Category: Books

I’m a voracious and eclectic reader. These are just a few…

Posted in Autism, Books, Parenting, Televison, Uncategorized

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome

Posted on by D. Parker

Sometimes simple and straightforward are best.1cats1

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome by Kathy Hoopmann (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) explains Asperger’s Syndrome perfectly. And it has adorable pictures of cats being adorable.

This delightful and deceptively minimal book is the first book you should read if someone you love is diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (also called Aspergers Syndrome, or Asperger Syndrome, or Asperger’s, or Aspergers).sheldon6

The only downside? Like Sheldon Cooper (played so brilliantly by Jim Parsons) on The Big Bang Theory, it makes it sound much cuter than it usually is; for those who have it and those who love them. Or Sherlock Holmes (take your pick, the most recent, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller) which makes it seem exciting…Or all the other examples of Aspergian or High-Functioning Autism on TV, in movies or books.

The truth, it’s difficult, frustrating, wonderful, sad, amazing, and confusing…for all concerned.

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IM000556.JPGThere are many great books I would recommend, but these are quite helpful, informative and above all, accessible.
Borrow them from a friend, library, or Autism association; or purchase them in store or online.

The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome – Dr. Tony Attwood; Inside Asperger’s Looking Out – Kathy Hoopmann; An Asperger Dictionary of Everyday Expressions – Ian Stuart-Hamilton; Kids in the Syndrome Mix – Martin L Kutscher, MD; The Oasis Guide to Asperger Syndrome – Patricia Romanowski Bashe & Barbara L. Kirby (Harmony Books); The Autism Discussion Page on the Core Challenges of Autism – Bill Nason (Jessica Kingsley Publishers)1cats10The Everything Parent’s Guide to Children with Asperger’s Syndrome – William Stillman (Adams Media)
The Asperger’s Answer Book – Susan Ashley, Ph.D. (Sourcebooks, Inc.)
Empowered Autism Parenting – William Stillman (Jossey-Bass)
The Fabric of Autism – Judith Bluestone (Sapphire Enterprises, LLC)
How To Teach Life Skills to Kids with Autism or Asperger’s – Jennifer McIlwee Myers (Future Horizons)
Quirky, Yes Hopeless, No – Cynthia La Brie Norall, Ph.D w/ Beth Wagner Brust (St. Martin’s Griffin)1cats9

Thank goodness for Jessica Kingsley Publishers, I don’t know what I would have done without them.

If your child, spouse, friend, or yourself is diagnosed – don’t panic!

HHgttg don't panic
1cats3Media, doom and gloomers, people holding mock funerals for their children when they’re diagnosed, etc., even those who wish to help can intentionally or unintentionally scare you.
Don’t get caught up in the conflict people, people that love to make everything a drama.
Don’t hyper-focus on people ‘understanding’, including your family or friends, how could they understand? Just hope they’re supportive.
Focus on helping the person you love.
They’re still the same person, you just have a diagnosis that will aid you and others, to help them.
Helping the person you love find the skills and resources is taxing enough without adding fuss.

It’s also important to remember Autism isn’t a straight road, there are many, many twists and turns, ups and downs.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ~Confusius

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My son has Asperger’s and several medical conditions, but is doing better than anyone would have predicted.
Yet when a setback comes along, a medical procedure; other anxiety-provoking situations, people, challenges; illness, or something that is overwhelming I have to remember, it may seem like one step forward, two back, but he still took that one step forward.

But it’s still been a long few days.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” ~Mary Anne Radmacher

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Posted in Books, Environment, Internet, Movies, Televison

Welcome to…Jurassic Park

Posted on by D. Parker

1jur3Why so fascinated with bringing back dinosaurs?
Size? Curiosity? That they lived before the dawn of humans?

Or merely human nature, we want to do something, if we can.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is a big, stinky, carnivorous cautionary tale for abuse of technology and he makes no bones about it (yeah, I went for the cheap paleontology joke; sorry, it was the only thing I could dig up).

We need more cautionary tales.

We find we can manipulate genes, so as humans we think, then we should.
Clone…then we should.
Build bombs…we should.
Grow viruses…should.
Smartphones, Wi-Fi, internet…should, should, should!!!

Shouldn’t we find out the consequences first?
Everything has consequences.
Everything.

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I’ve heard the argument that God gave us the ability to do these things so we should.
a) that’s presuming there’s a God;
b) we also have to ability to kill people, should we?
c) justifying much?

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In less than 25 years we’ve become internet junkies. We overshare worldwide. No worries about pulsating signals everywhere. More children plugged in like adorable little zombies. We’re more distracted, obsessed, exhausted, overwhelmed, and less connected than ever….

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I began readin1jur29g Jurassic Park and Philosophy (edited by Nicholas Michaud and Jessica Watkins) thinking I knew what they’re going to say.  To some extent I did; philosophers examining JP in detail, scrutinizing all connotations and consequences as well as providing provocative insights regarding: genetic engineering, cloning, technology, human nature, ethics, religion, drama, humour, and even dinosaurs. Also gave me a creepy ah-ha moment – we’re the dinosaurs, a species striding boldly, masters of the planet, all the while becoming extinct.
Yes, another tremendous book in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series from Open Court. I’m so hooked, I can’t wait for the next fix.

Hammond, essentially a snake oil salesman, only cared about money, power, and his legacy, he couldn’t see he put his real legacy in danger by bringing his grandchildren to the park to figure out if it was safe, after someone was killed by a cloned dinosaur. Humans are so proud we can do, we forget to show respect for the real power, nature.

John Hammond: All major theme parks have delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked.
Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but John, if the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists.

1jur12Any thoughts on the reboot of the Jurassic Park series?

Jurassic World  i1jur28s now a state-of-the-art dino theme park on Isla Nublar. 22 years after the events of the original Jurassic Park all is well; what a relief. But wait, frustrated with declining attendance, an exciting new attraction is opened, gee, I wonder what could go wrong?
The cast looks interesting, Chris Pratt, Jake Johnson, Vincent D’Onofrio, BD Wong, Irrfan Khan, Judy Greer, Bryce Dallas Howard, but I’ll miss Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, and Sam Neill.
Written by Colin Trevorrow (also directing) and Derek Connolly, both from Safety Not Guaranteed   https://yadadarcyyada.com/?s=safety+not+guaranteed , I’m hopeful this will be action-packed and funny. Also that it’ll continue to offer strong female characters, like Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Lex (Ariana Richards), and well, the dinosaurs were all female, right?

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Ian Malcolm: God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs.
Ellie Sattler: Dinosaurs eat man … woman inherits the earth.

Any questions?

 

Posted in Books, Chocolate, Doctor Who, Food, Movies, Political, Televison, Uncategorized, Weight

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Turns 50

Posted on by D. Parker

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I’m celebrating 50,000+ views on my blog (Thank you! Thank you!) and the 50th anniversary (published 1964) of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, published 1964.

Loved with this book, then I saw the movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – my mind was forever altered.
A factory full of chocolate? It was one thing to read about it, another to see a river of chocolate…

I still love the 1971 Gene Wilder version best (directed by David L. Wolper), maybe because it’s steeped in childhood memories or because for me, it’s Gene Wilder’s definitive performance.

This is where I fell in love. Gene Wilder and chocolate. Sign me up!

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Wilder is the ultimate Willy Wonka. He didn’t go over-the-top weird, instead opting for a subtle, damaged man-child who was trapped in his own reclusion, a Howard Hughes-like creative genius who couldn’t cope in a reality that wasn’t of his own making. Wilder’s transcendent blend of cordiality, callousness, awe, and animosity make you think he is Wonka, he just is.

Jack Albertson was delightful as Grandpa Joe, who apparently couldn’t get out of bed to get a job, but could dance a jig and spend the day at a chocolate factory.

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Charlie Bucket is the only child Dahl and Wonka even remotely like due to his meek and accommodating nature, but Charlie wasn’t as obedient as he seemed, he spent money on a chocolate bar that he wasn’t supposed to; so even in the most co-operative child Dahl found a fault.
The 1971 version was renamed Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to cross-promote UK’s The Willy Wonka Candy Company who had bought the rights from Roald Dahl.

I never understood why Roald Dahl was classed as a children’s author, he clearly disliked children, at times rather intensely. His stories and books reflect this.
What he hated more than children were their parents, specifically parents who didn’t raise their children properly, at least from his point of view.

Imagine what Roald Dahl would think of children and their parents now?

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The Friday Project/ Harper Collins

I recently read A Brief History of Chocolate (Steve Berry and Phil Norman) which I must warn you will not only vastly entertain and inform, but make you crave chocolate.

Despite best intentions this book lacked something, what was it? Oh yes, chocolate. They should sell each copy with a chocolate bar or coupon for a free chocolate bar. There, a marketing idea, no charge…although I’d take a thank you in chocolate bars.

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I also loved the darker, creepier Tim Burton vision of Willy Wonka.

Johnny Depp played him weird and it worked. Also damaged, but in a deranged-metrosexual-game-show-host-who-moonlights-as-a-rock-star-on-acid-way.

