So I decided it was time to update my blog. I haven't done it in several months due to many factors: laziness, lack of ambition, zero perseverance, minuscule commitment, TV was on. Happy New Year to everyone out there who actually reads this thing. My thoughts are whether or not I should even keep the blog. I could just start blogging on myspace because I think it would be read more. We'll see.
Nothing new in life except I'm living with my parents again for the first time in several years. It's more of a transition thing than actually "moving" in. I'm busy trying to upgrade my music equipment and I'm taking lessons on sequencing, editing, mixing, etc in Powell from a friend of my fathers. Should be a step in the right direction. I plan on leaving here no later than the end of February. The lessons sort of put a delay in my plan to leave after a few days. Unless something better comes along it'll be back to NYC! Good times. Thanks for reading the blog and talk at you later.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Monday, July 03, 2006
My Politics Test
I took a politics test and this is how it turned out. I always thought of myself as a democrat on the cusp of a socialist.
| You are a Social Liberal (60% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (18% permissive) You are best described as a:
Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test |
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Moron
mo·ron ( P ) (môrn, mr-)n.
1. A stupid person; a dolt.
Psychology. A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or vocational education. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.
2. This guy:
Ok, if that picture doesn't say it all then allow me to elaborate. Imagine a peaceful campfire with a little drinking and a little convo. When all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, somebody decides to throw a perfectly functional leather glove into the campfire. The leather glove happened to be mine, and there was nothing wrong with it except for the fact that it had accidentally fallen on the ground and it's other half was nowhere near it. I was having a chat with a friend, probably showing him some pictures on my camera. I look up and there I see my poor glove sizzling helplessly in the coals of the fire. I didn't know how to react. I was confused at first. Who would just throw my glove into the fire for no reason? I mumbled something in deadpan manner regarding the glove belonging to me. That's when a friend reached in the fire to pull it out...albeit too late. He claimed to ask who the glove belonged to before he threw it in. I guess he wasn't patient enough for a response from everyone attending because I never heard him. It was a sad moment for me. The gloves were a Christmas gift from my mother. It was a surprise because only a few days earlier I told my mother that I needed a new pair of gloves because I had lost ANOTHER pair. When I opened the gloves on Christmas morning I vowed to never lose them. This was the pair of gloves I was bound to keep...forever. Obviously, that plan fell to shit. So here I sit gloveless and still wondering what the point of throwing an innocent leather glove into a fire would be. Pyromania perhaps? Probably. He burnt a plastic gun earlier that night. I should have seen it coming. Maybe I'm the moron. Nah...he definitely is.
By the way, here is a picture from the scene of the crime:
1. A stupid person; a dolt.
Psychology. A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or vocational education. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.
2. This guy:
Ok, if that picture doesn't say it all then allow me to elaborate. Imagine a peaceful campfire with a little drinking and a little convo. When all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, somebody decides to throw a perfectly functional leather glove into the campfire. The leather glove happened to be mine, and there was nothing wrong with it except for the fact that it had accidentally fallen on the ground and it's other half was nowhere near it. I was having a chat with a friend, probably showing him some pictures on my camera. I look up and there I see my poor glove sizzling helplessly in the coals of the fire. I didn't know how to react. I was confused at first. Who would just throw my glove into the fire for no reason? I mumbled something in deadpan manner regarding the glove belonging to me. That's when a friend reached in the fire to pull it out...albeit too late. He claimed to ask who the glove belonged to before he threw it in. I guess he wasn't patient enough for a response from everyone attending because I never heard him. It was a sad moment for me. The gloves were a Christmas gift from my mother. It was a surprise because only a few days earlier I told my mother that I needed a new pair of gloves because I had lost ANOTHER pair. When I opened the gloves on Christmas morning I vowed to never lose them. This was the pair of gloves I was bound to keep...forever. Obviously, that plan fell to shit. So here I sit gloveless and still wondering what the point of throwing an innocent leather glove into a fire would be. Pyromania perhaps? Probably. He burnt a plastic gun earlier that night. I should have seen it coming. Maybe I'm the moron. Nah...he definitely is.
By the way, here is a picture from the scene of the crime:
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Jared Leto is "BIGGER"
So I was reading IMDB today and I came across an article stating that Jared Leto (Requiem For a Dream, My So Called Life, Panic Room) had gained 50 pounds. The article didn't say whether it was muscle or fat. Though I would have been more surprised had it been 50 pounds of muscle (that's a lot of muscle folks...and I mean A LOT), I was still rather shocked to discover that it was 50 pounds of fat. Why are actors doing this to themselves? Is it really worth the risk to their health? George Clooney did it and now he is having health problems because of it (well, and an Oscar) and Matt Damon did it for Courage Under Fire and he's still suffering the health problems (of course he LOST weight for that role). There is nothing wrong with putting on a little weight...but to put it on and drop it off at the rate these actors have to do it is detrimental to their health. Apparently Leto is doing it for Chapter 27 where he plays John Lennon's assassin, Mark David Chapman. Here are a couple of websites where you can check out the pictures:
JaredPix
JaredPix2
*Note: I don't necessarily agree with the Jared Leto is "FAT" comments because I think it's kind of rude and he's not really that big...but I thought people would just want to see the pictures.
P.S. There are talks of him playing a "hunk" role on Desperate Housewives. Apparently another fling for Eva Longoria. Keep your eyes peeled.
JaredPix
JaredPix2
*Note: I don't necessarily agree with the Jared Leto is "FAT" comments because I think it's kind of rude and he's not really that big...but I thought people would just want to see the pictures.
P.S. There are talks of him playing a "hunk" role on Desperate Housewives. Apparently another fling for Eva Longoria. Keep your eyes peeled.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Top 10 Films of 2005
Granted, I didn't see EVERY film last year. Who did? But I saw most of them. As for Oscar nominated films, I still haven't seen Squid and the Whale, Memoirs of a Geisha, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Howls Moving Castle (animated film), The New World (Cinematography), all of the Short films, the documentary features (except March of the Penguins, of course) and all the foreign language films. Everything else nominated, I've seen. I now present you with my list of the top films of 2005:
10. *TIE* Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. I was so invigorated watching both of these films. Many feel that Sith did not live up to expectations but I was thoroughly impressed and satisfied. The political parallels that the whole Star Wars franchise, especially recent installments, presents us with are fascinating. Take the Emperor for example. It's interesting to note that his rise to power was very similar to that of Adolph Hitler and his establishment of the Third Reich. Not to mention the performance by Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious (the emperor) was astounding. He made me want to join the dark side! This is all coming from someone who ISN'T a Star Wars geek, by the way. I just simply enjoyed this film. Harry Potter was just fun and exciting. I never wanted it to end. That's the sign of an entertaining film!
9. Walk the Line There is only one Johnny Cash. Well, there was until I saw Joaquin Phoenix play him. I liked Ray last year. It wasn't one of my favorites. But it was good. Jamie Foxx was good in the film. A little overrated, but good. Joaquin Phoenix is great. As is his little spice in life, Reese Witherspoon, as June Carter (Cash). I was tentative going into this film, not very familiar with Johnny Cash and not very interested either. When I walked out of the film I was still uninterested in Johnny Cash, but I had just seen some amazing performances and a very good story to boot. The performances, however, are what put this film above the rest.
8. Batman Begins Loved this movie! The whole package here is impressive. Great directing, cinematography, acting (nix Katie Holmes), screenplay, EVERYTHING! Had this not been a blockbuster action film about a super hero it would be up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It's a shame they never honor films like this. As for the films success, Roger Ebert says it best when he explains that action heros are people with problems and issues just like everyone else. When those problems and issues are exploited and analyzed, it makes the film a success. Just like Spiderman and X-men, this is a film that lives up to that success.
7. Brokeback Mountain Good film. Do I understand all the hype surrounding it? No, not really. It's an interesting film and it moves at the pace of a snail who hasn't slept in a week, but it's a good film. After saying all of that, I do have to admit that there is something "haunting" about the film. Not sad really, or tragic, but haunting. There's something about it that just won't go away. I guess that is what makes it such a good film. It has this enigmatic effect on people. You walk out thinking, "what the hell was that all about and why can't I stop thinking about it?" There are many films out there about love denied, and many films out there about gay people. There are even many films out there about gay people whose love is denied. But I think this is the first one I have ever seen that does it on such a profound and epic level. Beautiful cinematography.
6. Crash I have had two people in the last week tell me they didn't like this movie because they had to think. I don't really understand this because this film seemed pretty straight forward to me. Go see Syriana if you really want to know what it's like to think in the movie theatre. Actually, I take that back, don't see Syriana...it's horrible. The racial struggles and parallels in this film (back to Crash) were clever and intriguing. It wasn't quite satire, but might it be considered a reality satire? Sorta like reality TV meets satirical prose? Crash was intelligent and compelling. Flawed? Perhaps a little. But you can find flaws in every film on this list.
5. Capote Like Walk the Line this is a film that thrives on its performances, especially that of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. We've all heard the well deserved hype that says how phenomenal he is as Truman Capote, the flamboyant writer of "In Cold Blood". Watch the scene wear he talks about how he is made fun of because of the way he talks. Notice his eyes in the scene. That is brilliant acting. Watch the scene wear he has to witness the execution of his "friend". Notice his eyes in the scene. That is brilliant acting. This is also a good script. It is one that takes Capote's novel and flips it on it's end and analyzes it from a whole different view point. That's clever writing. I have never been a fan of Phillip Seymour Hoffman but he deserves all the praise he receives for this role...plus more.
4. History Of Violence. I'm a sucker for violence. I love horror movies and the stimulant it provides me when I see a dumb blonde chased down with a chainsaw. That may sound sick, but I'm not alone...if I were, Hollywood wouldn't consider horror movies a "sure bet", meaning there is not a risk in making them because they will turn a profit because people love them and the stimulant they provide. History of Violence is NOT a horror movie...not in a literal sense anyways. It is, however, horrifying. Watch the film and take the time to analyze the opening sequence where two criminals are leaving a hotel. Hear the music and watch the careful direction and say to yourself...this is what makes a great film. Do that 20 times and then you will understand my concept of a "great film". Perhaps we are on the same page. If not, then maybe doing this will enlighten you. This movie takes risks and exposes our darker fears as mere tips of the iceberg. It makes us ask whether we really know someone or not. Is it possible that my best friend is a serial killer. This film seems to think so.
3. Munich This movie was pure entertainment at it's best. A person once asked me if films have to entertain you to be successful. My response was of course they do. All of the films on this list were entertaining to me on some level. Some of them may have been a little more cerebral than others. I wouldn't put "Brokeback Mountain" and "Harry Potter", for instance, in the same basket as being equally intellectually fulfilling. But if a film doesn't entertain me on some level then I can't enjoy it. I think many people confuse entertainment with education. They CAN be one in the same, believe it or not. You can have fun learning. It IS possible. That is the magic of Steven Spielberg. He can entertain you with his unique and amazing direction but then the next minute you realize that you just learned something. Steven Spielberg has mastered the technique of teaching and entertaining without anyone even noticing. Munich is full proof of that. This was one of the most underrated films of the year. It deserved more praise for it's acting also.
