The Good Place
The Fall Season for 2016 gave us The Good Place, which almost got a pass by me because I was only barely a fan of the two main stars, Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. Then I saw a trailer which described the show as a comedy about a young woman who finds herself in Heaven, or The Good Place, after her death, even though it comes as a surprise to her. There aren't that many shows out that focus on the Afterlife, so I thought I would give it a shot.
Oh. My. God. Within the first episode, I was hooked, and I stayed hooked to the show throughout the first season's run of 13 episodes. Even though the two main characters, Kristen Bell as the woman who faces the dilemma of having to find a way to stay in The Good Place when all she's ever known is how to be an awful person, and Ted Dansen as the Architect, Michael, who created the portion of The Good Place where Kristen Bell is, I soon fell for a few of the other characters, like Jianyu (Manny Jacinto), a buddhist monk, and Janet (D'arcy Carden), another resident in The Good Place who is by far nothing like any other person in The Good Place.
Each episode revealed more about the characters and the many crazy things that happened to them, especially as their neighborhood begins to break down because as Michael discovers, there's someone who doesn't belong in The Good Place. The further season one went along, the more down the rabbit hole the characters and the viewers found themselves. However, no one could have predicted how the first season would end. It was mind-blowing. That's all I can say.
I waited on pins and needles for the second season to arrive. I was excited to see what the twist at the end of season one would do to the show, but I have to admit that I was nervous because what was about to happen. I was afraid that after the twist was revealed, would this be the best the show had to offer? Was it all downhill from there?
I needn't have worried because season two has been just as good as the first season, and I have found myself especially falling in love with the character of Janet. I'm ashamed that I didn't know this actor before, but I'm certainly a fan now. I will follow her to whatever show she shows up on from now on.
I'm happy to see that many people are starting to talk about how good this show is. If this show stays on for ten seasons or more, hey, I'm happy with that.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Television Highlights for 2017
I've been thinking that maybe this year would be the one where I gave every show I watch a fair shake and see what was my top 10 or 25 or whatever for the year. Except, I have a hard time choosing because my nature is to critique everything, so even if I love something, I have to find faults to pick and so can't call it a number one show.
So, what I'm going to do is try to spotlight many shows that impressed upon me, negatively or positively, this past year from January to December 2017. Each show will get it's on post, but I'll try to keep this updated as a list for all the shows I mention.
The Good Place
So, what I'm going to do is try to spotlight many shows that impressed upon me, negatively or positively, this past year from January to December 2017. Each show will get it's on post, but I'll try to keep this updated as a list for all the shows I mention.
The Good Place
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
19 year-old Attacked and Forced to Apologize for Being Gay
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-42226558
BBC News reported yesterday that two men were being sought in an attack on a Tube train traveling between West Ham and North Greenwich just outside of London on October 21. Witnesses report that the two men encountered a 19 year-old who was traveling in fancy dress to an event. The two men began harassing the 19 year-old calling him homophobic slurs which progressed to violence when one of the men began strangling the man until he apologized for being gay.
I was first made aware of this story at Towleroad. But the reason I linked to BBC was to prevent someone from saying that this story was "biased" based on the source of the news. However, the news report is very short and not much more is said about the story although I have read that the two attackers only resorted to physical violence after someone in the other group challenged them about their anti-gay slurs. This is being treated as a hate crime, and I agree with that. Every time I read about these kinds of things, I often play "devil's advocate" in order to determine if the story is being told in a biased way towards one group, which is why I mention that the other group did challenge the attackers which escalated the situation. Let me be clear, nothing gives someone the right to strangle or physically assault another person no matter what was said. However, the part that I'm most upset about is that they continued to attack the victim until he apologized for being gay. Umm, what?
The reason this bothers me is because the attackers demanded an apology from the victim for something that wasn't any of their business in the first place. A part of me says that if I were the victim in this situation, then they would just have to strangle me until I died because there's no way I'd apologize to these two assholes for something they had no right being "offended" by in the first place.
