Vinnie Vincent appearance

Like I mentioned I was at the Atlanta Kiss expo recently, weekend before last. Though chaotic and disorganized, it was nice to spend that much time around other fans of the band Kiss. One of the draws of this expo was the appearance of former Kiss guitarist, Vinnie Vincent. It was his first appearance in over twenty years, and in the past he had a history of being unreliable. Needless to say, when he showed up all of us were very excited. It was extremely popular too-I'm guessing well over 2500 people were there. The hotel we were staying at (a nice looking but somewhat dated Marriott in Buckhead) was flooded with Kiss fans. I stayed at a Doubletree in Dunwoody, for the record.

I'm going to post a picture of Vinnie that I did not take:

Yes, he does look a little feminine. Yes, insecure people online are making stupid jokes about him being transgender. 

If he is transitioning to female, so what? It's his life, not yours. I can assure you that most Kiss fans were there did not care. We want to see Vinnie as a changed person of course-his behavior in the past was sometimes problematic, but no one there cared about his gender. At all. If it was a surprise to the people there, it wasn't gossiped about. Perhaps in private they talked about, but I didn't hear anyone making jokes or comments. 

Kiss fans are often viewed as the bastard child of music fans, and there is some truth to that. Some Kiss fans only talk about Kiss-but the majority of us are normal fans who have broad tastes in music and don't care about the sexuality or gender of any of the band members. 

"Celebrity" Big Brother

First off yes, I admit that I've never heard of many of these celebrities. That doesn't make them D-listers but I think it's safe to say that they are hardly on the A list of Hollywood. If they were, they'd be too busy with their jobs to play Big Brother. I also freely admit that I like and admire some people that you've probably never heard of either, so a lot of who we think is a celebrity does depend on our own personal interests.

But I don't like the concept of this. I love Big Brother, I'm a big fan of the show. In fact, I was watching a previous season on the recent road trip up north I took this past weekend. I like how they choose strangers of all backgrounds and walks of life to participate in the show-not famous people. No other show does this on television with the exception of Survivor. Where else can you see a southerner who works at at tire store be forced to associate with an attorney from the midwest or a lunch lady from Boston?

Reality shows are cheesy, they are fake and manufactured-but that doesn't mean they aren't interesting. I have a sinking feeling that Celebrity Big Brother won't be my cup of tea though.

The XFL is back!

I was right. The XFL is making a comeback.

This is all going to end badly. Like I mentioned before in the previous blog it already failed once before and, it's a much different world than it was back in 2001. In 2001 there were not as many options for your entertainment as there are now. Now, you can watch basically whatever you want on demand at any time. The XFL has to compete with that, and it'll fail miserably.

Some on the right are saying that the "XFL will bring patriotism back to football!" or "They won't let players play with criminal records!" That's nonsense. If a college player has a DUI and he's good enough, will he forgo the millions offered in the NFL and play in the junior football league XFL?

The bottom line is that the quality of players in the XFL will never be as good as in the NFL because of money. Money rules the world (and to some degree, it should) and because of this-players will go where the money is. McMahon is a genius businessman with some good ideas on how to run a wrestling company. He has no idea whatsoever on how to run a football league.

Scripture Sunday 1 Nephi 18:23

LDS seem to have a special attachment to the United States of America, and this passage is why. I'm not an expert on the Book of Mormon, but I believe that the passage "the promised land" is mentioned several times and I believe they are talking about America. Granted, recent scholarship leads some people to believe that the passengers in the original journey to the promised land did not land in modern day America-and I'm not making a claim as to where Nephi and his family landed. However, the "promised land" that this scripture talks about has long been thought of to be America, and most LDS consider America sacred.

A note-I'm writing this blog on I-84 in Connecticut right outside of Hartford. It's amazing to me that technology has advanced so much in the last twenty years and made things like this possible. 

