Here are so of my observations from that last year that
originally appeared on my Facebook page.
I hope you enjoy.
I was listening to Ham-Fisted Radio Today and Dawn Taylor
was talking about her avocado dog video featuring Huell Howser. It reminds me
of a family story. In the House I grew up in there was a huge Avocado tree. The
bore softball sized fruit due to sitting on top of the septic tank. In the
Eighties my brother and I had a pair of Cocker Spaniels. They loved avocados
they used to jump up and pick them then hide them behind a shed covered in
leaves to ripen. One year My Maternal Grandmother came to help out since My Mom
was in the hospital. Grandma thought dogs eating avocados was a waste, sine
they were rare in Oregon Southern
California warring with two Cocker Spaniels over their stash of
Avocados. Those Dogs hated her for taking their treats. So every time I hear
Avocados and Dogs I remember the Avocado war between my Dogs and my Grandma.
I bought Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts. It is a documentary
about Warren Ellis and his impact of Popular Culture. At one point of my life
Mr. Ellis was there everyday. I discovered him at the end of his Warren Ellis
Forum era. When I was working as Tech Support for the First Cable Modem system,
I would hang out in the Forum. I was not as impactful as some of the folks
there. I talked from time to time with People like Matt Fraction and Larry
Young. I never went on to create my own art like many of these others, YET. A
major impediment to my creativity is gone. I am trying to get myself in a
better head space to create. My problem is too many possibilities. I want to
cook, I want to write and I want to create something. I have things that have
been swimming in my head for decades ready to get out. The other thing I need
to work out is to change the way I interact with the world. That main thing has
to do with trying to avoid finding myself doing the same things I always have.
I do not want history to repeat which has been occurring for the last few
decades. It’s funny how a Movie instigates all this introspection. Right now I
am looking for full time work. I am not going to be too picky. Then I am going
to start doing things to begin the next phase: Writing, cooking and planning.
So after watching Rush's Induction or as Neil Pert put it
Indictment to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am stoked that I am going to
the July 28th Concert at the Clark County Amphitheater. Mind you I have only
been to 3 other Musical Concerts purposefully. I do not count a few State fairs
or Amusement Parks (Magic
Mountain Disneyland ). Those cases I was there
and not for the concert. Only one time did I want to go to an Amusement park
concert but my church group was leaving early. So I missed Cheap Trick in 1984.
Since then I saw Stryper 1985, Anthrax, Primus, and Public Enemy 1991 (Bring
the Noise Tour), and the H/.O.R.D.E. Festival (Blues Traveler, Lenny Kravitz,
Dave Matthews Band and Rusted Root) 1996. Now I have been to four different WWE
events in Portland
So I watched Last season and this season of Food Network
Star. Justin Warner last Season's winner does not have a regular show on Food
Network or its Sister Channel Cooking Channel. What the hell. He has made two
pilots for two different concepts, Culinary Rebel with a cause and Rebel Eats.
Neither has spawned a show. Alton Brown was taken off as a producer as well. I
have no proof, but it seems to me that their may be something fishy there at
the network. Winners from the first season are gone. Their show was on only one
season. Second season winner is still there Guy Fieri. Third season winner her
show only had six episodes. Aaron McCargo, Jr had three seasons of his show.
Melissa d'Arabian only had three Season of her show. Aarti Sequeira only had
three Seasons of her show. Jeff Mauro has had two shows so he seems to be doing
better. My word of advice to Damaris Phillips the newest winner, just because
you won does not guarantee you will become a Star on that network. Three Small
season of a show seem to be the average for the winners of Food Network Star.
Three seasons is about a year and a half on the network. Sorry for the screed.
It just had me wondering.
Finished watching the second episode of Heroes of Cosplay
and it irritated me. These sizeist women are judging large people who cosplay.