In my mind, I only apologize for things where I'm wrong, or I'll apologize if I've hurt someone or offended them with how I respond to something when it's not my intention. But what irks me about this is that these homophobes used force to make their victim apologize for being who he was. Why was that necessary? Is it so offensive to you that the very existence of a homosexual affects you violently? That's your problem not anyone else's. So, let me reiterate, this 19-year old gay man has nothing to apologize for. He was a victim, and I hope the authorities catch these guys and they get convicted of the hate crime they carried out. My thoughts go out to the victim, and if I could say something to him, I would tell him to hang in there. It is my belief that one day the bigotry and intolerance in this world will die out. I for one can't wait.
BBC News reported yesterday that two men were being sought in an attack on a Tube train traveling between West Ham and North Greenwich just outside of London on October 21. Witnesses report that the two men encountered a 19 year-old who was traveling in fancy dress to an event. The two men began harassing the 19 year-old calling him homophobic slurs which progressed to violence when one of the men began strangling the man until he apologized for being gay.
I was first made aware of this story at Towleroad. But the reason I linked to BBC was to prevent someone from saying that this story was "biased" based on the source of the news. However, the news report is very short and not much more is said about the story although I have read that the two attackers only resorted to physical violence after someone in the other group challenged them about their anti-gay slurs. This is being treated as a hate crime, and I agree with that. Every time I read about these kinds of things, I often play "devil's advocate" in order to determine if the story is being told in a biased way towards one group, which is why I mention that the other group did challenge the attackers which escalated the situation. Let me be clear, nothing gives someone the right to strangle or physically assault another person no matter what was said. However, the part that I'm most upset about is that they continued to attack the victim until he apologized for being gay. Umm, what?
The reason this bothers me is because the attackers demanded an apology from the victim for something that wasn't any of their business in the first place. A part of me says that if I were the victim in this situation, then they would just have to strangle me until I died because there's no way I'd apologize to these two assholes for something they had no right being "offended" by in the first place.
In my mind, I only apologize for things where I'm wrong, or I'll apologize if I've hurt someone or offended them with how I respond to something when it's not my intention. But what irks me about this is that these homophobes used force to make their victim apologize for being who he was. Why was that necessary? Is it so offensive to you that the very existence of a homosexual affects you violently? That's your problem not anyone else's. So, let me reiterate, this 19-year old gay man has nothing to apologize for. He was a victim, and I hope the authorities catch these guys and they get convicted of the hate crime they carried out. My thoughts go out to the victim, and if I could say something to him, I would tell him to hang in there. It is my belief that one day the bigotry and intolerance in this world will die out. I for one can't wait.
Apologizing for My Truth
As I embark on posting not only for my personal benefit but posting for others to see, I am suddenly aware of one thing. My story is not mine alone. Sometimes, what I post will affect others for many reasons. Whenever I post things from my childhood, my family is affected because I will mention things that they may not be aware of, or I may mention something that cast them in a negative light. When I post things about growing up, I may have things to say about classmates who may one day discover this and potentially figure out that I'm talking about them.
Because my stories will potentially be hurtful for others to hear, I want to start off from the part by saying, it is not my intention to say anything hurtful about anyone. I simply want to say what I feel is true or how it appears to me, and in order for me to be fully honest about things, there is the possibility that someone may stumble onto my site and say "Dang! He's talking about me!"
One thing that I can strive to do is give aliases when necessary in order to protect the other person. If I do, then hopefully I can avoid ruining someone's reputation if someone else recognizes the story.
Lastly, if someone were to read this and disagree with me in what I say, please understand that I'm telling MY truth. I will be telling events as I remember them. If you remember it differently and want to talk about it, I encourage you to contact me in private where we can discuss the differences in how we remember events.
Because my stories will potentially be hurtful for others to hear, I want to start off from the part by saying, it is not my intention to say anything hurtful about anyone. I simply want to say what I feel is true or how it appears to me, and in order for me to be fully honest about things, there is the possibility that someone may stumble onto my site and say "Dang! He's talking about me!"
