Jolie + Ayn Rand?

Here is a strange tidbit:

Angelina Jolie will take on the major female roll in the upcoming "Atlas Shrugged". There are a few things that raise an eyebrow about this:

1. There is little possibility of a more boring movie ever being made - past, present, and future.

2. Ayn Rand was a real coservative. In fact, a lot of super conservatives like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck hold her in high regard and have been known to quote her.

3. Angelina Jolie absolutely adores Rand. She also adores the UN. Is it just me, or is the UN the exact opposite of what Ayn Rand stood for?

So how do the powers making this film (to which Jolie owns the rights) plan to make this movie? I mean, John Galt's monologue spans for over 40 pages of the book that (according to Rand) took the guy three hours to orate. I suppose they could make the movie about that. Three hours of him talking about objectivism. Those pages basically drive the point the rest of the book is trying to make home. But what an excruciating experience it would be.

Bear in mind, I respect Ayn Rand tremendously and agree with a lot of what she had to say. That being said (and going back to item 1)...what a boring movie it would make. Then add Angelina and (from what I understand playing the role of Galt) Brad Pitt to the mix to cement the insult. Not because of their acting ability (to which I give them credit), but rather to their hypocrisy. Bah.

How about some music? It is high time I put some music out from a supergroup. This particular band is as far as I know the most successful in that they had more than just one song people remember. They have more like 4 or 5. This band features Tommy Show of Styx (guitar and most of the time lead vocals - not in this song), Jack Blades of Night Ranger (Bass and lead vocals in this song), Ted Nugent (you should know him, lead guitar), and some random drummer they picked up. Anyway, this song is called "Don't Tread On Me". That's like a big finger in the world's face that says, "Kiss my American ass!" ( I love uncle Ted).

Busy Busy Busy

I have too many things going on right now. I wish I could say that after this weekend, things will clear up, but the things accomplished this weekend will simply result in different things to do. I will try to put a full account of the goings-on on Sunday or something. No promises.

This week's anthem is actually two-fold. I am rolling with one of my favorite bands, Nightwish. Of all the female-fronted bands out there (aside from some Heart), they are the only group I can stomach for more than about three minutes. In fact, the musical direction the original Ekosphere singer and I were talking about going is pretty similar to the second song. That probably has a lot to do with the similarities to Jen's voice.

Anyway, the reason for two anthems is for the purposes of comparison. The first features their old singer, Tarja Turunen, and the second features the new singer, Anette Olzon. As you will see, Nightwish could not have gone in a more opposite direction. Respectively, the songs are titled "Wish I Had an Angel" and "Bye Bye Beautiful".

Broken System

Saturday, I went to Tucson to have my Grandfather do my taxes. He is a beautiful man that has made a regular habit of getting me a refund. I have never owed since he has been under my employ. The thing is that my refund is always quite substantial. Not only did the IRS and state of Arizona not keep any of the money, but they gave me such a big return that (after I figured for the social security and medicare they do keep) I ended up increasing my annual income by over $3,000 . On one hand, I am all about more money. On the other hand, I feel like the system must severely broken to give a guy more money than he put into said system. The money the government did keep was from two unreasonably broken programs (Social Security and Medicare...in case you haven't been following). Frankly, I would rather my witheld money go into something else like new toilets in the capitol or something. Seems fitting since the government is notorious for crapping all over our tax funds.

Getting back to the substantial sum I am receiving...

So on the way down to Tucson, Kristin and I made a bet on the amounrt we were getting back. Always the pessimist, she low-balled the amount by $500. Though I made more last year than the year before, the difference is negligible. Our tax refunds over the last couple years have been well into the $5000's, so why would this year be any different. So I optimistically placed my bet higher than hers, and still low-balled it by $212. I won the bet. Winning the bet meant two things: I would not have to make dinner for a week, and I would be allowed to purchase a grill. The grill would be one of the keys to entertaining at my place accomplishing the two-fold goal of not being out and away from my family and giving Kristin a much needed avenue to a social life. Not to mention that I love to grill. In the end, the grill was not to be. I picked a grill and was told "no". Ok...so then I decided instead I will purchase Rock Band (on sale this week for $149), but again, "no".

Am I frustrated? Oh yes. Yes I am. However, there is a way I can still make good on my bet winnings. Of marriage, a wise man was once heard to say, "It is always easier to get forgiveness than permission". Kristin might just see a grill here by the weekend afterall.

Speaking of bets, I still owe Mike a steak dinner. We need to get that set up.

Training, music, book, and weather. In that order.