2. King Kong Epic Peter Jackson. You fall in love with a monkey you're meant to hate. I watched the 1933 version recently and it is revelatory. You realize how much has changed in our society and in film since the original film was released. It is sort of like comparing something by Bach in the Baroque period to something by Brahms in the Romantic period. The piece by both Bach and Brahms were entertaining, especially during their time, but the piece by Bach is more technical and concrete, somewhat cold and experimental; where as the piece by Brahms is perfected, passionate and free spirited (yet it is also an extension of the influence by the Bach piece). That may be a flawed analogy but it helps to illustrate my point. King Kong is 100% passion.
And the number one film of the year...drum roll please:
1. Match Point Talk about intellectually stimulating. Not once did this film underestimate me as a filmgoer. I was entertained, aroused, and completely immersed into this film. There are twists and turns you can never foresee. What makes this the best film of the year is it's script by Woody Allen. Just see this movie and you'll know why it's number one. It is, quite simply, phenomenal.
Honorable Mentions: Junebug, Hustle and Flow, Wallace and Gromit, War of the Worlds
Worst Films of the Year:
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
1. Syriana
10. *TIE* Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. I was so invigorated watching both of these films. Many feel that Sith did not live up to expectations but I was thoroughly impressed and satisfied. The political parallels that the whole Star Wars franchise, especially recent installments, presents us with are fascinating. Take the Emperor for example. It's interesting to note that his rise to power was very similar to that of Adolph Hitler and his establishment of the Third Reich. Not to mention the performance by Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious (the emperor) was astounding. He made me want to join the dark side! This is all coming from someone who ISN'T a Star Wars geek, by the way. I just simply enjoyed this film. Harry Potter was just fun and exciting. I never wanted it to end. That's the sign of an entertaining film!
9. Walk the Line There is only one Johnny Cash. Well, there was until I saw Joaquin Phoenix play him. I liked Ray last year. It wasn't one of my favorites. But it was good. Jamie Foxx was good in the film. A little overrated, but good. Joaquin Phoenix is great. As is his little spice in life, Reese Witherspoon, as June Carter (Cash). I was tentative going into this film, not very familiar with Johnny Cash and not very interested either. When I walked out of the film I was still uninterested in Johnny Cash, but I had just seen some amazing performances and a very good story to boot. The performances, however, are what put this film above the rest.
8. Batman Begins Loved this movie! The whole package here is impressive. Great directing, cinematography, acting (nix Katie Holmes), screenplay, EVERYTHING! Had this not been a blockbuster action film about a super hero it would be up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It's a shame they never honor films like this. As for the films success, Roger Ebert says it best when he explains that action heros are people with problems and issues just like everyone else. When those problems and issues are exploited and analyzed, it makes the film a success. Just like Spiderman and X-men, this is a film that lives up to that success.
7. Brokeback Mountain Good film. Do I understand all the hype surrounding it? No, not really. It's an interesting film and it moves at the pace of a snail who hasn't slept in a week, but it's a good film. After saying all of that, I do have to admit that there is something "haunting" about the film. Not sad really, or tragic, but haunting. There's something about it that just won't go away. I guess that is what makes it such a good film. It has this enigmatic effect on people. You walk out thinking, "what the hell was that all about and why can't I stop thinking about it?" There are many films out there about love denied, and many films out there about gay people. There are even many films out there about gay people whose love is denied. But I think this is the first one I have ever seen that does it on such a profound and epic level. Beautiful cinematography.
6. Crash I have had two people in the last week tell me they didn't like this movie because they had to think. I don't really understand this because this film seemed pretty straight forward to me. Go see Syriana if you really want to know what it's like to think in the movie theatre. Actually, I take that back, don't see Syriana...it's horrible. The racial struggles and parallels in this film (back to Crash) were clever and intriguing. It wasn't quite satire, but might it be considered a reality satire? Sorta like reality TV meets satirical prose? Crash was intelligent and compelling. Flawed? Perhaps a little. But you can find flaws in every film on this list.
5. Capote Like Walk the Line this is a film that thrives on its performances, especially that of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. We've all heard the well deserved hype that says how phenomenal he is as Truman Capote, the flamboyant writer of "In Cold Blood". Watch the scene wear he talks about how he is made fun of because of the way he talks. Notice his eyes in the scene. That is brilliant acting. Watch the scene wear he has to witness the execution of his "friend". Notice his eyes in the scene. That is brilliant acting. This is also a good script. It is one that takes Capote's novel and flips it on it's end and analyzes it from a whole different view point. That's clever writing. I have never been a fan of Phillip Seymour Hoffman but he deserves all the praise he receives for this role...plus more.
4. History Of Violence. I'm a sucker for violence. I love horror movies and the stimulant it provides me when I see a dumb blonde chased down with a chainsaw. That may sound sick, but I'm not alone...if I were, Hollywood wouldn't consider horror movies a "sure bet", meaning there is not a risk in making them because they will turn a profit because people love them and the stimulant they provide. History of Violence is NOT a horror movie...not in a literal sense anyways. It is, however, horrifying. Watch the film and take the time to analyze the opening sequence where two criminals are leaving a hotel. Hear the music and watch the careful direction and say to yourself...this is what makes a great film. Do that 20 times and then you will understand my concept of a "great film". Perhaps we are on the same page. If not, then maybe doing this will enlighten you. This movie takes risks and exposes our darker fears as mere tips of the iceberg. It makes us ask whether we really know someone or not. Is it possible that my best friend is a serial killer. This film seems to think so.
3. Munich This movie was pure entertainment at it's best. A person once asked me if films have to entertain you to be successful. My response was of course they do. All of the films on this list were entertaining to me on some level. Some of them may have been a little more cerebral than others. I wouldn't put "Brokeback Mountain" and "Harry Potter", for instance, in the same basket as being equally intellectually fulfilling. But if a film doesn't entertain me on some level then I can't enjoy it. I think many people confuse entertainment with education. They CAN be one in the same, believe it or not. You can have fun learning. It IS possible. That is the magic of Steven Spielberg. He can entertain you with his unique and amazing direction but then the next minute you realize that you just learned something. Steven Spielberg has mastered the technique of teaching and entertaining without anyone even noticing. Munich is full proof of that. This was one of the most underrated films of the year. It deserved more praise for it's acting also.
2. King Kong Epic Peter Jackson. You fall in love with a monkey you're meant to hate. I watched the 1933 version recently and it is revelatory. You realize how much has changed in our society and in film since the original film was released. It is sort of like comparing something by Bach in the Baroque period to something by Brahms in the Romantic period. The piece by both Bach and Brahms were entertaining, especially during their time, but the piece by Bach is more technical and concrete, somewhat cold and experimental; where as the piece by Brahms is perfected, passionate and free spirited (yet it is also an extension of the influence by the Bach piece). That may be a flawed analogy but it helps to illustrate my point. King Kong is 100% passion.
And the number one film of the year...drum roll please:
1. Match Point Talk about intellectually stimulating. Not once did this film underestimate me as a filmgoer. I was entertained, aroused, and completely immersed into this film. There are twists and turns you can never foresee. What makes this the best film of the year is it's script by Woody Allen. Just see this movie and you'll know why it's number one. It is, quite simply, phenomenal.
Honorable Mentions: Junebug, Hustle and Flow, Wallace and Gromit, War of the Worlds
Worst Films of the Year:
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
1. Syriana
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Insurance Companies...GRRR
First of all, this is just weird:
http://www.hollywoodrag.com/index.php?/weblog/
carrot_top_gets_buff/
Ok, moving on:
Last year around this time I purchased dental insurance for myself. The guy who sold it to me tried to talk me out of it and said that it might cost me less to just pay to have my teeth cleaned than it would be to pay for insurance to cover it. I rationalized insurance because I have a lot of problems with my teeth. I have had many cavities and many fillings. YES I BRUSH MY TEETH!! Some people have more vulnerable teeth than others! Regardless, I should have listened to the guy because this stupid dental insurance has been nothing but a nightmare!
Imagine a sunny day in March. I get on the internet to find a dentist who is contracting with my new and "awesome" dental plan. I find five names on the internet within a 50 mile radius that are contracting dentists with my insurance company. YAY! To my delight, one of them happens to be 25 minutes away in Celina, OH. I set an appointment with the dentist and go there to get my teeth cleaned and to get xrays on my mouth. All of this was covered by my new and "awesome" dental insurance. I leave the dentist with a new clean set of teeth and a bright smile on my face. Little did I know that the smile was all in VAIN!!
About a month or so later I received a letter in the mail stating that the insurance was not paying for the bill and I was responsible for incurring the charges. I thought this was strange and it angered me a little. But I figured there must be some mistake because my new insurance policy was "awesome". I called the dentist office to see what the problem was and the very polite and friendly receptionist informed me that the insurance company was not covering the charges. She said they take Unicare but Unicare was only going to pay about 6 dollars of my $110 bill. I hung up with her and immediately called Unicare (that's the name of the insurance company) to see what the deal was. I called them and they told me that the dentist was a contracting dentist and they would sort everything out.
About 4 months later I called the dentist to set another appointment, figuring that everything from the prior appointment had been worked out. When I called, the receptionist informed me that she has tried to get the insurance company to pay and has sat through many frustrating phone calls with them and they told her that I was responsible for the charges. She said that they are NOT contracting dentists with Unicare. I told her that their name was on the Unicare website as a contracting dentist but she said that it shouldn't be. Well, this made me very irate. She also told me that she sent some information in the mail for me recently and that I should receive it shortly. When I received the information the receptionist wrote this:
"Travis I've spoken to your insurance company several times. I'm unable to get them to pay anymore towards your account. As the insured you are responsible for the balance which your insurance does not cover. I've enclosed a copy of the claim form and the EOB (Explanation of benefits)".
I called Unicare again to work out this problem. I explained the issue to the lady at the insurance company and she told me that I was not to find contracting dentists on the internet but I was to call them to find out. WHAT!?? This pissed me off. That is when I went to the insurance agent that sold me the insurance only to find out that he no longer works for the agency. So a very nice lady was gracious enough to help me with my problem.
I explained everything to the lady and she called the insurance agency. I was very concerned to know how I was supposed to know that I was supposed to call Unicare to find contracting dentists? I just assumed that if they were on the website then they were contracting. The lady (we'll call her Jane) talked to one of the idiot monkeys at Unicare and told her my concerns. This is when they magically figured out that, oh, Dr. Ramsey (the dentist I went to) is no longer a contracting dentist and that they made a mistake and they would cover the charges. They said that his name should no longer be on the website and they would remove it immediately. So, unlike what the lady I talked to at Unicare said, the dentists on the website are contracting dentists. So what was the lady I spoke with talking about??? And why couldn't they have figured this out when I called or when the receptionist at Dr. Ramsey called?? This should have been my first clue to immediately cancel my policy with Unicare. Well, unfortunately, I didn't. I figured that I wanted to at least get my money's worth out of the insurance before I cancelled it. There were 4 other dentists to choose from on the website within a 50 mile radius. I could just pick from one of them. HA! This story has just begun.
