A Man Named Dana

Ahh, the joys of being unemployed.

I've been without full-time job benefits now for five months. That means, most significantly, that I'm paying for my own health insurance through my previous employer.

I thought it'd be a good thing to get my own health insurance. I did some research and applied for a Minnesota Blue Cross Blue Shield policy earlier this month. I received notice yesterday that I was being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions: higher cholesterol, sleep apnea, and dysthymia. That I've never spent a night in the hospital since 1963 nor had any broken bones or any other major medical treatment means nothing to a huge health insurance corporation. My minor medical conditions are controlled with proper therapy so I can avoid larger problems later on in life. I would think that is just smart preventitive care on my part. BCBS sees it differently--I'm just a liability not worth insuring.

So if I had some real major medical problems how the hell would I qualify for insurance? Call me naive, but I was under the impression that you could buy anything in America if only you had enough money. I guess for-profit insurance firms that take risks on a daily basis need to draw lines somewhere in their business. I never thought that I'd find myself on the other side of that line so soon at my age.

Is it any wonder that health care in America is messed up?

Too bad I can't join AARP yet... I'm too young for that but too old to still have good enough health to be insurable. This is just like being a teenager all over again--too young to drink but old enough to die fighting for your country.

Where's the respect? Where's the reward?

Finally a day away from the cinema.

After a solid week of work at cinema multiplexes I can take a few hours off for myself to catch up on neglected household chores. Plus, I'm going to kick back for a while and do absolutely nothing.

Maybe I'll go to a movie. I've yet to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Scary Movie 3. I haven't heard a lot of good things about either one and the reviews don't hold out much hope for anything too substantial in either film. Remember: the better the movie trailer, the better the chance of the actual film sucking.

That's the problem of having one day off sometimes: you just can't decide what the hell to do with all the time. Ha.

I should just sleep, but that's a problem for me most of the time. I'm happy to report that my new Select Comfort bed is working great--it's just that I'm not making enough time for sleep in my daily schedule.

I can sleep when I'm dead.

This one goes out to all my friends: East Coast, West Coast, Sweden, Fargo, Moorhead, or wherever else you may be at this moment.

I am, undoubtedly, the worst friend in the world when it comes to keeping in touch. It's been worse than usual lately because of my grueling schedule. For instance, I just walked in my front door a couple of minutes ago after 14 hours on the job(s). It's 2 a.m. my time as I write this post. Tomorrow I'll slog through another 12 hours of fun and adventure. As many of you know, I work like a fiend, i.e., long hours for little pay at more than one job. I virtually have no personal time for me unless you count sleeping, bathing, and eating.

Why do I work so much? Partly because: a) I have no life; b) bills never shrink away; and c) I am good at what I do. Working brings me satisfaction that I don't get from anything else in life. Since I was a wee lad I've always been working at something be it a paper route or mowing lawns--you name it, I've done it. Now, I'm too damn old to do anything but work myself into the grave. My life as it is right now is how it will always be. My dreams of fame and fortune are nothing but faded delusions now. Twenty years from now I'll still be handing out video cameras to skater dudes and picking up popcorn bags from theater floors. While all of you go on to great and rewarding lives I will be the lonely loser who remains locked forever in the past and always wondering what his life could have been like "if only...."

But that's okay. It's my fate and my curse. I accept it.

This is as good as it gets.

Do you love the '80's as much as VH1 does? If so, you've gotta check out their tribute to the 80's: "I Love the 80's Strikes Back". I've been catching a couple of episodes the last day or so and its pretty good stuff.

Did we really look, sound, and act like that? Thank heavens I was just a small boy during that decade. Ha... No, not really small, just immature and naive to the max. For sure. Totally.

Don't forget to set your DVD recorders for the new episodes of "South Park" which begin tomorrow (10/22) night.

I'm also looking forward to Season 3 of the FOX hit "24" which starts next Tuesday, October 28th. What happened to President Palmer anyway? Will his evil wife return? Why is Jack Bauer wearing a suit? Let's hope they give us some answers.

Of course, the biggest event this week is the premiere of Scary Movie 3. This film is likely to suck because of Dana's Rule #1: If a movie trailer looks great the probability of the film actually being great is virtually nil.

But what else do you have to do this weekend but watch crappy movies and football?

Ciao!

Me so tired. Wheeeeee!!!

I feel the earth move under my feet...

Sleep. Not much longer before I'm insane. Hmmm, if I'm insane will I know it? Maybe I'll think I'm sane but yet wallowing in insanity?

It's going to be another long day on Sunday followed by more insanity on Monday. I've definitely taken on too much these past few days. I just need to make some important decisions regarding my jobs and the time I have for everything else.

Things used to be so much simpler. Now it's all wack and I'm no longer in control of anything. Could we please go back to 1999 and how things used to be? Most of you I'm guessing are eagerly looking forward to the rest of your lives. Not me. I'm just putting in time here on planet Earth without any expectations of tomorrow. Hell, in ten minutes another day will be gone and we'll all be that much closer to the final curtain.

But I'm just rambling without much reason. Maybe five hours of sleep will add enough perspective so it begins to make some sense.

Let's hope so.

The Blue Man Group concert was fantastic. If you have a chance to see them perform sometime you must absolutely go. I highly recommend it.

Check out their music too. Their latest album, The Complex, is an interesting mix of synth rock, drums, and simple vocals. The group has collaborated with a number of other artists on this album, including Dave Matthews, Tracy Bonham, and Gavin Rossdale, among others.

