Academy Award Predictions

Can't be a movie geek without making Last Minute Predictions. I am proud to say that I have seen almost all the films this year round missing only the following: Chasing Iceflows, No, Kon Tiki(Will be seeing it before the event) and the Gatekeepers. Of course pretty certain to not see most of the short films but did manage to see three of them this year.

Of the nominees I will start at the bottom and work my way at the top. Other than Animated Short film I will leave those out as I haven't seen any of them.

Orginial Screenplay:

I will admit that this may not win this year and is more of a hopeful but I have seen the films and this is by far in my opinion the best one. Wes Anderson is considered a favorite by the oscars and will be a very good way into the hearts of oscar goers. I do think that the others have a good shot but I still am plugging for Wes to make the plunge

Adapted Screenplay:

Argo in my opinion will be the big winner this year. It is sad that Ben Affleck kind of got snubbed at at the oscars. At the other awards ceramonies the film managed to pick up quite a bit of praise and is still one of the favored to win. I think that Lincoln has a good shot along with Life of Pi. Silver linings playbook and Beasts of the Southern Wild are in the rear in this catigory.

Visual Effects:

This is a hard one for me as all of the nominees are pretty spectacular. I think that the movie itself pulls about even with Avengers and the Hobbit but I think that it will get ahead as the academy will probably feel bad about it not winning a lot of the awards that it is up for. Please don't get me wrong the mix of colors and effects make this a wonderful film to keep in mind.

Sound Mixing:

I must admit I am not very good with this category. I am placing Argo in this slot as I feel it has a lot of action and events where sound mixing is a very important part of the process. This could still be anyone's game.

Sound Editing

Another Category I am unsure of but I do believe this will pull the win. I don't think this film will get much love this year and this award is the academy's opportunity to present it with some. There are multiple sound issues to consider with explosions and gun fire to try and balance it with the voices of the actors this is a struggle and I believe this is how it will go.

Animated Short Film:

I admit I still have not seen Head over Heels or Adam and Dog but this is still a very strong contender. This is probably one of the best short films Disney has produced on it's own without the Pixar Name. If you haven't seen this I recommend you do.

Production Design:

Well if I am correct this has to do more with the sets than anything else. Though many of the nominees are very good at this Les Miserables is in my opinion the best. They managed to capture the feeling of the broadway musical to the point where at times I almost felt I was watching it again in the theater. This is again one of my favorite films.

Original Song: 

This one is a no brainer. Skyfall has been built up and built up for this song and it has won nearly every award. The song does bring back a lot of the old feel I used to have when I was watching a bond film as the movie itself kind of fell back off of the Bourne Identity phase the series was going through during the last two installments.

Original Score:

The very fact that this film was nominated for original score when it should never have been even close to the award is the reason that I feel it will win. Someone really wants this film to succeed and I have a feeling that there are plenty of people pushing to have this variation of the original bond score to finally give the series its due. I don't pull for this one personally hoping for Anna Karenina but this is my predictions of what will will not what should win (That's coming later).

Makeup and Hairstyling:

I know Les Miserables is one of the favored to win in this category but I cannot do so. The Main character in that movie went through the entire movie looking younger instead of older and tired this is a failure as far as makeup is concerned. Peter Jackson does wonders finding makeup and effects staff and this film is no slouch in that department. The different beard styles of each dwarf the makeup on some of the various creatures to the birds nest in the brown wizard's hair this is a needed boost for this movie series.

Foreign Language Film:

This is hands down the front runner. I have not seen Kon Tiki or No yet so I cannot fully be an expert in this category but I do believe this will make it. It is a depressing film but very well acted and directed bringing attention and depth without any score and this takes doing. If you haven't seen it yet you definitely need to check this one out.

Film Editing:

I feel this film will get in on the editing basis improving hand over foot upon the Hurt Locker. The various scenes are spliced together quite well making it easy to follow and not making you sick too the stomach when seeing it.