So I figured I would let the whole Dr. Ramsey thing blow over and let the insurance company pay for my bill before I would go ahead and set up another appointment with one of the other dentists. So, a few days ago (about 4 months after the last issue was settled) I went to the Unicare website to find a dentist. This time I would make sure that the dentist was indeed a contracting dentist by asking the dental office if they were CONTRACTING dentists with Unicare and also by calling Unicare and asking them. The first thing that caught my attention was that Dr. Ramsey's name was STILL on the website as a contracting dentist! I called Dr. Ramsey and asked them about it thinking that maybe they had decided to sign on with Unicare. The nice receptionist told me that they had not signed on with them and they have told Unicare to take their name of the site several times. This was ridiculous! Then I decided to try the other 4 doctors. One of the doctors was located in Muncie. That's only about 40 minutes away so I called him. They also told me that they are NOT contracting dentists with Unicare. Then why is their name on the website next to Dr. Ramsey who is also NOT a contracting dentist?? This was frustrating. But there were still 3 to choose from. Ok, dentist 3...number no longer in service. Um, ok. Dentist 2...number no longer in service. Oh my God. Last dentist...number plays random rock music and nothing else. I figured it might be a number to a drug dealer. You call and they call you back to see what you want to order...Green or White T-shirts. So NONE, I repeat NONE, of the dentists on the website were contracting or even available.
So I called Unicare (again) and talked to one of their monkeys and the lady on the other end brought up her information to give me the names of contracting dentists in my area within a 50 mile radius. She proceeded to give me the same names of the same 5 dentists I just saw on their website. NO, I said. Dr. Ramsey is not contracting and neither is Dr. Kloer (the second dentist I talked to). The other three numbers didn't even work. She told me that if they were on the website then they were DEFINITELY contracting. I told her that she is an idiot and she's not listening. I told her that I had called the dentist offices and they told me they were definitely not contracting. I also told her that about the issues I had with one of them in the past. She puts me on hold. Apparently while I was on hold she went to her magic file because when she came back she said that I was correct and those two dentist were NO LONGER contracting with them. DUH! They just hadn't updated their information yet. How long does it take to update information!?? I had informed them of an error 4 months ago and it still hadn't changed. This was ridiculous. I looked on the internet to see if there were alternate numbers to the dentists I couldn't get a hold of. I found a couple of numbers. I tried one and got an answering machine. I tried the next one and I got a hold of an old man (sounded about 85) at home who claimed to be the dentist but didn't know the difference between a zip code and an area code...either he had alzheimers or he had just lost his mind. Either way I didn't want that man working on my teeth. Ok, back to the insurance agency.
When I got back to the insurance agency the lady who helped me the first time was still there. Great. I sat down and explained my situation and she tried her best to work something out for me. She called the insurance agency and talked to them and they gave her the same run around they gave me. Finally they came up with a dentist that I could go to...65 miles away!! I have to drive 65 miles to go to a dentist who is contracting with Unicare!! That is unacceptable. I told her that the reason I signed on for the insurance was because there was supposedly 5 dentist within a 50 mile radius. She sympathized with me but there really wasn't much else she could do.
So, here I sit, with a broken tooth (yes, I broke a filling in October eating Halloween candy) and dirty teeth. I just want to get a cleaning with a contracting dentist and get my tooth fixed. But is driving 65 miles even worth it?? It's just all very frustrating and I do plan on reporting this with the Better Business Bureau and writing to Michael Moore. Granted, this isn't as huge as an insurance company screwing somebody over with cancer and leaving them with a 50,000 dollar bill because they forgot to put their b-day on the registration form. But it's still annoying. Needless to say, do NOT get insurance through Unicare. BARF!
http://www.hollywoodrag.com/index.php?/weblog/
carrot_top_gets_buff/
Ok, moving on:
Last year around this time I purchased dental insurance for myself. The guy who sold it to me tried to talk me out of it and said that it might cost me less to just pay to have my teeth cleaned than it would be to pay for insurance to cover it. I rationalized insurance because I have a lot of problems with my teeth. I have had many cavities and many fillings. YES I BRUSH MY TEETH!! Some people have more vulnerable teeth than others! Regardless, I should have listened to the guy because this stupid dental insurance has been nothing but a nightmare!
Imagine a sunny day in March. I get on the internet to find a dentist who is contracting with my new and "awesome" dental plan. I find five names on the internet within a 50 mile radius that are contracting dentists with my insurance company. YAY! To my delight, one of them happens to be 25 minutes away in Celina, OH. I set an appointment with the dentist and go there to get my teeth cleaned and to get xrays on my mouth. All of this was covered by my new and "awesome" dental insurance. I leave the dentist with a new clean set of teeth and a bright smile on my face. Little did I know that the smile was all in VAIN!!
About a month or so later I received a letter in the mail stating that the insurance was not paying for the bill and I was responsible for incurring the charges. I thought this was strange and it angered me a little. But I figured there must be some mistake because my new insurance policy was "awesome". I called the dentist office to see what the problem was and the very polite and friendly receptionist informed me that the insurance company was not covering the charges. She said they take Unicare but Unicare was only going to pay about 6 dollars of my $110 bill. I hung up with her and immediately called Unicare (that's the name of the insurance company) to see what the deal was. I called them and they told me that the dentist was a contracting dentist and they would sort everything out.
About 4 months later I called the dentist to set another appointment, figuring that everything from the prior appointment had been worked out. When I called, the receptionist informed me that she has tried to get the insurance company to pay and has sat through many frustrating phone calls with them and they told her that I was responsible for the charges. She said that they are NOT contracting dentists with Unicare. I told her that their name was on the Unicare website as a contracting dentist but she said that it shouldn't be. Well, this made me very irate. She also told me that she sent some information in the mail for me recently and that I should receive it shortly. When I received the information the receptionist wrote this:
"Travis I've spoken to your insurance company several times. I'm unable to get them to pay anymore towards your account. As the insured you are responsible for the balance which your insurance does not cover. I've enclosed a copy of the claim form and the EOB (Explanation of benefits)".
I called Unicare again to work out this problem. I explained the issue to the lady at the insurance company and she told me that I was not to find contracting dentists on the internet but I was to call them to find out. WHAT!?? This pissed me off. That is when I went to the insurance agent that sold me the insurance only to find out that he no longer works for the agency. So a very nice lady was gracious enough to help me with my problem.
I explained everything to the lady and she called the insurance agency. I was very concerned to know how I was supposed to know that I was supposed to call Unicare to find contracting dentists? I just assumed that if they were on the website then they were contracting. The lady (we'll call her Jane) talked to one of the idiot monkeys at Unicare and told her my concerns. This is when they magically figured out that, oh, Dr. Ramsey (the dentist I went to) is no longer a contracting dentist and that they made a mistake and they would cover the charges. They said that his name should no longer be on the website and they would remove it immediately. So, unlike what the lady I talked to at Unicare said, the dentists on the website are contracting dentists. So what was the lady I spoke with talking about??? And why couldn't they have figured this out when I called or when the receptionist at Dr. Ramsey called?? This should have been my first clue to immediately cancel my policy with Unicare. Well, unfortunately, I didn't. I figured that I wanted to at least get my money's worth out of the insurance before I cancelled it. There were 4 other dentists to choose from on the website within a 50 mile radius. I could just pick from one of them. HA! This story has just begun.
So I figured I would let the whole Dr. Ramsey thing blow over and let the insurance company pay for my bill before I would go ahead and set up another appointment with one of the other dentists. So, a few days ago (about 4 months after the last issue was settled) I went to the Unicare website to find a dentist. This time I would make sure that the dentist was indeed a contracting dentist by asking the dental office if they were CONTRACTING dentists with Unicare and also by calling Unicare and asking them. The first thing that caught my attention was that Dr. Ramsey's name was STILL on the website as a contracting dentist! I called Dr. Ramsey and asked them about it thinking that maybe they had decided to sign on with Unicare. The nice receptionist told me that they had not signed on with them and they have told Unicare to take their name of the site several times. This was ridiculous! Then I decided to try the other 4 doctors. One of the doctors was located in Muncie. That's only about 40 minutes away so I called him. They also told me that they are NOT contracting dentists with Unicare. Then why is their name on the website next to Dr. Ramsey who is also NOT a contracting dentist?? This was frustrating. But there were still 3 to choose from. Ok, dentist 3...number no longer in service. Um, ok. Dentist 2...number no longer in service. Oh my God. Last dentist...number plays random rock music and nothing else. I figured it might be a number to a drug dealer. You call and they call you back to see what you want to order...Green or White T-shirts. So NONE, I repeat NONE, of the dentists on the website were contracting or even available.
So I called Unicare (again) and talked to one of their monkeys and the lady on the other end brought up her information to give me the names of contracting dentists in my area within a 50 mile radius. She proceeded to give me the same names of the same 5 dentists I just saw on their website. NO, I said. Dr. Ramsey is not contracting and neither is Dr. Kloer (the second dentist I talked to). The other three numbers didn't even work. She told me that if they were on the website then they were DEFINITELY contracting. I told her that she is an idiot and she's not listening. I told her that I had called the dentist offices and they told me they were definitely not contracting. I also told her that about the issues I had with one of them in the past. She puts me on hold. Apparently while I was on hold she went to her magic file because when she came back she said that I was correct and those two dentist were NO LONGER contracting with them. DUH! They just hadn't updated their information yet. How long does it take to update information!?? I had informed them of an error 4 months ago and it still hadn't changed. This was ridiculous. I looked on the internet to see if there were alternate numbers to the dentists I couldn't get a hold of. I found a couple of numbers. I tried one and got an answering machine. I tried the next one and I got a hold of an old man (sounded about 85) at home who claimed to be the dentist but didn't know the difference between a zip code and an area code...either he had alzheimers or he had just lost his mind. Either way I didn't want that man working on my teeth. Ok, back to the insurance agency.
When I got back to the insurance agency the lady who helped me the first time was still there. Great. I sat down and explained my situation and she tried her best to work something out for me. She called the insurance agency and talked to them and they gave her the same run around they gave me. Finally they came up with a dentist that I could go to...65 miles away!! I have to drive 65 miles to go to a dentist who is contracting with Unicare!! That is unacceptable. I told her that the reason I signed on for the insurance was because there was supposedly 5 dentist within a 50 mile radius. She sympathized with me but there really wasn't much else she could do.
So, here I sit, with a broken tooth (yes, I broke a filling in October eating Halloween candy) and dirty teeth. I just want to get a cleaning with a contracting dentist and get my tooth fixed. But is driving 65 miles even worth it?? It's just all very frustrating and I do plan on reporting this with the Better Business Bureau and writing to Michael Moore. Granted, this isn't as huge as an insurance company screwing somebody over with cancer and leaving them with a 50,000 dollar bill because they forgot to put their b-day on the registration form. But it's still annoying. Needless to say, do NOT get insurance through Unicare. BARF!
Sunday, February 19, 2006
I'm BAAAAAAAAACK
Back with a vengeance, so to speak. No, but seriously...where have I been? Wouldn't you like to know! Actually, I've been doing a whole lotta nothin. SHOCK! I am trying to grow my hair out...which I hate. I'm going to let it go another few days and if it doesn't get any better then it's gone. It doesn't help that I have to shower in liquid metal. My hair doesn't really like that. I essentially have to use an entire bottle of conditioner just so my hair doesn't dry out and look like something from a Rob Zombie flick. Speaking of, have you seen "Devil's Rejects"? What a wretched movie that was.
