GREG GUTFELD COMPARES SNOOP DOG TO FOSTER BROOKS

July 23, 2014 by Ace in Arts and Entertainment, Culture | Leave a comment

BLASPHEMY

Greg was commenting on the Snoop Dog interview where he commented on getting high in the White House bathroom. He compared Mr. Dog to Foster Brooks who was an incredible actor of the 70s. His reputation was for his ability to portray quite convincingly a stuttering drunk. The only problem with Greg’s analogy was Brooks was acting. It took talent to pull off a convincing drunk

Snoop on the other hand is a “Cult of Personality”. No that’s not just the name of a song from the 90s band Living Color. It means a creation that is molded to attract a following. Hitler was a great “Cult of Personality” as is “Obama”. They get by on their Charisma. In Snoop Dog’s case, he’s basically talentless but he enjoys getting high. A LOT! Snoop is not acting. He’s just the kid on the playground that had the first set of Nikes and that made him cool. Soon everybody wanted to hang out with the Nike kid. Then when everybody else got Nikes, Snoop probably had to have Jordan’s. So all of the kids that had Nikes were envious of the “cool kid” because he had Jordans.

Dr. Seuss wrote a book called Sneetches on Beaches. It was a book about Dr. Seuss creatures (The ones that look like the Grinch) only one set of Sneetches had a Star on their chest and they were the superior Sneetches. They were special. Soon a snake oil salesman comes into town and has a machine that will put stars on the other Sneetches’ chest for a dollar. Soon all of the Sneetches on the Beach had stars. So the original Starred Sneetches wanted to be different from the fake Sneetches so the Snake oil Salesman had a function on his machine that could remove the Star. (For a dollar) Soon nobody knew who was who.

Snoop was amongst the first rappers to openly use expletives in every other syllable and kids thought this was cool. Then other rappers came and tried to outdo Snoop. So just like the Sneetches, Snoop decided his new “Thang” would be his love for Pot. He’s no different from a wrestler looking for that new image, or Larry the Cable guy saying: “Getter done”. Or for that matter a Sneetch with a Star.

On the other hand, Foster Brooks was a great Actor and not an alcoholic.

10 THINGS HITLER DID OBAMA COULDN’T

July 23, 2014 by Ace in History, Politics | Leave a comment

Actually hosted the Olympics
Enhanced the U.S. Space Program
Revived his country’s economy
Pulled Germany out of the great recession
Was on the “Hood winking” side of the Hoodwink
Had the respect of other countries
Didn’t send money to foreign countries to try and gain their respect
Built up his military instead of dismantled it.
Delivered great speeches without the use of a teleprompter
Did I mention was respected and feared by other counties?

10 Reasons Obama is Better than Hitler

July 23, 2014 by Ace in History, Politics | Leave a comment

10.

AFTER THE DIVORCE

July 22, 2014 by Ace in Culture, Personal Development, Spiritual Relilgion | Leave a comment

I will be referring to the termination of long term relationships. (10 years or longer). Did you know that the average divorce that makes it past 2 years, dies about 15 years later? The normal long term divorce is almost predictable. Most long term marriages (Usually w/ kids) last 17 to 20 years. The time zone for this destruction is between the ages of 37 and 42. If you’re a post grad professional like a Doctor, Attorney or Anthropologist, Add another ten years to the time zone of destruction. But that time period is more of an “outlier”.

Mark Twain once wrote: “Youth is wasted on the young”. Oh how true, oh how true! If you want to have children and keep a steady income; the younger you marry and procreate, the more energy and tolerance you have for things like trips to the hospital for asthma attacks or unexplained fevers. It is an asset to have youth on your side as a new parent.

But unfortunately, getting married in your early 20s like many traditionalists has one huge fatal built in flaw. The insecurity/immature factor. Unless you’re born a Romney and have incredible guidance and counseling; like most young couples, you marry someone that you have a good time with, have good sex with and over looks your short comings.

THE ANATOMY OF THE LTR

Let’s look at the anatomy of a typical long term marriage that destructs in the 17^th to 20^th year of matrimony. A LOT of couples marry between the age of 20 and 25. So let’s pick the age of 23. You leave High School at 18, Get accepted to U.C. Santa Cruz, major in business and get your BA in Business at 22. Then you have a voice in the back of your head saying: “Take a year off”. So you take a year to sow your wild oats.

Since your parents probably divorced when you were 12 to 15, you don’t have anyone to turn to that wants to talk about how marriage works. I did take a class in College called “Inter-personal relationships”. I wonder why there were never any classes on Personal Development. You can take this statement to the bank: “The only person you can change is yourself”. After that, remember this: “You need to become the person you want to meet”. But if you’re divorced, we’re talking about water already under the bridge.

