SPACE CATS WILL MAKE YOU THE COOLEST EVER

Miley Cyrus has gotten a lot of criticism because she grew up and no one associates her with her Hannah Montana image anymore. Miley is highly sexual, overly suggestive and it seems like that overshadows her amazing voice. Miley managed to completely turn that around with her AMA performance, with space cats no less.

Miley came out looking hot in a cat two piece and began belting out her hit Wrecking Ball with a kitty in the background. The cat served as a backup singer and as he sang the wire graphics reminiscent of the original Star Wars video game would come out and the cat ended up doing the tongue thing and crying. I think this moment far outshines the time when her dad offered critics a quarter in order to call someone who cares after he won for some douche country song.

I won't ever really be a huge Miley fan but I gotta give her this one because it was one of those performances that's both perfect and insane in every imaginable way.

THE ART OF THE UNUSUAL NAME

Every country in the world has its popular names. Here in the states you have Matthew, James, Michael, and so on. There is a true art in making your kid's name something no one's ever heard and making it cool. Let's assume you have a boy and a German last name. How would you make the kids's name cool? Start by eliminating the obvious like Adolph, or Kaiser Wilhelm. So how do you narrow it down? 

• If it's a boy look for something that sounds almost macho movie star like.
• Avoid tech names.
• Do not use something that can be sexual like Ballerio which can be likened to ball licker in some way.

It's also important to look at the kid and assess his or her glaring physical features. Make sure if you have a hairy kid you don't name it Wolf or Thestral. It's good to not name the kid for at leas two or three weeks while planning the name. Think in the realm of the magical and then look at superheroes as well. It may be that you are into the goth, so you may want to look at some of the following sources: 

• Ancient Greek history.
• Scythian history, relating to ancient greece.
• Jordanes 

Picking a cool name is all going to depend on the research, your knowledge of the name and ultimately how comfortable you are with ramifications such as beat downs and harassment. Picking an unusual name is an art, don't fuck it up. 

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE AND SECRET SUPERHERO

You have to love John Kerry no matter what your political preference is. John Kerry is not an ordinary politician. When there is trouble on the floor of the United Nations Kerry turns into JK Man. JK man is strong like the Hulk, quick, not totally set on his positions like Superman, and in possession of a masculine square jaw. Kerry is not really going through despair in terms of negotiations for the end of Iran's nuclear program, he is simply letting think he is slightly desperate.

JK Man shall surface and use his super strength, Batman like deduction powers, Martian Manhunter Musculature, Green Lantern imagination, and Aquaman uselessness in order to try and craft a second failed bid for president in the year 2016. Iran shall be very surprised by the great JK Man and they shall end their program out of fear. The wrath of JK Man shall prevail!

SO TODAY I GOT OLD, BUT HELL WITH THAT

I woke up today and told my son " Don't forget to shave" and in that split second I came to the realization that my son was almost a fully grown man. The whole thing was a major shock to me. I use to take this kid to Universal Studios, rowing, I used to do things where I was the one teaching him lessons. As he woke me up so we could go to the admissions office at Full Sail University, I looked and saw a grown man.

I grew old, or grew up, today and so had my son. I witnessed as he spoke to the admissions rep and handled his own business. I saw my son go after his dream just like I taught him to. I was almost on the verge of tears as I remembered those days when he'd get on my shoulders and say " let's go daddy." Yes, I miss those days but damn it I cherish days like today, because I was there. I cherish today even if I got old.

THE SECRECY IS MIND BOGGLING

If you ever watched the TV show X Files chances are that your inner conspiracy theorist was indulged thoroughly. I have to wonder though if it's really that far off. I was watching a show on MILITARY television and I was blown away by the way government works down to the most minute detail. The first half of the show was dedicated to the Doomsday plane, existing for the purpose of saving the President and senior members of congress in case of a tragedy.

In a way yes it gives people a feeling of safety that in case of an eventual mass tragedy government can restore functions through other mediums. As the show went on it spoke of the top secret facility known as Mt Weather and it's basically the White House underground. The big issue is all the secrecy, yes I understand not a lot can be revealed but it does make you wonder how much exactly is being hidden.

We live in a secretive society where the big thing is " What they don't know won't hurt them." Secrecy is in some ways what supposedly guards democracy. Are the secrets limited though? Does knowing everything about everyone come in that package? I guess it's in the name of democracy, still it's mind boggling.

WHY WE ARE FASCINATED BY JACK THE RIPPER

The story of Jack the Ripper is one that continues to fascinate us to this day. Some people may ask "why?" I think the fascinating thing about Jack the Ripper is the fact that no one was ever found out. There was a list of suspects and plenty to talk about in England's circles of high society but nothing else. You fast forward over 100 years and all we still know is who the victims were, the fact that the victims were all women, the location and so on.