Maura Murray disappearance

At last count, there are 12,566,883 blogs/Reddit posts/web pages and theories about what happened to this poor girl. I come from NH, and I vaguely remember the initial news reports about her disappearance. I was busy with my own life so I didn't really pay much attention to it. I have a moderate interest in the case just because it happened in the state I grew up in. I'm no expert though and no, I'm not trying to play armchair detective.

I watched the series that recently aired called, The Disappearance of Maura Murray-I think it was on the WE channel or maybe ID Discovery. My heart breaks for the poor girl and her family and I think that "web sleuths" are often times way off. They'll accuse anyone of anything and it's become so ridiculous that now people with too much time on their hands play Sherlock Holmes and accuse people without any basis in fact. Ockham's Razor says that the simplest answer is almost certainly the correct one, and internet detectives need to remember this.  

Album of the weekend

Annihilator- For the Demented

One of the "Big Four" of the Canadian thrash bands, Annihilator is a band that never got enough credit and attention under the border in the states. Like every other thrash band, they'll be compared to the masters of thrash Megadeth and Metallica and quite frankly, Annihilator is right up there. One thing I noticed about this band is the turnover. They've had 3,000 different members. People going in and out of the band like that never helps it's stability.

This album has an old school feeling that I really like. Thrash has always gone through stages and it's creators are getting up there in years, but "For the Demented" has an energy and passion that you don't see very often from aging bands. In a different era, Annihilator would be as popular as Metallica and Anthrax. In 2017, the best they'll get is some airplay on the XM radio station "Octane". Still though, this album-the entire one-is certainly worth a download.

Traveling up north yet again

So, another trip up north is coming up and tragically, it'll be for another funeral. It's hard to enjoy yourself on the road when the destination is so depressing but I do enjoy the drive. If I don't post for a few days, it's because I'm on the road.

God bless and stay strong everyone....

Tide pod eating challenge

Okay, I've done some stupid things as a kid, teenager, young adult and adult. One thing I've never done though is eat things that are clearly not edible and often very dangerous. If your teenager has the desire to eat laundry detergent you, the school system and your child should all hang your heads in shame. I can't believe that eating laundry detergent is actually a trend going on right now. I really can't.

Some states are thinking of banning Tide Pods. This shows how useless government is. Banning Tide Pods will do nothing but effect the people who work at the company that owns Tide. Simply put-it's not their fault that your kid is so stupid that he decides to eat Tide Pods.

One of the benefits of idiots eating Tide Pods is that we've seen some great memes going around about it. To paraphrase a famous comedian-kids, don't do drugs. But if you do, wash them down with Tide Pods. 

Fake support dogs

Yes, this one is a major issue for me. Bad pit bull owners make all of us and the breed look bad, so I'm more angry at them than I am at some idiot who doesn't own a dog who babbles about how bad pit bulls are. When you have an "emotional support dog" that hasn't been properly trained it makes all dog owners look bad. Worse, it makes people who have legit medical concerns and seriously need an emotional support dog look like frauds.

The people with real diseases try to have as little special treatment as possible. They want to be treated like normal. The people with made up diseases (like your aunt who bitches about her vague fatigue disorder when in reality she just wants attention) want special treatment. The lady with PTSD from three tours in Iraq deserves a properly trained support dog and frankly, I have no problem with the government paying for it for her. It's people like her who suffer the most from liars and frauds who just want to bring their dog along with them wherever they go.

I'm a big dog guy. In my 16 years after college I've always owned a dog. I can't imagine my life without one. People who mistreat dogs make me sick-but that doesn't mean I'm naive and don't see that there are people abusing the system. 

The flu shot and libertarianism

For some reason, vaccines bring out the worst in everyone. Regular readers (both of them) know my views on vaccines-let's just say I'm pro science, anti "natural cures" and leave it at that. However, I fully support your right to not vaccinate yourself or your kids as long as you accept the risk.

Libertarianism is for grown ups. If you want to be consistent you have to come to conclusions you don't personally like. Conservatives and liberals are happy people because they often twist their views to suit whatever issue comes along. Liberals claim to love "choice" but if a baker chooses to deny services to someone, they are bigoted. Conservatives claim to dislike big government, but when government tells someone who to marry-they strongly support it.

