If there’s magic in boxing, it’s the magic of fighting battles  beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It’s the magic of risking everything  for a dream that nobody sees but you.                                                                             

Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman)

Million Dollar Baby

I think one of the problems with movies is people watching them seldom take the time to think about the metaphors that are at work within the storyline. This is maybe true when it comes to “boxing” movies. I feel people turn away from the genre because the focus too much on the violence that is unavoidable when it comes to sport itself. Instead people should watch the movie as being about a person who happens to be a “fighter”. The plot line to all “Fight” (regardless of the technique) is basically the same. There is no doubt for the most part that the fighter will make it to that “big match”. The difference is it about the characters involved. It is really about what they reveal about themselves in the process of getting to the “big match”. There is the difference between a good and bad “fight” movie. In fact, the final match in a way is almost “anticlimactic”. A good one focuses on the characters and the journey. A bad one puts all of its focus on that “Big Fight Finale”

This format of movie is more about the metaphor at work than anything else. We all have something that we “fight”. And that same thing “fights” us back. It is all a matter of circumstances that we are all trying to escape. And yet we cannot do it. Eventually we all have to face it. The chance to have a “break-through”. And at the same time risking the “break down”. There is no “escape hatch”. It is something that many people would never understand. Or even try to make the attempt to understand. In fact, finding just one person who gets it is almost impossible. However, it is much easier to find “hyper-critical” people who will work against you. And that is a bit of irony there. A “critical” person is more often than not a person who is not willing to put in the “blood and sweat” needed. It is more than likely they do not have a “clue” on how to it either.

I think every writer at some point becomes attracted to “fight” genre. There is a layer of drama that exists along with the actual fight itself. There is a good background story that gives you someone or something to get behind.

I recently watched Warrior. This is not about boxing but mixed martial arts. It seems even more brutal than regular boxing. I do not enough about the techniques per say in this sport. This movie does not go into explaining them much at all. If had it would be more of “how to” movie that would lose its dramatic storyline. This move surprised me. It is the story of two distant brothers who are both into mixed martial arts. One is haunted Marine back from duty in Iraq. The other is a former fighter who is now married and physics teacher who has fallen behind in his finances. He sees this as his only way to get out from with under. However, this activity gets him suspended from his teaching job. I think this goes to why people might question these characters. Like in real life. Why would anyone do this to themselves? The truth is there will always be people who will physically punish themselves in order to get something. Every athlete does this. But why do some get praised for it? And others are condemned. The other thing why would two brothers want to fight each other in this matter? Another part in this movie to watch is Nick Nolte playing their dad who throughout their lives has made a lot of poor decisions. He also quotes a lot from Moby Dick. It adds yet another layer to story line to watch for.

 

For me it started with the first Rocky movie. I also came back to this movie recently when I picked up a copy of the soundtrack. I know this series is a source of a lot of jokes and parodies. I will give you that Parts 4 and 5 open the door to that for sure. However, you cannot make a good parody if you do not have some affinity for the original source.

Rocky Balboa (The Sixth One) and it really got the franchise back to the “spirit” of the original movie. This story is about how a person who gains notoriety can become almost a parody of himself. There is a cable sports station that does a video game match to see who would today in fight between “Rocky” and the current younger champion. This leads to a battle of egos that leads to a match to find out the answer. Rocky’s son is grown up and is trying to escape his father’s shadow. However, he is down on himself and wants his father not to go back into the ring one last time.

Million Dollar Baby I saw in the movie theater when it came out. First, I am a big Clint Eastwood fan and he directed and starred in this one. He is one of the few Hollywood icons left that will get me to into a theater instead of waiting for it to come out on DVD. This movie had a story that drew me in rather than “pummel” me which happens in a bad “fight” movie. This story for me gave me a sense of the “emotional toll” that may be involved in such a story.