The speculation has run rampant without clear answers, unless you are author Patricia Cornwell, who decidedly fingered Walter Sickert as the killer in one of her books. The book stated that one of Sickert's motivations was the fistula in his penis. If we move away from Sickert we will see that there were other suspects as well, all with different motives. Even with a fair list the fact remains that this case went unsolved and it was really the first notorious case that led to dead end after dead end.

The Jack case was something different not just because the police did not find anything conclusive enough on anyone. The murderer  did a great job of making the police look like total idiots. The book What Alice Knew also points at Sickert but it does so on a fictional setting. I see the Jack the Ripper case as the first case where the criminal had a sort of superstar status, due in part to his uncanny ability to stay anonymous through the whole thing.

We will never know, but the Ripperologist inside us will always remain curious and fascinated.

SYD FIELD

When I first read Screenplay by Syd Filed I did not actually finish it. I had to read it again for a class in my MFA. I remember thinking that the book was a collection of useful stories, the experiences Field used in order to create his story paradigm. To me the word paradigm was almost the same as guaranteed complication. In part I was jaded because I did not fully integrate the concepts from Robert Mckee's Story a book that employed graphs and pie charts into story telling. 

I decided to read Syd's book again because I wanted to see if I actually applied his concepts to my screenplay. I found that I had an awareness of plot points, pinch points, picking up pace and bringing it down. Syd Field's book was really like an autobiography of the writer's process, an effective process. Syd Field was the kind of individual whose writing was like light but incredibly insightful conversation.

I will always remember reading about Sam Peckinpah, and so many other influences of Syd Field's. Syd Field was a mentor to a veritable who's who of players in the industry. What I'm sure Syd Field was aware of but did not brag about was that his books and seminars mentored a generation of writers with a dream. Goodbye Syd, show em' how the hell to tell a story on the other side.

BEING A DAD

There's something about being a dad that's simply wonderful. Yes when our kids grow and they defy us, try our patience, they get the worst out of us. There is something wonderful about it though, even with all the crap they put us through. I remember the fun things like telling my son stories about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and other things.

I remember when my son first helped me wash my car, when I bought him his little electric scooter and landmarks like teaching him how to swim. My life is better because of those days and I'm a little wiser as a result. I hope my son has learned about life, being a productive human being, and the importance of being earnest.

I will never be a perfect man, I hope that I will be remembered for being a good father, a father that tried and cared. To me being a good father is life's greatest reward and having that recognition from my own son is the best kind of recognition I can get.

WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO MEDITATE

Meditation is likely one of the best, if not the best therapy in the world. I find myself over thinking sometimes and angry as well. I find that when I sit and meditate I get to that place that we all long to be. My process may not be comparable to that of a buddhist monk's but it works. I have a couple of ways one of which works as follows:

• I sit 
• I take five deep breaths 
• I close my eyes
• I clear my head 
• I slow my breathing down to the point where I'm fully relaxed

I usually do that for about five minutes and I find that it works for me. To me it's important because I have a bit of a fuse and like anyone else, it goes off every now and again. While some call meditation a fad o BS, I call it the best therapy. Imagine a day where the following things happen: 

• A tire explodes 
• A pipe bursts 
• You burn the souffle
• The cat pissed on the laptop

 How would you rather deal with that day? There's the possibility to do it angrily or do so with calm. If you do it angrily it will look like this: 

Why beat the shit out of someone with a keyboard when you can deal with your bad day in a relaxed way. I recommend meditation, yoga, pretty much anything to keep that emotion in check. All jokes and fun aside make sure to chill because life's too short. 

THICK SKIN IS SOMETIMES VITAL

Sometimes in order to survive criticism it's important to have thick skin. I have a problem and that problem is that I don't always use the thick skin I do have. There's that occasion when I'll let my temper get the worst of me. I guess it's a matter of perspective, sometimes what we feel is a product of where the criticism is coming from. If someone we love says something it tends to feel a little different, if someone we don't give a shit about says something it can hit like a missile. I guess today is more of a let it out day for me. I hope this brief passage helps you out in some way.

COMICS ON TV

I recently read that Agents of SHIELD is steadily losing viewers which brings to mind something I've always thought, extremes with comic book stories are not very good in television. When Batman came out in 1966 it was a lot of camp and not too much substance. That series worked because back in those days television was not a charged medium. The Superman series starring George Reeves was geared toward kids and it had been on air in the 1950's.

