I’m over having my Star Wars fandom invalidated

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

I’m a fan of Star Wars.  This shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise, as I am very nerdy and have many nerdy interests.  However, throughout the years, I have been told that I am “not as much of a fan” of Star Wars as other people because of a myriad of reasons, with more recently because I don’t have a strong definitive opinion about The Last Jedi.*  Or the fact that I’m not remotely associated with the 501st or have a Rebellion or Empire sticker tattooed on me or brandished on my car.

*I didn’t think it was the best SW film, but I have not declared a jihad against it either

With the standalone Solo film around the corner, I’ve noticed people on social media being super curmudgeon about its release, and how they’re going to make zero effort to watch it and have basically denounced Star Wars as a franchise.  Or any other rhetoric along those lines.  I mean that’s fine and all that they’re not looking forward to it, but I think it’s a little excessive to be lifting a leg and farting all over those people who don’t take SW as serious as a religion.  Perhaps consider learning how to temper expectations, because even the best people in their fields don’t bat 1.000, and it’s only with the possibility of failure where the cream of the crop can truly rise.

But because I tend to not be so extreme in any direction about my excitement or apprehension about Star Wars, or anything really, I often get accused of being something of a filthy casual fan, who knows little about the franchise, and whose opinion about the franchise doesn’t matter as much as someone who, has SW tattoos, emblems on their car, or dresses up as Stormtroopers at Dragon*con.

The thing is, just because my fandom in Star Wars isn’t as vocal, as outwardly or so open to the rest of the world doesn’t mean that I’m no less of a fan.  I could name planets that aren’t mentioned in the canon films like Kashyyyk.  I played my fair share of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and Knights of the Old Republic.  There has been a lot of Star Wars in my life over the years, it’s just that I’m not so obnoxiously outward with it as the whole rest of the narcissistic world is.

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Kind of want

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Despite the fact that I generally try to eat pretty clean the vast majority of the days of the year, every now and then I still cave into the temptation of absurdly ridiculous food monstrosities.  Fried Oreos, racks of ribs, Aporkalypses, Chinese buffets, Golden Corral, etc.  Sure, I certainly wouldn’t mind dropping 25-30 lbs., but at the same time, I’m not willing to go cold turkey on the good shit of the culinary world.

That said, I’m reading about Chili’s The Boss burger, and I’m just thinking to myself, “that doesn’t look half bad,” and “I can take this.”

Now I don’t have a jihad against chain restaurants like most of the people in the world who think they’re the anti-christ of commerce.  They exist, but often times pale in comparison to the better food available at the various local or independently owned restaurants that exist all around Atlanta.  But as far as chain restaurants go, I’m actually quite fond of Chili’s, even though I’ll probably be conscious to pay with cash the next time I ever go to one.  I think they have some of the better quality ribs available at a chain, and I can’t really recall the last time I was utterly unsatisfied by an experience there.

But with the emergence of The Boss, I can’t help but feel that my next excursion to a Chili’s is bound to happen sooner rather than later.  I don’t really care about the alleged 1,650 calories and lord only knows how much saturated fat in that burger, all I know is that it looks like an adversary that I can easily defeat and relegate into my digestive system, and I want to do it.

The Boss – we’re coming for you n–

Welp, Georgia is kind of fucked

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

I’m always a little bit surprised at myself whenever I decide to write about politics, especially local ones that only really those people who live in Georgia, a smaller parameter would even understand.  But I guess caring about politics is one of those things that comes with age, for those of us who weren’t destined to be into politics as younger people, or who really knows, it’s something that I feel like I have some words to expend, and it’ll still be a ways before this even gets seen by eyes other than my own.

Anyway, long story short, Georgia has now narrowed down its field for the next governor of the state.  And in my opinion, no matter who emerges from this field of muck to become the next governor of Georgia, I hope Georgians are ready to suffer and/or be prepared to go back in time.  One way or the other, I can’t help but feel like Georgia is fucked no matter what happens in this particular race.

In one corner, we have Stacey Abrams representing the Democrats.  To say she won handily would be an understatement; at hoovering up 76% of the vote, she obliterated the competition, and patiently awaits the runoff to see who she will be opposed against on the Republican side.

Oh, and she’s a black woman vying to become the first black woman to ever hold a seat of elected state governor in the entire history of the United States.  Georgia may have become a little more progressive over the last few decades, but emphasis on “a little.”  Outside of Atlanta, Savannah and parts of Augusta, the whole rest of the state is still red as the Chicago Bulls logo, and I can’t imagine that people in these remote country areas are going to even hesitate to pick “not the colored woman” on the ballot in November.

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Now that’s some hardcore ownage

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Applause for draconian punishment: dumbass teenager who threw a firework that resulted in a gargantuan forest fire sentenced to pay $36 million dollars in restitution

Step aside, Smokey.  You ain’t done SHIT in 64 years.  Kids have continued to play with fire and idiots have continued to inadvertently start fires that have resulted in god knows how much damage and carnage to nature throughout the last century.

But Hood River County Circuit Judge John A. Olson sentencing a 15-year old to pay $36 million dollars in restitution?  Now THAT’S going to make some dumbasses think twice on whether or not it’s worth playing with fire and risk starting a blaze and getting caught and facing the gavel themselves.

