Skip to main content

Posts

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

            Entertainment pundit John Campea recently posted a video lamenting the increasing cost of going to the movies (ticket prices, concessions, etc.). He worries that it will mean fewer people going to the cinema. The guys over at CarEdge have long been disappointed in the rising costs of car purchases, with similar concerns that Campea has about moviegoing, that higher automobile costs will mean a decrease in sales. That situation may be resolving itself soon, though. Meanwhile, CNBC recently did a report about how Disney may be pricing some families out of visiting its theme parks.      The aforementioned folks lay out the mathematics of how the economy is supposed to work, that lower prices for goods often means more people purchasing them. A surfeit of consumers means an increase in sales which, depending on the margins, often means an increase in profit. In short, a business should always be looking to expand its customer base. It's capitalism 101, right? Right? Or
Post a Comment
Read more
Recent posts

First as Friends

As some of you know, I've been working on a shorty story collection of love stories. A few have been published here and, well, here's another. Someday, maybe the whole book will come out!
Post a Comment
Read more

The Way We Talk Now

You may not have heard, but there was a US presidential debate earlier this week. Kamala Harris (current vice-president) vs. Donald Trump (former president). I couldn't stomach to watch it, but of course I read news articles about it afterward, talked with a couple of people in-person the next morning who'd seen it, and of course there was the barrage of social media friends who were commenting on it. It's that last part I wanted to talk about. First, I'm obviously not against someone's debate performance being analyzed. Heck, there are classes in public schools that are all about debate. So, that isn't the issue. What bothers me is how the performances are analyzed. Like, yeah, sure, have a poll asking folks what they thought of the debate, and who they thought did better. That's fine. It's the reactions I've been seeing primarily on social media that are concerning. It's like I'm back in school. Except, these are adults (at least in chron
Post a Comment
Read more

I Was So Much Older Then, But I'm Younger Than That Now

Last night I saw an advanced screening of the new movie, My Old Ass . Terrible title, excellent film. It had an affect on me, which I wanted to write about. Be forewarned: there will be some spoilers to follow, so if you think you'll watch the movie at some point, perhaps it would be wise to stop reading now and come back to this later.
Post a Comment
Read more

Gone a Long Time

  "Be happy while you are living, for you're a long time dead."                                                                                          ---- Scottish proverb My dad died from pancreatic cancer 27 years ago today.  This year has been a bit different when thinking about his passing. It isn't because I miss him -- quite the opposite. It's because I realized, as the years have gone on, how I think about him less and less. Lewis is no longer present. That may sound like an obvious thing to take note of regarding someone who's been dead for almost three decades, but it's true that our deceased loves ones often continue to exist within our own psyche. We tend to think of them often, and it doesn't take much for their memories to rise to the surface.
Post a Comment
Read more

Musings

Apropos of nothing, here are a few observations /opinions / things I've come to learn over the years.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Secret in Their Eyes

"I could tell by the way you looked at him." A few weeks ago, Ashley & I saw a new foreign film, Touch , and it got me thinking about the past. The movie centers around an older man, Kristofer, who is making the journey from Iceland to the UK, right as the world is shutting down in March of 2020. He soldiers on, as he is on a major quest. He is on the cusp of being diagnosed with a serious illness and, as he and his medical professionals await confirmation, his doctor advises him to tie up any loose ends and take care of unfinished business. We follow Kristofer in the 'present day' of 2020, and then approximately 50 years in the past, as a college student studying in London. He is an aspirational youth, determined to buck the system that he has become so disillusioned with. He drops out of school. and takes a job working in a Japanese restaurant. There he falls in love with the owner's daughter, Miko, who is about his same age. Events happen, and they lose con
Post a Comment
Read more