Hopefully, they’ll be wrong by then. But, right now, they’d be mostly correct. Eight months is barely enough time to get all of your affairs in order, let alone develop an accurate view of the political reality of your ward, let alone the city as a whole.

And yet…I need to do my duty. I will vote for a mayoral and alderman candidate next Tuesday. (Actually, I would have voted this past Thursday, but early voting got cut off right when people were getting off from work…thanks guys!)

*raises glass* Here’s hoping I’ve navigated enough through the flotsam and jetsam of Chitown bullshit in this short period of time to chose somewhat intelligently…

(You can blame it on the new guy if things go even more to hell :) )

We’ve all heard that phrase at one point or another, almost always close to the end of an argument. It amuses me how often this phrase is used to try to prove a point (and hopefully end the argument). What stuns me is how often it’s accepted as viable (and does end the argument).

What does being entitled to your opinion have to do with what we were discussing? Odds are that we were not discussing whether you were entitled to it or not.

I want to make a request of everyone who may come across this blog post: Never ever let “I’m entitled to my opinion!” be the end of the discussion/argument. Keep discussing…keep arguing…keep pressing until they say something that makes some sense! (or until they storm off…that’ll work too :) )

Statement: “I’m entitled to my opinion!”

Reply: “And? Your feeling of entitlement by itself makes your opinion neither correct nor factual.”

(Side question: Did George Carlin ever do a bit on this? Feels like something he’d talk about)

There’s just something about taking two photos back-to-back, but with different focus points, that just fascinates me to no end.

The two photos above were taken in October 2009 at the hotel I was staying at in Abu Simble, Egypt. :)

“You still don’t understand what you’re dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.”  –Ash, “Alien”

As I enjoyed my childhood in the late 1970s, I embraced the theatrical joys of the time: science fiction movies. One classic after another: Star Wars…Close Encounters of the Third Kind…such a wonderful time for movies!

In addition to that list was the 1979 classic Alien. It began a series films that created thrilling highs, chuckle-worthy lows and the ultimate iconic alien creature. The series also created special moments in my life that I remember to this day. With the upcoming release of the whole Alien Anthology released on Blu-ray, I thought I’d share them… :)

Alien (1979)

Yes, I actually saw this in the theater. Yes, it was rated R. Yes, I was only six years old. :) Horror movies have never really scared me. I was more of an adult at that age than a child, so I was able to handle it with no problem and my mother knew that. (Only the real life stuff like Jack The Ripper ever freaked me out).

This movie will forever holds a special place for me because it’s the oldest lasting memory of me seeing a movie in the theater. (I saw Star Wars & Close Encounters in the theater, but I can’t remember those experiences anymore). My mother and I got there late, so we ended up sitting through movie 1 and 1/2 times (yes, you could still see a movie multiple times on one ticket back then). That’s a lot of bang for your buck.

It was the perfect blend of horror and science fiction…and I love it to this day. :)

Side note: My friends and I played the Alien video game for the Commodore 64 in the mid 80s. It is still one of most ridiculously difficult games I’ve ever encountered. Did anyone ever get all three people off the ship in time? Anyone?

Aliens (1986)

“We’re on an express elevator to hell; going down!” -Private Hudson

Oh, sweet sweet comedy. :)  While this film is known for being a Sci-Fi action classic, I still hold Bill Paxton’s Private Hudson as one of funniest acting performances in film history. His pre-alien swagger was quite amusing, but there’s just something about a Sci-Fi marine totally losing his composure when the alien with 10,000 teeth shows up that makes it so special. :)  Whether it was on VHS or LaserDisc, my friends and I watched those comical moments over again and again. :)

Aliens is also responsible for thousands upon thousands of impressionable young men being injured by reliving the fast-moving-knife-around-the-fingers moment from the movie. I distinctly remember having a sharp compass point break my skin on more than one occasion (and doing the same to my friends). What were we thinking? ^^

Alien³ (1992)

I’m not a big fan of the third installment, but it was impressionable for what happened around the viewing of the film. A personal moment of stupidity.

My friends and I were planning on getting in line early so we could get mosh pit tickets for the second Lollapalooza. We loved the first Lolla and vowed to get in the pit the next time around. In order to make it a full night, we decided to see Alien³ before we got in line. In a moment of generosity, I decided to pay for my friend’s movie tickets. However, such generosity depleted me of enough funds to actually purchase the Lollapalooza ticket! And since my friends didn’t have any extra money either, I was S-O-L. :(  (And hearing my friends comment on how great the experience was didn’t help after the fact…)

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Meh…mediocre…not worth remembering… :)

Alien Prequel (2011)

With the original director, Ridley Scott, back at the helm, lets hope more special moments can be achieved… :)

So, in an effort to enlighten (and because I recently heard it on my iPod), I figure I’d feature the occasional TV jam from yesteryear :)

Enter the “Sanford and Son” theme! (otherwise known as “The Streetbeaters” by Quincy Jones…yes, Quincy Jones)

I always vowed that whenever I had kids, I wanted them to grow up in as richly a diverse area as humanly possible. Kids aren’t born with race based prejudices…they’re taught them. It’s truly a crime that we, as a whole, let such bullshit penetrate the souls of each new generation.

Fortunately, one way to fight against such nonsense is to give them as much exposure to the variety of the world as possible. Old prejudices seem like utter nonsense when you’ve lived with the opposite.

I was looking forward to being surrounded by such diversity in my new home. So what do I find in my new neighborhood in Chicago?

Orthodox Jewish, Indian, Vietnamese, Caribbean, Italian, Latino, Middle Eastern, Black American

A good start :)

Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt

When you reboot, might as well kick some ass in the process :)
(And yes, those who’ve asked/complained…I am working on the rest of the images :) )

Take a listen for yourself: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/09/07/ktvk.az.rally.church.ktvk

Sure, people are free to have their own thoughts and beliefs. That same freedom gives the rest of us the ability to point out when others ideas/beliefs are based on inaccurate information or even unreasonable fear and paranoia. Ignorance/hate based ideology, in the end, helps no one…

I’ve been watching closely the ever growing paranoia and fear that’s been accumulating by anti-Obama groups (and how it’s being used to further conservative agendas) and I can’t just not comment on it any longer. I applaud those who are taking the high road when it comes to all the nonsense (Obama being a Nazi, for example), but I just hope they don’t take too high a road and not realize how many people are seeming to jump on this bandwagon. (I listen to conversative radio often to hear the other side…sometimes it feels like my head’s going to explode)

With a number of schools not willing to show the President’s speech to school children, a common speech that past presidents have made, I fear the nonsense is far from being over. I worry that this balloon will pop in an unfortunate manner…

I’m still around…but my web focus has been centered elsewhere as of late. So, if you’d like to see what’s going on with me on the more recent tip, feel free to check out my Facebook and Twitter accounts. This blog isn’t dead by any means…I just need to figure out the best way to incorporate it back into my social networkiing life…