We're Just Not Worth It, I Guess....

Obama's in Texas? Hmmm, it must NOT be an election year.
— Blue Chucks (@_ChuckE) November 7, 2013

This may come as a shock to some, but no:  in both of Obama's bids for the White House, he never carried Texas as a state.  I know, shocking.

But probably not to him or his election team, since they didn't stump in the state during the national election;  that usually being a sign that The Guys Who Know This Politics Stuff didn't think it was worth Obama wasting his precious time trying to get votes here (he DID come here during his primary battle against Hilary that I knew shook a few people up at the time...)

...which I guess is fine.  But it kinda gives the impression that everybody here...I don't know, hates him or something.  Or...worse (insert Dallas/Kennedy reference that I'm too self-conscious to state here out of fear that it'll someday be taken out of context somewhere on the internet).

But that shit's simply not true. If it was, then how could you explain that more Texans voted for Obama in 2008 & 2012 than any other state in the country (outside of Cali, Florida, & NY)?  Sure, he didn't carry the state;  that's crazy talk; but c'mon, that can't be all Austin votes there.  Surely we were worth the time to come thank us for the support....right?

No, We Can't Retire Friendzone

"Friendzone" means any woman who doesn't have sex w/a guy is doing him an injustice. The term debases everyone. Can we retire it?
— Joss Whedon (@josswhedon) October 20, 2013

1st off:  I love Joss Whedon.  And always will.

2nd:  when anyone says this (& I'm seeing a lot of it out there), it's a classic example of someone being offended by something that isn't directed at themselves and simply playing to a base sentiment out there that really has nothing to do with them.  There are exceptions out there to this "rule", but for the most part, people should have their offenses stuck in an actual offense upon themselves IMHO.

3rd:  the term "friendzone" does not mean what Joss (& other puppets out there) are saying it means right here.  The term refers to the disappointment one feels when someone they feel romantically towards does not share that feeling towards them; that person, instead of moving on, settles for a different classification in their desired's life, in a place where they are less likely to have their amorous desires reverberated.  Yes, sex falls in that designation, but if you believe that's all there is to be desired, you should really look upon what you think composes a full and healthy adult relationship.

This term is not confined to a strictly male use.  To say females do not go through similar involvements & experience the same such POVs is perhaps the most single biggest expression of misogyny I have encountered.....today, at least (I've getting a kind of last start here on this fine beautiful afternoon).  It's not even restricted to heterosexual relationships;  in fact, the only limit I would put on it is that yes, animals truly desire to keep their human encounters to a *strictly* platonic basis.  It's probably never the other feeling....at least on the animal's part.

People need to accept the fact that not everybody that their friends with on the opposite side of the sex wishes their relationship to be a simple non-romantic one.  This is not news.  I'd say everyone in the course of normal life has been on at least one side of this exchange with someone at some point;  if they were lucky enough, they've been on both sides.  I'd make a guess at where all this negativity is coming from all of the sudden, but then I'd be spewing the 2nd biggest expression of misogyny I'd have encountered today, so I won't.

There are good & important fights to fight out there.  Stop muddling those up by focusing on trying to hold back normal human experiences & people's need to express them under the guise of discrimination when it's not.  Please, you're all way smarter than this.

#TwitterFlashback

@_ChuckE I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, too. I already have enough blood on my hands.
— Peter David (@PeterDavid_PAD) May 18, 2012

The time Peter David threatened my life.

Really, there is no greater honor.

After Catching Up On #Arrow S1, Can We Just Say.....

Really, I don't wanna argue with anyone about this.  Cuz it's just facts.

Katie Cassidy is the hottest chick out there.  As it stands right now.*

Earlier this summer, when I finally discovered #Justified & watched 3 seasons in a month, I was convinced there would nobody fucking with Natalie Zea as being just pure sexy incarnate...

...but it seems I have been corrected.

(Sidebar:  could their sexiness have anything to do with their portrayal as women who are over-the-top "good" women?  I haven't caught up with Under The Dome to Natalie's eps yet, where I hear she plays someone who is not-so-nice, so IDK....)

*subject to change as the evolutionary pool tends to. 

#SMMFH

....I feel a little sorry for Drake.  I mean, nobody told him "It's Yourz" is not remembered as a, shall we say, truly representative song of the Wu-Tang's legacy.  

And that's probably because it's song-defining sample was jacked from a already classic rap song.  A copy of a copy of a copy....without doing your research.  At a time when all information is a few key strokes away. 

