Remember

Hello Everyone,

Well it looks like I am settling into my schedule of posting every Thursday...or at least that is what I would like to believe. This one is lone again, but I will shorting the others sorry some frustrations take up room

Today's frustration comes for a passion of mine, as well as rants from particular friends of mine. Who are these friends, well they are soldiers. Soldiers who are or have served time overseas fighting in our current conflict. Some have been over there more than once.

So today's rant is, "Why do we so easily forget our Soldiers, even when we are at war!?"

Let me preface this frustration with the fact that I really do not care what your political, ideological, or spiritual belief is. I am not commenting on the war here (a whole other frustration) nor do I care to see posts concerning the war. What I would like to focus on is the men and women fighting on foreign soil. Those far from home waiting, fighting, and dying to come back to American soil. So drop your agenda and lets talk.

I go with the belief of "Out of sight out of mind" mentally when addressing why American citizens have become complacent to those serving in the armed forces. We see the damage on the news and we see soldiers fighting or living in Iraq, but they all look a like and then we change the channel to Stargate or Star Trek. Thus we remove ourselves from the war at home only to watch and engage the fictional military characters fighting a villain we don't have to understand. We see brief updates in the media concerning those who died in the war with a list of names that run up the screen at break neck speeds. We just do not have to connect with the reality that soldiers, American men and women, are fighting and surviving in a place that doesn't have a Starbucks (YET!)

I find it interesting that many junior and high school kids across our nation actually knows someone that served, serving, or died in Iraq. America knows that our kin are getting their boots dirty, but we seem content on waiting for them to come home before we acknowledge that they were gone. From the many men and women serving in the armed forces I have spoken (more to follow) with they seem "let down" or "forgotten" by the very people they believe they are fighting for.

I know we just celebrated Memorial Day, but let me ask you and try to be honest "How many of you actually remembered or thought about a soldier(s) that fought for our country?" Don't get me wrong I am not in the military and I rarely participate in military anything, but everyday the soldiers are on my mind. Hopefully, after this frustration they will be on your mind as well.

So Voice what can we do? Good question, You can begin to participate in the conversation and remembrance of our brave soldiers fighting right now. You can join organizations or donate time in helping send goods or cards to the soldiers overseas. You can start separating your ideals against the war by remembering those who are actually there. What I have found very helpful as well is if you know someone that has a family member overseas, talk to them about that person. Do not forget or ignore those who are trying to do what they believe is right. For most of us we never even get a chance to truly defend our beliefs, so lets try to stand by those who do.

I have not sat on the sidelines and nor should you. Please check out http://www.heroes4heroes.org/ or http://news.fanboy.tv/no15_mon_may_21_2007__chris_mccroskey.htm for more information on what you can do to boost the moral of the men and women fighting overseas. Also after looking at the site, if you know someone that is serving in Iraq right now please send their mailing info to dallas@heroes4heroes.org so we can send them stuff right away.

Voice

Well I Never !

This is a fun frustration for the week.

As I am building my blogging community I took the advice of the Blogspot Help Desk by posting my blog on various blog directories. You can find three of them at the bottom of this page. However I ran into a issue while attempting to lure you into the web of my madness.

Today's Frustration is, "Who says what blogs are worthy of the Internet?"

Ok here is the email I received from BlogCatalog today:
"Thank you for submitting your blog (Pure Frustration) to BlogCatalog.
Unfortunately upon reviewing your blog we are unable to grant it access to the directory.
Your blog was declined for the following reason:
Your blog is brand new and doesn't have enough content to make it truly valuable.If this is the case, please resubmit after you have made more postings."

I particular love the part I bolded. I am frustrated because in a endless sea of information that anyone and anything (those with thumbs) can submit to this thing called the Internet. Yet my blog for some reason has been deemed not "truly valuable." I challenge anyone to go out to BlogCatalog and see if anywhere there is a listing that says only the truly valuable blogs get into our directory.

I am sure there are blogs out there changing the world, but take a gander at some of the listings out there. In your search see if you find any of their sites they deemed "truly valuable." Look to see if their listings have some sort of primary literary source that scholars should debate and politicians should frame constitutional standards on. I am sure that most of the people out there are good folk; however, I am having issues with the high school mentally of my blog being the new kid that cannot join the cool kids table at lunch.

I used to think it was the readers that demonstrated the value of the blog, or even the material that is being presented. Well I was wrong and now I have to go play cyber dodge ball and relive the inadequacies of not fitting in or "belonging" in a virtual world that seems to accept the hourly postings on the world of "furriers." Well I will take my business else where it would seem and one day they will be begging me to be on their site, and I will be like "No I am to cool and rich now!" Yeah that'll show em...

Actually, since this site does not cost me anything and I do not have to pay to be on any of the directory sites; I guess it really would behoove those on BlogCatalog to include everyone seeing how they are supposed to be aiding people in some fashion or another. By excluding me they are sending a message to future bloggers who may read my site. They are telling them if they are not deemed worthy they will be alienated from rest of the Internet universe. I say LET THEM EAT CAKE! Let's not get high and mighty because someone figured out how to create a database. Good job, what ya gonna learn in the 8th grade their junior. To deem my words or my blog as "not truly valuable" at any stage is pompous and ostentatious. Stop looking down from the mountain you see yourself on and come and join us common folk attempting to communicate and connect with the world around us. You never know you may actually like it!