I will be posting within the next couple of weeks my favorite films of 2005. I still have to see a couple and then I will make my decisions. Then I will be posting my annual oscar predictions and review. I cannot wait for the oscars! It's my super bowl.
Travis On TV:
I've been watching Desperate Housewives, Lost, American Idol, and Prison Break (well, I will be when it restarts). I never use to watch TV but there is not much else to do around here.
*Possible Spoilers*
Desperate Housewives: This show certainly has it's ups and downs this season. I missed the first few episodes but I was caught up so that I could start watching again and not have to wait for its release on DVD. I think the shows problem right now is it's superfluously lame subplots that only last an episode. There are just too many of them. Focus more on the mystery through line that is lying below the surface. That is what made the first season so good.
Lost: This show also has it's ups and downs. I find myself bored during some episodes. BORED!! Bored watching LOST!! There is just way to much going on and there are far too many characters. They need to kill off about 10 people so we can all just focus on the important ones. I also don't like that Dominique Monaghan (sp?) has turned "bad". And can somebody PLEASE kill Michelle Rodriguez's character?? PLEEEEEEEEEEASE!?
American Idol: American Idol is the equivalent to crank in my book. It's complete and utter trash but it's also IRRESISTIBLE.
Prison Break: What was this show about again? Oh yeah, a prison break. Duh. I almost forgot seeing how FOX hasn't had an episode in months!! The show was good back in the fall...but it wasn't great. Let's hope that the hiatus and the shows success motivate the writers to come up with some exciting twists and turns! Yeah baby!
I will be posting within the next couple of weeks my favorite films of 2005. I still have to see a couple and then I will make my decisions. Then I will be posting my annual oscar predictions and review. I cannot wait for the oscars! It's my super bowl.
Travis On TV:
I've been watching Desperate Housewives, Lost, American Idol, and Prison Break (well, I will be when it restarts). I never use to watch TV but there is not much else to do around here.
*Possible Spoilers*
Desperate Housewives: This show certainly has it's ups and downs this season. I missed the first few episodes but I was caught up so that I could start watching again and not have to wait for its release on DVD. I think the shows problem right now is it's superfluously lame subplots that only last an episode. There are just too many of them. Focus more on the mystery through line that is lying below the surface. That is what made the first season so good.
Lost: This show also has it's ups and downs. I find myself bored during some episodes. BORED!! Bored watching LOST!! There is just way to much going on and there are far too many characters. They need to kill off about 10 people so we can all just focus on the important ones. I also don't like that Dominique Monaghan (sp?) has turned "bad". And can somebody PLEASE kill Michelle Rodriguez's character?? PLEEEEEEEEEEASE!?
American Idol: American Idol is the equivalent to crank in my book. It's complete and utter trash but it's also IRRESISTIBLE.
Prison Break: What was this show about again? Oh yeah, a prison break. Duh. I almost forgot seeing how FOX hasn't had an episode in months!! The show was good back in the fall...but it wasn't great. Let's hope that the hiatus and the shows success motivate the writers to come up with some exciting twists and turns! Yeah baby!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
AFI Film Scores
Here is a list of AFI's top 25 film scores of all time:
http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/scores.aspx
I was somewhat surprised by the selections. Of course AFI can't give all the top spots to the same 4 people. They want variety. Where is "Schindler's List"? Where is "Edward Scissorhands"? Thank God "To Kill A Mockingbird" is in there or I might have pooped a tuba. "On Golden Pond"? What the hell is that? I've seen the movie. Didn't like it. Don't remember the music. Does that mean it's a bad score? Probably not. Regardless, is it better than the score to "Lord of the Rings"? Probably not. This definitely inspires me to listen to more "older" film scores. I've always heard good things about Korngold (one of John Williams greater inspirations) and Morricone. Do I agree with "Star Wars" taking top honors? Hmm...I'd have to say yes. I'd have to say "hell, yes" to that one. John Williams may be a little redundant in his music but "Star Wars" is a GREAT score and probably the most popular and recognizable of any film score out there. "Jaws" being so high on the list, I'm not so sure about. Yes, it's a very recognizable theme. Half step followed by more half steps. Yeah, it's clever. But the score isn't all THAT great. I was disappointed to see that several great composers were left off the list such as Danny Elfman, James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Thomas Newman, and Howard Shore. But these are the composers of my generation. They are probably following in the footsteps of many of the older composers listed in the top 25. I just need to familiarize myself with several of these scores to compare and see how great they actually are.
http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/scores.aspx
I was somewhat surprised by the selections. Of course AFI can't give all the top spots to the same 4 people. They want variety. Where is "Schindler's List"? Where is "Edward Scissorhands"? Thank God "To Kill A Mockingbird" is in there or I might have pooped a tuba. "On Golden Pond"? What the hell is that? I've seen the movie. Didn't like it. Don't remember the music. Does that mean it's a bad score? Probably not. Regardless, is it better than the score to "Lord of the Rings"? Probably not. This definitely inspires me to listen to more "older" film scores. I've always heard good things about Korngold (one of John Williams greater inspirations) and Morricone. Do I agree with "Star Wars" taking top honors? Hmm...I'd have to say yes. I'd have to say "hell, yes" to that one. John Williams may be a little redundant in his music but "Star Wars" is a GREAT score and probably the most popular and recognizable of any film score out there. "Jaws" being so high on the list, I'm not so sure about. Yes, it's a very recognizable theme. Half step followed by more half steps. Yeah, it's clever. But the score isn't all THAT great. I was disappointed to see that several great composers were left off the list such as Danny Elfman, James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Thomas Newman, and Howard Shore. But these are the composers of my generation. They are probably following in the footsteps of many of the older composers listed in the top 25. I just need to familiarize myself with several of these scores to compare and see how great they actually are.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
A Letter From New Orleans
Here is a letter that was sent to me by a friend regarding the tragedy in New Orleans and how one person coped:
September 6, 2005
Hi Everyone-
I’m writing this letter to let everyone know that we finally made it home from New Orleans and to tell everyone how things really were down there. I am also sending this letter to the media because of my experience at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans- since no one has shown it on the news. I am so disgusted that the media is not reporting the horrible conditions of the actual evacuation. All they show is the airlifts and then all of the sudden the people magically appear in a shelter. I thought we had a free press in this country…
Zach and I arrived in N.O. for a long weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. We had a great time on Bourbon St. Friday & Saturday. We found out the storm was coming Saturday and we immediately tried to get new plane tickets or a rental car. We found out later that there were rental cars that were available; they just wouldn’t rent them. All of us who were really stuck there were tourists and the poor- none of us had cars. At first we trusted that the government would come for us- this is the USA, right? What a joke…they abandoned us there.
Sunday night the Hyatt evacuated us out of our room to the 3rd floor to a big room where we slept until the storm woke us up in the morning. It was pretty safe though the ceiling did partially collapse from flooding on floors above. Monday morning we snuck back up to our room on the 21st floor to get clothes (that’s a lot of steps). The room was pretty much destroyed–windows broken, glass strewn all over the wet floor. We manage to sweep the broken glass over with a serving tray and the bed was dry so we decided to sleep in there that night- at least there was a breeze!
Monday afternoon we walked around the French quarter- there had been a little looting at that point but most things were in pretty good shape- our hotel seemed to be the most damaged building. Our outlook was still fairly positive because we assumed we’d be able to get out the next day. But then the water came…
Tuesday the flood arrived and things started to get worse. We could have gotten out on our own if they had allowed people to come in and get us. I understand not letting people into the city but if they could of just bused us out of the city borders most of us had a place to go.
They gave us a new room on the 14th floor. We would have stayed in our old room since it at least had some air but it started to grow mildew to which I’m really sensitive. There was no electricity or water in the hotel. I think our new room was around 100 degrees even though we kept the shades drawn all day. Most people just slept on the floor in the hallways. We gave our extra blankets to people who were sleeping directly on the dirty hallway carpet. We shared our wet naps with people who had children and babies. Luckily we had filled our tub and stocked water for ourselves. We traded our playing cards for a flashlight. We filled our trashcans with water from the pool to flush the toilet. We just tried to keep as clean as possible.
The Hyatt (which is connected by a 2nd floor walkway to the Superdome) did the best they could and it was probably the safest place in the city. But it was still pretty bad in there. Our mantra was “at least we’re not in the Superdome!” We were fed twice a day, usually half a cup of warm soda, fruit cocktail, and a muffin for breakfast then a bottle of water, a small piece of meat or gumbo, and some rice for dinner. We found out from employees that there was a huge amount of food wasted. The mayor and police stayed on the fourth floor and were fed really well (which they should have been) but a lot of food was trashed. The chef quit because he was so disgusted by the waste…they wouldn’t even let him eat the fourth floor food!
On Wednesday they finally allowed the Superdome people to come outside. I don’t think they were given any food or water up until then. There were warring gangs that took over in there. There were rapes and stabbings and a suicide (a man jumped from one of the higher levels). When the generator stopped working there, the troops advised people to put women & children in the middle and have the men surround them. I also heard that people with weapons took over the bathrooms and wpuldn’t let others use them. There will a lot of really bad stories coming out of there (if they decide to report on it!).
Beginning Wednesday night people started trying to break into the Hyatt because we had the best conditions. The officers and employees were left with no choice but to board up the first two floors of the building. Everyday we were sure they would send more troops to help us get out. We would have walked out of the city if it had been safe. All they had to do was send some troops to line one road out and we would have walked.
Why did it take so long to send troops?????? I guess they’re busy in Iraq. The police did keep us safe in the hotel but they were just outnumbered outside. All they could do was try to keep all the insane people separated from the rest of us.
Fire was our biggest fear. Friday morning I saw the refinery explode and we knew then that we had to get out of the city, even if we had to walk- at that point we were willing to take our chances. We heard from our parents in Philadelphia that some more troops had arrived the previous night so we thought we could make it. Then they announced (finally) the mandatory evacuation and we thought we were saved. That was actually the beginning of the nightmare of the airport. A lot of people are under the impression that there was always a mandatory evacuation, but there wasn’t. If there had been, they would have had to come and get us. I figure they waited until they were able to put together a plan, then ordered evacuation. Does that make sense to anyone?
Friday (9/2/05) afternoon (after 5 days of living in these conditions) we were finally “evacuated” from the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The night before they had begun to evacuate the Superdome through our hotel (they couldn’t pull the buses up to the Superdome) but that was taking so long that they decided to get us out first. We were told that we would be allowed to board a bus to either Dallas, San Antonio, or Baton Rouge. Instead, we got on school buses with one army guard and were brought to the New Orleans Airport. There were about 300 of us in that load. They told us they couldn’t bring us inside yet because they needed to get the people in there out first; that is was too crowded right then. They brought us snacks and water and Porto potties and told us to wait. Then the guards told us they were leaving.
When we figured out that they had dumped us there and we were on our own, we started asking what was going to happen to us and how we could get out. It’s also interesting to note that they evacuated foreigners separately from us in the Hyatt and they were not brought to the airport. I guess they don’t want the foreign media to find out what’s going on. Some airport employees told us that if we didn’t go inside and get our names on the list, we would never get out. They refused to let anyone drive into the parishes to pick us up- they won’t let anyone into the area. Twelve of us decided to venture into the airport to see what was going on and at least make some phone calls- everyone else was content to sit on the ground and wait a while.
