A Second Existential Crisis: The Scary Question About the Human Race

            Yeah!  A new blog post!  Wanna think about it?  Try my Psybient Chillscape playlist that is a couple of days and a few minutes long in total playtime!  Chillax a ton!  Expand your consciousness!  Huh?  Oh, no, wait, it's a blog post, not an acid trip.

            Just recently, I've had another bit of existential angst on the scale of the human species.  It's not that it's a bad thing, it's something that probably everyone should think deeply about, while they do repetitive boring tasks or are spending time by themselves doing nothing that will risk their lives (like operating machinery or driving or patrolling for trouble if you're one of the cops out there).  Say, perhaps 5 minutes at a time on your smoke breaks.  That should work….

Cue the Imperial March—HEAVY METAL STYLE!……

             Anyways, this has only popped up in my head during a shower a few weeks ago on Monday evening (on February 9th, 2015).  It was like my brain just decided to open up a corner of my mind I prefer not to frolic through, mostly because it's a bit too dark.  And from that corner in all of her Sith glory emerged Darth Eden, the dark side of my humanity that I insist on suppressing.  And it was not a good thing at all; in fact, this is proof that I should medicate more often, to prevent Darth Eden from ever even seeing the light of day, or night, or evening, or whatever time I arise from my comatose sleep; she can still exist, but she shouldn't ever take an active role in my life because I want to be a good person.  Anyways, with Darth selves come dark questions, and this moment was no exception: Darth Eden just emerged while I was shampooing my hair and, simultaneously, pondering the validity of the moral and ethical conflicts that arise from deciding who should die—the chimpanzee or the little person being attacked by said chimpanzee.  ("Schwaaaaaaaa?  Where did THIS come from?!"  Listen to Nerdist Podcast episode #130,"Penn and Teller."  The link for the impatient ones is also available.)  And without skipping a beat, while I decided to try and drop the mental dilemma, Darth Eden asked with evil eyes aglow, "Why should the human race as a whole exist the way it is now? With all its faults and issues and the conflicts that we currently have?"

            That frightened me so much that I just HAD to reach out to my friends and my tweeps.  And it also helped to remind me that they are simply awesome weirdos just like me who totally get me!  So, major POINTS(!) to them!

The Questions of a Young Padawan to Jedi Master Leonidas

            First, let's start with a response from my friend Jesse, who I absolutely SWEAR is the Jedi Master version of Leonidas!  He was wise, he totally understood where I was coming from, and he's a Spartan!  Really!  (Ever heard of the Spartan Race?  I think that once I become a ninja Jedi, I should run in it!  *adds to list of currently unlikely dreams*)  His responses were really insightful and what's also interesting is that he thought that my question was so good that he shared the conversation on Facebook:

A friend of mine, Eden Pyrithea, asked me a question that had come to her mind, and its a good one, and we had a conversation about it and i thought i should post it here because i do believe every word i said to her"Should we humans, as a whole, exist the way we are?"i thought about my answer for a while before responding, "No, we should exist and work daily to improve ourselves and the universe around us. Simple acts can lead to mighty changes. Go speak at a town meeting on views that you believe in, volunteer at a soup kitchen to help those less fortunate then you and make the world, and the universe a better place""Huh. What about the general current human state There are evil people who live inside of the lies they spread." was her next question"They only exist in power because we allow them to. So by beginning a small movement that can then become a large movement you can resist them, a perfect example would be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream.""But they carry influence like we carry mass.""Only because we allow them to. I think a time will come, and sooner than some think, that we as a people will rise above things like hate and greed to become the utopia Gene Roddenberry believed we could"and yes i do believe we could be as great as The Great Bird of the Galaxy thought we could be, but its up to us to start finding small ways to help each other. Like my thoughts or not, but i will stand by them to the end.