Why people throw long term relationships away after 17 years is easy to understand. It’s the number 40. (Forty). For the average proletariat, the age of 40 is a milestone. You start asking yourself questions such as: “Am I on the right course”? “Am I happy with my life”? “How much longer can I put up with this psychotic bitch”? “What would a divorce do to the kids”? (That’s only if you have a conscience and have feelings for others)

Here’s another unfortunate concern: “Men make easy targets for the wife’s unhappiness” especially because a woman’s beauty is her stock in trade if she doesn’t have a profession to dedicate her life to. As much as I respect women who have careers, and stay at home mothers, you will find that the stay at home mother will be more concerned about where she is in life sooner than the career woman. A career woman does not need a man’s support. A stay at home mother needs not only outside financial support, but if she wants to attract another mate, she needs to do so before gravity takes effect.

The age of forty is like a 15 mile per hour curve on a mountain road. Those who intend to age gracefully, know that if you hit the brakes before the curve then accelerate into the curve, you’ll come out of the curve safely and in good shape. Those who are holding on to memories of “the good old days”, roll up the windows, lock the doors, make sure the seat belt is on and floor the gas pedal and go screaming off the cliff in a “Thelma & Louise”, damn the torpedoes, fashion.

What sucks is it only takes one partner to throw 17 years of marriage away. The first question you ask yourself on that first night of sleeping alone is “How did I get here”? The answer is simple. You were clueless when you entered into this eternal bond. You saw what you believed to be attractive and even more enticing; they were attracted to you. You were having fun as a couple and you were having good sex. You were thinking like a young couple. Then before you knew it, your dreams seemed out of reach and your wife was no longer the cheerleader you were “In love with”.

THE FIX

Assuming you’ve tried everything to keep the boat afloat, and I’m mainly addressing those of you with children. And once you’ve come to the conclusion that your spouse wants out before the children have both finished High School, (Which I would consider to be a main objective once the “love” has left the relationship)

If you believe divorce is immanent, keep an eye on your finances. If you’ve trusted your spouse for 2 decades to pay the bills, you may face the unpleasant surprise that “sweetie pie” has been putting your SUV payment in a special secret checking account. I would keep an eye on every balance that is in your name.

Seek personal counseling. Couples counseling is preferred but if wifey tells you to shove counseling up your ass, go for your own personal mental health. You’ll need it now more than ever. Along with counseling, I would submerge myself in your church. There’s a line in the new-testament where Paul writes in the second book of Corinthians: “If the non-believer wants to leave, let them leave”.

If you are a Christian, you know what the church’s views on Divorce are. II Corinthians is the only living loophole. If by chance your spouse wants to proclaim their Christianity, they need to stick it out. If both are Christians, the only out is, (what’s that word)? Oh yeah, adultery. Divorce is a sin as well as adultery. But all sins except Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and I think suicide are forgivable. Theoretically.

MOST IMPORTANTLY AND ABOVE ALL

The most important thing to do after you’re divorced is to spend time alone. Let the emotions come and go. If you did have invested emotions, you are going to hurt. Having an affair with a person half your age may bolster your ego, but it’s not going to do a thing for you long term.

HOW LONG?

This is a great question and there is no definitive answer. My suggestion is 2/10 or 1/5^th. This is a good (not perfect) equation for any relationship. If you dated someone for 5 months, take a month off. If you were married 10 years, take 2 years off. If you were married for 17 years take 3 years and 4 months off. I’m not saying don’t date for 3.4 years, but you need to be up front with the person you’re going to movies with. Tell them that you’ve just gone through a divorce and that you would not be in the right frame of mind for anyone. To be honest, I wouldn’t even start looking for 3 years. It would be like trying to rebuild a house in a hurricane. You have to let the winds die down before you can even think about the foundation. BTW, the same goes, once you start dating, the 20% or 1/5 rule applies to the person you’re dating. This can really suck because you might meet the perfect person. But what happens if 3 years down the road, you meet another “Perfect” person and you say to yourself, did I act out of desperation? The question will always be there.

REMEMBER: WAIT 2 FOR EVERY 10 YOU WERE IN A RELATIONSHIP

2 weeks for every 10 weeks. 2 months for every 10 months and 2 years for every 10 years.

FINALLY

One more fact/Principle you can take to the bank with you. 50% of all divorces happen from the time you say: “Hi, I’m Ace, what’s your name”? Not 2 years from the time you say: “I do”, but 2 years from the day your relationship begins. Naturally the longer you court each other during the first 2 years you know each other, the smaller the chances are of you falling into the 2 year 50% divorce rate. The meaning of this principle is, if you wait 2 years before you get married; you will have already beat the 2 year 50% divorce statistic. Why does this stat happen? Because most people can hide their dark side or a bad habit for up to 18 months. Ya know how on the first date you want to put your best foot forward? Well 18 months later, it’s much harder to keep up the façade. That gives you 4 months to say: “Cya”.

“Cya”

SCREW YOU BITCH

July 21, 2014 by Ace in Personal Development, Politics | Leave a comment

Well, it got your attention but would you consider it communication?