Documentary Feature:

I have managed to watch all but one of the films this year and sadly I do think that the Gatekeepers has a shot of taking the top spot but I have not seen it so I can not declare for or against it. Searching for Sugar Man leads the pack that I have seen this year as excellent music and for an uplifting story that keeps you interested and informed for the entirety  This is a film that actually had me get up and buy this guy's two studio albums right after finishing it and this is a powerful move in its favor.

Best Director:

I believe that Spielberg is going to win this year. He hasn't won in a while and I believe that this is partially political and partially deserved. This film has been his baby for a while now and it is done very very well making it a must see. The Political reason is that I believe Argo was purposefully snubbed so that Lincoln could have a clear path to victory and if the academy promises they try to deliver.

Costume Design:

 There is no doubt in my mind that this will take home the design award. The other nominees are very good and Mirror Mirror is extremely imaginative but this film flows every well on the eyes and this is partly for the costumes involved. This movie was made for this award and I believe it will get what it was made for.

Cinematography:

I want to give this film some due. It is a well rounded cast and they work together exceptionally well. I am not an expert in this category so i could very well be wrong but I am hoping for it to win in this as I don't see it anywhere else.

Animated Feature:

There are others that I will be rooting for but I still feel this will take the win. I like Pixar and I think this is a great film but I feel it has fallen under their standard. I have believed that Pixar had a lock on this category for years and has a pull with the academy. I feel it took them taking with Cars 2 to get them out of the category giving them a chance to do something fun and giving other features a chance. Will the Pixar hold of the academy still stand strong? We shall find out tonight.

Supporting Actress:

I believe that Anne Hathaway is doing to take this home. It is too easy to call as the buzz around her is astounding. I do not necessarily agree with this as I believe that Samantha Barks did a much better job in the role both in acting and in singing. I also feel that Sally Field more deserved this award. I feel that the buzz factor is too strong with this one for it to go anywhere else. Don't get me wrong she did a good job with the role I just don't feel it is the best of the best.

Leading Actress:

Jennifer Lawrence is going to win this award. She did a great job with it and is a way better than the competition. The only think I can see happening is a political move to have Quvenzhane Wallis placed up for her age amongst other things to become a one of many firsts for the award. This is a far field but if it doesn't go to Jennifer you will see it going to Miss Wallis.

Supporting Actor:

Philip Seymour Hoffman did an excellent job in this film. I was bored by it and it was waaaay too long but still very good never the less. His character came across as believable and likable and it holds strong in this category. I would probably but either Robert De Niroo or Tommy Lee Jones as the next likely ones to take home this award should he flounder. I kind of hope this is the case as I really don't want to see this movie again.

Leading Actor:

No doubt in my mind that Daniel Day Lewis will take this home. He does an excellent job in the role and on top of that he has a ton of buzz and awards already in this category. At a long shot I will give the second possible to Denzel Washington for his wonderful performance in Flight but politically this time the cards are not in his favor.

Best Picture:

This film has too much momentum and buzz to be ignored (though the academy has tried). It has won best picture at many other award events including the globes and stands to be a contender for many more. Argo is excellent in almost every way and though it is not something that I consider the best picture overall it is still one of the best ones in the lineup. Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty also have a chance as the academy loves the director of Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln is a spectacular film in its own right but I feel this will be the number one.


Well there you have it. I hope you all are ready to watch and enjoy the upcoming show before us. We shall see which way the die falls.

Young Guys

Let me start by saying that this blog is primarily about political issues so don’t worry I am only touching on the entertainment scene today. We have recently had the Grammies and the Oscars are upcoming so please pardon me whilst I stray a tad from my focus.

The Big winner at the Grammies of course ended up being the band “Fun” and the star song of the night is their song “We are young”.  I will say that this song is extremely catchy and for the target audience it is an excellent song. That being said I am still not happy with the win.