            He's right, though it does seem a little frustrating.  There are so many good people in the world, but there are all these larger-than-myself issues such as war and ISIS and the anti-vaccine bullcrap (as well as the anti-autism fears people have related to it) and us having a really corrupt Congress (and possibly POTUS if the antichrist twins Koch brothers succeed in buying the election) that, despite each drop into the bucket of liquid influence causing a small ripple, I just want to kick the whole bucket over, spilling its contents, shaking up everything to the point where people can finally figure out what really works and helps everyone vs. what doesn't.  But maybe once I start attending town hall meetings and speaking out on issues that I'm passionate about, my drops of influence could become rocks that get bigger and bigger.  I should become more patient.  And I probably shouldn't be so impatient; as Mahatma Ghandi once said:

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

            Perhaps maybe the world could change quicker and for the better if we work together….

Into the Twitterverse: When You've Found "YOUR TWEEPLE"!

             Another good friend could be one you have met online through Twitter.  Fellow Nerd @LisaR_M (who is actually a hardcore Chris Hardwick fan, but not to the groupie level that @DiHard11 is at) was able to provide some insight of her own.  Here is her series of tweets that helped me onto the path of personal enlightenment:

@LadyEden1337 What are you thinking about that’s scary? Murdering somebody? Committing the unpardonable sin? Doing something perverted?
— Lisa Moore (@LisaR_M) February 10, 2015

@LadyEden1337 Ah, big picture existential angst. That’s a “Let go and let God” situation. Or insert whatever your higher power is.
— Lisa Moore (@LisaR_M) February 10, 2015

@LadyEden1337 All of life is a paradox. It’s always a take the good with the bad situation. There can never be perfect people.
— Lisa Moore (@LisaR_M) February 10, 2015

@LadyEden1337 And you have to watch your ego. It’s tempting to think you know what’s best for everyone but you’re not omniscient
— Lisa Moore (@LisaR_M) February 10, 2015

@LadyEden1337 The issue you're having with the bullshitters is a clashing of egos. Instead of judging them try to learn from them.
— Lisa Moore (@LisaR_M) February 10, 2015

@LadyEden1337 :) I’ve thought a lot about this stuff. It’s exhausting sometimes that's why I avoid politics & try to let it go.
— Lisa Moore (@LisaR_M) February 10, 2015

            I was able to take to heart the "ego check" one, because sometimes, when you're on the Autism Spectrum, you don't always think of the world through a perspective outside of your own.  This (in my case, especially) often leads to moments where you feel as though you have all the answers!  ALL OF THEM!  Including the Answer to Life , the Universe and Everything!  (That one is easy to obtain; just read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and ask, "What is 6 times 7?")

            It does get frustrating at times, and she's right: we shouldn't think that way.  Even if you're not on the Spectrum, if you're just a nerd, it's still the same principle.  Chris Hardwick has already pointed this out on page 105 in a subsection titled "The Third Reaction" in his book The Nerdist Way, saying, "Nerds know they're smarty-pantses—in fact, it's part of how they define themselves, so sometimes we come from a place of 'everyone is stupid but me.'  This is shitty and wrong.  It also leads to spontaneous emotional reactions to situations rather than calm, well-thought-out ones."  So, as a member of this community of differently-wired persons, we should work on understanding what makes sense to other people, instead of dismissing it as "utter crap".  In fact, that's what I'm adding to my XP goal chart: "Understanding and Communication," because I know that once I understand where my debate opponents (like the anti-vaccine….. *struggling* people) are coming from, I can communicate my way around their defenses to see if I can help them open up to (at the very LEAST) healthy discussions that are highly educational for both sides of an issue.  This is also made difficult because everyone understands something their own way and are often convinced that they know the "truth" behind certain topics; and everyone living their life as a story, and they are the hero of it, regardless of whether other people regard them as heroes or villains.

            (Small parenthetical paragraph note: Another great way to help people get a better understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorders is to talk to us!!!!  So often are we excluded from the conversation that I'm sure there is misinformation out there, provided by people who are thought to be the voices of the "autistic people," when they're not really speaking for us, but rather for themselves.  Yes, this includes Autism Speaks; they don't really pay attention to what we're figuratively saying.  Just talk to us or ask us about ASDs and living independently!  We can answer questions!  Either tweet to me or to @chromesthesia; we can give you insight!)