One thing that I can strive to do is give aliases when necessary in order to protect the other person. If I do, then hopefully I can avoid ruining someone's reputation if someone else recognizes the story.
Lastly, if someone were to read this and disagree with me in what I say, please understand that I'm telling MY truth. I will be telling events as I remember them. If you remember it differently and want to talk about it, I encourage you to contact me in private where we can discuss the differences in how we remember events.
Introduction and Explanation
Hello,
I see you've discovered my blog. You're probably wondering what kind of a blog this is and whether or not it is worthy of your time. The answer to your first question is this is my blog for me to talk about things that are on my mind. I'm a very random person who often jumps from one topic to another, so at first, I expect that this blog might not seem very coherent or put together. That is one of the things I want to focus on. I want to use this opportunity to work on focusing my thoughts and attentions. To that extent, I am going to challenge myself to find a topic for a blog and stick to that topic.
The answer to the second question of whether my blog will be worth checking out is it depends. I strive to speak my mind and give my honest opinions based on who I am and my experiences. To that end, I will spend a little time telling you about myself in order to help you decide whether you want to continue reading. And since it might be easier for me to explain if I break down the many layers of what makes up me, I will give you a number list as way of introducing myself.
1. Background: I was born in Cairo, Georgia in the middle of Summer in 1970. My mother was an unwed teen. My father was not in the picture. When I was four or five, I moved in with my maternal grandmother and her second husband. They would be my guardians for the rest of my childhood. Life was not perfect, but I grew up knowing that I was loved.
2. I grew up in poverty, but we always had food on the table and a roof over our heads. I experienced times when my grandmother would have to be creative when money had run out, but some of my favorite meals were the ones that didn't cost much to make because they were made with my grandmother's love and creativity. I never had many luxeries, but I always had what I needed and most of what I wanted. We lived out in the country, but we weren't isolated like many might think when thinking of living in the country. I had plenty of land to move around in, but I also had neighbors that were within 500 feet of our front door.
3. I lived in a tiny town outside of Mobile, Alabama from age 5 to 12, and from 12 until 24 in a small community outside of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I lived for about 2 years in Monmouth Oregon, which is just outside of the capital, Salem. In 1996, moved to San Francisco where I have lived for the past 21 years.
4. At the age of 13, I discovered the wonderful world of Comic Books. I remember in fondness that my first comic was Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #2. I was immediately drawn into this world of fantasy where normal humans suddenly discovered that they had powers that set them apart but also gave them purpose as they protected their cities from the villains who would try to destroy them.
5. My all-time favorite superhero was Rogue from the moment I first saw her and remains my favorite to this day. I was drawn to her because she was a mutant with a curse in that she could not touch without skin-to-skin without absorbing powers and the life force of others which she had no control over. There was something about her vulnerability yet her willingness to press on that I could relate to. The fact she was also from the south had something to do with it too.
6. I came out to the world, myself and to close friends during my thirtieth year. I knew I was gay from an early age, but I had two issues to overcome first before I could be honest with myself. First, I live in the south, which was not very welcoming or accepting of gays. Second, I had become a Christian when I was sixteen, and I needed to come to terms with my sexuality when everything I had been taught told me that homosexuality was a sin.
7. Because we tend to become passionate about things that are personal, there are a few things that I'm quite passionate about. Comic books and comic-related things will probably always be a part of my life, and I WILL mention them from time to time. If you think comic books are for kids only, then you probably will not enjoy much about what I have to say. I'm also going to be passionate about promoting equality especially in overcoming the damage done by those who can't accept homosexuality or any type of alternate lifestyle. I am especially sensitive about how homosexuality is treated in the deep south, or the bible belt, if you will. As someone who suffered a lot of trauma around my sexuality, I want to be there to show the youth struggling with their sexuality and live in the south that they are not alone in their struggles. If I can provide hope and courage to just ONE person, then I feel my story will be worth it.