This movie is one of the three movies I have seen in the theater in which the audience left in silence. (For the record the other two were Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan) It was an emotional drain to experience. It felt like the aftermath of fight if you had been in the ring yourself.

Finally, there is another boxing movie to check out.

Ignore the tone of the trailer. It is not a pure comedy. Nor is it pure drama. It is something in between. This is probably why the marketing division had a hard time promoting the film. Sadly, too many people need to watch something that is solely in one category. This was also a bit of surprise. It stars Adam Carolla (who surely has a reputation) and it is loosely based on his own life. He is day laborer who gets back to his boxing for another chance. I also like his role because he takes the approach of “This is how I am. You can take it or leave it”. It is a sentiment I can relate to. The real “twist” is what happens during the final “big fight” match that separates this movie.

All these films have one idea in common. The dream. And with that the circumstances they find themselves in that stand in the way.

Frankie likes to say that boxing is an unnatural act, that everything in boxing is backwards: sometimes the best way to deliver a punch is to step back… But step back too far and you ain’t fighting at all.

Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman)

Million Dollar Baby

I think I should add another category to this blog.

It should be called “The Thoughts that Have Been Banging Around in My Head for Far Too Long”. Or “The Thoughts that Make Me Stare at the Ceiling While I am Trying to Go to Sleep.” And there has to be a point to put a stop to it and just get it out.

I come a family setting that is more about what you have “procreated” rather than what you are “trying to create” separate from that. So if I am not doing the first part than the second part does not matter. And when you make to my age without doing the first part you are going to be “odd man” out. All I can say “It is what it is.” All I can do is focus on the second part. And the second part is something that they do not want to acknowledge. The good part is it saves a lot of phone calls. But it makes dinners awkward.

Plus, you cannot force something. Especially on to others.

There are times when you stumble across things on the Internet such as a video posting. As you watch it you realize that the person being featured has more wisdom than you ever realized. However, the sad case is this person’s wisdom was never fully realized while he was alive. And you have more questions for him. This is the case with the late comedian Patrice O’Neal.

It is hard to be attempting to do something the people around you do not understand whatsoever. I could lay out the “plan” or “THE VISION” (As the trumpets blare) with all of its fine details. The problem is the more details you give out the more people seem to figure out how they will not work. Rather, how to make them work. Everyone has an “escape plan” to make to the next level for themselves. And you have a role in them. Whether or not they tell you what that is. Your plan changes their narrative. It is just how life operates. That is why the clip resonated with me.

I know what I am do for all of its “ups and downs” is unusual. I am at an age where you tell people that I am “experimenting” they FREAK OUT. Our society has demonized the idea of “experimentation”. A failed national drug policy and risky financial products are big reason behind the fear. There are also way too many lawyers and insurance agents that claim “You can be made whole again. And it will not cost you thing to do so.”

Does Life’s Fine Print guarantee a return on the investment at all times? If so where is my refund on drinks and movies?

The traditional methods of achievement are not holding completely true so I have to turn to different sources for inspiration. It is more than finding just ways to improve the writing and finding outlets and audiences for it. There is no field of knowledge out there that exists on its own. It has to interact with all the other ones out. Anyone arguing for “purity” is wasting time.

I needed to find other sources for building the mechanisms and supports to help that “elusive plan”. I carry copies with me of the following books to refer when I have a chance. It is not always about improving just the “writing” part. It is also about improving the other parts around it.

(NOTE: I do not buy completely into any of the following sources as being the “absolute” way. I am just working through the parts that may help me. It is a matter of “assembling and reassembling” the process.)

1. GapingVoid.comThis blog I read weekly written by Hugh MacLeod. It is more about using the Internet to make connections. However, I am looking forward to his latest book Freedom is Blogging in Your Underpants.

2. The 4 Hour Workweekby Tim Ferris. He is becoming more prolific about his own personal experiments. His work is about achieving more efficiency in your everyday life.

