Still Figurin' Out Who I Think I Am

This one's about climate, a mythical incident, and TV homes.

30DBC PROMPT: "What are your thoughts on climate change? How concerned about it are you, and do you think its effects will be felt dramatically in your lifetime?"

Good afternoon y'all! Some interesting prompts to get to this gorgeous day, so if you don't mind I'm gonna jump right in.

You may have heard me mention on occasion that I'm not a big fan of science (the subject)...don't get me wrong though; science in general is pretty awesome in all sorts of recreational ways, but trying to get me to learn it is almost a fruitless experience. Until, perhaps, now.

I had my first Environmental Science class last night, and that's what gave me the idea for this prompt. Before I actually answer it though, a little background...

My professor is freaking adorable (enough that I might be willing to waive my requirement that women I crush on not be married with kids)...she's probably around my age, incredibly smart and enthusiastic about the topic, has a self-proclaimed "potty mouth", and isn't "model gorgeous", but more like "girl next door" cute. She's the Mary Ann to Gilligan's Island's Ginger. Also working in her favor: although it's a three hour tour class, she said she'd rarely keep us for the whole three hours ("I have a life too!"), and she said we don't need the textbook...which means $130 back on my book deferral (more good news about that later). And there's only seven students in the class! I can get down with that!

So one of the things we talked about was climate change. Global warming. I'll admit I've got a slightly more than passing interest in this topic, but I'll never claim to be fully educated about it. It's really not discussed at length in the mainstream media when compared to other newsworthy options such as drug using/abusing athletes, unnecessary wars, and nude celebrity photos. But I learned a lot more last night about climate change, and in all reality if you were to have a kid tomorrow, the resources we take for granted today will most likely be gone by the time they're old enough to be grandparents (if not sooner).

You might've heard of Neil deGrasse Tyson...he's like the rock star of the scientific set. He's got a great quote: "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” And while science is always evolving, it's very fact-based...meaning it's taught because it happened, it's provable, and there's reasons for everything. You can argue something 'til you're blue in the face, but then science comes along, bitchslaps you with the truth, drops the mic and walks off stage like a boss.

So how does this relate to climate change? There are people out there- let's call them "scientists"- who've done nothing but study all the factors involved with global warming and its effects on the environment. They come up with proven theories, warnings, and research papers devoted to this topic. Needless to say, they're not only smarter than us, but also the pundits on talk shows, journalists, and most politicians. Yet what's been done to enact the changes we as a society need to make to ensure that there will be a future beyond the next few generations? Very little. And you don't have to look much farther than the government to understand why (and by government I don't mean Obama or the White House...I mean every single person who has a say in how this country is run).

Look at the Senate and the House Of Representatives. What are their backgrounds? They're mostly lawyers and bankers...sure, they may be skilled in those particular fields, but where are the scientists? The true deep thinkers? I don't go to McDonald's and ask them for advice on how to fix a car; how do these people in public office seem to think they know better about the problems facing our planet as a whole, on a scientific level? Bigger than pollution or recycling or chemical dumping; the biggest concern are these pricks leaders all the sudden claiming to be experts or worse, ignoring the conversation completely.

All the land and water that is on this planet...that's all we've got. We can't just go to some interplanetary Home Depot and buy another addition to Earth and fill it with fresh water. That's not how it works. These aren't renewable resources...like the creator of the universe said, "That's all you get; there is no more." We fuck this up, and that's it...may as well hope for that zombie apocalypse some of you cats believe will actually happen because you're watching too much TV and not giving a damn about anything else.

Like I said, I don't claim to know a whole lot about this; I'm still learning and gathering info, and I'll know more as the semester progresses. But if you think this isn't a problem, or it's "some lefty political agenda", you're sorely mistaken. This affects everyone and everything...once we start overheating a couple of species off the food chain, or killing off more fields in the name of discount shopping centers, it's "Good game Earth...we tried but we weren't as prepared as science."

