Doc, you deserve so much better

I had a whole shit load of other stuff I wanted to talk about, following my official endorsement of John McCain earlier today (see last post). But now I am far too cheesed off. I mean seriously. I keep promising that I'm going to lay off the baseball related posts, but they are really pissing me off. The Toronto FUCKING Blue Jays, that's who.




















Two out, bottom of the ninth inning and they blow it. AGAIN. Roy Halladay is the last guy I'm blaming for this one. The guy just pitched his fourth complete game in a row, THREE of which were losses. Why? Because they can't put any FUCKING runs across, that's why. Just yesterday I read a really great piece about the dying art of the complete game and how Halladay is the only pitcher out there who in this day and age can be counted on to give nine solid innings every single time out. Yeah, he lost it in the ninth. He allowed ONE measly run. One which never would have plated, had Vernon Wells (a three time Gold Glover) not bobbled a Kevin Youkilis single to center field, one which (had it been fielded cleanly) would very likely have gotten the bear-like David Ortiz at the plate.

Fucking FUCK. I almost put the remote (or my fist) through the television, something I might well have done were it a cheaper set. Sure Jon Lester pitched a great game as well, I can't ignore that. If this were a more isolated incident, I'd have an easier time dealing with it. The pitching really has been doing its part. But how about putting some GOD DAMNED RUNS on the board and not grounding into double play after double play or leaving a dozen runners stranded every game? I'm at nearly at my wits end and we're still in April. Dammit.

A very important announcement from my, uh, desk

This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone and it's really more of a formality than anything else. It's also rather late in coming, chiefly because I've been busy and it's just kept slipping my mind. But today I would officially like to announce that I am officially endorsing Senator John McCain in the upcoming U.S. Federal Election.
















Senator McCain is a true American hero, a man who has spent his entire adult life in service of his country. First as a highly decorated Naval officer, then as a member of the House and for the last 21 years as a U.S. Senator representing the state of Arizona. Senator McCain has long been someone unafraid to work across party lines in the best interest of the American people, often at the risk of offending members of his own party. He has however, maintained a strong conservative voting record and is someone who will defend not only the borders of his own country, but also those of every freedom loving democracy worldwide.

Even though much of this is pretty moot, seeing as maybe only a handful of people read this and most aren't even American citizens (neither am I), I feel it important to throw my humble support behind a man who is nothing short of an ideal choice at becoming the forty-fourth President of the United States.

Things I hate (pretty much everything except Bobo)

I am really tired, rather depressed and just not in a good zone right now, for a number of reasons.

Firstly it was a very trying day at work today, also for a number of reasons. I hate hot paint department girl. Not because of anything she's done to me though. She's actually really sweet and friendly, has a great positive attitude, a beautiful smile and looks really great in tight jeans. She, like any other young lady who is even remotely intelligent, attractive and interesting is probably so far out of my reach, that I am probably really close to soon becoming a full blown alcoholic. I just want to die.

I also have no future. I'm pretty much done school. I have ZERO options open to me. Everyone always assumes that with my English degree I'm going to become a teacher. Of course this is what EVERYONE says to me and I (politely as I can after hearing this 142 times) tell them that it's not that simple and would involve another year of schooling. Firstly it's too late to apply, secondly I'd probably not get in anywhere (my marks aren't good enough and I lack volunteer experience) and most importantly need to start turning a profit, not hemorrhaging more money. I have no solution to the fact that I have no future and it further complicates the above problem, as women don't want dudes with shitty jobs that live with their parents. Perhaps if I were better looking or had something else going for me.