3. The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. Another source for ideas on how to accomplish things in an “untraditional” way. (It is how the “New Economy” is working. His latest manifesto The Towerpresents some formable ideas.

4. The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. There has to one book dealing with the “internal mental struggles”.

5. The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry is a book that deals with how to help clean up the thought process. I think it is a good exercise to breakdown and examine the “process”.

I have also been listening to the podcast This Week with Larry Miller. It is a weekly (thus the title) podcast that lasts about an hour. It features just himself doing what is basically a monologue. He discusses those everyday things most of us can relate to it. He breaks them down and offers another perspective to them. Many times he sums things up as “Maybe it’s not perfect. But for what it is. It is good enough. And that’s all right.”

Things exist within their own time. Recognize it. And accept it.

This is a photo taken on as I watched the Super Bowl game this year at my friends’ house. That is their daughter Olivia there. And I am “Her Favorite Uncle”. Before you applaud this achievement let me tell you the “competition” for the title was “weak field of contenders”. She was watching her film on an IPad just sharing the couch during the game. She is 41/2 operates an IPad and more importantly can read. She is also very amusing. The dog name is “Smudge” and his breed is basically “a stomach with four legs, a tail and fur”. Every time, I go over there that dog bounces up in the window and has the look that says, “Thank God you are here”. And then wants to be petted for about 10 minutes and looks at them with the look that says, “See what he is doing. Why can’t you do this for me?” It is nice to be appreciated. One day, Maggie (The Mom) told me that one afternoon the two of them were going “absolutely bonkers” and just started running around the living room and looking out the window. The reason was someone had parked a truck just like mine in front of the house. And they thought I was coming to the house. It took a few minutes, to convince them at that time I was at work.

I guess I have an effect. It is nice to be joyfully recognized.

There are times when you have a good thing. And I cannot recreate it to have for myself 24/7. And that is all right. There are just situations that are unique. So do not get greedy.

I think people too often can get too caught up within themselves. They do not take any time or effort to take a different perspective on things.

I start many of my mornings reading Jessica Hagy’s blog Indexed. She creates simple graphs that break down how certain things or ideas are related to each other. She also has some good ones too in Thoughts Over Coffee. She also had another article to take a look at titled, How to be More Interesting(in 10 Simple Steps). And Loopholing: Seeing the Options Between the Rules.

Sometimes when things seem to very “complex” it is a relief to be able to see something that breaks it down to its basic “elements”.

I am not sure how I really feel when it comes to “The Power of the Universe”. But I would also be insincere if I did not admit to the “possibility” that it may be at work out there. As I was pondering all my thoughts for this posting I came across this posting from GapingVoid. It related to an upcoming documentary about a renowned sushi chef who even in his older age does not feel he has truly mastered his craft.

Maybe the message of the film is that person needs to remember the “craft” on hand in the moment. Rather than focusing in on the clock or on a date on a calendar as the “ultimate deadline” for its achievement. There are things that need to play a few extra “Mulligans” in life.

The thing we should never retire from. There are things you do that time as “an ending” should not be taken into consideration.

Does any of this make sense?

If this left you with a “Blank stare”.

Sorry. But that’s on you.

I do not know how some ideas “pop” into my head. I work for the most part by myself during the day and live on my own at night. Sometimes, I will read, watch or maybe even hear something that catches my mind. And while I am going about my work, I start “playing” with the idea in my head. In a matter of time, I am making notes. I like doing this on my own at work. I do not share what so ever these ideas directly with them. I do not even mention this site. They are not people who I would seek their input from on this endeavor. Besides it is important some times to keep the various aspects of your life into “separate and distinct” corners.

Before I get into the premise for this post. And I hinted towards it in the title. I was thinking about it as I went about my work. I was also listening to my MP3 player when this song came on.

And then I started thinking about a couple of other songs that could relate to it and its theme.

Ready for the music leap?

Both of the following songs use “capital punishment” as an allegory about “reckoning”. That final coming to terms with one’s own actions.

