I have heard all the criticisms about the things I know and the things I like.
So how do I know about strange and different things?
Simply I do my own programming.
I just want to post about the programs on my MP3 player. iTunes will be the end of any real quiet time in my life. I am always looking for Podcasts to listen to during the work day. It gives me some exposure to people and the world that exists outside of my immediate circle in life. I think that it helps in regards to critical thinking that goes into my writings. It lets you know that this world has more going on in it then you will ever truly know in your lifetime.
So besides my eclectic music taste. Here is a list of the Podcasts that I regularly listen to.
This American Life- Stories about things that happen in this country that makes you think. You may be surprised but there is some depth to American society. However, not when it comes to politics and prime time network television.
On Point- Interviews and discussions on a wide range of topics. Most of the time it is about a topic that I am unfamiliar with. And the less I know makes the discussion turn out to be more interesting.
The MOTH – People telling true stories about themselves live without any notes.
Seven Second Delay- A weekly radio program that usually features radio stunts that go bad. They do not call them “train wrecks” for nothing.
Dusty Show- Features “man on the street” interviews, sometimes strange yet insightful monologues and more eclectic music in between.
I really like Podcasts that features people just having conversations that are basically goofing on each other and the topic. It is these talks that you can find some insight about people and things. It is where I can find some things to check out that I had never heard of before. This is where I find those books, movies and websites that most people have never heard about. I do not always search those things out for myself. I usually hear about them on Podcasts like this. There are two Podcasts that fall into this premise for me. Kevin Smith’s SModcast and the show Keith and the Girl.
I am also looking at DVD’s in the store. I am trying to find the movies that I find to be influential. A few weeks ago, I found Mad Max on DVD. And who could argue with $5 price for it? This is the movie that introduced Mel Gibson to the world. (For better or for worse.)It was also the first time I got to watch it in widescreen format. And with Mel Gibson’s real voice. Yes, they dubbed someone else’s voice into the original issue of the movie. Why? Who knows? There are a few other reasons why I like this movie. Lately, I have been drawn to movies that had a low budget and yet at the same time make something that was very creative. Examples: Kevin Smith’s Clerks, Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi, Alex Cox’s Repo Man, John Carpenter movies and anything by the infamous low-budget director/producer Roger Corman.
I am also drawn to movies whose main character could be classified as being an “antihero”. Mad Max falls into this criteria. Plus the movie has some really cool car and motorcycle chases that were done on a low budget.
The following is a thought that goes back a few weeks. So I have been thinking it over. Some people reading this may find this possibly to be funny. And others are going to be a bit pissed off. But as I have said before I have to go with my strongest thought when it comes to writing. You have been warned.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
I was raised Catholic. And I am still trying to come to terms with it. I was taught that just having a thought about a sinful act was indeed committing the sin. If I went ahead and actually did the sin then I had really sinned. In baseball terms this means one sin equals two strikes. And being myself with my thoughts you can do the math to realize that I am in a lot of trouble. With logic like this it is amazing that any Catholic can make it into Heaven. And yet many Catholics feel they are the only ones who can make it in. Or least they are going to be first in line. I do not want to start a religion argument. I just wanted to give some base line facts about how my thoughts have been shaped by certain forces in my life. So I just might as well go with the flow here. And it may upset some people I know. You would think they would have grown a tolerance to my thoughts.
Back to the Mad Max movie. It is a story about a post – Apocalyptic world where society is starting to break down. Mad Max (Mel Gibson) is a police officer who is trying to maintain some sense of order in this world. It is never explained in the movie what was the actual cause that brought the world into this post – Apocalyptic state. Since the movie was made in the late 1970′s I am going to guess the United States and Russia will have to take blame for it. Seems like old times.
So here come the thoughts.
A few weeks ago, I had watched the movie. And a couple of days later I was on vacation with my friends and their families in Northern Ontario. And here are the thoughts.
“If the world was going to go Mad Max at this moment and this the group I was going to be stuck with. Well. Now what?”
Now what?! Let’s have fun. Let’s make this into a game show. Let’s play Survivor.
About the rules. Since this is my game. I cannot be voted off. I am claiming executive power here. Playing my Cheney card. And doubling down on the W card. But I am sleeping with one eye opened. I am not stupid.
