January 14, 2011

• The Best of Whenwordscollide 2010

  Following are excerpts from my best entries for 2010. I’ve frequently told people to treat my blog like a glossy magazine. Each entry is like a magazine article. I do a lot of research for the news and cultural entries. I write prose and poetry, and I present videos and photography. No matter what happens in my life, I continue to maintain an optimistic and wholesome viewpoint. Almost everything which appears here is original and comes direct from my creativity to the blog. Included in the sample from the entry, which might not be from the beginning of the post, are links to the original entry and to the archive page from which it came. Are you ready?
  

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  January: 14 entries
  January 06, 2010
  My Personal and Universal Goals

  I pray for humankind as always, and send all the positive energy I can summon to his disposal. My universal goals are for peace, harmony, and love amongst my brothers and sisters. Each decade might seem to be more hectic and full of change than the one which preceded it, but as a student of history, I know that there have always been pretty much the same problems, and “technology” has been just as daunting for previous generations as they are for the present one. Communication might be quicker, so the spreading of both truth and lies is faster than previously. However, when you think about it, most of the people of the generations who lived prior to the printing press couldn’t even read, so the invention of the printing press must have been, to their generation, as awe inspiring as the computer was to mine. The generation who witnessed the inventions of automobiles and airplanes, some of whom are still around, must really have thought that the world was changing ridiculously fast during those times. And who knows what is around the bend, as we set our “goals” even now? There might be unforseen “goal breakers” abounding. The trick is not to worry too much about what happens, but to fashion our lives and modify our personal goals to conform to the world we live in. “Roll with the punches”, as it were.

  I’ve said and written before, and I’m sure I will say and write again, until that time that I physically cannot do so, that the internet affords humankind with the ability “right now” to spread love, a sense of purpose, and tolerance around the world. We can get to know our “neighbor” quite well, whether he lives next door or around the world, with the tools already in place. In fact, Xanga is one of those tools. We bloggers constantly meet new folks and share in their dreams, as we share our own.

  Let us attempt to share our personal and universal goals together, in the coming year, and in the coming decade, for as long as we exist.

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  February: 3 entries.
  January 31, 2010
  (I’m cheating here. Jan. 31st is close to February.I was going to excerpt “Old Bloggers Just Fade Away” the first of my “hiatus posts” in 2010, which got 41 comments, but the following entry is more “usual” for this blog, and I took a lot of time on it.)
  My Media Crushes: From age 11 till Now: (Part 1)
  

  Molly Ringwald 1982-1996
  Medium: movies, TV
  Her age when I discovered her: 16
  My age when I discovered her:: 31
  Sixteen Candles 1984
  Pretty in Pink 1986
  Molly Ringwald on wikipedia
  Molly Ringwald on imdb

  As I entered my 30s, I was crushed by another teen starlet. Red haired teen darling Molly Ringwald attracted my attention with her early John Hughes movies in the early 80s. Molly’s movies were coming out at about the time that Melanie Griffith was bursting on the movie scene, but Molly was younger, and had roles in teen flicks. As a matter of fact, she WAS the unabashed queen of the teens, and queen of the “brat pack” in her day. I had a copies of her Time and Life covers adorning my bedroom. Molly was huge in the early 80s, but made some bad decision, like a lot of young actors, as she started to grow up. Molly lost her star status when she picked obscure French films as vehicles during her 20s. She made a sort of comeback and stood out in the TV miniseries of Stephen King’s “The Stand” in 1994. She was last in my orbit with “Townies”, a short lived TV show in 1996. Currently, she is the mother in the TV show, “The Secret Life of an American Teenager.” Movie Trailer for “Pretty in Pink”.

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  March: 4 entries
  March 25, 2010
  Xanga Friends: Who ARE all these people?
  So Many Friends With Whom I never seem to Interact

  Friendship requests seemed to balloon when I had a “featured” entry or when one of my entries was recommended heavily. Since I’m definitely “old school” when it comes to gauging Xangalebrity status, I kept wanting comments. Xangalebrities who read my blog would tell me not to wish for this kind of status, cause most of the comments were negative, rather than the positive outpourings of real friendship which I found daily in the comment sections of my blogposts.

