I woke up to the sound of the TV going in the living room. I hadn't heard that sound in over a year. I went to the living room. There was dad, smoking his cigar and watching the news. He wanted to go get some candy and more cigars. How was he here? I lost him on Christmas Eve 2012.
Who cares? He was there at that moment. I got cleaned up, got dressed and put on some makeup. If he wanted candy and cigars, he'd have it. Dad was getting around with a walker, but he still drove. I walked around the stores for him while he was in the car. He sat and people watched as he liked to do.
We just chit chatted. I didn't tell him he had been gone. Maybe I was just having a terrible nightmare before? He decided he wanted to go get a bite, so we went to Nations. He got a big burger and I ate a breakfast. This was a happy day for me, and he seemed happy too.
When we got home, I might have taken off for a walk. I like to walk, but not this time. He's here, and I'm cherishing every moment with him. I'll walk tomorrow. I cleaned a few things up around the house and watched TV with him. No running off to my computer this time. Not today.
It's a Monday? I thought it was Thursday, but he has WWE Wrestling on. We watched this together for years. It's pre determined. Dad points out once again how that little guy would never beat the big guy in real life. This is a happy day. Did I take these times for granted before? Well, never again.
The show is over, and it's 11. He'd usually go to bed. We sat there and watched news. Then, Letterman. I never watch that show, but dad put it on and I watched. This is later than we'd usually stay up. Eventually, dad goes to bed and we say our I love yous. He talks about getting the oil changed in the car tomorrow. Sounds like a plan.
I stay up in my room a little longer, and I hear his radio blasting the news on KCBS like he always did. How old is that radio? 40 years old? He won't replace it. I'm on the computer. The calender says it's only March 2012. Weird. Have these last two years been a horrible nightmare?
I go to bed and dream a peaceful dream. Tomorrow comes, and I don't hear the TV in the living room. Dad's not here. His bed has clothes piled on it. He's gone. A tear comes to my eyes. The past two years have happened. I don't know what yesterday was, but I'm grateful. At least I had one more day with him.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Possible New Planet Discovered At Edge Of Our Solar System
At the far end of our solar system, beyond Pluto, astronomers believe there may be another planet. It wasn't long ago that they announced the discovery of dwarf planets Sedna and Biden.
The planet in question hasn't been conformed yet. They believe it would be much larger than Earth, but no speculation of any life there. In fact, it's doubtful that will be the case even if this planet is in fact confirmed.
The whole thing has me wondering. How well do we really know our own solar system? We know the planets that we know, but what if there's more lurking out there we have yet to conform. As people have pointed out, there are things we have yet to discover on our own planet in remote places.
We search with our telescopes, but other than the space shuttle and the trips to the moon years ago we haven't physically been off this planet to search. We have satellites, some of which are orbiting some planets, but how much do we truly know?
Now, the conspiratorial side of me would ask if they already know of a planet where life exists besides our own? How would we really know unless we were visited or saw some proof? Governments have been known to keep secrets, and there would be plenty of reason to keep this one.
I'm not saying I believe that. It's just a question of what if. I find this to be fascinating news. If there's a lot we have yet to understand about our own planet, what we have yet to learn about or own solar system is immense indeed. It's actually kind of exciting if you think about it.
Story on the possible planet: www.theverge.com/2014/3/26/5550788/planetoid-discovery-could-point-to-a-new-planet-in-our-solar-system
The planet in question hasn't been conformed yet. They believe it would be much larger than Earth, but no speculation of any life there. In fact, it's doubtful that will be the case even if this planet is in fact confirmed.
The whole thing has me wondering. How well do we really know our own solar system? We know the planets that we know, but what if there's more lurking out there we have yet to conform. As people have pointed out, there are things we have yet to discover on our own planet in remote places.
We search with our telescopes, but other than the space shuttle and the trips to the moon years ago we haven't physically been off this planet to search. We have satellites, some of which are orbiting some planets, but how much do we truly know?
Now, the conspiratorial side of me would ask if they already know of a planet where life exists besides our own? How would we really know unless we were visited or saw some proof? Governments have been known to keep secrets, and there would be plenty of reason to keep this one.
I'm not saying I believe that. It's just a question of what if. I find this to be fascinating news. If there's a lot we have yet to understand about our own planet, what we have yet to learn about or own solar system is immense indeed. It's actually kind of exciting if you think about it.