First strategy. In the movies, everyone goes crazy stocking up on food. I would go for real currency for the new world disorder. Raid the liquor store. Stock up on booze and cigarettes. People really cannot go long without the vices. Vice vs. virtue. Bet with the vice. But toilet paper is safe bet in this situation too. In the end, convenience dies hard.
Now the “too little too late” realization. If you are going to be stuck in a survival situation you are going to have to pick wisely. Since you do not know when the shit is going to hit the fan. You are going to have this thought. “I am stuck with you? Damnit!” It is in this moment you realize that you do not screen your friends as well as you think you do. Note to self. Next time there will be a better application process for the next time the world ends. It will include an essay question to answer. “What skills I bring to end of the world?” The other thought is that you do not pack enough the essentials as you think you do. The Boy Scouts have it right. Be Prepared!
So in this new world disorder it is down to supply and demand argument. And then you realize that sadly some people are going to have to go away. Some quicker than others. That is the nature of the game. Not enough to supply everyone. And some are way too demanding on top of it. This is the real Survivor game. Who does not like a good game show? We especially like getting to choose the losers. No one really cares about the winner. The only person who cares about the winner is the individual. The group on the whole wants to name the loser.
Be honest. In any group situation you make a mental list of the “winners and losers”. Not enough of one. Too many of the other.
In this survival situation you also remember the infamous Donner Family dilemma. Some people need to go a little above and beyond with the food situation. You have that brief Hannibal Lecter moment. “What wine will we be serving with Bob?” Then you realize that your “Donner party” eats a lot of shit. The crappy American diet has determined that in terms of nature’s food chain humans are equivalent of corn. Filling yet with no nutritional value. Forget the notion of “tasting like chicken”. Not that I really know. I am just making an educated guess. So you are going to have to learn to be a better fisherman and/or farmer.
I also got a brief thought about playing out “The Last Man of Earth scenario”. Becoming a polygamist via bloodshed seems like a really, really bad idea. I quickly used a glass of bourbon to erase this thought. But if you are going to play out this scenario you may want to find yourself a little closer to the Playboy Mansion. And if you are that Lunatic out there who plans to blow up the world in a big James Bond villain way then please give me a heads up warning. I need to make a road trip.
This is really just extension from the famous quote from while on a family vacation. Everyone’s Dad has said this at one point. So this quote is not specific to any one Dad in particular. “If all of you don’t cut the crap right now! I am going on vacation by myself next year! I swear to God I am!”
I must be on a roll if I have been able to write three posts in one week. Hopefully, the trend continues.
I think somewhere there is a Monty Hall type of person opening the doors to Apocalypse. Someone out there is putting things in the drinking water. There has to be an explanation for what is going on. And it needs to stop. NOW!
I never thought I would write the following.
At least not willingly.
Let me say this. I find Paris Hilton to be completely ridiculous. I see no reason why she is famous for being famous. What happened to the time when you needed to do actually perform something to be famous? The last time I did see her “perform” I was disappointed. She had one of the worse porn performances I have ever seen. She made me think that “acting” in such movies was better than how she did it. I was surprised that she made even made me think about the quality of the “acting” in porn. Ironic?
She made news for being lampooned in a John McCain campaign ad. Although there was some truth to it. Celebrity has become a dangerous thing in America culture. We have as a society on the whole mistaken “celebrity” equates to “substance”. We are sadly on the edge of joining the “cult of personality”.
As many of you know that I really enjoy watching movies. I also enjoy watching television shows with strong characters. I recently saw the latest X-File movie. I want to call people’s attention to it. Judging by the box office many of you stayed away from this movie. I am saying when it comes out on DVD to give it a chance. Even if you have never watched any of the shows when it was on television.
The series was known for an ongoing conspiracy of alien invasion. The series had more to it than just that. They also investigated other paranormal events too. If you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock then this is a show you should definitely check out if you have not done so already.
The thing that separates this show from many others is they had two very strong lead characters. The FBI agents of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigated all the “strange happenings”. Mulder was the “believer” while Scully was the “skeptic”. However, as the show developed these two opposite characters grew a relationship of mutual respect and admiration towards each other. Too often in shows characters that are opposite of each other tend to act acrimoniously towards each other and work to undermine each other. It is refreshing to see characters of different beliefs finding a way to work as a team. (Our political leaders very badly need to learn this lesson.)
