A Re-Introduction To My World

I am participating in Stephen Tremp's Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest. Which is weird since I never really introduced myself once or a first time. But that is merely a matter of semantics now...let's move on.

Preface~

       I am going to eschew delving into my personal stuff and focus on re-introducing my blog. However, here is this much...I am a 32 year corporate man who is striving to make more time for writing and photography. To that end I admire all the sites I follow that pertain to both those talents. Now on to the show!


I was born a poor black child...oh wait, that one's taken already...damn, so is "Call me Ishmael".  Well I can always take the tried and true "12 Step" approach...Hi, I'm Chuck and I'm a blogger.

I started this caravan of weirdness on January 16th, 2010 with this post following the earthquake in Haiti. I was not sure where I was going to go with this new blogging experience but it had begun. The name for the site, Apocalypse Now, came to mind after giving some thought as to what I would call this creature. My brain wrapped itself around the Mayan 2012 hysteria and then immediately went to one of my favorite movies (as well as the first thing that always comes to my mind when I hear the word Apocalypse (capitalized or not)), Apocalypse Now was born...or maybe reborn.

As you might guess, any form of Apocalypse Now (AN) as a blog/site .com name, was taken long ago. Nothing usable with that name variation came to mind except what eventually ended up being the site address>>> apackalipsnow. Out of my warped mind came a jewel. At least I could still title the actual blog page with Apocalypse Now so some degree of normalcy could remain.

Now what to write about. Whoa Trigger...my mind was a runaway freight train on that thought. For lack of a better term I am "all over the place" when it comes to stringing two thoughts together. I blame this on 30 years of corporate business structure that had me keep a rather large amount of "plates" spinning at all times...with the occasional WTF crisis thrown in just to test the nerves. So my thinking was less linear and more three-dimensional...all the time. Elevators and escalators. Chutes and ladders. You get the idea. Still what to write about?

Since I am well past the 100-word mark in this post there is no sense stopping...we are going for broke and breaking a big blogfest general rule. Sorry, I type like I talk. Long-winded and somewhat repetitive. This also comes from a work environment where at times it seems like I would have better luck training monkeys...or my dogs. At least when they don't follow direction I know it is because they literally don't understand a fucking word I am saying. I digress.

I knew from the beginning of this blog that any straight line theme would eventually take a detour or complete derailment. Not sure how or why this would happen (other than items above previously noted). So I dove in with a political and current hot topic, the Haitian earthquake disaster. My first post. I think it is still some of my finest work to date. If you have not read it please take a minute and check it out. It is still relevant.

Here are a few other early offerings that saw little of the light of day, that I still enjoy reading:

Taco Bell Diet

Reality TV

Diet Coke

Charmin Toilet Paper

Maybe you have a demented uncle you could point this way to keep him occupied.

Not having any readers or as I came to understand them, Followers, I continued on with some witty, comedic and completely random posts on various topics I christened "Today's Apocalypse Signs". That is how I pre-titled each blog post until the recent failure of the Apocalypse to actually occur.  In addition to being Apocalypse signs they were also evidence of how far off center our society had gotten...and some damn funny acts too!

A funny thing happened after I started gaining some small degree of following...I began reading the sites of my followers. I knew very little of blogging etiquette but was a decent enough guy to understand reciprocation. Sex taught me that! So little by little I saw what others were writing and posting.  I found funny sites, photographers, writers, and they began to influence my thinking and creative process.

Fast forward through a couple A-Z Challenges and the gaining of many friendly supportive followers and we arrive at today.

I don't know where my direction will go now that the Mayan thing fizzled but due to all the friends I have made in the blogosphere, I will continue moving forward and hopefully to entertain and inform.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

The Mid-Winter Weekend Graphs

One more time into the breach my good man...a butchered war-time quote but never fear, the Weekend Graphs are here!

Well no football this weekend ... but still there is entertainment. And I have found some for you! These graphs are sure to delight and amuse while taking your mind off of, ah football...and the winter season in general (which we all get a little tired of right around the end of January, right?)

Throw another log on the fire and enjoy....

Got me again!




Sick Day activities



How do you spell that again?



An adventure on every aisle!