Story on the possible planet: www.theverge.com/2014/3/26/5550788/planetoid-discovery-could-point-to-a-new-planet-in-our-solar-system
It's Not Nice To Mess With A Person's Time Or Astrology Sign
Sometimes they have to throw a monkey wrench in our schedules and even our horoscopes. Who are they? Maybe the same people who decided that Pluto wasn't really a planet after all. It can really throw you off too.
Take Daylight Savings Time, for instance. Every spring, we lose an hour. Poof, it's gone. This year, I was in the bath when it happened. Yeah, I should have been in bed, but I was determined to have this bath after a busy day. Suddenly, I lost a whole hour. They'll give it back to me in the fall. Gee, thanks.
Then, we have Leap Year every four years. Suddenly, we have an extra day. They even decided to add it to the end of February, since it's the shortest month of the year. Who decided to make that month so short in the first place? What happens if you were born on the 29th of February? Technically, you only have a birthday every four years. That must be nice.
There was an intriguing concept I saw on the web which suggested a 13 month, 28 day calender with one day out of time to celebrate the end of each year. As I understand it, it works out perfect with the moon cycle. A full moon every month. They claim this will give us more balance in our lives. Really? How so?
I mean, the 13th sign didn't help anybody. That sign that effects those born at the end of November through mid December. It's called Ophiuchus. Furthermore, the experts pulled another stunt a few years ago. They claimed that as the years have gone by, the astrological signs have actually shifted.
Suddenly, Cancers were Leos, Leos were Virgos and people were pissed. The ones who take their signs very seriously were outraged. Their sign is who they are, and it helps them make sense of things in this crazy world.
I always found horoscopes to be silly generalizations, but there is something to it all. A view of my Natal Birth Chart kind of blew me away with what it told me about myself. I am definitely a Virgo.
You mess with somebody's sign, and they get defensive. Messing with my time bothers me more than my sign. Besides, I was one of the lucky ones. I'm such a Virgo that my sign would remain the same even after the shift they claim happened. I suspected as much.
Take Daylight Savings Time, for instance. Every spring, we lose an hour. Poof, it's gone. This year, I was in the bath when it happened. Yeah, I should have been in bed, but I was determined to have this bath after a busy day. Suddenly, I lost a whole hour. They'll give it back to me in the fall. Gee, thanks.
Then, we have Leap Year every four years. Suddenly, we have an extra day. They even decided to add it to the end of February, since it's the shortest month of the year. Who decided to make that month so short in the first place? What happens if you were born on the 29th of February? Technically, you only have a birthday every four years. That must be nice.
There was an intriguing concept I saw on the web which suggested a 13 month, 28 day calender with one day out of time to celebrate the end of each year. As I understand it, it works out perfect with the moon cycle. A full moon every month. They claim this will give us more balance in our lives. Really? How so?
I mean, the 13th sign didn't help anybody. That sign that effects those born at the end of November through mid December. It's called Ophiuchus. Furthermore, the experts pulled another stunt a few years ago. They claimed that as the years have gone by, the astrological signs have actually shifted.
Suddenly, Cancers were Leos, Leos were Virgos and people were pissed. The ones who take their signs very seriously were outraged. Their sign is who they are, and it helps them make sense of things in this crazy world.
I always found horoscopes to be silly generalizations, but there is something to it all. A view of my Natal Birth Chart kind of blew me away with what it told me about myself. I am definitely a Virgo.
You mess with somebody's sign, and they get defensive. Messing with my time bothers me more than my sign. Besides, I was one of the lucky ones. I'm such a Virgo that my sign would remain the same even after the shift they claim happened. I suspected as much.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Movie Review: Lucy
The other night, I happened to get the chance to see two movies. One of them was Lucy, starting Scarlett Johansson. Lucy was a woman who had been mistreated and abused. With a drug lord using her as a courier by sewing the drugs inside of her, her life takes a turn.
The drug was an experimental new street drug, and the bag ruptured inside of her when she was beat up by people she delivered the drugs to. Gradually, she was able to use more and more of her mind, and the movie shows us the effect that this had on her. That is basically the premise of this movie.
