"......it's just a bunch of guys!"--Zero Effect

It has been said I have a odd taste in film.  Zero Effect is this movie from 1998.  "the world's most private detective" Bill Pullman plays the elusive Darryl Zero and  gets 3 stars from Rotten Tomatoes. I found that harsh!  I truly enjoyed it. Watched it many times, I know it almost by heart.  Along with Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller co-stars as Steve Arlo,  his trusty front man assistant.  The story was interesting. Really weird characters with interesting stories to tell on their own within the plot. Good cast, Ryan O'Neal plays ivy-league brat in a grown up body and needs Pullman's character to help him.  Kim Dixon plays a woman of mystery. All characters are brilliantly  flawed. Music for the sound track was excellent, a great mix of artists and songs From Elvis Costello's "Mystery Dance" to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Into My Arms".  Some folks who I have introduced to the movie say it has some places that are slow. Not in my opinion.  This movie has everything for me, comedy, drama, crime, and the characters all get to learn a good lesson whether they wanted it or not. I recommend looking on IMDB to see the reviews, they are the most fair to the film and rated it at 6.8 stars, and hey it is not the last movie you are ever going to watch.

There is this tense scene where Pullman's character is ranting about good guys and bad guys.  Darryl has this view that is almost like some god (or demi-god) complex that he can help these people entangled in their messes, right the wrongs that they do because he sees the big picture and is the worlds greatest detective.  His fees are huge and only the very rich who "mess up" can think to afford him.  Darryl does his job well but his assitant has had enough of these kind of people. Darryl does not want Steve to quit. He needs him for legal advice and rock solid research.  So he rants on about the good guys and bad guys, and Steve yells at him that it is not about the good guys or bad guys, "....it's just a bunch of guys!"

I  want to draw attention to this quote because when I am looking around in my world, listening to NPR radio, listening to my family, and people in my immediate community I notice a loss of civility.  Current polarity in politics seems to encourage people to openly call others names and blame them for all that is wrong in our system.  It is just plain illogical and a poor display of manners!  If we let our political process get reduced to war chests, influence and revenue for media corporations and a huge group of "type A" personalities fervently working to get someone into political office then it is up to the citizens of this nation to get involved to give it relevancy, meaning, and depth .

Our system is our system.  It is what it is because of the nature of politics.  "It is hard to blame a cat for being a cat" from Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher, I had read the book to my grandson and use the quote a lot.  Politics is a loud, long war of facts and factoids, sound bytes, super pacs.  TV spots are expensive. It is the way it is and has served well to get people motivated and interested in the political process, which is never a bad thing.  It is up to the citizens of our nation to shape and mold the government to the ever changing need of our country.  One should always check facts about the election and who wants to get into political office. It is the responsibility of the citizens.

This system is annoying and kind of goofy but for all that it is or not,  it works.  It does not please all the citizens but all do not participate.  Apathy and citizen non-participation has it's influence on the system.   All are people pursuing life with freedoms that do not exist everywhere on the globe. All deserve decent human treatment. Yelling at fellow citizens and saying one group is to blame for the demise of our country's  "way of life" is just plain rude. The level of rudeness and incivility in today's political process is maddening. It shows a pure lack of respect for people in general.  It is not about us and them, we all are just a bunch of people with strong feelings about what might be wrong with the nation's way forward.  Instead of yelling and finger pointing perhaps a conversation is in order. Pigeon-holing 47% of the population into "them" that is to blame is just plain dangerous.

It is not about the rights and wrongs of political parties and their view of government; it is the result of the conversation we have to act with prudence and respect to shape the government into a system that works for more than a few. Perhaps it is time to give a good hard look at who really benefits when everyone is so "grid-locked" and angry in politics. Demonizing groups and name-calling gets the process nowhere and the biggest example of it is our MOST DO NOTHING CONGRESS EVER!  So who does it benefit?  A suggestion would be to look at who benefits from the UN-action. Look around and see what it means if congress does nothing or very little between now and then end of the year.  Have true but civil conversations that yield real facts and workable ideas not just the verbal jousting with what super pacs put out in bytes and portions of the issues that are important the country.

Public Radio

Radio has been an intimate part of my life. Since the first grade, living near Montgomery, Alabama, music was present in my life. My father was in a quartet that sang in area Baptist church congregations. My mother sang in church with a clear soprano voice. It was obvious she liked to sing. She was still pretty young at the end of the sixties and had diverse tastes in music. Whille riding in the car she would sing. I discovered I could sing along too. Music became fun. I tried to make up songs in my head. When there was a piano in the house I tried to compose my own songs and play from songs on the radio. My favorites were popular rock and roll and country rock. Yes, Chicago, Beach Boys, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and of course the Eagles.

It was in an art class in college that an art professor made a remark, strongly suggesting that students might have more knowlege of what was going on in the world if they would listen to more than hard rock on the local radio station. Where was that? Public radio. As an older student with a daughter in grade school, it was easy to tune out inclusive remarks made about students' habits, but I listened to the very station he had sneered at. This particular professor was not one I respected, but this time his tone made me feel insulted. What was so wrong with my radio choice? On the ride home I tuned in a public radio station that didn't play primarily classical music or head banging rock. It was KRCC out of Colorado College in Colorado Springs. I did it for no real reason but to reinforce my feelings that this was just an egotistical professor, an over educated, slightly better than average, elitest artist. He was all that but he was also correct.

Public radio was an acquired taste for me. Quickly I realized how the news was some how more fresh and current. The music was unfamiliar. Violence in Bosnia and Kosevo was escalating at the time. The news was stunning. Before switching the radio dial, I had no idea how bad life conditions were in a war torn country, now present in my lifetime. The news articles were gripping and insightful. The music could be strange, KRCC from Colorado Springs was dedicated to playing obsure music not played elsewhere. There also was a good dose of guitar and blues. I learned be patient and listen through the other stuff. Instead of using the radio as an instrument to forget the day, I was becoming more informed. My music sense was expanding. How grown up of me.

So now what?

I was just talking to Bill, my partner here on the Edge, about what this blog is for. Bill mentions how he believes it has to be a marketing and money making tool. Of course, he is right but I get anxious when I think about it like that and the pressure about what I don't know becomes a stifling problem. So instead of concentrating on the money possiblities that might be, I focus on what I like about sharingon a blog. I get more excited about connecting to my family and letting them know something about me in one central spot. The people we love are so spread out across the country and the globe.
Living out in the country is the way for me. Having big sweeping prairies and magnificent views with the Rockies in the background sounds lovely doesn't it? Let me mention the night sky, unobstructed! No one around for miles. It's not for everyone. Lonliness and isolation can be a problem. Yet it is what I have always wanted. It is very soothing after so many years of the needs of others, frantic feelings, numerous addresses, and, dysfuntional dramas. So the challenge is to make a life that satisfies. Out here I feel it is easier for Bill and me to focus on what that means. It is a good thing that Bill feels the same way.
What is the real balance of what one does to make a life? Well that can be for another post.
Until next time, Cheers!

Greetings from the Edge of Livermore

Greetings!

Welcome to the first blog of my life. It is one of my New Year's resolutions realized. Already I have a feeling accomplishment. Even if I fail to make this a habit just making this step means there is one resolution I can mark off the list. The hope is that the effort works out to more than that. I am looking to technology to aid in staying connected, share and learn about the world from the office chair in my little kitchen. Occasionally I muse and write as well as make photos about what is curious.

So this is an exploration of a tool, honestly, I am not clear as to a blog's uses in my life as it is today but open to considering possibilities. Here's a hearty Happy New Year to all. Cheers!