Understanding how the economy works

Gatorade?? Just A Charade

 

 

Well good news folks. Gatorade has decided to remove the patented flame retardant from their sports drink. Glad I never liked this crap.

I think it served a purpose when football players dumped a 5-gallon bucket of this stuff on the winning coach...at least he would not spontaneously combust!

I order my own ingredients and make my own drinks. No crap and no sugar. Still sweet and tasty. It is the only way to go. I will save that for another post.

Until then, give this "drink" a PASS when you are shopping this weekend. Ironically that is something I have always said.

To your health!

BTW, here is a quote from the news article in the link above. This will not make you feel any better. BVO is the acronym for the flame retardant.

"PepsiCo, based in Purchase, N.Y., is replacing the BVO in Gatorade with an ingredient called sucrose acetate isobutyrate, which Carter said will maintain the flavor and taste of the drinks."

The Weekend In Black And White

The charm of an old hand pulled farm wagon in the snow.


Snow Wagon

Linking to The Weekend In Black And White

Obama Unplugged And Raw - Outake I

If we didn't have free speech in this country, we would never see great stuff like this. He was going to use this in his inauguration speech today but Michelle talked him out of it.



Here is the other half of the country's leadership!




Scary part about Biden's...it sounds so real!!

The Playoff Weekend Graphs

Big games happening today. No matter who you are rooting for there is always time to take in the Weekend Graphs. So get your beer and nachos ready, settle in and have a good laugh before some serious football gets all crazy up in here!

Enjoy...

Mmmmm...M&M's






Now you know why women need walk-in closets...the size of small apartments!


We can only assume

The toast gradient




When you want to be in a driver's training car!

The Weekend In Black And White

A fine remembrance of this past Christmas. Quite a tasty beverage with a nice kick.


Christmas Ale

Only brewed for a short time during the holidays...I was lucky to get a couple 6-packs



Linking to The Weekend In Black And White

 

 

Hilariously Great

I figured after a couple really serious posts it was time for some levity. Check this out and I promise you that you will watch it twice.


Hilarity ensues...

Guns And Control

The Democrats have fired the first volley across the bow...in a manner of speaking. Since Obama can't run for a third term, Democratic governor of New York Andrew Cuomo came out swinging with the first state to enact sweeping gun law changes. Presumably positioning himself for a possible run at the Democratic nomination in 2016. In essence:

{All quotes in italics credited to the Christian Science Monitor}

"In his annual State of the State address last week, Governor Cuomo promised to "enact the toughest assault-weapon ban in the nation, period."

"In New York, Cuomo was able to push the legislation through without hearings or public comment. The NRA said the legislation helped “fuel” Cuomo’s political aspirations."


The NRA as you might guess has come out against the legislation calling it "draconian" in nature.

ASSAULT RIFLES

         To classify a weapon as an assault rifle, where there had been a two point test there is now one - either muzzle flash suppressor OR a removable magazine. Supposedly any gun meeting these criteria will be banned.

AMMUNITION

         This is purported to be the "toughest" part of the new legislation...the regulating of the number of rounds a magazine can hold (for any gun) " New York will define a large capacity magazine as any that holds more than seven rounds, down from 10. Anyone owning a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds will be required to sell it out-of-state within a year". Is that last line really enforceable? The Magazine Division of the NYPD in the near future perhaps??

     
         "In addition, gun sellers will be required to do a background check before selling ammunition, and residents will be required to buy ammunition through a licensed dealer. If a buyer makes a large purchase of ammo, the dealer is required to alert law enforcement officials."

GUN SALES

         Guns sales will require background checks even sales between individuals (except for between family members). The law will also attempt to keep the mentally ill from buying weapons. All of this ought to be very interesting.


As you might imagine, the NRA will be at the forefront of the legal challenges to surely be coming.

Down the freeway Gov. Jack Markell (D) of Delaware is on a parallel course of action to ban all assault rifles, magazines holding more than 10 rounds and background checks on all sales.

Virgina and Jersey want mental health screening and home invasions inspections before a gun sale takes place. That last doesn't sound good at all. Are they buying a gun or adopting it?

More than half the states have some stirrings of the above. Traditional definition of a "dog pile" in action.