Veruca Salt was a bad egg or nut in all versions, but really, her parents spoiled her. Also, Augustus Gloop, Mike Teevee, and Violet Beauregarde. All annoying children, but allowed, even encouraged to be so by their parents.

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 The first time I walked into the Hershey chocolate factory in Smith Falls, Ontario the smell was divine, like melted chocolate floating through clouds of more chocolate just before it rained chocolate.

I’ll never forget the look on my son’s face, the pure wonder as he watched row after row after row of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups racing happily along the conveyor belt.

I’m sure I had a similar look as I saw the giant vat of chocolate I wanted to swim in, not figuratively, literally.

No Oompa-Loompas, no chocolate waterfall, trees made of taffy, Everlasting Gobstoppers, no fizzy lifting drinks, or Wonka though, but lots of chocolate for sale and sample.

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Alas Hershey closed the factory after 45 years, losing a great tourist attraction, and hundred of jobs. Several other large employers closed, shipping more Canadian jobs overseas, 1ww10leaving 40% of the town unemployed.

Now a flame has been lit as Smith Falls rallies; the factory at 1 Hershey Drive now produces medical marijuana, which, in a great cosmic irony would have made more people buy chocolate.

There are still times, when I open a chocolate bar wrapper and think I see a flash of gold.

Posted in Books, Uncategorized

Essentialism

Posted on by D. Parker

1ess4I started reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Crown Business) wondering, is this going to be another self-help book to allegedly fix my life? Quickly I realized this was different.
Mr. McKeown’s version of Essentialism helped accelerate a process I’ve been working through for too long.

I’d heard less is more many times, but it’s nonsensical, less isn’t more, less is less.
Then I read the words, less but better. Less but better makes sense.
Less stuff, people, projects…but better quality. Essential.

The modern world is difficult to filter.
We’re surrounded by noise, figuratively and literally, 24/7.
TV shows, movies, special events, news, gossip, parties, vacations, causes, sports, books, apps, games, videos, memes, bands, singers, dancers, reality show celebrities, etc. – an endless flow of activity to entertain and distract us.

McKeown uses the example of your closet as a simple, but insightful lesson in essentialism.1ess3
Look through your clothes. Ask yourself, do I love this? Not, will I wear it or does it fit, but do I love it?
Do the same with TV shows. Love them or just filling or killing time? Or watching because of social pressure?
How about projects? Hobbies? Volunteering? Friends? Family? Work? Life?
Are you in a place in your life where everything seems important and has to be done?
Now filter out what is essential.
Now breathe.

1ess1We have so many choices today, yet they often amount to chaos. We’re suffering from choice and decision fatigue.
We’re children whose corporate parents keep us obedient by learned helplessness.
Computers find us a hotel room or flight.
Experts tell us what to buy, what to like, where to go, what to do.
Soon cars will drive themselves.1love6

Too many decisions mean the quality of those decisions deteriorate. We’re being fed a fast-food model of life, supersize it…quantity not quality.

The word priority didn’t become plural until the 1900s…how can you have more than one priority at a time? Focus on one thing, then another, then another.

Do you think when people are dying their biggest regret is:
I wish I could have worked more,
played more Candy Crush,
downloaded another app,
streamed another movie,
played another video game,
checked my email more often?
My guess is, I wish I had spent more time with people I loved
or even liked, and I wish I had been true to me, done what I wanted to do.
Why are we acquiring and keeping so many nonessentials – clothes, shoes, books, tools, toys, games…even people?
Making trade-offs with our time, energy, dreams, integrity, our lives.

1me13We’re hyper-connected, it doesn’t mean we’re always enjoying it.
Isn’t it time to weed out the trivial from the vital?
We believe busy equals important.
Wouldn’t it be better to return to less busy and more meaning?

So I’ve challenged myself to Explore, Eliminate and Execute…To have a disciplined pursuit of less but better.

I love the thought of reducing the noise to hear only what is music.

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P.S. I got this digital book at http://www.bloggingforbooks.org

Posted in Books, Movies, Political, Uncategorized

Words Will Break Cement

Posted on by D. Parker

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Truth is, everyone needs to be more tolerant. Everyone.

Aren’t most of the world’s problems because of intolerance?

Would we have to fight for rights and freedoms if everyone was more tolerant?

Why does it bother anyone who you love?

The colour of your skin?

The shape of your body?

Whom you choose to worship?

That someone has special needs?

What you choose to listen to or watch?

Why does choice intimidate some many people?

Just their need to control?

Whatever. Relax.

1pussy1When I first heard the name Pussy Riot I thought they were a punk band.1pussy5

So I read Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot by Masha Gessen (Riverhead Books/Penguin) in the hope of understanding the situation. Well-written and painstakingly detailed, it made for fascinating read.

I don’t always get performance art, I’m way too plebeian for that. However, I understand the need for artistic expression.

The women from Pussy Riot are part of one of the Russian art collectives who call themselves Voina. They stage performance art, often as a form of protest.

Their performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow went viral. Was it tasteless and a slap in the face of religion? Absolutely. Although I rather think that was their purpose.

Russia gives them ample material to protest.
LGBT rights regressing rapidly.
A wealth gap like the space between planets.
Barely existent women’s rights.
Maybe Georgia and Ukraine could give us some insight into how the Russian government feels about, you know, rights.

1pussy4Whether or not you agree with civil disobedience or the way this group or others protest, it gets attention. I disagree they should be jailed, separated from their family and friends, brutalized, beaten, persecuted, and maligned just because they don’t agree with the people in power. Also, it really just, well, proves their point.

Every country has its problems. Democracy seems to be creeping into twilight around the world, soon to join the dinosaurs as fossil fuel. When we don’t stand up for something, we really do seem to fall for anything.

Sadly Russia is not unique in intolerance, grinding of rights and freedoms, and overenthusiastic authoritarianism. Putin is just really, really open about it.1pussy6

It’s easy to pick on Russia, they have those cool accents that make everything sound sinister and we’re kind of programmed by James Bond flicks.

Tolerance would do us all well.

As long as you’re not hurting anyone…then who are you hurting?

 

Posted in Books, Jane Austen, Uncategorized

Unleashing Mr. Darcy

Posted on by D. Parker
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Despite the title, no safe words needed, this isn’t 50 Shades of Darcy (note to self, write a novel called 50 Shades of Darcy); instead this is a sweet, romantic working of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in a modern world of dog shows.

Teri Wilson has stayed true to Ms. Austen’s core of Pride and Prejudice, making it all about First Impressions (Ms. Austen’s working title for Pride and Prejudice) especially the fact that Ms. Austen proves that in P & P and all her other works that first impressions are often wrong.

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We’ve all met someone who we think is lovely or someone who we think is horrid and it turns out, we were incorrect, they’re in fact, horrid or lovely instead.
Sometimes it’s circumstances that give us the wrong impression, or the mood of the person, or our mood, or the other issue Ms. Austen loves to use in her stories, misunderstandings. Pride and Prejudice and her other works are riddled with misunderstandings that lead people to think certain things that may not be true or just. Ms. Wilson also added dogs and dog shows.

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I unabashedly adore romance novels and movies. They lighten my mood and relax me. They make me think of being young and carefree.  They’re also a lovely palate cleanser between non-fiction, politics (sorry, I can’t list that with the non-fiction because there are so many fictional elements in politics, sadly), horror, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, and of course, real life.

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This was a delightful read, as we follow Miss Elizabeth Scott and her beloved Cavalier, Bliss through misadventures, misunderstands and reaching 30. From New York to London, Elizabeth struggles to find her way while continuing to be thrown into the path of smug but gorgeous billionaire dog breeder and judge Donovan Darcy.

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a good romance novel and some chocolate (yes, any ice cream included, of course) can improve even the roughest of days.

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http://www.teriwilson.net

Posted in Books, Movies, Music, Televison, Uncategorized

The Princess Bride

Posted on by D. Parker

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I would be hard-pressed to believe anyone who had seen this movie didn’t like this movie. I know, it’s seen as chick flick material, but I think it can’t be reduced to just anything. It is so much more. It has comedy. Drama. Love. Romance. Bad men. Good men. Giants. Revenge. Fire swamps. Death. Swordplay. Beauty. Villains. Bravery. Cowardice. Pain. Dreams. Hope.

Some Inconceivable Princess Bride info…

Billy Crystal ad-libbed a lot of his lines. Anyone surprised?

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Apparently Cary Elwes thought Westley as the Dread Pirate Roberts/The Man In Black should have a mustache, to look more Errol Flynn-swashbuckling piratey guy. Not sure that really worked.

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The Cliffs of Insanity are really the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland and matte paintings.

The Princess Bride has spawned parodies, parties, costumes, and of course, it’s inconceivable that people wouldn’t love to quote it.

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William Goldman, the author of The Princess Bride also wrote screenplays for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All The President’s Men, A Bridge Too Far, Misery, Marathon Man (his own novel), and many more.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman is supposed to be an abridged version of the book, The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern. S. Morgenstern is really a pseudonym as well as a tricky narrative device that Goldman used to layer his novel. Confused yet?