  After an entry of mine, like the Xangapedia would make featured, I’d seem to get dozens of new “friends”, but within a couple of entires, most of them seemed to disappear from my blog.

  Deleting Friends and Influencing People

  One blogger, MrRichard (not his real username) has attempted to befriend me four times. The first time, I accepted his friend request, and I visited the requisite three times and left long letter/comments. After he never viisted, and I got real tired about seeing his constant recommends and entry posts on those rare occasions I used the “universal inbox” I deleted him.

  A few weeks later, he’s befriending me again.

  I’ve deleted some “active” friendships. I’ve deleted friendships of  bloggers who seem to want to confront me about something, or in turn think that something in one of my comments to them is confrontational. (I never thought this could happen, but I’m beginning to realize that some bloggers specialize in confrontation, and welcome it. I believe in tolerance an understanding, and if you think I’m being confrontational with you, then you’re wrong, and I don’t need your friendship.

  I’ve seriously  pondered going over my friends list and deleting those friendships with bloggers I still don’t seem to know, or connect with, or to just delete everybody at once and then start from scratch. But then I’ll admit I’m a bit conceited, and I LIKE the idea of having over 400 friends!

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  April: 6 entries
  April 23, 2010
  Personal Catchphrases: A Blogchallenge
  

  

  Do you have a favorite catchphrase?

  As a student of popular culture, and a baby boomer at that, born just as television started to imbed itself into the popular culture, I’ve been exposed to catchphrases for most of my life, and I’ve developed quite a few of them I’ve used, and still use, over the past four or five decades. I thought it might be interesting to challenge my blogreaders to come up with lists of catchphrases you currently use, or have used in the past, whether they came from elsewhere, or if you made them up personally.
  “Wunnerful, wunnerful.”
  Nobody realizes where this comes from, and it’s a phrase I use almost every day, switched with “fantastic”, another word I’ve always used when acknowledging that I like something or something is going right. If an order comes through at work, I proclaim: “wunnerful, wunnerful.” The phrase was initially used by bandleader Lawrence Welk in the 50s, in a Germanic accent, which I copy when saying the catchphrase.
  

  “I’m not superman.”
  I’ve used this in the workplace many times, most proficiently in the retail industry where I was a manager in the 70s and 80s. It was always leveled at upper management when they asked me to do something impossible, which I almost always was able to perform, sans cape of course.

  “All seriousness aside.”
  This is a phrase I use in print as well as in speech. It speaks for itself. Seriously.

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  May: 9 entries
  May 5, 2010
  An Open Letter to Anyone Thinking About Suicide
  I’ve got to tell you that many times when I was younger, I thought about suicide. Just ending it all. Stopping the “damned questions”. I never thought I’d feel love and my family pretty much disappeared when we all went our separate ways following our parents’ deaths. I really didn’t feel like I was sane most of the time. I spent most of the late 70s in a dope and booze filled stupor. I would stay up all night fueled on cocaine and call in sick the next morning.
  

  I am coming from a place where you might be right now. I’ve been there. But I’m glad I wasn’t stupid enough to end it all. I’m glad I stuck around. And because of my friends who perished needlessly, from an accident, a heart attack, and cancer, neither of which any of them asked for, I know my world would be much better if they had been around to share it with me, and if I had acted on any misbegoten suicidal tendencies in the past, what little time they had as my friend would be gone for good. (And like any good friend would do, Tom, who later died at 37 even bailed me out of jail.)

  Suicide is…like closing the book before you’re finished reading it…I won’t tell you life is easy, cause it isn’t. Life is hard and heartbreaking sometimes. But if you stop the clock before the alarm has a chance to ring, you’ll be missing the sunrise, and the great day that might lie ahead of you.

  Things might be really bleak right now. But don’t stop living. Life is far too short as it is, and if you close your eyes, you won’t see what’s coming. And what’s coming might just be the most wonderful thing you’ve ever experienced.

