This Week's New Yorker Caption Entry.

     The real reason I started this blog is because I started submitting entries to the New Yorker's comic Caption Contest. I wanted somewhere to show the world my entries. So far I haven't even been a finalist. Here's my entry for this week's contest.

Update: I didn't make it into the finalists with this one even though I felt this was my best one yet. (and better than the ones that did) But there was one that was pretty good. It went "Roger, everything reminds you of sex."

My Take On The (so called) Fiscal Cliff

     On Jan. 1st my taxes are going to go through the roof, and no, I don't make anywhere near $250,000.00 a year. So what is my offense that my taxes would raise so dramatically? I'm Self-Employed.
     Yeah, I'm one of those guys that has escaped the slavery of funneling 80% of what I make up to a boss whose only real job is to count his money. At the same time I've never felt comfortable with being that boss. I'm rather proud of the fact that I don't live off of the labors of others. In tax terms I am what is called a Sole Proprietor. My business license number is my social security number. In other words, there is just me. I do every aspect of my business from start to finish. And I like it that way.
     But come tax time I get walloped!  The reason is called Payroll Taxes. Those that are self-employed have Payroll Taxes that are exactly twice as high as everybody else.  Under normal circumstances the employer pays half and the employee pays half. But since I am both employer and employee I get to pay both sides!
     Okay, so that makes a little bit of sense, and it's better than having a boss or employees, but nevertheless it is painful. However these last couple of years there has been what's called the Payroll Tax Holiday, and it's made a real difference for me. The problem is that it's set to expire in a couple of days and it looks like it will.

     With all this Fiscal Cliff bickering about whether Monte Burns types will be able to afford more ivory back-scratchers, this tax hike on American workers has been largely ignored in the news. Here is a Slate article on the subject, and another one from CNN Money.  And don't think it won't hit you too. Maybe not as hard as it hits me, but if you have a job you might want to prepare for smaller paychecks starting next week. Fun, huh?

     So we all know the U.S. Debt is out of control, and it needs to be fixed.  That's what all this is about, right? That's why they set up the Fiscal Cliff to begin with. It really just makes me laugh the way everyone but everyone seems to agree that the Fiscal Cliff is such a disastrous thing. Look at the name we've given it. We're like a bunch of children throwing a national tantrum because we don't want to take the medicine that will make us healthy again. Something needs to be done about this National Debt, and there are really only two ways of dealing with it. We either raise more revenue (with taxes) or we cut spending. ( or really a bit of both.) One way or another, it's not going to be fun. I don't want to pay more in taxes. I'm barely making it as is. But I'm certainly not one of those heartless *ssholes who wants to cut the pittance we spend on the very poor in food stamps and the like. I've been on Food Stamps myself, and I can tell you first hand that you've got to be in pretty lousy shape to qualify, and even then it's not much.

     Last year when the GOP held the country hostage over the debt ceiling and our responsibilities in paying our obligations which resulted in jittery markets, prolonged recession, and getting the US credit rating dropped... you remember that fiasco don't you?  Well in the end Democrats and Republicans finally did come up with a compromise. It was called the Budget Control Act of 2011 and implemented something called Sequestration that cut $1.2 trillion in spending over ten years.  It was a hefty cut no doubt, but when you consider that our debt is at 16 trillion it seems a little more reasonable. Half would come from Domestic spending (like Food Stamps) and half would come from defense spending. The following chart shows how much we already spend on the military.

     So as an aside-- This last year I began studying to become a Sound Engineer at the local Community College. (SLCC) This has been a dream of mine for some time now, and the only way I have been able to afford it is because of a Federal program called Vocational Rehabilitation. It was determined that I had a disability (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) which affects my ability to continue my current work. (buffing scratches out of cars) Now I don't know if this funding of my schooling is on the chopping block or not, but I wouldn't doubt it.
     As a left-leaning democrat I winced at the idea of such deep cuts in domestic spending anyway, but I would be especially upset if I weren't allowed to continue with my Sound Engineering studies. However the prospect of slowing our national killing machine is too good to pass. When this Sequestration was passed  I decided then and there that that the trade-off was well worth it. Despite being rather alone in this position I have been a strong proponent of allowing Sequestration to stand ever since.

     So as I've watched these Fiscal Cliff negotiations I've been pretty disappointed. I make about $30K a year so my income tax probably won't go up. (I think they'll come to some sort of a deal on that.) But my Payroll Taxes are going to skyrocket. It hardly matters how they take the money, they're still going to take it. In addition, the most Obama's even proposing in cuts to the military is $100 billion over 10 years. So it looks very likely that come Jan. 1st I'm going to have to come up with a lot more money for our bloated military and their war machines. As you can imagine, I'm not very happy about it.

My Christmas Tradition

     I have had a Christmas tradition for something like 20 years now of watching Fantasia on Christmas Eve. (Which has always meant more to me than the actual Christmas Day.)