Do me a favor, for the rest of the summer I will be posting to this blog at least once a week if not twice. Read, laugh, cry, and tell others.

-The Voice-

Today's Frustration is brought to you by the "Wiffle Bat"

"The Wiffle Bat, kicking the crap out of people at high yellow speeds for years. Remember if you seek to beat the snot out of someone and do not wish to leave bruises look for the Wiffle Bat."

My friends and loved one's have asked for this frustration topic for sometime. "Why do movie audience continue to ruin movies?"

Everyone take a breath here, insert a silent colorful metaphor and we can continue. It has come to my attention and to the attention of those around me that it is becoming more and more difficult to sit through a movie today. It has also become difficult to even talk my friends into going to a movie since they despise the experience. The experience being the rest of the audience.

Time and time again I have had an Verfremdungseffekt (alienation effect for the non-Brechtians) when I attend a movie. Meaning no matter how much I am into the movie I am RIPPED out of my aesthetic distance to the cell phone jingle two rows down. There seems to be a huge lack of societal understanding when viewing a movie today. As I go through the list real quick see how many of these have happened to you:

• Kid's kicking the back of your chair


• Kid's talking through the movie


• Parents/Persons talking through the movie


• Cell Phone ringing


• People answering their cell phones and talking though the movie


• People arrive late and can't find a seat together so they walk up and down the theatre asking people to movie


• Baby crying at an R rated movie (seriously)


• People getting up to pee twenty-eight times and having to walk/scuttle by you every time (makes you wonder why the weak bladder people always sit in the middle and not on the end.)


• Ect.

When did we as a community of misfits trying to live together become such douche bags when viewing a movie together. I understand road rage and even bank line rage, but I see a new trend of movie theatre rage. This one is easy to spot, look for the guy/couple looking shaking their heads as they walk out of the theatre and continuously point or nod in the direction of other people walking out. With the progress of technology today we are quickly separating ourselves from the world around us. For most communities nation wide, the only time we actually come together and approach our neighbors home is during Halloween. Think about it, when was the last time you had dinner with your neighbors, or do you know every one's name and profession that lives around you. We have become isolated by our own doing. Yet when we go to a movie theatre or a playhouse we conscientiously take a journey together that actually shapes and changes our experience of what we are viewing.

Or so that use to be the case, now we actually judge the movie by how much crap we want to take when going. Meaning the movie has to be really really good, or specific to our interests that we would dare to venture out and watch it with other people. Even on the way to movie theatre we build in our minds the things we are to expect before we get there to sike ourselves up enough to watch it. With movies available online almost the same weekend they come out, and the super high definitions television and surround sound we rather spend a fortune to watch a film in the comfort of our own homes. If you have the finances to do so good for you, but if you are like me and are economically challenged the movie theatre is your only option.

I feel as if there should be a man or woman at the beginning of every movie that comes out and address the crowd. He/She should remind the audience to set their phone to vibrate (and not answer them during the movie), to stop ignoring their children during the movie and tell them that talking and kicking is rude, to suggest that babies or toddlers are not suitable for the R rated/Horror/Thriller movie we are about to watch, That discussing the movie after it is over is much wiser and better than during the film, and more importantly YOU ARE NOT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM so stop acting like it and be courteous to the people around you.

When you purchase tickets for the Theatre they tell you to be early. If you are not there when the film starts you lose your initial seat. If when you do arrive late (depending on the theatre) you are not allowed to enter during the performance, or someone escorts you in the theatre and seats you. If you are disruptive with a cell phone, wrapper, or talking they remove you from the theatre. Maybe we could learn some things from this. Where are those responsible for making sure we have a enjoyable viewing. I have been to a TON of movies and in my many discomforts of viewing most of them I have never seen anyone actually removed from the theatre. Apparently turning around or heavy sighs do not work anymore either F.Y.I. I have gone and spoken with management before and they may come in a look around but never do anything. Sometimes they will reimburse my tickets or give me free tickets. Which tells me in any case that we have heard your complaint and we will give you another opportunity to see how worse it can get.

I am not sure if there is going to every be a solution to this frustration, but with the rage growing out there it is only a matter of time until someone is shot over a bad movie experience. I plead with you out there to be aware of your surroundings and if not for two hours out of your day to give a damn about someone else. We understand that you bought your ticket and with that comes liberties. Just remember your liberties are only there until you begin to conflict with someone else's liberties. Meaning you can take your phone into a movie with you, but when it rings and you talk through the movie on it you just forfeited your ticket and should be removed.

*Side note: Yes your phone can be put on vibrate. ALL PHONES CAN! Your inability to figure out how to do so should mean you are not smart enough to have a cell phone in the first place. And texting during a film is just as annoying as talking on it since the room is supposed to be dark. Your personal night light should be left at home.*