I am not big on the music industry. I am out of touch today and even when I was in touch I tended to like bands that were popular before my time and odd little indie bands. Today with the big music still hanging around Gangsta Rap, Bubble Gum Pop and Pop Punk wannabes I really have little interest in the current styles but yet this still bothers me.

Here is the Song in Question:

The song is as I said very catchy and will stay in your head for hours due to the really anthemy lyrics and full out chorus. The Lyrics is where I have the main issue. After reading them over and over the song is pretty much about being young and able to work hard during the day and party during the night while your life is out ahead of you and to enjoy it to the fullest. This song is clearly targeted to the audience that tends to run with trendy music being in their late teens and early 20s. This is the crowd that can easily bounce back from a full night of drinking drugging and having sex and then go to work the next day able to do the job.

I know the song is in a bar and usually you only have a few types in a bar but the song can easily be applied to the club scene and to house parties as well where you have more of the drugging and sex going on as well as our late teenagers. Admittantly partying and burning up the night is something that is common amongst this age crowd and this is the crowd that usually listens to new release music where as you go by 25 the new poppy stuff kind of starts to pass you buy. I understood even before I listened to this song that my time is over when it comes to the current music crowd (for me I never really was in it). The song of course is a great energizer for the party age crowd but in a way can be a real downer for anyone who’s age is catching up with them.

Heavy Drinking in late teens and early 20s is just a sign up a good social life but remember once you hit 25 and up it starts looking more and more like alcoholism.

After hearing this song I figured that the group would be a bunch of late teen early twenties kids just hitting the band scene and playing to their generation. I was very surprised to find that even their youngest member is in his late twenties and that the lead singer is in his early 30s. I hear this song now and think to myself “my lord, they are really trying to hold on to those last vestiges of youth”. I say you need to let it go. This is the song they should really have been playing:

Glee did a performance of this song and I believe that it really hit home about the age group that this song is playing to. Go back to the top and consider the band members and their ages then check out this video and think about who is more appropriate to sing this song: (Sorry about the video quality couldn’t find anything better on this one)

Now don’t get me wrong, a friend of mine has told me that many people are still into the party scene well into their 30s and beyond and that the song could be aimed at them. I can tell you by seeing it and by experiencing it on a milder level myself that if you are still out all night most nights drinking it is a sad thing and don’t dare tell me that you aren’t feeling it in the morning or that you can shrug it off the same as your pre-twenty-five self. If you are listening to this song and saying “yeah we’re young lets live it up, bring on the night!” its starting to look sad.

Again don’t get me wrong. Fun is a good band and the song “Some Nights” is really good. They have a good sound and I think they are pretty cool but I really don’t care much for this song being performed by them when it should be looked on by a much younger crowd.

I will leave with a song for people who are in the 25-40 bracket that a good portion of you would remember and is slightly more appropriate:

Politically Incorrect

You know I usually come up on the left side of the fence on these topics but for once I’m going to head a little to the right. It seems like these days it is fashionable to be offended if you aren’t up on the current brand of political correctness you may end up on the wrong end of a political cursing out. This is not a good slope for our society to be climbing up on. I want to isolate the factors that are running wild in our world and in the end show where we are headed if this does not veer off.

Before I proceed I do not want to be mistaken in what I am trying to say. There is a measure of politeness that we should have in certain situations such as on the job in a nice restaurant and so on. I am talking about political correctness itself which applies to all walks of life be it in a fancy place or alone in your room at night.

The Makeup of the Political Correctness Movement:

 Paranoia: One of the most driving factors of political correctness is paranoia. At one point in time we had these things called conversations; people would shoot the breeze, tell a joke laugh and move on. These days everyone is looking to be offended so anything that is said is a potential insult to them. I will give you an overblown example:

Burt: “Hey Roger”

Roger: “Hey Burt”

Burt: “It’s a nice day today.”

Roger: “Maybe but there were other days just as nice as this one.”

