Open2Discussion

Those are the powerful words that Maynard opens the last song of Tool's most recent album: 7empest -- Fear Inoculum. This album released in 2019 is the soundtrack for the entire year of 2020. So let's jump right in... It's been a hell of a year this 2020 CE. So many things to unpack, so many lies told, and so many millions dealing with the loss of a job, loss of their homes, or loss of loved ones - surreal isn't even a strong enough word to describe this mess we're experiencing in the US of A. At this point we've already seen over 150,000 deaths related to COVID-19 and symptoms like it, but we're reopening schools across the nation this fall! I could spend hours diving into any one of these topics, but if you've been living under a rock (and who hasn't envied it) since February, here's a rough catalog of the things that have happened. March 2020  COVID-19 became a household term thrown around 200 million+ households multiple times a day Tiger Ki...

I almost got punched at a party over this one, but I still believe it to be at least 50% true, so I think I need to get it out there to at least have the option of a conversation on the topic. I live my life, as everyone does, between the small and big pictures. I recognize that my actions have consequences in my life, and I recognize that my life has an infinitesimally small, approaching zero effect on the universe. In fact, to borrow a misuse of Newton ’s first law, every one of my actions is met by an equal and opposing reaction, so I’m really just a random motion in the giant equilibrium machine of existence. I’m mentally at the end of I ♥ Huckabee’s where they realize that everything is connected, but it’s nothing special. Here’s my problem, I grew up in the culture that changed “whatever” from a pronoun to a sentence. Today, that attitude is unacceptable. Today we have two generations bookending the Xers that are acting like the Vatican should add apathy to make 8 deadly sins. ...

Ah, so what’s happened in the last 2 years since the last time I posted an update on this blog… well, the stock market crashed , the housing bubble burst, and two major car companies are teetering on the brink of oblivion. The Wii was a money printing machine for Nintendo who rose back to the top of the gaming industry. The internet has been growing exponentially, and so have the malicious attacks – viruses, trojans, phishing attacks, etc. The term “ credit default swap ” entered the vocabulary because bankers got greedy and traded money they didn’t have. The Pirate Bay lost a huge court case – even though there is still a long process of appeals left, it’s made piracy a prime target for legislators in countries around the world. Social media powerhouse Facebook pissed off a lot of users by revamping the main page , and Twitter came out of nowhere. We have a new President that won in what was basically a landslide. He’s got a lot of people behind him, and wants to make changes ...

Well, I've had it. Oil prices have reached yet another high . I'm taking it upon myself to stick it to the man, because it seems everyone else is bending over and grabbing some petroleum based product (yes Vaseline is made from the same shit that Gasoline comes from) and lubbing up. I'm no longer driving anywhere but to a bus stop - 2 miles from where I live. I take the bus all the way from Aliquippa to the same stop I was using coming from Bloomfield. It takes an hour, but what better way to catch up on some music and reading? I've also calculated that by taking the bus, I'm saving approximately $200/month. That's $2400/year. I could buy a pretty nice hat with that kind of money.