: Year One" is still considered by many to be the definitive year one story for Batman in comics. In fact, when other artists flashback to Batman's early years they ape or mimic panels of that particular series. Which should be the first warning sign of his talents. Miller did not draw Year One. That was Dave Mazzucelli.
Miller is also responsible for poor quality stuff like his "The Dark Knight Strikes Again", which I enjoyed at the time, but felt the story was rushed and now seems very dated for me. Even more so than "The Dark Knight Returns". I will not even mention "All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder".
But based on the success of the "Sin City" movie, a movie studio gave Miller, who never directed a full movie his self, a blank check to direct a movie based on Wil Eisner’s "The Spirit" comic. Miller claimed to be a good friend and protégée to Eisner and would not allow anyone else to direct it for fear of them ruining the character. I was never familiar with Eisner’s creation other than it came out during the costumed hero Zeitgeist of the 20's and 30's and it was more in the vain of the early Batman stories, except he was a cop in a mask and business suit. In hindsight, there are some racist overtones with the black character in the series. But that is a discussion for another blog.
Anyways, many feared what Miller would do after seeing much of the production art and then, clips of the movie. Many thought it was terrible and many reviewers on many Internet sites wrote in and said so. Having seen the clips I cannot bring myself to agree with them because I have not seen the movie. But based on what I saw, I was never going to see it anyway. Still, there was that slim faction that defended Miller. They almost always brought up Miller’s writing talent and style: Grim and gritty, women as objects, and tough and mean. And I have to agree, they were right. His comics have a certain neo-noir style to them that make his comics work. Which begs a question from me in this long-winded rant:
How does winning that particular argument make the movie good?
:[ Review of "Marley & Me" - For Christmas my Ten-year-old took me to see this family movie starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. I must admit, like millions of other saps out there, I was charmed by the puppy and the overall story about John Grogan’s experiences raising a dog and keeping a family. Quite touching actually. I think the first Aniston movie I’ve seen in the theater, ever. (You see? She still gets quite a bit of coverage without even trying. So to reiterate; she’s going to be fine.) Plus, they actually found a kid that looks like the offspring of Wilson and Aniston. The dog steals the show though and I was surprised that the dog was a part of the family and not the usual wedge in the relationship.
Although, I didn’t like it as much when it was called "Beethoven".
:[ Sad to see that in any bookstore nowadays, with all the scandal and losing sports teams, the only books in the "Local Interest" sections, I mean the only books in these sections are all books on President Lincoln. I mean really, is that all we got?
:[ Anyone else getting tired of those Men’s Warehouse commercials? I am. I guarantee it.
:[ According to the RedEye Paper, with the coolest new technology coming out in recent years, iPods, video phones, anything you can image that would have been science fiction to my dad, you know what the biggest selling iPhone application this Christmas was? iFart.
Yep, every cutting edge technology will always be used to express our crudity as human beings. Always.
:[ Mass Media - Backlash against the popular. The Dark Knight, music groups, comic books, authors, um, Tom Cruise, whatever becomes popular will eventually become hated.
You see, we hate it when something we enjoy becomes popular. We want to be cool and be in the thing that not many people know about.
:[ Valkyrie: I went and saw this today. I actually thought it was pretty good. Bryan Singer has a great hand with suspense. Even though you know the ending, you cannot help but be caught up in the flow of the story. It is about the June 20, 1944 plot to kill Hitler and to take over the government using a continency plan labeled "Valkyrie" wherein the Inner Circle takes command in the event of Hitler’s death.
Cruise plays Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg a disillusioned soldier whom decided to serve the country of Germany rather than Hitler and is quickly recruited to head up the next attempt. What follows is tension and worry as they try to bring their plan to fruition. First, they must get the SS and Hitler’s Inner Circle out of the way to get people they want in control of the government so they can quickly surrender to the Allied Forces whom are making their way to Berlin after the Normandy Invasion. It is a great thriller. The cast is stellar, the attention to the detail of the period are fantastic. What amazes me is how close they came, they actually took over the government! So, see it, let your preconceptions and baggage about whatever fall by the way side.
Oh, you know the one glaring thing, my buddy Cuba and I had a problem with when we watched this? Tom Cruise. Man, that guy ruined the whole movie for me. His religion. Ruined the movie. Hey, the guy jumps on couches. That’s not normal. He calls glib morning show hosts, "Glib". The man’s not right. It ruined the whole movie for me. On that note...
