Hop's Thoughts

Copied from my Facebook page As you can imagine, I'm not very popular on the complain about traffic, job, kids, friends, coworkers and life in general for attention website. A few takeaway's from Trump's first State of the Union Address! Trump praised all the right things to start But to believe they are great, one would have to admit, that Obama made them great and Trump simply let them stay the course. Trump praised police But to believe this is sincere, you have understand that by attacking the FBI, ignoring gun laws and by antagonizing minorities and poor people, by increasing marijuana arrests, making moves to privatize prisons and kill public education, he is putting police in grave danger. If by praise, he's commending them on handling it, then yes, he is in their corner. Trump was truthful and exaggerated his tax cut work But to believe they are great, you have to ignore that 20% goes to the top 1%, 60% goes to the top 20% and within 10 years, 50%...

"I'll have a venti mocha soy skim latte and a buttered bagel. Oh yeah, and a bottled water." She asks him if that will be all, he confirms and follows her instructions to pull up to the next window. He hands her a $10 bill and she gives him his change. A single dollar and some coins. He places them in the car's compartments and drives off. He gets home that evening and he and his wife argue about the cost of their child's after-school program. He calls it  outrageous. The $200 for 17 1/2 hours a week bothers him. The $40 a day for 3 1/2 hours bothers him. The $11.43 per hour bothers him. He leaves for work the following morning. Opens the door, grabs the quarter full cold coffee cup and throws it in the trash, sprinkles the plants with the remainder of the bottled water and places it in the recycling. Straps his child into the child safety, looks back and smiles. "If you only knew how much money I spend on you."

Recently, I was at an MLK Day luncheon in Ithaca and the lunch itself was to raise money, awareness and activism in honor of the man many believe to be one of America's greatest, if not the greatest, activists. The room was filled with people of various racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds, but the majority, a far greater majority than which represents the country, was white. There were folks singers, singing Arlo Guthrie's response to Francis Scott Keys' Star-Spangled Banner, the folk classic, This Land is Our Land  to start it off. Then there was a Native American couple, speaking in their tribe's native language, telling us about their land and immigration. Then a group of angry high school kids, screaming about not getting parts, because of the lack of diversity. This all ended with different groups, all of different backgrounds, introducing their workshop programs, all to follow the luncheon. Very few people listen, as they ate their free food. Privileged peo...

Today, well today at around 6pm, it will mark one year since I've lived where I am currently living. To say it's a happy anniversary would be a lie, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say it's a happier anniversary. Living in another person's home, especially a couple, is an odd situation and it's taken me a long time to get comfortable. OK, that is a lie. It's still uncomfortable. Not feeling as if the space is mine, is at times, depressing, but at others, just plain lonely. One of the hardest parts of being part of another's life is failed expectations. If there has been any lesson taken, it's that family dynamics are not universal. The things one person covets, another takes for granted. Some families crave material items, while others simply enjoy time. Without dissecting my entire existence, and that of my landlords, let's just say, if I had tried to chose two people less like me, with less in common and views on day-to-day life more opposing...

I have rallied for and against this whole concept of Millennials. I hate the thought that an entire generation is being labeled for the actions, or better yet, the inaction of the majority. Yes, this is how stereotypes work, but in a country where someone can be elected to represent the masses, while only appealing to 45-46 percent of the people, it's unfair. Hashtag Resist Millennial Labeling. When does this tag begin and end? Every generation has their go-getters and their slackers. Many times, both are wrapped into one person. Yet, we always assume that the younger generation will fight to undo the perception they are lazy. Not this new generation. The new crop of 18-25 year old "kids," on the whole, are some of the laziest people I've ever seen and please, don't believe simply going to school and/or having a job is an accomplishment. They're supposed to do both and if they are only doing one, do that one to not only the best of their abilities, but bett...

I don't believe in resolutions, because the idea that giving up what makes you happy, is a positive, is ludicrous to me. The idea to set a goal, means that goal wasn't something you desire to achieve, but simply something you feel you should. The idea to make a bucket list, means you have an emptiness, one that could, most likely, be filled with something small. The idea we need stuff, need events, need to rid ourselves of indulgence is silly to me. I want to add more reading this year. I read a ton, but mostly on a laptop and my eyesight is starting to go due to it. I want to sit quietly for a few minutes a day, maybe ten, maybe two hours, and read something that isn't news or some research, based on the daily debate. I won't do it every day, just when I feel I'm falling into routine. I want to try fasting. Not for health reasons necessarily, but to see how I change because of it. Will it make me abstain from snacking on days I'm eating? Will I sleep better...

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 in finale. Wonderful performance by lead Bell. Victim - Short film based on Slenderman story. Felt like a live-action version of online game. Shorts: 3;07AM, JPGs, Fathom, HAM, Snap - Ham was best of bunch, with John C Reilly. Queen of Earth - Elisabeth Moss in award worthy role about woman's descent into depression. ...

The slow year ends with only a handful of movies, but a few true gems. Tomorrow or Wednesday I'll post the complete list and my top and bottom picks and biggest surprises and letdowns. I'm always looking for suggestions and thoughts and comments on movies. Annabelle Creation - Absolutely terrible. Shockingly bad acting and not a single scare, Personal Shopper - Assayas almost makes his common mistake, but hands reigns to Stewart! Bluebeard - Breillat's adaptation worked for me. Loved the simplicity and cinematography. Eraserhead - Finally saw Lynch's "cult" classic. I wish I hadn't. Dreadful. Voyage in Time - Documentary with Andrei Tarkovsky and Tonino Guerra. For fans only. The Orphanage - One of the best and horror movies I've ever seen. So carefully crafted. Craig Ferguson: Tickle Fight - Amusing, but hardly vintage Ferguson. The Straight Story - Lynch's simple tale is taken to  unexpected heights, thanks to Farnsworth. Wonder Woman ...