Superman was highly predictable and did not have much depth since it only had a 30 minute timespan in which to tell a full story. If you fast forward to the 70's you have shows like Shazam, Wonder Woman, and the ill fated Justice League, series.

All of these shows failed to get long runs out of the gate because by the 70's there were more shows chose from and comic books were not really as marketable as before. With films such as Star Wars it seemed like comic books would be doomed. Yes Superman was released in 1978 and it was a huge box office hit but beyond that it seemed like the genre did not really have a life in the small screen.

Fast forward to the early 90's and it was more of the same with failed attempts in shows such as the Flash, and Justice League. It wasn't until Smallville that there was a real success with heroes. Now we look at SHIELD and see what's wrong.

People expect all out action and special effects sometimes and SHIELD has not gone that route. SHIELD has taken to slowly telling a story that relies on depth mixed with action. A show like Smallville began to step away from the soap opera in order to bring in more comic book aspects and while that worked, it took a little bit of wind from the shows sails. As far as SHIELD goes there's a possibility that it can nail the right balance if given a chance. People should not view it as just another comic book show. Perhaps the show is lagging because it only has one so far compelling character in terms of Agent Coulson.

I hope the show stays on the air because I think it's a great show.

BASIL MARCEAUX WILL BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT

Perhaps I am a bit late in my jump on to the Basil Marceaux bandwagon. Fuck it this is my blog and I do whatever the hell I want. I think Basil is the man to lead this country after Obama is gone. I am proposing that Mr. Marceaux build a grass roots campaign through an advent known as crowd funding. I feel that given his  strong stances on religion, the oath, the flag and vegetation, he would be a breath of fresh air in the US. Let's look at why Basil would run this country right:

This mean has conviction he has a stomach that shows both a great ability to withstand massive quantities of strong mexican beer. Basil is a strong believer in the legalization of marijuana because god's plants should not be illegal as evidenced by his extremely eloquent explanation at a 2010 gubernatorial debate.

That's right, Basil wants people to be happy and relaxed and to be careful with their guns. America, we need this man to lead us, like the captain of the Titanic, the pilot of the Hindenburg. I shall make it my business to get us this man, let's change it up in Washington.

This man will not buy his way to our hearts, no sir, he will steamroll his way through the red tape in Washington take take a literal dump on the hill. Let's get Basil America, before it's too late.

ALL I CAN SAY IS LET HER REST

When Brittany Murphy died just about everyone thought it was nothing more than a tragedy of a Hollywood starlet gone too soon. Some five months after her death her husband, Simon Monjack, died in the same home. Everyone thought that Brittany's husband likely was a closet junkie at that time, even though the official cause of death was listed as pneumonia. Now Brittany's father is coming out and making a sensational claim that will leave everyone speechless.

Apparently Brittany's father really believes that his daughter was killed by the government. It was stated by Brittany's father that because she offered her support to a woman branded a "domestic terrorist" Brittany was put under strict surveillance and turned into a target. The woman, Julia Davis, stated that " while working at the US border with Mexico she uncovered evidence that dozens of potential terrorists had entered America in shady circumstances that may have involved the bribery of customs officials." On the flip side Brittany's father stated that "They were, in fact, under surveillance, including helicopters. Their telephones were wiretapped, Brittany was afraid to go home, because of the sneak-and-peek incursions into their residence and other terror tactics she suffered after speaking out in support of Julia Davis and being named as a witness in her lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security." 

The idea that Brittany Murphy may have overdosed on something does not seem to matter here. There is also nothing about the mold issues in the house. Mold is quite dangerous and when it goes unchecked it can be lethal. To me what's a little bit annoying about this is the fact that Brittany Murphy's father is pushing the release of a book he wrote with Julia Davis. 

Given the age we are living in it wouldn't surprise me if all of this had some truth to it but there are a lot of facts that go against that possibility such as: 

• Brittany Murphy had looked unhealthy or a while, sparking rumors of an eating disorder.
• Her husband had a record for being less than a straight arrow.
• There is no better way to make a cheap buck than to make outrageous claims about dead celebrities.
• Brittany Murphy was well known but saying her name was not really the same as saying Angelina Jolie, so why go after a person that didn't have that much stroke in the industry.

So my closing statement on that is " Let the girl rest." It's been four years since hear death and honestly at this point I highly doubt that anyone can be held accountable even if there was foul play.

BLACK FRIDAY PLANS

So I made my plans for black Friday and that plan is to stay home while people trample one another for cheaper televisions, gaming systems and dvd players. My reason for this is that I actually went shopping on a black Friday and got hit several times, by shopping carts. I think that getting hit by shopping carts is one of the ten worst things that can happen. I don't want to go through that again, I'd rather sit and get hit by the ugly nun in my elementary school years.