There’s a big difference between a conversation and the collective monologue. Most people have an us and them mentality and they find comfort when they’re in the “Us” community then rely on talking points when conversing with “Them”. Usually the person is not listening, but rather thinking of what their come back is going to be. That’s the collective monologue. It takes real courage to walk on the other side and try to understand the opposing paradigm from their Point of View (POV).

I use to be an election team leader for one of the most liberal Presidential candidates not named Barack Obama, but George McGovern. I practically lived at the campaign center. It’s funny because Ronald Reagan was a registered Dem at one time. I was still a Dem until I got out of the Navy at the beginning of Jimmy Carter. In 1980 I was still a Dem that voted for Kennedy in the Primaries, then Reagan in the November election.

This is the first time I’ve ever confessed voting for Kennedy. I guess it was because I really liked his brothers, who would probably be Tea party candidates by today’s definition of liberal. (Remember, ask not what your country can do for you)?

Also remember that when you hear our fearless leader blaming his shortcomings on 1/3 of the political system. Leading means you show others the way. It’s not taking a walk and hoping people will follow you. You have to have trust to be a leader. You have to be confident to be a leader. You have to have the best interest of your followers in mind to be a good leader.

AGENDA 21

I don’t think there is anything wrong with making “Big Money”. But I’m afraid Big Money (aka Soros/Koch bros) are trying to rule the world. They’re buying elections. They’re creating “cult of personalities”. Those who are already rich hate America with few exceptions.Bill Clinton (Sex scandal aside) was the last true president we had. Bush 41 and 43 as well as Obama have done a tremendous job of making the rich richer and the middle class chained to serfdom. It’s Agenda 21. (Or the new world Order) The cycle has got to be broken. A country divided cannot stand.

PROGRESSIVES HAVE RUINED LIBERALISM

Obama has ruined what was once a perfectly healthy alternative. The principles that the Democrats once stood for have been abandoned and coopted by socialists. Just as Both Bush’s ruined the Republican Party. We haven’t had a true Leader since Reagan. William Jefferson Clinton was what one might call a reluctant leader. Compared to the last two Presidents, I would call him a reluctant hero. In politics today it’s not about Party D vs. Party R. It’s about Money A vs. Money B. Sometime soon we need to get back to respecting the Constitution no matter WHO DOES IT.

EBAY FOR DUMMIES

July 20, 2014 by Ace in Arts and Entertainment, Culture, Media, Personal Development | Leave a comment

Understand that EBAY can be an addiction is the same genre as gambling. The key to gambling is knowing how much you are absolutely willing to lose then walk away. (Take it from a person who lives in Nevada). The same strategy goes for EBAY. The only difference is that on EBAY, they have one of a kind items you can’t find down at the local Wal-Mart. Sometimes EBAY has that perfect Part for a 1968 Jaguar. Still, you need to know how much is too much.

THE .99 cent opening Bid

Let’s start with the .99 cent opening bid. This is one of the greatest auctions but you need to exercise patience. Fools will come in and bid 5.00 on an item that you feel is worth 45.00. Now if everybody plays the game right, nobody will bid until the last minute of the auction. This is when you need to know how much you’re willing to pay. If the someone else has bid and driven the price from .99 to 5.00, then you know he or she has bid 5.01 or more. So in the last minute (Or last 11 seconds) you bid 45.00 hoping the other bidders only bid 25.01 and you get it for 26.01. (By the way, never lose a bid over a penny. Always bid XX.01 or what ever your lucky number is. Many will bid 25.01 so bid XX.02 you get the Idea. Now if two bidders have bid the price up to around 40.00 at the close of the auction. You have to decide how much you really want this and are willing to pay for it.

*NOTE: It’s very easy to let your ego allow you to spend way too much for the 45.00 Jaguar floor mat. If one bidder has the attitude that nobody is going to out bid him and bids 100.00 for the 45.00 part, (Thinking that he doesn’t care if someone bids 50.00) and you bid 100.01 for the same 45.00 part. You just bought yourself a floor mat for 100.00. Congratulations.

On the other hand if this is the only one you’ve seen ever on EBAY, and all of the numbers check out, feel free to be a little more liberal with your bid at 11 seconds left.

How much am I willing to pay?

I advise people never to bid on something unless they have a track record of what they sell for. NOT WHAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING. You hear that all the time on Pawn Stars: “Well I’ve seen them on line for 250.00″. But did it sell for that price? Probably not. (You don’t know how many times I see people asking 279.00 for something I just paid 89.00 for. I laugh and say they’re F’n crazy)

I recently used my knowledge of what things sell for to wait out a seller. He had an Item that I knew was rare, but he was asking about 50.00 too much for it. (Or that I was willing to pay). I PM’d him and said, I’m willing to go 130.00 plus 10.00 shipping. He was asking 179.95 plus 20 shipping. I knew that if one of these came up for .99 cents, the bidding would get to about 100.00 and the real collectors that knew how rare it was, would put in there final bid at 130 – 140. I use to sell these items and I knew what they went for (not counting the stupid people) I told myself that as a rule they would go for 120.00 but being since it was rare, I would go as high as 140 out the door. So I waited as he kept relisting this Item. I felt that a serious collector might have bout this when he finally lowered the price to 130 plus 20 shipping. 150 was still 10 more than I wanted to pay. So after he relisted it the 6th or 7th time; I sent him another offer of 140 out the door. By now, he’s lost a considerable amount of money by relisting it. He was eager to relist it at 130 plus 10 shipping. He was happy, I was happy and hopefully it will arrive in one piece.

