Ah, 2026...

Ah, 2026 is here (sigh)...  I guess I should be excited.  Is anyone?  2025 was, well, not really the greatest year in general, and whereas I wish I could say that I'm optimistic for this year, I'm, er, not.  In fact, I foresee more of the same:  constant political unrest, people treating each other less than optimally, more communication breakdowns, prices on just about everything continuing to go up to who knows how high, the job market tightening even more, etc. etc.  There's really not a lot to look forward to at the moment.  Hell, we're basically getting to a point where people don't want to communicate with one another at all and would rather talk to their computer generated fake "friend".  These are definitely strange times.

On a different note, I actually can't believe that I haven't made an entry in this blog since September.  Where the heck did the time go??!  I mean, I know what I've been doing...but seriously...4 months have gone by?  Geesh.

It's only day #3 of 2026 and I just glanced at the headlines a little while ago to see that we captured Venezuela's President Maduro.  Where the hell did this come from?!  Oh joy.  Yes, here we go.  The fun just doesn't seem to end, and I feel like everyday I wake up to see what other form of crazy has taken hold of the globe.

I've also had 2 weeks off of work and they've been anything but "vacation".  In fact, I don't feel rested at all, certainly not refreshed, and honestly not at all ready to return for another year with no real time off until Memorial Day.  How on Earth will I survive?  I have no clue.  I might in fact just go insane.

But, hey, I'm still here...sometimes to my own amazement...and my body is still functioning enough to get me through another day (currently).  That IS something, after all.  What other "fun" things does 2026 hold for me?  I shudder to ask and I'm semi thankful there's no way currently to know that answer.

I do hope people have had pleasant holidays, though, especially if you're fortunate enough to spend it with family you get along with, good friends, etc.  As for the rest of us, well, at least there's art and music and films.  Here's to hoping that 2026 pleasantly surprises us.  One can only hope.

I Think We Can All Agree

Leaving politics out of it, I think we can all agree probably on one thing:  the world is certainly NOT headed in the right direction.  This statement alone could spawn about 500+ entries in this blog and I feel like every day of my life a new entry gets added to the list.

I'll say this - this is certainly not the "future" I was promised while visiting Epcot Center in the 1980's :)  I still remember riding Spaceship Earth as a child, seeing supposed glimpses of the future, one I think of an older man floating in the air while using some sort of computer device, and then I look around me today and think in a very David Byrne styled way, "...this is not my beautiful life...how did I get here?!"  Same as it ever was...

One thing I've learned is that pretty much all roads of modern "ick" lead back to one thing; the internet.  Now, I'm not going to sit here and say that the internet is "bad", etc., because it certainly isn't and it's brought about tons of improvements in day to day life.  Since we never as a group or society have ever really talked about "how" to implement the internet and what regulations there should be around it, that's a different story...and I believe that's exactly how we got here.  What do we do now?  No freakin' clue for it's a mess and only growing day by day, having spawned into a thousand mini threads.

Let me burden you with just one very minor example, if I may.  About 2-3 years ago, I was expecting an important phone call at any moment from an institution that I had never talked to before, meaning I would have no way of knowing what the incoming number would be (I think it might have been a doctor's call but I don't remember exactly).  I just happened to be driving at the time and a call came in, and like a fool, I answered it...you know, using my paid for product (cell phone) for exactly what it was intended for.  A crazy thing to do, right?!  When I answered the call, there was a pause...and then a voice said, "Kenneth?!  I'm calling you about your loan application..."

Well, this was a big mistake.  I've been plagued now with repetitive phone calls and texts, usually 2-3 times a week and 2-5 times per day, where I'm being hounded about some supposed loan application for my business (I have no business, btw), with promises of anywhere between 40k - 600k at a 7% interest rate.  Yeah, I know...you know exactly the calls I'm talking about, right?   That is, if you've answered and used your phone for what it was intended for as well.  Worst of all, every call and text begins with "Kenneth"...and if you haven't picked up on it already, my name is not Kenneth nor anywhere close to it.

At first, I was boggled because these calls and texts were coming in from every area code under the sun and yet it sounded like the same verbiage.  I then learned about how it's legal apparently to do call spoofing.  Why?!  Well, not sure.  As of late, these calls have a few classic styles of robot voice, where the voice uses different tones, I guess to see if the receiver will respond based on the gender and tone?  I don't know...I'm guessing because I really don't understand it myself.  The latest one has a slight exhausted tone to it, like "I've really been trying hard to get ahold of you but you're not answering" kind of thing, perhaps so that I'll feel sorry for the bot and call back?