I got the flu shot, but it was later in the season. Better late then never. I accept the risk of getting sick after it (even though that risk is very small), and I'll pay for the consequences if I do. The flu shot should not be mandatory, neither should vaccines. If you want to rely on natural cures and ignore vaccine science, you will pay for the consequences when your luck runs out. Just be sure to tell your child not squirm in their iron lung. 

And just for fun, this is the best page I've read so far that debunks flu shot myths.

Scripture Sunday Moroni 7:42

Do LDS seem happier than other people? It could be because we have hope, and it could be because we have faith. This passage states that the two (faith and hope) rely on one another. Faith is difficult for all of us if it's honest. Some people claim that faith comes easy to them, and I hope it does- but I often wonder if they fully grasp the entire meaning of the word. "Faith" by definition means not having certainty, and it's not just a choice someone can make. It comes very difficult to many of us. 

So does hope. Hope is also a choice to some degree, and in a world that can be extremely depressing sometimes hope is seen as simplistic. I've seen people who claim to have "faith" dismiss those of us with "hope", thinking it's childish or naive. That doesn't make sense to me, and I wonder how deep the faith is for those people, or if they fully understand how the two are connected. 

Atlanta Kiss Expo!

So I'm off to the Atlanta Kiss Expo-wish me luck, I'm going to use Uber for the first time in my life to save on parking costs at the Marriott. Vinnie Vincent showed up Friday night (reports were that he was an hour and half late!) and I'm optimistic he'll show up again. Wish me luck everyone, I hear that the crowds are brutal. 

Album of the Weekend

Nirvana-Insecticide

A mixture of previously unreleased and mixed songs, Insecticide is another classic from one of the greatest bands of all time. From cover songs (Molly's Lips) to remixes (Polly, new wave) to brand new material (Aneurysm) this album has a little bit for everyone. It's a typical Nirvana album with it's moodiness, darker style and general apathetic feelings about modern life at the time. It's not for everyone, but for Nirvana fans it's a welcome classic.

I'm not a fan of Aneurysm-in fact, it's one of the few songs by them I don't like. The screams of Kurt Cobain seem very manufactured in the song-instead of coming from within and uncontrollable you can almost hear the producers saying "And give me a fake scream now....". So one of their most popular songs to me is one of the worst ones in their entire career. Other than that one song though-the album is typical Nirvana. Almost flawless.

Poverty is sexist sweater for 300$

An actress I've never heard of was wearing a "Poverty is sexist" sweater that apparently cost 350$. If you can't see the irony in that, than you are certainly part of the problem. Do I need to explain to anyone the lunacy of wearing a sweater complaining about poverty that goes for 300$? Why to me, it sounds like champagne socialists fighting the revolution from their Mercedes and 45 million dollar mansions in Malibu and the Hamptons.

It's the Rage Against the Machine syndrome. In order to appear hip and cool in certain circles, you need to be so left wing that even Mother Jones readers would tell you to get a grip. It takes a special kind of self delusion to think you are a fellow traveler even though you make more money in three years than the average guy or girl will in 30.

Jeff Sessions vs Marijuana

It's often asked if an LDS person can do this or that-drink energy drinks, hot chocolate, or smoke pot. Let there be no confusion: An active LDS can do whatever they want to. It's if they should that is the question. The church teaches that smoking pot (or smoking anything) is a bad idea. The church also teaches that drinking alcohol and coffee are bad ideas, and they have every right to bar you from their more advanced ceremonies if you choose to partake in those activities. No one from the church will be knocking on your door and going though your cabinets though. 

Jeff Sessions seems to have a crusade against pot use. States rights are a big thing for  conservatives and I agree totally. However states rights are also important even if the federal government disagrees with them. Several states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and the federal government needs to understand and accept that the values of California are different from those in Alabama. That goes for both marijuana use and gay marriage.  