On Items that frequently are listed, you need to see what the final sell price is and never exceed it. I said to the seller of the Item above that if I paid him his price, someone wood list one for .99 cents and the bidders would take it up to what I wanted to pay. But do your home work and see what the item is selling for before you bid or BUY IT NOW.

KNOWING THE NUMBERS

The opening bid or buy it now price is the number most people look at. But there are other numbers that are even more important.

1. Shipping. Some scumbags will give you a low buy it now price and hope you don’t look at the insane shipping and handling price. If the shipping is way out of line, you don’t want to do business with that seller. Also, if you don’t look at the cost of shipping until check out, you may find that the 45.00 floor mats are going to cost you 90.00 when you throw in the 45.00 shipping. All of a sudden, Napa parts doesn’t look so bad.

2. Area Code. What I really mean is location. China has developed a bad reputations for sending you the wrong size, then putting the responsibility on you to send it back. The only problems I’ve had as a buyer on EBAY have been from mainland China. If the seller looks like they are from China but have an L.A. or Toronto address, it’s really important that you check the next number. (BTW, I’ve had good luck with western Europe. (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and the U.K.) But even when buying from overseas, I don’t buy expensive items.

3. Seller’s Feedback Score. This is a very important number. No matter how sweet the deal looks, if the seller has less than 98.5 positive feedback, READ HIS NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. I use to sell and got tagged with a negative from a scammer that EBAY sided with. Which is why I no longer sell on EBAY. So again, it depends on how bad you need the item. If the seller was left a negative feedback and the buyer said: “Seller is Jerk, avoid at all cost”, you can ignore those 90% of the time. Those are usually answered by the seller with something like : “Buyer can send the item back if not happy”. The more immature the buyer sounds, the more I will trust the seller. What I do look for are Immature comments from the seller. Things like: “Buyer is a jerk and I’ve blocked him”. Or: “Buyer is a loser that can’t read English”. When the seller is unprofessional in their comments and try to make you think the buyer is psychotic, it’s usually the seller you need to look out for. I’ve actually paid more for something because the seller’s comments were unprofessional and immature.

4. Doesn’t take Paypal. I don’t think Paypal is the greatest institution in the world, but if you’re going to play on EBAY, you’re playing Russian Roulette if you do a transaction without going through a 3rd party that will refund your money. That’s the only thing they’re really good for. Plus, it’s much harder to rip off your I.D. by going through Paypal. Sure they may get the Credit card or account number linked to Paypal, but if you’re smart, you won’t keep much money in that account.

EBAY IS AN ADDICTION

Check out this Weird Al Video called “EBAY:

You have no Idea how true this Weird Al video is.

One last bit of advice. Feel free to talk to the seller before you buy. Ask a lot of questions. AND if you how much an Item sells for, and they RARELY COME UP FOR AUCTION. If the opening bid is .99 cents and you know they sell for over $200.00, Tell the sell right away that you’ll give him or her $200.00 if they take it down and do a special private Buy it now Auction for you. It works almost every time. Sure one may come up down the road a few bucks cheaper, but if you know in your heart it’s worth $200.00, give it to them. I bought my favorite piece to my collection that way. I’ve seen them for 199.00 and I think an opening price of 149,00 but in the end, it could have been 300.00. I would also say that if you are a collector of anything, if you watch the sell prices, you’ll see that EBAY is just like the stock market or Real Estate. If you collect Franklin Mint plates, you’ll see how certain plates hold their value while others drop or climb.

Know what they sell for and Know what you’re willing to pay. That’s the Key.

(And avoid bad sellers at all costs)

WHY WE WANT TO BELIEVE

July 19, 2014 by Ace in Paranormal, Personal Development, Spiritual Relilgion | Leave a comment

“I want to believe” ~ Agent Mulder (X-Files)

“My God doesn’t need a flying Saucer to get from here to there”. ~ Sideshow George AKA Giorgio A. Tsoukalos

As much as humans ask: “Why are we here”? The other question that often accompanies that is: “What’s next” and there is very good reason for mankind’s expectations. Pediatricians as well as primary care physicians will tell you that most people do not have much memory recall prior to the age of four years of age.

Those who study Metaphysics say that children who claim to have a past life lose their ability to recall their past life at the ages of four to six.