I don't even have kids, so my stake in the future of this planet is minimal compared to a lot of you...but if I can be concerned, so can you. And the more people start to become aware of this (the sooner the better), maybe then we can see some real changes. If the government subsidized solar electricity the way it did things that directly and indirectly influence other more negative and potentially harmful programs, we could see the difference in our lifetime. It's not crazy; it's science. Believe in what you want, but there's no mistaking the truth.

BCF PROMPT: "A unicorn, dragon, and pegasus walked into an Inn/Bar/Pub.... What happened?"

Geez, are we back out in the wilds of Maine on the August "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  camping trip? Did we load up on the tainted cowboy coffee and stumble half-coherently back over to the pub? Am I gonna have to keep Charlie ~ from getting his ass kicked by angry gnomes? As much as it wouldn't be that surprising of a setting, I think I have a better idea...

A unicorn, a dragon, and a pegasus walked into "Invalid Item" . The bartender, Andre The Blog Monkey, took one look at them and said, "Hey! We don't serve your type in here!" Undeterred, the dragon said in his most sly voice, "We're with the band." Taking the dragon's cue, the unicorn and pegasus nodded in agreement.

Andre was skeptical. "Well, ok...but I don't like the looksa youse guys. Whattaya havin'?" The dragon ordered himself a pint of Labatt Blue, while the unicorn and pegasus had vodka cranberries. "'At'll be $12.50" said the flummoxed barkeep.

The three mythical creatures looked at each other confused. "I didn't bring any money," said the unicorn, "because I don't have any pockets." The other two were all like, "Yeah, why should we carry money? We're otherworldly genetic mutations that get by on our awesomeness."

Andre had heard enough. "That's it! You freaks get outta here!" He squawked a monkey whistle and two burly bouncers came out from the back room to provide a quick (and hopefully painless) exit.

"Hey! Watch the horn!" brayed the unicorn. The pegasus was also non-plussed; "Easy! I just had these wings dry-cleaned!" But the dragon wasn't havin' any of this. "Hold up one dad-gum second!", he shouted, loud enough to give the bouncers some pause. "We're good creatures of folklore! We deserve a little bit better treatment than this!" He looked around the bar, and spotted some of the friendly 30DBC bloggers. "Lyn's a Witchy Woman ," he said, "remember that time your granddaughter said she wanted a unicorn, and your whole family told her she could want anything, but to be happy with what she got? This unicorn here ensured she'd be happy with just a Barbie car. And Noyoki , you know how your son likes to explore and jump around as if he thinks he really can fly? My pal the pegasus gave him the confidence to think he can do anything his little heart desires. But how does society thank us? By portraying us as dumb animals in third-rate Disney movie knock-offs. We're the stuff your children's dreams consist of! And all we want is a little gratitude. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less...well, ok, that, and a few drinks. It's been a long day trying to make all the kids in the world content."

Slightly moved, Andre pushed the drinks forward and said, "Ya know what? Youse guys ain't so bad after all. This round's on me." The trio responded by raising their glasses in an appreciative toast to the primate, who interrupted them. "But wait...so dragon, what kind of dreams do you fulfill?" he asked.

"You feed us drinks, or I'll burn this god-forsaken place down with one misplaced hiccup. Got it, monkey?"

The moral to this story is: Don't piss off the dragon.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

"The Beast And Dragon, Adored"...sometimes you've got to thank the forces that grant you things that wouldn't exist without them, even if you're unsure of how or why.

"Now all I need is a crew...
One that can act as if
one that can slay on cue."
Lyrics.  

THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

"Even though we all love our houses, is there a house on a TV Show or a movie you would like to live in?"

Yo, here we go with another form of celebrity idolatry...only this time it's in the form of even faker fakeness their fictional digs.

And who said I love my house? Don't be puttin' words in my mouth! But since I'm a good sport, I'll show my age a little (gawd, how I hate saying that...and even worse, admitting that it's true ) and let you in on a tiny secret.