Burt: “I guess so…I’m just saying what a nice day it is.”

Roger: “Are you telling me I don’t know what a nice day looks like? I’m gone I’ll talk to someone who doesn’t look down on me.”

Roger is mad due to Burt’s politically incorrect commend. Roger is also reading evil intent on Burt’s part. To Roger it is obvious that Burt thinks little of him and therefore is a terrible person. Burt is left scratching his head not understanding what he said wrong. People tend to jump at the negative too much these days focusing on themselves and not even trying to understand the other person’s real intent. Even when the other person states it they still find offense either considering the person an inconsiderate idiot or a liar. This is paranoia and a little bit of self centeredness. Listen people! Everything is not always about you! What was once civilized conversation is turned into angry discourse. Due to this no one is ever a lasting ally. You can agree and team up against others for a while but if your ally agrees with you in the wrong way or disagrees once they are now the enemy. In the end you have no friends.

Everyone is Evil: Remember that intent statement I made a little while ago? Well in the world of political correctness everyone is evil and hates everyone…except for you. Again we are being a tad self centered. I myself do subscribe to the belief that everyone is evil and must work to maintain the good but I do not believe that everything someone says has evil intent attached. We are again searching for evil intent in every comment someone makes. As per the conversation above Burt is considered evil because he is purposefully belittling the other days holding this one up as superior. Burt had no grand intent for what he said and certainly has nothing against all other days. This perception is not paranoia but works under similar measures it is just thinking how others hate the world instead of saying how they hate you. These two are of course combined to form the thought “everyone hates everybody and everything including me…but I’m better than that and am different.”

Sterilization: George Carlin said it best in the end. We are taking away any emotion or meaning from our language. We are making things less and less personal until it either has no meaning at all. Let’s take the mental health field for example. Patient was one of the first words used to describe the people we see. It sounds nice enough we are treating an illness and therefore it has implication. Patient then became offensive as people were saying “it sounds like I’ve got an illness or something this makes me different from everyone else”. So we moved on to Client; this reflected that you were getting a service and didn’t have any reference to illness or setting someone out of the loop. It did, however, imply some level of power that the provider (current correct term) may have over the “Client” so we couldn’t have that and moved on to the word Consumer. Consumer showed that the person had total control over the services provided to them yet still kind of set them out as someone having a service performed for them so it was changed again to individual which becomes totally anonymous and has no feeling to it at all. Individual, of course started to sound a little like we were calling the people being treated “it” and became an offensive term so we changed back to consumer for the time being while we pondered it some more. This progression took place over the last 10 years. There was no implied malice in the word patient and it conveyed a meaning that everyone could understand for the treatment provided yet people saw malice in the word just as they will for consumer again and for what ever word replaces it.

Fad Driven: The language of political correctness is fad driven. Much like fashion the appropriate wording at the appropriate time is the difference from regular conversation or being offensive. You have to keep on top of things as these words can sometimes change quickly (just like dresses or outfits). Remember: What is considered appropriate and inoffensive today can be evil and intolerant tomorrow.

The Future:

What are we headed for? Well eventually in our society as we are readily offended all the time any form of communication or non communication will be considered offensive. We as a society will isolate from one another staying to our monitors and computers fearing to see another human being. What communication we will have will be unfeeling and cold eventually crossing emotion totally off of the human spectrum. It will be a colorless tasteless society where information gathering replaces conversation and laughing or crying will be a thing of the past. 

Prevention:

How can we save ourselves from this future? It is quite as simple as understanding one simple fact “you are not the center of the universe”. Once you realize this it becomes much easier to read intent in what people are saying. If someone is trying to be offensive it is very easy to tell this via body language and tone. If you are online and you have a question of a person’s intent simply ask them if they are being serious and start a conversation. I hate computer conversing as it is very hard to read expression into things. We use the same words and phrases without altering them so much we try and embrace the meaning so no one is confused or left out.

