TO MY GOOD FRIENDS AT TRACY LOCKE

Hello there my friends, I am Ric Acevedo, the interesting guy you heard about. The reason I'm writing this is to tell you why I'm your guy. The description in your job lead at Full Sail's career development department stated you needed someone who is "a risk taker." Well my friends I just took a risk and a big one at that. I'm writing a blog about just how good I am in order to:

• Catch your eye.
• Get you talking.
• Receive a phone call.
• Get an offer.
• Do my thing.

Yes, I am new but believe me when I tell you that what I lack in experience in your world I make up for with guile in the real world. You mentioned a " forest fire" well think of me as out of control global warming. I know I need to prove myself but think about it like this, If I sell myself I'm sure I can sell anything else. 

A few parting thoughts are: 

• I enjoy Kool Aid. 
• I work well in teams
• I'm a pretty outstanding writer

With that I say good day and I hope to see you soon.

THE REAL BLURRED LINES

I guess Marvin Gaye's kids are suing EMI as well as Robin Thicke over Blurred Lines. I'm assuming that the lawsuit is as a result of the resemblance to the song Got to Give it Up. The songs do sound a lot like one another. The truth of the matter is that I don't think Robin Thicke meant to rip off Marvin Gaye. I think everyone sees it like an affront but honestly I don't.

I think that they actually produced that track in an attempt to recapture a sound that has not been heard in a long time. The fact of the matter is that there is such starvation for good music that people who care  will dig in the archives of greatness. The question is, are Marvin's kids suing to get some cash? or do Marvin's kids want respect for their father?

It seems like Marvin's kids don't really have any say on where royalties go since Marvin's catalog is managed by EMI. The lines are not so much blurred by the sound but by the intention to ensure that someone gets paid. I wonder if the Vanilla Ice/Queen/David Bowie thing will come into place here. Well, someone's gonna have to give it up.

TIME FOR A CHECK UP FROM THE NECK UP

I know this sounds like one of those self help entries but it's more of a common sense thing. I sometimes look down and think that this is it. I get that feeling that I've done something wrong and then I realize life's just begun. All I have to do is watch The Eric Andre Show and realize that if a freaking idiot like that made it, so can I. See, I told you this was a little more than self help and more like self serve.

I don't have much more to say because I am seriously tired and I have something interesting to do.

THE CROWDED MARKETS

As a child I used to love watching Japanese animation cartoons. I was a fan of Astroboy, Voltron, and many others. I later began to watch the films like Akira which were absolutely breath taking. I remember the Sci Fi channel used to play them every Saturday morning, making Sci Fi destination television. Somewhere along the way Japanese animation became a part of the American landscape and 99 out of 100 shows were some Japanese animation transplant like Beyblade, or Pokemon. 

I don't mind that these shows are so popular I just mind that they lack strong stories. I was learning about death, loyalty, and teamwork with shows like Voltron. I think that kids don't really appreciate or understand the idea of a strong story, partly because it's not on their immediate radar as compared to all the bright colors and cool robots.

I guess it's a sign of my times that now I see things the way my parents saw them when I was a youngster. Perhaps my views will change and I'll learn to appreciate the market saturation, but for the time being I won't.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CANDY?

I wonder what happened to halloween, I was talking to a colleague about how not so long ago I was a at a party and these kids showed up without costumes, just backpacks for the purpose of collecting candy. The kids just showed up and had this attitude of entitlement, which made me angry and it made the alcohol I consumed almost boil over. Still I wonder what happened to our traditions.

Halloween is the slutty costume stop, where fantasies leave the bedroom and creativity hits the graveyard. I don't mind the slutty costumes because they are a form of eye candy, and halloween is about getting candy. I do still feel like we lost something, halloween is not so much about the tradition of dressing up and knocking on doors anymore. I guess I may just be going through a " Those were the days" phase.

Oh well, happy slutty halloween to everyone, may the alcohol, weed, and candy be plentiful to all.

MY PROBLEM WITH PAGEANTS

I have a serious problem with pageants and it centers around the mothers making their daughters look like young Washington wives and not allowing them the opportunity to be children. I was home watching TV and as I flipped channels I came upon TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras and I was shocked and appalled by what I saw.

