Missed the Second Coming

Yesterday and today, I have been bombarded by comments about the recent inauguration of our now President. In the first instance, yesterday, my hairstylist (yes, I know you're giggling given my hair situation) asked me all kinds of questions about this event: had I seen it, what did I think, wasn't the speech great, etc. etc. etc.

Today, again, at my dentist appointment, as well as from two different people at work I was "aksed" my opinion.

Not having seen (or even desired to) anything, apparently I missed out on a miracle.

But I'm bothered....and not because the fact that my candidate didn't win, but rather that EVERYONE seems to have been bitten by the Obama hysteria. It's truly remarkable that the media, African American people, liberals with ice cream cones in Madison, movie celebrities, and on and on and on, all seem to communicate the same thing: that we're seeing the second coming of the Messiah, and we're all going to be led to the promised land, just you wait.

I'm bothered by the lack of skepticism of anyone that this man has ZERO experience, and hasn't done anything yet. At least the Messiah I know performed miracles, healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, turned water into wine, provided a fish and bread dinner for what seems to be millions in the Middle East from all of one fish and one loaf of bread. And this Messiah has yet to arrive. Yet at the same time, Obamessiah is part of a corrupt Chicago political machine, and appointed a tax-cheat to run the US Treasury. Hmm....seems to me something smells fishy. And in eating seafood, this is a BAD sign.

Call me kooky, but I see a big difference.

And when I play the nay-sayer, or the skeptic, or the cynic, in all of my experiences over the last two days, I am reprimanded for not "believing," or am accused of being racist (which is far from the truth). Hell, can anyone blame this non-believer after 16 MISERABLE years of the Presidency that put us in the state that we're now in? This chronic fawning over this person is short of sickening to say the least.

But, I can always count on my mom to tell me a story to put things back into perspective.

One of the people she works with had been talking with some other guests at a soiree recently, in which they were all talking about how wonderful things were going to be. They, too, had been bitten by Obam-insania. They then asked him if he was going to attend the inauguration.

His response: "I'd rather see an Amy Winehouse concert live, in Afghanistan, hands down."

I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Gran Torino

Well, this evening I went to go see the movie "Gran Torino." It wasn't the first movie choice that I was going to see this evening, as I was trekking my way to Madison to see "The Reader," only to be interrupted by yet another snowfall. I have no idea why I tend to migrate toward seeing movies involving the Holocaust, but tonight, I'm glad I didn't.

I would have to say that "Gran Torino" is a WINNER in my book, and a favorite of the year.

Clint Eastwood, in my opinion, shines in this movie, even through all of the cantankerous behavior throughout the movie. Not only does he have a mouth like a sailor, but has no hesitation to throw out every sort of racist comment one could possibly think of (certainly not for the "politically perfect"), at what I would consider mostly appropriate times. In fact, I think all of the air was sucked out of the theatre when he addressed a group of thugs hassling a Hmong girl (and principal actress in the movie) a word that rhymes with "kooks." Not only was it funny, but brilliant.

The Hmong boy playing opposite Eastwood in this movie is anything but a tough guy. Kowtowing to others, never speaking up, and always taking a verbal bashing by Eastwood's Walt, he too was WONDERFUL in this movie.

I found it particularly interesting that this really is the first movie that introduces Hmong culture as a principal part of the movie. Even with the odd animals on the buffet tables in a couple scenes, and the omniscient shaman, it really was a fine movie throwing two cultures clashing against each other's, only to find common ground when all of the dust settles in their run down neighborhood.

Particularly noteable was the portrayal of Walt's family, two sons and their families that really only want to put Walt in a retirement facility, collect the money from the sale of his home and his possessions (since the retirement community is "really nice"), even though Walt is perfectly capable of handling things on his own. Walt's prized possession, his 1972 Ford Gran Torino, is even coveted by his pierced lipped, harlot dressed, idiot of a grand daughter, who really wants nothing to do with him, except for this car.

Hmm....I have a cousin named Scott that this movie made me remember, who had a habit of preying on the dying like a vulture, hoping to get some tidbit to fall in his direction.....

