Hop's Thoughts

I look old. I feel old. I sound old. I'm old. Yesterday it hit me. Children's safety is more of my concern, than their fun. It could simply be a product of caring and the turmoil of the times, but it feels different. I brace for falls and I've grown past the "rub some dirt on it," phase of macho childcare. I worry about what might happen, much more than what does happen. I plan. I forget when speaking to coworkers, especially those younger female ones, that I am not seeing what they are seeing. I do not mean this sexually, but in context of connecting to situations we share. I've always worked better with women than I have with me, not for any reason other than I believe, whether I'm right or wrong, that I view things from a more motherly angle than the paternal views. I don't coddle, but I listen. Men don't listen the same way women do. I know that now. I respect 19-25 year old women now, much more than I do others, but the realization my view...

Television. Video Games. Smart Phones. These are just three of the excuses people make for the supposed lack of respect today's youth have for society, authority and what their elders view as themselves. Let me tell you something mom, dad and "authority," it ain't their use of these things that created this illusion, it's yours. Parents today watch so much more television than the generation before them, but less news. Their kids however are watching so little TV, that it must be marketed to adults, which means, the shows, commercials and messages are being catered to this misconception that kids are controlled, by the very thing they are. Video games are more popular than ever and played by teens, millennials and even their parents, but here's the thing mom and dad. If you truly believe that video games create an anarchist child, why are you shelling out the money for them? Is it possible, they work as childcare that you're too lazy to administer? ...

What would you choose if you really could fast forward or skip an hour. Would it be an hour of work, school or some monotonous chore? Would it be your kids little league tryout, making small talk with some parent you'd rather not engage with? Would it be your daily commute, locked in a tube with someone who forget their Right Guard? Would it be the hour before sleep, lying next to the significant other you've grown tired of? Would it be the first hour of any given day, when we rise in fear, as others embrace the day, silently yelling "Carpe Diem!" as if they own some rights to the morning's light. Would it be the last hour, alone in the dark, thoughts racing, as you try with all your might, to make them stop?

After a mediocre January, I'm back to a lethargic movie watching start. Work, situation and adult ADD has taken control of my life. I need more movies! Across the River - More interesting in how it looks than in the content. Meh! Kong Skull Island - Silly, poorly acted and a set up for sequels. John C Reilly almost saves it. La Jetee (Re-watched) - Chris Marker's short is one of, if not the greatest Sci-fi film ever made. The Earrings of Madame De ... - One of the most perfectly shot films. Fun, simple and brilliant. A Ghost Story - Great idea, but comes of as a youthful, amateurish attempt to be profound. 47 Meters Down - May have taken the title of worst movie ever made. Der Samurai - Bizarre film about sword wielding nut. An odd take on a werewolf film! Dunkirk - A rare short war film. Without a doubt Christopher Nolan's best film.  Sawdust and Tinsel - A rare Bergman film that is simply  good.  Bibi shines! Our Friend, Martin - Animated. MLK, time travel ...