The mothers were threatening their daughters with taking away privileges while saying that some of the other children were ugly. Did any of these "mothers" have a childhood? Were the mothers so ugly and insecure that they decided to go ahead and put a mortgage on the house so little Suzy could make them feel oh so special?

TLC is a joke of a network that is pathetic at best and this show proves it. I hate to see little girls exploited like this. I hate to see parents engage in this shameful practice, there was a father dressing like a freaking bear, what a loser. I hope this show gets cancelled and all those mothers get molested by a horny sasquatch.

SO HERE WE ARE AGAIN

We look back at the closure of the US government and we can safely say that not a single thing has changed. Let's look at this from a simplistic perspective:

• The affordable care act is still a troubled piece of legislation 
• The site for insurance exchanges has been a joke
• The parties are still pointing fingers without really doing a damn thing
• The medical device tax will likely bring forth a wrath of special interest battles

So, to sum it all up we got screwed as a nation for 16 days with nothing to show for it. I remember hearing a zealous conservative say it was a liberal thing while also watching liberals say it was a conservative thing. Let's face facts for a minute, liberals and conservatives are not working for anything other than their own legacies, the constituency always comes last. 

A few years ago I read a book that was written by Samuel Pettengill, who served in the US congress for 8 years during the great division. I remember his book Smoke Screen was an insider's view into Washington politics and essentially served as the counterpoint to The New Deal. If we look at the Affordable Care Act, it's really the med version of the new deal. 

It doesn't matter if you are for it or if you are against it, it's the law of the land. This law like any other law requires expenditures and said expenditures have to come from forms of taxation we as a nation may not agree with. In the end if it works or if it doesn't is going to depend on fund allocation and proper execution. The fact is that politicians could care less, they want the ability to cater to someone in order to have fall back money because the hundreds of thousands that they make every year is not enough. 

Obama was a community organizer and is now a millionaire like every other US president to come around. It doesn't matter what you think, opinions of the masses are unimportant at this point. The Affordable Care Act will likely stick around and present problems like the insurance exchanges site, for one. It's time we wake up, smell the coffee and realize that are interests are not that important to our 535 legislators. 

THE MEANING OF INNOCENCE

I was sitting down having a cup of coffee the other day and looking around. The mall I was in had a basketball court nearby and some children were playing. To my left just outside the coffee shop some tables were set up and two gentlemen in wheelchairs were talking to some ladies. I thought nothing of it and thought nothing of the kids playing either because that's what kids do.

One of the gentlemen made his way to the court and when I looked up he was across from the small child and they were tossing the ball around. I looked at the kid and he had a huge smile on his face. I knew the kid was not poking fun, he was just having fun without judging a man in a wheelchair. There was a second when the world slowed down to the point where I could only focus on that brief interaction.

I saw just the man and the little boy passing around a ball and shooting baskets and thought " Why can't it always be this easy?" The kid smiled with such joy and the gentleman in the wheelchair seemed to revel in the child's joy. There was no difference, just a wheelchair, no crippled man, no scared child, just two fellow humans enjoying a common interest. That brief moment to me was the very definition of innocence.

OKAY THEN

I get these little news headlines on my iPhone because I like to be informed. I don't quite get why I'm still interested in government news because honestly this whole fiasco has become a joke. At this point both democrats and republicans are acting like idiots trying to figure out who gets the better share of the tang.

I read briefly that now conservatives are looking at a possible momentary increase to the debt ceiling in order to avoid default. I am disgusted by this because honestly the nation's problems cannot e solved momentarily. What about the shutdown? Perhaps I read this all too briefly and maybe my facts are wrong. The one thing I am going to say is that this government is not for the people, not anymore and no one can convince me otherwise. 

Democrats are as much to blame as republicans for what's happening. Obama did nothing of value when he had a supermajority in Senate and Democrats controlled the house. The affordable care act could have been passed, tuned, and made to help the citizens and not be used as a way to fuck the US. 

I guess I'm just trying to say, fuck temporary and do what you were elected to do.

ONE IS OLD AND HORNY, THE OTHER IS STUPID AND ALSO HORNY............I SMELL SERIES

I guess Suzanne Somers is a horny lady and that's a good thing. Suzanne stated that she has sex two to three times a day. I think it's wonderful that Suzanne likes sex at age 66. Sex is a wonderful thing and if people had more sex there would be much less war. After her revelation that she loves to give tang to her husband she proceeded to slam Miley Cyrus' claim that sex dies after 40.

