RandomCha

I knew I would irritate everyone yesterday when I dropped hints about “spoiling” the new Harry Potter book. But what I actually wanted to write about was NPR’s morning broadcast yesterday. First they had a fairly-lengthly story about the concept of spoilers, those who vociferously guard themselves against any foreknowledge as well as those who revel in them. It was related of course to Sunday night’s final episode of “The Sopranos.” The correspondent took great pains not to go into what transpired.

About fifteen minutes later, during the usual “top stories at the top of the morning” segment, they reported on this final episode. AND THEY SAID EXACTLY WHAT AND WHAT DID NOT HAPPEN DURING SAID EPISODE.

It was such a monumental gaffe that it filled me with glee.

*evil grin*

Spoilers are fun. I’m going to try and post a whopper when the new Harry Potter book comes out.

This morning NPR had a story on the release of Hostel 2 and the other so-called ‘torture porn’ movies that have been popping up regularly at the multiplexes for the past several years now. That is, since 9/11. Now Eli Roth was interviewed and of course he tried to spin things his way, saying that the Hostel movies are just inspired by what we see in the papers and on the news everyday, blah blah blah. Bullshit. It’s exploitation, pure and simple. It’s a million miles away from the horror films of Cronenberg and Romero, which are equally “graphic” (at least in spots) but have a much more nuanced, complex message. A more intelligent relationship between what the images SHOW US and what they MEAN.

This subject is fruitful enough to yield a whole book (and I’m sure someone is working on it already).

The other thing that I’ve noticed is that films like this are all pushing their R-rating about as far as it can go. In fact, I’d argue they push it far beyond the limits of what ought to be rated R. How can this stuff get an R while films like Mysterious Skin and  A Dirty Shame are nearly awarded NC-17s? Poltics, pure and simple: graphic violence is one thing, satirical (or realistic) sex is another.

If Pasolini had released Salo today instead of in the 70’s, it would have been seen completely differently. It might have even been a box office hit.

I crave a nap right now in the worst way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH2byT7Exvc
Whoa. Awesome. I wish I could get an mp3 of it …

I’m back. Now the catch-up begins. I’m looking forward to Ocean’s Thirteen this weekend; I don’t care what anyone says.

I will be ready to leave tomorrow. Whenever I visit my parents, this always happens. After two days everything about them begins to annoy me. The FOX News watching. The anti-NPR comments. The constant snacking and offers of food from morning till night. The anti-city diatribes. 

The money talk. Especially the money talk. I found out that if my father dies, my mother gets a $700,000 life insurance policy, and about $300,000 in sundry assets. In other words, she’ll suddenly have more money than most people make in an entire lifetime. And she’s worried that it may not be enough to “support” her “current lifestyle.”

Hafta go now … can’t get started on this right now …

Slow-smoked BBQ brisket, green and yellow wax beans with sauteed scallion and toasted almonds, twice-baked potatoes, IBC root beer. Then, for dessert, coffee and magic cookie bars.

That was dinner tonight. Everything tastes good, and so I will return to Chicago on Tuesday several pounds heavier.

I did some thrift store shopping with my mom today. She bought nothing. I bought an H. P. Lovecraft book and 3 records for $1.08. This morning I thought fondly of Andy, because Night of the Comet was on the Sci-Fi channel this morning and I watched most of it.

My brother arrived this morning. Right now, everyone but me is at church. We have not had the “big conversation” yet. All we’ve talked about is what meals we’re going to have the whole weekend, where we’re going to have brunch tomorrow. This is how my family works. I’m just going to take things as they come; they’ll bring it up when they want to.

Before driving to Estes Park yesterday I stopped at a thrift store in Wheat Ridge. I picked up “Pet Sounds” on CD, a Thomas Tryon novel (haven’t ever read him) and “The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.” Score!

It’s really peaceful up here, but so Republican and conservative I can’t even think about it. My parents still have their BUSH/CHENEY ’04 bumpersticker on the minivan. Estes Park is like the GOP inversion of rural Vermont.

Thanks to everyone who’s been checking in with me. I think the weekend will go fine. Aside from the whole “my father has terminal cancer” thing, I’m really looking forward to driving a car again (which usually only happens about once a year) and playing CDs while driving, and the time off from work, and seeing my grandmother for an early dinner tonight. Though for the life of me I can’t think of anywhere I’d like to eat that’s in Lakewood or Wheat Ridge, where she lives. The Ralston Road Cafe is a bit faraway but if I can’t think of anywhere else I guess we’ll go there.

An early dinner with Grandma Rosemary and then the drive up to Estes Park. It will still be light out. Up in Estes it’s rainy and in the 50’s. Sounds blissful; I do not like when it’s 90% humidity and 85.

Ciao for now.

Things are suddenly happening very fast, and very slow. My father had been having pains so he went in for some exams, then x-rays, an MRI and a CAT scan. And a biopsy, last Friday. He has four growths on his liver and another outside his stomach cavity and it’s been confirmed that they’re cancerous.

I heard most of this over the phone with my mom on Friday afternoon. She told me that my brother was flying out to Colorado this Friday (in two days) after work, staying till Tuesday. I said I would think about doing the same. That night Andy and I happened to watch Best Boy on DVD, and for some reason it was the convincer. My family hasn’t been particularly close since I came out, which was around the same time my brother’s life began to get screwy. Seeing the movie, I knew I would go to Colorado too. On Saturday morning I found an incredibly cheap round trip ticket/rental car package and booked it. I’m flying out Friday and I’ll be there until Tuesday.

It will be nice for all four of us to be in one place at the same time. That hasn’t happened since Christmas of 2005. I’m sure there’ll be some conversations “about the future,” and I’ll feel way too old and adultlike. It’s weird: everything feels so distant right up until the moment when it doesn’t, and feels incredibly close.

Just now I’ve talked with my dad on the phone. He was able to see the specialist today. The growths, some of which are the size of a fist, are inoperable, getting bigger, and terminal. However there are three new cancer drugs (all introduced within the last three years) that have been shown to be amazingly effective. A twice-a-day dose, for the rest of his life, will stop the tumors from growing and over time will actually shrink them so small that they won’t even be visible with a CAT scan.

These drugs cost $8000 a month. My father has no insurance.

There are programs in place through the drug companies and there’s a good chance that he might be able to get the drugs completely free. It involves filling out reams of paperwork and an analysis of his income. My father said that he could have an answer as early as next week.

I don’t feel a lot of anger right now, or despair, or helplessness. Part of me feels like a sick and twisted grin over the fact that my parents, who have vociferously railed against socialized medicine in all its forms for as long as I can remember, will now directly experience the consequences of our idiotic lack of universal heath care. I don’t know what that makes me, exactly. I guess it makes me glad that I’m in good health.