Now that I have had a couple days to digest the seminar with Mrs. Tori Eldridge (linked at right), I feel I am prepared to write some thoughts. Never (and I mean never) have I been trained by a person with so much raw exuberance. She loves To-Shin Do, and that passion bled off on everyone in the room. Her technique was explosive, graceful, and precise. As I suspected, she used me quite a bit to demonstrate how a short person can topple someone over a foot taller than they are. For lack of a better term, she used scare tactics to throw me off balance. I can't tell you how many times I thought she was hitting me before I found myself lying on the mats. Good times. She also had a reputation for being something of a brute. I have heard that on more than one occasion myself. Well, so did she. She made a concious effort to be gentle. Aside from a couple bruises where she grabbed me on my inner thigh, I am no worse for wear. In fact, there was one instance where she grabbed my neck and when I put my hand on hers (to resist her attack when she said "he can resist me from here...I guess I wanted to enact what she was saying), she eased up and told me "sorry". I tried to quietly explain that I was merely acting out what she was saying, but I don't think she heard me. Ah well. It was good times. She even gave me a solid topic for my next newsletter submission. Several times, she was hear to say "own the center". I won't get into it now, but when I have the column ready, I will post it here too.

Saturday night, Mike (Bahr, linked at right) and I got together for some guitar playing. As his blog points out, we have been getting together about once a week or so for the last month. We have had little progress aside from breezing through some songs to determine their "playability". Also, as Mike says, we had a bit of a breakthrough. These moments come only once in a while with established projects and many times takes months to reach for a developing project. Needless to say, we had the best musical experience in years. As with Mike, I am not getting into the details...you will have to see us play when we are ready, but I have the feeling this project will be more fulfilling than anything I have been a part of thus far. I attribute this to a few factors: 1. Mike and I have largely identical musical tastes, 2. we have no reservations against (or for) anything in particular. All ideas are considered and then thoughtfully included or left out, and 3. games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Seriously. We have been playing these games together for a year and a half. As we have played these games, we have often discussed how cool it would be to do certain things with real instruments. Now we are beginning to realize such fantasies. So here's to Mike's and my further discovery.

My book is starting to come along a little quicker. In fact, when my writing (like tonight's) shows up here being a little sub standard, it is because of such progress. I have blown my writing wad for the day. Anyway, since I lost the bulk of my writing so long ago, I have had an opportunity to re-evaluate the style. I have been considering making it a narrative. Ultimately, I decided not to go that route in large part (actually, entirely) because there is no one main character. The main characters are spread across a region of roughly 600 miles, and the events take place over a 35 year period. Some of my characters, who were real people, die of old age before the story I am telling is done. So I am sticking with the third person view. I am also toying with the idea of turning the one book into two or three. Two if I keep it in the same time frame as is currently planned, three if I decide to have it start ten years earlier (still ending at the same point). I will keep everyone posted.

What the heck is up with the weather? Last week, I needed a jacket at noon everyday, and all of a sudden we are in the mid to upper 70's. AZ weather is bipolar.

Christmas Part 2

For Christmas, I recieved the gift of training with two senior instructors. The first part, I already commented on (Brett Varnum). I make good on the second part tomorrow with Tori Eldridge. She is currently the highest ranking practicing woman in To-Shin Do. She is a go-dan (5th degree black belt). I am particularly excited about this one because the instructor is female. Normally I don't see gender lines, but there is always something different about learning from kunoichi (female ninja). I have had nothing but good experiences thus far training under women in the ninja arts, and this experience promises to be even better. I shall post on that once my thoughts are together post-seminar.

My one hope is that she picks me to demonstrate at least one technique. I am sure I will be singled out because I am easily a foot and a half taller than she is based on the picture you see below. As has happened in the past, I make a very good example of how even the very small can topple the very tall.


I have also heard talk that she was the body model for the female lead in the Final Fantasy movie. If you see a picture of that it means I managed to find one. Anyway, this claim is not substantiated by my instructor. Someone else at the school told me this. I make certain to point this out just in case Ms. Eldridge reads her own press. I don't want her beating up Michael. I need him around to teach me.


In other related news, I have figured out how I am going to get out to festival this October. It is a pricey event in that I have to fly to Dayton, get a car, get lodging, buy food, and then there is the matter of the $250 admission for the whole event. That being said, it will be worth it because I will get to learn from Stephen Hayes, his wife Rumiko, and all the other senior instructors. Attendance at festival is important for anyone trying to advance up the ranks beyond 2nd or 3rd degree black belt, and since I see no end to my training, I may as well start getting this material now.


My height assessment was based on how long the sword looks next to her in this picture.

I assume this is the character she supposedly modeled for.