Lucy isn't really looking for retribution, but there are other couriers being used in the same way. She is looking to get the drugs they were carrying in order to complete her transformation to 100% use of her brain. Of course, the drug lord isn't planning to let her get away with his product.
Morgan Freeman plays a professor who we see giving a seminar on how much brain power humans use compared to animals and how things would be different if they used more. He has his theories, but no proof. He kind of acts as a narrator as Lucy goes through her transformation. Eventually, she seeks him out.
The concept isn't bad, and neither are the effects. It's not a bad movie, but it almost feels like this could have been used as a plot on a show like The X Files. The transformation of Lucy pretty much is the story. She's almost indifferent to the drug lord who is pursuing her. I guess having her wipe him and his men out in the blink of an eye would have left them with more minutes to fill.
Trailer For Lucy
Woman Gets Attacked By Angry Mother
Beware of that moment when you attempt to tell a mother how to handle her crying child. A 20 year old woman found that out the hard way in a San Francisco Bay Area Nordstrom outlet store. She said she had been shopping for a couple hours with no problems at all. Then, she got in line.
In line with her was a mother of a child who was throwing a tantrum. This has happened to most mothers at one time or another, and they have different ways of dealing with it. The younger woman decided to tell her to quiet her child, and the woman responded with, "Don't tell my child what to do."
It escalated with the young lady telling her to go to hell and the mother telling her she would see her there. The younger lady thought that was the end of it. Outside the store, the mother was waiting for her and beat her up, knocking a tooth loose. They are using surveillance cameras to identity the mother.
The younger woman said this isn't the first time she's tried to tell a mother how to discipline her child and won't be the last. This may be unpopular, but I don't blame the mother for smacking her around. I don't advocate that, but you have to understand the stress a mother goes through in situations like these. Children do have minds of their own, and you guide them as best you can.
The young woman has no clue and simply looks at it as an inconvenienced person standing by the situation. The only way she will truly know is when she becomes a mother. Everybody thinks they have the answer on how to be a parent in a situation like that. I wonder how she will handle this situation when her time comes?
For those wondering, the woman was identified by video surveillance footage and later arrested. You simply can't go around beating up people who offend you, even if you think they should be minding their own business.
In line with her was a mother of a child who was throwing a tantrum. This has happened to most mothers at one time or another, and they have different ways of dealing with it. The younger woman decided to tell her to quiet her child, and the woman responded with, "Don't tell my child what to do."
It escalated with the young lady telling her to go to hell and the mother telling her she would see her there. The younger lady thought that was the end of it. Outside the store, the mother was waiting for her and beat her up, knocking a tooth loose. They are using surveillance cameras to identity the mother.
The younger woman said this isn't the first time she's tried to tell a mother how to discipline her child and won't be the last. This may be unpopular, but I don't blame the mother for smacking her around. I don't advocate that, but you have to understand the stress a mother goes through in situations like these. Children do have minds of their own, and you guide them as best you can.
The young woman has no clue and simply looks at it as an inconvenienced person standing by the situation. The only way she will truly know is when she becomes a mother. Everybody thinks they have the answer on how to be a parent in a situation like that. I wonder how she will handle this situation when her time comes?
For those wondering, the woman was identified by video surveillance footage and later arrested. You simply can't go around beating up people who offend you, even if you think they should be minding their own business.
Just A Gigolo By David Lee Roth
Actually, this song was from an EP David Lee Roth did called Crazy From The Heat. On this EP, he did songs from other artists. The first release was his rendition of the Beach Boys hit California Girls. This being David, there were plenty of beautiful girls in the video, and the song launched his solo career.
It actually may have played a part in the Beach Boys revival that led to that group's unlikely duet with the rap group The Fat Boys for the song Wipe Out. The Beach Boys then went on to record Kokomo, which was a hit. Did Roth's cover of their hit start the momentum for them? It certainly gave him momentum.
For his third song from that EP, David did a cover of Louis Prima's 1956 song Just A Gigolo. Prima actually had combined two songs as I Ain't Got Nobody was written by Roger A. Graham with music written by Spencer Williams. Just a Gigolo had been translated by Irving Caesar from an Austrian song.
This is not a typical rock song, and that may be part of it's charm. It wasn't the top five hit that California Girls was, but it still made it into the top 15 of the Hot 100. It was a catchy tune with lyrics people enjoyed singing along with. However, the video may have been what drove its success.