I'm certain the beatings will take place early morning and late at night. I think mid day will just be miserable. I fully believe that my plan will keep my from taking some indescribable punishment in retail outlets.

SERIOUSLY GUY

I think George Zimmerman really could benefit from some serious psychiatric help. If I were out after beating a murder charge I would chill. Zimmerman is all over the place waving guns, getting tickets, saving people and getting arrested again, anyone think that Zimmerman should not be allowed to carry a gun? I think this crazy idiot would literally shoot trick or treaters for invading his property line.

I think Zimmerman will eventually end up either dead or behind bars. This guy will one day pull a gun on someone with a bigger gun. If he doesn't do that I am certain that he will pull the trigger again. I just think this guy is problematic and an asshole. Zimmerman got lucky once but there is no way he will get lucky again in another incident, providing he comes out alive.

NO ONE WILL EVER REALLY AGREE ON POLITICS, SO WHY FIGHT ABOUT IT?

It doesn't matter if you are democrat or republican, it doesn't matter if you are in the same party. People tend to disagree when it comes to politics. Two democrats may disagree on gay marriage but have the same views on the death penalty. Politics are subjective to what you want and believe as an individual. We fight, we disagree, but we are not policy makers. Why in the hell do we have to fight about it?

I have fallen victim to that a couple of times and honestly I don't care for it. We end up in arguments over issues that we can't do a damn thing about. Yes we can disagree but disagreements seem to turn into fights way to quickly.

TO BE AN EXTREMIST IS TO BE AN IDIOT

I don't care for extremists, they really piss me off. I can have a disagreement with a person but I don't have to insult that person as a result of our disagreement. I was called a drone today as a result of an extremist's view being totally opposite of my own. I like to consider myself a moderate individual but if there's anything I hate more than a jackass it's an extremist.

I HATE THAT BITCH

I know that the word bitch is unkind but I'm not particularly interested in kindness. I'm not a big fan of the show Full Throttle Saloon but I do watch it when I'm seriously bored. I'll indulge my guilty pleasure occasionally because I have that right. I really dislike that girl on the show,Angie. The reason I dislike her is because she is such a pseudo intellectual domineering individual. Something about that girl just pisses me off, even her boobs don't really do anything for me, in fact, nothing about her does anything for me.  I like the buxom ladies but I think this girl just has that quality that makes people want to throw crap on her.  The rest of the show is pretty cool and I'd love to check out the place one day but until then, eat shit Angie.

THERE'S ALWAYS THAT ONE GUY, THE DIRECTOR

There's always a guy that has this incredible ambition, the film ambition that cannot be cured. I think it's admirable to be ambitious but it's difficult when you are not as talented and completely blind. The truth about film is that it takes years to master the craft. Steven Spielberg started by directing episodes of Night Gallery and other shows and it was close to eight years before he hit his stride with Jaws. 

Film, like life, is a collaborative effort that requires multiple viewpoints eventually coming together as one. Sometimes this particular task is nearly impossible and yet it always happens. The idea of an Alpha Male coming around and telling everyone what to do without any real experience is absurd.

YOUTUBE MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY

I know you are probably thinking that I am insane and some sort of walking contradiction. I have often maligned the existence of the very stupid for the sake of inspiring arguments on current societal folly. I am extremely satisfied by the innocently stupid as opposed to the purposely stupid. The innocently stupid genuinely don't understand how terrible are and they entertain us with their naively ridiculous brand of foolishness.

Take the legendary public access host Diddlee Squat, I say legendary simply because he was pretty clueless and he was an obvious pervert that enjoyed a $4.95 pancake meal followed by an alley blow job from an old whore. Then there are dudes who really feel that they are special like the white rapper dude that wanted to be in MTV.

I think it's funny how this guy closes his vide by thanking MTV for listening to him, news flash champ they did not listen, in fact they pissed on your tape during an orgy with the a couple of sexy brazilian dancers from Rock in Rio. Youtube is a wonderful way to relax and look at life with a smug sense of righteousness because for every bad day there is some delightfully ignorant jackass making everything better through a major lack of self awareness.

THIS IS GREAT IF YOU LACK THE ESSENTIALS

If you lack charisma, talent, and magnetism, you should consider a career in public access television. I think public access is a great way to showcase the boring, unbelievably dull members of society. Every time I watch a minute of public access I feel like my life would be improved through the practice of chain smoking.