Trump and his potty mouth

This is going to surprise you, maybe even shock your faith in politicians and humanity. All politicians, inducing ones you like and admire, use naughty language. Yes, all of them. In fact the ones who present the most squeaky clean image usually have the most demons in their private life. Do they talk that way about countries with serious problems? Oh yes. You are of course, free to believe whatever you'd like but I can guarantee you that Obama, W Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter (notice a pattern?) have said the exact same thing before.

Everyone is getting a political point by expressing their shock and outrage over Trumps foul language , and I'm sure that no one critiquing Trump has ever used a potty mouth themselves-and of course never to describe a driver who cut them off or an ex-boyfriend who broke up with them. As the cool kids say whenever someone is trying to hold to a higher ground or a higher moral standard, "Let he who is without sin throw the first stone." Well, let he or she who has never used a four letter word to describe a country or person they don't like throw the first stone.

Presidents are people too.

Chocolate going extinct?

It's been going around the internet faster than you can say, "fake news!" Have you seen this posted online? I have. Many, many people are now jumping up and down claiming that the end is near for chocolate because of climate change. While it's true, climate change might have a serious effect on various plants in upcoming generations, no, chocolate is not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. In fact, it's annoying clickbait an my grave fear is that'll become "common knowledge" in the next few months.

The "chocolate going extinct" craze makes people feel scared. The average person only cares about the environment when it effects them, and this effects them. The hardcore environmentalists will promote this like crazy because it fits in with their agenda. They did so with the "honeybees going extinct" scare a few years ago that has been pretty much debunked as well, but once a public scare is out there it's very hard for rational and skeptical thought to regain the upper hand.

Scripture Sunday 1 Nephi 4:6

LDS often talk about being "led by the spirt" and it's a statement that is virtually impossible to describe to non believers. "Feeling the spirit" is much more intense than just "happy smiley feelings" and yet it is my fear that many believers take the phrase simply that way. If something feels good, it must be the spirit speaking to us. It's not that simple to me.

If we don't know what to do when faced with a problem or a big life decision we should follow the Spirit-but we should also follow logic and common sense. Relying strictly on what you think is the spirit will probably lead to some difficult situations in life. Just to be clear the spirit is a wonderful thing and we should absolutely try our best to determine where it is going to lead us-but life requires us to stop and think as well sometimes.

Oprah for president

I saw this on a meme (it's not my own words, but it sums it up perfectly): Oprah in 2020 because it'll be interesting to see republicans slam a populist with no political experience and democrats embrace a billionaire and certainly a member of the 1%. Of course if you run for president, you have to be a member of the elite but everything else about the meme is accurate. If Oprah decides to run she'll probably win in a landslide-but then again, I thought Trump would lose in a rout so lately my political predictions haven't been deadly accurate.

People are tied of politicians, and I can't blame them. Soon enough actors and celebrities will take over the political process. This will happen on both sides. Perhaps the election of 2016 was a harbinger of what is to come in the future.

Album of the Weekend

Lita Ford-Dangerous Curves

My respect for her as an artist is huge. In the testosterone filled world of 80's hair metal, she stood out there as the dominant female artist. Hopefully, she gained the respect of everyone not because she was a female, but because she was outstanding. Her guitar work was great, her songs were great, her refusal to be dismissed as just a "female performer" in a male dominated industry was great-in other words, she deserves her title as legendary.

This is my favorite album of hers, because I love the songs "Shot of Poison" and "Playin' with Fire". Both are certainly hair band anthems and are correctly viewed as one of the final great hair band songs before grunge took over. This entire album is like that really. It was 1991 and music was about to change. So the final hair band albums from the very early 90's are like your favorite boxer winning one last fight before he starts to be realize his career his basically over. Not saying that about Lita Ford-she would go on to several other albums-but her hair band era was completed with this album.

It's worth a total download, but the two songs I mentioned are clearly the best.

Say it ain't so Stan...