Why do we think there is another dimension that comes after this life? Because we’ve already made one transition that we are aware of. When we were safely tucked away in the warmth of our mother’s uterus, we had everything we needed. We were attached to our mother (our creator) by way of the umbilical cord. In the same manner, many humans say we are attached to our spiritual creator by our soul.

When we were separated from the world of the womb, we didn’t know there was another world waiting for us. For all our pre-natal minds knew; we would cease to exist once separated from the umbilical cord. But it wasn’t so. Our new life was just beginning.

So having gone through this life after Birth transition it’s only natural to anticipate a life after death transition. We search for that transition which will relieve our minds. This is why we look at the “Paranormal” as a possible answer to this “Next level” transition. Some think we are the descendants of Ancient Aliens that will come to take us home to the star system Sirius. In the constellation Orion.

Many believe in the religious afterlife. HEAVEN! You’ll find a lot of competition down this avenue of thinking. In fact there are some religions that will send you into the afterlife if you disagree with them. They are currently waging war on everyone in the middle-east as we speak.

An ancient belief that is gaining traction again is the thought of “Re-incarnation”. As much as this idea is shot down by biblical worshippers, one must remember that the Idea of re-incarnation was popular 2014 years ago. Jesus asked Peter at the end of Mark 8:27: “Who do they say I am”? Did you ever wonder what Jesus meant by this? And look at Peter’s answer: “Some say you’re John the Baptist. Some say Elijah others say one of the prophets”. I believe Jesus asked his disciples this because re-incarnation was a popular belief 2000 years ago. I have no idea how the concept of re-incarnation works other than your soul comes back in another body. So you’re not really living twice. You’re living once as one person, then again as someone else. Thus, one life per person as the scriptures say. Look at it this way, if the rules said a horse could race once at the tracks per day yet the jockey raced Seattle Slew in the fifth, then He raced Sea Biscuit in the seventh, the rules were obeyed.

THE STRING THEORY

The string theory says that there are multiple dimensions of universal existence that can actually intersect. This would explain life elsewhere but not life after our current life. Unless of course we’re born into another world in another universe that intersects ours. ………..naw me neither.

THE AUTHOR’S PERSONAL BELIEF SYSTEM

Personally, I do believe. I believe that after we die, our energy goes someplace that was prepared for us. It’s the same energy that operates our brain. It’s the same energy that shows compassion or hatred. I might add that there are probably various places that our energy can be sent. Could it be Heaven and Hell? Sure. Could it be an infinite number of dimensions? Why not? I cannot see how the creator of this magnificent human body could have any limitations imposed on Him that he hasn’t willfully allowed. If you want to worship a negative entity (Satan), I’m sure there’s a place for you. This comes from my translation of the New Testament or Holy Bible assembled in 325A.D. by the counsel of Nicea. I believe that part of the Holy Trinity named “Jesus” MUST KNOW YOU.

If you are special, I’ve heard of a place called the seventh realm of Heaven. What can I say? It must be pretty awesome. To me, I believe in the Holy Trinity. This doesn’t mean I don’t believe in UFOs or re-incarnation. I have no idea how it works and I would warn you to avoid anyone who claims to know.

CRYING AND OTHER CHILDHOOD LUXERIES

July 19, 2014 by Ace in Personal Development | Leave a comment

Childhood Luxuries probably start with having someone else doing everything for you. But once you achieve the ability to feed yourself, wipe your own ass and work the remote control yourself, you still have certain luxuries which aren’t often afforded to the adult. We learn as infants, before we have developed a vocabulary, that crying is a physical/vocal plea for help. It doesn’t matter if it comes from having a wet diaper, a dry baby bottle or divorce papers, crying is the first program you install into your brain to cope with life’s issues.

EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS

Temper tantrums are not exclusively endemic to children. Some of the biggest temper tantrums I’ve ever seen were by the most ignorant congressional representatives on the house floor, or by the head of marketing at board meetings.

Recess use to be great. 15 minutes every 2 hours to go outside and swing like a jungle creature on the “Monkey bars” (Can I still say that)? It was like physical counseling. In 6th grade I had a girlfriend. We passed notes back and forth in class that usually read: “I like you, do you like me”? “Will you be my girlfriend”? Talk about low maintenance romance. Now you’re expected to “Hook up” and arrange a time when your parents are gone. (How times have changed)

I now firmly believe that what came naturally, and kept us somewhat healthy as children was the ability to cry spontaneously.

One morning I heard my neighbor’s grandchild crying outside of her house. I could see she was trying to hide her tears. At first I felt really bad for her. I mean; how can an adult human with a beating heart not feel emotion for a child crying? Then the analytical/conservative cartoon character in me popped his head in and said: “Ah she’s probably a spoiled little brat that didn’t get the new X-box game or whatever the new “gotta have” material object is”.

Then my higher-self descended on me and said: “What a wonderful thing”. The ability to externalize something you perceive to be wrong or a misdeed. Maybe dealing with the disappointment was in progress. Perhaps she realized that she may never get to meet Justin Bieber. I don’t know.

