Wisdom of the Sages
Episode IV
April – Spring 2010
Hello People of the World;
I have decided that the main reason I have been late in writing these is that I’ve been trying to keep an unsteady consistency with WOS. In the beginning I started with maybe a dozen item of various interest to me. Lately, it had ballooned to 25 items and I’ve been trying to keep that count up month to month. Sure, there should be at least 25 things in the world that would hold my interest. But, nothing I really care to comment on.
So, in an effort at efficiency I am cutting down the number of items in WOS and we’ll see if that works. Next month it will be even smaller. Getting it down to 15 items is my goal. Sort of a literary diet, so to speak.
Let’s get started, shall we?
:[ First Item on the Month: Wilma Mankiller passes away. Principle chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1985 to 1995, winning re-election and the first woman to lead a Native tribal nation (In the modern era). While her name has become known to the Native peoples of the United States, her passing is relatively ignored, save a search link on the front page of Yahoo bunched in with with this story. A great and historical figure that should never be forgotten.
A moment of silence…
:[ Hey people, since when has honking your horn ever worked for you? Seriously?
:[ So, I bought this cheap PS2 game called “The Way of the Samurai” and it is fairly straight-forward. But I keep getting killed at it. It is a sort of “Choose Your Own Adventure” type game with decisions you make affecting the outcome of the game. But no matter what I choose I always end up getting hacked to death by some various factions. It’s funny.
Finally! I finished a storyline. Unfortunately, everyone died, except for the damsel I rescued and myself. Again, it's very funny. My utter incompetence as a video game playable samurai character has lead to many deaths.
:[ I guess there is a Doctor Shortage going on where Licensed Nurses are stepping up to take the lead. 28 states are thinking of expanding the authority of practicing nurses. About time! “Make all my decisions. Do all my work. At one-tenth my pay!” Thanks Doc.
:[ Hearing Michael Buble sing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in that showy, Vegas style is hilarious! Wow.
:[ Dragon Dynasty Video released yet another version of John Woo’s “The Killer”. Now, I have a Fox/Lorber edition of the film, and I understand Criterion put out an edition. But many have blasted this edition for being poor transfer from a PAL source. Geez, suddenly we’re the techno-whizzes when it comes to movies.
I’m going to get this edition anyway because it has some extra features that I’d like to see. Yep, I’m a DVD geek like that. I did not nor will not give up my MGM version of “Wings of Desire” in the wake of getting the re-mastered Criterion edition, because the MGM has an actual Wim Wenders commentary and an interactive map that the Criterion does not have. Yep, I’m that geeky.
:[ Coffee Shop Fun: Today in the Borders I ask the barista if they sweeten their iced coffee, he points away and the jerk says “You can do it yourself. The sugar’s over there.”
Man, I never worked in a coffee shop but I know that granulated sugar does not dissolve in ice cold liquid. Man, sad that the evil Starbucks does sweeten their iced coffee. Ass.
It must be so nice to be the only gal in a group of college-aged guys. They all laugh at your jokes and agree with your nonsense and buy you $4 drinks all because you flash coin slot.
At the Starbucks later on, I caught the barista starring at me because I was wearing NATIVE PRIDE. He was weird.
:[ If I could, I’d punch the show “Glee” right in the face!
:[ So, I live in an apartment building where we all have to share laundry facilities. Now, people, I do not enjoy cleaning the lint filter out for you. Seriously. I always end up cleaning it out twice: before and after my wash loads.
Cripes folks, how hard is it to clean the lint traps?
:[ Oh yeah, I guess I am back with the film festival I left two years ago. I dunno. I missed it. Besides, I didn’t leave for any real dramatic reason anyway, at least none that made sense at the time. Visit our website: www.fnfvf.org.
:[ Hey, why is it that only now, after he is dead, is everybody now “dealing” with Michael Jackson’s ADDICTION TO PAINKILLERS!?
:[ Yeah, but where are the flying cars?!