Tell me why, McCain

The GOP race for the presidential nomination is officially over (and has been since Tuesday realistically). The man I voted for, Mitt Romney, has pulled out after being beaten up by the McCain-Huckabee alliance. This has been like a bad Survivor episode. So in November I am forced to decide between a liberal and a liberal. Personally, I think my choices will be McCain and Hillary.

Truthfully, Romney was not my initial first choice. He was third. My first choice was Tom Tancredo of Colorado. He dropped long before any voting day, so obviously I couldn't roll with him. He did endorse Romney and I took that to heart. After much deliberation, I decided I would see how Duncan Hunter of California would fare (he is the guy who actually BUILT A FENCE on the border - which has had positive effects. I respect that). When it was obvious to everyone including Hunter that he had not the funding to be relevant, I put my support for Romney. Of all the candidates, Romney was by far the best man to ease our economic woes. He would have been strong on defense, and his immigration policies were acceptable even though they would have taken years to realize fruition.

So here I am. Do I choose Liberal (R) or Liberal (D). Part of me wants Hillary to win the presidency. Not because I think she would be better (she would be much much worse), but because I know she would screw this country up so badly that in 2010 both Congress and the Senate would return to the Republicans. They would undermine her efforts to communize this country, then Romney or another worthy GOP contender could step in in 2012. On the other hand, if she does win, she will appoint the most liberal judges she can find to the Supreme Court and then we will have them crapping all over our constitution for the next 25 years. That is almost reason enough to let the GOP fall under McCain's administration as per the way I see it unfolding.

So now I ask my dear senator: why? Why should I vote for you in November? You have nine months to prove your value to me. So far you haven't been very good at your current job. Now you ask for a promotion. Most of your constituents are quite unhappy about "McCain-Feingold" and "McCain-Kennedy". Since you have been so ready to wipe your arse with United States laws and make new ones, why should we think you won't try it again? I want to want to vote for you. I really do. Please give me a reason. If you need some help, I offer the following pointers:

• Do not make Mike Huckabee your VP. If we wanted that in the White House, we would invite Jimmy Carter back.
• You admit the economy is not your strong point. Offer Mitt Romney a position somewhere on your staff and give him the green light to fix it. Then tell America your plans.
• You have great national defense policies. Keep them intact regardless of what your friends in the house majority want.
• Your constintuents are the ones that would give you this job. They don't hire you to "reach across the aisle" if it sacrifices the integrity of the nation.
• Keep the tax cuts you opposed that you now say you support in effect. Maybe you had a legitimate change of mind. Prove it.

Anyway, that is all for now, Senator.

Okay. So enough of that. It is Thursday and is therefore anthem day. Since Valentine's day is around the corner, I thought I should make this week's installment about Love. And who has a better definition of love than J. Geils and his band? I think you all know what this one is called. Oh, and sorry about the sound and video not matching up.

I rest my case

It is no secret that I believe Tom Brady is the most overrated quarterback in the history of the NFL. His unearned reputation perpetuated by broadcasters such as his friend Howie Long have created a hype that sadly, Mr. Brady could not live up to. Sure, the guy broke all sorts of records this year, and I congratulate him on that. However, it would seem that his offensive line had about as much to do with those records as he did. Even Joey Harrington could have had a record like that if his O.L.s had given him all the time in the world to execute. Tonight, the New England O.L. took some time off. Brady couldn't cut it, as I knew he couldn't with a sub-par line. I rest my case.

Am I saying he is a bad quarterback? By no means. Indeed he is among the best currently playing. He performed the way any of the other good quarterbacks would have under the circumstances. He is talented, but the media overrates him without looking at the big picture. He is but one part of the only true team in the league. There are no superstars (except for Randy Moss), just good players that know how to read and work with eachother. Not to mention their coaching staff is indeed the best there ever was in the game.

With the amount of respect for the Pats I have, I still hate them. Always have (for the record, I am not one of those band-wagoners that hate them because they are doing so well). I have never been a fan of the Giants either. I am also not not a fan either. I never really think of the Giants. Their irrelevance is evident sometimes because I often forget they exist. However, because they beat the team I loathe more than the Raiders, Packers, Bears, and Vikings put together, I may just start rooting for them. New York were saviors of sorts. Their victory took from the Patriots (at least for another year) the "19-0" trademark they were going for. The Partriots can die in fire for such arrogance.

Anyway, I can still hear the trumpets of heaven blasting their fanfare for yet another victory over the forces of evil. I have some celebrating I need to do, phone calls to make with my fellow Patriot-haters, and some schoolwork to do.

A wonderous work and glory was performed this night. God bless the Giants. God bless every one of them.

Eff you, New England! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!