EXTERNALIZING ANGST AS AN ADULT

I honestly think that as adults, there’s a fine line between physically letting our emotions play out, suppressing them while living in denial, or just having a self-pity party. Once you get to where you can allow yourself to cry, it becomes almost impossible to control “when” and “where” you begin to cry. I was talking to my boss and something was said that opened the lacrimal flood gates. In a choked up voice I said excuse me and I ran to the nearest restroom and locked myself in. If you ever get to this point, be sure and carry a lot of Visine with you.

I don’t think kids have true pity parties. (Separating the tantrum from the crying) To them, the crying is real but it’s often a ploy to get their way. They don’t realize that not getting to see Justin Bieber is not the end of the world. But the hurt is still there.

I think as adults, we suppress a lot of REAL hurt. As men, we suppress 99.99% of the pain as we’re expected to buck up and “Be a man”. We try to deal with it by submerging our life into our work. We justify our displeasure by saying” ‘Things could have been worse”. We secretly self-medicate with Alcohol, Drugs, meaningless sex or Television. It’s ironic how as children a warm baby bottle will soothe the pain, while as adults, a cold 12oz. bottle will do the same thing. (for a while). Suppressing emotional pain is like putting a lid on a chimney. The smoke will find cracks and work its’ way out. They call this being “moody”. Sometimes they call it going postal.

Sometimes a good cry is all we really need.

Life is a collection of bad YouTube Videos

July 19, 2014 by Ace in Culture, Personal Development, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I was going to make a YouTube video of a re-creation of my memories of my mom driving off with another man while leaving me on the side walk alone. It’s not one of my more proud moments, but nonetheless it’s there in the back (sometimes front) of my mind. And like YouTube, I can’t erase it.

In real life, there are certain triggers like this that set off an emotional chain reaction.

FATHER OF MINE

Ya I was that little kid watching his parent drive off. But in my case it was my mom leaving with another man. What seemed to be a large happy family (I thought) living in a huge country ranch house, became my father and I living in a two bedroom apartment. At least it had a swimming pool. But back in the 60s, men didn’t do all of the domestic things that needed to be done. I went a semester in 6^th grade without electricity in our apartment. Not because we were poor, but because my father had more important things to do. My brother and sister went on their own and it seemed like everyone left. I had to learn from my friends when school sign ups were and pick my classes. It sucks falling in between the cracks. Now they have social workers that would have wiped my ass and send me to counseling.

I know we all have our own mental YouTube videos that we can’t erase or keep from playing.

Why is it that the painful Videos seem to outweigh the happy videos? I have to really stop and purposefully think about the happy ones. But the painful ones seem to come out of nowhere, knocking on my conscious mind’s door. Before you know it, the 10 second commercial has passed and you’re reliving something really hurtful like something that was said in an ugly divorce. Maybe it’s rejection from someone you thought you loved. You walk away saying: “Well at least I know what it’s like to give love”. You also have a decade or two worth of mental YouTube videos in your mind just waiting for some trigger object to hit play. It could be something as simple as watching a mom buy school clothes for an ungrateful son.

I guess if our painful memories were really YouTube Videos that popped up and started playing, before long we would just hit the close button as if we were sending something to the Norton Spam folder, but we can’t.

But with anything in life, it all depends on your emotional bank account.

Listen to this, Sociologist claim that we want to watch the mental video because the pain that it invokes keeps the relationship alive. In a way, it keeps the abandoning parent alive. It keeps the rejecting mate “present”. In a self-destructive sort of way, we want to hold on to every last memory good or bad. In some cases, it’s so bad that when you lose something insignificant (like a cheap ink pen) you’ll keep looking for it until you find it. Psychiatrists say this is a common practice. Deep down in the seeds of your unhappiness is a mental “loss prevention program”. You’ve lost a parent or both and you can’t stand losing anything else, even if it’s a damn ninety nine cent Gel pen. Searching for it makes you feel like you can do something about the loss of a loved one. You also get a dopamine release when you find it.

But reality hits and you’re still an orphan. Oh well…..

It’s how Scientists say it works. Don’t ask me for answers. I spend nights going through my emotional play lists.

THE 10 GREATEST SPORTS MOVIES

July 18, 2014 by Ace in Arts and Entertainment, Sports | Leave a comment

#10 The Natural 1984 – Baseball has a reputation as being a sedate relaxing sport that is somewhat like fishing. Those who love the sport can enjoy a 1-0 Pitching duel as much as a homerun derby. Baseball has always been “The Poetic” sport. It’s true Americana. Books like “The Boys of Summer” romanticize the sport. “The Natural” is more of a baseball portrait as it is a movie. In fact the movie can be boring at times. But this movie is just so damn beautiful. The Knights are one of the most well-known fictional sport teams that has had a successful merchandise market. (Selling Flannel Knights uniforms) Notable line: “Pick me a good bat Bobby”.

