Wow, where'd those months go...

     Hello all. I've been thinking about writing another entry for awhile and haven't gotten around to it. I didn't realize my last post was in September. A lot has happened since then, for all of us I'm sure. This blog is going to have very little consistent theme, but rather some musings I've been having lately. I hope you enjoy. If you do, let me know in the comments. If you don't, listen incessantly to my songs on Youtube (Youtube.com/markislem) and reconsider your enjoyment. 
     
Saying Sorry
There are a few current figures of speech, speaking habits, and such that really drive me nuts. So....Have you noticed how many people start thought with," So...." So what? Think before you speak and then say it. Saying,"So.....(pregnant pauses)..." and then speaking doesn't make you sound more intelligent. It just wastes time and makes you sound stupid. So...
Saying sorry also drives me nuts. I've noticed this in several incarnations. "I'm sorry but I like the color blue..." What are you sorry about? You like the color blue. You don't need to apologize for your preference for the color blue (or colour blue for my British and Canadian readers). I've also noticed a disturbing habit of people apologizing for something they really aren't apologetic about. "Betsy, please stop talking in class."
"Sorry."
[Two Minutes later] "Betsy, please stop talking in class." 
"Sorry."
"No, you're not sorry. If you were sorry, you wouldn't do it again, especially two minutes after the last reminder and apology."
Saying sorry doesn't absolve you, it doesn't guarantee forgiveness, especially if you don't change your behavior. You're not sorry, you're just rude. I, for instance, need to take my advice here because I occasionally apologize when I break wind, especially for strong, pungent air biscuits. I need to stop apologizing. I'm not sorry, in fact, I usually feel pretty good afterwards. Do I feel some empathy for the people around me? Maybe....okay, no, I don't. 
Something else that bothers me is the Valley Girlization of our current vernacular. Whether you call it upspeak or whatever, it's obnoxious. I enjoy NPR as much as the next granola, but Ira Glass and the rest of his NRP cronies who speak this way drive me nuts. You even hear interviews with "experts" talking that way. When I hear an interview and the "expert" is using upspeak, I will not consider that person an expert, unless they're talking about the mall. Are they asking a question or making a statement? I can't tell because you sound like a Valley Girl? Oh Ma God, Becky, I think that guy with the really cool sideburns just cut one....

Political Candidates and Election Cycles
Do I even need to say anything here? We need a three week or less election cycle, we all need to vote, and nobody should give any credit, time, or energy to a billionaire that can't get himself a good toupee. I'm not going to mention his name because he's a racist, sexist bastard who is out of touch with reality. Also, please don't run for the POTUS if you were born in Canada. We have this thing called the Constitution, and while not a perfect document, it is pretty clear that you need to be born in the US to be POTUS (BTW, before any of you crazy, racist rednecks say it, Hawaii is actually a state, Canada, while I love it, is not). 

The NRA
I'm a hunter. Have been for a long time. Will be for a long time. Do I support gun control? Absolutely. I got a call from the NRA a few years back (I'm not a member). They were concerned that a proposed law would ban the use of semi-automatic firearms for hunting and wanted me to support the defeat of this bill. The conversation that followed was great. The guy on the other end of the phone was disappointed when I told him that there was no reason to use a semi-automatic firearm for hunting. He asked what I used and I told him. I get two shots. If I miss, I miss. He actually asked if I was concerned about the deer charging me. I said no, not concerned. He asked why not. I informed him that I am a real man and if a buck decides to charge me, I would pull out my knife and take the buck on. He asked if I was inferring that he wasn't a real man because he hunted with a semi-automatic weapon. I said something or other about his powers of deduction being top-notch, he said a bad word and hung up. I broke wind, started to apologize to the dog, then stopped, because I wasn't sorry. 
The fact of it is, the NRA isn't protecting our hunting heritage. I don't know who the think they're protecting. You don't need anything more than a shotgun or a simple rifle for hunting. If you want to use high-powered machine guns and automatic weapons and you dream of defending your house from government bad guys, go join the military. Go join the French Foreign Legion. Become a mercenary and go somewhere else if neither of the aforementioned organizations will take you. No one's going to take your hunting weapons away. No one's going to stop people from target shooting with their .22's. It is past time for reasonable gun control laws in this country. Do we need improvement in our mental health systems as well? Yes. We need both. And to quoth the Dylan," Your old road is rapidly fading. Get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand..."

My Dog
You were outside five minutes ago, I know you don't need to pee, and no, you may not play with the skunk or porcupine who's hanging around out there. 

Modern Composers
We've lost the melody. Mood music with massive amounts of dissonance is not a composition, it's simply writing down the notes being played by a two year-old banging on the piano in the living room. 
I'm sorry, that wasn't very nice to two year olds.....

The New Star Wars Movie
I know Mark Hamill was in the movie, why wasn't he in the preview I saw? Please don't let him go to the dark side. If it isn't Luke who turns, you better do a pretty damn good job of explaining who Vader's apprentice was, because there's only supposed to be two Sith at a time and the Emperor was fried, then Vader died, and, unless I missed something, there wasn't enough time for two more Sith to pop up. And if the Smoke Monster or a mysterious hatch pops up in this movie, I'm gonna be ticked off. Although, I do like Jorge Garcia and it would be nice to see him get some more work.

The New Star Wars Movie
I can't wait, I'm so excited. A little over a week 'til the local theater gets it...

The Hunger Games
I still haven't seen the second half of the third movie. The third book was awful and the first half of the third movie was awful, but I'm still feeling obligated to see the last part, just to say I've finished it. Thoughts? I do like Jennifer Lawrence. Her performance in the Silver Linings Playbook was incredible. If someone asked me what movie star I'd like to have a beer with, my top two picks would be Jennifer Lawrence and Steve Zahn. They both seem like down-to-earth people and people I'd really like to hang out with. I hope that some movie execs pull their heads out of their rears and make another Dirk Pitt movie. Steve Zahn totally embodied Al Giordino in Sahara. If they can make an Expendables one, two, and three, then they can make another Dirk Pitt movie. 

The Weather
This weather has been beautiful. I actually went for a sail the other day. I think I saw a minke whale whilst out on the waves. I'm going to enjoy this El Nino year for all it's worth. I was about to apologize to the southwest, because El Nino years tend to bring an increase in Hantavirus cases in the southwest, but I can't be sorry for that because I had nothing to do with it and the sailing is still beautiful.

Well, I need to sign off. Thanks for reading. I feel as though I've covered some of my myriad of thought over the last couple months. I hope you're enjoying whatever holidays you're enjoying. or preparing to enjoy. I know I am, I think.....maybe, sorry, what was the question again?

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