Hop's Thoughts

When I originally wrote this, I had not seen three movies which all were 5-star movies.  After looking at the list, I would now have to bump The Passion of the Christ and L.I.E. from the list.  The Japanese film, Departures, while a 5-star movie would have just missed the list also.  The new list, would look like this. 10. Severance 9. The Contender 8. Lars and the Real Girl 7. Snatch 6. Let The Right One In  - the original which was remade as Let Me In.  This incredibly subtle vampire tale is gripping, but terribly sad.  The location plays as much as character as any of the actors and one is left with a feeling of compassion amidst the craziness of the film.  Aside from one absolutely ridiculous scene, it is hands down one of the greatest horror films ever made.  While the remake was great in it's own right, it is merely a reproduction of the same thing (with Chloe Moritz). 5. Hero 4. No Country For Old Men 3. The Girl Wit...

We all know that this has been the buzz since last year. The election was probably won and lost on this subject and sadly, some people don't get it. We all deserve some sort of health care. Don't we? To me there are bigger issues than socialized, universal, private, HMO's, whatever forms there are. To me the problem lies with the recipients themselves. People pay into health care in case they get sick, but what if they disregard their health, because they are covered. I think the two biggest problems with health care are unnecessary testing and patient abuse. A few months ago, 60 Minutes did a piece on why doctors bills are so high for those who are insured. They talked about a man waiting for a liver transplant who was in his late 80's in poor health otherwise, but who was willing to try anything. They tested this man for everything. He eventually got the liver and died days later from something else. His bill, all paid by insurance were somewhere in the neighborhood o...

I need a vacation. Nothing fancy. Not a cruise, not an epic adventure around the globe. Nope, I need some me time. I need a few days to myself, maybe some sites, maybe some wandering, maybe nothing. I really don't know. I know I need to wake up, look out the window and see something different. I don't care if it's warm or cold. I don't care if it's picturesque or plain. Honestly, I don't care. I really don't even care if I have company. I need some space anyway. I need to turn the phone off, turn the computer off and enjoy something simple. I'd love nothing more than to rent a cabin with a fireplace and lounge all evening, drinking a nice Port and having some fine goat cheese. I don't even need a TV. Honestly, I need something different. I've somewhat come up with a plan, but this plan, might include others. I don't know if I want that. Sure I'd love to have female companion, but that's not really all that important....

Facebook seems to be here to stay. When I first joined I figured it would be similar to most fads, then like the sun, fade away, only to come back a little brighter, a little stronger, but a little different. This fad isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It allows us to share our experiences, families and thoughts with others. In many ways, it's like this blog, only shorter and usually a little more reserved. Or is it? It's occurred to me that anyone who stayed awake in freshman psychology can really make a pretty good judgement on someones character, if they know how to read what's really being written. Sometime there's a little dissection, but not always. Reading people's updates everyday has given me some real insight into some people's lives and sometimes their thoughts or feelings. Not sure who reads this anymore, so I'm sure there is a smirk here or there, but I'll explain. Obviously, I'm not going to out any friends, because they are just th...

New Year's Resolutions. Those three words have such a negative connotation. We always think of them and think of things we need to give up or suffer through. Weight loss, smoking, drinking, procrastinating. Honestly, starting anything on the first day of the year is silly. First off, you're most likely coming down from a strenuous night of partying. If not, you have a day most likely filled with football or TV marathons and it's such a nice day to relax. This is not the time to start things. Plus the football playoffs start, so guys, five days of eating cottage cheese is wasted if you spend the last two devouring wings and beer. Every year I say I'm going to get in shape. Every year I do. I get into a bigger oval. There was a time when I had rock hard abs. Not on my stomach, I knew this girl named Abbie. I called her Abs...she was actually a statue, not a real girl. Nevermind. This year won't be that year. This year, my resolutions are all things I'm going to do...

I've been writing letters to each month thanking them or criticizing them based on how they've treated me. December came and went like none other. I don't even remember anything about December other than my Internet connection going out, followed by my computer breaking, followed by my phone not working...oh wait, it's still not working despite them sending me a new one. December, you sucked! 2009 was a blur. I don't ever remember a year moving so quickly. Is this a sign of old age? Do days just begin to mesh into each other. Or is it because 2009 only had three seasons. We went from Winter to Summer back to Winter. We never really had a spring or a fall. Although this winter really wasn't that hot either. Global warming is fucking with us. This year started off with a bitter cold January and February. Work was good and life was going at a decent pace. Then the wheels fell off. It seemed like we had the most perfect weather for about eight months. ...