#9 Miracle on Ice – 1981 In the 1980 Olympics The U.S. Hockey team pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Earlier in 1980, in an exhibition game, the Russian Olympic team beat the NHL All-Star team. So there was only one word that defined the 1980 Russian team. “Unbeatable”. Notable line: “I’m not looking for the best players. I’m looking for the right players”.(Spoken by coach Herb Brooks)I need to add that the few Russian friends I have told me that the 1980 Soviet team was told to throw the game by the Russian Mafia. This is very plausible and did ruin the movie for me.

#8 Rudy – 1993 Daniel E. Ruettiger “Rudy” grew up in a steel mill town that family generations worked at. The program went like this, finish high school sign up for work at the steel mill, drink beer on Saturdays while watching the Notre Dame fighting Irish down at the neighborhood pub. Retire at 65 with a gold watch and pension. But Rudy had a dream. (Those damn dreams). He wants to play for Notre Dame and not just watch them with a beer in his hand.

This movie is a true story about a boy who realized his dream at the cost of alienating his family and his would be fiancé. There’s only one major problem, (Well a couple) Rudy doesn’t have the grades to get into Notre Dame, and he’s half the size of the average college football player. This movie will make you feel warm and want to cry for Rudy, or it will depress you and make you want to cry about your own life. Notable line: “Come on, hit me damn it”. (When a larger player go easy on little Rudy)

#7 Cool Runnings – 1993 In the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics the world was pulling for what seemed to be a novelty. A teamed that was comprised of all black Jamaicans and a Canadian coach. Cool Runnings is not just a story about the Jamaican Bobsled Team, but about redemption and the eventual fulfillment of their dreams. It’s a story about a former bobsledder that illegally added weight to his bob sled, only to be strip of his medal and shamed into obscurity and a young Jamaican runner who injured himself in earlier Olympic trials. Notable line: “Jamaica’s got demselves a bobsled team mon”.

#6 Bull Durham 1988 – Up until 1988, the world had no Idea of the life of a minor league baseball team. Bull Durham is a fictional story of Crash Davis who is a lifetime minor league record holder. It’s an entertaining movie if you can stand Susan Sarandon’s acting. To add conflict to what would be a mundane documentary as life on minor league buses, the AA class Durham Bulls get Crash Davis in a trade where he’s demoted back to double A ball to handle a first round pitching prospect with an arm that throws 100 miles per hour. Crash proves himself to be the star of the team, while the kid gets called up the same season and not Crash. The movie shows how life is unfair. It’s the old minor league veteran’s knowledge that gets the pitching prospect called up. Once called up Durham has no use for an aging minor leaguer. Notable line: “I’m not interested in any woman that’s interested in that boy”.

#5 The Winning Team – 1952 (AKA The Grover Cleveland Alexander Story) In 1911 Grover Cleveland Alexander is a farmer who is blessed with a great pitching arm. But he’s also blessed with a supportive wife (Doris Day) who has her own dreams of Grover being a farmer and the two having children and living life as farmers. When given the chance to pitch against a professional team, Alexander throws a 3 hitter. The professional team offers Grover (Played by Ronald Reagan) a professional contract. The farmer convinces his fiancé that with the money he makes playing professional baseball, they’ll be able to buy a farm in no time. Ronald Reagan does an excellent job playing a ball player going through the ups and downs of injuries and meteoric stardom. This is a true story. Parts for the script were provided by Mrs. Alexander. Notable Line: “I’d love to pitch for your team but I’m going to be a farmer”.

#4 The Rookie-2002 In 1983 the fourth pick of the first round of the June draft in Major League Baseball; The Milwaukee Brewers chose Left handed pitcher Jim Morris from San Angelo University. Again, Jimmy was a kid who lived/loved baseball. The son of a senior enlisted Navy recruiter who had little compassion for dreams or dreamers. He was constantly moving from duty station to duty station. In 1986 after signing a minor league contract with the Brewers, Morris suffered a shoulder injury and possibly an elbow tendon tear. (I cannot find documentation on this but Morris’ comeback success is not unusual for those who have successful Tommy John surgery. (Elbow tendon reconstruction)

13 years later at the age of 35, Morris is coaching a high school baseball team and during one practice, his catcher asks him if he wants to throw a few. Morris has a habit of going out to an old baseball diamond by an abandoned oil field and throws a bucket of baseballs just to relax. His high school catcher sees him and invites him to throw to a real catcher. After a few soft tosses, his catcher says: “Come on coach, BRING IT”. Morris lets go of a 90 plus mile per hour fast ball that leaves everyone watching, jaw-dropping speechless.

The team knows how good he is and during a motivational speech about having dreams, his team says: “What about you coach”? End of speech! The team makes Morris a deal. If they win the district championship, he’ll try out for a professional baseball team. The team wins and Morris finds himself at a baseball tryout throwing 90 miles per hour. In 1999, Jim Morris threw his first inning in the majors for the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out the side with fastballs. This movie is about a second chance at your dreams. Notable Line: “How do you expect to go anywhere in life unless you have dreams”? (This was part of his motivational speech to his team).

