07/03/01 - 9:50 pm

Dear Alicia

Before I go off on a much more normal, middle of the road, another day in my life ramble, some clarification is necessary so that there aren't any misunderstanding.  The following are excerpts from yesterdays entry

mothers who methodically and abhorrently take their own children’s lives then cast the blame elsewhere

Dateline: Houston, Texas -  Five children were found slain today in a Clear Lake house, and their mother has been arrested. The mother, Andrea Yates, told police that she was responsible for killing the children, ages 6 months to 7 years. Police say it appears the children were drowned in a bath tub. Russell Yates, at times fighting back tears but for the most part remarkably composed, told reporters that Andrea Yates' actions were incomprehensible because she was a ``kind and gentle person'' who loved their children. He said that he still loves her and blamed the incident on her severe postpartum depression. See more on the story here

 pet owners who ignore a seriously injured child in lieu of their own selfish concerns 

Dateline: Richmond, California -  A 10-year-old Richmond boy remained in critical condition Tuesday after being pulled off his bike and mauled by three pit bulls. The Monday evening attack on Iron Triangle resident Shawn Jones was so severe that both the boy's ears were torn off and he suffered multiple bites to his head and body. He spent most of the night undergoing surgery at Childrens Hospital Oakland where doctors successfully reattached his ears. Witnesses told police that after the attack, one of the dogs' owners loaded the animals into his car and drove away. The man, 27-year-old Benjamin Moore, later turned himself in to police, but has refused to say where he took the dogs. Moore and his girlfriend, Jacinda Lynn Knight, 33, have been arrested on suspicion of felony mayhem and failing to exercise care with dogs trained to fight, attack or kill. See more on the story here

sports owners who dish out obscene amounts of money to youngsters who couldn't spell cat if you spotted them the C and the A,  but can dunk or shoot the hell out of a basketball.   

Dateline: Madison Square Garden, New York City -  The 2001 National Basketball Association draft saw  high school seniors chosen first, second and fourth, with 19-year-old Kwame Brown of Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Ga. being the first high schooler in history to be the number one pick.  See more on the story here

I should have included those links and references last night when I typed this, but wanted to clear things up so that there was no doubt as to the inspiration and direction of my acerbic commentary.

Now, on with the countdown, and to some mellower, and hopefully a bit more docile, bits of my reality.  I know, something that's been missing and long overdue.

This morning, just after posting the last entry as a matter of fact, I was digging in my briefcase for copies of my latest reviews, already posted, so that I could add the corrections on here.  As I was scavenging, I came across a piece of paper that I had written my work schedule for this week on (being the 4th of July, I'd written it down to post, since my schedule's been a little wacky the past few weeks, with fluctuating Mondays and Fridays.  I happen to glance at something that mildly froze me, and subsequently sent me into a state of panic.  Note: the time of this discovery was about 9:55 am, early for me, but I was awake and feeling creative, so I was taking advantage.  The paper said: July 3rd, 10:30 - 7:00pm. It took only a brief moment for that message to traverse the crowded path from eyes to brain, then to body, and I kicked into a flight of the bumblebee antic of preparation.  I did make with about a minute or two to spare, and my adrenaline was definitely going full throttle, however I did have to wait about 2 additional hours for my first Sobe of the day, but luckily, the defibrilating nature of the realization carried me through.  

The point I had started on last night had to with how the simplest and most minute things can seem important, relevant, necessary and at times, impossible to imagine that you could dream up, even in your most creative moments.  Witness, the above situation, albeit minor to most, was deemed at least worthy by me to share as a microscopic perspective of the world I know and inhabit.  As is the following tale, a bit more dramatic, a bit more action filled, and definitely something that if you saw it in a movie or read it in a book, would cause the curious wonderment and musings of did all that REALLY happen, or is it just dramatic license on preexisting events.  You be the judge.

On Friday night, I saw A.I., the Spielberg/Kubrick collaboration about a young android boy and his search and dream for reality.  As far as my commentary on the movie, see my already posted review, but here, as Paul Harvey would say, is..the rest of the story.  