Part of my reason for saying this is the fact that I've noticed that public access not only gives the talentless an opportunity but it also makes them far more self righteous and arrogant than they should be. I once met the host of one of those shows and I thought the guy was a total asshole, I called him fat man, yes I was a kid. The man was host of a local drawing show for kids. I remember it like it was yesterday that the dude was eating escargot like it was going out of style. I think the fucker is dead now, as a consequence of being alive.

At any rate I say let's do the right thing and piss on the cars of public access stars.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY

When I first read some of Ernest Hemingway's work I was just a freshman in high school. I was taken by his life story more than his work. I thought that Hemingway was a cool guy, well traveled, and interested in life's grand pursuits. I began to read Hemingway's work more thoroughly and was taken by the very real quality of his characters, larger than life and yet incredibly flawed.

Hemingway was one of those guys that was straight up badass before badass was some stupid classification for punks with big mouths and guns. What I thought was great about Hemingway was the he was a man that believed in living hard and full. I think it's really the nature of writers like Hemingway that made literature in those years so great.

There was no fear, no politically correct bullshit, Hemingway and his contemporaries were all about truth. Hemingway had that unchecked depression which only made him all the more compelling. Mental health was not really considered important in those days so for Hemingway to stay as creative and powerful given his issues only made him a more mythical figure.

Hemingway was also an example of someone who could have benefited from treating his depression. I could only imagine Hemingway writing a book about Vietnam and the love power generation. I wonder what Hemingway and disco would have been like, given that the 70's was the me generation. Sadly none of that happened, we lost a genius and life went on. Still, it's not that bad to think of what might have been every now and then.

YOU EVER WANT TO DROP EVERYTHING AND START OVER?

Sometimes I feel like dropping things and starting over but then I realize that the reset button has consequences. When you start over it's like being reborn, you are confused, fearful, likely naked and little cold. Starting over can also give you that feeling of being covered in amniotic fluid. I say that instead of hitting the reset button you figure out some way to troubleshoot.

That's just my humble advice, I guess I have that feeling that the world is difficult and annoying but it's worth a shot as long as you have the munition within you.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW WILL PISS YOU OFF

I have heard this "what you don't know won't hurt you" shit too often. I have to say that's a crap thing to tell a person. Knowledge, for good or bad really is power. When you withhold truth from an individual you will never favor them. People have a serious need to know and understand truth. If you are in a relationship that particular saying is serious bullshit.

I'm not an advocate of secrets nor am I an advocate of convenient truth. Not saying something that another person should no is total crap. I hate that secret crap, I guess I had to ride a soapbox for a few sentences before stating that the truth will set you free!

IF IT ISN'T IN PERSPECTIVE YET, LET'S TAKE IT THERE

I once heard a mind blowing stat that by the end of my high school years I would have watched close to 17,000 hours of television. To me that stat was a clear example that life was somewhat trivial. I thought " What the fuck man?" I was 17 when I heard this and honestly I had no clue.

What I have realizing  is that TV has an incredible amount of power, the power to change life as we know it and society as we see it. Let's put it into a serious perspective here. When FDR died it was a couple of days before the country was completely aware of that fact. When JFK was assassinated it was around in the same day.

Television the medium that gave us Watergate and the eventual fall of a president. Yes, today television gives us a lot of shit that's come around as the result of praise lavished upon the mediocre. Television began the quest of making the world a smaller place, social media has made it an art, but television started it. To put it in perspective, what was once an invention that served as a form of entertainment is today the tool that brought the world together.

It's television that gives us a little to talk about in the water cooler, something to argue about with politics, and the things that bring us together.

FAMILY NEVER GOES AWAY, NO MATTER HOW FAR AWAY IT IS

Last night I had the pleasure of talking to my oldest brother on the phone. It was cool to talk about the old days when I was was a little guy and what I remember about our late father and aunts and uncles. My brother told me something that stuck with me and made me think quite a bit.

I recall my brother saying to me that family is family no matter what. I began to think about our dad, how time and situations separate people for periods of time. Family is something special, that bond is unbreakable. You can be different from members of your family but somehow that bond makes up for differences.

Our grandfather, whom I never met, was a man of principle. My grandparents had a marriage of love, respect, and mutual dedication. When all his children were grown professionals our grandfather had this lovely family picture taken. I recall reading a dedication he wrote, the dedication spoke of the love for his children and the importance of a strong bond. The dedication was a testament to what a great family man he was and what a great family he and our grandmother had created.

Family never goes away and it doesn't matter how far they are away from one another. Family is much greater than anything else in life, a close unit will always pull through in any situation, in part because of all the differences that make us complement one another.