What kind of pisses me off about this is that Miley Cyrus is a dumb little whore that knows nothing about life and has no business talking about sex after 40. If Miley is giving it up to anyone that will take it and loving it, that's her business. Where I'm angry at Suzanne Summers is that statement of " I admire what she's doing."

What is it that Suzanne admires? The overly blatant use of sexuality just so that she can get some attention? I'm not really sure that particular trait has any admirability. The fact of the matter is Miley Cyrus can sing and she has an abundance of talent that doesn't call for her to show everyone how well she can accommodate a penis. Miley gets blasted by names like Annie Lennox and Sinead O'Connor because her talent is being obscured by her prostitute like demeanor.

I think Miley and Suzanne should do a series where they........never mind, too easy.

POETRY

I'm no poet but I love reading poetry simply because I feel that there is some manner of genius in brevity. Poetry was something that I loved as a kid because it was short but most of the time it told some story. Let's look at some of the things that poetry covers in a few lines:

1. Love.
2. Heartbreak. 
3. Happiness. 
4. Sadness.
5. Success.
6. Failure. 
7. Appetite.

In short, poetry covers just about everything you can imagine and write about. When you do it correctly a poem can pretty much sum up the long and short of your life. Poetry can be what defines a writer, shapes a generation, and establishes a legacy. 

I'm writing this because I want to encourage people to really seek out poetry, not as a drag but as a form of enrichment. Perhaps you are a poet, perhaps not but either way you can really yield something great from it. Seek out a poem from days of old, seek one out from recent time but remember it will broaden your mind.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

So I have seen two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I have to say I dig it. I think that the formula for a comic based series is really there. With the long run of Smallville and the apparent good reception of Arrow it seems like there's a new age for comic book stories in television. It doesn't help when people like Jim Steranko, the Warhol of Marvel, say that the stories are weak. Comic books have a broad base of material to chose from.

Marvel has a lot that they can incorporate but it does help to create certain characters, like they did with Firestar in the 1980 Spiderman and his Amazing Friends cartoon. I love the fact that they brought in Samuel L. Jackson and that they use foreshadowing as a tool to broaden interest. It may be a long time before they decide to hype up interest by attempting to bring in faces such as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo for cameos.

I think the show deserves a chance because honestly it's one of the few good shows on TV, where entertaining the audience with a plausible continuing story is important.

BRADLEY AND MARQUEZ

In keeping with my Sunday government bullshit boycott I have decided to talk about the anticipated battle between Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez. I've been watching 24/7 and Tim Bradley sounds like a man with a hell of a lot to prove, and that can actually be a bad thing. In his last fight Bradley left himself open to too much punishment. I'm not saying that Bradley is damaged goods but he proved that he can hit and he does have a tendency to throw out his plans.

Marquez is a tactician and his ability to keep calm under fire can work as a major plus in his quest to stay near the top of the pound for pound rankings. The interesting thing here is Bradley had major troubles with Pacquiao while Marquez was Pacquiao's biggest problem. Marquez may well unsettle Bradley and Bradley may well dominate Marquez.

Marquez is superbly conditioned but age and battles may be too much for him while Bradley is vulnerable and hittable. This battle is really a crossroads fight for the two men. If Bradley loses he will validate everyone that thinks he lost to Pacquiao and is damaged goods. If Mraquez loses he will likely have to retire. In the end this fight has major implications for both men but chances are that a Mayweather fight is not necessarily one of those implications.

KLITSCHKO: SAFETY FIRST, EXCITEMENT LAST

I like Wladimir Klitschko, I think he is a gentleman and his conduct outside of the ring and focus inside of it is what has allowed him to compile a 22-2 championship record along with a reign that's second only to Joe Lewis' in terms of length. Now let's look at some factors behind everyone's shunning of Klitschko as a champion. The heavyweight division has brought forth classic feuds between fighters like Holyfield and Bowe, Ali and Frazier, and so on. Today fighters in the heavyweight division show up to either get beat or get paid. Klitchko is an intelligent man that knows how to use his advantages in a manner that's safe, smart, and effective.