            So, as I was saying, I was given pearls of wisdom that I'll be fashioning into Earrings of +20 Wisdom, thanks to my friends.  And it has led me to perhaps what the goal would be for the world.

My Hopes for the World in Commercials

            This discussion about humanity has led me to having hope for the future of the human race; it's not a very big anti-vampire spotlight of hope, because it's a lot of work to set forth a giant tidal wave of change.  But now that I typed that sentence, I am realizing that I shouldn't work on creating a tidal wave, but rather just create my own small waves that will erode at this rock of evil that I see before me.  And I can do it similarly to this commercialfrom Liberty Mutual:

One way to start, just hold the door open for the person entering or exiting the building you're entering or exiting from, or keeping to the sides of the grocery aisles, shopping cart and all.

            Maybe once that gets going, we can live life like these adorable animals in this Android commercial that has been making the rounds of the advertsphere:

In any case, I should enjoy what I can, taking the good stuff to heart and cherishing it emotionally while leading the bad stuff to my mental laboratory to analyze it, determine if it's an endeavour to take on with the experience I have or to pass on it, buying more time to learn about the issue that is staring at everyone in the face.

            (And can I point out that we have a time limit here?  I mean, come on!  Asteroid Apophisis coming!  TICK-TOCK TICK-TOCK!!!)

            In any case, I hope you agree with me on this and have decided to join me on this journey towards world improvement.  And to make the journey more enjoyable, why don't we ride a burrito boat?  JUST BECAUSE!  Heehee!  In the meantime, enjoy your mindful tacquito!

A Review of The Hunger Games Trilogy--Part 1: The Hunger Games

Your theme music--the entire soundtrack for the movie! :D

            I understand that I haven't posted many reviews lately but I had yet to decide on a topic….  And I figured that it's time for yet another book review.  But this one I had to word carefully.  I don't want to seem like an anarchist, a communist, a fascist, a Nazi (I'm only a Grammar Nazi, not the other kind…) or anything else by choosing my words poorly, just to have people take it way out of context.  I've had to even do research for this review.

            But I have to say something about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which is the first book in a trilogy that examines a futuristic society that doesn't exactly force absolute perfection, but rather more along the lines of production from the impoverished Districts of Panem that sprouted from the ruins of the United States, whose products only serve the wealthy people in the Capitol.  It has been a mega-hit all over the States as a book, only to explode again as a film.  And seeing that I have two pieces of media that share the same name, I've decided to review them both here.  As for the next two installments, I'll share my expectations for the film adaptations.  I should also issue a SPOILER ALERT for those of you who have yet to either read the book (which should be first) and see the film (which should be second).

            And now, the review:

The Hunger Games: The Book

            There have been many texts throughout recorded history that have forced us to think, to consider, to look at ourselves or our ancestors in a mirror, to see what society can do to mankind, to an outsider…  Hell, I can guesstimate that about one-third of those texts have earned a spot on the Banned Book List.  But it's only recently that The Hunger Games have received such a response, mostly from me.  When I was reading it, I can picture a society that not only advanced towards the future but also held onto the barbarism of ancient history, especially the fights between Gladiators at the Roman Coliseum, where people fight to the death.  I think I should also note that, throughout history, death was also an event, where masses of people would attend an execution by hanging and make a party or picnic out of it.  Idaho State Penitentiary, that once housed many inmates but is now a dwelling for ghosts to haunt, was once such place, where the hangings were held in the courtyard and people would climb the hillside that neighbors the prison just to watch; they would even bring their children.  And speaking of which, the Hunger Games seems to echo that grotesquely gory film Battle Royal (Japanese edition--NSFAWHVAG, Not Safe For Anyone Who Hates Violence And Gore, in addition to NSFW and NSFK--Not Safe for Kids), where kids were forced to fight for their own survival or be killed.

