Hop's Thoughts

This was a status on Facebook (yes, aren't you glad you're not friends with me?), but I haven't posted in a while, so I figured I'd throw this up here. I"m thinking of scrapping this blog and starting a new one, with a specific topic in mind. This, once again, seems to have run its course.  Ahhh, a balmy Monday morning in Ithaca. Sunday's trash, which has been sitting on the sidewalk for 18 hours, still sits, rummaged through by nocturnal creatures that stand on both two and four legs. The sullen dog owner across the street must be done with his chore of owning, yes owning, his pet. The forecast calls for heat and humidity, which should bring chants of a second summer. As poets and their prose counterparts write tales, with their thinly veiled allusions to a return to the womb. Mother replaces the youth they lust for, or vice versa, depending on their audience. The delusions of mass acceptance, more important than the words. I sit, with hot food and cool ...

Last summer, I battled the random acts of kindness hash tag with my much despised 100 Days of Hopper. Usually I chose something I found hypocritical to rant about and went from there. This year, I've either been blocked, I've unfollowed or I've simply managed to miss all of these. I was sent one about someone handing out some sandwiches and then attending a $150 per ticket Broadway show, but they're not my friends, so it doesn't bother me as much. Although it should be noted, they are friends with the queen of telling people when she does something "random." Since we seem to have got away from the hash tag craze, I see we've entered into this new "self love" era. Now, there is nothing wrong with being comfortable and confident in yourself. That is one of the main components in Maslow's hierarchy of needs (my Bible), but here's the problem...it's not the highest level of achievement. Self actualization is and while you need to ha...

He can spend hours, laying in bed with me, only moving to get closer. Many nights, he sleeps in a chair, while I sit at a computer, only getting up, to jump onto a table, turn over, so his chin can be scratched, then batting my hand away, when he's content. He will go from ferociously biting me, to licking my hand. His way of thanking me for allowing him to retain some of his animal instincts. Whenever I go to make a meal, he jumps on the table and faces where he thinks I'll be sitting. When there is thunder, he will watch the rain outside, while sitting on the windowsill, act strong, then nestle under blankets, resting his entire body against my legs or chest. Immediately jumping out, when he feels the loud booms have subsided. He circles my feet when he hasn't seen me in a while, then drops to the ground for scratches. He sometimes does this while I'm walking down the stairs, so this might be my last blog. He allows me to hold him like a baby at times. He knead...

When does it stop? When can I go a day without someone I like suffering a setback? When can I sign on to Facebook and not read some teacher complaining about how they only have two weeks left of vacation, when most people I know don't get two weeks paid vacation in an entire year? When can I not see ignorance, no matter what the topic, I would like on day where every comment makes sense, regardless of the stance. When will certain people wake up and realize their selfishness is destroying how I feel about them? When can I go outside and not be ashamed of my face? When can I relax with my cat and not worry, when I fall asleep if he's locked in our out of some room? When will I find some kind of employment that will make me happy and serve it's purpose. I feel like I'm looking for a needle in a haystack, but there really isn't a needle. When will I be able to breathe again (literally and figuratively)? When will I find someone to share those special and not so special...

Social media has taught me that my estimation of my average friend having an IQ of about 100 (which is below the US average), was way too high. The number of professional educators I know, who don't understand how to write properly, is frightening. There are no rules saying, smart people can spell and dumb people can't, but when you're constantly writing lesson plans and letters, you'd think common words would be ingrained in you. Social media has taught me that most, yes most, of my friends will believe something in a meme over anything written with a citation. I proved someone wrong the other day, beyond a shadow of a doubt, with photographic evidence, no less, and their reaction? "We'll just have to agree to disagree." How does one agree to disagree with a fact? Social media has taught me that everyone who posts happiness, contentment and zen, 24/7 is desperately crying out. What amazes me is they all have the same hobbies in common and same diet. T...

The other night I "met" someone online and he said he had lived in the Finger Lakes region and I said I was currently in Ithaca. I explained that I had moved from lower Westchester and he laughed. He asked if I'd acclimated myself to the "cause-way" and I then realized he understood. I described Ithaca as The Truman Show, with the same people appearing at the same time, in the same place, doing the exact same thing. I explained, for a multitude of reasons, I didn't get out much and he assured me I was missing nothing. He asked if the track teams still run down the streets together at the same time, the stampede for footsteps, the hollow looks and the lack of sweat.  He asked if I smiled at neighbors and witnessed their forced attempts and how hard their eyes dart away. He then asked if I'd heard any good poetry about hardships and loss, written by someone whose life we both could only dream of having. Then of some sub-par play, written by a "towni...

Do people who pray, or the ones that say they do, understand just how hard it is for us heathens to lend support. Here's the thing...we actually need to mean it. We can't use a generic "you're in my prayers." We need to formulate thoughts that are specific to the situation and then lend actual support, in the form of comfort, assistance and in rare cases, guidance. This is a stressful time for us, because we can possibly say the wrong thing or even worse, take the wrong tone. We might say something that comes off dismissive, such as "OK, thinking about you" or "Let me know if you need anything" and that just doesn't hold the weight of promised prayer. I know what you're saying. You think I'm just being anti-religion and make no mistake, I think it's an evil beyond all others, but that isn't it. I'm saying, for all the wars it's caused, the confusion it brings and the conflict it causes in individual lives, it allow...

I admit it. I only watched one hour of the second one, but watched clips of the rest. Let me first start by saying, that unlike others, I didn't care one bit what Donald Trump had to say, because anyone who follows politics understands he has zero chance of winning the nomination. I'll also add this. Of all my friends, the people who support Donald Trump on Facebook are, in general the ones I'd put in the bottom 5-10% in terms of intelligence. I don't mean they aren't nice, kind people, but if it came to book smarts, these are the ones who never opened the book. Mean? Sorry, it's true. They are the wrong "their, there, they'res" of the world and no, not because of auto correct, they simply aren't intelligent human beings on any subject and their convictions don't add up to intelligence. Megyn Kelly asked a question about God speaking to the candidates. Not only is it irrelevant, but to answer the question, in a public office seeking f...

Well, there have 213 days in 2015 and I've seen 213 movies. These are July's views and I must say, this month featured some of the best and worst movies I've ever seen. Sunrise will soon find a spot in my top 50 movies of all-time. Maybe even the top 25. True Detective: Season 1 was arguably one of the best things I've ever watched for a one season series. Only Top of the Lake was better. This month was also filled with some epic clunkers, including a well received movie which made an odd list.....one of the only films I've ever turned off before it was finished....Mr. Turner was so painfully dull, all the colors in the world couldn't save it. The Machine - Much better than anticipated look at AI v Humans, from multiple angles. Trouble Every Day - Poor attempt at artsy look at cannibalism. Gallo is painful to watch. Mr. Turner - For once, the word pretentious fits. Art film about artist made for artists. A Trip to the Moon - 1902 short, which plays almost ...

Recommending a movie for me, isn't about whether or not I liked it. It never is. It is always about whether I not only think the other person will be entertained, but if they'll be able to speak about it and appreciate, not necessarily the way I did, but possibly from an alternate perspective. I crave that, so I'm always careful when saying "you should see this." Lately, I've kept my movie recommendations to myself. I've found that there are really only two or three people I know who appreciate them and thankfully a "new friend" who shares my passion for certain types of movies (shh, good movies). I have my two muses as I call them privately, then there is one other person and this new addition to my movie nonsense. That being said, when I recommend something that really affected me, I expect the person to watch it with some faint interest and realize, it's not going to be a superficial two hours. So what am I going on and on about? Obvio...