The Writer's Poke

Perhaps what fascinates me most about Vanessa Carlton's song "I Don't Want to Be a Bride" is the idea of "want" itself. Do people "want" to be married? Statistics show that 80% of people marry at least once by age 40. And on average, women tend to marry at a younger age than men. Averages and statistics do not address the issue of "want," however. Marriage is a social institution designed to regulate a biological drive. That doesn't sound very sexy, but that's what it is, and to deny the social pressure to marry, or to deny the biological drive to pair and mate is to overlook a fundamental reality. In other words, to suggest that people "want" to marry is incorrect. People marry simply because it's a societal expectation and/or because they are driven to marry, in part, by biology. With regard to marriage, it seems that the only real way to utilize free agency would be to reject marriage all-together. Disclai...

In 1997, Kevin called me. The call was unexpected, as I hadn't seen nor heard from him in six years. I don't recall that we talked for long; he was just checking in because he had had a dream, and in this dream, I died. His call was just to make sure I wasn't dead. Although we have since become friends on facebook, I don't think Kevin has ever posted anything to my wall, and we've never exchanged emails. I'm not expecting another phone call anytime soon, either, as it's been fourteen years now since the last one. And then last night, he was in a dream of mine. In my dream, he didn't die. Instead, we were at the Mattoon, Illinois, Amtrack station, except it looked and felt more like Dante's Inferno. First class patrons used the train above ground, but the station had nine lower stations below ground. Kevin and I had first class tickets, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I went from station to station, all the way down to the lowest-level . ...

If this didn't result in the end of mankind, then probably nothing ever will...

Rudolf Schenker, Scorpions Marie Fredriksson, Roxette

Addiction is one of those funny words that has fallen into imprecise, general usage. Can someone really be addicted to Cheetos, for example? But when we are questioned about eating the whole bag, we might excuse our gluttony by saying, "These things are so addictive!" Granted, addictions are real, but what is the difference between an addiction and a lack of willpower? And, are all "addictions" necessarily negative? I have a passion for reading and travel and writing, but could I ever be addicted to these things? What about people? Can we be addicted to people? Does such a concept even make sense? I guess the overuse of the term bothers me, because it removes individual control, while at the same time apologizing for conduct that might be viewed as wrong by others. This weekend, I came home to find my white cat with an orange face. Apparently she likes Cheetos, too, but she never claimed to be addicted to them. What are your addictions? "Just caus...

In Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park , Ace Frehley had a black fill-in/stunt double. This was quite noticeable, to say the least, every time the "black Ace" appeared on screen. Now it has come out that Mila Kunis used a butt body double in her new film Friends with Benefits . Here's the difference: Mila was involved in the selection process of finding her derriere double, and she wanted to make sure that the butt selected matches the butt that is attached to her torso. In other words, when audiences watch Friends with Benefits , they will assume that the butt on screen is Mila's. The butt will not stick out like a black Ace Frehley. So, if Mila is willing to let audiences assume that the butt is in fact the genuine article, why didn't she just shoot the scenes herself? Someone should take the time to get to the bottom of this. After all, the film is promoting Mila Kunis, including her butt. Some generic butt is not what fans are paying good money to see. It...

I had this weird idea: Hitchcock driving a Beetle...

I can go days without seeing a single vampire. And to be completely honest, I cannot confirm that I’ve ever seen a real-life blood-sucker. Is there something wrong with me? Do vampires exist? If so, how do they manage to stay so well hidden from the general human population? If vampires made themselves known, a majority of people would most likely scoff and doubt. Because while many people are plugged into the vampire fantasy, accepting a vampire reality is a different story. Although I’m fairly open-minded, I don’t actually believe in vampires. I’m not even agnostic about it, really. Vampires don’t exist, and yet, I can see them in my imagination. In that sense, vampires are quite real. The problem with imagination, however, is that sometimes people forget what they can see in their minds’ eye exists only in that realm. And yet, even though vampires “speak” to hearts of many, it’s a voice detached from actual physical form. It is a voice that has, over time, filled a void. In o...

Do you remember Brokeback Mountain ? It won 3 Academy Awards, and according to wikipedia, it is one of the top 10 grossing romances of all time. But have you ever heard someone say, "Gee, let's make some popcorn and pop in Brokeback Mountain "? No, you have not. This is a movie that is good for one required viewing, but it's not a movie that most people will want to watch again and again and again. I don't mean to pick on Brokeback Mountain . Other movies that fit in this "just watch once" category include Million Dollar Babies and The Sixth Sense. For a variety of reasons, some movies are the equivilent of "one-view wonders." Of course some people feel the same way about the Grand Canyon. See it once, and you never need to go back. It might be the "bucketlist mentality." Watch it, do it, check it off, and move on. On the other hand, people often watch other "lower quality" films over and over and over. Harold and Kum...