The Princess Bride is a classic representation of Bildungsroman, a literary genre that concentrates on the ethical and psychological development of youth as they make the transition to adulthood. The term was created by J.K.S. Morgenstern (hmmm, sounds similar to S. Morgenstern). Here’s a few coming-of-age books, movies, and TV shows.

1prin12Stand By Me, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,
Sixteen Candles, Mean Girls, Superbad,
Varsity Blues, Easy A, Napoleon Dynamite,
The 400 Blows, Somersault, Garden State,
Clerks, Running With Scissors, The Graduate,
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,
Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Harry Potter,
Slumdog Millionaire, Youth In Revolt,
Rebel Without A Cause, Pretty In Pink, Twilight,
War Games, Wuthering Heights, Precious,
The Breakfast Club, Juno, Boy, Winter’s Bone,
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Hamlet,
Prozac Nation, Now and Then, Boys Don’t Cry,
Freaks and Geeks, The Spectacular Now,
Trainspotting, American Graffiti,
Moonrise Kingdom, Say Anything,
Romeo and Juliet, My So-Called Life, Blue Lagoon…
Can you think of any others? 80s6

Remember the ROUS (Rodents of Unusual Size)? Actually people in costumes, with Rob Reiner doing the noises.

Look closely, above the sick Grandson’s (Fred Savage) bed is the hat Rob Reiner wore in This Is Spinal Tap; Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) did The Princess Bride score and insisted on the subtle nod.

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That was actually Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin fencing, both left and right-handed.  The only stuntmen used were for the flips. Just in case you needed to be reminded how cool they are.

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I’m frugal watching commentaries, they can detract from the entertainment of the movie; exceptionally so here.

Despite many gaffs, mistakes, continuity errors, and plot holes in this movie this is a beloved classic that’s been thrilling audiences for 27 years.

I can watch this movie from start to end or start watching it at any point. It’s that awesome.

I think in this film, ‘As You Wish’ simply means ‘I love you’.

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Posted in Books, Movies, Uncategorized

1…2…A Million Ways To Die In The West

Posted on by D. Parker

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There is nothing in this film that will cure cancer…solve world hunger…bring about world peace. But it can make you laugh and isn’t that always a step in the right direction?

I’d like to formally apologize to those who had to be in the same theater with me while I was watching it; I like to laugh and this did it for me, big time.

The odd part was there was a disproportionate amount of older people in the theater, as in well over 60, even 70 and they were laughing, a lot. Sadly they also talk a lot during movies and tend to do so loudly. ‘What’s that, what did he say? Did he say Stephen Foster? Didn’t he do a lot of songs in our day?’ Geez, how old were those people? But they did laugh hardest at the naughtier parts. Cool.

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Seth MacFarlane is a savant with voice work, really, a wonder to listen to. I find him hilarious, twisted, conscientious, brilliant, creative, cute as a button, although arguably not an actor with a wide range, but who knows what the future brings.

I think surrounding yourself with talent like Neil Patrick Harris, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, Amanda Seyfried, Rex Linn, etc. helps in some respects, but also shines a spotlight. Yet for me, MacFarlane‘s enthusiasm for his subject matter and his stunning comedic skills override any drawbacks.

Obviously meant to pay homage to old Westerns and Blazing Saddles and just as unrealistic. Where Brooks trail-blazed, MacFarlane and fellow writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild have to do some rehash slinging slashing. You’d think relentlessly infantile would get old yet, no, fresh as a well-placed daisy. And Brooks was doing all this before MacFarlane and friends were even born…I think this will one day be seen as a classic.

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The best bit for me was definitely MacFarlane‘s diatribe about how people die in the Old West. I don’t know if this was intended, but it made me think of all the ways to die now that they didn’t have then. WiFi waves, cars (worse than that, drivers), Ebola, MERS, SARS, Avian/bird flu, AIDS, GMOs, asteroids (sure, the video game as well), planes, weapons of mass destruction, plastic islands in the ocean, pollution, ozone depletion, and lucky for us, still guns and corrupt politicians, some things never change…

As for the bored part, look what we have and people still say they’re bored. I guess life isn’t necessarily better, just different.

Too many funny moments without reciting the whole movie which sadly I can probably do.

Here’s a link to my review of the book cause I feel like I’m having a moment of deja vu… https://yadadarcyyada.com/2014/03/10/a-million-ways-to-die-in-the-west/

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As with all MacFarlane works there were some messages hidden among the endlessly silly filth…

  • Don’t keep chasing someone who doesn’t love you for you. Relationships should be reciprocal.

  • Brains can win the day. So can poison.

  • And it’s our expectations of any time or place that shape our enjoyment, for however long we have.

I love the anachronisms and the contemporary feel of this, it adds layers to an already riotously rootin’ tootin’ good time.

See if you can pick out Ryan Reynolds and Jamie Foxx in their brief, but overtly shining moments in ye olde limelight. And Christopher Lloyd was pure Christopher Lloyd – Great Scot!

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Patrick Stewart voicing the sheep was hilarious. What a trip!

I think I’ll have the Moustache song in my head forever, gee, thanks. Even catchier than A Million Ways To Die by Alan Jackson and that’s sayin’ somethin’.

Even as it was ending I was thinking, again! again!

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People die at the Fair…

Posted in Books, Movies, Political, Televison, Uncategorized

Maya Angelou Her Brave and Startling Truth

Posted on by D. Parker

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Maya Angelou has gone from this world.

After living so many lives.

Who knew such terror, such hardship, and such horror, still recognized and chose joy, love, and hope. She choose courage and laughter.

She told us in words and deeds to live, not regret living.

Lent her voice to those in need until they found their own.

If you have given yourself the gift of her writing you will already know what you need to know. If you haven’t, be good enough to yourself to do so.

I urge anyone who doesn’t know the story of Maya Angelou to learn, for in her story you will find many brave and startling truths worth knowing…

There are no better words to describe the force of Maya Angelou and the light she shone on the world than her own words:

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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.”

“I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.”

And my all time favourite because this guides my life:
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We will never have to say goodbye because on the pulse of each new day Maya Angelou is with us to say, “Very simply With hope Good morning.”

Posted in Books, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

Well-Read Women

Posted on by D. Parker

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“I’ll think about it tomorrow, after all, tomorrow is another day.”1read3
Margaret Mitchell may have written the words of Gone With The Wind, but it’s Scarlett O’Hara we think of when we read or hear them.

Elizabeth Bennet      Anne Shirley      Daisy Buchanan
   Auntie Mame      Catherine Earnshaw      Nancy Drew
Holly Golightly      Dorothy Gale      Jo March      Cosette
Jane Eyre       Juliet Capulet      Nora Charles       Charlotte
Blanche Dubois     Pecola      Alice      Daisy Miller      Lily Bart
Becky Sharp      Mary Lennox       Emma Woodhouse

We’ve had tea and coffee with these women.

Ate ice cream and chocolate with these women.

Even taken baths with these women.

Stretched out under a tree with these women.

Flew with these women.

Drank with these women.

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Dreamed of being these women.

Tried to make sure not to be some of these women.

Loved them. Hated them. Pitied them.

We’ve cried with them, laughed with them.

Shouted yahoo! for these women.

Watched them live, love, sometimes die.

Felt their sorrow.

Rejoiced in their triumphs.

We’ve learned from their failures, cheered them on.

They’ve seen us at our best and our worst.

They’ve met our loved ones, including cats and dogs.

IM000475.JPGThey live in our homes.IM000476.JPG

Fiction’s loved and hated heroines hold a place in our hearts and remind us of who we were, who we are and who we want to be.1read2

Take a few minutes to relax and remind yourself of the joys of a good read with this delectably illustrated book, Well-Read Women: Portraits of Fiction’s Most Beloved Heroines by Samantha Hahn (Chronicle Books).

Contains smile-inducing illustrations of fictional heroines (although I would have liked Bridget Jones included, but maybe in the next book) by the talented Samantha Hahn, accompanied by some of your favourite quotes from these ladies and their authors.IM000469.JPG

“It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr. Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It’s like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting “Cathy” and banging your head against a tree.” ~Bridget Jones
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

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PENNY DREADFUL

Penny Dreadful, a Showtime horror TV series that is certainly lurid, melodramatic, frightening, and intriguing.

Set in London, 1891 as the world hurtles toward the 20th century; the old meets the new featuring literary horror staples: Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and creations, Mina Harker, etc.

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The cast is repulsively enchanting:

Billie Piper, again as a companion of sorts (come on Doctor Who fans), also more of a Secret Diary of a Consumptive Call Girl.

Reeve Carney as oh my, Dorian Gray, a portrait of a guy who likes to have a good time, no matter what, a sort of rock star version of the endless playboy.

Timothy Dalton glowers and growls his way through, hey, I’m not complaining he does it so well.

Eva Green as the unfathomable and flexible Kill-Jill-of-all-Trades with many secrets.