Stan Lee has been accused of sexual harassment and misconduct. Say it ain't so Stan. Say it ain't so. Stan Lee will always be one of my idols, flaws and all. While I accept that he surely isn't perfect, I'm hoping and praying that these accusations are false. Original sin affects all humans and while that isn't an excuse for disgusting behavior it is important to remember. I think the "me too" movement has done more good than harm but my grave fear is that it'll turn into a witch hunt.

Stan Lee, like everyone else is innocent till proven guilty . Matt Lauer is no longer innocent until proven guilty because he admitted that he has acted horrifically. Stan Lee is from a different generation but to me, that doesn't justify this kind of behavior. His behavior, if it's true, crosses many lines. It's sad that towards the end of his life he has to deal with this scandal.

My final thoughts on the New York Times and Thomas Monson

I don't think the bias against Thomas Monson was an anti-LDS thing. It was more an "Anti-Christan" thing. When Billy Graham passes away or when Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI dies, I'm virtually assuring you they'll talk about Grahams aversion to gay marriage or the Catholic priest scandal that Benedict didn't deal with. Oddly, when an Islamic scholar passes away there will be nothing but praise for him-poltical correctness trumps everything in elite circles, and any critique of Islam is forbidden.

That doesn't mean that I expected a glowing obituary for President Monson from the New York Times. Respect doesn't mean "worship" and no man, not even Thomas Monson deserves to be worshipped. I'm one hundred percent confident that Thomas Monson himself would agree with that. In fact, he probably just wants the entire thing to go away and for us to move on.

So I will move on. I'll let Thomas Monson rest in peace, and all of us should as well.

New York Times vs the LDS community

There is a petition going around calling for the New York Times to change the obituary for Thomas Monson.  It's apparently gotten a lot signatures, but I don't think it'll do much. For the record I do read the Times but only on Sunday-I missed the obituary. It appears that the obituary talks about gay marriage, female ordination and nothing about the life of Thomas Monson and the good works that he did. Nothing about the compassion he brought to the church or how he lead the church through the early millennium.

I don't expect the New York Times to get on their knees and worship the prophet, and unfortunately this petition will do absolutely nothing. Was it in bad taste? Of course it was. But this is how the writers of the New York Times think. They view religious people with general disinterest and many times, outright disdain.They are baffled as to how anyone could be religious, much less a religion that has views on sexuality and gender that no one (and I'm being literal here. No one) at the New York Times agrees with.

So was it tacky and rude? Of course it was. I can promise you with iron clad certainty though that if President Monson declared that gay marriage was acceptable (something I agree with) or approved female ordination (something I agree with too) his obituary would have been written completely differently.

Raw water?

File this under the "are you kidding me?" section.  Look, it's a free country and if you want to snort cocaine, eat tree bark or drink raw water knock yourself out. So I am not saying that you don't have the right to do that, you certainly do.

But just because something is "natural" or "raw" doesn't mean it's a good idea. In fact, it often means it's a terrible idea. In theory, getting attacked by a bear is natural but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. The Ebola virus is also natural, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea either. Like it or not, modern science and technology are your friends and how they purify water and food is nothing short of a miracle.We live in a very spoiled world right now. People rant about vaccines and worship organic food but in realty, our ancestors from 100 years ago to 1,000 years ago would have absolutely loved the technology and science we have. It's easy to preach about natural cures when you aren't dying at age 2 of diphtheria or the diseases carried by "raw water".

Drink up. 

Scripture Sunday Alma 7:27

Sometimes passages just speak to you without being particularly deep, long or insightful. For many people the simplest prayer is often the most significant in their lives. I can empathize with this way of thinking-usually during a long, flowery prayer my mind will wander and eventually I'll stop listening. In my view the brevity is a lost art form and those who spend ten minutes giving a simple blessing over food are often missing the point completely or worse, they are trying to show everyone how holy and spiritual they think they are.

This passage is short, sweet, and very beautiful. It's a simple blessing upon virtually everything you own, and your family as well. Sure, it has a caveat-that blessings will be according to your faith and good works, but if you have faith and good works-then you having nothing to worry about. I truly love this passage.

