On The Topic of The Good Parts

When I was a kid growing up in Texas, I spent most of my time outside
I was barefoot 99 percent of the time, as there is no better feeling in the world.
We had a steer farm across the street from the last place we lived
We would go over there, reach through the barbed wire fence and pet bulls the size of beds.
I remember, when it was my fourth birthday, we got taken to a sort of indoor amusement place.
I don't remember what it was called, but to this day I still remember what the rides were like and what we all did.
I grew up playing lots of games on the SEGA Genesis.
We always had videogame consoles in the house, no matter where we were.

Anyway
Where the babysitters lived, it seemed like a desert.
Just sand everywhere. Thin, soft sand that felt great on bare feet.
The kind of sand that would get into every nook and cranny on your body as you chased horned lizards across the sand to try and see if you could get them to shoot blood out of their eyes like they were rumored to be able to do.
The roads looked like they stretched to infinity and you would just wonder what's at the end of the road, if it ever did end.

Hmm.
Hmm hmmm hmmm

Despite all the circumstances,
Despite all of the dark times,

I got to be a kid
even if it was just a little bit

Goodnight, loves.

Zach

On The Topic of Movie Critics

First off, I would like to send all of my regards and thoughts to the recently passed Roger Ebert. God Bless that man.

And now, my friends, it's time to chat.  I hate hate HATE Rotten Tomatoes. I hate regular tomatoes, too. So don't feed those to me.
"But Zach! The critics are smarter than us and know movies better than we could ever possibly comprehend!"

WRONG, CHILD!

Honestly, I cannot express just how much I despise movie critics.
I mean, seriously, is there some kind of contest to see just who can be different by insulting a movie that is both financially successful and popular among viewers?  More often than not, I'll go to a movie and be all "Wow, that was really great. Sure, the plot was simple and the action was over the top, but I enjoyed it."
Isn't that what movies are supposed to be for?  ENTERTAINMENT?!
Why can't some movies just be a mindless adventure romp a la G.I. Joe?
Why does every movie have to have a million different sub plots that are also allegories to war and such?
One could just accept that life isn't always that complex, and that some movies can the be cinematic equivalent of hanging out with a friend for a while.
But no.
You go on to any movie review website and all you see is "Oh, I feel that this movie does not live up to the grandiose expectations I have set for the world of cinema, so I shall go on about every last detail of this movie that isn't like another movie that I happen to like."
Sure, everyone has their tastes and all that, but aren't movie reviewers supposed to be objective, or did I miss that memo?
When did reviewing movies turn into "Let's pretend that we're better than all of the millions of people who enjoyed the movie because we don't like some tiny, tiny detail."?
Yeesh.
The point I'm trying to make is that not every movie has to be a lengthy, layered masterpiece.
Trust me, if they were, nobody would even care to watch them.

Tally-ho, mewdles.

Zach

On The Topic of Over and Through

For those of you who know me personally, you know that my life is a borderline God damn Lifetime movie.
Some people, when they decide that my past makes them feel too uncomfortable, or that they don't want to hear it anymore, say something. What they say is always the same thing.

"Get over it."

I've pondered this phrase for a while now, analyzing just what 'getting over' something means.  Does it mean that you treat the experiences in question as a sort of hill? A hill that you just climb over, never looking back to acknowledge that it was there?  Maybe I'm just stubborn as all hell, but I can't bring myself to be one of those people who just decides to ignore any form of adversity they have experienced and treat it as though it never happened.  I understand the mentality, don't get me wrong, I just don't agree with it.

This brings us to the title of this post, my kittens.
What is the difference between getting 'over' something and getting 'through' something?

As described before, I see "getting over" something as a kind of "just pretend it never happened and ignore all aspects of it, making whatever conclusion you see fit."

I find "getting through" to be the tougher, but more closure-providing option.  Getting through something takes one hell of a lot longer than just getting over it.  It is tougher than ignoring the past as well. I mean, you end up having to examine every last facet of the adversity and forming your own conclusions based on evidence that is presented.  However, this can lead to you having to come to terms with some things you would never want to admit, such as:

"He did care at some point."
"She's not a hero."
"We weren't saved."

It can be difficult and depressing, but the closure provided far surpasses anything that you can achieve by just  'getting over it'.  Having inner peace while knowing the truth about what you've been through is fantastic.

The point here being, not everyone can just say "Oop, the bad isn't here anymore, so therefore it never happened and I will not feel anything from it". Some of us have to work through things before we can stop looking back.

Til next time, sweethearts,

Zach

On The Topic of Tears

How about an anecdote?

Once upon a time, there were some folks camping out at a campfire. These folks happened to be quite intoxicated and, as you know, dear reader, intoxication leads to certain individuals becoming a soft, opened clam of information.  So, the night goes on and all of the people at the campfire end up discussing certain tragedies in their lives and the whole situation ends up deteriorating to the point where everyone is a weepy eyed mess. Everyone except one person. This one person says, "I cried enough about my ex girlfriend, so I don't cry anymore about things."

And that, my lovelies, brings us to the topic of Post the First.

Everybody cries. It's a simple fact that everyone knows.

I fail to understand why some individuals just refuse to cry.

Why cut yourself off from the physical aspect of strong emotions, be they joy or despair?

Why deny yourself the release of crying when you are hit with such a flood of emotions?

Because you cried due to someone you regret you were involved with romantically?

Because you spent so much of your life crying for the bad people to stop?

To be frank, it doesn't make any sense as to why one would emotionally cripple themselves, so to speak, just to show how much they've moved on from whatever used to make them cry.

Maybe it's a masculinity thing.

On The Topic of The Title Of This Blog

Hemingway's Shotgun?
Pretty morbid, huh.
Don't worry, kids. I'm not going to pull a Hemingway on you or anything just yet.
I decided on this name, as I find my mind to be near overflowing to the point that I fear it may one day burst, a la Ernest Hemingway. Albeit, not as deliberately.
You'll find that all of the posts are titled as "On The Topic of..." and have a secret order that you, dear reader may one day discover!
I do hope that you all enjoy the thoughts floating around in my brain and what not.
Goodnight my kittens,

Zach