#3 Pride of the Yankees 1942 (AKA The Lou Gehrig Story)The son of German immigrants to the United States, the young Lou Gehrig is always playing sandlot baseball. The Gehrig kid can hit the ball so far, he breaks shop windows. (Even the police comment on what power the young kid has). The movie is written around the personal life of Hall of Famer and legendary Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig. The same Lou Gehrig that had the dubious honor of having a fatal neural/skeletal disease named after him. Walter Brennan plays a big role in this movie. He’s the sports announcer that acts as the voice for the shy Gehrig while Babe Ruth (in person) does his own marketing. Much of the movie is about the Love between Lou and his wife, Lou and the city of New York and Lou and his non-believing parents. Most significantly, the movie is about the love between Lou and Baseball. Notable line: “Give it to me straight doc. I’m a man that likes to know his batting average”.

#2 The Longest Yard 1974 The “original” Longest Yard will make you sad, make you cry, will scare you, make you wet your pants laughing and will have you rooting. This is the fictional story of an all-star quarterback that gets prison time for taking his girlfriend’s Sports car. Burt Reynolds is easily at his finest in The Longest yard. The warden of the prison (Played by Eddie Albert) that Paul” The Wrecking” Crew ends up in, has pulled many strings to get the all-star quarterback into his correctional facility. The warden has a semi-pro team made up of the guards and wants Crew to coach the team. Reynolds’ character says: “I just want to do my time and I’m out of here”. This creates animosity between Albert and Reynolds then Crew eventually caves into the Warden’s demands that Crew put together a team of the inmates to play the guards. It was the Semi-Pros vs. The Cons. Burt Reynolds puts together a motivated team that is actually beating the warden’s team. Albert uses his power as warden to extort Crew at half-time into throwing the game. When the hero says: “I can’t do that”. The warden responds: “Why not? You’ve done it before”. Paul Crew was suspected of shaving points off of big games for gambling purposes. NOTABLE EXCHANGE: “Why did you do it”? ” Do what”? “You know, shave all those points off of those games. You could have killed a man, stole your momma’s pension check or robbed a bank and none of us would have cared, but shaving points off of a football game, man that’s just un-American”.

#1 Field Of Dreams 1989- All of us go through life with an unfulfilled issue with one parent (Author unknown). This movie combines all of the elements of all of the previously mentioned storylines with one exception, they add the element of science fiction. (Similar to Damn Yankees) Ray Kinsella is a former rebellious hippie from Berkeley who was the son of a former major league catcher for the Yankees who died before he could reconcile his differences with his father. Women may not get this and I might be misogynistic by saying this, but, there is a special bond between a son and dad playing catch. You don’t have to talk. You don’t need a reason. But it bonds father and son. Just as many say the father/daughter relationship is special, so is the bond that comes from playing catch with your dad. In Field of Dreams, the young Ray Kinsella is at war with his father and says: “He could never respect a man whose hero was a criminal”. (Referring to Shoeless Joe Jackson) Kinsella knew Jackson was not a criminal but spewed this just to be hurtful. When asked: “But you knew Joe Jackson was innocent”, Kinsella responds, yeah but the son of a bitch up and died before I could take it back”.

A voice coming from Ray’s corn field tells him to plow down his crops and build a baseball diamond. It was the ever so famous line: “If you build it; They will come”. The voice also tells him to: “Go the distance” which is followed by a dream Ray and his wife both have about Ray and a famous writer from Boston going to a game at Fenway Park. The writer “Terrence Mann” played by the great actor James Earl Jones is supposed to be J.D. Salinger in real life as Ray Kinsella often refers to his life of teenage angst. He also refers to reading “Catcher in the Rye”.

Once the field is built, it become inhabited by the ghosts of Baseball’s past, including shoeless Joe Jackson.

This movie has a wonderful soundtrack. It has photography that rivals that of “The Natural”, and it has Burt Lancaster. The Field actually exists in Dyersville, Iowa. I believe this to be the greatest sports movie of all time. Ironically, the movie has little to do with Baseball, but Baseball is the vehicle that makes the plot work. It’s a movie about Parent/child relationships. It’s a movie about redemption and of course it is a Field about dreams.

NOTABLE MENTION: “WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP”. There really are no wonderful movies about Basketball that don’t include Bugs Bunny. But in 1992 Warner Brothers teamed Woody Harrelson with Wesley Snipes for a fictional movie about a white and black 2 on 2 basketball team from Venice Beach in L.A. It’s well worth the money, and yes Woody can slam dunk. It would have made the list but it would have come in at #11. I just wanted to represent as many sports as possible. NOTABLE LINE: “We goin’ to Sizzler; We goin’ to Sizzler”

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