December - Winter 2009

Wisdom of the Sages

Episode XII

December - Winter 2009

Hello People of the World;

And now we are slapped with the icy cold hand of winter’s reality. Waking us to the fact that no matter how much we scream that we are masters of this world, that a dip in temperature is enough to infantile our boasting to longings of warmth and snuggling, as if we had never grown out of that childish instinct to be mothered and protected. So; Now, is the winter of our discontent….

So get-eth thou a stocking full of savings at MENARDS! Yep, the “Holiday” Shopping Season is upon us as we race ever closer to The National Deadline* of Spending known to “Mericans” as Christmas. The one time a year 98% of Christians go to mass. Me included, but not lately.

(*Thanks to Andrew Horton for coining that.)

Anyways as the 2009 draws to a close I look back and ponder all that has happened the last twelve months. Some, ups, lots of downs but as the Man said, “In three words I can sum up everything I learned about life; it goes on.”

I write that a lot because it’s true.

Let’s get started, shall we?

:[ First item of the Month: Have you ever noticed how some people have to make that snide remark as if to say “I’m smarter than you”? Yeah, I get that all the time.

:[ I find this absolutely hilarious: when in Rome, you ask a Roman, right? Or more clearly, when you want to know something about Greece, a Greek. About Africa, Africans, I would think. About African-Americans, you talk to African-Americans. Asian culture, I hope we go to Asians, such as Thai, Viet, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and by God we had better consult Muslims in Muslim issues, am I right? Christian issues we, without delay, consult Christians. Judaism, we ask a Rabbi or Jew?

Then why is it when we need to know something about Native Americans, we talk to or consult everybody BUT Natives? Hilarious, huh?

:[ I hate when, in the coffee shops, when there are scads of people in line, some idiots walk in and take a table before even getting in line. What’s with that?

What I hate more is when a group of people come in and without ordering first, set up a bunch of tables for their group and then they begin hoarding chairs. Then, when more people come in, order, then go to sit down, there is no place to sit thanks to these jackasses that think they are owed the space.

:[ Speaking of coffee, that f*cking cup of coffee is not worth your life! Geez, people quit stepping out into traffic with your coffees and cross the f*cking street at the crosswalk or traffic lights.

:[ Donnie Osmand wins “Dancing with the Stars”. So, someone who’s been dancing since he was a child wins a dancing contest. What’s so frickin’ special about that?

:[ Speaking of standing in lines, I went to the post office today, which is a Saturday, and there was a near lineout the door and only two postal workers working their butts off, calmly and quietly to service everybody. Still, every one sees the situation and knows they cannot do a thing about yet they still fucking complain? Why? I just calmly wait in line. I put in my time.

Then I see the line jumpers. People trying to get back in line with other people they know. Who made that rule? When you step out of line, you are out of line. Go to the end to get back in line. Simple.

Especially, you passport people. First of all, you get your own frickin’ line. Be patient until someone shows up to help you. When the line is out the door and there are only two workers, don’t cry or jump the line with your complaints. Don’t make one of the only two workers service you just because you did not have the foresight to get your passport long before the day before your travel. Come on.

It is no wonder postal workers would go off and gun down people at the post office. I’m not saying it’s right, but I understand.

:[ Do you think I should do a longer review of Sherman Alexie’s “War Dances” besides, “Yeah, I read it” ?

:[ Speaking of long lines, why is it that when a cashier opens a new check out-lane and asks for the “next person in line” do all the people at the end of the line bodycheck that next person in line to get there? This is why we have the problems we do. Simple courtesy has disappeared.

:[ Seriously, don’t you think that all the awards and accolades Taylor Swift is getting is just Middle America’s way of sticking it to Kanye West? I mean, that, here we are ready to forgive Mel Gibson’s prejudice tirade, Cheney’s shooting a man, Letterman’s philandering, hell, we’ve already forgiven Roman Polanski’s statutory rape, but not Kanye. Because, what was his crime again?

Oh yeah. He was rude.

Yep, that’s it.

Forget anti-Semitism, cheating on your significant other, forget statutory rape, and forget SHOOTING A MAN IN THE FACE, because Mister Kanye was rude! And to show you up, we will give someone undeserving so much adoration and attention, that you will be put in your place. Which is dancing and shuffling and being the object of our ridicule!

:[ Speaking of philandering, Tiger Woods owes me nothing. Sure, he owes his wife, BIG TIME. Kudos to his wife for calling him on it but, really, leave them to it. Anyone defending the ludicrous news coverage about his infidelity must first come forward with news of their own. I’d rather let my own be private, and you would too, I think. Let’s get over it, huh? (Anyone seeing the pattern yet?)

:[ Sometimes, sitting in the coffee shops I cannot but overhear other people’s conversations. Mostly, when a person speaks to a group about something, it is always aimed to making the speaker look good or have the moral high ground. Almost always, in every conversation I happen to overhear, and sometimes, take a part in.

It made me think about how much I do this. So, I think I will try and do this less and see what happens.

Also, never forget that once you walk away, the rest will almost immediately begin talking about you. Happens every time.

:[ CLICK HERE for the Masterpiece know as My Review of “Inglorious Basterds”. COMING SOON! (I mean that.)

:[ Hey, I am not a fan of Adam Lambert, or Glambert, at all, but really?

So let me get this straight (ha ha), Adam Lambert should not be allowed to kiss men, because he’s gay?

:[ Besides, there is nothing like a cheating African-American golf superstar to make you forget that two men kissed on National television! Just saying.