My Unfounded & Unsourced Theory

Hey guys. Big news. My new book "Crash and Burn" with a foreword by Joe Buck will be out on Oct 29! You can pre-order it on Amazon now!
— Artie Lange (@ArtieQuitter) September 12, 2013

I lived to tell the story. It shows how I appreciate you fans and how u helped me get through. Again it's Crash and Burn by Artie Lange
— Artie Lange (@ArtieQuitter) September 12, 2013

...as there are a lot of different crazy conspiracy theories out there on why this book was pushed back & put on hold for a long while there, with no reasons given, the only guess I can come up with that it's NOW "OK" to put out is Artie was respecting the wishes of Robin & her timetable on when she wanted to reveal her illness to the public and perhaps there were essential parts of the book that dealt with his role in her recovery.

Despite what certain people may think, I have a hard time believing he's going to put anybody from the Stern Show on burned-bridges-blast, much less Howard.

Or maybe the book company realized how big this book was going to be for them and was just waiting for Christmas sales.  Who knows.

It Was Bound To Happen One Day....

Muthafucker took my rap name.

OK, so if I ever really, *truly* decide to ever pick up the mic & put these suckas out of their misery, I might be stuck in a Biggie Smalls/NOTORIOUS B.I.G. situation.  But no matter what, I'll forever and always be Chuck E.

Period.

Talent > Theatrics

Personally, at this point in life, I evaluate my judgement of entertainment strictly from the work produced, not by any other bullshit that might surround it.

So while I'm not some crazy Lady Gaga "monster" or anything, whenever I hear somebody have something bad to say about homegirl, I just gotta direct them to this....

Yeah, I still get the chills off of that.

It would be an insane legal situation so no need to hold my breath for it, but what I wouldn't give for a full released version of this right here....

Fit For A King

The ironic thing is everybody who would want this probably couldn't afford it.

Do they have Redneck Kickstarter?

A Servant, Not A Slave

From the internets....

Puffy rocking the Naughty Gear....whodathought?

BigGhostFase For The Win

1000 Hearts on this shit right here.

#It'sJustAFact

For the record, Kate Upton said something that caught my attention.....

The 21-year-old also revealed that people assume she's dumb because she's a model.

"People deal with models like they are children. They think they can pull one over on you," she told the magazine. "It's actually funny. I'm always like, 'I'm about to pull something on you, and you're so focused on thinking I'm dumb you're not even going to know.'"

I have never thought Kate Upton was dumb because she was a model.....it was because she was under 25.

Thank You, Sir

After today's clusterfuck at work, I needed a little smoothed-out head nodding...very laid back.

Pt. 4 of the Penny Series 2.

Skylar's 3 For 3

Gotta admit I wasn't really feeling the beat on this one right here (perhaps because I'm not familiar with the original song it's from), which was the opposite problem that I had with the first 2 (perhaps because I was definitely familiar with where *those* beats were from), but homie brings it in for the win with his #lyricgame.  Penny Series part 2 shit.  Yup.

And don't think I didn't catch you cribbing that flow from Kon Man.  But it's all to the good tho....

Thursday's Apologizes

....So after some long hard decisions on how to continue to conduct my work day & still keep my sanity, I've ditched streaming from my phone and going directly to the iPod.  Now, while I'm moving around with the ear buds in their rightful place full blast, I still can be approachable;  I'm not "lost" in my own world.  Please, customers, don't hesitate to come up and ask me perfectly acceptable questions.

But, *today*, when I pulled up some Jodeci The Show, The Hotel & The Afterparty.....look, I wasn't singing out loud, but yes, it may have looked weird to see me lip singing all emotionally-like in a public place (and technically, my work place).  I apologize; I kinda lost my head listening to these songs after a long-ass time not listening to these songs.  Forgive me.

PS:  Work truck odometer said temperature was 110° today.  So just a seasonal reminder that if you're reading this & you work in a nicely cooled area for an honest wage, go fuck yourself.  #blindinghatefulsearingenvy

Seriously, Go Kill Yourselves #Directioners

Oh, this is great....

Fans of the English-Irish boy band, which graces the cover of the British edition of the magazine this month, are known as #Directioners -- and they're famously over the top when it comes to the shaggy-haired singers with accents that would make any tween swoon. They’ll camp out for days, skip class and take three different modes of transportation just to be in the same vicinity.

 Now they have taken their fandom to a new, darker level by launching an Internet war against the fashion magazine's September issue, enraged by portrayals of band members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson that are deemed unsatisfactory.

 Tweets from the #Directioners indicate they are upset with the way the magazine portrays Styles’ womanizing tendencies in the cover’s tease quotes with “he’s up all night to get lucky” framing Harry’s name on the cover. The other band member’s tease quotes hint at some pretentiousness from Zayn and Niall.