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Harry Treadaway as Dr. Frankenstein, defies all that is natural by making himself some friends, literally making them.

Josh Hartnett as a handsome cowboy with a past.

Plus Rory Kinnear, Alun Armstrong, Simon Russell Beale, Alex Price, Anna Chancellor, Helen McCrory, Olivia Llewellyn and more.

John Logan (The Aviator, Rango, Skyfall, Sweeney Todd, Any Given Sunday, Star Trek: Nemesis and more) offers up his own monster in this macabre yet novel series. While this has striking similarities to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie, it has a more sinister tone and not as cheesy.

I’ve only seen 2 episodes, but so far so spine-chilling.

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Penny Dreadful, also the term for garish and shocking serial stories sold in parts in bookstores during the 19th century. Each part cost a penny. As time went on, the term came to represent all sorts of poor quality, sensational fiction for the working class.

Penny Dreadful, not Penny from The Big Bang Theory or my lovely and hilarious British cousin Penny whom I would instead refer to as Penny Delightful.

“The suspense is terrible…
I hope it will last.”
~Oscar Wilde

Posted in Books, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

THE MATRIX

Posted on by D. Parker

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Why did The Matrix become such a huge hit?

Dystopian future films have become hugely popular in the last couple of decades. I figure it’s because we’re already there, and this is a way to explore what’s happening without truly acknowledging it’s happening.

Do many already feel like we’re in The Matrix?
A simulated reality where we’re kept complacent and subjugated.

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Perhaps our body heat is already being harvested, think about it, corporations plotting to make us fatter because obese people produce more body heat.

Maybe they’ve brainwashed people into having phones or tablets with them at all times so they’ll produce more electrical activity.

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Is it easier to just live on our computers, cell phones, tablets, and so on, looking at pictures of kittens, tragedies, recipes, hoaxes, optimistic quotes that looking around at what we’ve done?

So where is our Neo come to free us from this dream world we’re plodding through on our cellphones, laptops, Google glasses, tablets, etc.? And do we even want to be saved from the distraction?

The Wachowski Brothers, now called The Wachowskis (Larry Wachowski is now Lana) wrote this cyberpunk standard with the works of Philip K. Dick whispering in their ears. The paranoia, power, mental discomfort, a ruined world. The Matrix is the ultimate exile from ourselves.

Or maybe it’s so loved just because the awesome effects, the wire fu techniques, the anime-like feel, action scenes, great cast, and cool outfits.

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The Matrix contains incessant references to: mythology, religion, philosophy, literature, and pop culture.

Johnny Depp was first choice, also Will Smith and Nicolas Cage both turned down the part of Neo. Smith turned it down to do Wild Wild West. No comment. But come on, we’re expected to believe Nicolas Cage turned down a part?

Epic shot where Keanu Reeves (Thomas Anderson/Neo/The One) hits the ground, bounces back up again is meant to look like Wile E. Coyote? Evil super genius ordering from an omnipresent evil corporation ACME who sends weapons to an address in the desert, great, but where’s the tiny umbrella?

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The numbers 1 and 3 are everywhere in this movie. Neo means new; it’s also an anagram for One. Trinity, 3. Neo is called Thomas in the beginning when he is doubting.

A matrix in mathematics, is a rectangular arrangement of numbers, symbols, or expressions, ordered in columns and rows. Distinct items in a matrix are called its elements or entries.1matrix10

The Matrix is green, not ecofriendly, but shot with a green filter for the parts inside The Matrix.

The scene with Neo and pins. Those pins were actually in his head. For realism. It worked.

The government lobby shootout took 10 days of filming and didn’t use CGI. The Wachowskis staged everything you see on the set, even the explosions and water pouring in.

Sci-fi flicks always produce conspiracy theories. How about this one, note the date on the passport.

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The actors were put through their paces on this movie, they had to be able to do stunts, wire fu, fight, process weighty philosophical discourses, etc.

The end, the last line in Neo’s monologue gave the studio and audiences options, “Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.”.  I would’ve been satisfied with The Matrix, it  was enough.  In the 15 years since it’s release few have matched it.

Definitely a cautionary tale that allowing oneself to the plugged in all the times can rob us of reality, truth, and any meaning to life.

 

Posted in Books, Movies, Music, Televison, Uncategorized

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU

Posted on by D. Parker

Some call this Intergalactic Star Wars Day, but really, isn’t that every day?

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Yet this one has an added feature, we now have a date, December 18, 2015, of the next Star Wars movie, as I’m calling it, Star Wars VII: An Old Hope.

Also, cast announcements. The latter has brought a torrent of indignation from many fans.

I think this is unfair in many ways to the new cast.

Of course any comparison can’t be helped and it’s not likely to be favourable.

Many of us grew up with the original cast and still think of Star Wars IV: A New Hope as the first SW movie.

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In 1977 Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill weren’t even known.

Carrie Fisher hadn’t said, Help me Obi Wan Kenobi you’re my only hope or aren’t you a little short for a storm trooper? stars3

Mark Hamill hadn’t inadvertently kissed his sister, stood in the iconic pose against the twin suns, lost his hand, and screamed his famous nooooo!!!

Harrison Ford had never swaggered about the Millennium Falcon, said I know to Leila’s I love you, been encased in carbonite…

Alec Guiness hadn’t uttered the now famous, That’s no moon, that’s a space station, or said Use the Force Luke or become a cool ghost.

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We had never seen or heard the rasping menace of Darth Vader or the twisted malevolence of the Emperor…no Chewie or R2 or C3PO or Jabb14th10a or Lando or Boba-Fett.

So fear not, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, and John Williams are returning.

I think we should give the new cast a chance.

Adam Driver (he’s the best part of Girls, also in J. Edgar, The Unusuals, Your Don’t Know Jack, etc.),

Oscar Isaac (Sucker Punch, W.E., Inside Llewyn Davis, etc.),

Andy Serkis (Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, Einstein & Eddington, Longford, The Simpsons, Avengers: Age of Ultron, etc.),

Domhall Gleeson (Harry Potter as Bill Weasley, Black Mirror, About Time, When Harvey Met Bob, etc.),

John Boyega (Attack the Block and 24: Live Another Day),

Daisy Ridley (Mr. Selfridge, Silent Witness, etc.) and

Max von Sydow who’s been in I can’t even begin to list the work he‘s done since 1949, but he was Ming The Merciless.

Keeping an open mind, I am.

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Hope for the best, you should.

Now go get your comics, watch Star Wars movies, get your nerd on, and May The 4th Be With you!

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Posted in Books, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

Big Fish

Posted on by D. Parker

Big Fish is so emotional and so sincere, depending on the place you’re in, it can be almost difficult to watch, but worth every minute.

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Tim Burton directed this after losing his father and mother between 2000-2002. Although not close to either or perhaps because of that, Burton is able to meticulously highlight the pain, sorrow, regret, and joy of the story; each are woven through each shot with a texture only loss can weave.bigfish4

There is no way to explain this movie except to say watching it is an unmitigated pleasure that you will want to  call on again and again.

The cast is exceptional in so many ways: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Marion Cotillard, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, Robert Guillaume, Matthew McGrory, Steve Buscemi, Alison Lohman, Deep Roy, and Miley Cyrus (credited as Destiny Cyrus) among others.bigfish2

The 1998 novel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace gives us this fantastical tale of a man who has an astonishing gift for storytelling. On his deathbed he and his son try to reconcile.

John August follows the same path, but brings the tale onto the screen with words and images that wrap you in soft, warm blanket where you want to sip some tea and press replay.bigfish7

The son thinks he can never trust his father because he obviously wasn’t as his tall tales portrayed. The son had never looked past his own disbelief to his heart where his father’s stories had nestled, where he learned the stories were true in many ways, if he only believed.

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A film of rare proportions, with just the right mix adventure, magical storytelling, the glory of life and love, and raw emotion.

And music by Danny Elfman. Never forget that.

When I read the book I cried.

When I saw the movie I openly wept.

And still I never fully understood…

Now, sadly, I do.

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Posted in Books, Environment, Holidays, Parenting, Political, Uncategorized

Earth Day? Really? Just One?

Posted on by D. Parker

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1. We only have one planet. Unless we find a way to boldly go where no one has gone before, we might want to be nicer to it.

2. The first Earth Day was celebrated 44 years ago, founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson (Democrat Wisconsin). Earth Day went international in 1990. Here in Canada we are regressing in our fight for our planet. How about your country, how are they doing?

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3. To bring awareness to this beautiful blue planet we call home, NASA is throwing the #GlobalSelfie event. So you take a selfie (duck lips and model poses optional) of yourself outside, post it using the hashtag #GlobalSelfie. NASA will use the images to generate a Blue Marble/Earth out of all the photos.

4. There are still those who don’t believe in climate change. Did you spread some more carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, Stratospheric ozone depleters, and other fun toxins today? Don’t worry about it, we’ll be gone before it gets too bad, let our children and their children live the nightmare we’re creating.