Klitschko is a superb athlete whose sensational physical condition along with his methodical approach are enough to beat guys into frustration. People call Klitschko a safety first, boring fighter with little regard for excitement and an inability to give fans their money's worth. First of all Klitschko was not always a methodical fighter, in fact Klitschko use to throw as many as 70 punches every round. While Klitschko was put in front of guys like Jameel Mccline it was not a problem for him to plow opposition down with his style. Klitschko was a heavily touted guy until he ran into the late Corrie Sanders and wore himself out against Lamon Brewster. From that point on Klitschko began fighting as a tall guy using his advantages and relying on a laser like jab along with occasional power shots in order to beat guys over the long run.

Fans in the US see Klitschko as a robotic fighter that just likes to maul guys until they either quit, fall over, or just survive enough to lose. The thing about Klitschko is this, he has not been put in a position where he needed to fight back. No one fighter since the once highly touted Sam Peter has made Klitschko fight or at least really attempt to hold on. In his latest fight Klitschko seemed to just act as if he were spending another day in the office. Klitschko used his height an weight to take Alexander Povetkin's legs out and toss him around like a rag doll. Klitschko won ugly but he won never the less.

Klitschko will not be appreciated for winning over guys without real focus. Klitschko is shunned because in part he has no real opposition. There are no great heavyweights coming out of the US and overseas guys play into the Klitschko game plan by fighting too upright and leaving themselves open to continuing one two shots that eventually take their toll. Until Klitschko finds someone that really tests him, he will continue to fight safe, smart, and boring. It may be a losing performance that makes Wladimir more appreciated or it may be his continued winning ways that may bring him some respect in the end. Until one of those things happens, it's livestream online broadcast that will carry Wlad until the end of his reign.

GOOD FIGHT.............BUT

I am tired of government bullshit so I have decided to go ahead and write about last night's boxing match between Miguel Cotto and Delvin Rodriguez. I thought the fight was great, from a showcase perspective. It was Cotto's way back after two back to back losses to Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout. What was interesting was seeing what Cotto had left after not only after the two losses but also after fighting a murderer's row of punchers such as Pacquiao, Clottey, and Margarito. Common wisdom dictated that Rodriguez would likely extend Cotto because of his advantages in height and rugged nature.

Cotto dominated Rodriguez with a sustained body attack and an incredibly aggressive approach that Rodriguez was not expecting. Cotto went back to a huge left hook to the body that nearly caved the ribs of Rodriguez and a combination that nearly took Rodriguez's head off. Yes I think Cotto has something left but let's put it into perspective.

Delvin Rodriguez does not have an aggressive puncher's nature like upper echelon fighters such as Martinez and, to a lesser extent, Canelo Alvarez. I think Cotto could handle Alvarez and Martinez but he needs to be extremely aggressive and at the same time understand how to wear out and smother the attacks of fighters that will take three to land one.

One thing that Cotto may have against Martinez is the fact that Martinez may well be starting to feel the effects of age and wear and tear. Martin Murray extended Martinez and the punishment Martinez took in his first fight with Paul Williams was something else. The last round against Chavez was also taxing for the aging Martinez. Cotto looks good still and his new union with Roach provides a confidence and line that he needs. Cotto is no longer the boss of the corner and that's vital for a successful last run.

I think Cotto has a good run provided that he stays away from punchers such as Golovkin. Let's see if his last run leads him to the right roads.

OKAY TOO MUCH IS GOING ON

If you've read my blog you know I try to do as much in terms of current events as I possibly can. I just read that a man set himself on fire at the National Mall in what may have been a protest of some sort. I read that the man apparently had an accomplice whose job it was to tape the whole thing. I'm wondering what the fuck this guy was thinking.

I think that setting yourself on fire has little to no effect on policy making, if that were the case the US would be a live barbecue. This whole world is going insane, what in the hell what this guy trying to prove? If this was really a protest it only shows how low hope has sunken the last few days.

The man, as it was written of hims, is battling life threatening injuries. If this man dies, it will have been for nothing because unfortunately nothing will change.