Dokken has been around for 30 years, but I'm actually one of those rare birds that just picked them up five years ago. So, who are the core Dokken fans? Does a core even exist? Last night they played a free outdoor show in Rochester, and probably a few hundred people came out. Some came to see Dokken, sure, but a lot of people just came out because it was something free to do. The first three people sitting in front of me, for example, read through the entire show. The woman in the above picture read a magazine, even after it got too dark to read. And the couple to our right were each reading novels. Something tells me that none of them had any idea who Dokken is, but I could be wrong...

"If your order is accurate on the screen, please pull to the first window." It was, and I did. But when I left McDonalds, I had to wonder. How close to my order did they come? 1. I ordered a Hamburger Happy Meal with Apple Dippers and Chocolate milk. 2. Drive-Thru gave me two Happy Meal boxes, but no drinks for either. 3. When I looked inside the first box, I found one Hamburger Happy Meal, but with fries. 4. In the other, I found McNuggets, but no side. And, it was a 6-piece order, not the 4-piece standard with Happy Meals. Secondary observation: On the Drive-Thru window, McDonalds was advertising for workers. The ad was in Spanish.

Lullacry did a song called "Crucify My Heart" a few years ago. I didn't realize that this was now a common expression, but here's Danish group Private doing a song by the title of, well, "Crucify My Heart." I like this video because it looks like it will be gothic. Of course the sound is anything but. The dude singing reminds me of a white (scratch that) Danish Michael Jackson.

I would like to re-invent the Bible. Actually, I would like to invite the best writers -- scientists, historians, philosophers, psychologists, politicians, novelists, etc. -- to take a stab at the themes in one "book" of their choice from the Bible. Imagine, for example, if Richard Dawkins wrote an essay chapter called "Genesis," or if Al Gore wrote an essay chapter called "Revelation"? I'm not suggesting that these authors just revise the books of the Bible they take on as their assignments. Instead, think about how a Positive Psychologist might explain the concept of optimism with the essay chapter called "Job." Think about how philosophers might handle the message expressed in the four gospels. The goal of this project is much bigger than another "modern translation." Instead, it is to make the Bible relevant again. I see it as a way to encourage new thought, because as it is now, people are more or less "locked in...

Who pays any attention to the original Ten Commandments? I submit that they've outlived their usefulness. Of the 10, eight are expressed as things not to do, such as "Thou shalt not walk on the grass" (Commandment #6). Only two are expressed positively, such as Commandment #2 ("Honor the Chicago Cubs and Boston Celtics.") But seriously, why all the negatively? Do people really need to be told what not to do? And didn't God take an undergraduate Psychology class? He should know that when He commands, "You shall not kill," that killing becomes exactly what I want to do. Although the thought of killing hadn't been on my mind, now that it's there, it's all I can think about. Now that I think about it, I don't know how I've managed to go without killing for the past 38 years... The time has come for new commandments. Let's write them in positive language. An example might be something like this: "Contribute to the w...

60 Minutes did a piece yesterday on Greg Mortensen, author of Three Cups of Tea fame, accusing him of fraud. Mortensen's Central Asia Institute (CAI) has claimed to have built hundreds of schools, primarily for girls, in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past decade. But 60 Minutes asserts that much of what Mortensen has described in his books were exaggerations or lies. And, that even that school which were built were 1) not built by CAI, 2) not maintained, 3) not supported, or 4) not used after a short period of time, or at all. Less than a day after the airing of the story, some people have already made up their minds that Mortensen is a fraud. On Amazon.com, for example, Three Cups of Tea started receiving a number of one-star reviews, even though Mortensen and CAI has had little time to defend themselves against the accusations. Whether Mortensen is "guilty" or not, some have already decided that he is, and it will be difficult for him to ever get bac...

Dr. Fuller and Dr. Kaku When Richard Dawkins came to the University of Minnesota campus two years ago, organizers knew that he would draw a crowd. They charged a hefty ticket price for admission, but they gave him a big enough venue to accommodate the crowd. Unfortunately, all Michio Kaku got was space in the campus bookstore. So although the bookstore had a few hundred chairs set up, it wasn't enough for the crowd -- which probably topped 500, easy. And what a crowd it was. I felt like I was lost on the set of Big Bang Theory with a bunch of extras shipped in for a special shoot. When I got my 5 seconds with Dr. Kaku, I asked him if he ever had the chance to watch the Fringe . At first he wasn't sure what I had asked, but then he said, "Oh, yeah, I should watch that." I was a bit disappointed that he hadn't seen the show, but if I run into him again, I'll be sure to give him Season 1 on DVD.

Big fan of artists that record their songs in other languages. Kudos, Peter. Hope this one sold well for you.

An empty city built for one million people.

So, are you typical?