I REALLY CAN'T STAND THIS GUY

I can't stand Ryan O'Neal at all. O'Neal was a good actor whose career was something special at one point but he's nothing more that a pathetic press whore looking for attention. I wish someone would put this guy in a bag full of crap and let him drown in it. Now the old idiot is going to court over a painting that was left to the University of Texas by Farrah Fawcett. Part of what makes this a particularly obvious is the fact that it's the fact that the painting was done by Andy Warhol. I hope the school creams O'Neal legally. This guy is a piece of garbage and doesn't really deserve any attention whatsoever.

WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHY

It's been nearly 50 years and we are still fascinated by the assassination of JFK. We never saw JFK age, we never saw him mature as president. What we know is that he was our youngest president and the beacon of a new hope. Kennedy was going to transition us from the black and white era to color, Kennedy was the leader of a new generation.

50 years ago we lost the leader and gained something that we were not prepared for, confusion. Today we ask why it all happened but the truth is we have no answers. Nothing will ever explain the why, or the what, simply put it just happened. from November the 22nd to the 24th the nation had tragedy and was denied a plausible answer.

The Warren Commission provided a report that may have as well been blank pages, simply because no answer was satisfactory. Some people believe Oswald acted alone, some believe that he really was a patsy, and no one can understand Ruby's involvement. We will never know why this happened, and we will not understand either.

The murkiness that further enveloped this tragedy through Jim Garrison's investigations, a controversial process that implied unimaginable conspiracies.

There have been serious accusations that have taken mythical proportions. One such accusation implicates LBJ as the centerpiece of a conspiracy to take the presidency. The conspiracy involving LBJ   was immortalized in the film Executive Action, starring Burt Lancaster.

None of these films, investigations, reports, and Ideas can tell us why. There are no facts with the exception of Kennedy's death, Oswald's death and a subsequent series of unfortunate events that can never reversed, or undone.

AGE IS A STATE OF MIND

As I close in on my 35th birthday I wonder if perhaps I'm getting to old. I think if anything I'm a baby starting out. I look at age as nothing more than a state of mind. My body of work reflects a still very spry mind with an almost boundless ability for material. I'm not saying that I'm a genius but I am extremely good at being tireless.

I look at past examples of age not really playing a part in achievement and there are some prime examples. When people want to accomplish something, they find a way to defy time. I'm not saying we can stop time from passing, but we can use what time brings as an ally.

When George Burns was nearly 80 he began what would be considered the best period of an already lengthy and storied career. Jack Benny was in his late 70's and was still commanding high ratings with his specials based on The Jack Benny Program. If you want to accomplish greatness, work at it and if you want to preserve it make sure to believe in your own ability to do so in spite of time.

MARRIAGE IS GREAT, WHEN TAKEN IN MODERATION

I think marriage is a wonderful institution, kind of like Disney World. When you enter marriage it's a lot like going to Magic Kingdom in the sense that there's wonder, joy, a little apprehension, some spending, and in the end you leave asking yourself why. Marriage quantity is also like Magic Kingdom in the sense that the more you go the more you spend and the less satisfied you are.

We jump into marriage sometimes too soon and sometimes not soon enough. Often times we go in because we fear living alone for a period of time or for the rest of our lives. Marriage can be the solution to a problem and a problem that never really needed solution to begin with. Sometimes we treat marriage like a ferris wheel with different colored pods.

I think it's vital we understand that those pods each have a different personality and they are likely to swing in ways we may not understand or appreciate. Marriage is wonderful in the same way that scolding hot coffee is wonderful, it keeps you up, worries you, and gives you a feeling of invincibility coupled with massive headaches.

I say marry with good intentions, live with better intentions and worry without consideration. If your marriage dissolves remember always that life is one and you must live on to fight another day.

REMEMBER THOSE SHOWS?

I used to cherish the moments spent with family watching television shows. For some reason I don't quite understand my favorite shows usually revolved around unlikely hero figures. In my list of favorite shows were the following:

• JJ Starbuck 
• The Master
• Father Murphy
• Automan 

What these shows have in common is the fact that they were short lived series for the most part. JJ Starbuck was a vehicle for the aging Dale Robertson. The show was about an eccentric billionaire trying to solve crimes that were meticulously committed. Even with some good guest stars the show itself only had a single season run spanning a total of 13 episodes. The Master was similar to JJ in that the main character was an aging badass. 

Lee Van Cleef was the star of The Master, which was contemporary to the popular A Team. The premise of the series was an old ninja master (Van Cleef was 58) that gets into super cool ninja adventures with his young protege, Max. I found the fact that an old California guy would be a ninja master simply fascinating. 