And now let me shift gears. Everyone experiences a certain amount of Pathos in their life. The Greeks defined as “(represents an appeal to the audience’s emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric (where it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos and logos), and in literature, film and other narrative art.” However, this “mode” or “method” (depending on how you look at it) does not get that favorable of a view.There are a lot of people telling you should avoid it. They sell plenty of products that ease if not eliminate it. It is all contrary to the quote “We need to do more with less.” This quote has been thrown about for years. It seems to be highlighted more as gas prices rises. And guess no one has ever bought into the quote fully. Just go to any store. There are more items available than ever before. And then there are plenty of drugs available to “curb” the feeling. I really do not want to get started on the lawyer ads on TV that promise “Hurt? Damaged? I can make you whole again. Minus 30% in the small print.”

It is all about how you process the experience. What insights you draw out. The only people who seem to be voicing this are the comedians.

I listen to Marc Maron’s WTF? Podcast. Or Doug Stanhope albums. There is a degree of Pathos to their work but instead of hiding from it they decide to air it out. There is a degree of honesty to their work. You may not fully agree with them but you have to admit they make you think about your own positions. But right now it seems everyone wants to “draw sides” rather than think of the potential “possibilities” that may exist. The outcry for people like that is to “Be nice”. Which is ridiculous. Because “Nice” rarely equates to “Funny”. Or even challenges people to even “think”.

There is one comedian I want to highlight and that is Louis CK. His own show on cable is that blend of humor and pathos that is somewhat based on his own life. His show is not formatted like your typical sitcom show. It has a slight experimental film quality to it. And it goes into some very “dark” spots to get to some humor. Most people rarely want to go there via any humor.

(NOTE: All the video clips in the rest of this post contain Explicit Language and Situations)

First, I want to show some examples of his work from his first show that was on for a season on HBO called Lucky Louie.

It is funny that his daughter will not accept the answers for the simple things but the complex one at the end she goes for.

I do not have kids. But I have watched my friends with theirs. And I can tell you. Even though they won’t admit it. The scenario and its reaction are very true.

His current series allows his real comedy and the action of the storyline to come together. Hulu and Netflix are streaming Season 1. I am catching up on Season 2 episodes as they are available on Hulu. I think I may get the DVD sets because this is show I can see myself watching over again trying to pick up on the nuisances of the show. Season 2 featured some good moments. I wish I could find the clips to share. There was when Louie meets up with Dane Cook and has to resolve their feelings towards each other. It is based on the real life saga where Dane Cook was accused of stealing Louis CK’s jokes. There was an episode where Joan Rivers consults him on the fact his career will have highs and lows and he cannot control when they will happen to him in his career. The best one was when Doug Stanhope starred as Eddie a comedian who started with Louie. However, his career did not pan out like Louie’s did and he is there to say “Goodbye” as he was going off to kill himself. There are laughs but against the drama it is a really good moment of Pathos. The other part, of the show is that Louie CK is willing to make himself the “butt of the joke”. He is willing to be the victim.

Here are some clips.

Lesson: Your friend should never be your doctor.

Lesson: TSA needs to lighten up.

Lesson 2: It takes a brave man to admit to his “failings” or admit to his “needs”.

Lesson: Men have to at some point make peace with their own “vitality”.

The following demonstrates how humor and openness can make a conversation go deeper than normal.

The following is a clip from an episode that is not available yet. Doug Stanhope guest stars as “Eddie” who was a comedian who started with Louie back when they were younger. However, “Eddie’s” career never really took off. He meets up with Louie to say “Goodbye” because he is going off to kill himself. This clip highlights Louis’ reaction to what he has heard from his friend. His response breaks away from what is considered typical TV drama reaction to the moment.

Here is a clip where Louis (in real life) responds to the nuisances of modern life.

