What is Entertainment Value?

Being that I'm a comic book seller, and graphic novel and trade paperback seller, I have a general notion of the resell price of most media out there. But for simplicity's sake, let's talk about something I have NO real knowledge about and so I can pontificate as a 'regular guy'.

Movies. Live ones at the theatre, I find myself going less and less these days. Why? Mostly my wife-- every couple of weeks, usually mid-Friday night she'll get the notion to have us go see a movie. I say sure, you do the moviefone thing, and tell me what you like. Nine times out of ten she can't find anything she thinks is worth the price of a $9-10 ticket times two, a couple of bucks for parking, or $10 on junk food. Call it $35 for the two of us to be easy--and we pass.

Is this because we are both over 50 years old? Have we seen it all? Are we jaded? Who knows?

Now, it's not that we're unhip or anything--we're both online regularly, we both use iPhones, and we have the choice of media on our tv sets, our laptops, and for godsakes..now our iPhones! But is the media worth it? On iTunes, for instance, Apocalypto that Mel Gibson flick is $15.00. Would I watch it on my little iPhone for $15.00?

I could rent it for $4-5, right? Or I could rent it right in my home for $4 and not even go to the videostore.

Hmmm...now that I think of it--maybe I am jaded. Agghh. I just think--for a movie that I'd view once or twice, I'd be willing to pay $4-5. Having been a collector of comics for many years, I understand how folks like to collect--and I make money at it thankfully. Still, I have a non-collector's view about entertainment, be it a movie, news, a comic book, or a novel. I want it cheap because, much like the newspaper, once I've read it, I'm totally done with it.

DONE. With it.

I DON'T need dozens or hundreds of DVDs or video cassettes up on my shelf, viewed once or twice for the most part. I certainly don't need 20,000 comic books that I've read once...and may never read again--up...in half of my bedroom.

So--short answer here is this one: media should be cheap and disposable. Or capable of recycled. I buy novels in hardback and read them, then put them on Amazon. Yah, I lose money, but I get a little bit back.

C

The Secret World of Pain==Andropause

Yeah, whatever.

Last couple of days I've been 'off' a bit, you know? A general malaise of the blues with no specific one thing making me any sadder than usual. A lot of my angst seems to center around what I've done with my life and what I'm currently doing with it-- those dreams of my younger self and the reality of that 54-year-old's life.

So--is it andropause, the male equivalent of menopause? Jeez, who can say? Ordinarily I'm a fairly upbeat guy, with positive thoughts and outlook, but more and more, now into my 50s, I'm feeling like an 'adult' with all that it carries in terms of responsibility. I've got a good paying job--which is stressful--I've got a GREAT part-time, self-employed gig which is satisfying on many levels--but the time together is making even that a bit stressful--but at least my family life at home is smooth with a wife and son and mother who love and care about me. That's something; perhaps my greatest accomplishment to consider when I'm moldering in my grave---or will I just be cremated? Haven't decided.

Next topic... iPhone!

Ahh, that such a tiny little device could bring such odd, technolustful joy. Phone is cool, check the weather, get driving directions, listen to music, watch videos, send texts, take pictures, see maps, surf the effing web, check email...anywhere.

ANY-FUCKING-WHERE!! (pant pant)

What I'm Thinking About Today

I dreamed last night that my company asked me to place dirty bombs in certain retail accounts of mine.

(shudder)
This had me tossing and turning enough of the night that I feel like I've moved toward a supporting rolein a zombie flick this morning.

Last night my wife at 1215am announced to me that she'd just ripped her first DVD movie onto the iPhone. My response was a wall-shaking, wet fart two minutes later that she heard in the next room. "Was that YOU?" she shakily queried, nearly dropping her iPhone.

"Just ripping my own CD," I told her.

So, yes, there are still laughs in our life--thank God.

Still, I was talking about angst. 'Angst'. Some online dick says, 'A feeling of anxiety or apprehension often accompanied by depression.' That works, sure. Dropping dirtybombs on under-performing accounts might qualify easily as some warning sign. Regardless, I woke up in an odd state; feeling a miasma of pointlessness to life, tired of its repetitiveness and sameness (as far as my work goes). Is this andropause; the feared 'male menopause'? Aggh, it could be. I don't often suffer from feelings of depression or the blues, as more often than not I'm able to pull myself out of it in a relatively short time.

Oh, hell. Nothing more this time around. Short one, eh?