The reason the current movie had not done well is because I think that many people were looking for an alien conspiracy story like the last movie that was made over a decade ago. This story is a standalone one. It reintroduces the characters of Mulder and Scully. It focuses on their relationship. It is also touches on some of the underlining themes of the series. The inquiry on the “unknown” phenomena of this world. The examination of one’s belief. It is also questions that belief in regards to tangible proof. The act of continuing to confront one’s own belief in the face of opposition to that belief. The question of how far are you willing to go to prove that belief? And is the cost of that worth it? The questioning of faith without being condescending towards that faith.
This movie I found to be a good at developing once again Mulder and Scully. And the movie did provide a few good “creepy” moments too. I liked that this movie focused on expanding out their relation. I also like when characters’ traits are done with intelligence like in this film. Too many movies these days think that car chases and shoot outs reveal character. It does not work that way. But I have to admit I do like a good car chase and shoot outs. Paraphrasing a lesson in a screenplay book I read. Action should come out of character but action in itself does not make a character.
So give this movie a chance. And with the Internet and some intelligence you can get up to speed quickly about these characters.
Good characters make a good movie. Box office totals don’t.
And if enough of you “discover” this film I am sure it will become a strong film franchise for years to come.
NOTE: This song comes from the soundtrack for the movie Into the Wild which is based on a book by Jon Krakauer (based on a true story). I highly recommend all three: the book, the movie and the soundtrack.
I have traveled up into Northern Ontario in Canada many times in my life. The first time I went up to Temagami, Ontario I noticed these rock sculptures along the side of Highway 11. At first, I thought I had just thought I saw something odd. But I would see many more of them. In fact, I started to keep a close lookout for them. I would later find out that they were a marker meaning “man was here”. I would later find out they were called an “Inuksuk”. (The link has a nice description) And the following is quote I found about them.
The Inuksuk are ancient Canadian Inuit structures. Built in the image of man, they are a signature on the Arctic landscape of a hunter who has previously passed this way. Their strength of presence gives comfort to the traveler, assuring him that he is not alone. They are also messengers indicating safe passages, natural shelter and good hunting.
As I said I find these to be interesting. Although on this trip I did not see as many as I have had in the past. It could be as a result of the gas prices that not many people are traveling into this region. It can also be that many of them have fallen down due to weather and the simply passage of time.
I guess you can call yourself a tourist when you buy and over priced item. I am guilty as charged here. I bought a miniature “Inuksuk” (pictured on the left) for top of the entertainment center in my home. I do not know exactly why. But I thought it was something the place needed. Save the comments on that is not all the place needs. I know it needs more.
The problem is I hate doing “touristy” things many times. A tourist to me seems to be a person who travels to places just to look at things. I need to be doing something. I like that “hands on” things. I want to be a “traveler”. That type of person who seems to be willing to do something. I had to do something for myself while on vacation. So I took a couple of solo kayak trips around the island (Bell Island) I was staying on. It was nice to just be able to go and do something without having a “committee meeting” beforehand. On the back side of the island there is a mini bay area. It was peaceful and the water was very still. The woods around the bay were dense to try seeing anything that may lie within. There are still nice places that do exist on this planet. Kayaking by myself gave me a chance to see things at my pace. I was also able to “investigate” further the things that caught my attention. It was nice to have a chance to float in the water looking down at the fish below.
I had to also do something on my own to add to my “traveler” experience. This time up there I had a chance to do something I have wanted to every time I have been up there. I got the chance to make a couple myself. They were both placed on the back side of place called Bell Island on Temagami Lake. The first one was built on a trail near a footbridge. I wanted to build my own “Inuksuks”. The first one I built was along the trail that runs on the backside of the island. It was on the other side of the footbridge that is located there. But sadly, a couple of days later when I went back there only to find that it had been kicked over by someone or something. I guess you find that anywhere you go.
I did build a second one. It is also near the footbridge. It was in the woods along the shoreline of the bay. I am not sure how long it will last. I realize that the weather along with march of time will probably reclaim my “Inuksuk”.
I am not sure if anyone out there will ever find them. I get why people take walks into the woods by themselves. It is a time to be with yourself and your thoughts. Without the distractions of modern life. And without the need to explain and defend those thoughts. If you find this marker by yourself some day. I just want to let you know that “I get it”.
and the simply passage of time.
