Hop's Thoughts

I am awake. There is no sunshine, gently prying the darkness from my eyes. There are not birds, singing their melodies into my ears. There is no smell of fresh coffee, wafting into my nose. There is nothingness. Dark, empty silence or as most would notice; a perfect time for sleep. Another hour would be nice, but there's slight pressure near my foot. It works its way up, with a gentle tap on my calf. It disappears and then I feel its breath. I can now hear the feint purr. My eyes open to another set of eyes. If this was another human, maybe a tender moment, a kiss, maybe even an embrace, but alas no. The serene setting quickly evaporates like the morning dew. A high pitched screech ends this moment and I realize, that my hopes for understanding are fruitless. I reach out, tenderly stroking his mane. A quick bite reinforces his intentions. My feet hit the rug, then the cold wood floor. I clean a bowl, then another. Fill one with water. Then dry the other. I lumber back to the warm...

We have the Internet. We have libraries. We have common sense. We have the no control over our own lives. The new Starbucks Unicorn Frappucino is proof that the average American consumer can be told what to eat, drink, wear, listen to and watch. On the same day, Fox News fired misogynistic, sexual predator, Bill O'Reilly, making it official by having one of their more well known Stepford Wives refer to him as the "king" of cable news, we had this drink emerge. A colorful, sugary, death through a straw drink. How is it possible that people will line up to be overcharged for something they know is bad for them? How could anyone, reading the contents and nutritional information, give this to a child; one I assume they claim to love? Capitalism? Are we really so eager to make the one percent wealthy, we're willing to kill ourselves in order to prove that capitalism still works? I've railed against Starbucks for years. Aside from being awful coffee.....and let...

An Internet meme captures our eye. A single picture and caption, captures our imagination. We smile and recollect about a time we experienced or maybe imagined. We connect and we post, just knowing others will smile and share in a connection. A shoe, a belt, or a wooden spoon. A message of some sort of painful punishment. A reaffirmation that we "turned out fine." You didn't do as well in school as you'd hoped. You didn't go, finish or attend the college you wanted. You complain every day, with poor spelling and grammar, about your job or routine. You're divorced, separated or privately going through something worse. Your kids are always ill, in the ER or worse. You've lost respect for your fellow man and woman, young and old (if not, why the meme?). You're battling depression, anxiety or some other psychological illness. Your general health is deteriorating, despite your youthful appearance. You post of how your grandparents grew up ...

This will not be your run of the mill, yawn, Cubs vs Indians rematch World Series Also, not that anyone reads this, but sorry for the delay, but my adult ADD has me out of whack! I will also save you the full standings, but let's just say, you're not going to be enjoying this baseball season if you're an Angels, Twins, Phillies, Braves or Diamondbacks fan. I'm thinking less than 70 wins for all these teams. Oh and Tampa Bay, San Diego, Milwaukee and Chicago, you may be an injury away from this same fate. So who is getting into the playoffs this year? Detroit Tigers - AL Central winner and best record Texas Rangers - AL West winner Baltimore Orioles - Al East Winner Cleveland Indians - Wild Card home game Boston Red Sox  Wild Card I had Houston and Toronto each missing the final Wild Card by one game Chicago Cubs - NL Central winner and best record in MLB LA Dodgers - NL West winner Washington Nationals - NL East winner San Francisco G...

I say this with some humor and sarcasm, but I was frightened last night. Terrified, to the point I wanted to flee. I instead, walked outside, watched my feline friend scamper around in the cool, moist grass and then watched a movie. So what brought on such horror? Someone told me about their nightmare. A dream, so real, they woke up in a cold sweat, awakened their spouse, told them they could not make a purchases and told them their fears. Twelve to fifteen hours later, they shared this story with me. So why is this scary? Their real life nightmare and the details surrounding it, is my hypothetical goal in life. I'm still not sure what to make of this.

I do not believe in love at first sight in the romantic sense and to be quite frank, I do not believe it in any other sense. Love is something that attacks us. It warms us when we first feel it and it pains us when we miss it. When that pain subsides, we come to realize that it was never love, but some other emotion masked in out understanding of what love is. True love, that kind we call unconditional, isn't comfortable. It makes us have physical reactions to it's presence and even more so to its absence. Most love takes time to nurture and yes, it needs to be cultivated, cared for an more than anything, caressed. Made to feel as if it's as important as it should be.  The bond between a mother and child is often misinterpreted as unconditional, but there are physical and physiological needs, which can be scientifically explained. This does not diminish the value, but it is clearly a matter of condition. Even saying the words is conditioned. No, unconditional love is som...

I wrote something on social media yesterday and it received no attention. A rare cryptic cry. I then glanced down my timelines and saw requests for prayers, pictures inside of medical facilities, splints, casts, ace bandages and other posts, simply words telling of upcoming doctor's visits, medical procedures and various health related concerns, whether they be physical or mental. The unbelievable amount of care, concern and attention these received was astonishing. Then I noticed a pattern. The attention,comments and responses to the initial cry out for help were all immediately recognized with thanks and appreciation. There were hearts, smiles and words conveying all of these warm thoughts. Yet, there was one thing that was not addressed, should the concerned party dare to ask. "What's wrong?" Isn't it ironic, that in our time of instant access, our ability to convey to everyone out there, how we suffer, that we decide to keep this private? We so desperate...

I haven't watched this few movies in a three months span in years. Normally, I'm good for 25-30 a months, so 40, and not even all full length movies, in three months, is abysmal. Going to bump my top to five...just this month! So here's my rundown over the last three months. As our president would say...SAD! Dog Eat Dog - Nic Cage in the most Nic Cage-y movie ever. Dafoe too. So bad it's good! The Measure Of A Man - Dignity and principles challenged. The acting is mesmerizing. Real Genius (re-watched) - Silly, possibly bad, but so damn likable. So 80's! Little Sister - Simple, yet complex story about surviving...life. Addison Timlin dazzles. Under The Shadow - Iranian horror blends reality, delusion and metaphors almost perfectly. The Rezort - Jurassic World meets The Walking Dead, written by the folks at Grey's Anatomy. Mea Culpa - French thriller, uses a cliche premise, but makes it work wonderfully.  Carnage Park - Solid first hour, then falters...

The darkness of the tunnel gives way to the vision of the bright blue sky. The uphill climb of the ramp acts as a metaphor for our lives, our hopes and that of our team. We hit the plateau, hear the sounds of excitement and that perfect grass. The sight is unlike any other. There is not a single true fan who doesn't stop, scan the entire field, grin at its perfection and inhale deeply. In a single moment, memories flash before us and that feeling of hope, true hope for a better tomorrow, is in all of us. It builds, almost unrealistically as we wait. There a flutter in our chests. Maybe memories of simpler times, when our future was less in focus, but our desire was a clear cut as the foul lines. We feed off the energy of those around us, standing with pride and unity, for a song we attach to greatness. We wait and we wait, the time seemingly moving so slowly, we've reviewed every moment the sport has given us. We see the pitcher set and we wait to cheer or boo, as if that singl...