5. Canada is a large country with only 36 million people yet we are ambitious, we always try to get in to the Top 10 of World polluters. Wow, so proud…not.

6. Lyrid meteor shower peaked during the early hours of Earth Day this year (visible most of the week depending on your location, weather conditions, etc.). We need to enjoy the amazing gift we live on. earth6

7. There are places in the world, including Alberta (Home of the Tar Sands/Oil Sands), etc. where some people celebrate Earth Hour, Earth Day, Green Week by deliberately running all their appliances, vehicles, etc. to burn as much energy and fuel as possible. Seriously. I know I live in the same country as them, but I really think we exist on different planes of dimension.

"Pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space cause there’s bugger all down her on Earth." ~Monty Python

“Pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere out in space cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth.” ~Monty Python’s Meaning of Life

8. Over 70% of our stunning, astonishing planet is water yet millions of people don’t have access to clean water. We’re systematically polluting and destroying our oceans, rivers, lakes, etc. as well the earth, air, and ourselves. 

9. What messages are we sending to our children and grandchildren with our over-consumption? People will celebrate holidays like: Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving (especially Black Friday), Halloween, Valentine’s Day, but don’t celebrate Earth Day. I guess shopping and Earth Day wouldn’t go well together. So if the schools weren’t pushing it, how much would we participate?

10. Enjoy the Earth Day celebrations, but remember, when the photo ops are done, the trees planted, the walks done, we’re still destroying the planet today and the other 364 days of the year. Protect your home, the Earth.

Make peace with the planet. Happy Earth Day every day!!!

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Posted in Books, Christmas, Holidays, Movies, Music, Parenting, Political, Televison, Uncategorized, Weight

SCARCITY

Posted on by D. Parker

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We stand in line for various new smart phones.

We have to decide between multiple versions of coffee. There are literally too many TV shows and movies to watch.

Too many pod casts, audio books, and musicians to listen to.

Too many books to read.

Giant grocery stores where you practically need a GPS to find your way around. I just wanted an apple. Sure, there are 20 varieties. Aaaaargh.

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Huge malls where you need maps, like you’re on an Indiana Jones adventure.

Clothes, shoes, jewellery, cars, toys, restaurants, tablets, bars, news, clubs, blogs, theaters, social media, stores, computers, alcohol, laptops, medications, make-up, information, games, video games, apps, services, oh my!

We’re destroying our future and our children’s futures so we can have stuff.

We’re being controlled by our ability to choose.

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Scarcity is unknown to too many of us. It’s difficult to even comprehend people still live in squalor with no safe water, no heat or cooling, no medical care, selling themselves, dying, even selling their children for food.

Comfort and abundance has lead to sloth, entitlement, intolerance, apathy, and waste.

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“Having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting; it is not logical but it is often true.” ~Spock

The less you have the more you appreciate it. People dreaming of winning the lottery are often happier than those who win it.

Ever been eating something delicious and realize it’s almost gone? Those last few bites are savoured.

Reading a book, watching a show, time with family or friends – all taken for granted until you realize they’re almost over.

You’ll actually use less toothpaste as the tube empties, without conscious thought.

The last days of your vacation you’ll do more.cityscar9

You’d think we’d be happier with more things, more choices. If stuff made us happy why are more people on meds for stress and depression with higher debt, more drama, more shopping, more self-help books, more diets…apparently more isn’t always better.

If you have one glass you will take care of that glass, cherish it because otherwise you will have difficulty drinking.
If you have one pair of shoes, you will treasure those shoes for without them you will walk in bare feet.

I’m not advocating poverty, just moderation. The ‘M’ word was more popular before we were told by corporations selling us stuff that we needed more stuff.

I love having the ability to choose, but there comes a point, especially with products and services that super saturation directs us to confusion, stress, worry, and disorder.

Abundance should be shared.

When will we ever have enough?

The book Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir (Times Books/Henry Holt and Company) is a well-written, amusing, comprehensive explanation with examples of why scarcity is so important. Scarcity in all forms. I borrowed it from the library…one less book.

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Posted in Books, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized, Zombies

Why Zombies Won’t Rule

Posted on by D. Parker

1. Zombies are, so far, an analogy for over-consumption. We don’t have to worry about zombies, we’re killing ourselves off quite effectively.

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2. Zombies seem relentless, but have no ambition, sort of like teens at a mall.

3. Zombie genre is hyper-focused on what zombies would do to humans. Not much about what nature would do to these walking smorgasbords. Nature doesn’t need fresh meat, many love decaying flesh. First the blowflies, flesh flies and maggots. Also, vultures, burying beetles, lions, wolves, dogs, eagles, hawks, coyotes, crows, raccoons, tigers, hyenas, etc. And cockroaches – they can live up to a week without a head, can’t say the same for zombies.

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4. They’re dead and only getting deader. Weather, nature, and decomposition works wonders on the complexion and can make the average zombie into a sticky puddle of botox-won’t-help-that-sweetie-mess in no time.

5.  Think of the zombie apocalypse as a Home Alone movie, but with zombies instead of inept burglars. They can’t strategize, they’re easily tricked, they don’t notice traps. Try sandbags, fences, walls, doors, boarded up windows, spikes, barbed wire, fire, or maybe even marbles, icy stairs, hot door knobs, paint cans, etc. would work.

6. No one really explains how zombies overcome the military. Zombies move toward armies, have no defenses, don’t retreat. This doesn’t even work as a Risk game.

wd707. As free-range humans become more scarce so would the food source; we’re just not that reliable. Also, we fight back.

8. Humans could get to islands, fortified or remote locations, and structures to wait until the zombies decompose.

 9. Humans generally know more about survival now, ie. Water purification tabs, weapons, decoy camps, Dakota fire pits, how to purify urine to drink it, making a stove out of a soda can, etc.wd72

10. I think Nerds will save us. They have special skills, right? Video games have taught them survival skills, including using a sniper riffle, crossbow, etc. Most already exist on processed foods. They’re used to staying up for days on end, they’re patient, and they don’t feel the need for a companionship. Also, they can figure out a way to start getting power back on, etc. They can read maps, are used to quests, and really, it’s as though they’ve been training for an apocalyptic event since the first time their hands touched a controller. Let’s hope these video game skills translate into life skills, wait, maybe I shouldn’t pin too much hope on this.

I just hope if the zombie apocalypse happens they’re the slow zombies, not the fast ones. I think I can survive the slow, shuffling ones, but those fast ones, not so much.wd75

Posted in Books, Movies, Political, Televison, Uncategorized, Zombies

Why Zombies Will Rule

Posted on by D. Parker

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1. Zombies won’t just be dangerous because of the biting flesh part, they’re rotting corpses. Think about all the diseases they would cause, not to mention all the scavengers and parasites they would attract. Like some people you may know, zombies are toxic, but literally.

2. Zombies don’t need to sleep.

3. They’re not distracted by TV, the internet, cell phones, etc.

4. They don’t have any vices.

5. Zombies don’t get sick, I mean eventually they decompose, but who knows how long that will take?

6. Society will fall apart if they don’t have cell phones, the internet, TV, etc.wd76

7. Sadly, Zombies will kill off children and probably their parents quickly, come on, think of how long it takes to get the average toddler to put on their shoes, get to sleep, etc…and how would they stay quiet enough? How would they be amused without technology?

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8.  Zombies don’t get bored and don’t need entertaining, they just wait around for food to be delivered to them or they wander around looking for takeout.

9. So many people are too apathetic or lazy to even get out and vote which effects your life just as much as zombies (have you seen some politicians?). How are they going to survive?

wd8810. Statistically as there are more zombies and less humans, well, you do the math…the odds are against us.

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Posted in Books, Movies, Music, Televison, Uncategorized

The Shawshank Redemption

Posted on by D. Parker

For those that have read the novella by Stephen King I will alternately title this Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

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For me, both have been irreparably damaged by the Family Guy version, oh great, now I’m humming Hollaback Girl.

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This book and movie hold many messages, the most obvious one, hope.

I used to think, many years ago when I was young that no matter what anyone did to you, no matter what they took from you, you’d always have hope.

But then I began to slowly realize that hope itself could be dangerous.

When nothing or no one can hurt you.
When nothing or no one can take anything more from you.
When nothing or no one can break your heart.
Hope can.

Hope unfulfilled.
Hope crushed.
Hope ignored.
Hope betrayed.
Hope denied.
Am I cheering anyone up yet?

This is the moment shaw2when people have to choose, to take a chance that hope is a gift. Just because you’re in a hopeless position doesn’t mean you’re hopeless.

For people with chronic illness we cling to hope like it’s the side of giant mountain and we never want to look down.

That’s the power of hope. And the danger. It depends how you use it.

It’s been 20 years since we were given Frank Darabont’s (The Walking Dead) vision of Shawshank. Hey, it starred: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, William Sadler, James Whitmore, and Clancy Brown, how could it be anything but coshaw6ol?

I recommend you also read King’s story and if so inclined, destroy both by watching the Family Guy take on this brilliant celebration of how you can be free or imprisoned wherever you are, it’s all about perspective.