                                                                       -   Sophia Rosenbaum, NBC News

So instead of Twitter creating an abuse button due to prominent UK lawmakers being bombarded with baseless rape threats, could GQ use it to have (probably) underage girls arrested & prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for making death threats to magazine editors?  Or is that's whats called "bad publicity"?

 

Don't Change

Seriously, people, could you please STOP asking Pooh about LB reunions and whatnot?  I'm getting tired of hearing him getting this shit off his chest on every song....

Score One For Johnny Boy

"As if to drive home those divisions, Sen. John McCain – the party’s 2008 presidential nominee, who frequently clashes with Paul over issues of national security and foreign policy – joked this week that voting in an election pitting Paul versus Clinton would make for a “tough choice.' " -NBC News

A bit ironic since, I'll admit publicly at this point, a Clinton vs. Christie might be a tough choice for *me*.  It turns out I don't gut trust Hillary anymore with the job than I did in '08 (I never made a secret that if she had won the Democratic ticket, I would've voted for McCain HANDS DOWN.  Those assertions were made pre-Palin, though.)

Instead Of Thinking "YOLO"....

This is a special PSA from Crooked I....

Apex Predator available now.

It Was A Good Week For Hip-Hop.....

"....cuz if not, I'm a failure...."



"...they still call me Ese Kay Why Zee Oh Oh...."

Friday Night Heat: Invasion

Old School.  Primo at his best.

My Mixed Feelings On Action

Although I'm Hip-Hop 2 Tha Heart, as I prosper in my older age, I do what naturally comes with it & find myself shitting on anybody new coming up, naturally assuming that any music they make is a complete and utter mockery of this thing of ours.  So when I truthfully say that I've been knowing the name Action Bronson because it keeps popping up on every post on 2DopeBoyz.com, but I've never heard any of his music, you can believe me.  This used to be the exact situation I had with Kendrick.

So when I DLed the Funk Flex Tape & forgot what I had read the sequence was in when I was listening to it, I got a nice surprise. Like, this dude is GUTTA.  He got that real raw NY flow that's hard to fake.  Like, I may really need to go back & check homeboy out on his previous shit.  For real.

But....the visuals.  And I ain't just talking the video above either ....

Y'know, Bubba Sparxxx was an aight rapper; Action, off of a couple of listens, is WAAAAAAY nicer than he could ever be; but that whole Cracker thing really put me off & I doubt that I was the only one.  It's just not Hip-Hop.

I understand doing something different than everybody else.  REALLY, I DO.  And more than that, I get trying to "do you".  I get it.

But I think I'ma just stick to the records for the time being.....

Sunday Service: Where Ya At?

If you can groove to this, well then smoke
If you can move to this, well then loc
Cause ain't no party like a Eastside party
Cause a Eastside party ain't no joke

So I Just Watched The Office Finale...

...so once a upon a time, I actually had some *real* feelings for somebody & I'm pretty sure they felt pretty highly of me, too.  Lord knows that the chemistry that we had was, shall we say, unique & not the kind you find with just ole' anybody off the street.

It was the kinda the thing that can keep a person, who gets knocked down at almost at every turn in life, believing that yeah, there could be a point to all this.  Maybe there could a day...a way...maybe there could be a happy ending.

There were tentative plans to go somewhere...else.  Somewhere called Austin.  Because Austin was/is/will always be awesome.  It's the kind of place that gives you that breath of air you need; the place that closes you off to the bad madness & helps you embrace the good madness; it's a place that you could never imagining getting old.

Those dreams didn't happen.  Like most things, the truth got in the way of the fantasy.  It's been a while so all those things aren't as important as they once seemed to be.

Pam wasn't real, but she helped me see what it is that I would want.  What I will never settle for less than.  It has been quite a aid in avoiding things that I knew just wouldn't be worth the trouble when I was at my most human and imperfectness.

Nothing makes me happier than to see Jim & Pam find their ever after.  In Austin.

Even though they weren't real.

Some thoughts about The Great Gatsby

Ideally, I guess, I'm the target audience for The Great Gatsby.  I know it was required reading in school, & that was no exception for me, but for some reason, I know for a fact that I didn't read it.  To be honest, that time is all a ~little~ blurry to me.  I'd like to say "it was all the drugs", but that would be a lie and that is something I would never do on the internet.  The point is, I was going into this movie with only the vaguest of notions of what it was about & what was going to happen in it, which is exactly whoever the asshole who put together those trailers wanted people to have before it came out.