I hate the Toronto Transit Commission. After apparently reaching a new work agreement in good faith last weekend, the union's membership voted down the recommended agreement last night and went on strike last night around midnight with about an hour's notice, stranding countless Torontonians. Never mind the fact that they got a sweet deal, one which will last only three years, at which point they'll be able to hold the city hostage yet again. The fact that they couldn't have at least waited until the next day is beyond irresponsible and malicious. Why people put with these union shenanigans is beyond me. Every single one of these people should be fired and the TTC privatized, with the jobs being contracted out to avoid horse shit like this. Ordering them back to work isn't enough, even with the spineless NDP supporting the move. It's unacceptable and I hope that the people of Toronto have zero sympathy with the union goons who put their own selfishness above that of the other three million plus who live in the city.

I hate the Blue Jays. They fucking suck. Hardcore. They can't score with runners in scoring position if their lives depended on it. FUCK. This was all I had to look forward to this summer and it's already unraveling before the end of April.

Anyways, I'm still working on the movie list, though it might still be a while. I have some family stuff tomorrow, plus I need to get some studying done and the fact that I drink also slows things down quite a bit. But it's coming, eventually. Hope you're all well and enjoying yourselves, wherever you are!

If they banned alcohol, I'd hang myself

Here's another fairly disjointed post, seeing as I'm (surprise surprise!) rather drunk.

First off, I didn't have any plans tonight (another shocker!) so I decided to stay in and watch some TV. I was too lazy to go through the arduous process of picking a DVD and then putting it in the machine (hard work, I know), so I just surfed around until I found something amusing on. I settled on Death Wish 3 on AMC. I didn't know that it was considered an 'American Movie Classic', but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. Anyways, it was fantastic! It's basically just 90 minutes of Charles Bronson taking the law into his own hands and blowing away all sorts of 'creeps' that the police are powerless to stop. So far as I can gather, as the series progressed it became more of him just shooting punks with less plot. How can you lose!? Sadly Bronson is no longer with us, but I'm still holding out hope for "Son of Death Wish".

Normally I'd have been watching baseball, but the Blue Jays suddenly fucking suck. Being swept by Tampa? Not cool. I actually have a friend who is in Orlando (where they played this series) and was at the game last night and she was not impressed by their lackluster performance. Scott Rolen is apparently set to rejoin (or join, whichever) the club very soon, something I pray will help. The offense has simply been a disaster, so much to the point where I might even welcome them signing (sigh) Barry Bonds.

I do think this is pretty sweet though. I really, really try my best to stay in the closet as somewhat of a nerd and am pretty good at succeeding most of the time. But as a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I think that Guillermo del Toro is a great choice to direct The Hobbit. Judging from the work he did on Hellboy and the very awesome Pan's Labyrinth, he seems perfectly suited to it.

Are we running out of food now too? Good Lord, what the hell is going? I for one think this is just so much paranoid horse-shit. Oil at $120 a barrel? It should be around $70, MAYBE $80 at the very most. This artificial high is insane, as is this supposed shortage of foodstuffs. Why is everything going so cuckoo-caca, with everyone losing their heads? We need to settle the fuck down as far as I'm concerned. The world is not ending people. I know things aren't perfect, but geez.

Israel's ambassador the United Nations has called former President Jimmy Carter a bigot. This comes as no shock to me whatsoever, even long before his pleasant little sit down with the leader of the terrorist hate group Hamas. I just loved the little book he wrote about 'Israeli Apartheid', a term that so many anti-Semites seem to throw around without actually knowing the proper definition of the term.I'm just thankful that there is one permanent UN security council member that stands up to support the only democracy in the Middle East.

I think that this is great news. Not only because all of our celebrities should be in jail, but because Wesley Snipes just seems like a real dick. Maybe if he made better movies I'd be more sympathetic.

Finally, a couple of interesting things happened to me today. I went into work (cigar store) today and as I was stumbling in before having consumed my coffee, I actually thought for a second that these two girls who walked by me said "Hell-ooo" as I was (supposedly) out of earshot and then one said something like "Oh, he works in the mall, y'know". But I must have either have been imagining it or otherwise it was not about me. Because the way it sounded, it seemed like a compliment. But I think it was in my head. I cannot accept that anyone would ever walk past me and say such a thing.