In the end there are two big points to take with you:

1. Understand that not everything is about you.

2. Approach conversation from a neutral view

If you follow both of these things you will laugh longer and enjoy life more.

Here’s hoping that we can make your life a little brighter.  

Let there be Guns

I am tired of listening to the debate over the 2^nd amendment and have decided to weigh in on this issue or at least one interpretation of the issue. Before I begin I will point out the three prevailing interpretations of the 2^nd amendment and for reference here it is in it’s entirety.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

There are many interpretations but four are prevalent in discussion:

#1 Militia Definition: Many democrats will site this as their popular interpretation of the 2^nd amendment saying that it was intended to have a well armed military and does not apply to private citizens. This definition comes from the word “Militia” being in the amendment. The Supreme court struck down this definition so it really has no practical application. If you hear anyone sighting this then they are whining.

#2 Basic Protection: Many middle of the isle politicians and especially democrat legislators, even the NRA at one time advocated this position. It is that the people deserve to have weapons to protect themselves from harm and to seek their livelihood such as in hunting. The difference between this and #3 & #4 is that there are reasonable restrictions that should be placed as basic protection and hunting only requires so much power. We don’t really need a 50 caliber tripod mounted machine gun to defend our home from burglars or to hunt squirrels.

#3 Protecting our country: The Third Interpretation is that we need no restrictions on weapons as the founding fathers intended to have the citizens armed to repel a foreign invasion. I dismiss this argument much as I have #1 as we have an army and a national guard who’s purpose is to repel a foreign invasion. They are paid through our tax dollars to do this so let the people do their jobs and stay out of their way they don’t need your untrained self in the way. If the first interpretation is mitigated by the supreme court then this one is mitigated by the fact that we have an established militia in our military force.

#4 Protecting ourselves from our country: This is the Interpretation that I will be addressing today. It is the only other possibly valid interpretation which is that the founding fathers wanted us to be fully armed in order to overthrow a government seen as tyrannical. I can understand people taking this interpretation on but they argue it wrong. When someone says “well more would have died if the guy had a fully automatic machine gun” they say “well those are illegal”. This is the wrong way to argue if you believe in #4. Really only people who believe around the way of #2 should argue in this manner. The real response should likely be “If all the kids and their teacher had fully automatic weapons then there would have been no deaths”.

If #4 is to be a valid argument then we are under a tyrannical government and need to implement changes that would allow the founding father’s vision to be realizable. Having access to high ammo magazines for semi-automatic assault rifles won’t help you when you are charging a battle field towards tanks, unmanned drones and the best trained military in the world. It won’t even really help you against the police who have access to armored transport and highly trained swat teams. I have devised changes that need to be necessary if your belief that #4 is the founding father’s intent.

1. Legalize ALL guns: We shouldn’t be dickering on assault rifles and types of ammo. We need to talk about legalizing fully automatic weapons and heavy caliber guns. If you are to take on the police and the military of the United States you need to make sure you can keep up by being able to mow down as many people as you can. On top of this if you listen to the typical argument all criminals have easy access to these weapons anyway and deaths by these weapons should be common in America so we would need these to protect ourselves.

2. Legalize all explosive type weapons: Arms is not limited to guns alone. We need to also include rocket launchers and bazookas. You need heavy artillery when you are trying to take out army tanks and anti-aircraft guns to fight off air force jets. We see how effective these weapons can be in the hands of gorilla soldiers in the middle east so these are a must. C-4 and other explosives are also a necessity in taking out army strongholds or government buildings. On top of this if you listen to the typical argument all criminals have easy access to these weapons anyway and deaths by these weapons should be common in America so we would need these to protect ourselves.

