Has this puppy no shame?! This week's Tammy Tuesday has my mini dachshund Tammy enjoying a rope toy while flashing her pooch privates...
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Monday, March 04, 2013
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK hits hard and triumphs wildly for this bipolar viewer!
Last night I finally saw Silver Linings Playbook, the movie that came out late last year with Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker. My girlfriend Kristen watched it with me. In retrospect this was not a movie that I could have watched alone and she really was the only person that I could have watched it with.Silver Linings Playbook is a movie that everyone who has ever suffered from bipolar disorder should see. It is a movie that everyone who has ever had a bipolar person in their life should see. It is a movie that every possible kind of person that I know of, should see. It was not only the best movie that I've seen in a theater since The Artist last year, it is also the movie that I am finding myself wishing more and more could have been made long ago and one that I will absolutely be watching again and again and again.
This is the definitive film about mental illness for our generation. About what it is to have to live with it day after day after day. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest depicted mental illness but that was for the most part a device examining what it means to be an individual against "the machine". Silver Linings Playbook honestly and brutally depicts what mental illness is: a disease that must be endured. By many, many people. By people like me.
(As an aside, Chris Tucker's character is like many who I have known during bouts in the mental hospital. But there is no way, no how that he could have gotten out like that once, much less twice. Trust me, I've tried...)
Pat - Bradley Cooper's character - in Silver Linings Playbook? That's me. So help me God, it really did feel like I was watching myself up on that screen at times (minus the garbage bag). There is so much about Silver Linings Playbook that resonates with me. Why? Because there was so much of myself that Pat goes through in this movie, it's not even funny. And after just one viewing I can't possibly count all the things that he and I have in common...
The hospitalizations. The meds (there is only ONE drug which Pat talks about having that I have never been on). The wife leaving. Being without a home and getting taken in by Mom and Dad. The restraining order to stay 500 feet away from your spouse's home and place of work. The late-night manic episodes. The late-night manic episodes (I meant to emphasize that). The law enforcement officers having to come to your house (several times). Thinking that you can go off your medication when you really can't. Believing that you can reconcile... maybe being obsessed about it... with your estranged spouse. Writing the letters. The reminders - like the one that played at Pat's wedding - which bring back the memories and the pain much MUCH harder than anyone without bipolar can begin to imagine. Having people in public watch you with manic depression and not caring a damn what they think. The horrible weight gain that the medication can cause and yes Seroquel did make me feel foggy and bloated (I went off of it in November of 2011 and have since lost more than 50 pounds). Wondering how the hell you can possibly have anything at all like a normal life.
Heck just as Pat does, I had something taped to the wall next to my bed in the hospital to serve as a source of encouragement. It wasn't "Excelsior" like what he did though. My first hospitalization was in the spring of 2000. At the time I drew the cartoon character The Tick reminding me that "You're not going crazy... You're going SANE in a crazy world!" I still have that drawing somewhere too.
Pat is a substitute history teacher. I have a history degree and have substitute taught. He has a very strange psychiatrist. I have a therapist and a psychiatrist (make whatever of that which you will). The entire neighborhood knows about Pat's mental illness. All two of this blog's readers know about my mental illness.
You wanna know something? I thought that Pat's struggle with bipolar was dead-on accurate. But I also found myself thinking "Why couldn't I have had it as easy as he does?"
Real mental illness is no motion picture. It's an unrelenting and unforgiving fact of life. Believe that if you believe nothing else that I'm writing here.
And it's weird, but true: the last time I was in a psychiatric hospital, in June of 2009, a counselor there told me that I was seeing the darkness but that God had to... had to... have a silver lining for me. Just as Pat talks about often.
But you wanna know what else about Silver Linings Playbook resonated with me? It's the love that Pat finds with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence, and I see now how she won that Oscar last week). Now to be sure, Kristen does not have a mental illness. But she is beautiful. And she is an amazing dancer. She has taught me how to dance as much to life's music as on the studio floor. How to look beyond my own past, my own failures. How to love and be loved. How to let go of things holding me down and to look forward to the future.
Some have written that Silver Linings Playbook is just "wishful thinking". That it's a story with too happy an ending. That it's a "storybook" ending even.