I thought the best part of The Master was Van Cleef himself. My step dad would tell me about Van Cleef's work in westerns so I felt like I knew the guy. There's Father Murphy, a Michael Landon production that only ran a couple of seasons starring Merlin Olsen as the tittle character. 

I liked Father Murphy because it really tried to teach people about values while applying a historical context. The show centered on giving orphaned children some protection while prospecting in the old west. The show was slow in terms of pace and it wasn't much for action but it was interesting to look at. In part Father Murphy was the end of an era, as its cancellation, along with Little House in the Prairie signaled the end of western themed series on television. 

Yes, Father Murphy was good but the best, in my young eyes, was Automan. 

The series Automan was particularly high on camp but incredibly ambitious for its time. The series also ran during the 1983-84 season and aired 12 episodes. The series was about a nerdy computer whiz by the name of Walter Nebicher that creates a hologram able to leave the computer and fight crime. The thing that made the show great was not the stories so much as the visual appeal. The show took a lot of its visuals from the film Tron. The car was a souped up Lamborghini Countach, conditioned to look like a futuristic car. The series was produced by Glenn Larson, whom at that time was on a major hot streak with shows such as Fall Guy. 

That time was a time when shows were being cranked out in order to really entertain people. Since that point we've really lost that in television. Right now television is a bastion for imbeciles whose poor choices make them reality stars. Perhaps there will be a return to the glory days, when the audience actually mattered to some extent. 

A LOT OF DRAMA LEADS TO LITTLE RESULTS

I'm not a big fan of drama, it seems like whenever the art of drama is involved in real life there is no way to make things move forward. I think we all engage in drama some way or another but when we do say in a manner that defines us, we really end up screwing ourselves, sometimes beyond repair. There are no winners when drama is at the epicenter of any situation. If you take anything from this blog, take the understanding that drama under any other context is simply bullshit in disguise.

WHY SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE TRUE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

There are billions of people on this earth, each with a different opinion. Social media outlets, our Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and other mediums are our collective voice. We have a way to express our  likes, dislikes, and opinions. No one man, nor any legislative body can speak for us collectively. Yes we face a lot of things with social media that we did not normally have to worry about.

We face identity theft, we face stalkers, but really we face danger every day so social media is no different. With social media we make friends, business connections, we discover new interests and sometimes we discover our true weakness. Social media connects us with family that we otherwise would not be connected with.

Social media has accomplished what no other advent ever could, it has homogenized the world. We all have one thing that can link us together no matter how far apart geography can put us.

THE BART TRAGEDY

Sometimes things happen that we don't quite expect, at least not this day and age. A 16 year old was killed in a BART train related fatality. There's not much to say other than this is one of those sad situations that's impossible to understand. It was stated that there was some sort of investigation into the kid's psychological state but that won't change the fact that this is an irreversible tragedy.

If there was something wrong with the kid's psychological state this is the kind of thing that tells parents  to always keep an open line of communication with their children.

THE KENNEDY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: YOUTH

As I sit and watch the second part of PBS' JFK: American Experience I sit and wonder if during those years youth was considered the best way for government. In just a few days it will be the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination and rather than focus on the negative I would like to pose this question:

• Did Kennedy's youth represent new hope for the US or was it simply the start of an aggressive and somewhat reckless period? 

It seems like Kennedy's fearless nature led him to make mistakes such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, which seemed to empower Fidel Castro and embarrass the US. Kennedy was a symbol of hope in the 1960's and somehow that hope diminished for Kennedy as he realized that his advisors were not always looking out for the interests of the US. Kennedy was also faced with problems such as civil rights unrest brought about by segregation and inequality. 

The Kennedy white house came at a time when change was begging to take place, in a revolutionary manner. Kennedy's youth was one part of the equation, a positive part, but his inexperience was the negative counter. Yes, Kennedy did want to put us in space and he wanted to stand down on talks of nuclear war but his desires seemed to clash with the status quo. 

We made it to space, we did not engage in a nuclear holocaust and yet we were still a target. Kennedy was not necessarily as authoritative as his predecessor Eisenhower, nor as devious as Nixon, the man that would eventually take the White House in 68.' The start of the revolutionary period of the US came from an uncertainty on how to deal with communism and having a weaker foreign policy. With youth and inexperience the military ended up with a deeper level of involvement than necessary in Vietnam. 

Perhaps if Kennedy had not been killed there would have been an early pull out of Vietnam and there wouldn't have been such a massive loss of human life. Kennedy never had the opportunity to realize his dreams for an open system of government that showcased great American resolve and courage. Camelot was only 34 months of a lifetime and yet that spectrum was unique because of youth, aggressiveness, and inexperience. There will never be another Camelot and perhaps that's not a bad thing, then again it would be nice to see that hope once more.