3. Military Training: Our military is one of the best training in the world. We as American people should be trained in this fashion as we are growing up so that we can be prepared at any time to take down a tyrannical government. Having a fully automatic rocket launcher doesn’t help if you are ineffective in using it. You may end up doing more damage to the revolutionary force than you are in taking on the government. If the current government would make changes to make this a necessity we could guarantee our 2^nd amendment vision for people trained and ready to go revolution if it is called for. This would also be great for protecting family from killers and thieves. You may end up unnecessarily making some of the “bad guys” more dangerous but as it is said a good guy with a gun will always be able to take out a bad guy with a gun.

4. Open Access to US Military secrets: Once the military started keeping secrets about weapons from the public they already became in violation of the 2^nd amendment by having an unfair advantage against the people. All government developments should be made to the people so they would be able to defend themselves against tyranny. Be it unmanned drones or smart bombs it is important that the American people be on an equal footing with the military if their 2^nd amendment right is to be protected. What if an enemy government is to get these secrets and use them against us? If we are all trained and have these weapons this should in these arguments be enough of a deterrent to our enemies not to attack us. On top of this if you listen to the typical argument all criminals have easy access to these weapons and technology anyway and deaths by these weapons should be common in America so we would need these to protect ourselves. 

5. Government subsidy for weapons manufacturers: Government needs to make sure that manufacturers of these technologies are subsidized so that the prices can be low enough to offer this to the average citizen. Is it not a violation of your rights if the weapons are available but they are not affordable by the average person? It doesn’t have to be dirt cheap but the prices should be comparable so that if someone earning an average income should be able to save up and obtain the weapon or tech indicated. Most criminals are able to get these technologies cheaply so we need to make sure we have that access. The military has an unfair advantage over the citizens in their access to the weapons so decreasing the cost is a must.

6. Nuclear Weapons: This is covered under #4 but in truth these are weapons that the government could use to squash a rebellion and if private citizens had access to these weapons then the government would think twice about using them against us. If you worry about terrorists getting more ready access to nuclear weapons keep the NRA argument at heart that they would be able to easily access them anyway so private citizens having access would keep deterring them from use. Nuclear weapon related crime can only be decreased if we can keep our citizens armed with nuclear weapons of their own to defend themselves.

In all seriousness I know I lean towards the #2 second amendment definition myself. I don’t believe in taking all weapons away from the American people. I do believe though that you cannot seriously argue #4 definition without having the above measures in place. I do believe you can put out a more serious spin on the argument but the in truth if the above measures are not taken and the founding fathers did believe fully in definition #4 then this country has been tyrannical for well over a 100 years and should have been overthrown before the civil war by the people to keep the 2^nd amendment rights.

In summation, if you believe that we should have overthrown our government years ago but haven’t had the ability due to restriction on the practices that should have been implemented above then I can take you seriously in the conversation. If you believe that having pistols and assault rifles make it possible for you to overthrow a government that you disagree with then in reality then picture you and your assault rifle standing against a squad of military drones then you can understand how seriously I take your argument. You have a right to advocate these changes and I wish you the best in this endeavor. Support a grass roots movement, make a list you can even go by these principles above. 

Transportation Fun for all.

            I have gone over the governor’s new road plan and am a little taken aback. The fact that this plan will likely easily pass the tea party centric legislature is also something that makes me wonder. Let’s separate things and examine them.

Eliminate the Gas Tax…sort of: I had to scratch my head a while on this for a minute but after listening to the Jack Gravely show this morning I am pretty understanding of what this is about. The 17 cent gas tax will go away except for on diesel. At first you have to say “this is perfectly tea party cutting taxes and helping out the overburdened and bankrupt gasoline industry” but then you have to ask “why are they not cutting diesel?” This is not really a tax cut and it will not likely be felt by many of us other than the gas industry as the companies will pocket this and keep prices right where they are.

This is an opportunity as gas tax revenue is dropping due to more fuel efficient cars and at the same time greasing the palms of historic republican campaign contributors. If you don’t agree with this then think about the diesel tax. The main individuals that utilize diesel fuel are truck drivers and this income remains very steady. Don’t let this fool you, it is not a tax cut, it is a kick back and nothing more.