Silver Linings Playbook ends with our bipolar hero happy and optimistic, with his beautiful and talented dancer girlfriend in his arms.
Maybe some of you think that's not a very real ending to a story...
...but there are some of us who have our own Silver Linings Playbook. And it does end happily ever after!
Silver Linings Playbook is possibly the movie that in all the years I've had this blog, I would most want its readers to go and see for themselves. You will laugh and you will cry. You will wince with pain as you see what Pat and Tiffany and the people in their lives go through. And in the end, you will applaud. And I'll pretty much promise that you'll come out of the theater a better person for it.
Friday, March 01, 2013
President Obama sez he can't do "Jedi mind-meld"
I wonder if he can do a Sith neck-pinch.
During his press conference earlier today about the "sequester" mess, President Barack Obama said the following...
'Course, now that J.J. Abrams is directing the new Star Trek movies and at least Star Wars Episode VII, I suppose anything is possible...
During his press conference earlier today about the "sequester" mess, President Barack Obama said the following...
"I know that this has been some of the conventional wisdom that's been floating around Washington: That somehow, even though most people agree that I'm being reasonable, that most people agree that I'm presenting a fair deal -- the fact that they don't take it, means that I should somehow do a Jedi mindmeld with these folks and convince them to do what's right," he said. "Well, they're elected. We have a constitutional system of government."Errrr... Vulcans like Mr. Spock do the mind-meld. In the Star Trek franchise. Jedi don't do mind-melds. And Jedi are only found in Star Wars.
'Course, now that J.J. Abrams is directing the new Star Trek movies and at least Star Wars Episode VII, I suppose anything is possible...
 |
| "Live long and prosper, you shall." |
FRESH PRINCE flipped turned upside down, gets public schools to lockdown!
Travis Clawson of Economy, Pennsylvania has a recording of himself singing the theme from the popular Nineties sitcom starring Will Smith (right). The receptionist at his eye doctor's office called Clawson to confirm an upcoming appointment. Instead of Clawson answering it went to his voice-mail greeting. And the receptionist thought she heard Clawson singing "shooting people outside of the school."
The actual line is "And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school".
The receptionist then called Ambridge Area High School where Clawson is a student. The officials then dialed 911. That contacted the police and put out an alert to all the schools in the system. The cops finally located Clawson in a guidance counselor's office and arrested him.
Ummmm... wow.
Mash here for more of this bizarre story at TimesOnline.com.
And tip o' the hat to Scott Bradford for this hilarious find!
United Nations has gone to the dogs...
Dachshund UN, a "a miniature version of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights where the world's leaders are replaced by dogs", has opened in Toronto and runs through March 4th. 38 dachshunds represent the United States, Canada, France, Germany and other countries. Australian artist Bennett Miller chose dachshunds because they come in so many varieties of color and fur (akin to the racial makeup of the real UN) and because they "are impressive but restricted, you can match that to the United Nations".
CP24.com has an in-depth article about Dachshund UN that will leave you wondering if the wiener dogs might do a better job at the real United Nations than us humans :-)
Dear Amazon: I don't care about gay marriage, just gimme my damn books
I believe that homosexuality and bisexuality is just as wrong as heterosexual extramarital intercourse, rape and polygamy and for the same reasons.
Do I have gay and lesbian friends? Yup, sure do. Plenty of them in fact. They already know that I cannot approve with a sincere heart the behavior they engage in. They also already know that though I must judge as wrong that behavior, I cannot judge them wrong as people. Certainly not as the friends who I am thankful to have.
I don't believe that "homosexual marriage" is wrong. I know that it is. The notion itself is a contradiction against logic and human culture. "Marriage" entails the uniting of two unique characteristics into one, so that the the sum is greater than the equal of its constituent parts. That is something among human society that can only be found in the uniting of one man and one woman. We've had six thousand years of recorded history without "gay marriage" up 'til now, and many thousands of years of human culture just as absent of it before that. Sure there were aberrations and deviations once in awhile, but by and large gay marriage is a mutation that has never survived social Darwinism.