:[ It’s all Tom Cruise’s fault. Once you think about it. Cuba and I discussed this afterwards. Man, you know how much better Batman Begins would have been had he not been married to Katie Holmes. If she was not married to him, she would have been allowed to be in "The Dark Knight". So yeah, Tom Cruise is to blame for a lot of things. Including this assassination attempt during Project Valkyrie. I mean they wanted to surrender to the Allies a full nine months earlier to spare history looking badly on the German people and to save what was left of their country. But Tom Cruise ruined it. WWII would have ended earlier if not for that frickin’ Tom Cruise. He ruins everything....
:[ In the "Just What We Need" Section: US and British publishers announced a Winnie the Pooh Sequel to A.A. Milne’s classic children’s books. I love the Pooh. Heh. My favorite character from the cartoons is Eayore. But that’s apples and oranges. I am at a loss why they would even consider this. Have they learned nothing from "Scarlett", the much-publicized sequel to "Gone with the Wind"?
Recently, the JM Barrie Estate allowed a sequel to his "Peter Pan" and met with some success as they used it to raise funds for a Children’s hospital that Barrie supported. I guess we can blame the success of JK Rowling’s "Harry Potter" series. I mean we live in an age where the actual physical book is an endangered species. But, Harry Potter got pre-teens and teens buying books. That is where the problem lies.
Now, we get much-publicized, but not as well-crafted book series riding the coattails of Rowling. That Eragon Series, now it’s the whole Twilight thing. Not because they are promoting literacy, but because they want to cash in on long series’ that keep kids (Who have more buying power then ever before.) buying books for years before books are replaced with those touch screen thingies. Now, we are making up sequels to stuff to cash in some more.
"Authorized" sequels to old books needs to end. What's next, a sequel to "To Kill a Mockingbird"? Are that much of a creatively bankrupted society that we need to make sequels to classic stories? Next thing you know we'll be getting sequels to the Godfather book or remaking "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Hmm? Oh really? Oh. Nevermind.
:[ The Illinois Department of Revenue sent us a flier asking us to save paper by filing on-line, which we do. But Bonnie and I found it odd that they would waste paper to tell us to save paper. Hm. Almost like the Police send you a flier about your reported theft telling you they are really going to do nothing about it but remind you to call the police to report theft.
I hate theft. Which is hypocritical of me because I know: I stole your heart...*
:[ Front page of the Red Eye for December 30th, 2008 had us self-congratulating about all the great things and bad things Chicago was in the news for. Man, I guess the only way for Illinois to win anything is if we give the award to ourselves....
:[ Speaking of Red Eye, and living in a mediocre world, their big news cover story today? Moustaches.
:[ Salma Hayek guest-starred on "30 Rock" last week. My two big crushes in one show? Enough said.
:[ Last item of the month: Rachel Maddow appears on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Dang, why’d she have to wear the glasses? As you know, I have a thing for beautiful, intelligent women with glasses. (Hell, I was married to one.) Man, I am now very smitten with her. (Even though she scammed people out of billions of dollars. Right?)**
Worry not folks, I know what team she plays for. Besides, I barely appeal to straight women. So, my chances here are about the same....
That will do it for this, our first episode of 2009. I hope the year has been treating you right so far. I do feel that change is in the air. I do. Also, I’ll be forwarding a form version of "The Note" to all y’all (at the same time) by the end of the month. I have so much to update you one. ‘Kay? And thank you to the *Superficial Writer and **Jon Stewart.
But before I go I would like to recall the words of that great and venerable statesman Abraham Lincoln....
Until next time; "For some, the truth isn’t good enough."
Hello People of the World;
Welcome to the new year people. You look at the months ahead and for a minute you wonder what great things are ahead for you, how can you make that big thing happen, make that special someone notice you, how you can turn things around. But, as I said, that lasts for a minute. Then the kids scream, or work calls, and the bills need to be paid and you realize that January 1st is just another day.
But fret not. For one constant in life is that I, dear Reader, will be here for you to brighten your day a little. Maybe. Chin up Jerks, it’s just a measure of time. There is still plenty of bad road and scenic trails ahead. Stand it like a man. And give some back.
And here we go:
:[ Everybody hates the Dentist. Right? They pull your teeth, basically inflict pain on your mouth. I had an Orthodontist who was an adamant believer in Old West dentistry. Anyway, with things being as hard as they are for my little sister back on the Rez, one thing that makes things worse are trips to the dentist for her kids and nieces. Now, the Rez, any Rez, never gets the top-notch care or professionals that private practice get. No. They get people either assigned by the military, or recent grads assigned there and have a chip on their shoulder about it.
So, one of our nieces had an impacted tooth which her mom and my sister mistook for a temporary malady. They could not afford to go to the dentist and waited to see if the pain would go away. When it did not, they immediately went to the healthcare center to await a walk-in appointment. It is terrible to have to wait two hours to get in. They did. When they final got to see the dentist they mentioned that they had to wait a long time. To which this dentist remarked snottily, "Well, you waited this long before you came in. Now she in pain."