Raise the Sales Tax: Well not everyone can pay the gas tax as not everyone has a car but everyone including people begging on the street corner needs to pay sales tax. Not only can we increase the sales tax to make up for lost revenue on the gas tax but the Governor doesn’t even have to take blame for rising prices on goods he can just pass the buck and say any price increase is all the president’s fault and all republicans will believe it even as they pay an extra percent at each purchase.

It bother’s me in some way as it seems that we are looking at a party that has said “we will not raise taxes” and they are not only raising taxes, they are making sure that everyone is paying it even down to those that can’t afford an extra dollar for food. Again their followers will likely look at this and say that even if there is a record that they voted for this any mention that they were for this increase is a lie constructed by democrats in the liberal media and that these increases were really passed by the democrat minority which is currently against the plan. What happened to cutting taxes and spending without any increase?

Don’t get me wrong I really do believe we need to increase revenue sources but find this as a hypocritical move in the party.

Let’s pay out of the General Fund: We were talking about cutting things and we are going to be getting those cuts from this part. After this passes we can look forward to school and social program funding being cut with the report that they need the funding for the roads. Virginia has always had transportation in a separate fund with it’s own revenue source. This program has worked in the past but due to continued cuts in those revenue sources over the years Virginia’s road system has gone from one of the best to one of the worst. So we are getting cuts to social programs and this should be a relief to many of the conservative readers.

Tolls are Still on: I know this is not new but we have plenty of new tolls to look forward to. We only have one on the books near the Greensville area but this will only effect the poor residents of the area and vacationers so that’s ok. Let’s not talk about the fact that this will cost us around 10 million to set up and man these toll booths before we can get income from them and disrupt the traffic pattern. This toll is not a tax business should not stand for you tea party people especially as you are in control of the legislature and the governor seat. Of course we have hushed up the talks of the 360 and interstate 64 toll plans for people trying to go to the beach or to Norfolk.

Registration increase: Most of us will face an increase in our registration fees of $15. This is obviously not a tax as it has the word “fee” in it. I have to tell you if you make a fee increase it is a tax increase there is no difference and it is not only a tax increase it is a car tax increase. Of course this is not all we are also having a $100 increase for alternative fuel vehicles (a good way to continue to milk truck drivers and stick it to environmentalists at the same time). This is already pretty expensive and we get to pay yet more for our cars. I’m glad I already did a three year renewal.

Summary: I am pretty disappointed in this plan overall. I agree that we need revenue in the state but am not really happy about how it is being set up. I do think a slight increase in the gas tax (which has not been increased since 1986) without increasing the diesel tax to make us more friendly to freight transport would be able to keep funding going directly to transportation funding without having to take out funding that could go to other programs. To utilize the rhetoric of the party that is trying to pass this I will sum it up. “This is an attempt by Big Government to try and fill their pockets at the expense of the tax people”.

Christmas Time

Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year. I have had more difficulty with it as of late with deaths in the family and the absence of traditions and the and of the year blahs. I am in a since writing this blog to try and reclaim some of the wonderful feelings that dominated the season well into my college years.

I remember the old traditions of Christmas eve like they were yesterday. We would get up early and go have a breakfast with the neighborhood. It was hosted at a different house each year and I think we even had it at our house once. It was a pot luck affair and I remember playing with most of the neighborhood kids while the adults met upstairs. This affair ended when I was in early high school it is sad through it was enjoyable. The last one was easy to remember because it snowed. Not the kind that sticks to the road but the fluffy kind that sticks to the ground a bit and is pleasant to look at.

When getting back in I would go out with my grandfather and cut down his Christmas tree. He loved cedars and we usually walked into the field near my house with the hack saw to take it down. We would then carry it to the house and my grandmother would decorate it. This was a neat event as I grew up withing walking distance of my grandparent's house. This was a tradition that we ended after my grandfather got weaker and had he eventually got an artificial tree. He had it decorated and we carried it from his house to the garage each year.