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“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”~Jack Layton

Posted in Books, Uncategorized

Overwhelmed

Posted on by D. Parker

I don’t have time.

There just isn’t enough time in the day.

Sorry, I ran out of time.

Time got away from me.

If you frequently hear or say these and other phrases, this book may be for you.

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“Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you.” ~Terry Pratchett

1. Every day we hear about how people are exhausted, scattered, distracted, besieged, stressed, under pressure, anxious, just generally overwhelmed. Even school-aged children are overwhelmed.

2. Yet according to most experts including renowned time researcher and sociologist, John Robinson (known as Father Time) not having enough time is an illusion or self-imposed. Most people have more leisure time than ever before. “Time is a smokescreen. A convenient excuse” ~John Robinson. Saying you don’t have time is really saying you don’t want to do something, you just don’t want to say that.sheldon7

3. Not that many aren’t working very hard for too little. This book is quite critical of the government and business and their backward, regressive approaches to methods of work that work.

4. Your stress can affect others. They believe stress, even from parents is actually changing children neurologically and hormonally, perhaps even their DNA.

5. The part of your brain called the Amygdala has a primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions. Your Prefrontal Cortex is the Big Cheese for your brain and essentially your Amygdala’s nanny. It regulates your Amygdala, tells it to slow down and take a time-out if needed. Yet your Prefrontal Cortex can shrink if chronically stressed then it’s too weak and shrunken to calm your Amygdala. So your Amygdala goes wild, it starts making poor choices.

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6. Our time expectations are out of whack. We like being pretend busy. It makes us feel important. Take time to live authentically, it takes some courage, but you might like it.

7. You hear things like, an average high school student now has the same level of stress of a psychiatric patient in the 1950s. Is it real and if so, what’s causing it? Then you start thinking, wait, then what level of stress does a psychiatric patient have now?

8. The author, award-winning staff reporter from the Washington Post, Brigid Schulte, an admitted head-on-fire time loser, interviews sociologists and scientists world-wide for this book to demonstrate how grim and prevalent this alleged time-crunch really is. Her findings are dramatic and alarming. It’s not a shock to researchers that chronic stress is raising the risk and incidence of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, Alzheimer’s, cancer, dementia, mental health issues as well as other health issues.simpsons9

9. We have time, we just don’t always use it properly. After all, according to Albert Einstein, “time is an illusion”, then again, what did he know?

10. Find uninterrupted time. Every tweet, text, email, conversation, phone call, etc. steals away uninterrupted time, not only leisure time, but work time as well. It takes us a lot more time to return to focus than we realize. Be wary when you’re sold many items that are going to improve your life. Companies don’t want to improve your life, they want to complicate it because complicated means money to them.

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“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” ~Lewis Carroll

11. Other countries including Denmark have more progressive workplaces, social structures and make far better use of their time than North Americans.

12. If there were affordable, safe, secure, and adequate housing people would have less stress, there would be less crime and therefore fewer victims of crime, more motivation, productivity, and more happy time.

13. Safe, regulated, and affordable childcare would ease our stress levels and help with time constraints.

14. We need to face facts. We like to think we’re good at multitasking, but we’re not. It’s a myth sold to us. Something suffers when people multitask and it’s stressful for your brain.

15. You probably didn’t have time to read this whole post and you won’t have time to read the book.

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Posted in Books, Uncategorized

MOTHER NATURE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU

Posted on by D. Parker

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We humans seem to have a love/hate relationship with Mother Nature. It’s like we’re either breaking up or making up and both seem equally violentnature5 and nasty.

1. We love nature, but only if it’s pretty or convenient.

2. There are many things in nature that want to kill us or eat us. That includes other humans.

3. You’re born with 300 bones, but by the time you’re an adult you have 206, and we’re so fragile, even a swan can break those bones.nature123. A lot of things in nature want to use us as unwilling hosts, sort of like Alien, but with less Sigourney Weaver.

4. Whether or not you believe in climate change, it sure seems like our climate is changing and not in a fun cartoony way.

nature115. There are things, most we can’t even see, that want to infect or poison us. Badly done naughty toxins, parasites, bacteria, viruses, etc., badly done.

6. Humans have tried to adapt to nature, but we discovered money and power and got really distracted.nature6

7. There are eels that can give off a charge of over 600 volts. And they probably cost less than hydro.

8. No other creature in nature sleeps on it’s back, except humans.

9. The Amazon rainforest produces over half the world’s oxygen supply – we should keep cutting that down.

10. Nature has given us the means to heal as well. If we don’t destroy what can help us first.

The good news for Mother Nature. She won’t have to put up with us for much longer. We’re doing more to ourselves than she ever could. Sadly, we’re trying to take her down with us.

The book Mother Nature Is Trying To Kill You is scary, but interesting and even amusing at times as Dan Riskin Ph.D. (Discovery Canada and Daily Planet) guides us through the 7 deadly sins of Mother Nature’s eccentricities. Some new ideas, some recycled, but all thought-provoking.

Posted in Books, Movies, Uncategorized

Iron Man

Posted on by D. Parker

iron12I’ll start with a confession. I take my son to movies like Iron Man, but I probably enjoy them just as much as him, perhaps more. But it’s a fun thing to share.

Iron Man is an unlikely andiron3 astonishing superhero. He technically starts out bad, inventing and producing weapons that kill people. When injured he’s forced to start using his genius and ingenuity to save himself and others rather than destroy, but he doesn’t become a perfect hero by any stretch of the imagination.

Almost invincible on the outside, hard and defended, on the inside a wounded man-child, who struggles with addiction and his inner demons, which is probably why Robert Downey Jr. is so effective in the role.

Iron Man was originally created by the astonishing Stan Lee; developed by scripter Larry Lieber; cover-artist and character-designer Jack Kirby; and story-artist Don Heck. Iron Man first appeared in March 1963 in Tales of Suspense #39. And Tony Stark/Iron Man has been on it ever since, well, except for the time he had to wipe his brain to keep Norman Osborn from gaining his information, but who hasn’t had days like that?iron5As much as I love the comics and some of his appearances in cartoons and video games, etc., bringing Iron Man to the big screen was a lovely treat. Everything it should be: intense, high-tech, dramatic, melodramatic, unrealistic edging on absurd and thanks to RDJ and Jon Favreau, hilarious.

Iron Man 2 not so much. It seemed to be struggling to find its direction and ultimately just wasn’t up to the first one. It seemed more about the tech than the people, than the story.

They made up for it with Iron Man 3. Clearly I’m being sarcastic, wow, what the…why though? Just why?iron8Now the word is although RDJ will be back in Avengers: Age of Ultron, they’re thinking of replacing him with someone younger in the 4th Iron Man. What? Why? Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. I’m always amazed how bizarre studio thinking can be. We’ve got a money-machine franchise, let’s play with it by replacing one of the stars. Huh? They’re as annoying as Doctor Doom, maybe more so.iron11

So now just waiting for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

And for the Illuminati to show up.

iron9And Ms. Marvel.

And Arachne.

And Mockingbird.

So I guess just waiting.

Posted in Books, Televison, Uncategorized

Before Game of Thrones…Gormenghast

Posted on by D. Parker

gor2Getting antsy waiting for the next season of Game of Thrones to start? Missing the intrigue, passion, treachery, lies, horror, murder, lust, filth, fighting, and fantasy?

Tired of hearing Winter Is Coming when many have had enough of winter?

Then the 4-part BBC Gormenghast might be just the ticket to exotic destinations.

Before Game of Thrones there was Gormenghast. Adapted from the first 2 books in the trilogy by Mervyn Peake, this is a stunningly creepy and brilliant experience you’ll not soon forget.

Exceptional cast including:  Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee, Ian Richardson, Neve McIntosh, Richard Griffiths, Zoë Wanamaker, Spike Milligan, and more.

This twisted foray into fantasy will be a stark reminder – more is out there.

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Posted in Books, Movies, Political, Televison, Uncategorized

Beware the Ides of March

Posted on by D. Parker

ides7This is another one we can blame on Shakespeare, that’s ok Will, I still love you.

In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar the soothsayer tells Caesar to “beware the Ides of March”.  For some reason this caught on and people often celebrate March 15 so I guess they’re celebrating when Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman Senate in 44 B.C.?

Here are some more commonly used phrases you may or may not have known came from Will S.