Secondly a fellow from Huntsville Alabama came into the shop today to pick up some Cuban cigars which are of course verboten in the States. I was reading the newspaper when he came in and we got talking a bit of politics regarding the endless Democratic primary and how tiresome it's becoming. Anyways, I think I'll be making a very exciting (in my mind) announcement which will shock absolutely no one in the next little while. All this and I continue with my stupid movie list. Stay tuned! Now to get back to drinking.

What do the the post labels at the bottom do?

So this is perhaps the first day in recent memory that I haven't woke up feeling like absolute shit, on account of me drinking very heavily the night before (outside of when I knew that I had to wake up to go to work). I decided not to hit the sauce for whatever reason last night, not that I was feeling especially great (I wasn't). I was actually rather nervous and anxious for no particular reason and did have to pop several anti-anxiety pills. Maybe they made me drowsy, so perhaps I didn't need the booze. But I do plan on getting ripped tonight. Yes, this is the life of someone who really hates their life and has nothing else to look forward to! Awesome.

I finally watched the movie Knocked Up a couple of nights ago, after having purposely avoided it for all this time. I knew that it would only serve to depress me and I was dead on. The unbelievably smoking Katherine Heigl is in it, a great reminder that I will never even get close enough to smell a woman who looks that good. I guess it's supposed to have a nice message in a way, that even this chubby, pot-smoking, unemployed, slacker can get a hot broad, but that's not how things seem to work in real life, at least not in experience. It just further drove the point home that I am very much going to be alone for the rest of my life. It's been over a year since my last date and I have absolutely zero prospects of going on another one anytime in the next decade. Anyways, if I could look at it objectively the movie was quite good, but as for someone in my situation, it almost drove me to tears at several point and not in a good, happy way.

Looks like tonight is pretty much do-or-die for Hillary Clinton. She who was once all but anointed the 2008 Democratic nominee for President is now not only in a 'must win' situation, she's in a 'must win big' situation. Anything less than a ten point victory will seem like a huge disappointment and a loss will torpedo her for good. Again this has all been great for John McCain who has such a head start when it comes to focusing on the general election, plus the fact that the longer Obama and Clinton swipe at each other, the better McCain looks. Obama really has begun to lose a little bit of his golden boy luster, the 'bitter' thing certainly won't endear him to working class Democrats, not to mention anyone who already perceives him as an out-of-touch elitist. And if Hilary does somehow become the nominee, it will only be as a result of lotsa back room style bargaining (i.e. with Super delegates). Neither will come out totally unscathed. Longer this goes on, the more likely the odds of President McCain being sworn in come January 2009!

Finally, I thought that this rumor seemed pretty interesting. It's been floated around that Katie Couric will be done as anchor of the CBS Evening News after the inauguration in January. I've been hearing this for a while now. But Katie Couric being 'traded' (do they do that?) to CNN for Anderson Cooper? How crazy, yet sort of cool, would that be? It would probably be good for both sides, as Katie Couric needs a change of scenery and might be a good choice to groom as Larry King's (ugh) replacement. A parrot would do a better job than Larry King, but of course so would Katie. She's a fine personality, I just think she was put into a very difficult situation over at CBS and probably wasn't the best choice to revive their flagging ratings. She tries hard, but she's ill-suited to being the anchor of a major national broadcast. Anderson Cooper on the other hand? If CBS scored him as their new anchor it would be a massive coup. I think it would not only propel them to the top of the ratings, it would keep them there. Check out his now-famous post Hurricane Katrina interview with idiot Louisiana Senator Mary Landieu.



This dip shit is also up for reelection this fall and if she somehow wins, it'll be amazing. New Orleans reelected jerk-ass Ray Nagin in 2006 and if the state returns this lady (who is MUCH worse than he is) they'll have to be the dumbest constituents since...well, probably the people of Detroit (sorry Katie G).