Pathos and memories can really make you take that “Alice-in-Wonderland-Trip-Down-the-Rabbit-Hole”. And I am going to switch back to another song to close this out. I always thought this song from Tom Petty was about an “old girlfriend who will not go away”. But the more I listen to it the song my work on that level but I think it more about those memories (that we all have) that never seem to come to a definitive resolutions in our minds. Plus the video uses the “Alice in Wonderland” motif.

Quick advice. The best thing to do with your old yearbooks is to let them collect dust.

And not necessarily in that order.

I would rather start my days with caffeine via coffee. I hate to kick start the morning with adrenaline via anger as a result of other people’s “issues”.

Some days life’s “flavor” is a bit of a lacking feeling.

Yesterday had to start as one of “those” mornings. And there was not enough coffee in me to deal with it. It was an “FML” moment that I wished I could have avoided. My co-workers were arguing more than normal and earlier than usual. I will spare the details because they are really stupid and had nothing to do with me personally. However, one of the “combatants” later tried to recruit me to his “side” of the fray. I tried to be nice and said, “Leave me out of this one”. He kept going. I kept repeating. He kept going. Finally, I had to yell, “I DO NOT care one way or the other about it! SO leave me the FUCK out of it!” And now he is mad at me.

I realized now how hard it is to be Switzerland when it comes to world conflict. That country must secretly drink a lot and take a lot of aspirin on top of it in order to detail with the International Community. They must hide it in the cheese and the chocolate they are known for. But they are also known for the Swiss Army Knife. So I wonder about all of that.

There is a thin between sanity and insanity. You can see how easy it can be nudged from one side into the other.

There are reasons why a certain scene in a movie “strikes a chord” with an audience. The scene takes an everyday occurrence that people can relate to and amps the drama of it a bit.

I had one of those movie related moments recently. So let me set up the scene.

I have a bad habit that I need to break from. I usually try to run an errand or two on my lunch break. I really do not like to eat lunch in the break room. You will more than likely get interrupted by a co-worker or the delivery bell staying there. Plus it is not a good place to read or even attempt to write. It made me realize something “dark” about human nature. The more critical a person is the less likely they are to be actually doing something. So I try to get away for an hour every day. I have to get things done when I can. However, I am in the bad habit of fast food convenience. The other day, I stopped at a drive thru place and got a cheeseburger. It was the worse. I have never gotten a burger like this before. The burger came loaded with condiment/sauce ratio of about 1:1. It should have come with a spoon to eat it or sponge to clean it up. And to add insult to injury it was served on a stale bun. I could have gone back to argue with a manager over quality. So I could hear the standard, “This has never happened before”. And other “Blah. Blah. Blah” standard replies. So I could be rewarded with vouchers of more food from them. In a way it is kind of like giving the sniper a second chance after missing you the first time.

And then I remember this scene from the 1993 movie Falling Down. It is the story of divorced and unemployed man played by Michael Douglas who is pushed to far by society and decides he will not be pushed around by daily stressors in life.

I would never react like he did. But I understand.

Who says, “I can’t resist temptation”?

“Some people are useless on top of the ground. They ought to be under it,

inspiring the cabbages.” – Mark Twain

When it comes to American History the “Revolutionary Era” with all of its “players” in history has always held my interest. It is a fascinating time to think about how always these people and cultures came to a point to create an outcome of a totally new type of country to exist in the World at that time. 236 years later, we are still trying to fully understand what they did. The other part is not based entirely on a historical facts but more on the “archetypes” it created in the culture. “Western” genre will always hold some degree of “mysticism” in American culture. It probably started back in 1803 when President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territories from France. He then commissioned Lewis and Clark to go out and document this “unknown land”. America then became in a way a “nomadic” society moving and trying to make its fortune. “Go West” the motto for seeking that “fortune” became a part of the American Experience.

