Inglourious Basterds

Take The Dirty Dozen, with a greater cinematic emphasis on the violence, add a few more plot twists and turns, and you've basically summed up Inglourious Basterds.
It's The Dirty Dozen, taken to the next level, and the one after that.

Another master from Tarantino. I'm not one of those who possesses a Tarantino fetish, but I am a fan of much of his works on an individual basis. (For the record: I've never seen Kill Bill, and have no desire to.)

One of the small, cinematic details I appreciate in this film was the depiction of Adolph Hitler, who is never named as such, but you know it's him. Instead of the Hitler we've come to see in most movies, in this one he is presented as not just crazy-mad, but physically unattractive, accentuating the ugliness of his personhood.
We are presented not with a 'Hitler' character, but instead caricature of what we really think about the Fuhrer, and who he was, as opposed to a historical portrayal.
A brilliant detail, in my always humble opinion.

I was a little disappointed in the lack of bloodletting violence, but by the time I realized what I was missing, I was too engrossed in the drama that was unfolding to notice that I wasn't getting precisely what I came for. That's a good thing,really.
Don't get me wrong. The violence and gore are plenty, just a lot less than what I was expecting.

If you haven't seen it (and judgeing by the box office reports, you likely already have), I suggest you do. But leave the kids at home.

For a drunken, elitist, socialistic ideologue who was only popular in newsrooms and Massachusetts, I'd say the coverage is just a little bit over the top already.

And you can't call it "English", because it implies that another ethnicity might fuck it up.

The Bank Strikes Back

Tonight, I ventured out to Mexico Chiquito for a chili relleno fix. I hadn't been there yet, and was anxious to give them a try.
Alas, I was too late.
I got there to find it burned damn near to the ground.
I suspect they won't be rising from the ashes anytime soon, if at all.
Arson is a great way to get out of a non-profitable restaurant. I'm not saying this is what happened, but hey... statistics are what they are.

Too bad. It looked like such a nice place.


With my previous adventure to The Bank Of Mexican Food still fresh in my memory, along with my offer to the owner that, maybe, I might give it another chance, I decided "What the hell".
Now was as good a time as any.

This experience started off differently: I walked in, was seated within seconds, and had menu, flatware and drink order in no time. Spot on, great service. Friendly,too.
And I only had to wave off the chips and salsa once.

Taking a cue from the past, I skipped the chili relleno and ordered three enchiladas, a la carte. (Still can't handle rice and beans. Maybe someday...)

Absolutely a different food this time.
The enchiladas, I could tell, were freshly made. They were not the perfected, every-one-just-like-the-other, cookie cutter type enchiladas you would find at a larger, well-ordered commercial restaurant chain.
Nope. These were more of what you would find in somebody's kitchen, in their home.
They were good, and fresh, with a slight baked-type crunch around the edges.

Loosely folded (personally, I prefer a more tightly folded enchilada), and filled with not just cheese, but also laced with onions and black olives, adding a little more taste and texture to the meal. A nice touch, and one that I like very much. You wouldn't usually find this personal addition at a chain location.
And the cheese was stringy/stretchy, lacking the pasty plasticity that doomed the rellenos last time out.

A traditional style, slightly spicy, not too tangy, tomato-based sauce complimented the enchiladas without burying them.
After the enchiladas were finished, I actually scooped up as much of the sauce as I could, til it was gone. It was yum.

Nothing bland about my plate this time. It wasn't heavily spicy, either. So, if you're a native Mexican food eater, this may be a little mild for your buds.
But, as a mainstream, made for American tastes, Mexican food, this should make you happy.

Almost There

From what I'd seen today, the Bears are looking better than last year. But, so are the Packers. I think the division belongs to one of these two, hopefully the former.
The season opener will be an exciting one. Go Bears!

As for the Vikings: the whole story just reeks of bad karma on so many levels.
And The Gods don't like bad karma. I wouldn't be surprised if the Vikings finished behind the Lions.

($25 million for two years? What were they thinking?)

Obama Preaches The Gospel Of Life

Well, not really. It's from an Episcopalian site, but we'll cite it anyway because, like the Rev. Wright, almost anyone can be called a Christian nowdays.

Obama, religious leaders urge people of faith to participate in health care reform


Here's the money shot:

"fabrications that have been put out there to stop people from meeting a core moral and ethical obligation that we look out for one another … that I am my brother's keeper, my sister's keeper, and in the wealthiest nation on earth we are neglecting to live up to that call."

This from a guy who would deny life saving treatment to children.

Officially Untitled Post

Would you be willing to buy a comprehensive Auto Care Insurance policy?
It would cover the obvious things we buy insurance for, like an accident, flood, falling trees...or any other form of catastrophic occurrence.

It would also bundle oil changes,transmission service, diagnostic check ups, tire repair/replacement, brakes, washing and waxing... for however often the owner of the policy deemed these things necessary.
Of course, those with pre-existing damage, bad rings, grinding brakes, blown gaskets or bald tires cannot be discriminated against; while premiums would be the same for the 20yr old, three-times DUI male driving a street rod as they would be for the granny who only drives three miles to Mass on Sunday...
...While anybody who doesn't have coverage has the privilege of driving their vehicle into any auto care center with full expectation of service... even if the vehicle is not properly registered, has foreign plates, and suspicious VIN numbers are used for identification.

How much do you pay for auto coverage now? How much do you think it will cost with the new policy?

Much of the problem with the way we approach health care can be seen in what you would predict to be the issues facing us if we were to take the same approach regarding auto insurance as we do in our attempts to make sense out of what we call the health care system.

Which is not really a system at all, but a case of severe governmental meddling in the affairs of a large industrial segment of our economy, a population with an entitlement mentality in regards to the fruits of that industry, and lawyers who know a teet when they see one.