That's all for now. I'm going to perhaps order a pizza in a little bit, watch some baseball, then some news coverage, then drink myself stupid. I'll try and continue on with my super movie list and other not so important stuff. I really should be studying, preparing a resume and looking sor work. Perhaps when I'm happier.

Enough baseball posts already!

Well, it looks as if The Big Hurt may well have played his last game. I've written a few times here about how Frank Thomas was a real stand-up guy when it came to his voluntary cooperation with the Mitchell Report and Tom Verducci over at Sports Illustrated also wrote in praise of him and Ken Griffey Jr. for being two big sluggers to have emerged from the steroid era with their reputations intact. Rightfully so, because these two guys always played the game the right way, relying on their hard work and God given skill to get the job done. It's a shame that Junior had all those years where he was injured, because it might be him with the all-time record, not that cheater Barry Bonds.

But anyways, Frank Thomas was released by the Blue Jays before today's win over Detroit. He'd been benched just the other day and after that happened, this didn't come as a total shock, though I thought it would have taken a bit longer. Though he has always been a notoriously slow started, from what I've seen (and I've been watching a lot of games so far) he really hasn't had it. His .167 batting average is indicative of that. Plus although they're still on the hook for the rest of his salary this year, now they won't have to pay $10 million next year to a guy who is clearly on the downslope, not to mention can't run and can't play a position. Perhaps there's someone out there who might still want to take a chance on him, but it won't be at anywhere near that kind of dough. Frank is a great player and will rightfully wind up in Cooperstown, but this was the right move. Thanks again for the brief memories in a Jays uniform.

I went to the game on Thursday (they lost 4-1) and do hope to attend as many as I can this year. Yes I always spend too much (on the tickets, on awful food, on BEER) but it's a good time. Truth be told, I think in some ways I like watching it more on television in that I can really focus on the game itself much more effectively. I'm a baseball nerd and could watch almost endlessly. But of course there's so much to love about actually being there, even if the Jays don't draw like they used to and the cavernous Rogers Centre has to be one of the most depressing and sterile stadiums in the bigs. Also you can't really effectively heckle Rangers rookie German Duran from your couch. Shouts like "Come on Duran, don't Come Undone at the plate" or "You gotta be Hungry Like The Wolf to make it in this league". The folks around me thought it was brilliant, something which probably would have been lost on Bobo.

If I may quickly actually speak about another sport, I think it's awesome that Danica Patrick just became the first female driver to win an Indy Car race. Hopefully people will begin to realize that she's beautiful as well as talented. Even though in the past I've opposed to someone like Michelle Wie constantly playing on the men's PGA tour (when she hasn't even won a women's event), I think this is completely different. There's no reason why a lady can't be a good a driver as a dudes, unlike with sports that rely so much on physical strength (i.e. a man can drive a golf ball farther, hit a much faster serve, crush a women in a tackle etc.). Very fantastic achievement Danica, but this still doesn't mean I don't think you should stop posing in sexy magazine spreads.

That's it for now. I promise no more sports related posts for a while. I'll try to make the next one as depressing as I can and I'm also hard at work (sort of) in attempting to compile, yes....the One Hundred Greatest Films of All Time. It'll be better than that shitty AFI list, I swear.

Whatever happened to Eliot Spitzer's hooker? That was a quick 15 minutes!

I really do love baseball and I truly love my Toronto Blue Jays. I've come to realize this. I think it goes Bobo, then baseball, then everything else. I've watched pretty much every game that I've been able to this season (if I'm at home), even if the game isn't close, like today's match up, where the Jays beat up on the Orioles to finish their road trip at a very good 4 and 1. They're now 8 and 6 on the season and all but one of their losses have been by a single run! Pretty impressive. Even though I was sorta pessimistic (for no particular reason) before the season started, I'm really liking what I'm seeing. From actually watching them play, this is looking like a very solid ball club. The starting pitching has been especially good and that is the most important part to winning ballgames, so far as I'm concerned. I'm going to the game on Thursday (Halladay is pitching!) and really hope to take in as many as I can this year, having only been to one last year, which is my all-time low. So if anyone wants to go, I'm up for it any time!