When we saw the conditions inside the airport we were appalled (although I hear it was way better than the Superdome). We suddenly realized the guards had abandoned us in the middle of a totally chaotic environment, much worse then the one we just left, with no plan and no protection. The airport was teaming with thousands of angry, hungry and sick people. None of whom were too keen on tourists getting in their way. When we walked in, all we saw were people everywhere- around 5,000 I’m guessing- waiting to get their names on the list to be evacuated. None of the police (I think there were around 20 cops and homeland security officers in there) knew which way we needed to go or where the “line” began or ended. We figured out which way people were “moving” and tried to get in the mix.
We ended up waiting in that area for 15 hours, standing on a floor covered in urine, feces, and debris; packed together like sardines with strangers—angry, dirty strangers... This was after already being awake for 12 hours waiting to be evacuated. I didn’t know I could stand for that long.
The people in there were the poorest of the poor. Just to give you an idea of how poor and ignorant many of the people were, I’ll describe the family next to us. They were a family who was made up of three races (white, black, hispanic), three generations and a dog who had been airlifted out of a totally flooded area and dropped off at the airport just like us. When I first saw them, the mother was sitting on the pissy ground making sandwiches for the kids. They were all covered in dirt. She was spreading mayo on the bread with her finger and then she licked her fingers! The baby was crawling around on the ground in just his diaper with a bandage on his leg. The daughter looked to be about 12 and we heard her say to her mom- “I ain’t had a cigarette since before my shower this morning.” Her brother was shaking his kids and screaming at everyone. It was really sad. The mom’s boyfriend was dying of cancer and had a colostomy bag hanging on his belt. When we got closer to the front he was holding on to my backpack trying to stand. I had to make him stop because I was having trouble standing myself.
We had to fight our way to the concourse through people who were totally desperate. I was just taking tiny sips of water so I wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom- I didn’t pee for 20 hours. There was no way I was going to try to fight my way back to my spot if I had tried to get to a bathroom. It’s amazing that no one was trampled to death. We’d move like 5 feet and then stand still for like 3 hours. The old and sick were dropping like flies. The medics couldn’t even help them until they passed out. They’d hit the floor and then be covered in urine. Then they would carry them out. If you needed water you just had to yell, “water! water!” and they would start throwing them to your area.
When we finally got to the front the officer would just tell us to be patient; that we were next. Of course, that plane was full and we had to wait another hour and a half to get into the screening area. People just pushed and pushed and pushed. That’s when I finally just started sobbing. The guards saw us crying and felt bad for us but there was really nothing they could do. It was so frustrating to be so close and then have to wait again. We were sure there weren’t going to be anymore planes until morning but we didn’t want to say it aloud for fear of starting further panic. After ten hours of this we finally saw the rest of the people from our hotel just coming into the building- they didn’t get out for another 12 hours after us (we saw some of them the following day in San Antonio).
Finally, at 4:30 am, we got in to be screened. They took our names and info and put us to different staging areas to move us to the plane. We ended up being flown to San Antonio, Texas in a C-17 Navy cargo plane. They put us in 25 rows of ten people each and strapped us to the floor. We did get one picture of the plane before they made stopped us.
We landed at an Air Force base in San Antonio and they tried to make us go with all the newly homeless people into the shelter. We refused and told them they would have to arrest us if they wanted us to go in there. They wouldn’t let a taxi come onto the base either. They finally let us walk out of the base and we called a cab to go to the nearest airport. By the time we got to sleep that evening, we had been awake for 40 hours.
I wish I could have taken some pictures in the New Orleans airport but I think someone would probably have taken the camera and smashed it over my head if I had. I did see a TV camera in there once but have not seen any coverage AT ALL of the actual evacuation process. They’re only showing the outside and I did see some footage of where they take the people who pass out. It sickens me. You know the media looks for the most pathetic, heart-wrenching pictures so the fact that they are not showing the inside of the airport says to me that someone (the government) is not allowing it.
I’ve always been a pretty laid-back person politically but I’m a changed person after this experience. I don’t believe that the government would have taken so long to rescue or help people who aren’t so poor. Some people believe the government didn’t care about the people because most are black. Personally, I think it’s an economic issue but most poor people in and around New Orleans are black. What took so long? The president declared an emergency on Saturday before the storm. At that point FEMA is supposed to move in…why did we have to wait until the following Saturday to get out of the city?????
I wish we had thought to try to get out by taxi. That might have worked. FYI- rental car places still had cars but they wouldn’t rent them because they knew the cars would go out of state and not come back. I’m sure they’d be happy to have the cars out of state now! One family we met from North Dakota who we spent a lot of time with had a crazy rental car story- they were scheduled to leave Sunday morning when the planes were still flying. They couldn’t get to the airport on time because of all the traffic heading out. They called the airline and were told that they would put them on the next flight. They got to the airport, returned their rental car and then were told that the flight had been canceled. They called the rental place right back and asked for the car back and the rental agency told them they weren’t renting anymore cars. So they had to come back to the hotel with the rest of us suckers.
I never thought this would happen in the USA. How vulnerable do we now look to people who hate America? How could President Bush be surprised that the levee broke? You can’t convince me that the federal, state, and local governments did enough to get us out of there. Why didn’t the president force the airlines to keep flying on Sunday?
As I go back and read this letter I realize that I can’t put into words how horrible this experience has been. Please just pass this along so others can understand a little bit of what people went through. The worst thing to me besides the loss of life is the failure of the media to report on the actual evacuation process. Someone doesn’t want the world to know that we can’t effectively evacuate one city. I wonder who? When I finally saw the news on Saturday (9/3/05) I just cried & cried because I couldn’t believe that the news is being censored. I guess I was naïve to believe that the USA has a free press.
-Tracy
CTLynch01@comcast.net
Thanks to all who voted for George W Bush for a second term. This letter proves how effective he is as a president.
September 6, 2005
Hi Everyone-
I’m writing this letter to let everyone know that we finally made it home from New Orleans and to tell everyone how things really were down there. I am also sending this letter to the media because of my experience at the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans- since no one has shown it on the news. I am so disgusted that the media is not reporting the horrible conditions of the actual evacuation. All they show is the airlifts and then all of the sudden the people magically appear in a shelter. I thought we had a free press in this country…
Zach and I arrived in N.O. for a long weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. We had a great time on Bourbon St. Friday & Saturday. We found out the storm was coming Saturday and we immediately tried to get new plane tickets or a rental car. We found out later that there were rental cars that were available; they just wouldn’t rent them. All of us who were really stuck there were tourists and the poor- none of us had cars. At first we trusted that the government would come for us- this is the USA, right? What a joke…they abandoned us there.
Sunday night the Hyatt evacuated us out of our room to the 3rd floor to a big room where we slept until the storm woke us up in the morning. It was pretty safe though the ceiling did partially collapse from flooding on floors above. Monday morning we snuck back up to our room on the 21st floor to get clothes (that’s a lot of steps). The room was pretty much destroyed–windows broken, glass strewn all over the wet floor. We manage to sweep the broken glass over with a serving tray and the bed was dry so we decided to sleep in there that night- at least there was a breeze!
Monday afternoon we walked around the French quarter- there had been a little looting at that point but most things were in pretty good shape- our hotel seemed to be the most damaged building. Our outlook was still fairly positive because we assumed we’d be able to get out the next day. But then the water came…
Tuesday the flood arrived and things started to get worse. We could have gotten out on our own if they had allowed people to come in and get us. I understand not letting people into the city but if they could of just bused us out of the city borders most of us had a place to go.
They gave us a new room on the 14th floor. We would have stayed in our old room since it at least had some air but it started to grow mildew to which I’m really sensitive. There was no electricity or water in the hotel. I think our new room was around 100 degrees even though we kept the shades drawn all day. Most people just slept on the floor in the hallways. We gave our extra blankets to people who were sleeping directly on the dirty hallway carpet. We shared our wet naps with people who had children and babies. Luckily we had filled our tub and stocked water for ourselves. We traded our playing cards for a flashlight. We filled our trashcans with water from the pool to flush the toilet. We just tried to keep as clean as possible.
The Hyatt (which is connected by a 2nd floor walkway to the Superdome) did the best they could and it was probably the safest place in the city. But it was still pretty bad in there. Our mantra was “at least we’re not in the Superdome!” We were fed twice a day, usually half a cup of warm soda, fruit cocktail, and a muffin for breakfast then a bottle of water, a small piece of meat or gumbo, and some rice for dinner. We found out from employees that there was a huge amount of food wasted. The mayor and police stayed on the fourth floor and were fed really well (which they should have been) but a lot of food was trashed. The chef quit because he was so disgusted by the waste…they wouldn’t even let him eat the fourth floor food!
On Wednesday they finally allowed the Superdome people to come outside. I don’t think they were given any food or water up until then. There were warring gangs that took over in there. There were rapes and stabbings and a suicide (a man jumped from one of the higher levels). When the generator stopped working there, the troops advised people to put women & children in the middle and have the men surround them. I also heard that people with weapons took over the bathrooms and wpuldn’t let others use them. There will a lot of really bad stories coming out of there (if they decide to report on it!).
Beginning Wednesday night people started trying to break into the Hyatt because we had the best conditions. The officers and employees were left with no choice but to board up the first two floors of the building. Everyday we were sure they would send more troops to help us get out. We would have walked out of the city if it had been safe. All they had to do was send some troops to line one road out and we would have walked.
Why did it take so long to send troops?????? I guess they’re busy in Iraq. The police did keep us safe in the hotel but they were just outnumbered outside. All they could do was try to keep all the insane people separated from the rest of us.
Fire was our biggest fear. Friday morning I saw the refinery explode and we knew then that we had to get out of the city, even if we had to walk- at that point we were willing to take our chances. We heard from our parents in Philadelphia that some more troops had arrived the previous night so we thought we could make it. Then they announced (finally) the mandatory evacuation and we thought we were saved. That was actually the beginning of the nightmare of the airport. A lot of people are under the impression that there was always a mandatory evacuation, but there wasn’t. If there had been, they would have had to come and get us. I figure they waited until they were able to put together a plan, then ordered evacuation. Does that make sense to anyone?
Friday (9/2/05) afternoon (after 5 days of living in these conditions) we were finally “evacuated” from the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The night before they had begun to evacuate the Superdome through our hotel (they couldn’t pull the buses up to the Superdome) but that was taking so long that they decided to get us out first. We were told that we would be allowed to board a bus to either Dallas, San Antonio, or Baton Rouge. Instead, we got on school buses with one army guard and were brought to the New Orleans Airport. There were about 300 of us in that load. They told us they couldn’t bring us inside yet because they needed to get the people in there out first; that is was too crowded right then. They brought us snacks and water and Porto potties and told us to wait. Then the guards told us they were leaving.
When we figured out that they had dumped us there and we were on our own, we started asking what was going to happen to us and how we could get out. It’s also interesting to note that they evacuated foreigners separately from us in the Hyatt and they were not brought to the airport. I guess they don’t want the foreign media to find out what’s going on. Some airport employees told us that if we didn’t go inside and get our names on the list, we would never get out. They refused to let anyone drive into the parishes to pick us up- they won’t let anyone into the area. Twelve of us decided to venture into the airport to see what was going on and at least make some phone calls- everyone else was content to sit on the ground and wait a while.