I made a comment about this movie having way more special effects in it than you would expect from some narrative about rich people in the 1920's, but I was only half kidding.  What you need to know is this movie is BEAUTIFUL and that it wasn't an accident.  It's pretty apparent that if there was some kind of message somewhere in this movie about the price of extravagance & excess being too steep of someone's soul to pay, the creators wanted it to be an extreme afterthought 3 days after viewing this.  I mean, I saw Iron Man 3 in 3D last weekend and was more impressed with the way that was done HERE than in that movie.

Since the story is considered a bit of a classic, then I guess I can't really blame the material for the headache I developed while watching this (actually, truth be told, maybe it was all the Heinekens I was throwing back with 3D glasses on #badcombo).  I just suppose as Nick being the eyes in which we see all these events happening, I would find myself having a little more connection;  more relativity to his character, but by the end of the movie, I find myself not giving one damn about the motherfucker.  I have no idea if his role is played much differently in the book & other interpretations, but here, he's not much more than an extreme voyeur (a role that, as I type this, IS given some semblance to in a scene early in the film).

And while this may be the craziest statement in the world coming from me, but the use and inclusion of Hip-Hop music in the narrative seemed just so wrong to me on so many levels that, in describing it here, I'm forced to use a term that I hate when used by other people:  "it took me out of it".  And yet, it did.  By playing Jay-Z instead of jazz music in certain areas, I assume that the film makers were attempting to superimpose this as the black music that transcended race lines at the time because they assume that younger viewers couldn't properly fathom it without a modern day parallel, but that's just some shitty & outright wrong way of thinking, so I guess I won't assume that's why.

Speaking of music:  the film is 142 minutes and I think I should dare somebody to find one minute that doesn't have some kind of music playing in it.   I sincerely hope you enjoy this song because you're treated to an instrumental reprise of it about a million times throughout (and I say this as someone who preaches at The Church Of Lana).  #overkill  Maybe I'm just being too negative about the music due to the movie forcing my ears to once again experience  B's cover of one of Amy's classic, which is the worst torture imposed on mankind since another ill-conceived cover , but I kinda gotta go with my gut (cough, I mean my hearing) on this one.

I do have to say as an insecure male in his mid-30's, I am kinda feeling a little joy in Leonardo Dicaprio getting a few wrinkles around the face mask.  I mean, don't get it twisted, I enjoy homey as an actor and this is as a fine as a performance that someone as talented as himself could give, but when he's standing next to Tobey Maguire (which is most of the movie);who, like Leo, is a grown child actor who was given their career because he had facial features that would make him look like a kid for the rest of his life; it gives him just a little more ammo to play someone convincingly that has seen more than a little mileage in his lifetime.

All in all, not a bad movie, but not a GREAT one (Ha!  Me make Great puns!  Me so funny!).  So watch illegally online at your own risk of disappointment for what you paid for. The only REALLY important thing I took away from the movie is yeah, Elizabeth Debicki #cangetit

God I Miss #Girls

So the unthinkable happened   HBOGO cut me the fuck off.  Of course I was the only one who believed that once I moved outta [REDACTED]'s house, I was no longer going to be able to take his ATT username to have unlimited free streaming of Time Warner's Prized Possession's illustrious library.  I've known for years about their reluctance to allow any of their properties to freely be available to the World Wide Web;  anybody looking at their war with Netflix could peep THAT.  So I was fully aware for their little popular web site solution to this would perhaps have certain safeguards that would verify that the username that you're imputing would match up to the internet provider that you're ACTUALLY using to input in on & that you're a subscriber.

"You're crazy, Chuck.  It's called HBO-GO;  my username will be good no matter whose network it's used on.  Stop being paranoid."

Sigh.  Slap, slap.

The thing was....it DID work for this first whole month.  It was great watching episode of #Girls I had already seen in my kitchen via my K Fire while I was....y'know, I can't remember what I was doing in my kitchen;  I'm at a loss to think about I possibly could have been doing in my kitchen, but I sure as shit remember that it happened.  Trust me, go with it.

But now, *maybe not coincidentally to coincide with the #Girls S2 premiere*, [REDACTED]'s username isn't letting me in to the Matrix;  I keep getting the message that an error occured & I should talk it over with my internet provider.  Eek, that's not the conversation I want to have.  Never have a fight, knowing your in the wrong going in.  Unless you're a woman.  *zing

I guess I could call/text [REDACTED] & ask him to call up ATT & yell at a few people with some made up story about how his daughter comes to this address after school & she used to be able to watch kiddie movies on the computer using his username & as a subscriber, it GodDamn better work over at that address, but....that seems like way too much work.

But then again, the result of this is I am missing #Girls S2 as we speak & seeing everybody on the internet crow about how great it is to see Hanna go at it with Childish Gambino.

So.....I gotta think about this one.