What else...I guess I should occasionally try to talk about things other than baseball. I know not everyone loves it as much as I do (though they should). I think it's great that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are still slugging it out over who will be the Democratic nominee in November. While most people seem to agree that Obama will get it, the longer they go at it, the more it really helps John McCain. I do think that whoever wins on the Democratic side, McCain will win the general election, though I'm also pretty sure that the Dems will retain control of the House and the Senate.

Also now we have someone else saying that Obama is being helped by the fact he's black, this time a very notable African American, BET founder Bob Johnson. Now I'm not anywhere close to endorsing Senator Obama for President and I do think he's an elitist who is even to the left of Ted Kennedy. But I've never been sure of how much of his success is owing to the fact that he's black. Off the bat, I do think that it helps him. As Johnson said, his race does help him almost automatically start off with a huge chunk of the African American vote. But I've always been quick to give Obama credit for a lot of things. Firstly, he is a fantastic speaker, both eloquent and and engaging. He's obviously a very passionate fellow, something which I don't think you can fake. And he seems to bring together people from many different walks of life, which is great. I always couldn't stand Jesse Jackson and his so-called "Rainbow Coalition". The last time I checked, rainbows are made up of many different colours, Jesse. Barack Obama's backers actually are of many divergent backgrounds, another thing I certainly give him credit for. But would he be as popular if he were just another white guy? I'm loathe to say probably not, which is a shame because he certainly is an exciting candidate, even if I may at time question his substance and certainly don't agree with his views.

I've been wanting to attempt another 'list' post, sort of like the ones I've done in the past with TV theme songs or Cold War songs, but perhaps more like my really big Top 100 of the 80s one. A return to the Top Ten Hottest is something I've thought of, but for a while I've wanted to take on a more ambitious project, like the Top 100 Movies of All-Time or perhaps even the Top 100 Songs (or even a huge Top 500!!). Anyways, if anyone wants to see something (if you care) let me know. Seeing as I have lots of time on my hands, I think it might be a fun endeavor to take on. The only caveat is that once completed whatever list I come up with is gospel and cannot be challenged. Sorry.

Finally, this really sucks (literally). It seems there is a yet another sex tape coming out of Hollywood (pun!) and it involves the long-dead (but still super hot) Marilyn Monroe!! It seems Norma Jeane was a-head (pun!) of her time, having been filmed 'performing' years before it became trendy. But what sucks is that the guy who now owns the tape, won't release it. Bummer. As I've always said, we (the public) own celebrities, whether they are dead or alive. Without us they'd be nothing and I think it's an outrage that we're not going to get to see Marilyn sucking c*ck. If elected, I will ensure that any last vestige of privacy that the rich and famous have be eliminated once and for all. Okay, perhaps this is why I will never be elected. And possibly why I should cut back on the sauce.

Is it pronounced "Joe-bah" or "Ja-bah"?

Ah, this is so much more like it. Not only do the Jays go into Texas and sweep the Rangers there for the first time in 23 years, the B.J. Ryan Express is also back on track. This erases memories of last weeks awful sweep at the hands of the A's and hopefully when Scott Rolen comes back in a couple of weeks, we can have all the pieces fall into place.

Also, I watched most of the Red Sox - Yankees game last night (along with golf, lotsa sports on yesterday) and I must say that the Yankees are really in trouble of finally missing the post-season this year at long last (thank God). Other than Chien-Ming Wang their rotation is pretty flimsy and beyond Mariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain, their bullpen is also pretty weak. Yeah they still have a dangerous lineup, but a lot of those guys are starting to slip (i.e. Damon and Giambi especially). Hopefully the last season in the old Yankee Stadium will be a miserable one. But I always wish for that.