This of course has rendered my phone basically useless, meaning I can't really ever answer the phone unless the number shows me exactly who's calling and I recognize it.  I just want to reiterate...this is a PAID FOR service...not something I'm given for free...and I'm hounded nearly every day for it.  Hmm.  Meanwhile, the government apparently doesn't see this as an issue, but then again they don't see many things as an issue so I'm not sure why I'm shocked by this.

The worst part is that I don't even understand the scam.  I mean, who the hell are they trying to get a hold of and how would this work?!  The message says "we've received your application.." but there clearly isn't an application, nor do I have a business like I already mentioned, so how would this work exactly?  I mean, if I did actually call back, wouldn't the first comment out of my mouth be, upon being asked for personal info, that you already have that info based on my "application"?  See, I don't even get it.  More than anything, I just want to scream at someone that I'm not f***in' Kenneth, for crying out loud, and this of course has spawned a thousand plus comments from me over the years about "Kenneth...what's the frequency??!"

Anyhow, this is just one measly example in a world of 10 million.  Maybe I should start a podcast about the stupidity of day to day life.  Not a bad idea.  I've often thought about making a "rant" website where people could call out various businesses and processes that drive them crazy.  These are all good ideas, of course.  Maybe I should start that business...but of course I'd probably need a loan...and then somehow I'd end up actually being Kenneth after all.  Sigh.

A Wish

I've pretty much had the same wish for the past 20+ years of my life and that is to suddenly come into enough money so that I no longer have to work a day job.  Now, I could go into that in gory detail but I won't.  I've always hoped for a rich aunt or uncle who somehow is smiling down upon me without my knowing it, suddenly writing me into their will and I inherit a small lump sum of cash, just enough to live comfortably.  The other option, of course, is to win big in something like the lottery, or in San Diego we have the annual Ronald McDonald Dream House raffle of which I contribute to every year.  Just for the record, I would NOT take the house; I'm more than content to stay exactly where I am and instead pay off my debts.

It should be said that I've never won anything in my life.  Nothing.  Zippo.  I don't even think I've won something like $20; it's almost absurd.  However, for things you don't want, I seem to have a bit of luck in that arena.  Hmph.  Therefore, I don't have much hope for the winning part.  Hell, I've been entering Sweetwater Sound raffles for 2 decades now and I've never even won a pack of guitar strings.  I just have no luck at all.

As for the rich aunt or uncle, well, I don't have one of those either.  In fact, all of my aunts and uncles have passed and they barely even acknowledged my existence at times (a whole different story there).  And so, my wish I think has fallen on deaf ears all the way around and I'm most likely proverbially screwed.

I would like to add, though, I don't have this wish because I either want to live a lavish lifestyle nor am I lazy and don't want to work.  In fact, I've always had this wish for the exact opposite reason; I just want to focus on my arts, and yes, I use that word plural because IF I had the time I'd be branched out probably in about 4-6 different directions.  I would dare say that I'd be just as busy if I was working a day job and quite possibly even busier.  I have sooooo many ideas that it's ridiculous; the problem is I have so very little spare time.

This leads me to a phenomenon that I've personally never understood.  In talking to people in the workplace over the years, when I've mentioned I've love 3-4 weeks off at a time rather than the ridiculous one week, I have often heard, "oh, well, you'd get bored.  I know I get bored being at home with the kids.  I look forward to going back to work usually."  Yes, this puzzles me beyond belief, and if this doesn't say something about what's wrong with society then, well, I don't what does.  Let me tell you super straight forward - this would not happen in my case, in fact it's physically impossible, in my eyes.

I don't think I've personally been truly "bored" in about 15+ years.  In fact, since life feels like it moves at a faster speed year after year, I have felt for some time like I'm on an unwilling roller coaster ride where the mechanism just keeps speeding up over and over even though I keep waving frantically to the operator to slow it down.  I don't remember what being "bored" felt like, it's been that long.  Now, that's not to say that I haven't had small moments of physical boredom, mind you, but it really has been at least 2 decades since I had to sit around and give it serious thought as to what I should be doing at that very moment.  In fact, my todo list is so incredibly long that if written out on paper it would probably cover the entire state of Rhode Island.