  • Hamlet: To thine own self be true. There’s method in my madness. Own flesh and blood. Neither a borrower nor a lender be – used in song on Gilligan’s Island when performing Shakespeare to get off the island, another great plan.
  • Julius Caesar: Itching palm – My Grandma always said if you had an itching palm you were going to get money, yes, most likely from her.  Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war – not a common phrase, but was used in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, so cool.
  • Romeo and Juliet: Wild-goose chase. Star-crossed lovers. What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
  • Macbeth: What’s done is done. A sorry sight.
  • Merchant of Venice: Love is blind. All that glitters/glisters is not gold. Bated breath. In the twinkling of an eye.
  • The Tempest:  In a pickle. Fair play. Such stuff as dreams are made on.
  • As You Like It: Too much of a good thing. Forever and a day. As you like it. Bag and baggage. Neither rhyme nor reason.
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor: A laughing stock . What the dickens – people often think this refers to Charles Dickens.
  • ides5Henry IV 1: Set your teeth on edge. Send him packing. The game is afoot – later make even more famous when used by Sherlock Holmes/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
  • Henry IV 2:  Eaten out of house and home.
  • Henry VI 2: As dead as a doornail. Mum’s the word.
  • Henry V: Heart of gold.
  • Henry VIII: For goodness’ sake.
  • Othello: Neither here nor there. Jealousy is the green-eyed monster. I will wear my heart upon my sleeve. Vanish into thin air. Pomp and circumstance.
  • Taming of the Shrew: Kill with kindness. Cold comfortides4
  • Cymbeline: Not slept one wink
  • Troilus and Cressida: Good riddance
  • All’s Well That Ends Well: Obviously, the title.
  • King Lear: Full circle
  • King John: Play fast and loose . Cold comfort.
  • Twelfth Night: In stitches. Out of the jaws of death

Anyone have any more?

Strangely some phrases have had their meanings changed, the oddest one is “sweets to the sweet” (Hamlet) which is now seen as romantic, but was about death in the play.

A lot of great movies, plays, graphic novels, TV episodes, etc. about Julius Caesar, check a few out today.
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Posted in Autism, Books, Movies, Televison

Sherlock

Posted on by D. Parker

holmes7Just the name is shiver-inducing.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s timeless masterpiece continues to capture the imagination of millions worldwide and so the adaptations of the occupants of 221B Baker Street continue.

While I still have a soft spot for Basil Rathbone, my first Sherlock, I find room enough for Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller.

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Though the BBC series, Sherlock is darker and more true to Doyle’s vision of his Aspergerian detective who solves cases not because he cares as he feels compelled.

I enjoyed Monk with the truly amazing Tony Shalhoub which I always thought was a thinly-veiled Sherlock adaptation.

Also, House MD starring the incomparable Hugh Laurie in which Sherlock Holmes is portrayed as a doctor who detected.house1I also see some of Holmes in shows like Psych and The Mentalist. All characters are amazing detectives who appear to lack empathy and social skills yet end up helping people massively.holmes2

Other actors to have played Sherlock Holmes on screen, stage and radio include: Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Peter O’Toole, Matt Frewer, Frank Langella, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Brent Spiner, Stewart Granger, John Gielgud, Peter Cook, Raymond Massey, John Barrymore, Harry Arthur Saintsbury, Leonard Nimoy, Jonathan Pryce, Jeremy Brett, Charlton Heston, Rupert Everett, James D’Arcy, Viggo Larson, Christopher Plummer, Larry the Cucumber, Orson Welles, and more.I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the first three seasons of Sherlock (4th on the way) and am still enjoying Elementary on CBS.holmes5

So what is it that keeps so many of us returning to Sherlock Holmes over and over?
Is it the mystery?
The intrigue?
The clues?
The brilliance of his mind?
I think it’s all that and the friendship between Holmes and Watson and Mrs. Hudson.
As much as Sherlock can be annoying, he is also strangely endearing and we want to visit his exceptional, fascinating mind…just visit.holmes4

So whatever adaptation of Sherlock Holmes you enjoy, it’s lovely to see the game is still afoot after all these years.holmes6

Posted in Books, Movies, Uncategorized

A Million Ways to Die in the West

Posted on by D. Parker

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This is a light snack with a long title.

Not going to change the world, but it did brighten mine.

Found myself laughing out loud as I read this at the bookstore. Yes, that’s where I read this. As much as I enjoy MacFarlane’s work paying close to $30 for a book or almost $20 for an ebook (yes, I live in Canada where we have Universal Healthcare, but pay more for everything else) isn’t in my Broke and Obscure budget.

Adapted from the screenplay (written by Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild), this comical jawin’ ya to death of the Old West is chock-full of anachronisms and absurdity including, but not limited to: the fake fight scene; the prostitute girlfriend who won’t have sex (not with her boyfriend anyway) because she’s saving herself for marriage; a Parkinson‘s joke (just another way God mysteriously shows that he loves us); and the stick-hoop-games-will-ruin-the-youth bit.

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Had a few problems reading this book. My fault really, kept hearing Albert’s voice as Stewie and there was a cute guy all in black nearby reading a Star Trek mag at the bookstore. Both obvious concentration blockers.

Full of cheeky MacFarlane humour, my fav example, when they’re talking about why Indians are always attacking and so mad – What’s their problem, we’re basically splitting the country 50/50 with them. I know, they’re so selfish. I love when humour is used to point out social truths or injustices or stuff.

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The cast looks flabbergastic – Seth MacFarlane as Albert, the sheep farmer, also Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris (moustache!), Gilbert Gottfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Bill Maher, Ralph Garman, Rex Linn…

Like all MacFarlane’s work we see how watching too many TV shows and movies affect the brain. No complaints, I get every reference so obviously I have the same issue. This one has a Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles feel.amill3

As a fan of Western books, TV, movies, etc. I thought the line about something else to kill them so they should just wear coffins as clothes was brilliant.

So if you can’t wait for the movie coming out May 30, 2014, this companion novel should help tide you over.

Somehow I expected even more sheep jokes.amill4

Posted in Books, Movies, Music, Televison, Uncategorized

WHO COULD HAVE IMAGINED THE BEATLES?

Posted on by D. Parker

beatles7From screaming fans to scoffing critics to worried parents, the world might not have been ready for The BeaTles, but there they were.

50 years ago The BeaTles stepped onto North American soil and into the history books and hearts of millions.

Crashing in on the first wave of the British Invasion of North America, Beatlemania was just the edge of what they had in store.

Their diverse techniques and elements ensured that The BeaTles music appealed to wide audiences.beatles3

Songs that ranged from mindless love songs to pop hits to anthems of a generation looking for change, with a few quirky bits thrown in to remember just how much fun they must have been having, recreationally.

The music was driven by whatever they were thinking and doing, crunching in novel ideas and technologies.beatles1The band played with mediums, expressions, and thoughts like children enthusiastically playing with Christmas morning toys.beatles6

I wonder in this more homogenized world if we would ever allow bands like this again? There have been great bands, but they seem fewer and farther between.

So whether you love them, hate them, ardently mock them, or try to ignore them, The BeaTles left their shiny boot prints all over the world…
beatles5Living is easy with eyes closed. Misunderstanding all you see. It’s getting hard to be someone. But it all works out, It doesn’t matter much to me. Let me take you down…~The BeaTles

Who could have Imagined The BeaTles? You can’t make this stuff up.

Posted in Books, Movies, Music, Televison, Uncategorized

Labyrinth

Posted on by D. Parker

ImageI’ve never been sure if Labyrinth was meant to be a children’s film that grown-ups love, or a grown-up film that some children just might like as well.

I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Either way it’s certainly a brilliant lesson in be careful what you wish for.

Remarkable performances by David Bowie (of course) and Jennifer Connelly (a vision of things to come), but we all know, the Muppets are the real stars in this fantastic fantasy flick.

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Bowie is the perfect choice (again, of course) for Jareth, the Goblin King. Edgy, intense, mature, and smooth, he embodies a very, very adult world. Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is drawn to him (of course) as she teeters on the brink of becoming a woman while still desperately clutching onto her childhood with a grubby fist. Jareth is the embodiment of temptation, to want, to yearn, to cling…he compels her, offering what she thinks she wants, fighting herself to take responsibility for her own actions.

In the throes of teen angst, Sarah blames everyone for her restlessness and discontent. Jareth seems the answer to all until she sees the truth (“I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.” ~Jareth) and the consequences – losing not only her baby brother, but herself.

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Sarah‘s lesson? There are so many to choose from, but the most important? That accepting who she was, is, and will be has its own rewards…instead of running from the future, she must embrace it and the present. The past will take care of itself, it always does.

OK, this definitely isn’t a new story, but this was beyond well-told, all the same.

And it has Bowie. And Bowie singing. Sigh.

 Sarah: That’s not fair!
Jareth: You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is?

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Magical…magically so.

Posted in Books, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

Emma

Posted on by D. Parker

emma3Jane Austen’s diverting and delightful Emma has intrigued audiences, in print and on screens for many years. Emma is a woefully well-intended but misplaced matchmaker, suppressed adventuress, and a stymied intellectual. Her main foil is her own Queen Bee attitude; her immature overconfidence that she knows best for everyone.

Along with her overprotective father, her handsome and under-appreciated neighbour/brother-in-law and a whole cast of other characters Emma takes a winding and oft self-deceiving journey to a place she should have explored long before – her own heart.

I enjoyed much of this 2009 TV adaptation.

emma1Lively and amusing, Romola Garai seemed a tad too worldly for Emma.

Jonny Lee Miller (a divine Mr. Knightley) was too background. They needed to use Miller and Michael Gambon to more effect. They really needed to use this whole cast to better effect. For heaven’s sake why hire brilliant actors and then under- utilize them?