Finally check this video out below, if you can stand it. It's from a show called Secret Talents of the Stars that aired on CBS last week and was canceled after one episode. After watching this, you will see why. It is beyond dreadful, not even amusing on an ironic level like some of those bad American Idol auditions are (or were, before it got tired). I can't believe this actually aired in prime time...truly we have run out of idea. However the show did also have super smoking figure skater Sasha Cohen doing some contortionist stuff, which was pretty hot. If you want, find it yourself. I only post the depressing stuff here.

All this plus I have a tooth ache

God, I'm depressed. The weather outside is not pleasant. Rain, close to freezing, just a huge mess. The duckies have returned to my back yard which always makes me smile, but it just isn't enough today. Such nice duckies. I'm sure they don't mind the rain, but it really is damned cold. And yes, I'm aware that we probably get a different pair of ducks every year. I still like having them.

Also the Jays were swept, at home by the Oakland A's. After looking so good against the defending World Champs, to lose three straight to a team that's clearly in a rebuilding mode? Ugh. They seem to play so well against the Red Sox and the Yankees, but just like last year it seems like there's a lack of motivation against lesser teams. And in each of the games the team blew it either in the ninth or in extras. I have very little to live for and baseball is part of that. I know it's still very early (i.e. The Orioles sure as hell aren't going to hang onto first in the A.L. East) but if the Blue Jays don't make the post season this year, I'm going to hang myself. I just don't think I can take it any longer.

This was some good news that doesn't affect me in the slightest or make any difference in the world. Great to see that Craig Ferguson bear Conan O'Brien in the ratings. His show is easily heads and tails above Conan's, so it's nice to see him doing well. I know a lot of people were scratching their heads when CBS gave the slot to Ferguson in the first place, but it turns out they were dead on. He's probably the best late night host on the air, maybe even better than Letterman and certainly better than Conan, who seems to just get less amusing as time goes by. He's seriously not funny and I'm sure NBC is probably less than thrilled that he'll be taking over the Tonight Show in a year's time.

As a big Elvis fan, I should probably be depressed over the fact that Mariah Carey has now surpassed Elvis with 18 number one single on the Billboard charts and now trails only The Beatles. But I'm actually not. Why? Because let me ask you, how many of those Mariah Carey songs could you name off the top of your head? Probably not too many. Now even if I were to give you a list of them, you think you could probably sing a bar or two of them all? I doubt it. But I'll bet you could more than likely do so with those Elvis or Beatles songs. Just a couple of years ago, Elvis: 30 #1 Hits topped the charts, with some songs on the album being close to fifty years old!! A few years before, The Beatles had an even bigger chart success with their 1 Album. Can you see Mariah selling like this years after she's gone? Don't think so.

Anyways, I don't know what else to say. I finished my last day of class ever yesterday. Have three exams, the last of which is on May 7th. I'm not in any danger of failing anything (unless I don't show up to them or something) so I'm pretty much done. Now I have no reason to get up in the mornings. I guess I have to look for work now...what in the hell am I going to do with an English degree? Dick all. For four years I managed to delay the inevitable, that I'm not going anywhere. And now my time is up. Great. Now you see why I'm so cheery.

So let it be written, so let it be done

This is probably the first post I've ever done upon request (see last post) and while it's one that I was thinking of doing, it was probably destined to be a part of that long list of ideas which never became posts, me having saved the half-completed versions of them, only to eventually delete them when it was clear they were way past the point of relevancy. But our good friend Coop (formerly known as 'The Colonel') asked if I have any thoughts on the late Charlton Heston, who passed away this weekend at the age of 84.























I've written briefly about Heston here once before when I touched upon the fine 1973 film Soylent Green, albeit very briefly. But as Coop put it, Charlton Heston really was one of the last true legends of the Silver Screen and perhaps I should share some of my thoughts and recollection.