Let's be honest - life isn't great these days.  We're all going through some version(s) of tough times but one thing I always say...the answer to most people's issues is getting a hobby, and I mean one that actually really encompasses your time.  I think most people would seriously be more content if they had something that they really cared about to focus on, and of course that comes in a variety of flavors.  In my viewpoint, actual "boredom" is a bit of an enemy of human existence since we all want to feel useful on some level.  I can tell you firsthand that without my artistic endeavors I would probably perish because it's the only thing really in life that makes me feel like "me" and fulfilled as a person.  I simply can't stress this enough.

Having said all of that, if anyone would like to leave me a lump sum of money out of the kindness of their hearts so that I could explore these endeavors, I can only say that I'd put it to good use and try to make the best art possible.  I would most certainly write a huge 'thank you' to you in whatever art I created, and if so desired, hell, I'll even write you a song...just say the word.  Or, if you prefer, I'll make a film about you...it's your choice.  Since that probably won't ever happen, though, I'll make do with the chaos of living at least dual lives on a daily basis, probably until I drop from pure exhaustion.  I've never gotten much financial support in my life so I probably would be completely dumbfounded by it anyway, and I haven't exactly been brimming over with moral support either.  It's been a tough ride.

Now, if only I could ever take a real vacation...but that's another story as well.

Be Kind to your Fellow Artist

Times change, of course, with new levels of technology and ways of behaving being introduced into our lives constantly, and due to that the ripple effect tends to make an impact across most of our daily lives in ways we can't even foresee.  One thing that shouldn't really change, though, is the basic human desire and need for communication...and yet it has.

One thing that always stands out and irks me in modern life is the idea of "ghosting" someone.  This is fascinating albeit in a very negative way.  I've never understood it personally and strangely most people who tend to do this activity use the excuse of "...I don't have time for...".  Ironically, I probably have less time than they do and yet it doesn't take that long to simply give someone an answer on something or have a bit of a discussion where needed.  Still, this does seem to be a lost art.  Ghosting also seems to be a thing whether it's someone you barely know or a friend of 10+ years.

When it comes to art, one area that I advise not ghosting is with your fellow artist(s).  If you happen to know someone who is an artist type, say musical or film or a writer, etc., and if they so choose to share their work with you, you should absolutely a) make it a priority to check it out in a timely manner and b) respond back to the artist in one fashion or another.  I mean, this kind of seems like a no brainer, right?  The truth here is that the artist has put countless hours of their time and effort into their creation and apparently they think highly enough of you, the person they're sharing it with, so it's really not something to ignore.

I recently had an incident where someone was asking for me to share some of my not yet "hardened" work with them, something I usually don't really like to do for the obvious reasons.  Still, I obliged due to the request, shared the links, and...well, dead silence...and ultimately no response.  So, what's the big deal, you ask?  Well, no one had actually heard this material yet and now the very first person that did disappeared and didn't feel the need for any sort of response.  This of course triggers a series of unnecessary internal responses, such as 1) second guessing myself and the new material and 2) not feeling the greatest in general.  Yes, no joke...this still happens...even hundreds of songs later.  It's called being human, I think.

Whether I like it or not, this inevitably makes me start wondering if said person didn't like the song, but if so then why?  Well, there's no answer, of course, because there was no answer.  Or, was it something else?  Hmm.  As you can see, this is a lot of wasted energy that's brought about by someone else's lack of consideration, to be frank, and nothing to do with me personally.  Luckily, I'm experienced enough (aka old) to be able to talk myself off of my own ledge.  It also leaves me rather inclined to raise two middle fingers towards said individual.

I know we live in an age where especially younger folk think that "ghosting" is not just easier but completely appropriate.  Well, let me tell you...it's not.  In fact, it's things like that which have been bringing our society down all around us for years now.  So please, stop contributing to the problem and, er, do the right thing....for it's everyone's responsibility, whether you think so or not, to be decent to those around you.  After all, that is the simplest task we can do and it actually doesn't take that much effort.

I know we're all guilty of forgetting to follow up in a timely manner with someone, myself included, at one point or another.  Again, it's called being human and being caught up in this lunacy that we tend to call "life", and it's okay to an extent.  Still, let's collectively do what we can to be kind to one another.  I think we need that more now than ever.

Let's Face It - Movie Theaters are Doomed

I keep hearing the annoying question all the time about "what do we have to do to get people back in the theaters", and "...the film industry is in trouble...", "...this is a crisis...", and so on.  These questions are always strangely posed as a consumer related issue, and whereas I don't disagree that there are certainly problems, I'm not sure the consumer is solely to blame.