Mike and Karen Pence

I like Mike Pence. In fact, I like him much much more than I like Donald Trump. He gets a bad rap in pop culture and the media because he dares to be openly conservative and religion and frankly, that makes me like him even more. It takes guts to be religious and conservative because the culture and media are so hostile to that way of thinking. In other words, the dude is a grade A punk.

It came out in the news several months ago that Pence doesn't like to dine with other women unless his wife is there. First off, that's a smart thing to do. Even if you are virtuous and have noble intentions, the women you are dining with might not be the same and might claim that you made sexual or lewd comments or worse, tried to hook up with her. So kudos to Pence for having common sense. Let that be a lesson to you men out there: cover your ass first. Don't behave like an pig, but always have someone else there as a witness in case someone accuses you of misbehavior.

In the culture we live in, the Pence rule seems incredibly wise. 

Album of the weekend

Pantera-Cowboys from Hell

Like I've mentioned before I'm not the biggest Pantera fan. I can't name all their albums, and I only know their biggest hits. I'm sure I've heard the majority of their songs at friends houses or throughout my life listening to heavy metal but I can't rattle them off or talk about how influential their music has been on me. I'm in the minority and I freely admit that they are without question one of the most popular metal bands from the 90's and their sound (in particular the guitar playing of Dimebag Darrell) has touched a huge amount of heavy metal bands. This album, unlike "Vulgar Display of Power" (Which I think is quite good) is not one of my favorites.

I like the title track off the album and that's pretty much it. Cowboys from Hell has an intense paranormal feel to it, and the rest of the album has that feel but without the same power and intensity. "Cemetery Gates" is just as well known and in fact, I think it's most well known song aside from "Walk" but I think it lacks the overall feeling and consistency of both the above mentioned songs. I don't particularly like the manic depression "slow to fast" style of "Cemetery Gates". I wish it was all faster and more consistent, and that's my feeling about the entire album. 

Thomas Monson part II

As I posted yesterday and as I'm sure you are aware of, Thomas Monson, the president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has passed away. It's a tragic thing for the church, his family and friends and for all of us-but it's also a time of hope and celebration.

We should celebrate his life. The man did so much for the church-he was a bishop under age thirty and before forty he was an apostle. His decades and decades of service to the church will not be forgotten by any of us-and it will be very, very hard for anyone else to match his dedication and attitude. He was also a World War II veteran. That alone means he's a high level of badass. There aren't many World War II veterans left and we should honor and respect both those who died and those who are still alive.

Thomas Monson, dead at 90

Thomas Monson, prophet and president of the LDS church, has passed away at 90 years old. We knew he had been in declining health for awhile. May he rest in peace. 

The politically incorrect Prince Phillip

Prince Phillip is the 96 year old consort of Queen Elizabeth. He's known for many things, but he has a staunchly politically incorrect sense of humor and it's gotten him in trouble once again. He made another un-pc comment and the easily offended have (not surprisingly) jumped down his throat.

The dude is 96 years old. Give him a break. We live in a society that loves, absolutely loves to pounce on anyone who says anything that we are "offended" by. I am convinced that people like being offended because it shows others how wonderful moral they think they are. They pat themselves on the back and say "Look at me, I'm offended! I'm outstanding and deserve praise for standing up for my morals!" The right does this when they get they shorts in an uproar over Disney showing a gay character. The left goes this when they go into cardiac arrest if someone who is 96 (!) makes a politically incorrect comment. 

Prince Phillip is from a different era. He grew up in a time period where certain words and phrases are more morally acceptable than they would be today. No, that doesn't mean he's a racist and no, you aren't Ghandi for calling him out on the terminology he uses. It might be rude or uncouth by todays standards but people seriously need to give the guy a break. 

Happy New Year everyone!

New Year's Day has always been among my favorite holidays. In this country you can always start over again. January 1st provides me, and hopefully all of us a refreshing bolt of energy to our lives. If it doesn't feel that way to you but you want a fresh start today is the perfect day to start trying. 

Happy New Year everyone!