Like many people, my first memories are of inevitably watching The Ten Commandments around Easter. The film still airs every year and it really hasn't lost much in the fifty-two years since it was released. Of course many of the effects are still impressive and there's a lot to love about this epic film. But one thing that's always struck me, is that despite its epic scope and visual splendor, it is Heston's unwavering performance which carries the film. At close to four hours (!!) there are so many times that the thing could drag, but Heston's conviction in his performance never wavers. For so many people he IS Moses and I don't get why they try to remake the thing. No one else could play that role.

The awesome Ben Hur came three years later, for which he won his only Oscar, once again in a performance so great that he doesn't allow the visuals to overwhelm him at any time. The chariot race is quite possibly the greatest action sequence ever filmed and the film as a whole is a wonder. It's not surprising that it won 11 Academy Awards. Of course he followed with many similarly styled epics like El Cid and and Khartoum, proving that no one was better suited to handle the lead in 'big' movies like this.

Of course he went beyond this. In an example of his range, take a look at a film which didn't make a big splash in its day, but is now rightfully considered a masterpiece. In Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, he plays a Mexican (!!) police detective opposite Welles and he's totally convincing in what may be the best film noir ever made. He's great in more off-beat 70s fare like The Omega Man and Soylent Green, neither of which could be considered 'great' films, but perfect entertainment if you have nothing to do on a Saturday night (as is often the case with me). And his rare villainous turn in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers is sinister and deftly comic. The Three Musketeers is actually one of my very favorite books and if someone were to tell me that Charlton Heston was to play Cardinal Richelieu in a film adaptation, I'd have not believed it. But once again, he makes it work.

Though he slowed down in the 80s and beyond, I recall a few weeks ago on a lazy Sunday afternoon while I was channel surfing and Wayne's World 2 came on. I knew the movie well and when his brief cameo was coming up, I called my mother into the room, knowing she'd get a kick out of it. It's just such a cute scene and you can't help but end up with a big grin on your face after having watched it.

Of course he was almost as well known for his politics in later years, something as a fellow conservative I should be proud of. Truth be told however, I'm not a huge gun nut and while I do support the rights of people to bear arms from protection or sport, I'm also pretty pragmatic about it. Do we really need armor piercing assault rifles? Not really. Background checks are most certainly a good thing and I do think that many of those NRA people are pretty extreme. But I must confess I do agree with Heston's simple logic, that "any gun, in the hands of a good man, is no harm to anyone, except for bad people". As an aside to this, I won't even mention a certain filmmaker who took it upon himself to ambush an aged Heston, in a move I'm sure made even many liberals sick.

Many people also are keen to note that he became 'more conservative' over time or whatever, that he was a huge early supporter of civil rights, marching with Martin Luther King. For some reason though there seems to be a suggestion that just because he held many conservative views, it nullifies his very early supports for civil rights. Just because you hold views in favor of the Second Amendment and oppose abortion, it doesn't mean that you're some sort of bigot who opposes civil rights. Politics aren't that simple and Charlton Heston goes to prove that. As I've always said, being a conservative means that you have to follow a strict guideline and the same should apply to someone who is a liberal. Indeed only a fanatic (as Churchill said) is someone who can't to change their mind and won't change the subject. Heston was also someone who was a strong opponent of political correctness run rampant in our society, something else which endeared me to him.

Yes, he truly was one of the greats and I'm sad to see him go, though not shocked. I will share my favorite memory of Charlton Heston though. In one of my English classes a couple years back, we were watching Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet, featuring Heston in a cameo as the Player King. Someone commented on his performance, that he belonged to something of an older school of outdated acting or some other dig like that. They went on to suggest that "could you imagine Heston trying to play Hamlet"? I immediately felt it my need to defend his performance, for in fact he was one of the only big Hollywood stars in a cameo who didn't come across as ridiculous. Though a brief role, it was one which suited him perfectly. And as I pointed out at the time "Could you imagine Branagh or anyone else playing Moses or Judah Ben-Hur"? Not a chance. In fact there are many actors who make fine Hamlets, but how many could be Moses? Only one. Only Charlton Heston could act so convincingly opposite a bunch of guys in monkey suits, screaming "Damn you all to hell" or "Take your stinkin' paws off me" or "It's a mad house!" or (my favorite in the film) "Would an ape make a human doll that TALKS". One of a kind, truly.