            But anyways…to have that blend really strikes a chord with me; not only do I hate having kids kill other kids, but to force some to kill when they're as young as 12 years old.  12 FUCKING YEARS OLD!  They shouldn't have to face death or take another kid's life like that; but they are forced to, for the entertainment of the Capitol citizens.  Victory promises food, supplies and wealth for the winner's family and District; losing meant certain death.  And the Hunger Games were certainly the most fearful event that the District citizens have to face.  That line, "May the odds be ever in your favor"?  It's interesting: the odds are only in your favor if you are not chosen to be the Tribute, the child warrior forced to fight for survival; if you were chosen, the odds would diminish greatly, as you have 1 in 24 chance of winning, which basically means you have a 4.2%  chance of surviving--a 95.8% guarantee of being slaughtered while your family, friends and District is forced to watch you die; if you train well, it'll decrease enough for you to survive for a significant amount of time, but you'll still wind up dying anyways.

            As soon as I finished reading the book, I can see that Panem does not only exist in this text or off in the future; it's already here.  I can see that all the first-world countries (people with wealth, especially) are represented in the Capitol of Panem, with all the second- and third-world countries being the outlying Districts.  Why should we let those "Districts" suffer?  We're practically hoarding the wealth.  In fact, I may be living well beneath the poverty line here, but I'm still doing quite fine: I've got a roof over my head, clothes, food, running water, electricity, etc.  But why can't the millionaires and billionaires simply downgrade their lives, while keeping security top-notch?  They can afford it, especially after selling all those expensive cars and homes off!  Why not allow people a decent life?  I'm not saying, "FORCE THE ENGLISH LIFESTYLE ONTO THE AMISH!" at all--I'd never say that, especially since it'd go against their religious beliefs!  But why can't we give a part of the life, as in the life we the people in the wealthy Capitol countries have every day, to the ones who need it desperately, like those who don't have medical treatments readily available or food to those who are starving every single day, each day more painful than the last.

            To be honest, I enjoyed reading it; to see the insane future we face if capitalism went out of control (aristocracy, bitches!) through the eyes of someone forced into this "entertainment", read "annual televised execution of innocent children that reminds people who is in control."  Suzanne Collins really did well with writing, using the best descriptions that I can only dream of using.  Her depiction of Bush-era America may be a little extreme, but I like it because it's the kind of reality check people need, in order to see how evil and shitty our society can become.  I hope that it doesn't get banned; if it does, it should be a badge of honor because it really shakes people, rather become than a mark of shame made out of the denial that certain people prefer to drown themselves in instead of feeling the emotional shock that comes with being bitchslapped by a significant dystopian novel, the only kind of novel whose film counterpart broke box office records that weekend.

The Hunger Games--The Feature Film

            If anyone can take a book from inside a population's head, make it one uniformed visual experience, and put it onto a screen JUST to have people say, "THAT'S what it looks like, for sure!", it's Gary Ross.  He made the book into a film that I consider to be unlike any other.  He transformed the novel into what seems to be a fraternal twin to the novel, similar yet still different.  For one, certain scenes were omitted, probably for time constraints and because too many details will make the overall plot convoluted and laggy.  But they made the point of not having a voice-over of Katniss' internal dialogue; it really is good for a first-person point of view novel, but not for a movie that fits into multiple genres: it's a dystopian-action-war-gladiator flick!  Not to mention that Ross just went and made the film less dependent on the book, with its cutaway scenes to the Games control rooms, its ways of conveying messages of "it might be dramatic violence, but it's still a contest, with people abhorrently betting on the lives of minors," and "people are emotionally invested in surviving, not just physically," and "the Capitol is the real villain here, not the contestants."