First Obama accused pediatricians of performing unnecessary tonsillectomies, just for the money, citing as proof some statistics that were promptly proven to be false.
This was in his prime-time press conference. You know, the one where everything he said was a lie? That one.

Today, he accused surgeons of hacking off limbs instead of providing care. Once again, the motive was doctor's greed. This, once again, is also a lie.

This self-centered messiah is either the stupidest fuck we could have ended up with, or he's just plain bad. I'm mean, bad as in evil. Not a good person.

And I think he needs to expalin what his beef is with the doctors? Why does he feel the need to cheap-shot them repeatedly? What is the source of this animus that appears, to me, to be personal?

Or maybe, just maybe, he's too stupid to realize these accusations were lies. I'm not so sure about that,though. Even I knew, the moment I heard these statements, that they were false on their face. And I'm just an undereducated mill worker.

What's his fucking excuse? Doesn't he know how the industry works? Division of labors, and all that? If that's the case, do we really want him deciding anything having to do with reforming the medical industry?

Some Thoughts On The Health Care Thing

The amount of people who have been blogging about The Obama's health care plan is without end. It is for this reason I've generally left the issue alone here.
There is too much to say, and too much that we, as a population do not/cannot understand.

The best I can do with the issue is post a series of thoughts or ideas that may or may not make any sense and likely wont tie together into any sort of coherent policy preference, but I'll try.

First thing, we need to get the concept of a 'health care system' out our head. Health care, whatever you think it means, is not a system. It's an industry. A large, and ever growing, segment of our economy. Just like we can't refer to the Coal Mining System, the Automotive Manufacturing System, the Burgers and Fries Producing System without sounding just a little bit removed from the realities of what it we are dealing with/talking about.

The Health Care Industry is not, and should not be allowed to become, an operative branch of government.

Before we think of ways that the government can get involved in providing health care, how about we first think of ways that the government can uninvolve itself from those who are currently providing health care?

I kind of favor the idea that health insurance should be marketed much like automobile insurance. Sure, it means that a potentially child bearing woman in her twenties would pay a whole lot more for her coverage than a male counterpart; but this, I'm sure, would help level the playing field with the twenty-something male who buys auto insurance.

You wouldn't expect auto insurance,life insurance, or a homeowner's policy to cover a pre-existing condition, so why do we find it acceptable to mandate health insurance policies to do so?

What are the odds Obama and his merry band of leaders will subject their families to the same plan they want to mandate for the rest of us? How about 'zero'?
But, given the strength of government employee unions, odds are they will still preserve their status quo, better-than-the-rest-of-us, medical plans while private employers would be sticking the rest of us the public plan.
This will create a two tier society: those 'of the government' and the proletariat. Wasn't this type of system already deemed a failure by history?

Exactly was is "Health Care"? Do abortions count? How about wart removal? Penile Extensions? Physical therapy? Gym memberships? How often? And who decides these things?

If wrongfully denied coverage by my insurance provider, I have recourse through legal channels. Or my family will, should I die as a result. Do you really think we will be allowed to sue the Federal Government for the same reasons?

Remember 'Joe the Plumber'? After asking an embarassing question of the wrong person, his tax and child support records were made public. How safe do you think democracy and liberty will be when the government owns everyone's medical records?

I'm liking these vociferous 'Town Halls', and I enjoy seeing congressmen and senators finally recieving some due respect.

Obama Boom?

Considering the celebrant, they should be checking the abortion clinics,instead

Watch This Space...

My mind and body have been occupied with less worthy pursuits.
I'll get back to you real soon, and I promise to make the rounds.

Back To Work, For Reals

Finally, late yesterday I got the call to return to work. Guess I had clean pee,huh?

Began the day with a rehash of safety videos. Typically, when somebody has been out for an extended period, the company forces him to sleep sit through a safety refresher course. No big deal.
Comfy chair in an clean, quiet, air conditioned room? I'll take it.

With about two hours left in the day, I was released to 'return to work'. Not that I actually worked,though. Basically, for two hours I shadowed my position replacement, under instruction to do very little until I get re-acquainted with the system that I helped launch in the first place.

Tomorrow, I get to 'shadow' again while I finish out the week.

The best part: I am the senior man in this position, of which only one position exists. I was scheduled to return at the beginning of the week, the date of my doctor's release.
Therefore, all hours worked in this position, all week long, were my contractual right, so I will be paid for the full week, plus the overtime my replacement put in.

Too cool,huh?

Next week I'll have to earn my money.
(And get used to the feel of work boots after eleven months of wearing slippers)

I want to personally thank every single one of you for all of your support throughout the past year, but that would take a lot of typing and posting.
Just know that it has meant a lot to me, in measures and ways that words fail, and on a level that I can never forget.

God bless you all.
(yeah, even you.)

On a downer note: a few months ago, one of my co-workers was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. He's going through a big Hell right now. Be grateful for life's every blessing, because no matter what you got, there is always somebody else who has it worse, and what we often take for granted can easily be taken away.

I've got an idea to help fight Global Warming and cure the economy.

How about we just give $100,000 to anybody who wants to trade their larger, less energy efficient house for a smaller, more efficient house?
After the deal is made, the previous home will be bulldozed so nobody else can pollute with it again.

Think of the boost to the housing market and construction trades. This will pull us out of the recession within about 32 minutes, and save the planet at the same time.

First Day

First day back to the mill. I spent about 15 minutes in the office, and one hour at the clinic.
Pissed in a jar, signed some forms, and verfied that yes, I did have a pulse.

They'll call me when the wiz quiz comes back in a couple days. In the meantime, I'm getting paid.