I am sure this will have some effect but just exactly what, I don't know.
----------------------------------
{All text in italics credited to the NBC.com site}

On the other side of town the Obama Proposal is being touted as "sweeping gun control". Here is the meat and potatoes of the Obama-Biden offering:

Some of the main legislative proposals backed by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are:

• requiring criminal background checks on all gun sales, including private sales    
• banning "military-style" assault weapons    
• limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds      
• strengthening penalties for gun trafficking 

The clarification of the ObamaCare Act not prohibiting doctors from asking their patients about guns in the house and that there is no federal law that prohibits doctors from turning in their patients who make threats of violence. So that old tongue-in-cheek comment of wanting to "kill" someone even in jest could now get Big Brother knocking on your door. When are the drab uniforms of Orwell's 1984 going to be issued??

There are also 23 "executive actions not subject to congressional scrutiny that include the CDC doing research on gun crime. And stronger prosecution if you fail a background check. What exactly does it take to fail a background check and what will you be prosecuted for?? This could be the scariest of all...and it doesn't have to go through Congress?? No wonder the shelves in many gun stores are almost empty now.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

-----------------------------------------------------

 

My friends if you thought some of the recent posts floating around were too doom and gloom. I invite you to click on the links to both these news articles. Read them carefully...out loud if necessary. Then think about what we really need to do and what they are trying to do. Getting any freedom limiting legislation through the channels is always easier when raw emotion is running high. I pray for common sense to grip the majority.

 

New York is already a done deal. Cuomo's goose-stepping was swift and sure.

 

The one silver lining of semi-rational thought (at least on the federal level) is many in the House see little chance of much of this coming to fruition...yet it plays well at the political gatherings. I guess that is win/win?

 

What are your thoughts on this early attempt at eliminating another Sandy Hook? Does the speed of New York's passage of law alarm you? Did you watch the video above? Thoughts?

The End Of Green Bay's Season and The Weekend Graphs

Well Green Bay's season came to an insanely stupid end last night at the hands of the 49er's. What I worried most about happening...happened. The Niners quarterback was given free passage to the Packer's secondary and a couple times the endzone...all. friggin. night. It was the most embarrassing defense performance I have ever witnessed in the playoffs. And for all the defensive guruness that Dom Capers possesses, there were virtually no adjustments at half-time to solve the problem. The offense didn't do their selves any favors either. On both sides of the ball it looked like no game plan at all was put together and they just went out and "school-yarded" it.  In all, today I am depressed that MY season is over.

However, let us not lament for long...the weekend graphs can cheer up any sad soul. To that end I give you this weeks entertainment...


Enjoy!


Now I know why my eyes are so dry!




Not sure what kind of mind this came from but it was cool




My wife ALWAYS sees these before I do...and punches my arm!




Kill Bill Vols I and II drained the blood bank



Bagginses has the precious...

A Blog Post Instead Of A Comment

I just finished reading Arlee Bird's post regarding the current hot topic of guns...control, bans, limits, etc. And I thought I would rather weigh in via a full blog post rather than take up all of Lee's comment space. :)

The subject of some form of gun control always seems to come up after a tragedy like Newtown. Remember the Aurora theatre, Gabby Giffords, Columbine and others? Each one brought some measure of heightened awareness regarding guns and the lunatics who possessed them.

Newtown was an awful tragedy, made worse and more shocking by the fact that it was so. many. children. The faces of the innocent youth cut down by this deranged kid with an arsenal, were plastered all over the internet, news, and newspapers. By any definition it was a real-life horror story.

The first reaction, beyond the horrific, was the groundswell movement to do something, anything about access to weapons. "If only we could control the guns better." The parents and relatives of those who died that day surely want every gun buried at the bottom of the sea. So this will "never happen again". The President and VP jumped right out in the lead of this speeding train. Obama is declaring that some kind crusade against gun violence must take place. Biden, I don't know what he exactly wants to do. But damn it, SOMETHING must be done right NOW!!!

The NRA will be up in arms (figuratively) as they always are when the whispers turn to shouts for gun control. They will wave the second amendment like a flag and defend our right to bear arms. How ever you interpret the Amendment II (and I like and agree with Lee's assessment) guns are not going away.

And they are not the problem. The old worn adage of, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" is for better or worse, pretty damn accurate.