            I'd like to praise Gary Ross' decision to omit sound during that first fight scene when all the Tributes started slaughtering each other; I agree that it's mostly visual, that it has a major emotional impact, that there's some sort of detachment in that moment, etc, but I'd like to add more praise from the view of people who have certain disabilities.  I believe that if there were sounds added to that fight scene, it'd be overwhelming, far too overwhelming for people who suffer from sensory overload from time to time (I'm not exempt from this Autistic Spectrum Disorder trait; I mostly blame my smartass hearing aids who actually amplify the loudest sound there is at the time--meaning sirens and smoke alarm beepings and things like that, and it winds up being all that I hear, so it frightens and overwhelms me, to the point where I now remove my hearing aids and cover my ears until it all passes; similarly, when someone whistles near me, I give them looks that should punch them in the face and shout, "STOP WHISTLING!"… *slaps self for squirreling too much on the one topic*  Sorry, guys, train of thought took a longer detour…) so it'd be far too much for us peeps with ASDs to deal with.  And what about people who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorders?  They'll suffer from the audio + video double whammy combo and flip out, and if they can't handle the video, they can just close their eyes.  So, yeah, it benefits multiple people.

            The book really fed interest into the movie, and vice versa, which I've never really heard of; normally, it's films just based on the book, like it's the foundation of the film--an issue you can see with the Harry Potter movies and the Twilight saga.  But to have it stand as a reflection of the novel really just piqued a lot of interest.

            I especially love the design of the set, the atmosphere, some of the Capitol-style clothing.  If there are any real-life versions of these costumes, I'd love to have them!  And no, please, no cheap knock-offs and cheap takes on certain outfits (like what I saw at Party City--I mean, really!  Take pride in your work, not make a design that allows you to mass-manufacture it!), because these garments cannot simply be faint shadows of the costume itself.  I'd rather feel I am a less-than flamboyant resident of the Capitol, rather than a cheap copycat.  And who the HELL made the furniture in the training tower suite?!  They just have to be my interior designers!  It really conveyed the whole idea of "This is Panem, these are the Districts, this is the Capitol, this is the Arena."  Really well done, guys!  I'd give the design and aesthetic an A+!

            As a for warning those of you people who have yet to see the film but already read the book:  It's definitely different, so don't expect the crew to have it done exactly the same as the novel.  There are going to be scenes missing and items that are different, so try not to nitpick.  Rather, let the interpretation guide you through a similar path of the story, one where you can still experience Katniss' terror, yet  be able to look at what's happening in the background.

            All in all, the book is a must-read, and the film is a must-see. 8.7 stars out of 10!

            P.S. HOLY SHIT!  I didn't expect Cinna to look like an alternate reality version of LENNY MASTER-BATING KRAVITZ!  *FLAILS*

A Meteorologist Clips His Jet Wings and A Rant About the Government Brats

             I understand that you won't always want to read rants from me.  But I really have to get this out there onto the Interwebs.  I just read an article from Yahoo about how a meterologist read an IPCC report on how climate changeis worse than ever before, one that projected to a time beyond the year 2100, and decided once and for all to no longer fly anywhere.  He found out that his flying attributed to about half of his carbon footprint.  He chose to use video conferencing and phone calls if he could help it, and to use cars and trains if he needed to travel.  Which I can appreciate; if you need to do something, find an alternative way of doing it, one that has less of an impact on the environment.  To which I cheer and send my verbal support: why can't we all do that?  Why can't we just simply do what this guy is doing, which is have a greener lifestyle?

            I'm sure government officials will be reading this by now, so I'd like to present my definition of the environmental term "green":

            Green (grēn): adjective An environmental term used to describe actions and products that have little to no negative impact on the environment.  It's not just a color, it's a movement people shouldn't ignore, especially those living with the principal of plentitude.

            I can present a number of businesses who made being environmentally friendly part of the business practice.  Chipotle, for example, is really a TexMex kind of green Subway; they use grass-fed beef, free range chicken, no meat that is fed hormones, and they offer vegetarian options!  They use recycled materials for the napkins, they wash (and sanitize) used baskets, recycle oil barrels into trash bins, pizza pans as trays!  I love their efforts!  If other restaurants use similar business practices, the country could cut its carbon footprint down sizably and be very effective in saving the world from a destruction our descendants have to deal with (if they live that long).