  So join me in life, and turn your back on your most terrible thoughts before you perform any acts that you won’t be able to undo.

  May was a good month. I also wrote Cancer Doesn’t Care: An Essay which was posted on the Healthkicker blog, and Xangablogging: A Xangassessment that month.
  

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  June: 5 entries
  June 16, 2010
  What’s Your Handicap?
  
  
  

  

  When an able bodied person encounters a person who uses a wheelchair, think of the wheelchair as the enabling device, which helps this person to get around in normal society. Without the wheelchair, the person would be disabled. They have some kind of condition which prevents them from walking upright. It could be a nervous condition, or a lack of muscle power, or a result of a paralysis. By using the enabling device, they can be more “able bodied” than without it. They are handicapped, but they are not defined by their disability. They are able to use what means are available to be more like everyone else. To them, the wheelchair is not a restriction, but a wonder. Able bodied people should always be aware of the disabled around them, and to give them a wider berth. Always acknowledge a person with a walker, a pair of crutches, or a wheelchair. Get out of their way. Be nice to them, but don’t be patronizing of them. They can get around pretty well. I could swing my body around pretty good on those crutches, and I didn’t expect any “special treatment” from anyone. In fact, I was always delighted when people noticed how good I got around.
  
  Don’t ever steal a parking place from the disabled…When one is first diagnosed with any kind of disability, either mental or physical, one goes through a series of feelings much like the stages of grief. In time, one learns how to cope with, and in a lot of cases, to overcome the disability. In rare instances, the disability can be cured, as was mine, and it will disappear. (hopefully. Mine came back. I had a hip replacement which broke!)  What never disappears is the sense that humans can overcome quite a lot in their lives, and also the sense that some able bodied people who never have been disabled in any way just can’t seem to understand what it must be like to have to use a wheelchair, or other enabling device in order to get around, and these people can sometimes be ignorant, in some cases downright mean.

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  July: 7 entries
  July 02, 2010
  We are Human.We Are Special. We are Individual. We are Connected.
  

  Living a bit of life gives one perspective, which young people fail to realize. Those who think life has dealt them the wrong hand simply have to stay in the game a little longer. We lose. We win. We are right. We are wrong. It seems so simple sometimes, and sometimes it’s incredibly difficult. When an older person scolds someone younger for dwelling to deeply on something the older person feels is insignificant, perhaps the older person just can’t remember how significant these problems felt when they were themselves younger.

  A young person has only lived a finite amount of time, and their experience isn’t as great as one who has gained a few decades.

  I’ve often written about “life realizations” and about how some people are merely part of the scenery of their lives, while some of us carry around our own paintbrushes. The sad fact of life is that for many, they fade into that scenery, and they don’t think they matter. The “specialness” that is inherent in their lives, the skills they have never cultivated, the sadness they seem to always feel is always at the fore, and for some, they never get the encouragement from their family and peers that they deserve.

  I’m here to tell you that you are all special. WE are all special. We are a small part of the wonderful force of humanity. We are surrounded by obstacles, and negativity. We are inundated with conflicting signposts. Some times we don’t know what to make of it all.

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  August: 16 entries
  August 30, 2010
  (This was a difficult month to choose. I created the Xanxiety comic, posted my first PhotoPost in a year, posed naked (again) for the Xanga Hottie parody post, sang a country song, and posted my latest and last Mike’s Video Blog.
  Xanxiety 8-30-10
  

  

  
  

  
  

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  September: 17 entries
  September 26, 2010
  Top Blog Comment Stream
  

  

  Have you ever noticed that sometimes it seems you are reading the same comment string over and over again. Especially if you get your kicks from reading the top of the top blogs comment strings.
  

  1irst.

  9/27/10 5:00 PM meggablogger2347   (message) reply

  First. Oh hell.

  9/27/10 5:00 PM megatroll21 (message) reply
  

  It really depends on the situation. If nobody knows what’s happening, then the car could swerve into the other lane and cause an accident.

