The Question of being an Asshole

In one night, in less than five minutes time, I am told that I am the greatest, a sweetheart, someone I've known less than five minutes tells me they love me, I'm an asshole, I hate everything, and I'm the worst person ever. It's an interesting dichotomy of my life.

Frequently, the appellation of asshole is applied to me because of Music, Movies, or some other aspect of Popular Culture. If I have a discussion about movies with someone, as evident in my last blog, then generally there will be some disagreement. Style over Substance seems to be popular in Hollywood films, and if I criticize this, or point out its...lack of certain qualities, I am an asshole. Not that there are not a plethora of foreign films which fall into the Style category of film; Several foreign films I enjoy immensely are not in the Substance vein.

I don't listen to the radio or watch any of the dozen or so music television channels. Can't abbreviate that, as MTV doesn't play music, but MTV2, Fuse, CMT and several others do. Listening to Metal can be quite a bitch. Watch two metalheads meet for the first time, they have the size each other up. You never see two pop music size each other up quite the same as Metalheads do. We have to jump through hoops, throw names, prove ourselves. Pop Music fans don't have to go through Proving.

For those of my friends who have suffered through some of my more assholic episodes long enough to know me well enough will be able to affirm that I am merely a Contrarian. I don't like being told what I should like. The onus of this is that I have to search out my likes instead. I don't get them delivered to me via Mass Media. Sometimes, this results in my watching or hearing some truly obscure material, or simply being a few years ahead of the remake circuit.

Try having a conversation with someone and not being to discuss movies, music or television. Nice weather.

Martial Arts? I had the jujitsu conversation once too many times, now I try not to mention having ever studied any of the martial arts.

This is going to start rambling. Thank the insomnia.

I just finished watching a documentary on Steve McQueen. Some part of my brain is analyzing all of his movies and creating a summation of the Steve McQueen dress code. I blame my roommate leaving his copies of Details and Esquire in the bathroom.

I reread Lloyd Alexander's "The Book of Three". I read "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" as well, mainly because of the 'Net Comic "Delusionary State." I have four or five webcomics I follow.

I have no career. I need to formulate get rich...in any time frame...schemes. Well, maybe a little quicker, if just to pay for the health care I know I need but can't afford.

Health care is on everyone's list of watercooler conversation lately, I hate to bring it up, but speaking as someone who knows they need to go to the doctor, but can't, because I can't bloody well afford it...ooh, more debt, yay, because the student loans aren't enough.

Did I mention I'm taking bloody auto shop classes just to keep my student loans deferred? When are we going to get Universal Education Care? When are my bloody degrees going to be worth a fucking damn? When I will get the constant bleeding fixed?

Not to mention the Dental Care. Does Dental Care fall into the whole Universal Health Care thing? Universal? Do we have to treat Martians? What about other illegal aliens? So it's just a National Health Care...right...look, just find a way to make it profitable for somebody, and it'll happen.

I had a cup of coffee in the afternoon just so I could stay awake to get my autoshop studying done, now I can't sleep when i really want to...which isn't really anything new, I can't ever seem to sleep when I want to.

Three days no drinking. This is harder than it seems. San Diego is one of the Beer Meccas of the world. Seriously. Other cities have more pubs, but we have both high quality breweries and brewpubs, and a lot of them. We have a definite beer culture here, so much so, in fact, that the Southern California IPA is being considered as an official beer designation by the World Beer Cup peoples. Speaking of which, Stone Brewery's latest seasonal beer, the Vertical Epic, will be unleashed tomorrow. 9-9-9, that's their shtick.

Bah, time to go read yet another book as I fail to yet again sleep for yet another night whilst I try not to drink a Yeti beer...just yet. Yet yet yet. Does it look funny yet?

I am the Reverend Doctor Godzilla, and I need a better paying shtick.