:[ Of late I have gone beyond simply referring to myself in the third person. Ernest tired. Ernest hungry. Ernest do newsletter. Ernest update site. Ernest have Speakers Bureau. Ernest play video game. Now:

You all know my stance on being late, right? Lately, when I am running late I began measuring my lateness in terms of how many city blocks I feel I am behind. I measure my lateness in distance rather than in time. When I walk out the door of my place and I realized I took a wrong direction, I start thinking immediately of how many city blocks ahead I would have walked had I gone the correct direction to begin with. So, when this happens, like it did yesterday, I start to think I should be, for an example, two and a half blocks further ahead.

Then, I mentally split that “Corrected Journey” off in my head, thinking of my own walking speed, the path I could have taken and set it against my own current position. Then I start thinking of that “Other Imaginary Ernest” ahead of me, and how far ahead he is in regards to mine own stupidity. Then, I begin to refer to this Imaginary Me as “He” or “Him”, then I catch myself and think, “Yep, I’m damn peculiar.”

:[ Which reminds me; I had my own Mindless Text Moment the other day walking to the store. I was walking up Howard Avenue towards the store, after getting coffee and writing at the Starbucks, when as I walked I received a text message. I opened my phone to find that someone I have not been in touch with much had sent me a text message. As I debated what to write him back, how many characters it would take to reply, and to what the cost would be according to my plan when I suddenly realized I had slowed my walk considerably and was in the middle of crossing the street.

Luckily, there were no on-coming cars so I flip my phone closed and walked on to the store. I sent a text later when I got back home. Sheesh, the debate to answer right away is one that is distracting. But really, text messages are nothing that cannot wait to begin with. Wait until you at least sit down somewhere and take time to reply. So, there, I had a texting moment.

:[ Redshade Productions UPDATE:

Hamlet: The more I think of this, the more I like the idea. I’ve fallen in love with making a Hamlet movie. I want to populate the movie with Native actors and actresses but make no allusion to their being Natives. I had a slight problem with correlating “The Dane” to the idea of a Native American Hamlet. But, I figured that out and when I explained it to my little sister Rye, she got it and loved the idea.

Three Kingdoms: Still inspired to do my own after seeing Red Cliffs so many times. I am really keen on shooting this as soon as possible. I am getting going again on finishing a first draft before spring, which would be the best time to shooting. Only Bonnie and maybe a former film teacher know of my concept for this. Let me know if anyone is interested in helping me shoot this.

The Shoshoni Connection: When I think of the action scenes I have planned, I get this lump of twitter in my gut. I am just so excited about it. I want to make these movies real. I love these ideas. I’ve fallen in love with the idea of making them. Does anyone else get a warm fuzzy thinking about making a movie, of thinking about what your movie would look like? How about watching movies, do you get inspired and thrilled about seeing such a good movie that makes you think about making your own, or how to incorporate what you saw into your inspirations? (That is how I judge movies.) Let me know.

:[ Speaking of the National Deadline, celebrating the birth of Christ by shopping and drinking is a relatively new concept. Very much a 20^th Century creation with the advent of capitalism and the trade of goods for credit, a paltry 100 year tradition barely .05% of the millennia since Christ’s birth. Strange, when you think of it in that respect. Strange, how we chose to celebrate the Savior’s birth. Buying Pokemon. Hm.

:[ It’s that time again. The WoS Review Annual Best of 2009! CLICK HERE for that. (You might have to wait a while before that happens because there are a couple of movies that I would like to see before I finalize the list.)

CLICK HERE for the EW3 2000 Decade Movie Festival, highlighting my favorite movie picks from the past ten years! Yep, from 2000 to 2009 is ten years. (“Nobody likes a math geek Scully.”) I am thinking of hosting a screening of the DVDs I have that correspond with my list. Getting together with friends to watch movies. Anyone else interested in that? Though the 2009 list is not on this yet, it will be once I get the Best of 2009 posted, so come back to this one.

:[ I had written out this item that was pretty one-sided politically, but then I felt that that was not me at all. So, I pulled it because I am not a very political person really when it comes down to it. I have stated before that neither political party really represents the US Citizenry accurately. If we truly are a free, democratic country with freedom of choice, why are we limited to only TWO parties to represent us?

:[ From the “This Just In” File: A couple of Asian movie are coming out that I really want to see. The first is opening this month in Asia, starring Zhao Wei, “Hau Mulan.” Yes, based on the Chinese folktale of a young woman disguising herself as a man to serve the Wei Army in her father’s stead. Not the first Asian production of the tale. Certainly the most famous right now is the Disney version, which tanked in China, for expected reasons. Wei, fresh off her stint in “Red Cliff I & II” makes for the perfect Mulan, according to critics.

The other comes out on DVD pretty soon and is a Japanese production “Ichi.” No, not the art house serial killer pic that peaked a couple of years back. This is a retelling of the Zatoichi, the blind swordsman legend with the lead cast as a woman! Looking forward to both movies!

:[ Last Item of the Month: Speaking of the First Woman President of the United States, (Which I was in the deleted item above.) I don’t think that this will ever happen unless it is a Native American woman. Think about it. Look for my reasoning in an upcoming Redshade Report!

That will do it for this month.

Please take time to read a new upcoming Redshade Report about my nephew, the Little Man, Redshade Bearing! He’s such a sweet kid. All my nieces and nephews are. I’ve been blessed. But Little Man is a special little guy. Coming Soon! CLICK HERE!

I hope the new year is a good one for you. I am going to forego the Annual Note as people are pretty much caught up with me had they been reading these. Let me know how you are doing. Feel free to write in, comment, react, or counter anything you read here. Public discourse begins with someone saying something back. If not, then, I am simply right about everything, because I got in the last word.

Take care. Be back in 30.

Until Next Time, “I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control everything really are.”

© 2009 Ernest M. Whiteman III