The “Western” premise usually consists of a person or family trying their hardest to work towards trying to hold on to just a small of the “fortune”. What has become known as the chance at that “American Dream”. (No one is ever going to admit to the duality that will always exist within the American Dream. It’s “strength and pride” versus the “fragility and desperation” to it. ) There is always some “bigger entity” trying to steal that away from them. The “Western” genre is made of archetypes of “good and evil” that make up the sides to the story. However, the most interesting characters are often the ones who exist somewhere between those sides. The legendary “Lone Man” in many cases.

There is a movie that touches on the previous points. I had never seen this movie before. I also do not know how I missed seeing this picture before. I just recently watched Sergio Leone’s 1968 movie, Once Upon a Time in the West. (Charles Bronson playing the man known as just “Harmonica” is a great performance. Sergio Leone created yet another great character of few words who conveys so much at the same time.)

I am going to diverge from the “Western” itself for a moment.

He may be 81 years and last appeared in a Western 20 years ago, Clint Eastwood will be forever the iconic symbol of the Western movie genre.

He recently starred in a car commercial that first aired during this year’s Super Bowl. The commercial was not selling a specific car although a car company was sponsoring it. However, Clint Eastwood was used as a spoke person who was urging Americans that they can rally together to get things moving once again. It is a message that needed to come from a man of “experience” who has seen enough of history that has taken place and realize that there is the other side. It had the right message of “reliance and resilience” for the country.

However, this is Presidential Election cycle year and political pundits had to weigh in. The problem in this country is everyone thinks that everyone motives are all “political”. Everything that anyone says is “dissected and analyzed” to a degree that the original message is totally lost. This problem really took off when President Clinton argued about the line between “oral and actual sex.” The memories. It was really fun watching the look on the Evening News guys’ faces when arguing about “blow jobs” during the Dinner Hour. But I do not want to start a political debate. I will leave that two people I know on Facebook. They are “fun vs. sad” and I am not going to say who is which one or when.

It took no time to hear how Clint Eastwood was being fooled into making a “subversive political message”. In election years, “nonsense” gets the headlines. A simple message this country needed reminding of. That is it. And you come off as an idiot if you think there is more to than that. I think all sides need to “ratchet down” on their rhetoric and some need to be hit with that “ratchet”.

Here is some reaction links. Fox News debate segment and Clint Eastwood’s own.

“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid” – Mark Twain

I then heard Rush Limbaugh’s decree that Clint was “duped” into it. But he himself is a fan of Eastwood’s. Who has never watched any of his movies. Look at the character Clint Eastwood has portrayed over the years. His characters never “carry water for fool’s in positions of authority”. Dirty Harry just would not be the same if he “played along with those in charge”. Watch the “Behind the Scenes” segments on his DVD’s and he will explain why he took on the character or the movie. It usually has nothing to do with the potential box office sales. Or what others tell him he should be doing.

Plus, he ran for mayor of his home town and won back in 1986. Here is synopsis of that. Read it and you realize how wrong the “blow hard” got Mr. Eastwood’s character when it comes to politics.

I want to get back to “Western Genre” of movies for one more title to watch. Here is the trailer for it.

This movie does not play like a typical movie in its genre. This film is more of character study. It is also more of psychological story of what happens to a man (Jesse James) who becomes more of “myth” than anything. And on the other hand, it is also about the man (Robert Ford) who gets too caught up in his own “hero worshipping”. This movie is about the consequences of those two extremes.

NOTE. I used Mark Twain quotes in this piece because I like his commentary on American culture. He may have passed on but many of his points are still very much relevant to today’s society.