When we saw the conditions inside the airport we were appalled (although I hear it was way better than the Superdome). We suddenly realized the guards had abandoned us in the middle of a totally chaotic environment, much worse then the one we just left, with no plan and no protection. The airport was teaming with thousands of angry, hungry and sick people. None of whom were too keen on tourists getting in their way. When we walked in, all we saw were people everywhere- around 5,000 I’m guessing- waiting to get their names on the list to be evacuated. None of the police (I think there were around 20 cops and homeland security officers in there) knew which way we needed to go or where the “line” began or ended. We figured out which way people were “moving” and tried to get in the mix.
We ended up waiting in that area for 15 hours, standing on a floor covered in urine, feces, and debris; packed together like sardines with strangers—angry, dirty strangers... This was after already being awake for 12 hours waiting to be evacuated. I didn’t know I could stand for that long.
The people in there were the poorest of the poor. Just to give you an idea of how poor and ignorant many of the people were, I’ll describe the family next to us. They were a family who was made up of three races (white, black, hispanic), three generations and a dog who had been airlifted out of a totally flooded area and dropped off at the airport just like us. When I first saw them, the mother was sitting on the pissy ground making sandwiches for the kids. They were all covered in dirt. She was spreading mayo on the bread with her finger and then she licked her fingers! The baby was crawling around on the ground in just his diaper with a bandage on his leg. The daughter looked to be about 12 and we heard her say to her mom- “I ain’t had a cigarette since before my shower this morning.” Her brother was shaking his kids and screaming at everyone. It was really sad. The mom’s boyfriend was dying of cancer and had a colostomy bag hanging on his belt. When we got closer to the front he was holding on to my backpack trying to stand. I had to make him stop because I was having trouble standing myself.
We had to fight our way to the concourse through people who were totally desperate. I was just taking tiny sips of water so I wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom- I didn’t pee for 20 hours. There was no way I was going to try to fight my way back to my spot if I had tried to get to a bathroom. It’s amazing that no one was trampled to death. We’d move like 5 feet and then stand still for like 3 hours. The old and sick were dropping like flies. The medics couldn’t even help them until they passed out. They’d hit the floor and then be covered in urine. Then they would carry them out. If you needed water you just had to yell, “water! water!” and they would start throwing them to your area.
When we finally got to the front the officer would just tell us to be patient; that we were next. Of course, that plane was full and we had to wait another hour and a half to get into the screening area. People just pushed and pushed and pushed. That’s when I finally just started sobbing. The guards saw us crying and felt bad for us but there was really nothing they could do. It was so frustrating to be so close and then have to wait again. We were sure there weren’t going to be anymore planes until morning but we didn’t want to say it aloud for fear of starting further panic. After ten hours of this we finally saw the rest of the people from our hotel just coming into the building- they didn’t get out for another 12 hours after us (we saw some of them the following day in San Antonio).
Finally, at 4:30 am, we got in to be screened. They took our names and info and put us to different staging areas to move us to the plane. We ended up being flown to San Antonio, Texas in a C-17 Navy cargo plane. They put us in 25 rows of ten people each and strapped us to the floor. We did get one picture of the plane before they made stopped us.
We landed at an Air Force base in San Antonio and they tried to make us go with all the newly homeless people into the shelter. We refused and told them they would have to arrest us if they wanted us to go in there. They wouldn’t let a taxi come onto the base either. They finally let us walk out of the base and we called a cab to go to the nearest airport. By the time we got to sleep that evening, we had been awake for 40 hours.
I wish I could have taken some pictures in the New Orleans airport but I think someone would probably have taken the camera and smashed it over my head if I had. I did see a TV camera in there once but have not seen any coverage AT ALL of the actual evacuation process. They’re only showing the outside and I did see some footage of where they take the people who pass out. It sickens me. You know the media looks for the most pathetic, heart-wrenching pictures so the fact that they are not showing the inside of the airport says to me that someone (the government) is not allowing it.
I’ve always been a pretty laid-back person politically but I’m a changed person after this experience. I don’t believe that the government would have taken so long to rescue or help people who aren’t so poor. Some people believe the government didn’t care about the people because most are black. Personally, I think it’s an economic issue but most poor people in and around New Orleans are black. What took so long? The president declared an emergency on Saturday before the storm. At that point FEMA is supposed to move in…why did we have to wait until the following Saturday to get out of the city?????
I wish we had thought to try to get out by taxi. That might have worked. FYI- rental car places still had cars but they wouldn’t rent them because they knew the cars would go out of state and not come back. I’m sure they’d be happy to have the cars out of state now! One family we met from North Dakota who we spent a lot of time with had a crazy rental car story- they were scheduled to leave Sunday morning when the planes were still flying. They couldn’t get to the airport on time because of all the traffic heading out. They called the airline and were told that they would put them on the next flight. They got to the airport, returned their rental car and then were told that the flight had been canceled. They called the rental place right back and asked for the car back and the rental agency told them they weren’t renting anymore cars. So they had to come back to the hotel with the rest of us suckers.
I never thought this would happen in the USA. How vulnerable do we now look to people who hate America? How could President Bush be surprised that the levee broke? You can’t convince me that the federal, state, and local governments did enough to get us out of there. Why didn’t the president force the airlines to keep flying on Sunday?
As I go back and read this letter I realize that I can’t put into words how horrible this experience has been. Please just pass this along so others can understand a little bit of what people went through. The worst thing to me besides the loss of life is the failure of the media to report on the actual evacuation process. Someone doesn’t want the world to know that we can’t effectively evacuate one city. I wonder who? When I finally saw the news on Saturday (9/3/05) I just cried & cried because I couldn’t believe that the news is being censored. I guess I was naïve to believe that the USA has a free press.
-Tracy
CTLynch01@comcast.net
Thanks to all who voted for George W Bush for a second term. This letter proves how effective he is as a president.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
TRAVISATIONS 9/03/05
Greetings! Sorry I have been away so long. I know you have all been awaiting my travisations, so here goes:
1) Roseanne: Season One. C'mon, you knew that was coming. Roseanne has been a favorite show of mine since it's original air date back in the late 80's. Going back is quite the experience because I'm watching episodes that I haven't seen in years. I'm watching these episodes through new, experienced, and (dare-I-say-it) wiser eyes. The brilliance of this show WAS the reality of the situations. Yet, watching it now I also see that part of the brilliance was also in the performances and the fact that you believed this was a family and that they loved each other. The chemistry between Roseanne and Dan (John Goodman) is beyond any other relationship I have ever seen in a sitcom. It's also interesting to see that the original D.J. was a completely different actor in the series pilot. You see the beginning phases of Darlene's turn for the worst and Becky's boy mismanaging. D.J. is far cuter in the original season, progressively getting uglier and less interesting as the years progress. Nothing much happens with Jackie in this season. She becomes more of a plot builder later on. There is her lover George Clooney though, before he blossomed into a mega star. Some of the most memorable episodes are in this season such as "Toto, We're Not In Kansas Anymore" where Lanford is hit hard by a tornado. It's also always fun to see the first appearance of many of the characters like Ned Beatty as Dan's father and Estelle Parsons as Roseanne's mother. So I'd highly suggest going out and buying this. If you are tentative because you are unfamiliar with it then at least rent it.
2. George Forman Grills: These things are amazing. I didn't start using mine until about a month ago. I'd used them before but I never really grasped how effective they are. It has single-handedly caused me to cook more. I've been cooking steaks and chicken like nobody's business. I go down to the meat market and get myself some fresh steak and some marinated chicken, some wine, and come home and cook a nice meal for myself and a couple friends. Cooking for others is also very travisational.
1) Roseanne: Season One. C'mon, you knew that was coming. Roseanne has been a favorite show of mine since it's original air date back in the late 80's. Going back is quite the experience because I'm watching episodes that I haven't seen in years. I'm watching these episodes through new, experienced, and (dare-I-say-it) wiser eyes. The brilliance of this show WAS the reality of the situations. Yet, watching it now I also see that part of the brilliance was also in the performances and the fact that you believed this was a family and that they loved each other. The chemistry between Roseanne and Dan (John Goodman) is beyond any other relationship I have ever seen in a sitcom. It's also interesting to see that the original D.J. was a completely different actor in the series pilot. You see the beginning phases of Darlene's turn for the worst and Becky's boy mismanaging. D.J. is far cuter in the original season, progressively getting uglier and less interesting as the years progress. Nothing much happens with Jackie in this season. She becomes more of a plot builder later on. There is her lover George Clooney though, before he blossomed into a mega star. Some of the most memorable episodes are in this season such as "Toto, We're Not In Kansas Anymore" where Lanford is hit hard by a tornado. It's also always fun to see the first appearance of many of the characters like Ned Beatty as Dan's father and Estelle Parsons as Roseanne's mother. So I'd highly suggest going out and buying this. If you are tentative because you are unfamiliar with it then at least rent it.
2. George Forman Grills: These things are amazing. I didn't start using mine until about a month ago. I'd used them before but I never really grasped how effective they are. It has single-handedly caused me to cook more. I've been cooking steaks and chicken like nobody's business. I go down to the meat market and get myself some fresh steak and some marinated chicken, some wine, and come home and cook a nice meal for myself and a couple friends. Cooking for others is also very travisational.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
I thought I'd dedicate this post to Harry Potter. Let me start off by ranking the books to my liking thus far (1 being the best):
1. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Films:
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Ok, ok, ok...I know what you are all thinking. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (favorite among many) ranks number four on my list. Well let me just say that I am not a fan of Quidditch. Perhaps it has something to do with my aversion to sports. Regardless, I don't like watching it in the movies and I don't like reading it in the books. Well, as you are all aware, the whole first half of "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire" is about Quidditch. Well, a Quidditch cup to be exact. Perhaps it may also attribute to the fact that I read the first 4 books straight. Maybe I was a little burnt out by the time I got to the 4th one. However, you may have noticed that I have put the current book at the top of the list. I'm not sure what the general consensus is out there on this one, but I adored it. My favorite aspects of the book being the history of Voldemort. I actually wished there were more of it. The last few chapters reminded me of something epic and beyond anything else ever attempted in the books. I also found myself in need of a dictionary to understand some of the adult words used by Rowling. I must admit though that the book did leave me feeling very depressed for a couple of days. What happens is devastating. I saw it coming. But when it happened, I never expected it. It was a good length also. I felt that "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" needed some heavy editing. Those are my thoughts. Questions? Comments?
1. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Films:
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Ok, ok, ok...I know what you are all thinking. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (favorite among many) ranks number four on my list. Well let me just say that I am not a fan of Quidditch. Perhaps it has something to do with my aversion to sports. Regardless, I don't like watching it in the movies and I don't like reading it in the books. Well, as you are all aware, the whole first half of "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire" is about Quidditch. Well, a Quidditch cup to be exact. Perhaps it may also attribute to the fact that I read the first 4 books straight. Maybe I was a little burnt out by the time I got to the 4th one. However, you may have noticed that I have put the current book at the top of the list. I'm not sure what the general consensus is out there on this one, but I adored it. My favorite aspects of the book being the history of Voldemort. I actually wished there were more of it. The last few chapters reminded me of something epic and beyond anything else ever attempted in the books. I also found myself in need of a dictionary to understand some of the adult words used by Rowling. I must admit though that the book did leave me feeling very depressed for a couple of days. What happens is devastating. I saw it coming. But when it happened, I never expected it. It was a good length also. I felt that "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" needed some heavy editing. Those are my thoughts. Questions? Comments?