During the evening we would go to my cousin's home and have a family Christmas party where we would celebrate Christmas and my Grandmother's birthday that took place on the 26th. This was a fun event we would have deer meat balls and plenty of other country style foods along with many many fine sweet treats that marked the holidays. I really miss this party as it was a great for the family to get together and share good times. We still try and celebrate my grandmother's birthday each year how we can.

We would always take time to look at Christmas lights in the wealthy neighborhoods around where we lived. this used to immediately follow our Christmas party but this time we still work hard to see the lights before the season starts.

After getting home my grandparents would come down to our house and we would exchange gifts. This was usually followed by coffee and good conversation. This is deeply missed as we currently are unable to enjoy this tradition. I still think of my grandparents at this time of year.

Before going to bed at night we would watch the movie White Christmas. This was a tradition my mother's mother began with her and passed it down. We still do so every year with my father yelling the same expletives at the screen at the same parts of the film each year. At first they were annoying but at this time as this is the only tradition remaining they actually have become quite comical.

I still love this time of the year. I always believe that change is what you make it enjoying the memories of the past and using them to try and grasp the future and look at it with a new light is the only way to make things work.

Things We Have in Common

            With so much tragedy surrounding the holidays with shootings, political tension, racial tension and of course the end of the world I decided that a new blog was in order. I believe that as human beings we are for the most part wired fairly similarly and in the spirit of pulling us together I would like to run through a few of them in order to share something positive for the season.

We Don’t like to kill: For the most part humans don’t like to kill each other. Even with violent music lyrics movies and video games there is still a very big difference from this and violence in the real world. Usually people have to be conditioned to kill one another and even then the first part seems difficult and guilt feeling usually seem to follow. Humans do have a violent nature but killing each other tends to bother us greatly. We should take heart that the vast majority of us have to be brought up to kill or have something going wrong with us mentally or physically to bring us to this point.

We Like to be with other people:  Even the most avid hermit tends to go crazy without other human contact. We may not always want people around but the majority of us like to have people in our lives. Pack nature is in our DNA and it show with interest in having close friends and family. Some studies have shown that people who have a fairly social childhood grow up to be more stable individuals and that many seniors that have an active social life tend to live longer. We as people like to be with people and this is a positive thing.

We are typically upset when we see someone crying: I have noticed this a lot working with mental health but everyone seems to get a tinge of feeling when we hear someone that is upset, especially if they are crying. Some of us try to shut it out and go away as others try to help out but almost all of us feel uncomfortable and this is a show that we are not entirely dead to the world around us or devoid of feeling as many people tout about the younger generation. We are attached emotionally to each other for better or for worse. I personally feel this is for the better.

Laughing with others makes us happy: Just like hearing crying provokes emotion, laughter does this as well. I am not talking about mean laugher but about the type of laughter that all can enjoy. It is hard to not feel heartened by the sound of mirth. Just as sadness is infectious our connections also extend to those that are happy around us.

We love to eat together:  Eating is a past time that we all must take part in. Many times we mix socialization and eating (which are both of human favorites). Most of humanity loves to eat and this transcends, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and culture as well as most other differences we might have. Food is a fascinating subject and something that we can all bond over. It is usually hard to find someone who is eating well and remains in a bad mood under most normal circumstances.

We have a love of art and music: Lastly we all love some form of art or music. We are creative creatures and love to experience art either by observing or crafting it. This is something again that transcends all barriers. Even a contract killer can find something that they enjoy musically, or artistically. Creation and enjoyment of art is one of the few things that separates us from most common animals it makes us unique and though we may not all like the same art I can guarantee that every one of us has something that we like.

            I know this was a short list but I want you to ponder on this and anything else that brings us together as people. If you have other ideas please comment and add to the list. We are people first and foremost before we are anything else. Happy holidays to all and luck willing I may share something else in the future.