Clerks where they could only film in the convenient store at night when the place was closed so the”Savages” put gum in the lock of the security shutters. This allows them to act as if there was daylight. So they had to make sure the front door was never in the camera shot.

looking at you now, I can see exactly where you fall on this spectrum. you are a man constantly trying to fix today what Yesterday Man did to you. you make up your bed, you clean those dirty dishes from the night before, and pledge not to start drinking until six, thinking that’s the way to keep an even keel. but in reality you’re always playing catch-up. I know this because I’ve been there. the thing is – you can’t fix the mistakes of Yesterday. Yesterday Man is dead, he’s gone forever, and blame and atonement aren’t worth a damn. what you CAN do is help yourself today. eat a vegetable. read a book. cut that hair of yours. leave Tomorrow Man something more than a headache and a jam-packed colon. do for Tomorrow Man what you would have wanted Yesterday Man to do for you.

It reminded me of this clip from the Drew Carey Show.

I came across a news report that mentioned the yearly update from Beliot College. They publish the “Mind Set Listing”. This is a list of the life experiences that most of the graduating class has had. It shows how from year to year what a student has and has not experienced in their life up to that point.

Everyone experiences life differently. The culture is constantly shifting on some level within people. “Status quo” for a culture is a total myth. It can never exist as a constant state with our increasing knowledge that comes with time. The only way a “homogenized culture” can exist is within a milk carton. However, in that state it also comes with an expiration date. The problem with this mind set is that there is way too much arguing in society about these cultural shifts. A course of action can only be implemented when all sides come to an agreement. And that agreement has to be total aligned around set of beliefs. No one ever agrees fully with another person even if they are in the same group. Rhetoric has become the illusion of action. Time is not going to wait for people getting there “shit together”. Because it will never fully happen.

Now it is time to move off of that soap box.

I have been caught in the trap of too much Internet and TV. It is easy to do when I get into exhaustion and its side effects. (Which I will not go into) However, it is hard to read when my allergies flare up like they do every year in the end of August and early September and my eyes start burning. So the TV is there so I can watch something that may inspire at some point me down the road. I also (although it may be false) get the impression that I am at least trying to work towards something. I have to say with the Netflix subscription I have been watching more documentary films lately. There was one that is kind of in line with this idea here of “culture clash”. The film was called Exporting Raymond. It follows Phil Rosenthal, the former executive producer of the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond as he travels to Russia to help adapt this sitcom for TV there. This movie shows how he has to deal with the cultural shifts that make each side here argue over “what is funny”. He may be the award winning producer here but over there he is not always treated all that well. “The fish out of water” story helps to add a bit of unsuspected comedy to film.

If you watch this movie the DVD in the bonus section has two episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond. It also contains the exact same episodes that were adapted into Everybody Loves Kostya. It is a good exercising into noticing the difference between the two even though the overall story arc is the same in both shows.

The “Culture Clashes” are always going to be good fodder for sit-coms. However, in life they do not come with the “laugh track”. There are times when it can tempt you to want to go down “homicidal track”. I know this is my case. At my age, I made it to where I am still not “married with children”. And when I made it to this point I began to slowly notice more and more the looks of “suspicion and border line disgust”. I just call it the “look on envy”. This “existence” of mine causes real issues with my family. I come from an Irish-Catholic family and do not come out and say it. But I know this behavior of mind is definitely “out of line”. Outside of my last name the only part of my Irish heritage I still follow is that I like a good pint of Guinness. As for the Catholic part, I still like the Friday Fish Fry. With the pint of Guinness. What can I say after all of those years I finally found something I could give up for Lent. Church. Maybe they can give me a pass on the church part. I come from a family that only recognizes you when you produce children. It does not matter what I do. I could cure cancer, find world peace, whatever. It will not matter because I am still not “married with children”. So to keep the peace and what is left of my insanity I just do not have a lot of conversations with them about what I doing. I would rather have no conversation that an abrupt one. Plus I have seen enough clips from Maury. (I really need to turn the TV off) to realize that being able to reproduce does not guarantee any rising of a person’s character. It does make me wonder how a young woman can find half dozen men to drag on the show for a paternity test. Then none of them are the father. So she will be on next week with another half dozen hopefuls. Even worse are the so-called men who deny their responsibility in situation.