            Yeah, McDonald's and Burger King and KFC and A&W and Pizza Hut and Long John Silver's and Popeye's and Subway and all you other restaurants out there!  I'm calling you out on this shit!  People will love you more if you adapt these business practices to your company!  And don't just use some of them; instead, use all of them!  You'll get more business from people who will feel less guilty for supporting a chain that used to help propel us to a dystopian landscape and even get tax credits for being so green!  You don't need lobbyists, just the common sense to recycle inedible products, use healthier-sourced foods……  And I don't want you to use your PR shtick of "We have our customer's best interests at heart," or whatever.  I want you to be honest: release a report of the least green practices you use, and release them all; if I even sense that you're withholding anything, I'll go on a social media campaign to incur a boycott of your services!  I'll keep my money to myself, along with my friends' business, if I have to, to get you to wake the fuck up.

            But there is one problem: the idiots who feel that they can shit on baby seals and not give a damn or get punished.  In fact, one such idiot who calls himself Jim (when we really should be calling him Shithead, Dickface and Vaginamouth) made a stupid comment on that idea!

            He really should be banned from the Interwebz for his dickish attitude.

            But when I think of people wanting to live a life of plentitude (having more than enough to live a richer lifestyle where we could have almost anything we want while people starve in Africa, China, North Korea, the Middle East, the rest of Asia, even the slummy areas of North America; think the Capitol citizens in the Hunger Games trilogy), I also think of the government brats who pay SO MUCH for their mansions, cars, arsenals, their annual cruises of the Mediterranean, and complain that the money that funds the now-shutdown government is starting to disappear.  They're so denying that the money that funds said government is actually going right into their pockets.  (This is actually why I did not vote for Romney: he represented corporate  greed and the plentitude we're conditioned to live in.)

Government Brats Should Grow Up

             Does anyone remember how this shutdown happened?  The government is shutdown, yes, and is going through (at the time of this post) its eighth day.

            I know how it happened: because those brats in power have been bickering and fighting like children in a real-life Romeo and Juliet!  I kid you not, the Republicans are Montagues, feuding with the Democrats who are the Capulets, refusing to work with each other because the other side is who they are, while the rest of us suffer from the consequences of such a feud.  Didn't the updated version from the 90s (starring Leonardo DiCaprio) teach you NOTHING?

            They're fighting like children!  Children!  Even toddlers learn to share the sandbox and their toys at an early age!  Yet the Donkeys and Elephants are having a contest  as to who can make a bigger shitpile that can sink the whole aircraft carrier!  YES, AMERICA IS AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER AND YOU'RE TRYING TO SINK THE DAMN THING! 

            It's expensive!  It's childish!  It's so many egos trying to give themselves a blowjob so they can inflate!  I have news for you, KIDS….  Grow the fuck up and get this country up and running!  You're killing it.  And not like Krewella!

            Congressmen, Congresswomen, Senators….please.  Just meet in the middle, which is where I'm at (Moderate for the WIN!).  It's not a bad place to be; in fact, the view is nice, despite the fence being stuck between my legs.  Put aside your differences, let Obamacare run (because it really is a nice idea; imagine how it can help the medical transition of people with disabilities), and just KISS AND MAKE UP!

            (To tell you the truth, that's what I'd love to see: Obama and Boehner kissing each other on the lips, practically making out with each other.  MAKE IT HAPPEN, INTERWEBZ!)

            Imagine how much EASIER things will get once we stop fighting with each other!  You'll manage to get things done a LOT faster without the bureaucracy and bickering!  The  country can be a democracy once again, instead of the Hypocrisy it is now.  That's what we are at the moment: a government full of people who are two-faced brats who are having temper tantrums and need a time out or a violent spanking.

            Just fix it.