I just came from a movie theater for the first time since before COVID and I'll tell you this...I don't plan on returning.  Seeing a movie in a theater, specifically a mega plex, meaning an AMC or Regal, etc. is just the biggest pile of you know what ever.  Why on Earth would I WANT to do this on a regular basis??

Here, let me explain.  First off, you have to reserve a seat, of course.  Why?  Beats the hell out of me because 50% of the time I arrive and some dufus is either sitting in my seat or like tonight they take the seat literally right next to me while the entire rest of the row is empty.  I mean, seriously?  And so, I end up sitting in a different seat...so why did I reserve a seat again?  Not sure.

Next, I had the pleasure of sitting through 35 minutes of commercials, AMC pat on the back reels (talking about how amazing their theater was...wow), and the most god awful movie previews ever imagined (I actually thought 2 of them were a practical joke).  The scheduled time of the film was 7:45pm; it finally started at 8:20pm.  What was the win here exactly?  Nothing, because none of it was anything but complete torture, marketing, and just to be clear...when I watch a film at home, um, the film starts when I intend to watch it and press 'play'.

Then, there's the seat itself.  You know, these supposedly comfy reclining chairs?  If you ask me, they're gross (always strangely warm) and just kind of ridiculous but honestly they're the least of my complaints in the grand scheme.  However, if I want the seating to resemble something from my living room, then why not just actually BE in my living room?!  Hmm.

And so, to the film industry, I am going to give you the SECRET to resolving your movie going problems and ongoing questions.  If you really want to solve the movie theater going problem, you should:

1) Go back to the old movie theater format.  Please tear down all the mega plexes and never, I repeat never, build another.  At the most, a theater should show 4 movies in 4 different theaters all of the relative same size.  Preferably, movies should be shown in the old preserved theaters that are still standing, making absolutely no need for any goofy new theaters.

2) Get rid of reserved seating.  No one likes it and it simply has no purpose except for being a pain in the *ss, requiring people to purchase tickets online, jump through a bunch of hoops, and so on.

3) Stop trying to entice the masses with offering alcohol, wider food menus, and the idiotic "we'll deliver it to your seat" idea that tonight's theater had.  If you can't handle getting your popcorn on the way in, it must not be very important to you so please do without.

4) Stop making everything a touchless and digital experience.  If I'm going to a theater, believe it or not I actually want a little bit of human interaction on some level here and there.

5) And, last but certainly not least, and this one is not to be missed...  Above all...start focusing on making intellectually stimulating, interesting, daring, and overall creative films again.  Stop the nonsense; stop the dumbing down of plots; stop the pointless action films; stop the never ending idiotic sequels; stop trying to turn films into an amusement park ride experience; and for god sake's stop the super heroes already.  Hire real writers who actually have ideas and who can actually write a script.  Then, allow directors and film makers to do what they do best - create art.  Period.  Yes, it's really that simple.  "If you build it, they will come".  Let's not forget those immortal words...ironically taken from a film, of course.

The film I saw tonight was beyond awful ("The Shrouds") but only made worse by the entire AMC Theater experience.  It also set me back about $40 for one person including the so-so popcorn and medium drink.  The mass exodus out of the theater really isn't only about the money, though.  There's simply nothing appealing about the experience and that's exactly the problem.  Change it already.

Of course, there IS ownership on the audiences as well.  We need to put the damn phones down, start paying attention, start being courteous to one another, and start allowing art to flow through us again for without it we're becoming a mere shell of what we once were, in fact we're moving closer and closer to looking like the very AI we all fear.  At this rate, AI will be more real than us.  Scary.

  

We're Being Invaded by...Bunnies?

Something very strange is hitting the internet this year and it's something I can't really get my head around.  Maybe it's just me (probably not) but almost everywhere I turn online I'm seeing this:

I mean...wtf?!  It's some bizarre ad for a "robot bunny", apparently "taking the internet by storm" or so they claim.  Um...huh??  I mean, why?!

I've said this countless times before but I'll say it again:  at times like this, I don't feel like I'm a human being nor of this planet.  For example, I can tell you firsthand that I have absolutely, positively, without any doubt in my life no reason or desire at all to have a robot bunny crawling around my house.  In fact, the mere concept of it boggles my brain.  Why would ANYONE want a robot bunny doing a limp hop throughout their home?!

