The New Musings of a Quiet Geek

I have a few thoughts I need to puke out before I can let this political season go. This post will not simply blast Trump. There very well may be things that'll piss everyone off. The running theme may just be I'm tired of all the whining.... 1. A Country Divided- Do I think the country can really be healed in 4 years? No. I do though believe Joe Biden will actually try. Trump is the most narcissistic president in my lifetime. I can count on one hand (and that's a generous statement) the number of press conferences he didn't make some statement befitting a toddler. Yes, it's not unheard of for a politician to place blame on someone else, especially nowadays, but there is a difference between pointing out the opposing party is being obstructionist claiming people are being "unfair" to him. Life isn't fair. Get over it.  He was given many opportunities to meaningfully tell white supremist groups and conspiracy theorists to fuck themselves and refused to ...

Black Panther was great. Just as   Wonder Woman   gave little girls a superhero to "look up to," little African boys (Yes, not just African American   boys) have their own hero. But what was even better about this movie is that it was so much more. It wasn't a stereotypical Eddie Murphy or Whitney Houston movie.  Even 5, 8 years ago, we wanted this to happen but this might have been just the right time. T'Challa is king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda that millennia ago became rich in a fictional mineral called vibranium that allowed them to  become the most technologically advanced country on Earth. They decided to keep this secret, however, and disguised themselves with a cloaking shield and the guise of a "shithole country." (See? Relevance!) Wakanda has reached a crossroads. Xenophobia is really no longer working. The villain of the movie, Wakandan by blood but certainly not upbringing, Killmonger, takes the throne in an effort to take the...

Spider-Man: Homecoming finally brought in  an actor in Tom Holland who could actually convincingly play a high school student AND could play the guilt-ridden yet wisecracking during battle Spider-man we all grew up with. Both factors in to my dubbing thee Sir Best Spider-man Film Ever... Composer Michael Giacchino incorporating the 1967 theme music into the score was awesome and better than when Sam Raimi randomly placed it into his movies. It occurred to me having Robert Downy, Jr. reprise his role as Tony Stark could be interpreted as an unintentional homage to  Spider-man and his Amazing Friends since the character appeared in the pilot of that show... I'm of two minds when it comes to them skipping the origin. I mean we've seen it. Twice. But...it was weird that the only real reference was when Peter acknowledged that Aunt May was having a rough time lately. May seemed to straddle the line between "having a rough time" and being the cool single aunt with mo...

When I wrote my blog post on the previous Netflix series, Luke Cage, I noted it was only about 90% as dark as Daredevil  and Jessica Jones. Iron Fist  is only about 90% as dark as that series. While that does make me question the Mature rating, I have no problem with that. I feel in the mood to structure at least the beginning of this review on my feelings on complaints I've heard 1. The acting and writing: I'm sure my bar is lower than others but I feel people who feel the strongest about this have never watched movies on Lifetime or Hallmark. (Oddly, I read a comment on Twitter from a complainer that he had higher hopes for Cloak and Dagger on Freeform than  Inhumans on ABC. Special effects budget, sure but writing and acting? I think that's an iffy wager at best but I digress.) Finn Jones and Jessica Henwick are great as Danny Rand and Colleen Wing. Danny to me is just as a 25 year old man who spent 15 years cut off from the world as he knew it in a monastery (...

Saw Jackie  this weekend and I have enough thoughts that I required a blog post. I really don't know how much of this story is true or just the screenwriter's imagination. The fact Billy Crudup's character who comes to interview her (which is the framework for the movie) is only known "The Journalist" only confuses the issue... Jackie's efforts to preserve Kennedy's legacy reminded me of Yoko Ono post-assassination of John Lennon. (I'm not sure what the political equivalent of The Beatles would be but I'm fairly confident she didn't break them up...) In the movie, Jackie and Bobby are in the ambulance transporting JFK's body and Jackie asks the nurse and the driver who James Garfield, William McKinley and Abraham Lincoln were. They didn't recognize the first two names which seemingly gave Jackie the idea of copying the Lincoln funeral procession. She even picked the exact spot she felt her husband should be buried at Arlington. I al...

Last time I focused on the race for Governor here in Maine. Today, my thoughts on the Race for Senate. First up, an ad from incumbent Susan Collins' opponent, Shenna Bellows: She doesn't come right and say in this ad we need to raise the minimum wage but she does imply that, just as veterans and the elderly, and I would include all people below the poverty line, should not have to choose between eating and paying for their meds, people in the lower middle class bracket should not have to work 55+ hour weeks  just to provide for their family and in consequence never actually SEE their family... Let me tell you right out, I hate Out of State ads on both sides of the aisle so this one doesn't exactly excite me but I can't say everything said here is 100% wrong. Collins' people will tell you she is one of the most bi-partisan senators in Washington. At some point,I think even I have noted her votes are less than the 85% party line she used to vote during...