     As far as I'm concerned this is a masterpiece. It's too special to watch more than once a year, but also too special to watch less than once a year. I love it because you can sort of just put it on and go about your merry-making. No matter when you look at the screen there's bound to be something amazing on. Below are some clips for those of you who don't really want to watch the whole thing right now, but I do recommend it as a Christmas tradition. It certainly has added something special to my holidays.

     I also really love Fantasia 2000, and as far as I'm concerned the purist are just prudes missing out on the fun.

  

 

Wiretap does A Christmas Carol

     I've always loved A Christmas Carol. If you look over to the right of this blog you'll see links, and the one not to miss right now is Wiretap's take on the Dickens classic.

     I highly recommend you spend a half hour giggling at this one. I did. (And if you don't get some of the inside jokes, then you must not be a a regular fan of the program and you ought to be. That RSS link to Wiretap is always there on the right side of this blog.)

'Broadway Danny Rose' Expires Soon On Netflix

     Okay, so my favorite writer, director, actor, whatever...filmmaker, bar none, is Woody Allen.
     Now I'm sure I'm not the only person that feels this way, so that's not really saying a lot, but let me say it anyway because there really is no one at his level, and he really is my very favorite.  So there I said it. And having said it, I should say that it's been quite a while since I've seen 'Broadway Danny Rose.' But I just watched it again, and I think I enjoyed it more this time than ever before.

It occurred to me that this is coming from one of his best periods, (1984) and it clearly has that special Woody Allen feel to it. The jokes are funny, the characters are fun to watch, and it simply looks fantastic. I love that it's in black & white.  Here's Roger Ebert's Review. And here's the trailer.

     If you've got Netflix it expires at the end of the month, so see it soon.

     The other film I watched tonight. (Did a double-feature) was 'Superfly.'

New York in the early 70's. Blaxploitation. Not that great by way of acting or writing but an enjoyable ride nonetheless.  Of course the Curtis Mayfield soundtrack made all the difference.

My Struggles With Eye Floaters

     I know this is going to sound like I'm whining, and maybe I am. With all the difficulties people struggle with out there in the world this might seem like nothing, but I've got to say... These eye-floaters are driving me crazy!! My left eye has been pretty bad for a couple of years now, but just recently (and quite suddenly) my right eye has developed a big glob of a floater right there dead center and it's making me crazy! It's like someone stuck their finger in a big tub of butter and smeared it across my glasses. In fact I have been irrationally cleaning my glasses obsessively, but of course it doesn't do a thing. Here's an image to sort of demonstrate what I'm dealing with.

It sucks. It's especially bad because my work really requires good eyesight. The truth is I shouldn't really be driving. It's bad enough to be considered impairment. And the worst of it is that there's nothing I can do about it. Not really. I've been doing a lot of research on the web and the standard surgery sounds like something I want nothing to do with. I guess they can drain the fluid out of your eyeballs, (hoping the floaters drain with it)  and replace it with some kind of synthetic substance. That sounds nuts! And they say there's only about 50% chance of success. No, I'm not going to do that.
     There's this doctor, John Karickhoff, that has a treatment using lasers to vaporize 'em, but he's in Virginia and wants a couple grand an eye for the 20 minute procedure.  Here's a video from his website.

     Hell, I'd pay it if i had it, but I don't have that kind of money. Also I'm uninsured. I suppose in about a year (Thanks to Obamacare) I'll be able to get insurance, but I'm skeptical that they'll pay much towards this. There's a whole bunch of people out there whose attitude towards eye floaters is to "just get used to them."  I'm telling ya, there's no getting used to this.

     In my research I came across something that said eye-floaters are shown to exacerbate depression, and I can say first-hand that this has been the case with me. I noticed it particularly when my right eye got so bad these last few weeks. Around this same time my depression has really been overwhelming me. I just want to lay in bed with my eyes closed all the time. I can't wait a year for insurance that may or may not help pay for a treatment on the other side of the country, and hope I don't get in a wreck on the freeway in the meantime. And yet that's exactly what I'm going to have to do. I probably won't be able to afford it even then.

     I'll welcome any comments or suggestions  but if you just say, "Get used to it."...!

Watched 'Icons Among Us' Tonight

I just watched Icons Among Us tonight and I need to spill a little. Starting with "Wow!" What incredible music! But the emotions I'm feeling aren't merely euphoric. I get this a lot when listening to Jazz. There's a despair in the longing. I always feel like an outsider looking in; reminded of how little I know about the form. Here I am at this late date trying to educate myself. I wish I had learned an instrument when younger. These jazz musicians seem sort of super-human to me. What a privilege it must be to be creating such sounds. In this regard, I really missed out in this life. It's on Netflix. Check it out.  Here's a preview.