Yeah, sure, it's Spring...Easter is on the near horizon, and so on, but how in the hell does that equate to a robot bunny?  In my head at least, "Spring != Robot Bunny", to put it in technical terms, nor do I see how that equation is changed to a positive for anyone.  Ah, but then again, this leads me to my other old rant about none other than marketing, something that I've simply never understood...ever.

Going back to my comment about not feeling human, I'll openly admit that I often hum or sing along to various ditties from commercials, etc., and may even say something akin to the fact that I really like a specific commercial or presentation.  What I don't do because of this, however, is buy the actual product...unless I'm already buying the product, if you know what I mean.  To be even more blunt, half the time I know the song/ditty really well but have no clue what the product actually is or what it's for.  In other words, marketing for the most part simply doesn't work on me nor do I think it ever really has except for possibly when I was really young, like pre 20's.  Ever since then, however, I simply feel rather immune to it and often wonder why companies waste the money.

It's then that it hits me...SOMEBODY is  buying the product due to these stupid commercials, right?  I mean, if no one bought it, they wouldn't advertise!  So, bringing this back to the bunny above, some damn fool out there is clicking on this idiotic looking robot bunny and then possibly purchasing it.  Why you ask?  Beats the living sh*t out of me.  All I can tell you, though, is that if YOU'RE that person, well, you're ruining it for all of us since we all now have to suffer from watching this goofy little yellow bunny hoppin' around on our screens.  Also, just for the record, I'm not sure bunnies actually come in the color yellow either - sorry, I just needed to throw that in there as well.

Seriously, folks, we need to wise up as a population and stop the madness.  There have been a lot of proposed boycotts lately but how about we all just agree at the very least to boycott the robot bunny?!  Ah, that would be a dream most certainly.

They're Coming for your Keys

Let's be honest:  lots of things in our day to day lives have been under attack for awhile now.  Why?  Well, there are various reasons, some I think fairly misguided but with good intent, but sometimes I can't even wrap my head around what could possibly be the gain.  Even better, it's hard to know the 'who' and the 'when' behind the attack, and so we're all basically becoming completely paranoid 100% of the time that some mystery person(s) is going to jump on us at any moment from anywhere and for any reason.  It's kind of akin to one of my cats that's always on guard, as if some mystery animal is going to fall from the sky, perhaps by parachute, at any given moment simply with the intent to scare the living hell out of her.  Yes, it's exactly like that, actually.

So, what now, right?  It's the CTRL key.  Yes, you read that correctly...the damn CTRL key, the one on the right side of your keyboard, to be specific.  If you're like me and aren't regularly subscribed to the latest keyboard related news (and why would you be...that's quite a question in itself), you won't learn of this bizarre attack until you purchase a new, say, laptop in particular, and you'll go to do something akin to a CTRL 'A'  or a CTRL 'C' and find, low and behold, there's no CTRL key to do this with.  Yes, that's right, it's been 'repurposed', now with that annoying little Microsoft CoPilot icon, their latest invention that they're pushing on us in every new version of Windows, um, without asking us, of course.

So, then, how do you do a CTRL 'C' exactly?  Well, I guess they expect you to stray from standard typing and do it all on one hand in 2 separate annoying keystrokes...OR...right click the mouse in about 3 keystrokes.  Makes sense, huh?!  Let's slow down all productivity so that we all have access to this annoying new 'feature' that at least most of us a) didn't ask for and b) are desperately trying to remove off of our taskbars in the first place.  Wow.  Yes, this IS the world we live in now, sad to say.  We've finally become a nation of "please, break everything that's currently working more than adequately".  Hmm.

Now, there are apparently work arounds, one being installing some new program called Microsoft PowerToys.  Yes, you read that correctly...PowerToys.  I know what you're thinking, and I know exactly what that name made me think of.  Hah hah.  I can only imagine this was the developer's personal inside joke, not unlike the old "Little Mermaid" phallic symbol on the VHS tape cover ploy by a disgruntled employee.  The bad news is that the PowerToys workaround is not working on my laptop, and did I mention that this is my work laptop?!  Yes, that makes it even worse considering I use the right CTRL button about a thousand times a day in my work life.  I mean, I use the left CTRL key way less than the right one...couldn't you guys at least take that one instead??  Can we at least negotiate which key on my keyboard you will needlessly hold hostage?!  That'll probably be next,  you know...where you'll have to pay a ransom fee to get access to the keys you're used to.

And so, the moral of the story is that truly nothing is apparently safe anymore, and my cat had the right idea all along, waiting for the mystery parachute animal to fall at any second.  I've always said you can learn a lot from animals...so there.