When I mentioned my viewing to both Kat and Jeff had suggestions of films I should see.  Kat suggested that I see D.A.R.Y.L (a 1984 movie about a robotic boy, adopted by a human family) and Bicentennial Man (a 1999 Robin Williams tale about a robot that learns as it experiences and desires to be human as well).  Both had been movies that generated a curiousity in me, so I had no problem seeing them (plus, I promised K I would, so I kind of had to *wink*).  Jeff, in his own inimitible manner, took this opportunity again to recommend Blade Runner (Ridley Scott's 1982 Sci-Fi film about a bounty hunter chasing down 5 robots gone wrong in their search for humanity).  So, I had my weekend of research full, all that was left was to go and retrieve said films.  A task that would prove easier said than done.  The first was not a problem, going to my usual Blockbuster haunt (where they love to see me coming, since I put a new wing on the CEO's house each month with my late fees) and picked up Bicentennial Man, then searched around for DARYL.  I looked in Family, Action, Sci-Fi, even comedy.  Nothing.  So inquired at the counter, where I was met with ignorance and denial at first, until I informed the pimple faced Einstein behind the counter that you had to put the dots between the letters and only spell it with one R (this wouldn't be the last time these When-Harry-Met-Sally-ordering style of inquisitioning would be necessary).  I was told they don't carry it.  So I ventured across the street to Hollywood Video, where I did the wash, rinse repeat march around the store, only to met with the same response. Bad coincidence I figure, after all, it is an older movie.  So, I get in my car and hop on my trusty new cell phone (with hands-free of course, another rantable issue which I will refrain on..for now) and called around to two other Blockbusters, and another smaller store that I can't quite recall.  Zero, zilch, nada.  I headed over to the local Wally World (Wal Mart) because I needed some oil for my car (btw, this is about 2:20 pm on a Saturday afternoon, in late June, temp about 92, nice, toasty, and gasoline on the fires of my growing frustration).  As I'm standing in line, I call two other Blockbusters (since there about 400 in the metro Kansas City area) and one of my favorite local indie stores (which actually had it, but my astronomical late fees and distance from the store, dissuaded me, since I was already tiring of this ever more infuriating quest) and was out of luck for anything close to me.  Feeling defeated, I headed home, but tried one more place, a store that a Blockbuster worker had mentioned called Video Library, which as it turns out, is a veritible Sam's Club style warehouse of all movies great and small. I called them, found out they had it, but tiring from the journey already (time now, 3:05pm) so I decided to come home, have some lunch, then venture back out, knowing that at least my search was over.  Or was it?

After my nap, around 5:30ish, I headed down to Video Library, also intending to pick up Blade Runner while I was there, since I had failed, in my deliberate quest for Daryl, to get it as of yet.  I made my rounds in the expansive store, the usual routine listed above, but found nothing, so upon inquiry, learned that it was, for some inexplicable reason, in Action.  I didn't question why, just was determined to get it, and be gone.  Upon perusal of nearly every C, D and E in that section, zero, zilch, nada.  So I went to the counter, and the clerk, a slightly more educated acne challenged worker, who followed my pattern and could not find it either.  But, undaunted, he knew the movie existed there, so he wandered over to an even more disheveled Sci-Fi (spelled Si-Fi in their store...no comment) and finally found the movie.  I signed up, took my movies, and came home, finally relieved to have this mysteriously elusive piece of cinematic history.  I plopped down in front of the TV, put the tape in, only to have it rejected.  Hmmm, so I tried it again,  it is a new VCR after all, maybe I'm doing something wrong.  Nope, same reaction.  Then, my previous video store instincts kicked in, and I opened the cover to find..(cue dramatic piano chords) that the tape was broken.  I called the store, to find out that this was their only copy, so alas, I was back at square one.  What was it about this movie that I was being held back from viewing.  Is there some worldly secret that I'm not supposed to know?  Silly, but I really began to wonder what the deal was.  I resigned myself to one last attempt, but in the morning, since I had to get out and take this one back anyhow.  So I sat back, watched part of Blade Runner, then drifted to dreamland.  Morning, on Sunday's occur sometime around noon, so about that time I picked up the phone and gave it one last shot.  I decided to try a couple of more far out video stores (location wise) that were not Blockbusters, since there must be some corporate ban or discrimination against this film.  First call, a Hollywood about a mile and half from the Video Library.  Transcript of the conversation - 

Do you have the movie D.A.R.Y.L, its spelled with one R and the..
I know the movie, and ummm...(pause)..yes we do have it in our family section
Can you go out on the floor and make sure?
(pause)..ummm..okay....(longer pause) yes, we do, its here but we can't hold..
Yes, I know you can't hold movies, but can you please open the case and make sure the movie's okay, not broken or anything..
(pause again, thinking I'm obsessive or psychotic or something)..looks okay to me..
Okay, thank you

At this point, I gathered the movies (having finished Blade Runner before even getting out of bed) and headed once again on this intriguingly complicated quest, hopefully, about to come to a simplistic resolution.

To make this long story short, I got the movie, no problems, watched it as well, cute, enjoyable, harmless and thought provoking at points too, and breathed a deep sigh of relief, wondering to myself, why some things in life become so difficult when they shouldn't be, and why the oddest sets of circumstances if put into a movie would probably elicit cries of fake, over dramatic or over emphasized, occur to those who doubt their validity the most.  I don't know how or why, since ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do..die, and find that elusive video..any got any other recommendations for me?

Questions, Comments, Criticisms, anyone there?? - Email Me

Back to the Journal

Home to Kryptonite