PARENTING CAN BE HELL

As a parent I want the best for my son but sometimes it's impossible to not want to strangle the kid. Kids at a certain period can become unruly, rebellious and impossible to deal with. I think what bothers me the most is when that rebellion manifests itself quietly. When a teen is not really open about the daily goings on, it means that they are screwing up somewhere.

As a parent I want to understand but as someone not so far removed from my teens I can remember how hard it was to be that age. I still seem to have the hardest time relating to the whole teen angst thing. I guess it's a combination of me getting older and life rapidly evolving. I am better able to understand what life was like for my parents and yet I just don't want relent in my ways.

Parenting is fun but it can also be hell as time goes by. I guess my only choice is to really wait this out and look back it fondly in a few years time.

LARRY FLYNT TRYING TO SAVE THE MAN THAT SHOT HIM

I don't particularly care for Larry Flynt mainly because of his line of work. I do think Flynt has an interesting side specifically when it comes to talking about rights, politics, and what have you. Most recently Flynt has made headlines by stating that the man who shot him in 1978 should not be executed. While the man that shot him is actually being put down for murdering someone in 1977, and not for the Flynt shooting, there are some interesting points Flynt is bringing up here.

Flynt feels that there should be greater scrutiny in so far as who is a part of the team that's responsible execution. There's also the name of the pharmacy and whether or not that compound pharmacy faces scrutiny from the state on other fronts. I don't think Flynt is trying to grab headlines so much as he is trying to hold systems accountable.

Should states where there is a death penalty for felons and lethal injection is the method of death be more open about the process? Flynt seems to feel this way about Missouri and chances are he feels this way about other states as well. The question is valid simply because Flynt is asking more for the reason of keeping other people and businesses in check.

I wonder how far Flynt will go here, considering how far he's gone in the past for other causes. Flynt did state that life in prison is a worst punishment than the quick release of death by lethal injection, I actually agree with that. I think Flynt has an uphill battle here only because he is Larry Flynt, the Hustler guy.

I'LL DRINK THE KOOL AID NOW

I have heard the " Drink the Kool Aid" metaphor used in a negative way for a long time. If that's applied to you it means you follow a belief blindly and devoid of any independent thought. The negativity is associated chiefly with the Jim Jones, Jamestown tragedy that took place in 1978. I think that the Kool Aid is actually a good thing.

At this point I am certain that you are thinking I'm either a zombie or a monster for saying this, but please read on. I think that we need to drink our own Kool Aid, which happens to carry a lot of that self confidence we need in order to move forward in life. So why not drink the Kool Aid?  The truth is that if we aren't capable of following our own desires in this life, no one will follow us when it's necessary.

Every single day we need to capture someone's attention. If we are being interviewed for a job we need to be able to sell our abilities and get a person to see what we see. So drinking the Kool Aid is not a bad thing, nor is getting others to drink the Kool Aid as well. So next time you are going through the internet, by all means stop on by and drink my wonderful Kool Aid so you may be one with my awesome nature.

IT'S NOT NEWS

Lately i've become more and more interested in discovering what wonders the human mind holds. What we hear about the mind now is not really anything new. Writers like Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and Napoleon Hill have been telling us about the power within us for years. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale actually talked about the power of positive thinking and wrote of it based on his studies of ancient texts that spoke of just that.

I think that we become fascinated with the idea of positive thinking simply because we don't engage in that practice as often as we should. If we really think about it even when we do well it seems to be almost part of the plan so we go with it. Do we control our destiny through our thoughts? I'd like to think that we can, the human mind is an incredibly powerful tool. What I'm saying is not new and it's not news, it is a rarely observed fact.

WHEN IT'S OVER

Marriage is one of those lifetime propositions that seems to work less and less now a days. I think that part of the reason why marriages fail is because people would rather move on than stick around and grow apart. I think part of this is due t to the fact that a lot of 50 year marriages are made up of people who were enemies and didn't really know it. You can tell by just looking that a couple is comprised of two negative halves, especially when the husband looks like he wants to fade away.

I think that when marriages are over, people don't have to hate one another. Life is too short for hatred and pettiness. I think if the wife gets it al she should be happy, the friends should shut the fuck up, and the kiddies should consider themselves lucky. If the parents, assuming there are kids, love the kids and are on the same page then let's all have a dinner.

I think that when it's over, if it's over, it should be in a civilized manner. I pride myself in the fact that my current state is one of tremendous civility. I think the whole when it's over thing should be done with civility. I do have to say that if there are extenuating circumstances there is a good chance that there will be some sort of bloodshed.