I've Neglected You, and I'm Sorry

I know I've been absent for a while. Nothing horrible happened to me, I'm just a lazy fuck.

First of all, the wedding date is set. July 12th of 2008. We always thought it would be July 12th, but we hadn't actually done what we needed to do to confirm it until a week ago.

Secondly, I'd like to take a minute to talk about the tragedy in Omaha last week. Specifically, I'd like to say a word or two about the guy that did the shooting. It's one thing to commit suicide, I mean it's his choice to end his life or not, but that's not what he did. Instead, he made the decision for 8 other people. Instead of just ending his pathetic life, he felt that taking people with him was the best thing to do. You know why he did this? I know. He did this because it wasn't about killing himself. It was never about killing himself. What is was about is a fucked-up piece of shit who wanted others to hurt. Killing himself was just a way to ensure that he didn't have to own up to what he did. It was a way for him to bypass the consequences and responsibility that everyone else has to deal with. It isn't the P.C. thing to say, but that guy was a worthless bastard and I'm glad he's dead.

Now, I transition to Oprah. She has nothing to do with the previous paragraph, so don't assume that I would also like to see Oprah dead. She's powerful enough to monitor my internet usage, and if she thinks I want her dead, she'll take me out first. What I don't agree with is her very obvious backing of Barack Obama. I guess her power and influence is why I don't like the situation. You see, when it comes to popular people in the media, there are a number of people who take their opinions to seriously. People who, despite facts or other conflicting opinions, will blindly take the advice and run with it. To me, Oprah openly backing a presidential candidate is like a news anchor openly backing a candidate: it just shouldn't be done. Like a news anchor, she should keep her political views out of her broadcasts. People should look at all the facts before voting, but I can assure you that her opinion will cause a number of women to vote for Obama, whether they agree with him or not. I say women not to be sexist, but Oprah's primary audience is women, that's just a fact. Maybe I'm being too goddamn bitchy, but I think Oprah should leave the political endorsements to political experts and allow people to make up their own minds.

Something else that I've recently grown more aware of is the state of healthcare in the U.S. I keep hearing politicians talk of universal healthcare and the problems with the current systems, and until a month ago, I really didn't take much notice of it. However, now I see what everyone is making a fuss over. I went to the emergency room about a month ago because I was having quite the painful ordeal with a tooth of mine that has been cracked for many a year. I'm too damn stupid to actually get it taken care of by a dentist. Because of this tooth, my gums and cheek on my left side really started to swell up and it hurt like a bitch. I actually have a pretty high pain tolerance, so for me to go to the hospital says a lot. I was at there for an hour, most of the time was spent waiting. When the doctor did treat me, all he did was lance the swollen area, drain the puss and blood by squeezing my cheek a few times, and write me perscriptions for antibiotics and painkillers.

I wouldn't have gone to the hospital had I not had health insurance, like many Americans don't have. Well, I got the bill last week from the hospital. It turns out that for the 10 minutes or so I was being treated, I owe the hospital $485. 485 fucking dollars to get poked in the gums? WHAT THE FUCK? Had I not had insurance, it would have cost near $1000. Keep in mind, I have insurance, a job, and no dependents to care for. If I wasn't financially stable, I couldn't pay for this treatment. To me, being charged this much for so little is damn near illegal. If not illegal, than most certainly horribly immoral. It isn't like there is only 1 hospital to care for all of Denver. It wasn't like the emergency room was full of people. It's simply the hospital charging as much as they want for services you can't possibly turn down without possible deadly consequences.

On the other hand, I went to the dentist yesterday and had that tooth, and another one removed. The dentist literally spent over an hour and a half performing what amounts to surgery on me. You know what that surgery cost me with my insurance? $38. Thirty eight dollars for surgery at the dentist while the hospital wants damn near $500 for a 10 second stabbing. So, I guess what I'm saying is tht I understand now. I get why people are upset at the state of healthcare in the U.S. And, I truly feel sorry for all those people out there who put off going to hospitals because they know they can't do that and pay the rent at the same time. I feel sorry for the people who do go to the hospital with their sick child not knowing if they'll be able to feed their child after the bill comes. I can't believe that, in this country where everything is supposed to be so damn great, this is acceptable.

I'm done complaining now, I really am. I'd actually like to give my thoughts about the film I saw yesterday: The Golden Compass. Normallt, I try to avoid fantasy films marketed to children, or any film marketed to children, but I decided to give this one a shot. Part of this decision was the film's rating of PG-13, instead of the vomit-induced G rating that is given to most children's films. The Golden Compass is rated PG-13 for a reason. Even though it certainly wasn't too "cutesy" or anything, I did find myself wondering why it had the PG-13 rating, at least up until a scene about halfway in that surprised me a bit with its brutality.

But, did I like the film? Yes actually, I did, and for a few reasons. First of all, I was dreading that this film would be another "kid sucked into a fantasy world where everything is new and strange" type of film. Keep in mind, I've never read these books so I had no idea what to expect. It turns out that the main character lives in this fantasy world, so that pleased me greatly. Secondly, and more importantly, was that the film didn't beat us over the head with this fantasy world. Yes, the world was indeed strange and otherworldly, but there weren't any "Hey look at this, isn't this so strange and cool? I bet you didn't expect to see this!" moments. The filmmakers didn't showcase this world for us. They simply treated it as if we were already accustomed to this reality.

No, the film wasn't perfect, and I can name a number of things that could have been done better, but I came out of the theater thinking that I had seen a fairly good film, not that I had just seen a fairly good children's film. And honestly, the film isn't intended for young children, and I think a lot of parents might make that mistake. Sure, it will be their fault for not paying attention to the PG-13 rating, but you know as well as I do, they'll bitch and moan that they were misled and blah blah blah.

I'll end with a few DVD recommendations:

Futurama: Bender's Big Score came out about 2 weeks ago. What sucks is that most places are selling it for $20. I can buy a season of Futurama for 20 bucks, so a single Futurama film for the same price seems like we're being raped ever so slightly. However, it's a funny film and I suggest buying it to support Futurama and by doing so, let Fox know that canceling it was a dumb ass idea.

Live Free or Die Hard also came out a few weeks back. If you're going to watch it, make sure you watch the Unrated version.

The last Pirates of the Caribbean film was released last Tuesday. It's a damn fine film despite what others may tell you.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor is in stores now. If you haven't seen any of this series now, just wait and watch it all on DVD in its entirety when the 4th, and final, season hits DVD sometime in the next 2 years.

Speaking of Battlestar Galactica, on December 26th, Battlestar Galactica 1980 is released. Do not buy this. If you buy this, I will pay someone to shank you with a sharpened toothbrush handle. All I have to say is: Cylons on motorbikes. Seriously, big robots on choppers.

It's 3 a.m. and I'm going to bed.