Those who advocate "gay marriage" are ignorant of something else. Namely, that true marriage is not focused at all on sexuality. That is a defining aspect of marriage... but it's only one aspect of it. If a marriage is based primarily on sex, then it's not going to be a marriage that tends to survive and endure the trials and tribulations of a couple's lifetime together. That goes for any couple, be they gay or straight.
So why are we seeing homosexual marriage hoisted high and in our faces lately? There are two reasons, I have observed. The first is that legalizing "gay marriage" is perceived by its proponents as being official endorsement for that behavior.
The second is that many if not most of those demanding "gay marriage" believe that doing so demonstrates how "progressive", how "forward-thinking", how "wise and tolerant" they really are. They won't admit or acknowledge it in the slightest but to them, they are assuming that they "know better" than the rest of us and that we have to be "educated" and made to conform to their own demands and expectations.
Case in point: Amazon's new commercial for its Kindle Paperwhite e-book reader. I first saw it last night. It opens with a man and a woman laying on the beach. The guy is squinting at his tablet in the harsh sunlight while the lady is obviously enjoying reading without straining her eyes. Convinced, the man immediately orders a Kindle Paperwhite and tells the girl they should go out and celebrate.
Trying to shut him down, she tells him "My husband is bringing me a drink right now."
"So is mine," the man tells her. Cut to the bar behind them and their husbands(?) waving back at them.
No doubt that Amazon deems this to be a groundbreaking and culturally revolutionary ad. That it's a game-changer for marketing. The climax of the commercial practically screams out "WE'RE DIFFERENT AND PRO-GAY DAMMIT!"
Fine. Amazon is pro-homosexual "marriage". I couldn't care less what Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos believes on the matter. He's as entitled to his beliefs and spending money on them as much as anybody is.
But this kind of marketing is a terrible, terrible model for a business. In fact, it's proven to be downright disastrous.
And I'm not talking about for taking pro-gay stances either. Anytime a company's leadership decides to use that company as a platform for a social or political agenda, the profits drop. Ever heard of Hechinger? It used to be a pretty major name in the hardware and home improvement business, right up there with Lowe's and Home Depot. And then its head executives chose to make Hechinger as a company pro-gun control.
People stopped shopping at Hechinger as a result. They wanted lumber and bathroom fixtures, not a political statement. That was twenty years ago and very few people now remember the company existed at all.
Want more proof? J.C. Penney's profits dropped 32% in the past quarter. The situation there is so dire that the company is apparently deferring payments to its suppliers. Many are blaming J.C. Penney's pro-homosexual marketing: a blunder bad enough to warrant many to demand the banishment of Ron Johnson, the current CEO.
Look, it's not the particulars and peculiarities of the personas involved that is the present problem. I've come to enjoy the products I buy from Apple. My iPad goes with me everywhere. It's become an indispensable part of my life. I also know that Apple's CEO Tim Cook is widely reported to be gay. But not for a moment have I considered not buying stuff from Apple because of it. I buy Apple's gadgets because they work and because the company trusts its products enough to sell themselves. I do not now, nor will I ever buy something because it's being sold as "pro-straight". I would however very seriously consider not buying a product if the officials running the company selling it decide to get "in yo' face" about an issue that I disagree with.
And based on history, I don't doubt that there are many others who would refuse to support such a company either, on those same grounds.
Amazon: seriously? A pro-gay e-book reader? Why should I care? Why should anybody care?
Jeff Bezos, keep your pro-gay stance to yourself. Just be a responsible CEO and shut up and sell books.
Do I have gay and lesbian friends? Yup, sure do. Plenty of them in fact. They already know that I cannot approve with a sincere heart the behavior they engage in. They also already know that though I must judge as wrong that behavior, I cannot judge them wrong as people. Certainly not as the friends who I am thankful to have.
I don't believe that "homosexual marriage" is wrong. I know that it is. The notion itself is a contradiction against logic and human culture. "Marriage" entails the uniting of two unique characteristics into one, so that the the sum is greater than the equal of its constituent parts. That is something among human society that can only be found in the uniting of one man and one woman. We've had six thousand years of recorded history without "gay marriage" up 'til now, and many thousands of years of human culture just as absent of it before that. Sure there were aberrations and deviations once in awhile, but by and large gay marriage is a mutation that has never survived social Darwinism.