The chemistry with Garai and Miller is fabulous, the cut and thrust of their conversations scrumptious, but sparse.

The flow of the series leans at times toward tentative and expected. Emma should be more bold, joyful, and flourishing in it’s a journey of self-discovery.

Overall, this series was charming, efficient, and lovely, but how many versions of Jane Austen novels do we need? Many will disagree, but I would like to see some other stories told, perhaps some that are more unfamiliar to us. While it is cozy to watch a story so beloved and memorable, why not give us some other classics, or lesser known works that we may also enjoy? I know the answer. Money. People flock to the recognizable.

While I enjoy various versions of Austen, I guess I’d also like more variety.emma2

Posted in Books, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

WATERSHIP DOWN

Posted on by D. Parker

ImageEver read a book you basically wanted to dislike for various reasons yet still you like it, and you like it a lot? Watership Down by Richard Adams is one of those books, for me. It should seem cheesy and all rabbity and odd, but it’s endearing and compelling instead.

I suppose it depends on how you view the story. ImageAs a sweet tale a father started telling his children on car rides or an allegory about corporate persecution, domination of the vulnerable, logic and sentiment at war and so much more.

If viewed as the latter I wonder who would be most disturbed by a freedom so longed for, snatched away, the children or the parents? Both can understand, but children still have the hope of that freedom, while adults realize it is more illusionary.

Depending on the level you choose to read or believe, perhaps a challenging read, but worth it. Very strange, but there it is.

Watership Down has been adapted to film, TV, theatre, games, and has inspired songs, album titles, references, and parodies, it’s become a cult classic. Why? I’m sure there are various reasons.

Perhaps because the 1970s were a time of change where people were exploring massive social, political, and economic shifts. Using anthropomorphic depictions of animals lets us examine human issues, problems, flaws, transformations, strife, horror, etc. through nonhuman images in a sort of Safe Mode.

It’s a lot like Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (by Robert C. O’Brien, later made into The Secret of NIMH) which published just a year before, similar ideas and visions. But maybe we’re reading too much into WD, sometimes a rabbit is just a rabbit.

bunny2I wonder…40 years from now what literature will represent our times, to last the test of time, if any? Maybe just an app or chip or a memory. Hopefully all is not Lost.

Posted in Books, Cooking, Food, Televison, Uncategorized

Jeeves and Wooster

Posted on by D. Parker

jeeves&w1Understandable this clunky British 1930s era comedy isn’t for everyone…but isn’t that a shame? You really don’t know what you’re missing, then again, if you don’t know, you’re probably not missing it and are ok with that.
Jeeves and Wooster is a lenient, laconic, laughable dance. Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry onscreen are pure magic. Their chemistry is flawless.

Jeeves and Wooster are like:
Pasta and sauce. jeeves&w5
Cake and ice cream.
Oil and vinegar.
Tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Hot chocolate and whipped cream.
Chips and salsa.
Cabbage and tomato.
Peanut butter and banana. jeeves&w3
Peanut Butter and jam.  
Peanut butter and bacon.
They’re peanut butter and chocolate.
Oops, I’ve gone off on a peanut butter tangent. But you get the point. Things that could be great separately, but are superb together.
Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are fantastic on their own, but together, they’re a magnificent treat that’s timeless.

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Hugh Laurie plays Bertie Wooster, an upper class British twit who gets himself in one scrape after another. He’s not a bad guy, he’s just kind of oblivious. Stephen Fry plays his long-suffering pragmatic, perfect, and always prepared valet who keeps Wooster’s escapades in check, or at least, he tries. The P.G. Wodehouse books these were adapted from are worth a read as well.

Gentle, carefree merriment.

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Posted in Books, Movies, Political, Televison, Uncategorized

MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE

Posted on by D. Parker

christmas230Just in case I wasn’t feeling old enough, I just realized this movie is 30 years old…30…how is that even possible? Of course, it was a classic from the moment it was conceived. I have watched this movie so many times, I actually had it memorized, er, maybe still do. Some of my best times were watching this with friends, laughing hysterically.
I learned so much about The Meaning of Life from this film.

From the moment The Crimson Permanent Assurance building sets sail, until we find out the real meaning of life, with gratuitous images.

Here’s what I got from this.

Remember, always get the most expensive machines in the hospital, in case the administrator comes, especially the machine that goes ping…

christmas218Sometimes the little loves must be sold for medical experiments.

christmas228Hopefully you don’t lose your leg to a virus or Tiger (A tiger… in Africa?) or something.

Find The fish…

Careful not to trod in Monsieur’s bucket.christmas226Have one more bite, it’s wafer thin.

christmas225Don’t open the door to Mr. Death even if you think it’s about the reaping.

In Heaven every day is Christmas.

If you’re feeling small and insecure, think of how unlikely your birth and pray there’s intelligent life in space, ’cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth.
christmas219If someone asks for your liver for a live organ donation, no matter how good their song, say no.

And gosh, we’re all really impressed down here, I can tell You.

Merry Christmas to all, I think I may have to go watch this again.

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Posted in Books, Christmas, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

BELL BOOK AND CANDLE

Posted on by D. Parker

ImageWhile this 1958 romcom is not generally considered a Christmas movie, this elegant, charming, and unusual classic is a sumptuous break from sappy holiday fare.

christmas207Loved James Stewart in this, his last role as a leading man. He was simply amazing. Jack Lemmon is a chuckle generator. Kim Novak is glamour incarnate…Elsa Lanchester is delightful.

This comedic tale of love and magic makes one purrrrrrrr with holiday cheer.christmas209

Posted in Books, Christmas, Movies, Televison, Uncategorized

BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY

Posted on by D. Parker

bridgetjones20It is a truth universally acknowledged that just about everyone knows a Bridget, is a Bridget, or wants to be a Bridget.bridgetjones23

I get why this movie is branded a chick flick, but I respectfully disagree. This is a movie about choices, about being yourself and true to yourself even if that might be a little wonky, and about love. Aren’t those common themes? If not, maybe they should be.

And as funny as the movie is, I tend to think the book even funnier, but then you don’t get the cast, toss up.bridgetjones2So whether you’ve found your reindeer jumper magic or still asking where’s the loo, keep going, because as long as you’re having fun…that’s the real magic.bridgetjones17Happy Christmas!

Posted in Books, Christmas, Family, Holidays, Movies, Music, Parenting, Political, Televison, Uncategorized

War on Christmas

Posted on by D. Parker

chrisstmas10There’s a War on Christmas? Using terms like Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings suggest that Christmas is being attacked? Wow, I didn’t know Christmas was that insecure or vulnerable. Kind of makes a mockery out of the soldiers who fight in real wars.

I love Christmas. Especially what used to be the spirit of Christmas. People caring about others. Although that seems to have dimmed over the years. Now it’s about rushing and shopping and whining and complaining and First World Problems…

Stores use terms like Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays to allegedly be inclusive. It’s really to extend the shopping period. The sustained commercialism has made for sustained greetings. To sell more.
Christmas decorations in malls, city streets, etc. up before Halloween, before Remembrance Day.
They blast Christmas music into stores for months.
Santa Claus parades block the streets.
More cars congest the streets and highways.
Christmas movies swarming the airwaves for 2-3 months per year.

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Others started using Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings to reflect the Christian holiday wasn’t the only religious or non-religious celebration this time of year. Wait, we wouldn’t want to include others in a time of giving.

What about people who don’t celebrate Christmas? Or those who don’t want it extended? Can you imagine Christmas if you weren’t Christian? Or maybe didn’t like Christmas? Or don’t have family and friends to celebrate with?
You can’t go to a store to get a pair of socks without crowds; blaring Christmas songs; people running around like it’s the zombie apocalypse (that might be more fun); low or no stock; and very harried store personnel.

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I suppose some believe the ‘Christ’ part of Christmas is being attacked. Times have changed, people seem to worship their cell phones more than Christ. And I doubt all the scandals that have rocked the various religions have helped.

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Does someone saying Happy Holidays offend you? Does it offend Christ? If you have a strong faith in something, don’t you believe despite the odds?
If you receive a Christmas card that says Season’s Greetings does it make the fact that someone bought a card, wrote in it, addressed it, sent it to you via snail mail mean less?

The term, War on Christmas was popularized by a FOX News host, that should tell you something. Politicians, pundits, celebrities, charities all exploit Christmas to further their agendas just as many corporations, stores, charities, churches, etc exploit it to make money. John Gibson was simply regurgitating the whining with his book, The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse than You Thought.

Yet Christmas is bigger than ever. Santa is still selling Coke. Jesus is still praised at midnight masses. The War On Christmas is failing. Commercialism is still going strong.

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If you want Christ in Christmas, he’s there.
If you want the Grinch in Christmas, he’s there. If you want to just enjoy the season…enjoy it.

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Looks like we’re stuck with Christmas three months a year and for me, it’s a bit much, but it doesn’t steal away my love of Christmas…but it does keep me away from shopping.

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