THE DAY OUR ECONOMY BECAME THE PROSTITUTE WITHOUT CLIENTS

I was recently in Amsterdam and while attending an exhibition of Federico Fellini's work at the EYE Museum and I was treated to some clips from Roma. I thought this film was an example of what abstract visual art is really all about. The film had a little bit of everything and it really spoke to the time it was released. The film was released in 1972, a period when there was so much much turmoil still and when the world was suffering a shock in terms of its transition from peace to unadulterated sex. If you've read this far I am certain you are asking yourself " What does this have to do with US economy issues? " Please let me get there before you get all ADD on me.

The film, if I recall accurately, had some prostitutes that looked like they were past their prime. What I think of our economy is that it has become that prostitute. Republicans are the pimps and democrats are the johns. What's funny about this is that if you think I'm complimenting democrats, I am not. I am saying they won't throw the whore a bone by opening a discussion to at least avoid what's going on. I'm also not complementing republicans, I am saying republicans are like a pimp with no whores except for the one with the saggy 70's cleavage.

Please republicans and democrats, let that hooker and let her freak flag fly.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING?

I usually try to stay away from certain issues only because hot buttons tend to create animosity and I'm not all about that. Having said that let me ask: Who in the fuck does Charles Rangel think he is? Who in the fuck does Sheila Jackson Lee think she is? Why won't all these fucking republican and democrat whores shut the fuck up about one another and stop politicizing everything just so they can make a point.

A woman with postpartum depression and an apparent bi polar disorder ends up going of the deep end and that's the fault of republicans? What the hell? Is there nothing sacred anymore? The woman got shot because she was seen as some sort of threat and suddenly the big thing answer is " This was a cause of the lack of the republican action." I think politicizing someone's mental illness is the lowest form of shit.

I have a better idea, how about democrats and republicans stop pimping our economy like a garden variety whore and do their jobs. Miriam Carey was a mentally unstable person and as a result of her problems she ended up making a mistake that would cost her her life and almost cost her her 18 month old's life. Please, don't use this as yet another manner of finger pointing, all of do need to shut the hell up and do your job.

CAN WE REALLY CALL THEM LEADERS?

I don't care if you are a democrat or a republican because we live in a free country. I'm bound by our constitution and the freedom of speech, choice, and so on, to respect your ideals. I don't have a side but I do have an observation about both sides. If you are a republican or a democrat and feel sensitive then please stop reading now.

I turn my TV on and all I hear is republicans blaming democrats and vice versa. Every politician with high hopes is getting their name out there in hopes that either the mid term elections or 2016 will be their breakout period. Let's not talk about sides, let's treat this in a more general manner so we can better appraise what's happening.

We put our futures in the hands of men and women that, although well educated, are as flawed as we are. These men and women reach a point where their nature is to assume that they as singular beings know better than every one of their constituents. While most of the time these men and women are well educated, that doesn't mean that they are beyond our reproach or better than us. While society needs a specific order and manner of law, that law and that order needs to be established with the interests of the people in mind.

It's true that 300 million Americans cannot individually agree on anything, other than their right to disagree. I think that one thing we can agree on is the fact that our "leaders" can't step outside of their fragile egos and do what's right. The root of this battle is Obamacare, whether you are for it or against it is irrelevant, at the moment anyway.

You have elected officials hurting the economy, the country's standing, and the well being of the average citizen because " they know what's best." The truth is that whatever our founding fathers spoke of ,when they banded together against an imperialist empire, has evaporated. Today the government does not stand for the cause of its citizens, it simply stands for whatever keeps key figures in power.

Republicans want to be seen as the guardians of value, the keepers of America's coffers. To house republicans it is vital to strike out against Obama's signature law. On the flip side, Democrats want to be  seen as the merry thieves of Sherwood Forrest. What we have are a couple of groups shooting toward opposite extremes and not giving a care about how badly this is stressing the middle. The government did not need to close over this disagreement and that's an undeniable truth, regardless of political proclivity.

It doesn't matter if you agree with the healthcare law or not, this is a game of hide and seek with the economy. I'm not saying that republicans needed to cave, nor that democrats needed to cave. I am stating that both sides should have agreed to serious talks with regards to keeping the government open and not holding the population hostage. The big concern now is the debt celling and how that particular issue will be affected, truthfully that's not really as big an issue though.

I think the bigger issue is the question of how we can make our "leaders" act less like gangsters at a mob pow wow and more like leaders. Until these "leaders" can change their tune, America will continue to look like a day care full of children with discipline problems.