Those who advocate "gay marriage" are ignorant of something else. Namely, that true marriage is not focused at all on sexuality. That is a defining aspect of marriage... but it's only one aspect of it. If a marriage is based primarily on sex, then it's not going to be a marriage that tends to survive and endure the trials and tribulations of a couple's lifetime together. That goes for any couple, be they gay or straight.
So why are we seeing homosexual marriage hoisted high and in our faces lately? There are two reasons, I have observed. The first is that legalizing "gay marriage" is perceived by its proponents as being official endorsement for that behavior.
The second is that many if not most of those demanding "gay marriage" believe that doing so demonstrates how "progressive", how "forward-thinking", how "wise and tolerant" they really are. They won't admit or acknowledge it in the slightest but to them, they are assuming that they "know better" than the rest of us and that we have to be "educated" and made to conform to their own demands and expectations.
Case in point: Amazon's new commercial for its Kindle Paperwhite e-book reader. I first saw it last night. It opens with a man and a woman laying on the beach. The guy is squinting at his tablet in the harsh sunlight while the lady is obviously enjoying reading without straining her eyes. Convinced, the man immediately orders a Kindle Paperwhite and tells the girl they should go out and celebrate.
Trying to shut him down, she tells him "My husband is bringing me a drink right now."
"So is mine," the man tells her. Cut to the bar behind them and their husbands(?) waving back at them.
No doubt that Amazon deems this to be a groundbreaking and culturally revolutionary ad. That it's a game-changer for marketing. The climax of the commercial practically screams out "WE'RE DIFFERENT AND PRO-GAY DAMMIT!"
Fine. Amazon is pro-homosexual "marriage". I couldn't care less what Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos believes on the matter. He's as entitled to his beliefs and spending money on them as much as anybody is.
But this kind of marketing is a terrible, terrible model for a business. In fact, it's proven to be downright disastrous.
And I'm not talking about for taking pro-gay stances either. Anytime a company's leadership decides to use that company as a platform for a social or political agenda, the profits drop. Ever heard of Hechinger? It used to be a pretty major name in the hardware and home improvement business, right up there with Lowe's and Home Depot. And then its head executives chose to make Hechinger as a company pro-gun control.
People stopped shopping at Hechinger as a result. They wanted lumber and bathroom fixtures, not a political statement. That was twenty years ago and very few people now remember the company existed at all.
Want more proof? J.C. Penney's profits dropped 32% in the past quarter. The situation there is so dire that the company is apparently deferring payments to its suppliers. Many are blaming J.C. Penney's pro-homosexual marketing: a blunder bad enough to warrant many to demand the banishment of Ron Johnson, the current CEO.
Look, it's not the particulars and peculiarities of the personas involved that is the present problem. I've come to enjoy the products I buy from Apple. My iPad goes with me everywhere. It's become an indispensable part of my life. I also know that Apple's CEO Tim Cook is widely reported to be gay. But not for a moment have I considered not buying stuff from Apple because of it. I buy Apple's gadgets because they work and because the company trusts its products enough to sell themselves. I do not now, nor will I ever buy something because it's being sold as "pro-straight". I would however very seriously consider not buying a product if the officials running the company selling it decide to get "in yo' face" about an issue that I disagree with.
And based on history, I don't doubt that there are many others who would refuse to support such a company either, on those same grounds.
Amazon: seriously? A pro-gay e-book reader? Why should I care? Why should anybody care?
Jeff Bezos, keep your pro-gay stance to yourself. Just be a responsible CEO and shut up and sell books.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Something that has not been witnessed since 1415
Pope Benedict XVI, the first pontiff in nearly 600 years to depart the seat of Bishop of Rome voluntarily instead of dying in office, flies off by helicopter: leaving the Vatican and the post he has held since 2005.
Now begins sede vacante. The "time of the empty chair". One which in the days and weeks ahead, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will seek to fill in prayerful guidance. Thus will this most persistent of institutions continue with a lineage of leadership stretching back to the ancient of days.
But in the meantime, though I am not Catholic, this blogger wishes good luck and godspeed to Benedict XVI. May his days be long and fruitful!