Dave loves to ham it up for the camera, and he plays a music video show host, dreaming about what his video would be like if he could make one. The video has some crazy characters, beautiful girls and rock star look alikes such as Billy Idol, Boy George, Willie Nelson and Cyndi Lauper. The video is a lot of fun and a classic. Some people rank it high among the all time greatest music videos.
The Video
David Lee Roth - Just A Gigolo
It actually may have played a part in the Beach Boys revival that led to that group's unlikely duet with the rap group The Fat Boys for the song Wipe Out. The Beach Boys then went on to record Kokomo, which was a hit. Did Roth's cover of their hit start the momentum for them? It certainly gave him momentum.
For his third song from that EP, David did a cover of Louis Prima's 1956 song Just A Gigolo. Prima actually had combined two songs as I Ain't Got Nobody was written by Roger A. Graham with music written by Spencer Williams. Just a Gigolo had been translated by Irving Caesar from an Austrian song.
This is not a typical rock song, and that may be part of it's charm. It wasn't the top five hit that California Girls was, but it still made it into the top 15 of the Hot 100. It was a catchy tune with lyrics people enjoyed singing along with. However, the video may have been what drove its success.
Dave loves to ham it up for the camera, and he plays a music video show host, dreaming about what his video would be like if he could make one. The video has some crazy characters, beautiful girls and rock star look alikes such as Billy Idol, Boy George, Willie Nelson and Cyndi Lauper. The video is a lot of fun and a classic. Some people rank it high among the all time greatest music videos.
The Video
David Lee Roth - Just A Gigolo
One Thing That Bothers Me About The Immigration Issue
As expected, the president outlined a path to citizenship for thousands of undocumented immigrants (or illegal aliens if you prefer). Anyway, he basically said he has to do it all because congress is doing nothing. I'm sorry, but I'd rather see the gridlock than have them passing a bunch of laws just to show they are doing something.
Here's my problem with the immigrant issue, which is highlighted by two supporters of the president. Both spoke to a reporter at a rally. One said they will keep demanding more. I'm sorry, but what right do you have to demand anything as a non citizen of this country? Can I go to another country and make demands on them? I know I couldn't do it in Mexico. I'd be in jail.
Another one spoke of how they can't drive without a license for fear of being deported. Excuse me? We have laws here. I'm not a fan of being forced to get insurance and some of that stuff, but this is how it's done. I have a car, and I don't drive at the moment. I won't until I have all the paperwork in order.
Do you know what happens to me if I get stopped for driving down the road without a license? I get a ticket, lose my car to impound and have to spend money getting my car back. Why should a non citizen breaking the law intentionally be any different? I hear stories of how some are apparently above the laws that I have to obey.
Take a good look at the country. If the president and people on his side have their way, the borders will be coming down and things will change. Some think that will be a good thing. I say be careful what you wish for. The founding fathers were far from perfect, but that document this country was built upon helped ensure our freedoms. There are some who want to do away with it, and moves like this are part of that agenda. I am a supporter of legal immigration, but there is a process. Coming here and making demands is not the way.
Here's my problem with the immigrant issue, which is highlighted by two supporters of the president. Both spoke to a reporter at a rally. One said they will keep demanding more. I'm sorry, but what right do you have to demand anything as a non citizen of this country? Can I go to another country and make demands on them? I know I couldn't do it in Mexico. I'd be in jail.
Another one spoke of how they can't drive without a license for fear of being deported. Excuse me? We have laws here. I'm not a fan of being forced to get insurance and some of that stuff, but this is how it's done. I have a car, and I don't drive at the moment. I won't until I have all the paperwork in order.
Do you know what happens to me if I get stopped for driving down the road without a license? I get a ticket, lose my car to impound and have to spend money getting my car back. Why should a non citizen breaking the law intentionally be any different? I hear stories of how some are apparently above the laws that I have to obey.
Take a good look at the country. If the president and people on his side have their way, the borders will be coming down and things will change. Some think that will be a good thing. I say be careful what you wish for. The founding fathers were far from perfect, but that document this country was built upon helped ensure our freedoms. There are some who want to do away with it, and moves like this are part of that agenda. I am a supporter of legal immigration, but there is a process. Coming here and making demands is not the way.
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