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Travisations 8/3/05
1. Getting to visit my friend Linzy. I like to visit my friends. I especially like visiting my friend Linzy. Not only because she lives 40 minutes away from an all you can eat sushi restaurant but because she is such a cool person. I got to go hiking with my foster dog Lady and we got to see Linzy's new apartment and hang out with my old boss. It was an all around good time. We even cooked a little...which brings me to my next travisation:
2. Fried Zucchini. Now is the time for it. Go out, get some zucchini, put some batter on it, throw it in the skillet and prepare for bliss. Yum. Also:
3. Sizzlini. Sizzlini is a discovery I made at a restaurant in Columbus called Spageddies. Basically it's pasta mixed with Italian sausage and spiced with fresh red peppers, tomatoes, and other common Italian spices. Yum. If anybody wants the recipe...let me know. I sorta just throw it together.
4. March of the Penguins. While visiting Linzy, I also had the pleasure of attending a viewing of this movie with her. It's a cute and suprisingly emotional film. It's educational to boot. You walk out knowing more about emperor penguins than you ever cared to. Maybe it was also intended as a social commentary. Nah, I'm probably just reading into it. Then again...
2. Fried Zucchini. Now is the time for it. Go out, get some zucchini, put some batter on it, throw it in the skillet and prepare for bliss. Yum. Also:
3. Sizzlini. Sizzlini is a discovery I made at a restaurant in Columbus called Spageddies. Basically it's pasta mixed with Italian sausage and spiced with fresh red peppers, tomatoes, and other common Italian spices. Yum. If anybody wants the recipe...let me know. I sorta just throw it together.
4. March of the Penguins. While visiting Linzy, I also had the pleasure of attending a viewing of this movie with her. It's a cute and suprisingly emotional film. It's educational to boot. You walk out knowing more about emperor penguins than you ever cared to. Maybe it was also intended as a social commentary. Nah, I'm probably just reading into it. Then again...
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I have to admit, I was tentative going in to see this film (especially after seeing the trailer). Being a huge fan of Roald Dahl (especially as a youngster - owning all of his novels) and an avid watcher of the original film, I didn't really see it necessary to redo "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". After seeing the film, I still stand by that statement. I found the film unnecessary. I reread the novel recently, just too see HOW different the original 1971 film (which I also watched again recently) was from the text only to find that it wasn't nearly as "different" as everyone was saying it was. I also didn't find this film version that much "closer" to following Dahl's original text. If anything, the way the film ended and the whole Willy Wonka-backstory-subplot was a total reconstruction surpassing any of the changes the original film made from the novel. Dahl didn't care about families...read "Matilda" or "James and the Giant Peach" or even "The Witches". Dahl was about making children heroes and making dreams come true and teaching the "bullies" and "bad seeds" a lesson about behavior. Besides, the less we know about Willy Wonka the more we accept who he is - especially with an interpretion as outlandish as Johnny Depp's. This brings me to the performances. I adored Freddy Highmore as Charlie just as much in this movie as I did in Finding Neverland. He was the highlight of the film acting far superior to the ugly boy from the 1971 version. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed him so much I felt shorted when he didn't have nearly enough screen time after going into the factory. I must admit, the first 25 minutes of the film were quite good. I was almost moved to tears and applause when Charlie found the last golden ticket It wasn't until they entered the factory that the movie just crumbled. I didn't like Johnny Depp. Possibly because I didn't understand his motives - even with the superfluous back story. I was never a HUGE fan of Gene Wilder either but at least Gene Wilder gave Willy Wonka a heart yet still managed to be believable as a guy who had a magic elevator and lived with Oompa Loompahs. Speaking of, I hated the Oompah Loompah songs in this new version. They just didn't seem to fit the spirit of the rest of the film. I know that Dahl did not approve of the 1971 version, probably because they took the screenplay he wrote and edited it. I'm not so sure he'd approve of this one either. Especially with the Wonka backstory business. Regardless, it's not a horrible film. It's mildly dissapointing, but like I said, I went in with low expectations...they were met. Tim Burton films are always better in concept than they are in execution. I'm always excited to see his films but they always dissapoint to some degree. Someday maybe he'll be able to fine tune his craft and make a solid film. As for now, his movies are consistently sloppy (Ed Wood possibly being an exception). POSSIBLE SPOILER ->>> One last thing that bothered me, when Veruca Salt is being dragged away by the squirrels, why didn't the father just climb over the railing and go down the stairs? Why did he have to wait for Willy Wonka to find the key and open the gate. By the way, I'm thinking that they didn't do the whole squirrel thing in the 1971 version because it would have been to difficult so they just did the goose thing. Which I thought worked too.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
TRAVISATIONS! 6/25/05
1. Batman Begins. I LOVED this movie. It was one of those films that you never want to end; where you're afraid to look at your watch to see what time it is because you know if you do you will know how much of the movie you have left. This film was phenomenal. So much better than the previous 2 atrocities. I could go on and on about how amazing the acting was, how brilliant the script was, how entertaining it was. The best film I have seen this year. GO SEE IT.
2. The Office (British Version). I have never seen the American version but the British version of The Office is quite the gem. It's a different type of humor though. Nothing like farce or even traditional English humor. This humor is almost like intellectual potty humor. Or perhaps it's just potty humor with a British accent, which makes it seem more intellectual. Either way, it's a great show and is available on DVD. It takes a couple episodes to grow so be sure and give it a running start.
3. Pizza Hut. I don't give it enough credit. But it really is an amazing place to eat. Especially when your choices are between that and practically nothing else. Try the Meat Lovers Pizza or perhaps the Buffalo Chicken Pizza (my personal favorite). Nothing like sitting down at Pizza Hut with your pitcher of Coke (or beer) and a nice deep dish hot sizzling pizza to dig into. I love pizza in general, but Pizza Hut holds a special place in my heart...next to Skyline Chili and Chipotle.
2. The Office (British Version). I have never seen the American version but the British version of The Office is quite the gem. It's a different type of humor though. Nothing like farce or even traditional English humor. This humor is almost like intellectual potty humor. Or perhaps it's just potty humor with a British accent, which makes it seem more intellectual. Either way, it's a great show and is available on DVD. It takes a couple episodes to grow so be sure and give it a running start.
3. Pizza Hut. I don't give it enough credit. But it really is an amazing place to eat. Especially when your choices are between that and practically nothing else. Try the Meat Lovers Pizza or perhaps the Buffalo Chicken Pizza (my personal favorite). Nothing like sitting down at Pizza Hut with your pitcher of Coke (or beer) and a nice deep dish hot sizzling pizza to dig into. I love pizza in general, but Pizza Hut holds a special place in my heart...next to Skyline Chili and Chipotle.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
TRAVISATIONS! 6/15/05
1. Six Feet Under: Season 3. (*Some MINOR spoilers) If you haven't already experienced the eternal bliss that is Six Feet Under Seasons 1 and 2 then by all means check those out first. Granted, Season 3 wasn't as good as it's predecessors but it still held it's own. To me the whole season was somewhat flat until about the 10th episode when the s*$# hit the fan. Basically everything beforehand was what I like to refer to as "the calm before the storm." Each season seems to showcase a new actor. Season one was Rachel Griffiths, season two was Frances Conroy and Lauren Ambrose, season three was Peter Krause. The guest stars this season added a pleasant level to the Fisher family. I was delighted to discover James Cromwell, Kathy Bates, and Catherine O'Hara making an appearance on the show. But the best thing about season 3 is Lili Taylor who was so conflicted the entire season her fate seemed almost bitter sweet. Can't wait for Season 4 in August!!
2. Chocolate Lucky Charms. That's right folks. If you haven't already discovered them then get out to the super market NOW and buy them. Lucky Charms has always been my favorite cereal and now it has out done itself. Basically, they just took the cereal from Lucky Charms and made it chocolate then threw in the marshmallows they are so known for. It really is fabulous. It even turns the milk chocolate like Cocoa Puffs and Chocolate Pebbles. I still really enjoy regular Lucky Charms but this was something that definitely made me happy and had to be a travisation.
2. Chocolate Lucky Charms. That's right folks. If you haven't already discovered them then get out to the super market NOW and buy them. Lucky Charms has always been my favorite cereal and now it has out done itself. Basically, they just took the cereal from Lucky Charms and made it chocolate then threw in the marshmallows they are so known for. It really is fabulous. It even turns the milk chocolate like Cocoa Puffs and Chocolate Pebbles. I still really enjoy regular Lucky Charms but this was something that definitely made me happy and had to be a travisation.
Monday, June 06, 2005
TRAVISATIONS! 6/6/05
Ok. So I have three more Travisations for this week:
1. The Tony Awards. Granted, there won't be another one for about a year. But you can wait. Here are 5 reasons to watch the Tony's:
A. They cut people off if their speeches run over. I'm not just talking about cutting them off with music. They cut them off with commercials! They just don't waste our time with somebody you never heard of thanking a million people you've never heard of.
B. These people are classy. You ever get the impression that the Oscars are a sloppy mess? Well you might if you watched the Tony's. I've always thought the Tony's were classier than the Oscars. Seems more organized and the people seem more composed.
C. The musical presentations. It's so much fun to see clips of shows for me. Especially this year, because I hadn't seen any of the productions. It just makes me want to go back to NYC and see all the shows I've missed.
D. I actually know people there. Whereas I know NOBODY at the Oscars. I can say I know a few people at the Tony's. Whether it's people I've worked with or just met briefly. Sure, not everybody can say this. But it doesn't take much effort. Theatre performers (including Bway) are mostly very down to earth and aren't making 20 million dollars a year like Hollywood performers. They appreciate their fans immensely.
E. You can't really predict the Tony's. So everything is a surprise. Well, they're not as predictable as the Oscar's anyways. Mainly because everybody you're watching with hasn't see any of the shows or they've only seen one or two. This element of surpise seems to keep things interesting.
2. Rescuing an animal. Yes, I've officially rescued a dog. It really does make you feel good. This particular dog was a stray and she had a hurt leg. She was very malnourished and underweight. I took her to the vet where they boarded her for a few days and looked at her leg. Apparently, the leg had broken and mended itself. So the leg is fine, it just didn't mend properly so she walks kinda funny. Fixing it is an option. However, it would be mighty expensive and she seems fine and has adjusted to walking on three legs. So she is back to health and as sweet as ever. She is a black mutt with a medium build. So if anybody is interested out there let me know because this is just her foster home for now. I would keep her but I move around to much so it would be difficult.
3. My Niece.
Abigail Smith
1. The Tony Awards. Granted, there won't be another one for about a year. But you can wait. Here are 5 reasons to watch the Tony's:
A. They cut people off if their speeches run over. I'm not just talking about cutting them off with music. They cut them off with commercials! They just don't waste our time with somebody you never heard of thanking a million people you've never heard of.