I tend to talk a lot, and this is something I am trying to fix. So, I will end this post. Please feel free to comment and ask any questions you may have. I am also considering the format of my posts. So, once I have that figured out, I will put up a schedule in case there are some people who only want to read about one subject and not others.
I see you've discovered my blog. You're probably wondering what kind of a blog this is and whether or not it is worthy of your time. The answer to your first question is this is my blog for me to talk about things that are on my mind. I'm a very random person who often jumps from one topic to another, so at first, I expect that this blog might not seem very coherent or put together. That is one of the things I want to focus on. I want to use this opportunity to work on focusing my thoughts and attentions. To that extent, I am going to challenge myself to find a topic for a blog and stick to that topic.
The answer to the second question of whether my blog will be worth checking out is it depends. I strive to speak my mind and give my honest opinions based on who I am and my experiences. To that end, I will spend a little time telling you about myself in order to help you decide whether you want to continue reading. And since it might be easier for me to explain if I break down the many layers of what makes up me, I will give you a number list as way of introducing myself.
1. Background: I was born in Cairo, Georgia in the middle of Summer in 1970. My mother was an unwed teen. My father was not in the picture. When I was four or five, I moved in with my maternal grandmother and her second husband. They would be my guardians for the rest of my childhood. Life was not perfect, but I grew up knowing that I was loved.
2. I grew up in poverty, but we always had food on the table and a roof over our heads. I experienced times when my grandmother would have to be creative when money had run out, but some of my favorite meals were the ones that didn't cost much to make because they were made with my grandmother's love and creativity. I never had many luxeries, but I always had what I needed and most of what I wanted. We lived out in the country, but we weren't isolated like many might think when thinking of living in the country. I had plenty of land to move around in, but I also had neighbors that were within 500 feet of our front door.
3. I lived in a tiny town outside of Mobile, Alabama from age 5 to 12, and from 12 until 24 in a small community outside of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I lived for about 2 years in Monmouth Oregon, which is just outside of the capital, Salem. In 1996, moved to San Francisco where I have lived for the past 21 years.
4. At the age of 13, I discovered the wonderful world of Comic Books. I remember in fondness that my first comic was Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #2. I was immediately drawn into this world of fantasy where normal humans suddenly discovered that they had powers that set them apart but also gave them purpose as they protected their cities from the villains who would try to destroy them.
5. My all-time favorite superhero was Rogue from the moment I first saw her and remains my favorite to this day. I was drawn to her because she was a mutant with a curse in that she could not touch without skin-to-skin without absorbing powers and the life force of others which she had no control over. There was something about her vulnerability yet her willingness to press on that I could relate to. The fact she was also from the south had something to do with it too.
6. I came out to the world, myself and to close friends during my thirtieth year. I knew I was gay from an early age, but I had two issues to overcome first before I could be honest with myself. First, I live in the south, which was not very welcoming or accepting of gays. Second, I had become a Christian when I was sixteen, and I needed to come to terms with my sexuality when everything I had been taught told me that homosexuality was a sin.
7. Because we tend to become passionate about things that are personal, there are a few things that I'm quite passionate about. Comic books and comic-related things will probably always be a part of my life, and I WILL mention them from time to time. If you think comic books are for kids only, then you probably will not enjoy much about what I have to say. I'm also going to be passionate about promoting equality especially in overcoming the damage done by those who can't accept homosexuality or any type of alternate lifestyle. I am especially sensitive about how homosexuality is treated in the deep south, or the bible belt, if you will. As someone who suffered a lot of trauma around my sexuality, I want to be there to show the youth struggling with their sexuality and live in the south that they are not alone in their struggles. If I can provide hope and courage to just ONE person, then I feel my story will be worth it.
I tend to talk a lot, and this is something I am trying to fix. So, I will end this post. Please feel free to comment and ask any questions you may have. I am also considering the format of my posts. So, once I have that figured out, I will put up a schedule in case there are some people who only want to read about one subject and not others.
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