Showing posts with label 2016 election. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016 election. Show all posts

Friday, January 20, 2017

Channel it

Today is a day I've been dreading. Trump will be sworn in as our president.

Some of you might remember my thoughts on election night last November. If not, then CLICK HERE but suffice to say I wasn't pleased. I didn't want Clinton either. I wanted Bernie Sanders. But the Democrats did some shady shit and fucked him over on it.

This is all history and I don't want to relive it, honestly. It makes me feel disenfranchised by the whole thing. And I've seen it everyday... we're all pissed at each other. We label each other as Alt Right, or extreme Liberal, and then judge as such. Baiting and switching arguments. I've even got into a couple myself. Sometimes I cannot help it. Someone will say something so outlandish that I have to question it. What I get back is a bunch of slander and abusive ad hominums instead of addressing the argument. Cause I genuinely (and obviously) don't have my finger on the pulse of what is going on out there in the world. And I have many fears that the man sworn in today will be a complete sham. Not because memes or newsbites tell me so... but from honest research. Its all out there if you want to take a look.

But like it or not, he's becoming our president today. And I'm not happy about it. But it is what it is. I'll let history make its own judgements. And honestly, truly... I hope I am wrong. I hope that he comes in and jobs increase, our social issues get fixed, the poor are taken care of, another war is avoided, hell.. all the things that plague us now get fixed. We always have the puncher's chance of hope.

It has to be known that one man cannot be our savior. If we want change, we must start within and with each other. We must treat each other better. We gotta get louder about that change and our support for each other. We must CHANNEL what we feel into something. And that something, is our art.

We must do our best at what we do. Our job, our parenting, our writing, painting, drawing, playing or writing music, photography, knitting, cooking... everything that is art, make it our best. We must channel our feelings into these things. Not into each other. Make your voice known through your works and how you treat people.

Remember the old saying: "Actions speak louder than words." Well, lets make that happen. If you support Trump and are labeled as an extreme right racist asshole, show the world you're not. If you are an extreme left liberal whiny sore loser, show the world you're not. We can all "beat our swords into plow shears" as the bible says and be better people. For our neighbors, our loved ones and ourselves.

The man in Washington doesn't matter. We do. The works we produce matter. Whatever conduit we use to channel our anger, confusion or happiness, this matters. So make it about that and hope for the best from our representatives that were chosen this time around.

But always use caution: Research. Be weary of deceit. Someone will try to fuck us, always. Be mindful to protect yourself and your neighbors and loved ones. We'll get through this, together.

Channel your feelings into your art and your life. We will come out the other end. We will prevail. We will stand.

--T


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

The Gathering of the Juggalos of Thoughts

Another blog so soon? Eh, why not. Its my outlet to write in the mornings. Plus people dig it, so fuck it. Let's go.

I'm out of new Howard Stern and podcasts this week, so I am listening back to old Idiothead Morning Show episodes from this past year. First of all, I think I'm boring as fuck and you folks are saints for still listening! Second of all, I've drifted through a lot of shit. I re-read some blogs over the last couple years and I gotta say this: I'm really goddamn lucky.

We look at 2016 as a shit year and yeah, it has been! Lots of celebrity death, lots of personal losses, economy being so-so, bad events, political BS.. on and on. But you know, I'm happy to have those things. I'm grateful I have the works those musicians, artists and actors left behind. I'll always have them with me. I'm grateful to have met a man like Caleb and I know his friends and family. We will continue to carry his spirit on with us the rest of our lives. I'm grateful for the bad shit that has happened to me. It kind of puts a nice spin on the good things that have happened to me and makes me more grateful to have them. We got to be alive at a great time to know these things and have them with us no matter what. Be grateful for that.

I'm slowly putting together my best of 2016 list and its surprisingly full of content! For as much bad shit that has happened this year, we got a lot of good things as well. And we're still here to keep the fires burning on the good things we have and of things to come.

I got a spark of enthusiasm about my projects this week and I know the end game of some of them now. I know how to push forward in the things I want to do. I'm making plans for things to come in 2017. Some things will be checked off my bucket list, that is for sure! I am returning to and embracing things that are important to me.

All in all, its a good thing to be right where we are. I know, you turn on the news or check the trending Twitter topics, it doesn't feel like it. But we're here. We're still standing and we're kicking ass. We'll be here to rise up and make our voices heard. Through our works and on down to how we treat each other. We are good people and we will prevail. And the art of who we are and what we do, will remain.

I'm proud and happy to stand with all of you, my friends. Let's keep rocking and rolling. Happy Thanksgiving.

--T

Saturday, November 12, 2016

New things, New Kitty and Other Thoughts

(Note: Below are pics of my new couch, new cat and more. But please indulge me to get a little deep for the first little bit. Thank you.)

Hello friends. Its been almost a week and I'm letting things sink in. My last blog really was a lash out of anger and I spoke out of despair. In some ways I'm ashamed of some of what I said, but I will not delete it. It was my initial reaction and I think it needed a place to be stated. But I've had time to think about things and I got some conclusions of clarity:

1-As of for the moment, Trump to me remains an unstable, unqualified, inexperienced, impulsive, shady, deceptive person and I honestly am concerned. Not for myself, but for my friends who are dealing with the fallout of everything and everyone. Some small portion of his supporters are using his election as a rallying cry to push forth their own hate speech and even some agendas. I have zero problem with Trump wanting to try something new and make these "great deals" he says he can make. I welcome him to try if he thinks he can do better. What I don't agree with are the social issues and the hate speech he's welcomed. And make no mistake, he has welcomed it. He openly mocked a reporter with a crippling disease. That is just one example. That is why I am extremely hesitant on supporting him and why I spoke out of anger in my last blog post.

