More than a decade ago Dad persuaded me that my life story would make for something that many people would probably enjoy reading. I started writing that in 2014. And then a lot of things happened. Dad's passing. The year spent journeying across America. Four years as a mental health professional. Those things and more atop the wackiness that life had already sent barreling my way since I was a cub. And let's...
Sunday, August 25, 2024
"Make Mine Freedom" from 1948: Don't drink the Ism!
So help me, I'm going to show this cartoon from almost eighty years ago until I'm blue in the face, if that's what it takes to stop people from drinking Ism!It was in 2009 when I first came across "Make Mine Freedom", a 1948 educational film produced by Harding College. I was immediately struck by how prophetic this animated short was. How it warned against the...
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
BEING BIPOLAR, Part Twelve: Report on Mixed Episode
Being Bipolar is a series that began nearly fourteen years ago in the winter of 2011. It is an occasional look at what it is like to live with bipolar disorder, or manic depression as many still call it. This blogger posts a new article whenever he feels the time is ideal to write about an aspect of bipolar disorder, so that others might have deeper understanding...
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Well, it is a fantasy movie after all...
This is one of my favorite scenes in motion picture history. From the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian. Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has just freed Subotai (Gerry Lopez) from certain death. Here we see them having dinner together.I'll let the scene speak for itself.It's two fast friends, enjoying a meal in each other's company. And the conversation turns to religion.There is no bitterness or anger. Not an iota of hatred...
Friday, August 09, 2024
Little girls... with GUNS!
Is this a trend? If it is then I hope it's a growing one!In the past few months I've found a number of young ladies - these are girls under twelve - who are not only gun enthusiasts but are also very adept with firearms. In every way pertaining to guns, from responsible gun handling to describing various ammo, each of these girls possesses more knowledge...
Monday, July 29, 2024
Dear J.D. Vance: There are no second-class citizens
Something that bothers me about vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance...He seems to insinuate in statements both past and recent that only people who are married and/or have children should be involved in this country's politics. They're the ones who most have stakes in America's future, he apparently believes.Well, what about those of us who for some reason or...
Friday, July 26, 2024
"The Dukes of MAGA" (and who I am supporting in this election... for now)
I spotted this clip yesterday and it is definitely one of the better pro-candidate videos that I've ever come across. This is the kind of thing that the more creative types of candidates' supporters should aspire toward. For a lot of reasons I really like this one.Behold "The Dukes of MAGA":So, about who I'm supporting in this election. Something I've very rarely tipped my hand about throughout the history of this blog...As many...
Thursday, July 25, 2024
A Midsummer Night's Post
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck...
Friday, July 19, 2024
"Weird Al" Yankovic releases his first single in ten years!
Right when the world needs laughter the most, Weird Al comes through for us.The last time that "Weird Al" Yankovic released a new song, other than "The Hamilton Polka" or the end credits tune from his movie, was ten years ago this week when his Mandatory Fun album dropped. That was the final album he was contracted to produce and he said at the time that he'd probably release singles via digital platforms from now on. But that...
Bob Newhart, 1929 - 2024
The man was and forever will be a legend!So much that could be said about the amazing life of Bob Newhart. Coming up in the Eighties I loved his sitcom Newhart. Then later I discovered his earlier series The Bob Newhart Show. And after that I came upon his comedy albums, like his 1960 debut The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart.The guy just shined in...
Saturday, July 13, 2024
I hope y'all are watching this tonight
As my father said, when President Reagan was shot the day before my seventh birthday:"Pay attention son, this is history." &nb...
Thursday, July 11, 2024
"Say, whatever happened to Johnny Robertson?"
When four people write in over the course of a month, asking the same question, maybe that's a signal to address something.Let's set the Wayback Machine(tm) all the way to fifteen or so years ago. I used to work at WGSR, a television station in Reidsville, North Carolina. That was where my school board campaign - and those wacky campaign commercials - began in...
Tuesday, July 09, 2024
LEGO Jaws set is officially the coolest thing I've seen all summer
Just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the movie Jaws comes the Official Jaws LEGO Set!Click on the pics to enlargen (you're gonna need a bigger browser): At a hundred and fifty bucks this is actually a pretty good deal for a LEGO set this large.Click on over to GeekTyrant for more photos of this amazing s...
Monday, July 08, 2024
It's the first poster and trailer for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!
I've had the honor and the great pleasure of being among the cast of two productions of the stage play of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. If it were possible I would play the head fireman every year for the rest of my life, it was so much fun! It's a wonderful story rife with holiday hilarity, hijinks, and hope.I had no idea that this movie was coming, the announcement...
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Bookmark this post. Remember it. It will soon make sense.
A perfect storm.There will be no escape from what is comi...
Saturday, June 29, 2024
Maybe the very last post about Star Wars that I ever make
To: Star Wars producers and fandom
Re: The Acolyte and social media insanity
I can't even anymore. I feel like I've officially become an old man who can't keep up with the youngsters. I went through enough of this crap twenty-five years ago. God only knows what it would have been like if there had been Twitter and YouTube back in the day. To paraphrase the...
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Power or Wisdom? Stop asking God to interfere with politics
In searching around for churches in this area, obviously I'm looking at their websites. I'm studying a few things, particularly their various statements of belief. In that regard I'll simply say this: there are already a number of places of worship which I regrettably cannot enter. It would be like bringing a blowtorch aboard the Hindenburg.No disrespect...