It's that time of year again where politics are making my head explode so let me unload here. Today, I want to give my opinion on a few ads. First Up: An ad by the Republican Governor's Association (headed up by Chris Christie who is just as crooked as Rick Perry and that dude from Virginia. Will Michaud (Notice how these morons mispronounce his name; which seriously hurts their defense against the Mainer's disdain of "People From Away;" if at least 50% of that group don't also vote GOP, I'd be rather shocked...)  The crux of the argument that Michaud gives a shit about immigrants is true. Also, I'm tired of the word "taxpayer." Before my seizure issue of last year and was working, I never exceeded the cap of people who have to file income taxes and those didn't. (Yes, I did have taxes taken from paychecks...) Are you implying I don't contribute to society? Also, this isn't the 18th Century and the poor are allowed to vo...

1. Took the cat to the vets for nail trim. Paid $20! For 5 minutes of work! (Those against raising the minimum wage, don't comment. The tech won't see much if any of that money so the argument is beyond moronic.) Officially, I have a roommate who's never here and has a severe cat allergy anyway. Also, it takes my aunt coming over just to get him the carrier so doing it at home isn't an option. Plus, he's at least 11 years old and isn't as cooperative as he was when he arrived at age 8; which was hardly at all anyway. The point is, if I ever could do it at home I certainly can't now.  This is the second issue I've had with this local clinic. A few years ago, they stopped stocking the cat's medicine in a form he'd actually take due to lack of popularity. (Those who know me know how I hate this explanation...) To their credit, the first time (first 2 times actually) I brought Amos in after my medical issues of last year, they actually asked how I wa...

I have been eligible to vote for about 17 and half years. This is the first year I can remember, living and in two states where a lot of stuff actually happened during the primary elections.  This is the current state of affairs in this country of ours.  Sure, incumbents moving on to other things or retiring leaving seats open has always happened and are one thing but this year, people are turning on the incumbents. Oddly, in offices as in innocuous as county sheriff. Here in Cumberland County, Maine, the democrat Kevin Joyce had two incidents at the jail where where prisoners sneaked into the other part to "get to know" another prisoner better. This seemed to be challenger Mark Edes entire reason for running. (The fact, to me, that security is a Republican issue yet there isn't one running speaks a volume or two about my county.) I admit I voted for Edes since if he felt he could do a better job might as well give him a shot. To be clear, I have no problem with Joyce a...

The whole Donald Sterling controversy is surely blazing inferno in our society and I must put my thoughts down for posterity. Conservatives pounced when the NBA cracked down on it.  "We're allowed to be assholes!" a friend commented on Facebook. Like fuck you are! In this particular case, as owner, Sterling was the face of a NBA franchise which, theoretically, should be a family friendly thing.    "If you don't agree with his policies, just boycott." Yes, you could, still, for that matter, but the NBA still did the right thing for removing the reason for doing so. I have never been to LA so I couldn't tell you how far apart where the Clippers play from where the Lakers play but let's assume the NBA aren't just money grubbing whores and LA needs both teams for the greater good. "But he's been a racist since he bought the team back in the '80's." We didn't have the internet so info didn't travel as quickly.  The Cl...

Several topics have been ruminating in my head for days and I need to unpack them. Some are extremely trivial; especially compared to some of the other things I want to discuss, vent or whatever about but if you can't do that on your own blog, what is the point of having a blog? 1.  The Red Sox have been awesome and impressive this season.  What a turnaround.  I'm sure Juan Nieves  does the bulk of the work with the pitching staff . The improvement of the bullpen could be all him for all I know but Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have definitely benefited from the return of John Farrell.       Pitching and defense may win games but the offense has not disappointed. Whenever the team is able to play again, Ortiz will be back.  Sure he's not going to hit 50 homers but we'll probably get 20-30 added to the mix which would be awesome! 2.  The search for the second fugitive has cancelled not only the game (despite all the talk yesterday from pl...

I'm sure I'll lose followers for this but my head is about to blow apart. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have made idiotic statements. Dan Quayle said "A Mind is a terrible thing to waste and not to have a mind is being very wasteful." Al Gore invented the internet. John Kerry's favorite Red Sox is "Manny Ortez." George W. Bush made up his own vocabulary. (Which may in fact just make him a trendsetter.) Our own Vice President Biden called Obama "clean and articulate" and later was asked on the ticket! I won't argue with Sarah. Maybe she can see Russia from her house. I mean it is a pretty damn big country... What I can't forgive her for though is her irresponsibility posting a political enemies list and actually calling it a "Hit List." Her folksy charm may be amusing to city mice with Master's degrees but that isn't the audience she speaks to; or possibly for. It's the everyman gun enthusiast or the CEO...