Anyone remember the 80's TV sitcom Silver Spoons  ? Starring Ricky Schroder and for a little while, Jason Bateman? I don't much remember it, but all I know is that it was about some rich kid living in a swanky mansion with all the coolest shit any kid his (or my) age could possibly hope for in a dream house. The best thing was the train that ran throughout the house that you could ride on from room to room...that's the only thing that could beat a stacked house with a damn foosball table and a stand-up video arcade game in the living room. If you ask me, that show is almost 90.573% responsible for every single ManCave in America...they're our own little economically dumbed-down versions of Silver Spoons.

That's the house I wanted. Complete with the stoplight next to the front door. This is the opening montage  , which shows pretty much all I can recall from the show. Note the train near the end...the dad is sitting on it, I believe. How do we not have this in most homes in 2014?? That's almost worse than not having The Jetsons' flying cars.

THE LISTICLE 9.3

In cooperation with "BLOG CITY presents: The LIST" , here is a list of 14 songs that could possibly describe/define parts of the ultimate ManCave.

1) "We Like Sportz" by The Lonely Island
2) "Yard Of Blonde Girls" by Jeff Buckley
3) "Life's Been Good" by Joe Walsh
4) "The Boomin' System" by LL Cool J
5) "Symbolistic White Walls" by Matthew Good Band
6) "Incense And Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock
7) "We've Got Everything" by Modest Mouse
8) "Alcohol" by Barenaked Ladies
9) "Good Song" by Blur
10) "Remote Control" by The Beastie Boys
11) "Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf" by The Killers
12) "Hockey Hair" by Atmosphere
13) "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
14) "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)" by Boogie Down Productions

I trust that you all know how to use YouTube and can figure out how to hear all of these songs on your own.

The NFL season officially begins for real tomorrow! Woo hoo! I've set the date...Saturday will be the day for my fearless football predictions for your 2014-15 season. Can't wait!  

Data is hilarious   and can be interpreted as such sometimes. I like pie, and sometimes I like more pie.

To all of my Canadian friends (even you, Brother Nature , even though you likely won't see this), yeah, this list is pretty legit. But I've never had poutine and as much as I love cheese, I can't fathom ever putting a cheese curd in my mouth again (but I love having fries with gravy). 24 Signs You Grew Up On The Canadian Border.  

Ok, so it's not a smartphone, but I finally got my tablet! I am now the proud owner of a 7" Samsung Galaxy 4, so that's two books I don't have to lug around. Coulda had the 10", but it woulda put me $7 over on my book deferral (dammit, why did I buy that 16gb flash drive?). It's all good though. Gonna spend the rest of the night playin' with it.

And I'd like to congratulate via "July 2014 Official Blog Challenge Winners"   Prosperous Snow celebrating , Charlie ~ and Noyoki on placing in the July edition of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" ! Excellent job! I love it when people make it all the way through the month, and it's great to see their talents rewarded at the end. Like I said yesterday, Neva and I have been doing this challenge for a long time (in WDC years); it's great to see someone like Charlie, who's only been at this for less than a year, and a relative newcomer like Dana, get much-deserved recognition. I'm very happy for them...and for everyone else who made it through the last official round, congrats to you guys too! It takes a lot of determination and willpower to get through a contest like this (I know...there've been times I've had to withdraw because life) but don't worry. The interaction you get from reading others and having them read you, plus the back-and-forth of commenting, not only allows you the experience of getting to know one another better, but it helps you become a better writer. I've seen it happen! It's a great tool to refine your work. All you have to do is look at your first couple of blog entries, and then read your last couple after finishing a 30DBC...it's ridiculous how much better you are after one. And even for someone like me, who's always looking for ways to build on my successes and achievements, reading my fellow challengers and adapting is a tremendous resource. And to paraphrase the philosopher Slug, we don't always get along or see eye-to-eye but we're all singin' the same song  , so party for your fight to write, and write on.

Now if y'all will excuse me, I've got a tablet that needs a textbook downloaded to it. Peace, it don't come cheap, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!