Frickin’ Jerkwad....
:[ It seems that Jennifer Aniston is still getting quite a bit of coverage. Having "Friends" in syndication is not help either. I decided that I am going to try getting my little sister on the cover of a magazine somehow. She’s had it rougher than Aniston, why not let America show the same kind of compassion towards her, hm? Who’s with me!
:[ Think of this: Under Saddam’s Regime, what would have happened to the journalist who threw the shoes?
:[ Ron Burris was not allowed to take Obama’s vacant seat in Congress due to paperwork which went unsigned by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White because he opposes Blogojevich’s appointment of Burris, even though it is constitutionally correct.
F*cking leave it to petty Illinois politics to f*ck things up for the new Democratic Congress and new Administration even before anyone takes power!
UPDATE, while Congress finally allowed him to take the seat, people all over are saying that once Rod Blogojevich is out of office, the next governor should remove Burris. Wow, typical petty Illinois politics sure is being a d*ck about everything, huh?
:[ Geek Discussion of the Month: There were plenty of reviews out there bashing Frank Miller’s "The Spirit" movie. For those of you not in the know, Frank Miller is a comic book writer/artist. He is responsible for some of the coolest comic constructions of the last decade. His "Sin City" was adapted into film by Robert Rodriguez and him self. His "The Dark Knight Returns" is considered a milestone. His "Batman: Year One" is still considered by many to be the definitive year one story for Batman in comics. In fact, when other artists flashback to Batman's early years they ape or mimic panels of that particular series. Which should be the first warning sign of his talents. Miller did not draw Year One. That was Dave Mazzucelli.
Miller is also responsible for poor quality stuff like his "The Dark Knight Strikes Again", which I enjoyed at the time, but felt the story was rushed and now seems very dated for me. Even more so than "The Dark Knight Returns". I will not even mention "All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder".
But based on the success of the "Sin City" movie, a movie studio gave Miller, who never directed a full movie his self, a blank check to direct a movie based on Wil Eisner’s "The Spirit" comic. Miller claimed to be a good friend and protégée to Eisner and would not allow anyone else to direct it for fear of them ruining the character. I was never familiar with Eisner’s creation other than it came out during the costumed hero Zeitgeist of the 20's and 30's and it was more in the vain of the early Batman stories, except he was a cop in a mask and business suit. In hindsight, there are some racist overtones with the black character in the series. But that is a discussion for another blog.
Anyways, many feared what Miller would do after seeing much of the production art and then, clips of the movie. Many thought it was terrible and many reviewers on many Internet sites wrote in and said so. Having seen the clips I cannot bring myself to agree with them because I have not seen the movie. But based on what I saw, I was never going to see it anyway. Still, there was that slim faction that defended Miller. They almost always brought up Miller’s writing talent and style: Grim and gritty, women as objects, and tough and mean. And I have to agree, they were right. His comics have a certain neo-noir style to them that make his comics work. Which begs a question from me in this long-winded rant:
How does winning that particular argument make the movie good?
:[ Review of "Marley & Me" - For Christmas my Ten-year-old took me to see this family movie starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. I must admit, like millions of other saps out there, I was charmed by the puppy and the overall story about John Grogan’s experiences raising a dog and keeping a family. Quite touching actually. I think the first Aniston movie I’ve seen in the theater, ever. (You see? She still gets quite a bit of coverage without even trying. So to reiterate; she’s going to be fine.) Plus, they actually found a kid that looks like the offspring of Wilson and Aniston. The dog steals the show though and I was surprised that the dog was a part of the family and not the usual wedge in the relationship.
Although, I didn’t like it as much when it was called "Beethoven".
:[ Sad to see that in any bookstore nowadays, with all the scandal and losing sports teams, the only books in the "Local Interest" sections, I mean the only books in these sections are all books on President Lincoln. I mean really, is that all we got?
:[ Anyone else getting tired of those Men’s Warehouse commercials? I am. I guarantee it.
:[ According to the RedEye Paper, with the coolest new technology coming out in recent years, iPods, video phones, anything you can image that would have been science fiction to my dad, you know what the biggest selling iPhone application this Christmas was? iFart.
Yep, every cutting edge technology will always be used to express our crudity as human beings. Always.
:[ Mass Media - Backlash against the popular. The Dark Knight, music groups, comic books, authors, um, Tom Cruise, whatever becomes popular will eventually become hated.
You see, we hate it when something we enjoy becomes popular. We want to be cool and be in the thing that not many people know about.