Next week holds the release of the long-awaited The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark/The Temple of Doom/The Last Crusade) trilogy on DVD. Although I already own all three films on laser disc, it'll be good to have them on the higher quality format with the extra goodies.

Opening this week at your local googleplex cinema is one film I've been dying to see for a while: Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The trailer looks and sounds awesome so it has a chance to be more than the usual hack-and-slash kind of film. Plus, the film features that fine military thespian, R. Lee Ermey. Who can forget his memorable performance in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket?

Now where did I put my chainsaw?

Well, it has been one very interesting weekend for me.

I went into it thinking I had everything all set in my work and *BAM*, it all changed in just two days. For the better this time I assure you. So, what, exactly, am I talking about?

I accepted the position of assistant manager at West Acres Cinema. The offer came as a total surprise. I mean, it wasn't anything I was seeking and I had no idea that I was even under consideration for the job. Okay, so its not as huge as it would be had I been appointed CEO of Microsoft, but that's not going to happen to me anyway so I might as well take an opportunity when it rears up in my face. I'm pretty sure I can do this and it seems that others think I can too.

You may ask yourself, "how does D.T.M fit all this work into his day?" Good question. A long time ago I realized that there is a LOT of slack time in a human being's lifespan, even if you have a family or another time-consuming activity. So, why not maximize your return on those empty hours by working as much as possible? That and minimizing (or eliminating) sleep and other basic human functions let you take full advantage of all 24 hours in the day.

But that won't stop me from going with with my good friend Ann (I've mentioned her before in this blog) to see Blue Man Group perform in concert tonight. I am really excited. Really, really, really.

The key, my readers, is in time management.

Kill Bill, the latest offering from acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino, offers a lot of eye candy for the buck but not much more. Tarantino's favorite actress, the always delicious Uma Thurman, holds our attention as the film's central character, Black Mamba, for nearly every minute of the film's 110 minutes. Revenge is her motivation and nothing, not even a four-year coma, is going to stop this gutsy hero from her mission.

Tarantino is the master of detail and it really shows here. All the supporting details are perfect: the music, the cinematography, the production design, etc... Less perfect is the story and narrative structure. Sure, it's typical Tarantino: simple, raw emotions taken to violent conclusions. But its all rather soulessly presented in a glorification of the bloody action with no apparent thought of redemption. The film is pure cartoon violence that serves to desensitize our innate revulsion to blood and violence. Torsos, limbs, and other appendages are hacked off on screen in full, arterial-spurting glory. In one monumental battle sequence reminscent of the Agent Smith vs. Neo sequence from The Matrix: Reloaded, dozens of black-clad baddies attack Black Mamba from every angle. With swift skill and strong steel blade she hacks her way through the crowd much like a teppanyaki chef at work. It's classic Tarantino overkill, of course, but it's violence for violence's sake and adds little to our understanding of the character. By the time we get to this scene in the film we're already aware of her superior skills with martial arts and the blade. Why prolong the point with a bloody battle that doesn't advance the plot?

Kill Bill is every martial arts/revenge film of cinema history reimagined for modern audiences.

Enjoy!

Theatre work is really hard on shoes. So are a lot of other jobs, too. It's the combination of pop syrup, butter, cleaning agents, and concrete floors that take their toll on most any kind of shoe I've ever worn at work.

The only solution is to keep buying shoes every six months.

So last week I picked up a new pair of New Balance cross-trainers at Kohl's (my mother's favorite clothing store). They fit nicely at the store. But all this past week, as I've been "breaking" them in to the theatre life, I've been having some problems with the right shoe. It just doesn't seem to be as wide as the left one. Maybe my feet are of asymmetrical proportions or, more likely, the shoes are just a tad mismatched.

The result is a painful blister on the top of my right foots' outside toe, where the toenail meets the first knuckle. I could try and stretch the shoe a little more or even return it for a better fit. The store has a pretty tough policy on returning worn shoes though so I may not have that option.

The ultimate solution may just be to belly up to the bar and have a beer. Not surprisingly there is a web site for competitive beer drinkers, the United States Beer Drinking Team. I'm not yet a member, but I will be shortly as soon as I finish this post.

Skol!

Beautiful summer weather outside today. It's October. The leaves have turned shades of russet and scarlet. Can winter be far behind?

There really isn't anything new in my life these days. Sure, I'm starting my new part-time job tomorrow, but that's just another brick in the wall, so to speak, of my life. More work and less play--that's my motto. I've even been thinking about getting a paper route. If I could only forego sleep entirely I'd be in a much better frame of mind.

The trip to see my sister was great: good flights, nice food, beautiful weather, and loving family. But when its all over you still have to return home to the old routine.

Meanwhile, I still continue to play the lottery. You need to dream, right?

There really is no place like home. I love to travel but there is something very comforting about sleeping in your own bed with your favorite Teddy Bear at your side.

I start a new job next week. It's in television but not in an area I've worked with before, but that's totally cool. It's time for this "old" dog to learn a few new tricks.

I'm still putting in plenty of hours at my other jobs so my free time is pretty scarce. In fact, I'm working twice as much for half as much money. I guess that suggests that I was being overpaid before my job layoff last May, but I am really not trying to make that point. It's just an ironic observation about the state of jobs in this town. Sure, I could move away and probably get a job in my area of expertise, but I've got a great house and a lot of fantastic friends to keep me in clover for the rest of my life.

You adjust and move on when life throws you a curve. Right?

One source of inspiration is a humorous web site that my friend Ann alerted me to today, take a peek here.

The rest I just make up as I go along.

Later!