Anyhow, I do know if I were on the other end of Walt's tirades in a couple spots in the movies, I know I would have peed my drawers like a toddler.

I particularly like the barbershop scenes where Walt talks to his barber in "man talk," and then teaches the boy Tao how to do the same thing. It's pretty funny.

Even Daisy the Labrador was awesome.

It also confirmed to me that I'm glad I don't live in Detroit, and that it is everything I expected Detroit to be. But then again, I hate Detroit for other reasons as well.....but I digress....

Tundra and Silence

It's been an arctic freeze the last two and a half days. Starting Wednesday with temperatures of -3 to -9, Thursday from -13 to -17, and today -26 and now -4.

I don't care what anyone says, but when it is this cold outside, the temperature, to me, feels exactly the same. The only difference I notice is that the snow is a lot more crunchy, even though it was powdery at one point in time. I also notice my hounds get more and more efficient in doing their duties out in the elements. My car wheezes like a kid with asthma just to get going in the morning. And even the thermostat set at 65 degrees in my house, it feels like a tropical heatwave as I sit composing this latest entry to my world on the web.

I can't help but think about what tundra is, since really, I have never seen nor experienced it first hand. I can't help but think that it, too, is raw, unadulterated coldness, that still freezes the inside of your nose, or makes you cough if you inhale just a bit too deeply.

And no one is outside. And there's no traffic.

And when we get a fresh white blanket of snow, even before the slate gray sky releases its frozen bounty, the silence is deafening. I can hear myself think. I sometimes think that I can hear someone a hundred miles away. It's such a filtered, focused silence that if I had to be in it for too long, I'd go crazy hearing the synapses fire in my brain, thinking.

Despite the lack of appreciation I have for the cold and the snow, there really isn't anything better than that serene silence that comes from gently falling snow. And even when I've been drained of all my energy and nonsense I experience during the day, I feel invigorated by the chill on my cheek, the crispness of the air on my ears, and the gentle softness that is the silence of winter.

I cast my sigh to the brisk evening like tonight, to return indoors back to reality, comfort, and my existence, refreshed by my moment in the tundra, and relaxed like a swami after an hour of meditation and yoga, ready to again get back to the noise and action that is my existence.

Truly Barfy

Like every Monday night, I spend my evening at home. This is largely due to all of the other commitments that seem to pop up the rest of the week. So I decided to try something new: watch TV.

I'm not much of a regular TV fan. In fact, I'm the boring nerd that tends to spend time on his computer, and listen to hours and HOURS of public radio. Yes. I'm that guy, only with social skills. So often I find myself in the midst of conversations about different TV shows either at work, or when I'm with friends, and I never seem to know ANY of the programs that they're talking about. We might as well be conversing in Finnish, since to me the subject is like a foreign language that I don't understand, nor has any similar words that I can relate to my syntax.

I mean, I have to confess that I haven't seen an episode of Seinfeld, Friends, Grey's Anatomy, ER, or anything like that. I am not a fan of the show (and glorified version of "shit on your neighbor") Survivor. And anyone that would prostitute themselves on the Bachelor/Bachelorette, or that type of ilk is just opening themselves up to a whole slew of problems: like stalking or VD.

I have, however been known to LOVE Amazing Race, Dancing With The Stars, Top Chef, and an occasional season of American Idol. And that, I'm pleased to say, is the extent of my TV watching repertoire.

However, this past Monday, I became acquainted with a new show. My co-worker Kim (and TV buff) asked if I had seen this particular show last Monday. And, not surprisingly to her, of course I hadn't. But, I thought I would give it a whirl.

Well, nothing can truly describe what I saw. Except that the cast that comprises this show left an indelible impression on me. Yes, 10 people, supposedly beautiful, competing for some prize that I am still not aware of, showing how "beautiful" they are both externally and internally.

Yes, it's the show "True Beauty." And, it was a true test of my patience (and stomach), since about 30 minutes into the show I wanted to throw my soup bowl at the TV screen. I thought the deception of Survivor was bad. I thought the phoniness of Bachelor/Bachelorette was bad. But this show....

