Bluegrass Boardwalk

   Super exciting news from the Midwest this week! The sad, dormant rides of the abandoned Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom are about to be revitalized by members of the Koch family. And in case you don’t know, the Koch family is responsible for the magical place called Holiday World.

   Kentucky Kingdom will be renamed Bluegrass Boardwalk, and from the sound of things, it will soon become just as great as Holiday World. And here’s proof in the form of a quote and a business model:

   “We’re bringing our business model of exceptional safety, cleanliness, friendliness and value for families. That means free soft drinks, free sunscreen and free use of inner tubes.”

   I loved Kentucky Kingdom the one time I visited, and I can only imagine how it will be like when it is infused with the friendliness and overarching quality of Holiday World. I look forward to visiting the new park after it opens in 2013, and my dream is that somehow, someday I’ll be able to help out the Koch family in their theme park endeavors.

The Cycle

   People usually give me advice at twilight . . . those moments right after the sun has gone down. That’s when most of my counseling sessions were, and its usually when I talk with the men from church who try to help me. Actually, we usually start talking to me around lunchtime, but I don’t really open up until it starts getting dark. But when it gets dark it becomes time for us to go to our respective homes, and they have no clue about the cycle of certain group human beings.

1) The cycle starts with the human’s first most vulerable point: the moments when he is waking  up. It takes him a while to process who he is, where he is, and what he is supposed to do. This usually happens in the morning.

2) It continues with a human taking action. He will usually encounter obstacles, whether big or small, and develop the determination to overcome then or live with them. This usually goes through the afternoon.

3) Then, he will become callous to the world and rebellious against people who stand in his way as he strives to accomplish what he determined to do earlier. This usually goes until the night.

4) The cycle ends with the human’s other most vulerable point: the moments before he goes to bed. He contmplates his day, wonders about the things he did wrong, and grasps for a hope that will power him through the next day.

   Of all the people who have counseled me, only one or two have ever been there for the two most vulnerable points of the cycle. The rest keep imparting the same information during point 3 – the point at which I am the least receptive. If any of them stuck around through point 4, their wisdom and care would leave a lasting imprint on my soul. And, if they were still around when the cycle started again, then they could change the way I go about my life.

Hopeless Wanderer (Mumford and Sons)

   Many stories has a moment where the main character has no real clue exactly where he will go or what he will do next, but he has trust that everything will work out. I feel like that a lot in real life. And this song is always a reminder that there’s always God or someone who knows the way, even when I have no clue what I’m doing.

Awake

   Every once in a while, a TV show pilot comes along that completely blows all the others out of the water. Awake’s pilot is a perfect example of this. If you don’t believe me (or don’t want to spoil anything for yourself), go watch it for free on Hulu or iTunes and see for yourself.

   Awake is one of the few shows that not only introduces the characters in the pilot, but makes you care about them. Then, on top of that, it manages to walk you through it’s mind-bending premise in a way that you can follow. It has great acting- indluding but not limited to Jasoon Isaacs (Draco Malfoy’s dad). It has a hypnotizing soundtrack. And furthermore, the emotional part of the story is so good that even if the dream/reality plotline was confusing, it would still be one of my favorite shows. It captures the feeling of love and loss between a man and his son and his wife so well that its hard to turn away.

   So, you should really give this show a chance. And if you do, comment on what you think.

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Movie Money

   I don’t claim to understand economics. Most of my knowledge in that area comes from reading Freakonomics, and I’m still not sure that book was even talking about economics. But, every time I spend money on movies, I think of a disturbing cycle:

1-2) Hundreds of millions of dollars go from investors to movie studios.

2-3) Those hundreds of millions go to buying useless props and special effects, and essentially disappear from the economy.

3-4) Hundreds of millions from normal people’s hard work go back to the movie in admission prices.

4-1) Hundreds of millions go back to the investors.

   I kind of have a problem with process 2-3. You may argue that there are people making the props and special effects that need to put food on the table. But then I would respond that they could also put food on the table by getting a real job that actually benefits the world. Then if they had extra time, they could do the other stuff for free. If process 2-3 never happened, then prrocess 1-2 would never happen and movies would start to happen because people wanted to share something meaningful with the world, instead of take money away from it.

   But still, this thought doesn’t stop me from buying a movie ticket every few weeks and enjoying a few hours of escapism . . . even if I usually leave complaining or wishing the movie would have been better.