Sunday thoughts

I went to see "Avatar" last night. Not just any "Avatar," mind you - the 3-dimensional IMAX version, which, I was told was the only way to see it, which was correct. Although, I found myself taking the glasses off a few times during the film to see what it looked like. It's kinda blurry.

First, it's one Hell of a movie. You'll find yourself wondering "How did they do that?" while you're wondering what else is going on. There is some stupid dialogue, but we're willing to look past that in order to get to the root of the issue, which is the death of our little blue marble. I heard a few comments about how it's an allegorical tale of man's destruction of the rain forest and how we are a 'use and abuse' society ... and, yeah, that's true.

I saw it at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, and afterward, an attendant at a rest room asked me, "Whose side were you on?" as though there could be a different side. I told him I was "a tree hugger" and we both smiled. It only makes sense, doesn't it? Could you possibly be on the other side? Sure, let's invade another planet, mine their Unobtanium, destroy their environment and be arrogant about it. It makes me wonder what sort of a world is waiting for you in 2154.

The United States hockey team lost to the Canadians earlier tonight in overtime, in the biggest display of jingoism I've seen in a while. Signs proclaiming that "Hockey is Canada's Game" were the equivalent of "Yankee Go Home" to hockey fans. Nevertheless, the Canadians won, and I wasn't as twisted up over it as I was over the Canadian women's curling team loss the other day. I worry about that, but not as much as I worry about the future of our planet.

Those Team Canada guys are just industrial representatives put out by the NHL to promote the sport to the world. They don't represent anything except where they were born. Now, they'll go back to America and earn millions representing their American teams. Fucking whores. That isn't the Olympics, it's industry.

After the game, I needed to go to the grocery store to find some more food for my little pony (a.k.a. Thor) and a few sundries for myself (secondary thoughts). The grocery store is always a bit of an adventure, and tonight I went on a down time, so I had the entire checkout aisle to myself - which is in itself a bit stressful. First, I have to get all my stuff on the conveyor before the kid cashier starts putting them in those disgusting plastic bags, which seems to be some automatic reaction to the items being rung up. Tonight, I just dumped the whole hand cart onto the conveyor and opened the canvas bag at the end of the line so I wouldn't have to ask them to stop because "I have my own bags." Someday, they'll learn, but I do worry about them, too, and their texting while driving, disposable container, throwaway economy, use and abuse behavior pattern.

I figured on getting some help from the kid, but instead, she watched as I struggled to put the cans of Meow Mix "Market Select" into the bag along with my regular order of Chobani yogurt, cereal and chicken parts. Afterward, she said, "Thanks for bagging," as if I had any other choice. I'm 52 years old. Why do I care so much?

Do you think the blue people on Pandora would take me as a trainee?