:[ Valkyrie: I went and saw this today. I actually thought it was pretty good. Bryan Singer has a great hand with suspense. Even though you know the ending, you cannot help but be caught up in the flow of the story. It is about the June 20, 1944 plot to kill Hitler and to take over the government using a continency plan labeled "Valkyrie" wherein the Inner Circle takes command in the event of Hitler’s death.
Cruise plays Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg a disillusioned soldier whom decided to serve the country of Germany rather than Hitler and is quickly recruited to head up the next attempt. What follows is tension and worry as they try to bring their plan to fruition. First, they must get the SS and Hitler’s Inner Circle out of the way to get people they want in control of the government so they can quickly surrender to the Allied Forces whom are making their way to Berlin after the Normandy Invasion. It is a great thriller. The cast is stellar, the attention to the detail of the period are fantastic. What amazes me is how close they came, they actually took over the government! So, see it, let your preconceptions and baggage about whatever fall by the way side.
Oh, you know the one glaring thing, my buddy Cuba and I had a problem with when we watched this? Tom Cruise. Man, that guy ruined the whole movie for me. His religion. Ruined the movie. Hey, the guy jumps on couches. That’s not normal. He calls glib morning show hosts, "Glib". The man’s not right. It ruined the whole movie for me. On that note...
:[ It’s all Tom Cruise’s fault. Once you think about it. Cuba and I discussed this afterwards. Man, you know how much better Batman Begins would have been had he not been married to Katie Holmes. If she was not married to him, she would have been allowed to be in "The Dark Knight". So yeah, Tom Cruise is to blame for a lot of things. Including this assassination attempt during Project Valkyrie. I mean they wanted to surrender to the Allies a full nine months earlier to spare history looking badly on the German people and to save what was left of their country. But Tom Cruise ruined it. WWII would have ended earlier if not for that frickin’ Tom Cruise. He ruins everything....
:[ In the "Just What We Need" Section: US and British publishers announced a Winnie the Pooh Sequel to A.A. Milne’s classic children’s books. I love the Pooh. Heh. My favorite character from the cartoons is Eayore. But that’s apples and oranges. I am at a loss why they would even consider this. Have they learned nothing from "Scarlett", the much-publicized sequel to "Gone with the Wind"?
Recently, the JM Barrie Estate allowed a sequel to his "Peter Pan" and met with some success as they used it to raise funds for a Children’s hospital that Barrie supported. I guess we can blame the success of JK Rowling’s "Harry Potter" series. I mean we live in an age where the actual physical book is an endangered species. But, Harry Potter got pre-teens and teens buying books. That is where the problem lies.
Now, we get much-publicized, but not as well-crafted book series riding the coattails of Rowling. That Eragon Series, now it’s the whole Twilight thing. Not because they are promoting literacy, but because they want to cash in on long series’ that keep kids (Who have more buying power then ever before.) buying books for years before books are replaced with those touch screen thingies. Now, we are making up sequels to stuff to cash in some more.
"Authorized" sequels to old books needs to end. What's next, a sequel to "To Kill a Mockingbird"? Are that much of a creatively bankrupted society that we need to make sequels to classic stories? Next thing you know we'll be getting sequels to the Godfather book or remaking "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Hmm? Oh really? Oh. Nevermind.
:[ The Illinois Department of Revenue sent us a flier asking us to save paper by filing on-line, which we do. But Bonnie and I found it odd that they would waste paper to tell us to save paper. Hm. Almost like the Police send you a flier about your reported theft telling you they are really going to do nothing about it but remind you to call the police to report theft.
I hate theft. Which is hypocritical of me because I know: I stole your heart...*
:[ Front page of the Red Eye for December 30th, 2008 had us self-congratulating about all the great things and bad things Chicago was in the news for. Man, I guess the only way for Illinois to win anything is if we give the award to ourselves....
:[ Speaking of Red Eye, and living in a mediocre world, their big news cover story today? Moustaches.
:[ Salma Hayek guest-starred on "30 Rock" last week. My two big crushes in one show? Enough said.
:[ Last item of the month: Rachel Maddow appears on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Dang, why’d she have to wear the glasses? As you know, I have a thing for beautiful, intelligent women with glasses. (Hell, I was married to one.) Man, I am now very smitten with her. (Even though she scammed people out of billions of dollars. Right?)**
Worry not folks, I know what team she plays for. Besides, I barely appeal to straight women. So, my chances here are about the same....
That will do it for this, our first episode of 2009. I hope the year has been treating you right so far. I do feel that change is in the air. I do. Also, I’ll be forwarding a form version of "The Note" to all y’all (at the same time) by the end of the month. I have so much to update you one. ‘Kay? And thank you to the *Superficial Writer and **Jon Stewart.
But before I go I would like to recall the words of that great and venerable statesman Abraham Lincoln....
Until next time; "For some, the truth isn’t good enough."