2-I know why he won. First of all, the Republicans just mobilized their voters out better. Also, we feel disenfranchised by what we perceive (or somehow expect) that we've "lost our way." To some this means simple things like a nice job, nuclear family, the "American way," etc. To others it means other things, but I am not speaking for those idiots. They I feel are a minority in the overall label of the RIGHT. That is another thing: I detest labels. They divide us. Sometimes we don't even know the definition of them and just use them as buzz words. We use them because we like to categorize and box things up. But we cannot categorize either the right or the left according to their extremes. Let's not label each other, but we cannot stop talking.

3-Its funny how people are "annoyed" about this event. They just want a return to the beautiful distractions and stick their head in the sand. (Amusing themselves to death) But I think its been good because we are talking and having the conversations we have needed to have for way too long. But we don't need to be dragging people out of cars and beating the shit out of them. We also don't need to give hate a voice. But I think it does us well to shine a spotlight on who is saying and doing these awful, racist, sexist things. Its out in the open now and we can educate and deal with it... in others and ourselves. We must evolve and let those who stand in the way know that this is not who we are and who we want to be.

Lastly,

4-We need focus, compassion and unity. We cannot simply abandon all hope. We cannot just move somewhere else and ignore the problem. We cannot let the terrorists within OURSELVES, win. We also must keep our representative, Mr. Trump, accountable. We want him to lead us and keep the promises he keeps because we hope he respects the office of the president. We cannot support when he tweets at celebs at 3am. He's 70 years old. He must be beyond these type of things. It is also up to us to take care of each other locally. Do not let racism, sexism reign. Shut it down. Stand tall. Use our voice. Keep going, because we will prevail.

The one main thing that is coming from this event: GOOD ART. I know there will be great comedy written about this and what is to come. There will be good music. Paintings. Movies. Books. Comics... everything will be a reaction to this. It will make us think. There are many examples of pieces of art throughout history that has helped usher in a change of mind on things. Its our job to keep making good art. Whatever it is that we do, make it art and do it well.

For my part, I want to be a part of this unity. We all need to join the movement. To better ourselves and the environment around us. I am a peaceful man at heart and I just want to be on the side of evolving the concepts and ourselves in the process. I hope you all will join me in this unity. Join me in this compassion. Join me in focusing on what we need to do to better ourselves. Or else our history, and future, is doomed.

__________________________________

There, I got that out. Some other stuff:

My dad came to visit last week. When he did I drove up north to my old town of Mt. Pleasant to meet him and my brothers, niece and-sister in-law for lunch. It was nice seeing them. However I got to drive Kitty D around my old home town and show her things around there for the first time. Most of my sentences were: "This used to be right there, but now its gone." It became disheartening. The town is a shell of what I remember. It saddened me. We have such a romanticized vision of our childhoods and old homes and what used to be. I miss how that place felt. So it goes.

We lost Leonard Cohen this week. And Robert Vaughn. Everyday I wake up, something I dig is slowly going away. It makes me think of my friend Caleb who I lost this year. I'm sure you remember me talking about it. Its been a few months but every day that goes by I think about him. I keep telling the same stories. I didn't know him longer than a year. But I hear other people tell stories and I think, "Yeah, that sounds like him!" I drink shots to him every time I open a bottle. He's joined the people who have left this world behind and its always on my mind.

I don't Facebook as much anymore. 95% of my activity is surrounded on my twitter, blog and podcast now. Its been a good thing to quiet some of the noise. It hasn't brought me any sort of newfound spark in productivity, but it is a start.

The trailer for Trainspotting 2 was released and it was awesome! The new Neal Morse album is out. I ordered it but it hasn't arrived yet. Soon I hope. The NES Classic was released but everywhere was sold out. I'm not bowing to scalpers on ebay for it, so I will wait my turn.Newest buys are STAR TREK: ORIGINAL SERIES on Blu-ray ($70 box set, found for $20! Score!!) A few random Blu-rays and DVDs. A couple books on the NES as well. I got some good finds to keep me occupied for the winter.

Okay, I promised pics of my new couch and kitten, so here we go:

Yes, I bought a new couch... FINALLY! We needed one badly. Its red to match my future house plans. Its comfy as fuck and I love it!


But I guess the biggest change in my house is we got this girl:


As of this writing, she doesn't have a name yet.  She's VERY lovable, playful and purrs constantly around us. Of course she's adjusting to living in a new place, but she is getting there. We adopted her today from a pet adoption event.

Since I moved to this new place, I've wanted to get a cat. I've been hesitant on getting a new feline pet because some of the ones I've had in the past were so memorable, I just didn't want to try anymore. Like it wasn't fair to their memories or something. But in the end, its what I wanted and I'm glad I made the choice. Its only been a day but she's been a very positive addition to our lives. We love her so much.


Anyway, life rolls on and so do we. If we all keep our small corner of the world clean and keep working hard on ourselves and our works, that is all that matters.

Cheers, T

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

My Thoughts on the Election

I've been up for hours and after much soul searching, I think I've finally gathered my thoughts well enough to express how I feel about the Presidential election. Here are my thoughts and conclusions on the outcome:

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

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Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

FUCK!

--T

P.S. Congrats morons. Its all yours. Meanwhile I'll be at the evolutionary ladder. See you in four years. To the rest of you: Back to your glorious distractions. Amuse yourselves to death.