I really love this story, because far too often, America has seen people who have done terrible things get away with merely metaphorical slaps on the wrists.  Draconian punishments would undoubtedly make people think twice or three or four times on whether or not a bad choice is worth the punishment, and if only America would go a little dark side and apply more of them, then maybe this country wouldn’t be so full of shitheads.

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Baseball players can be such greedy bitches sometimes

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

I love outside-the-box unorthodox strategizing.  In every form of competition.  I love wildcats and flea flickers in football, I love the point forward in basketball.  I enjoy running tank Lulu, tank Karma and other weird builds in League of Legends.  And no other form of competition is open to the notion of unorthodox strategizing than baseball, where the pace of the game and the individual events of every single pitcher versus batter matchup completely creates the perfect environment for some unique strategies to be born.  The DeVanzo Shift, four-man outfields.  Moneyball, moneyball, moneyball.

The Tampa Bay Rays did something that I’ve always talked about would be an interesting concept to try, but nobody in baseball ever did; until now.  I’ve bounced the idea around before, suggesting teams should start a relief pitcher occasionally; primarily on the notion that there are a number of pitchers who for reasons completely unknown, have rough first innings, or there are some matchups that they should avoid for a first time through an order.  Once, I thought the New York Yankees should have employed this, when Mariano Rivera was on his farewell tour, and there would be no more appropriate way for him to go out than to start a game at Yankee Stadium, cutter the top of the first inning to death, and then get removed from the game to the bonkers raucous crowd reaction he rightfully deserved.

But nah, the notion of starting a guy with the intention of going one inning never seemed like it was going to happen until now.  The Rays, facing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County off of Interstate 5 South, started not just a game, but two straight games, with relief pitcher Sergio Romo.  In those two games, he pitched 2.1 innings, faced nine batters, walked two but struck out six.  In one game, he was lifted for an actual starting pitcher, Ryan Yarbrough, who proceeded to pitch the next 6.1 innings and get the win for the Rays, and in the other, he was relieved by a series of other relief pitchers who lost the game.

Regardless, Sergio Romo did his job and pitched efficiently in two straight starts.  And because it worked once, it definitely has opened some eyes as a viable strategy; except that the Angels, namely infielder Zack Cozart has been immediately vocal about how it’s not a good thing for the entire sport, and then he’s basically backed by the MLB Players Association, stating that such a strategy is going to be financially detrimental to players who are designated starting pitchers.

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Contrary to Cobra Kai logic

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

The best defense is not always more offense.  Sometimes the best defense, is actually defense.

Now if you told me that the Houston Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors by 41 points, I’d have just kind of gone ‘meh.’  Everyone gets blown out by the Golden State Warriors these days, and seldom are there any final scores that aren’t a 1-2 point nail-biter or a 20+ point blowout.  The Memphis Grizzlies lost a game by 61 points earlier this year, so 41 sounds like a tight contest in comparison.

But add in the fact that this happened in the Western Conference Finals and that the Houston Rockets were the #1 seed getting throttled by the #2 Warriors, and now it’s (sort of) worth talking about how pathetic the NBA is once again.

The Rockets and Warriors aren’t just the #1 and #2 in the Western Conference, they’re pretty much the #1 and #2 teams in all of the NBA.  The Boston Celtics are somehow managing to win and play well in spite of all their injuries, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are where they are because they’re always at this point every year mostly on the sheer will of LeBron James, but neither is remotely a threat to the championship.

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The Whitest Weekend Ever, vol. ~113,064

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Every now and then I feel like the world gets a little too oversaturated in white people things.  I mean I know white people like to believe that the entire planet revolves around them, and they go through extraordinary measures to keep things feeling that way, but every now and then I feel like the cauldron burns extra hot and the bullshit bubbles over to the point where it needs to be pointed out how excessive they’re being.

This past weekend was a good example of just how white things were getting, and how, at least to the eyes of this not-white person, how either frightening, obnoxious, insufferable or all of the above, it feels to be alive in this world while not also white.

So Friday kicks off with the very white past time of shooting up a school, where I didn’t have to wait for the release of any names to take bets that the shooter was probably white.  Sure, he had a very Greek name, but when the day is over, he still fuckin’ white.

At this point, there’s really not much else to say about school shootings and gun control.  Considering there’s a shooting incident at a school at almost a weekly basis now, after the incident in Florida it wasn’t so much of an if it ever happens again, it was always a matter of when it was going to happen again.  After Texas, it’s not a matter of false promises, and the also-very white past time of saying thoughts and prayers; at this point, it’s not if this is going to happen again, it’s simply that the days without incident sign just gets reset to zero.

Saturday morning featured something that I haven’t seen white people get so excited and hot and bothered about in previous iterations, with the Royal Wedding between Prince Ginger and that chick from Suits, one of the few USA Network shows to stand on its own without the WWE crutch.  Seriously, it was kind of astonishing to me just how much white people cared about the marriage between two people in England, over absolutely anything and everything happening in the United States, like the high school shooting that occurred less than 24 hours previously, but they really seemed to be making a tremendous deal about it.

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