Questioning Spoilers

Our social conventions, like our laws, are way behind our technological advances. In this case, there are TiVo/DVR/Hulu/Netflix/disc and other options to watch shows individually or in binge sessions. It's not like back in the day when you either saw it when it aired or you never would (until rerun season) so water cooler/social media talk was safe. And there's not even the option of staying offline until you see the show or movie because there's ALWAYS some show or movie that can be spoiled for you in the comic shop, via Twitter, on Facebook or, as I've experienced, ... as you're handing your tickets to the theater employee. 

Chickens

In the past, I've been hit by a man who knew I couldn't hit him back.  At least...

... until I got my arms free from the bigger man who was holding me back.

I've also been hit by a woman who knew I couldn't hit her back.  This time, it was my upbringing that held me back.

They may seem like different situations but either way, man or woman, a coward is still a coward.

Recognize.

Waiting

It probably sounds like the kind of trite crap you only hear from the healthy and wealthy but...

It's amazing how, despite being able-bodied, you can feel trapped in your own body. You feel the need to escape but you're not in prison. You don't know why you can't seem to shake the feeling. And then you realize that it's you.

The emotions swirling around in you and they won't let go. Like being sick with a cold or flu and all you can do is experience every second of it.
 Seething. Crying. Fretting.

Waiting.

In my case, it's "seething." I'm so upset that I can hardly make sense of it.

And I think this, all of this that I just described,... is the price of civility.

Don't cuss'em out. Turn the other cheek. Don't give them ammunition. He's not worth it.

And then the emotions you suppressed, repressed, and compressed deep down in you are fighting to get out. Aching to burst free and let out every drop of bile you can muster.

That's how I'm feeling, right now. And all I can do is wade through it and wait for it.

#yourexcusesucks

I just saw a guy say to a non-voter,"So, the good guys won. Wish you’d helped out, but we managed to pull it off without you. You’re welcome!"

Another guy said its not necessary to diss those who chose to abstain - in this case, due to the "killing of brown people". Below is my response to him (it contains profanity):

There has been something of a movement, if it's even worthy of the term, to e

ncourage shaming or just challenging those who conscientiously abstain or fail to give a political fuck. Whichever.

Again, because it's THAT important. Obama barely won four years, ago. I've been bitching about that for four years. The margin was a FRACTION of that, this time. Hell, Romney may as well be honorary vice-president or something.

War isn't just war. There are degrees. Bad economies are not all equal. People's suffering does matter but, no matter how trite it may sound, bad is better than worse. We aren't doing anyone anywhere any favors by saying we care so much about their plight that we are not going to use even our limited power to make things better for them and the rest of us.

#yourexcusesucks

Two Evils

Below is my response to a "Don't vote if you don't want to" (my description) blog post at 4thletter.net. Do you agree?

Re: "“Vote for the lesser of two evils!” is a thing I’ve heard over and over this election, but somehow voting for an evil is more acceptable than rejecting evil outright. We don’t have to compromise if we don’t want to."

Choosing neither of the major options or the less popula

r ones means that everyone else chooses FOR you. But you and those you love, hate, and don't even know will live with those consequences.

With that in-mind, everyone has a stake in what everyone else chooses - especially if they choose not to be bothered.

Life is and always will be about trying to combine imperfect options with imperfect information to form a more perfect union.

Opting out of that is like opting out of life or, more specifically, opting out of the pursuit of that more perfect union. That's not laudable, in my opinion.

Digital Movie Redemption

This'll REALLY sound like an ad but...

If you're like me, you sometimes like to buy the version of the dvd/Blu-ray package that comes with all formats (on-sale) together - including the iTunes digital copy.  The digital copy comes with a "redeem" code to tell iTunes to allow you to download or stream the movie.

Well, sometimes you lose that code or it expires so that you can't watch the digital copy of the movie on your Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.

If that happens, you can do what I did.  When my Hulk copy expired, I contacted Universal studios online.  When my Thor and The Dark Knight digital copies expired, I contacted Paramount Studios online and they responded with a new code (that only works for those with the digital copy disc).

It's great to not have to go grab a dvd or Blu-Ray when I'm reading to watch a movie.  I can have it stream to my devices or downloaded for watching when I'm out-of-town, sitting in a business lobby, ...or waiting for someone to finish shopping. :-)

Pretty useful.

Cell Power

Mophie Juicepack is a case that is also a battery charger. We have them on our iPhones. I don't know if it is available for other models, but if there's one for your phone, it's worth considering. When I'm travelling or expect to be away from a charger for an extended time, my phone battery is pushed to the limit. Here's a way to protect your phone and protect your connectivity.

This is not a commercial. I am not affiliated with this company. I just believe in sharing information about useful products and services.

I Said, "Bust a GUT"

Relationships can be tough.  That's no secret. Personally, I think more people would benefit from the ability and willingness to just talk and reason and discuss their way through and out of a disagreement.

It's a truly underrated tool.

That said, sometimes talking doesn't get you where you want to be or it doesn't do so fast enough.  Those are the times that emotion, history, and shared experiences get us over the hump.

Sex is one very useful tool in that regard, but don't sleep on laughter.

Anyone who has experienced this will testify like Aunt Esther:

Few things will breathe life into a relationship laughter.

Have you ever laughed with your partner until you were in tears or holding your stomach?

Sexual compatibility is awesome, but there's nothing like two lovers climbing into bed, somebody says something silly, and you laugh yourselves to sleep.

Together.

The 90-day Rules

Single ladies, if you saw my earlier post, you know how I feel about cliches and jingles that pass for relationship advice.  Steve Harvey is an easy example since a friend mentions him regularly but it's not just him. These so-called "rules" about how long to wait before sleeping with a man aren't etched in stone. And they're sure not fool-proof.

Check this: I'm not saying you should get intimate with a guy as soon as you meet him but that 90-day rule is no kind of guarantee that he's not a dog.  If you wait 3 months to get it on with a man, if he really is a dog, he already met women 3 months, ago, that is going to lay down with him every day that you don't.

Trust from experience. WE WILL WAIT YOU OUT.

Don't base your decision to sleep with a man on so some arbitrary time rule.  Base it on his behavior over that period of time, if you want, but not on the time, itself.  That may sound like the same thing but feel me on this...

I see ladies, regularly ignoring all the tell-tale signs that a man is not AT ALL interested in their welfare* but they swear by whatever Harveyism gives them the green light to take him home.

I learned, long ago, to do my best (that's all any of us can do) to pay attention to the things that women tell me about themselves - explicitly or otherwise.  It saves a lot of time and trouble. The same is true of men.  We tell you the truths about ourselves in our words OR in our actions (or both).

It's up to you to listen.

* - (like only calling you when the sun sets and his nature rises, running from danger before YOU do, or nodding through your stories of what's happening in your life, without truly listening or giving a damn)