My brother Dalco, a former US Marine, stated that he cannot see the viability of flying cars. Why? What would you do if your engine stalled? Common sense, people. Why have we lost it?
:[ What is really sad though is that for Corey Haim to become relevant again, he had to fucking DIE! Come on people.
:[ I went to the Annual Sci-Fi Spectacular at the Music Box Theater. I went a couple of years ago and saw Star Trek II and The Road Warrior on the big screen. I only stayed for three movies back then. This year had a slew of fun sci-fi/horror movies and I was able to stay from beginning to end, seeing THEM!, Flash Gordon and They Live on the big screen was a blast. But trying to get home at 2:30 in the morning via public transportation is not fun.
Now, I am going to C2E2. Yep, I am just that geeky.
:[ So, Elton John throws a concert on the Mayan ruins. Despite several accidents that local attribute to bad karma for basically, HAVING A CONCERT ON THE MAYAN RUINS! Oh well, I guess the local Maya don’t get a say because you’re Elton John, right?
:[ Kids, it is really time to retire the phrase “What up”. Seriously, dudes, for all of us.
:[ Once again I have decided to take part in the annual “Poem a Day” Challenge at Poetic Asides. Last year, I hammered out 30 poems under the collective title “Origin”. This month’s working title is “The Dropping of Branches”. I have to admit that I am not keeping up with it, as I should be. Too many repetitive themes in my poetry that I feel one note and then with all else that is going on I have little time for composition. But we shall see. I have yet to post a single poem. Chickens.
:[ Sigourney Weaver is mad because “Avatar” did not win. Mad that Kathryn Bigalow only won because she is a woman! Can you believe the nerve of Kathryn Bigalow making a superior movie to “Avatar”? Truly, any of the other eight nominated movies were better than “Avatar”. All this brick-a-brack from the same actress whom broke down barriers to become the first major woman action star? Weird, and a little bit hypocritical.
:[ From the “This Just In” File: Listening to WFMT this morning, as I always do. It’s an old habit from my first year here as I sent my clock radio to play that instead of beeping. (Long story.) Anyways, it always reminds me of the other-ness of Chicago. My brother Joey had WFMT on constantly when I first came to visit him here years ago. So, this morning they are playing Polish music all morning in honor of Polish President Kaczynski. Funny, about the same time that he died, Wilma Mankiller passed away and yet there has been little-to-no news coverage of her, though she may be a more important person to our nation’s history and ideology than Kaczynski. I am disappointed in WFMT.
:[ Last Item of the Month: So, on my latest jaunt with my Charlotte, we were walking through the new “Mammoths and Mastodons” Exhibit at the Field, Char piped up and straight-forwardly asked me, “What do you think is the right way, or (She then re-stated her question, as Char is one of the VERY FEW people I know who actually thinks about something before she says it.), …do you think science is the better way of thinking or do you think that religions is?”
This, from an eleven-year-old. I asked her what she thought. She said, “I think science is right because that then we have tangible facts and evidence.”
This, from an eleven-year-old, from her simple observations, as she attends church as well. I replied that I do not think religion is wrong because in a sense we gain our morals, our sense of right and wrong from religions. (At least I think we are supposed to.) To which she replies, “That’s true, also, people believe what they believe, and what they want to believe.”
She said that last statement without judgment, without prejudice, with a sense of live-and-let-live about it. Man, all this from an eleven-year-old.
My question to all you adults: At what point in our lives do we collectively lose this part of our intelligence?
That will do it for this month.
So, the literary diet did not work but I notice that I am not as late as I usually am. Maybe if I cut it down to 15 items this blog’ll be streamlined enough to make my deadlines. We’ll see.
As per usual, I invite you to comment, reply, contradict, oppose any view or opinion on here. But I know you won’t, ‘cause you’re a buncha cowards! And, my friends. We live in an age where the last, loud comment wins the argument in contrast to the art of debate. Don’t let me get away with the last loud comment. See you next month.
Until Next Time, “I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control everything really are.”
© 2010 Ernest M. Whiteman III