WOW.

Now one could argue that I only hate the show because I'm jealous. Of what, would be my response. Here you have six bimbos and four aqua velvas on a show, and the only word that scrolls through my mind (like the Goodyear blimp on this season's Bachelor- yeah, I admit, I saw the latest episode) is "Cretins." I mean, really, who on EARTH truly acts like these people? Self-confident, manipulative, arrogant (or air-headed), and full of themselves. It was stifling, like riding in a car with the windows shut, in the middle of a hot summer day, having the heat cranked at 89 degrees. I wanted to crack a window open and hang my head and tongue out like my hounds when going to "camp," while watching this show.

Fortunately I know my limitations with appearance, being photogenic, and being follicularly challenged. But this cast really has no clue about their shortcomings. And, if I had to be cooped up in a house with this menagerie, it most certainly would be my private hell. Yet I continued to watch this disaster like a train wreck in the middle of rush hour traffic in Chicago.

Perhaps I'm vengeful, since my favorite part of the whole show was seeing the reaction of the episode's "loser" (and really I think all of them are losers) to seeing videos of how they acted when being challenged. How sad it is to think that a challenge is actually showing compassion to other human beings, and seeing a majority of this Roquefort-scented stinker of a cast fail a "test" that an amoeba would be certain to pass.

I certainly loved the lack of remorse and cluelessness of this last "loser." And I REALLY got a kick out of the guy in the fashion show that had no shoes on, only to have the camera pan down for several seconds at his hideous feet that only a hobbit could love. I will say this, in a weird sort of way, this show does an incredible job at citing human short-comings, especially when you have a cast of ego-centric pinheads traipsing around the show. And how brilliant it is they play (and prey) on that.

I'll probably end up watching the whole series simply for this fact. But, I'm sure that given the "surprise" tactic this show uses, it'll end up a one hit wonder like songs of the 80's.

At least now I'll be able to speak basic "Finnish" at the office water cooler.

Mellow Yellow

I was playing an online trivial pursuit game online yesterday, and one of the questions happened to be about this song. Who sang it? The answer: Donovan.

Now, like many random questions that are asked in this online game, I knew the answer. I don't know why. I've always found that for whatever reason, I am like a trivia "rain man," and I have absolutely no idea why I know obscure answers to questions to trivia type games, but I do. And I find it funny to watch reactions of people when I know the answer. In college, watching Jeopardy on TV at 4 p.m. was an event. My fraternity brothers and I would all gather in our house lounge, beer in hand, and shout out answers. I would be the one that was a pro at Elizabethan literature, geography, art history, botany, famous quotations, movies of the 1950's, or 4 letter words. Often times I would find myself being the only one knowing the answer.

However, last night, chatting to my friend Jessica, we broached a topic for which I didn't have an answer. Why is it that whenever one goes into a public bathroom in a public place, do people not know how to flush the toilet after they've finished? I know this seems like a gross topic, but I want to understand the answer.

As Jess and I were talking (and her giving and example of someone she knows that does it to conserve water at home........which I cannot understand since 1) it's gross, 2) the money saved by saving the water is minimal, 3) the water saved gets treated and recycled anyhow, and 4) it's friggin' gross), we never did come up with a viable reason.

In my household when I was growing up, you would never even THINK about not flushing after using. I distinctly remember my mom saying at one point, "this is a house, not a barnyard," which to this day makes me chuckle. But, nevertheless, you were in for it if you neglected your sanitary duty.

In any event, having to use the restroom last night on 3 occasions, I noticed that EVERY time, the toilet or urinal was never flushed. Yes, I flushed prior and after. But what's grosser is that someone actually used one without flushing prior to using it. To me...THAT's gross.

I guess I'll never know the answer or the rationale as to why people (and from what Jess told me, women are just as bad, if not worse) do this?

Similarly, I'll never know why I knew the answer to yesterday's trivia question about "Mellow Yellow."