Mind you I have thought of cosplaying and I know I am a obese dude. The ideas I
have thrown around, Modern version of Uncle Marvel of the Marvel Family,
Armstrong of Archer and Armstrong, Shadowrun Trolls or Orks, Volstag the
Voluminous and a few other characters of larger girth. Being my size I could do
Kilowog or an original alien Green Lantern. Heck there is even an oversize
flash character from the future. Me, I know what works with my body type, but
that does not give me the right to tell other not to do something. I recently saw
a list of 95 of the "worst" cosplayers. I get frustrated with people
using the anonymity of the internet to be totally cruel jerks. Some of the
costumes were bad for quality of work. Others were just there because of a
unique body type of body feature that was different from the norm. Yes there are
choices that can be just wrong like Caucasians painting themselves to be a
person of color. I wonder about our society. We have wonderful ads from Dove
showing women with real bodies that they are beautiful then you got stuff like
this. Sorry for the screed. I have been working to get away from a judgmental
paradigm in my life. So it irritates me when I see others do it.
Two recent reality shows have become casualties to my
competition show method of watching TV. On Various cooking competitions shows I
watch what the challenge it then fast forward to the judging. I may stop when
there is a monkey wrench thrown it by the show. These two shows should be
competition show but are not. Those shows are Heroes of Cosplay and Naked
Vegas. I am interested in both from an artistic point of view. I fast forward
to find out what their projects are fast forward to see the finished project.
In Heroes of Cosplay I would get to the Competition section and what the other
costumes but fast forward through most of the BS. I started doing this after
the second episode. Since I have learned that much of the conflict on Heroes of
Cosplay was manufactured for the show by the producers. That is the problem
with Realities shows they act like they are documentaries when they are not. I
got savvy to this with Gene Simmons' and the Real housewives show years ago.
OK, there are my feelings about it. I love the artistic expression in both show
but I do not care for the "drama" real or manufactured.
When I first heard of Heroes of Cosplay and Naked Vegas that
is what I thought we were getting another Face Off type show not the Reality
stuff. I stopped watching Hell's Kitchen due the contestants seem to be dumber
and dumber each succeeding year. Shows where the challenges are specific
endeavors like Top Chef, Master Chef, Face Off, and the like work better than
the others. I am not saying they are not manufactured bits to those. I fast
forward through those parts.
Over the years I have tried Multiple Traditional Set Fantasy
series in pseudo- Medieval settings. They do not resonate with me. I like Urban
Fantasy, but most of it is typically all Vampires and Werewolves. There are
some that are not like that, Mortal Instruments and the Harry Potter series.
The Vamps and Weres are the glut. One of my Favorite series, the Dresden Files,
has Vamps and Weres but that is not the central point of the series. I enjoy
Victorian Era set Fantasy and Sci-Fi. That is due to the fact of cutting my
teeth on Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs. So I am enjoying the
Steampunk. However I would never be able to write in it. I like the Metamor City Latin America . That is what I
see.
I was talking to a friend about my recent Charles de Lint
and me blog article. He said he did not really care Science Fiction and Fantasy.
I compare de Lint Kafka. His work is more Reminiscent, at least to me of Latin
American Magical Realism or literary uses of Fantasy and/ or Science Fiction
Element. Other than Kafka, Vonnegut, William S. Burroughs and Virginia Woolf
has used similar elements without using many of the clichés of genre. After a
while I kinda felt pushy. More like a literary pusher. De Lint's work I feel is
not like many of the typical Fantasy and Urban Fantasy authors out there. I
would compare his work with that of Neil Gaiman it that aspect. Mind you their
styles are very different. De Lint is more subtle and Gaiman has more whimsy to
his works. Even though he does fantasy including Faeries and other fae folk his
work seems more grounded and down to earth.
I was talking to my Uncle Bob about how Portland Portland Portland Portland
I am watching Hawaii
I was living at an Apartment complex that had a ban on Pit
bulls. The manager who also managed a pet shop was trying to get us to by an
American Staffordshire Terrier. I informed him that was one of the breeds
referred to as Pit Bulls. I had to show him in my Atlas on Dog Breeds. For
someone who was so into dogs I was surprised. I love these breeds they tend to
be very loyal and protective.
Another story is when I was a Flagger for a utility company
we had a woman come by with a huge Bull Mastiff. My co-workers said it was a
big puppy and no concern. I laughed. He may be nice here out in the
neighborhood, but I would not want to be coming onto his property without
invitation. As a former Postal worker I have learned that dogs do not behave
the same out and about as they do on their home turf. I am living with two
dogs, but they are not mine. I have been a big dog person for most of my life.
For 10 years I lived with just with cats. Right now I am not ready to have
anyone dependent on me, human or critter. That may change.
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