Whatever the President and his political brethren are spouting is only for the benefit of the politicos and the outraged citizenry (psychologically). It will have little to no effect in stopping the next neo-Nazi or bullied teenager, or even a teacher pushed too far, from taking up weapons and descending on the once safe haven of the School. Elementary...High...or College. It is after all the easiest and least protected place where a vast group of ordinary and young people gather. Maybe that is where we should start?

Sadly what happened in Newtown only raised the bar in the minds of the twisted, for this type of tragedy. The next one (and there will be an next one, I'm sorry) will go for a larger more spectacular body count. Or maybe it won't be guns this time. Maybe it will be homemade bombs. How do you stop that? Anyone who has watched Fight Club now knows by mixing equal parts gasoline and orange juice concentrate you can make a passable napalm concoction. How will we legislate against that type of threat?

The problem is deeper than guns or weapons of any kind. The fundamental problem is the youth of the nation. And has been for some time now. Violent video games? Maybe. Choose a side on that debate. Bullying in school? Certainly a problem that has resulted in suicides and ah...school shootings. And this fundamental problem would require a whole other post or maybe even a series of posts. It is a many layered onion.

So to those in power I say, get real. Stop pandering to the emotions of people who are in a highly agitated state of mind. Willing to grasp a straw of a solution no matter how absurd. Limiting the number of rounds in a magazine, really? How stupid do you think we are? That is an idiotic idea if that is what is being proposed to "stop this type of thing from happening". Banning assault rifle sales. If this had been in effect 10 years ago do you really believe none of these tragedies would have occurred?  If so, you already drank the Kool-Aid or took the blue pill. It would not have changed a damn thing. It was the mind not the method, that caused these acts. Just like a river that seeks the path of least resistance, these would have been easily navigable obstacles.

Banning weapons seems like an easy rallying cry but in the end when cooler heads prevail, it is not the problem solver we would like. And what does "banning" really mean anyway?? Somebody in Congress or the Senate please define that to my satisfaction. Just as a side note...you do know in China about the same time as the Newtown tragedy that a wacko attacked school kids using knives, right?

Now I am no weapons expert but if someone with only a knife could stab/slash 23 victims AND get away...how would any measure of gun control have prevented this from happening?

I own 2 handguns, a hunting rifle (never hunted with it) and a shotgun. I have ammo for all of them. With no children in the house, they are stored easily accessible but not in the open. My wife could only find the handguns if she needed to in a hurry. We are adult, responsible, and realistic. I feel better with my gun in the nightstand. I have shot it at the range many times. I have no doubt if my life or my wife's life were threatened that I could use it.

oh, and none of my guns have gotten up in the middle of the night and gone on a killing spree.

Your thoughts?

The Weekend In Black And White

While in Ohio for Christmas, I had numerous opportunities to observe and photograph dozens of squirrels in my sister's backyard. Staking out ears of corn for them to eat provided some easy entertainment.


Winter Feast

Linking to The Weekend In Black And White

Another Reason We Had To Win The Big One

One more reason we needed to win WWII


Instead of this billion hit video....





We could have been sentenced to this...




Hilarious but not very catchy...

New Years 2013 ~ Weekend Graphs

Well Happy New Year for the last time. These are the first Weekend Graphs of the 2013 season and it starts off with you having to define yourself  as a tool...cool, right? Then a few more to just make you chuckle enough to forget the Christmas bills still coming.

Please enjoy this bit of entertainment...


Yea!! I can drill!!!




I heard this several times when The Hobbit ended...from people I did not know




Going...down??




Clearly this is why the Apocalypse failed...no support!!




In and Out Burger anyone??




We don't need no stinkin' electricity...dawg

Day One Of The New Year - 2013

Some resolutions may be forthcoming but for today I will bask in the glory of a New Year's day unspoiled by any baggage of negativity. After watching Finding Nemo in Blu-Ray 3-D last night with the wife and dogs I have unlimited optimism for 2013. Though it includes a precarious numeral for all who believe in such things (and for them it will be a loooong year), thirteen is what we have to deal with.

So for now I am off to the theatre to see The Hobbit with my wife. (Hope it is not too crowded!)

Happy New Year to you all!