  9/27/10 5:05 PM BoolahBoolah  (message) reply
  
  

  The teddy bear proletariat are rising out of the gutter with knives, and they will kill your children. srsly

  9/27/10 Dragonmyne 5:16 PM   (message) reply

  How can you be so selfish. You seem to act like you’re so above everybody else. I’m going to block you. For reals this time.

  9/27/10 5:18 PM Diva_Looneybird (message) reply 

  @Diva_looneybird – I <3 u.

  9/27/10 5:19 PM TheRaggamuffinsCafe   (message) reply

  It really depends, doesn’t it?

  9/27/10 5:20 PM treeswithoutleaves  (message) reply
  

   @x_snakes_in_the_grass_x – eat me.

  9/27/10 6:10 PM full_of_bs_on_X (message) reply

   @full_of_bs_on_X -  no, EAT ME.

  9/27/10 6:15 PM x_snakes_in_the_grass_x (message) reply

  I think it depends

  9/27/10 6:25 PM. oneofthesheep  (message) reply

  it really depends

  9/27/10 6:26 PM. xX_yetAnoTheRshEep_Xx (message) reply

  I’d say it depends

  9/27/10 6:35 PM. onemoreofthesheep  (message) reply
  

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  October: 7 entries
  October 1, 2010
  PhotoPost: Pink Sunset
  

  

  Sometimes the right amount of high clouds and other particulate matter are in the sky when the sun sets, refracting light so as to creat the most beautiful “pink sunsets”. The last time I photographed one was in 2005, right outside my apartment. Usually, in Southern California anyway, the clouds are wispy cirrus types when this happens. It happened on Wednesday evening, and I was there to record it.

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  November: 3 entries
  November 02, 2010
  This Just In: Reefer Madness in California
  

  In California, marijuana is prescribed as medicine for a number of maladies. True, you don’t need to go to an actual doctor to get a “prescription” and true, it is still against federal law to ingest it in any way. A few years ago, we passed a medicinal marijuana initiative in a state election, and since then, medical marijuana dispensaries have sprouted up around the state. The cost weed is still rather “high”, however, and now that it’s more “legal” than it ever has been, I still can’t afford it. I guess it can’t be all that “addicting” if I smoked it most of my life, and have been off the “stuff” for most of the last decade. If I could afford to toke up in the evenings, however, I would.

  The reason I’m coming off hiatus for a bit to write this little blog entry is because this afternoon, after work, I am voting for Proposition 19, the “Marijuana Initiative” which is on the state ballot this election. Polls are predicting the measure won’t pass, and these days, all major issues seem to be split right down the middle, but I am voting a big YEA on the legalization and taxation of  marijuana in the state of California. I’d like to see the price drop, so I can smoke some of the stuff again.

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  December: 4 entries
  December 23, 2010
  The Voice of Reason: Gays are Equal too (or should be)
  

  I’ve never been in the military, and I can’t say I ever held a stand on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. But not too long ago, even with a history of knowing homosexuals and having homosexual friends (one of my roommates was gay) I held the stance that gays shouldn’t marry. I even voiced this opinion on Xanga in comments on anti gay marriage entries.

  I was wrong. And I changed my mind.

  We would all like to believe that we possess common sense, and this dictates our daily lives, and informs our decisions. After a while, my common sense started to nag at me for dissing gay marriage. How can we define “sex” anyway? And should we? There are species which are asexual in nature. There are species which change their sex. There are species where the male is the caregiver to the baby. An obstetrician (doctor specializing in women and childbirth) once told me about some of the things she’s seen during her tenure in medicine. One cannot really split the world into two distinct sexes. There are too many anomalies in nature. Common sense soon told me that I was for some stupid reason being a bit hypocritical and bullheaded (a typical trait of us Taureans, so the astologists would point out).

  I corrected my stance. I changed my mind.

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  Required Reading: The 2009 Best of Whenwordscollide entry.
  

  Stay Tuned! Watch you inboxes. I might not post a lot these days, but there is more high quality blogging to come in 2011 from WhenWordsCollide! 

  Posted:  January 13, 2011 9:53 AM

  • 9:36 am
  • 14 Comments