Author: robertjames1971

I'm wicked tall.

After Two Periods…

The Stanley Cup Final has finally started. They only had 469249624 days off since the Conference Finals ended.

After two periods, the Oilers trail the Panthers 2-0.

Oh come on now. Let’s score some goals, Edmonton. I want this series to be an Edmonton sweep. You are not allowed to lose a game, Oilers. You are not allowed to win a game, Panthers. Screw you, Panthers!

I have a bad feeling about this.

Spoiler Free Review of Last Night’s Doctor Who

A new episode of Doctor Who, entitled Rogue, was released last night on Disney+ (for those of us in the ol’ U.S.of.A.) and as soon as I finished watching it I posted something on Threads about it. Something like a very short spoiler free review. Allow me to share an excerpt:

…that popping sound you’re hearing? That’s the sound of homophobic brains exploding, all over the world.

heh heh heh

Sorry. I just find bigotry to be so ridiculous that I have to make fun of it when I can.

Also, Doctor Who may suffer from the most toxic fan base in the entire entertainment industry. I used to think Star Trek fans were bad, then Star Wars came back and the toxicity made Star Trek look like cute cuddly kitties. Then I started watching Doctor Who and the level of toxicity spewing from the show’s “fans” made Star Wars look like a picnic in the park on a sunny summer’s day.

I am not going to say that I am looking forward to the hate vomit that this week’s episode is sure to produce, but I am looking forward to being able to use the response to the episode to block a whole ton of scumbags on social media. That’s what I call a bright side!

Basic Needs Plus

Daily writing prompt
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
View all responses

Which branch of science was it that defined the three basic needs of life as food/water, shelter, and clothing? Was it psychology or sociology or philosophy? That’s the real answer to this question, right? Take away one of those three things and the good life gets pretty shitty, pretty fast.

What can we add on top of that to make life aces? Let me list a few things and then one final thing that outstrips them all.

  • A job with an income. You know… so that you can get the things that you need to get through your daily stuff… and stuff.
  • Transportation to get you to where you need to be to get/do the stuff you need to do.
  • Music. Speaking for myself, which should be obvious gievn that I’m the red head who is writing this idiotic crap, life would be pretty much garbage without music. I’m including listening to and playing music in this statement as both are mega important to me.
  • People to share life and experiences with. Friends, family, strangers. This is hinting at the one thing I will write about when I sum up this whole post, but really it’s about in good times and bad times I’ll be on your side forever more. That’s what friends are for. Right?

Which leads me to my summation. The one thing that supersedes everything else. For me, personally, in order to live a good life I need four things. Four basic needs, not just three. Food/water, shelter, clothing, and Jen and the kids. Take away all of the other stuff and leave me with those four things? I’ll be pretty good with that. That works for me.

Pop Genesis

I don’t remember this, but the Instagram and Threads account for the band Genesis posted this today.

On this day in 1986 Genesis and four of it’s five “classic period” members were all in the US Billboard top 40 at the same time.

Genesis was at 37 with Invisible Touch. Not the worst piece of shit in their 80’s pop period, but definitely on the short list.

Steve Hackett’s band GTR, which also included Yes guitarist Steve Howe, was at 35 with When the Heart Rules the Mind.

Peter Gabriel was at 32 with Sledgehammer.

Phil Collins was at 26 with Take Me Home which is a song I completely forgot existed but I guess was a thing.

Mike Rutherford’s mostly awful pop side project Mike and the Mechanics was at number five with pretty awful All I Need is a Miracle.

Five Genesis and Genesis adjacent songs on the top 40 at the same time. It’s not like that week where The Beatles had something like six songs on the top 10 at the same time, but it’s pretty cool.

If only the five songs were… you know… better songs. Why couldn’t the Genesis song been Tonight Tonight Tonight, and the GTR song been Imagining, and the Peter Gabriel song been In Your Eyes (or This is the Picture, or Don’t Give Up, or Red Rain, or Mercy Street), and the Mike and the Mechanics song been… ummm… that one song that I didn’t hate… Silent Running, or something like that… and the Phil Collins song been something that wasn’t awful and completely forgettable which I am not sure was possible in 1986. When did I Don’t Care No More come out? That was long before ’86, wasn’t it?