Here is an example of what it is like for me at times. It is the movie Behind Enemy Lines
which is a decent and effective action movie. There was a bit of a miscasting in Owen Wilson (but not a fatal one) as the Air Force pilot shot down behind enemy lines. The story is about him trying to evade capture. Gene Hackman starred as the commander office leading the effort to save him. This movie for me is a metaphor about “the married with children scenario”. I would be miscast to play a role in it. I am already a bit too narcissistic. The next level would be narcissism a completely greater level. At this point, I have none the resources needed to partake in the endeavor. I also do not want to go into by “accident”. I have no desire to share the stage with Maury Povich or Jerry Springer. However, may be Ripley’s Believe or Not! I also have no real influence on anyone who is “married with children”. They never take my recommendations. And it does not stop them from talking about theirs toward me. It can be frustrating but it just part of the game. Each side has a different view of the other’s “wants and needs”. And that disagreement is basis for my plotlines throughout sitcoms.

I now know better than with my life as it stands “acknowledgment and validation” will also be hard to come by. But I am going to follow the script I want.

There is quote from Phil Rosenthal in the movie that stuck with me.

“Make the television show that you want. Because they’re still going to cancel you in the end.”

“Everybody thinks of themselves as being slightly above average” – Garrison Keillor

I heard that confession is good for the soul. And what little I have left at this point could probably use some. I think that I am a bit more critical and selective when it comes to the various forms of media I read, watch or listen to. My own internal radar when it comes to those medium has a better construction to it than many of the people I know. I may feel that way. However, the reality of it reveals that “sadly it is far from the truth”. Last night, I wanted to write for a bit and get back to finishing a book from To Be Read Pile. I know better but last night I did not do better. ME.TV just came on air in this area. 7:30 PM, M.A.S.H. rerun was on and I love that show. It was one of the first shows ever that did a good job mixing and balancing comedy against drama. This episode “Mulcahy’s War” from Season 5 features the scene where Father Mulcahy has to perform an emergency tracheotomy on a wounded soldier his bringing back from the front line.

Instead of turning the TV when the show was over I made the mistake of channel surfing. It was a moment of weakness. It was a moment of weakness that is probably the side of effect of my current state of physical and mental exhaustion. (And that is on me to work through and out.) It is also the by-product of “The Examined Life”. In my case, it comes with no referee and a shot clock. At this moment, I needed to engage and disengage at the same time. I then changed the channel and got stuck on a show. It is hard to admit to the fact that I cannot avert my eyes when it is on. It is the TV game show Wipeout.


It is the game show equivalent of a NASCAR race. I am just waiting to see how the contestants “crash” into water. It is amazing how their bodies can be contorted in their “Wipeout” and they don’t end up in traction because of it. And then afterwards listening to the hosts make wiseass snarky comments about them. This show is like Jackass for jackasses.

When that show was over I had to surrender to fact I was getting nothing done of significant for the night. I surfed into that cooking competition show. And I still wonder why I stayed with it. Why watch a show where people tell me how food tastes? These shows are kind of worthless when it comes to their final product. At least until the Star Trek Food Replicator and Smell-O-Vision are available via TV or the Internet so you can experience what has been cooked.

It was not a total waste of time. I was able to make an observation in regards to so called “reality competition” shows. They are more “staged” than most fictional shows. Watch for this the next time you watch one of them. The more camera angles and edits there are just how much it is staged. Every camera angle has the same perfect lighting. And all these angles should capture the other camera operators shooting the exact same action. The show may say there was 2 hour time limit (for a 60 minute show) for the competition. However, with all the camera angles used I am going to guess it probably took 6-10 hours to actually film it. Remember when watching this genre of shows that what you do not see is probably more important that what you do see. There is probably a “blooper reel” for this show. If this is true then there is a good chance it was all staged.

My final solution is that I may have to lose my TV Remote Controller for a bit.

And if I throw out my couch then I could lose it forever.