And now this post which I wasn't going to even do has officially taken me an hour. But would I have actually gotten anything done? Probably not. Rest in peace Chuck, we'll miss you.

300...just like the movie!!

DRUNK!!!

I am so very drunk beyond belief, in fact to the point where it's a struggle for me to type properly. If it weren't for my insistence in maintaining proper spelling and grammar, this post would be a total indecipherable mess. Even without spell-check, I'm a pretty good speller. Anyways, let's continue....wow, I'm having trouble typing....

Anyways, this is my 300th post on the old blog and I'm amazed that I made it this far!! So very many times I've wanted to quit, but there are a few really good folks who keep me going. Yes this is partially for my own therapeutic good, but at the same time I only keep on because of the small but loyal readership that I have and truly value. In the past I've named many of you good folks, so you know who you are. I do this because I honest to God appreciate your readership. To all those who read this on a regular basis, you have no idea just how much it means to me. Thank you with all my heart. Anyways, lest this all be maudlin self-indulgence, I think I should attempt to continue onto a normal post, before the booze really begins to sink in.

So as you can all probably figure out, I'm quite drunk and I just took a time out to go and grab a slice of pizza in between writing paragraphs. Something which was NOT the best of ideas, I will admit. I do love pizza though. It was totally worth it.

Fucking, fuck. I was trying to get through a whole list of shit, including Mariah Carey, more Canadian political correctness, my beloved Toronto Blue Jays, how much I love the hot paint girl at work and some other shit. But I couldn't get through it, because I'm too drunk to type. So perhaps I'll let it be until tomorrow or the next day or perhaps I'll never get to it. Even though I keep saying this, I really am very likely just going to shut this down. Readership is way off what it used to be and if it keeps falling, I don't see a point. So I might be winding down. I do have so many other things I want to get off my chest, but if no one cares, what's the point?

Anyways, to all those who have stuck around this long I really do thank you and I think I need another drink.

We need a return to the Reagan Doctrine

Man, I really hope this is true. For many years now, I've really, really hated Robert Mugabe.I remember having discussions with our old pal D Rock about how rotten he is and if he and I are on the same page politically, it's usually a good sign that it's a view shared by any clear headed person on either end of the spectrum.

Sadly he sort of gets lost in the shuffle when it comes time to name world leaders (read: dictators) who would be better off with a bullet in their head. People like Kim Jong Il, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. You know, the guys who think it's their destiny (or whatever) to rule for life, even if their country has gone down the crapper.

Robert Mugabe certainly belongs in that category. Here's a guy who has taken a country that was among the most prosperous in Africa, one that could have been a great example of a success story in Africa and turned it into an unmitigated mess. 100,000% inflation. I mean, seriously! Holy fucking shit!! Unemployment of something 80%!!! And yet he clings to power with one rigged election after another. Hopefully not this time. I'm sure that in reality he's been soundly defeated but he's surely trying to fix this one too. The good folks of Zimbabwe deserve a chance, for God's sake and a fresh start under their (hopefully) new president Morgan Tsvangirai. Sadly we can't be sure as of yet, seeing as no outside observers were allowed from any true democracies, only sham officials from bastions of freedom like Russia, China and Iran.

So I just pray that this Marxist asshole is finally done with, another 'president for life' (ugh) put out to pasture. In the good old days the United States would have gone in long ago and gotten rid of the bastard, like they did with Allende. But I guess that doesn't happen anymore. Too bad.

I know that I had some other stuff that I wanted to touch on, but I've now forgotten what that was. It was stuff of a depressing, personal nature. I haven't written much on that lately but I guess it'll have to wait. I probably should have written in down and I probably shouldn't have had those last few beers.