Preparing for Sundance

I have attended the Sundance Film Festival for something like 20 years now, and have barely missed a year.  There was a few years that I volunteered in exchange for a full pass and in those years I would see 20 to 25 films in that 10 day period, and come out at the end of it blinking at the sunlight and transformed by the experience.

But those days are long gone, and now I can usually only afford to see a few. I spent much of today reading through the online catalog as is my annual tradition this time of year, and I've identified the four films I intend to see. They are as follows...

Dirty Wars

2012, 90 minutes, color, U.S.A., U.S. Documentary

It’s the dirty little secret of the War on Terror: all bets are off, and almost anything goes. We have fundamentally changed the rules of the game and the rules of engagement. Prior to 9/11, it was customary for America to sound a formal declaration of war on a given country before attacking. Today drone strikes, night raids, and U.S. government–condoned torture occur in hidden corners across the globe, generating unprecedented civilian casualties. Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill traces the rise of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the most secret and elite fighting force in U.S. history, exposing covert operations carried out by men who do not exist on paper and will never appear before Congress. No target is off-limits for the JSOC “kill list,” even if the person is a U.S. citizen.

Director Richard Rowley takes us on a chilling ride with fearless whistle-blower Scahill. Dirty Wars is a battle cry for the soul and conscience of an America few of us know exists. - D.C.

The East

2012, 116 minutes, color, U.S.A, Premieres

Someone is attacking big corporate CEOs and forcing them to consume harmful products they manufacture. An elite private intelligence firm is called into action and contracts ex-FBI agent Sarah Moss to infiltrate a mysterious anarchist collective, The East, suspected to be responsible. Skilled, focused, and bent on success, Sarah goes undercover and dedicates herself to taking down the organization. She soon finds, however, that the closer she gets to the action, the more she sympathizes with the group’s charismatic leaders.

After the warm reception he received for 2011’s Sound of My Voice, director Zal Batmanglij returns to the Sundance Film Festival with this stunning sophomore effort, which marks his second collaboration with the irresistibly alluring, multitalented Brit Marling. Featuring a fantastic supporting cast, including Patricia Clarkson, Ellen Page, and Alexander Skarsgård, The East is a taut and timely thriller that resonates deeply with the complexity of today’s explosive socioeconomic landscape. - S.F.

Big Sur

2012, 100 minutes, color, U.S.A., Premieres

Big Sur focuses on a moment in Jack Kerouac’s life when, overwhelmed by the success of his opus On the Road and struggling with alcoholism, he retreats to his publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s cabin in the small, coastal California town of Big Sur, which eventually inspires his 1962 novel of the same name. Kerouac’s time begins with quiet moments of solitude and communing with nature. But, struck by loneliness, he hightails it to San Francisco, where he resumes drinking heavily and gets pushed into a relationship with his best friend Neal Cassady’s mistress, Billie.

While writer/director Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho) explores a less glamorous moment in Kerouac’s legacy—one of alienation and mental breakdown—Big Sur equally examines the beauty of this time in the writer’s life, witnessed in the romance of friendship and the purity of nature. Jean-Marc Barr embodies Kerouac’s intelligence and masculinity, but also portrays him at his most contemplative and vulnerable. Luscious and breathtaking, Big Sur approaches a religious cinematic experience. - K.Y.

Virtually Heroes

2012, 84 minutes, color, U.S.A., Midnight

A sarcastic, self-aware character in a video game, Sgt. Books, becomes frustrated by the screwy logic of his universe: the pointless battles, superpowerful bosses, and an endless supply of virtual Vietcong. He can’t get the girl who appears at the end of each level, and he can’t get through to his gung-ho partner. To find answers to the questions posed by his odd existence, Books abandons his mission and seeks help from a straight-talking monk, delightfully played by another onscreen hero who also once received words of wisdom from a man in a robe.

The first Roger Corman production to screen at the Sundance Film Festival, Virtually Heroes is a war picture, a satire of video-game culture, a buddy comedy, and an existential mind trip wrapped up into one outrageous film that works on many surprising levels. Injecting the low-budget/high-concept film with a full dose of razor-sharp wit, director G. J. Ecthernkamp embraces the base and the profound as he seeks to unlock the cheat codes of life. - T.G.

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Now of course one of the hard realities of Sundancing is that it's not likely you'll get to see everything you want. Getting tickets is a hassle, and what I usually do is waitlist for films. It works about 75% of the time if you're willing to be at the theater really early. This year I'm going to try and use the locals option. We'll see how it works. I'll know if everything's been sold out sometime in early January. But it'll be really nice to not have to spend all that extra time and anxiety waitlisting for everything. We'll see.

Header Photo

So the photo I'm using in the header is many years old, (when I had long hair) but it has become the photo I use to identify myself in multiple locations. (like on Twitter) I use it because I like it. Not because it's updated or accurate.

First Post

Today I created my first blog and called it Highcentered Bits.