So the process of healthcare reform has taken a huge step. Sure it's a small step but look what will take effect in a few short months: sick children will no longer be denied coverage. How in God's name could that be a bad thing? Children can't be kicked off their parents coverage until before the age 26. When I came of age and had to get my own coverage, health insurance was a good hundred dollars cheaper a month. Giving out kids a few more years to get a career off the ground in this economy is a good deal. Most importantly, many who don't have coverage will soon. Sure, some don't want to have health insurance. I'm guessing they're the same people who don't want to wear seatbelts. Possibly the same people who use the kid's heads as ashtrays but now we're just getting silly... People have claimed it's a violation of their civil liberties. These same people supported illegal wiretapping of American citizens and racial profiling and voted t...

Last weekend, I watched more research material. Somewhat anyway. After watching The International , I wanted to see The Interpreter, a movie the former supposedly was a rip off from. I didn't see that at all. Sure one had Nicole Kidman and the other had her best friend Naomi Watts but that's really where the similarities end. Sean Penn here reminded me more of Kevin Costner than Clive Owen. And while setting it at the UN, that was really as "global" as it got. It was a great film in it's own right. I have to give a shout out to my book group for understanding the plot's real life origins. If I hadn't read When A Crocodile Eats the Sun I probably would have said Mandela as someone I watching it with did. No, the dictator threatened was clearly based on Robert Mugabe. Some of you will probably laugh but it also reminded me of the Manchurian Candidate ...and Star Trek VI ... On Thursday, I went with the Seminary community downtown to hear the Soweto Gos...

1. It's been almost a week since the same sex marriage law was shot down. I'm not totally pissed about it as I was as, you know, time heals all wounds or what not but I still am a bit irritated. There was a discussion about it at the seminary today on how for many opponents it was the word "marriage" that did it for them. The only openly gay student present responded she wanted the word. I can't say I blame her. I noticed this argument a long time ago, however. I was in Boston when thie issue was discussed there and in Connecticut when it was discussed there (Actually, it was just civil unions there at the time and then later became marriage...) and this was the first time I noticed the civil union option wasn't poo-pooed as well. I love how Bishop Malone still claims his opposition wasn't about discrimination. Isn't denying a group the right to do something that everyone else is allowed to do the very definition of discrimination? 2. Wow. Carrie ...

This whole controversy on permission slips being handed out to parents on whether they want their child to watch President Obama's speech to them is just one more example on the whiny losers conservatives really are. I personally think children should know who their president is. You only have to watch one installment of "Jaywalkin'" to see most adults have no grasp of current events. (As an aside, back in '84 I supported John Glenn for president while my parents were for Walter Mondale. This wouldn't happen today...) I'd assume the plan is just for him to wish the kids a good school year. Since kids aren't old enough to vote, I seriously doubt he's trying to use it as an opportunity to pass health care reform. So why demand a permission slip? But what if he does exhibit a point of view different than the parents? My feeling, as a non-parent, is that it's good to expose them to such points of view. At the very least it gives families something...

There was more than one thing I wanted to discuss but I can only think of one thing at the moment. I just finished reading When A Crocodile Eats The Sun by journalist Peter Godwin. Of course not counting Winter Storm and The Bone Garden , this was my favorite book we have read for my book group. I was pretty much alone in this as the general consensus was it was too depressing and badly edited. Makes you wonder what they really thought of mine; although, I freely admit mine was badly edited... It was an autobiographical view into this white man visiting his parents and past in his native Zimbabwe. Part of the book dealt with his relationship with his father and part dealt with the geopolitical scene in the country. Even I admit that there was probably too much of the latter but I think, overall, it was a good mix.

In the last week or so, I've watched two completely different movies for two completely different audiences. First, The Spiderwick Chronicles . This movie was clearly trying to cash in on Harry Potter and perhaps even the Narnia movies. This was also based on a book series but instead of just one book per movie so they could legitimately milk it, this movie had plot and storyline from books 1-3 and 5. I really don't understand their reasoning here but, not having actually read the books, I can't complain too much. As for the movie itself, it pales in comparison to the other series mentioned above. Again, I haven't read the books here where I certainly have in the other two cases so maybe I'm ignorantly bias. While I honestly didn't even notice both of the brothers were played by Freddie Highmore, this role wasn't as good as Charlie never mind the kid, who's name escapes me, in "Finding Neverland." This wasn't mother Mary-Louise Parker...

Probably every four years, maybe more often, maybe less, the "Christian Right" determine which candidate best follows their interpretation of the Bible. This forces the implication that to be a follower of Jesus' teaching you must be a Republican. I have no idea where people get this. I personally do not remember the verse or chapter where Jesus goes to Abraham's homeland (Find Ur on a map. It's in Iraq!) and subjects the villagers to illegal search and seizure or the part where Jesus praises John the Baptist, or whoever, for leveling a Samaritan village after a Samaritan bombs a donkey or something. But they must be in there... The death penalty is based on the code of Hammarabi which states "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Jesus says, on the other hand, Christians must "turn the other cheek" and that the other law was total donkeyshit. Someone will have to explain to me how continuing the act of vengeance with another act of vengeanc...

How the Vice Presidential Debate should have gone. (Or is it how it went?):