B. These people are classy. You ever get the impression that the Oscars are a sloppy mess? Well you might if you watched the Tony's. I've always thought the Tony's were classier than the Oscars. Seems more organized and the people seem more composed.
C. The musical presentations. It's so much fun to see clips of shows for me. Especially this year, because I hadn't seen any of the productions. It just makes me want to go back to NYC and see all the shows I've missed.
D. I actually know people there. Whereas I know NOBODY at the Oscars. I can say I know a few people at the Tony's. Whether it's people I've worked with or just met briefly. Sure, not everybody can say this. But it doesn't take much effort. Theatre performers (including Bway) are mostly very down to earth and aren't making 20 million dollars a year like Hollywood performers. They appreciate their fans immensely.
E. You can't really predict the Tony's. So everything is a surprise. Well, they're not as predictable as the Oscar's anyways. Mainly because everybody you're watching with hasn't see any of the shows or they've only seen one or two. This element of surpise seems to keep things interesting.
2. Rescuing an animal. Yes, I've officially rescued a dog. It really does make you feel good. This particular dog was a stray and she had a hurt leg. She was very malnourished and underweight. I took her to the vet where they boarded her for a few days and looked at her leg. Apparently, the leg had broken and mended itself. So the leg is fine, it just didn't mend properly so she walks kinda funny. Fixing it is an option. However, it would be mighty expensive and she seems fine and has adjusted to walking on three legs. So she is back to health and as sweet as ever. She is a black mutt with a medium build. So if anybody is interested out there let me know because this is just her foster home for now. I would keep her but I move around to much so it would be difficult.
3. My Niece.
Abigail Smith
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Is Entertainment Weekly Reading My Blog?!
Just a quick note. I was reading Entertainment Weekly and in the magazine they list a TRAVISATION! in their "Must List". The TRAVISATION! was Team America: World Police. I thought that was pretty cool. Makes me feel that my TRAVISATIONS are of some quality! :-D
Thursday, May 26, 2005
TRAVISATIONS!
I know it's a word I made up. I thought it was clever. Perhaps not. Regardless, the word will be the title to a new series of posts where I will discuss things that make my life that much easier to tolerate. Whether it be something from modern pop culture (was that redundant?), something funny someone said, or merely going outside to smell the roses. They will be known as - drum roll please - TRAVISATIONS! (*echo echo echo). Also, I've decided to go on a mission to advertise my blog to more than just the three people I've told about it. I want more people to come read it and experience the thrills that are TRAVISATIONS! To kick start my series of TRAVISATIONS! let me begin with these three gems:
1. Da Ali G Show. It is quite possible that I have never laughed so hard at a television show. IMDB.com describes the show as this:
A burned-out, ignorant, cockney British-Jamaican b-boy; an anti-Semitic, misogynistic nymphomaniac who is a television reporter from Kazakhstan; and a homosexual Austrian fashonista--all played by Sacha Baron Cohen--conduct interviews on unsuspecting Americans, who include prominent pundits in the political system and celebrities, that reveal deeply hidden prejudices and challenge social mores within American society.
There is one interview where Ali G (the b-boy) interviews James Lipton (from Inside the Actors Studio) that is a gut buster. But that is really only one of many hysterical reality sketches. This is available on DVD - RENT IT!
2. Team America: World Police. This is especially for fans of Trey Parker and Matt Stone and the humor they have infused on us all. IMDB.com describes the film as this:
Team America follows an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. Learning that power hungry dictator Kim Jong Il (Parker) is out to destroy the world, the team recruits Broadway star Gary Johnston (Parker) to go undercover. With the help of Team America (Stone, Miller, Masasa, Parker, and Norris), Gary manages to slip into an arms dealer's hideout to uncover the plan to destroy the world. Will Team America be able to save the world?
Uh, there is one key element that description in missing. All the characters are MARIONETTES. Clever AND hysterical. RENT IT!!
3. Writing Haikus. Believe it or not. It CAN be fun. Here is how: go online, have a friend give you a word to put into a haiku and then write the haiku. Try to be clever. There is only so much information that can fit into a haiku. My friend and I were discussing "gay" haiku and this is what he came up with:
I meant to say "Cheers"
I see how you got confused
By my "bottoms up!"
-Greg Turner
So there is the first in my series of TRAVISATIONS! The blog won't be exclusively TRAVISATIONS! but I will try to keep them updated weekly. Enjoy!!
1. Da Ali G Show. It is quite possible that I have never laughed so hard at a television show. IMDB.com describes the show as this:
A burned-out, ignorant, cockney British-Jamaican b-boy; an anti-Semitic, misogynistic nymphomaniac who is a television reporter from Kazakhstan; and a homosexual Austrian fashonista--all played by Sacha Baron Cohen--conduct interviews on unsuspecting Americans, who include prominent pundits in the political system and celebrities, that reveal deeply hidden prejudices and challenge social mores within American society.
There is one interview where Ali G (the b-boy) interviews James Lipton (from Inside the Actors Studio) that is a gut buster. But that is really only one of many hysterical reality sketches. This is available on DVD - RENT IT!
2. Team America: World Police. This is especially for fans of Trey Parker and Matt Stone and the humor they have infused on us all. IMDB.com describes the film as this:
Team America follows an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. Learning that power hungry dictator Kim Jong Il (Parker) is out to destroy the world, the team recruits Broadway star Gary Johnston (Parker) to go undercover. With the help of Team America (Stone, Miller, Masasa, Parker, and Norris), Gary manages to slip into an arms dealer's hideout to uncover the plan to destroy the world. Will Team America be able to save the world?
Uh, there is one key element that description in missing. All the characters are MARIONETTES. Clever AND hysterical. RENT IT!!
3. Writing Haikus. Believe it or not. It CAN be fun. Here is how: go online, have a friend give you a word to put into a haiku and then write the haiku. Try to be clever. There is only so much information that can fit into a haiku. My friend and I were discussing "gay" haiku and this is what he came up with:
I meant to say "Cheers"
I see how you got confused
By my "bottoms up!"
-Greg Turner
So there is the first in my series of TRAVISATIONS! The blog won't be exclusively TRAVISATIONS! but I will try to keep them updated weekly. Enjoy!!
Monday, May 09, 2005
It's The Biz
So what would you do if one day two cast members from a show you musically directed dropped out of the show giving you less than 24 hours to replace them in a show filled with difficult harmonies, dancing, dialogue, and several choreographed quick changes. Again, what would you do? I'll tell you what I did. Because it happened to me. Last Thursday, due to discrepancies with the Artistic Director, the only 2 male cast members in our 5 person show called it quits. Leaving us VERY high and dry. This isn't a show you can just walk out on especially due to the LARGE quantity of music and harmonies. But, alas, they DID. Not the most professional thing to do in the world. Actually, it probably fits snuggly down there with sexual harassment, discrimination, and stabbing your boss through the head with a machete. Let me also say that one of the two cast members who left was a friend of mine who I recommended for the job. He said NOTHING to me before he left. How pathetic is that. Not to mention the fact that him quitting reflects on me seeing how I recommended him. OK, on to the fun part. So what did we do, you ask? Well, I got a phone call telling me that I needed to learn the entire show by 2:00 the next day giving me less than 24 hours to learn the show. Seeing how I enjoy sleeping that left me with less than 16 hours to learn the show. That is not NEARLY enough time. Our cast rehearse their shows for 2 weeks and they still have problems for the first week of performing or so. So I said, "uhhhhhhh no no no, this is what we should do". So we basically threw together a cabaret act trying to keep in as much of the show as possible without it being too difficult on myself and one of the replacements that was kind enough to come in and fill in for the other guy at the last minute. So all the medleys were CUT, all the dancing was virtually CUT, and much of the costumes and dialogue were CUT. In their place we put in several solos, such as an Amazing Grace solo, Oh What A Beautiful Mornin', and On The Street Where You Live. We kept several elements of the old show as long as there wasn't TOO much dancing or harmonies. But basically we made it as easy on ourselves as we possibly could. The show was about 15 minutes shorter than the old version also. Which made it about 1 hr long. Here's the clincher though: THE AUDIENCE STILL LOVED IT! They didn't even notice. As I always say, they're too busy shittin' their pants. But, here's another clincher, on Saturday my family had been planning for a long time to come down with 20 OTHER PEOPLE to stay all night and see the show I musically directed. Well much to their surprise (and pleasure) they got to see me in the show. Not something I was exactly looking forward to. But, in the end I guess it all worked out. So, in closing, I ended up performing in the show on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and the two replacements are currently rehearsing their butts off to go into the OLD show on Tuesday. We'll see how that works out. Giving them a few days is even pushing it. But we'll make it work. As far as the two guys who left goes. Well I hope they both fall off the edge of a cliff. A VERY high cliff. So in the end, all I really have to say is: "it's the biz".
Monday, May 02, 2005
Chinese Buffets: Spawn of Satan?
I realize that I have not posted on my blog for nearly 2 months. I ask myself why, and it occurred to me that I just didn't have much to talk about. It also occurred to me that I am completely unaware as to how many people actually read my blog. I know that I read it, and Linzy reads it, and Lisa reads it. Other than that, I'm not quite sure anybody reads it. I get reports but I honestly don't look at those and I'm not sure how much to trust them anyways. But knowing that Linzy and Lisa read it should be enough to motivate me. So I'll try to remember to post more often and not be lazy. With that in mind, I want to mention how Chinese buffets are the spawn of Satan. I had the pleasure of spending time with one of my two readers this past weekend and among our festivities we attended the Great Wall Buffet in Ft. Wayne, IN. Our biggest concern was finding sushi because we both enjoy the occasional spicy tuna roll among other savory raw delights. Much to our chagrin, every quality sushi restaurant in Ft. Wayne was closed until 4 o'clock on Sundays. But we wanted sushi and we wanted it NOW! Not to mention Linzy's flight took off at 3:55 PM. Leaving us -5 minutes to partake of any quality sushi in Ft. Wayne (that's not including check-in and boarding time which adds up to approximately -95 minutes...oh, and eating time which brings us to a grand total of -155 minutes - and that's pushin' it). So we called several Chinese buffets in Ft. Wayne to see if they served sushi. We found one, reluctantly attended the cow troff (as Linzy so eloquently put it), complained about how terrible the sushi was (it was really, really bad), then went about our merry little way. I refer to Chinese buffets as the "spawn of Satan" not only because of their terrible sushi, but also because of the way they make me feel. Not just physically due to the unconscious overeating, but also emotionally and mentally. Looking around at the plethora of people stuffing their faces with MSG, fat, carbs, sugar, grease, oil, and deep fried fish heads, it made me feel like I was a part of something evil. Something unstoppable. It made me feel like we were all being roped into something that was inevitably going to take over the world. The way this place ran was almost like a factory. Like our mouths were part of an assembly line. Get 'em in, fill 'em up, get 'em out. Get 'em in, fill 'em up, get 'em out. Get 'em in, fill 'em up, get 'em out. Disturbing. Needless to say, I will not be jumping at the opportunity to attend any Chinese buffets anytime soon. Perhaps they should make a sequel to "Super Size Me" focusing on the terror that is the chinese buffet. Anybody have any clever names for it? Perhaps "Super Chinese Me" or "Super -> Insert Chinese Lettering Spelling out the word 'Size' <- Me".
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