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Green Day's new CD, "21st Century Breakdown" was released last Friday. By all accounts, it's a hit. I've seen it described as a rock opera, like "Tommy", "The Wall", or "Quadrophenia". I agree. The narrative on Green Day's take is not as easily followed as "The Wall", but it's still possible. I believe Billie Joe Armstrong intended for the story to be rather vague and to leave much up to the listener.

Putting out a rock opera is a pretty bold move in the age of the iPod. There was lots of grumbling among the music journalists that the iPod generation wouldn't have the attention span to listen to entire albums. The worry was that kids would just buy single MP3s from iTunes or Rhapsody or whatever. I don't know how much validity there is to that, with torrent downloads being so prevalent. It's totally easy to download an entire CD.

I've always been one to listen to entire albums. I can appreciate a well-written pop song, sure. The ability to write a catchy three minute song is impressive, and something many bands really can't do. Some great bands aren't radio-friendly AT ALL. When's the last time Radiohead put out a single---"Creep", in the mid 90s? But they're headed for the Hall of Fame and they have a bunch of Grammys...

I never bought singles, but I grew up in the age of the cassette. Sure, there were "cassette singles" but they were a pain. They weren't cheap, and they took up just as much space as a regular cassette. So, I just bought(or taped) cassettes. The long-playing ALBUM is an art form. People who grew listening to vinyl tended to listen to the entire album---largely because getting up to manually move the needle from track to track was a hassle. So I suppose it was easier to just let it play. Listening to music on cassette was much the same for a long time. I don't think cassette players were sophisticated enough to skip from song to song until they were almost obsolete, which meant that lots of cassettes just played and played. Add to that the auto-reversing and you'll understand why I listened to "Appetite for Destruction" several hundred times in 1988. LOL.

CDs changed that, and MP3 really changed it. Now it's simple to listen to three seconds of a song and skip to the next one if there's no hook. Bands and record companies know this, so it's easy to just write for the radio. Nickelback is a prime example. Their music isn't memorable, and I don't think you'd consider it ART. No, it's background noise. And that's fine. Somebody has to make that. And I wish them success at doing it.

But there's something cool about listening to an entire album. It's cool to find a deep cut that you'll never hear on the radio. My favorite song on Stadium Arcadium(Red Hot Chili Peppers) is "Wet Sand"---and it's buried on the first CD. My favorite song on "Only By the Night" by Kings of Leon is "Cold Desert", which is the last track. Neither of them is radio friendly. Both are kind of unusual sounding and experimental---but it's awesome that they had the freedom to try something DIFFERENT.

Anyway, kids, I guess what I'm saying is KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF THE FORWARD BUTTON. Be patient. Chill. Smoke a fatty, or something. You might find something golden.

I received an email from the Citrus County planning director last week. It was in response to some questions I emailed him about future road work here. I'm pasting it below:
"Mr. Myers - My name is Walt Eastmond and I am the Citrus County Engineering Transportation Project Manger.  Kevin Smith with our Planning Dept forwarded your email to me for a response regarding bicycle facilities along County roads.  Since your questions involve several different major roads I will address each question separately.

1. CR486 and CR491 - I have had many conversations with our roadway design consultant discussing the multipurpose path along 486 and specifically at the 491 intersection.  Yes, we are going to install controls at this intersection.  The proposed free flow right turns are going to have the standard FDOT yield requirement.  We will also be installing cross walks in the intersection and we will have pedestrian controls at each of the corners.  In addition, we are evaluating the addition of flashing bike/ped indicators, which would alert motorists of bikes/pedestrians in the area.

2. Your comments regarding Grover Cleveland are appreciated and are noted.  However, due to a shortfall in funding Grover Cleveland is no longer on the County list for widening.

3. Again, your comments regarding 491 are noted.  However, as I mentioned above, due to limited funding 491 is no longer on the County's list for widening.

It sounds like you have some good ideas and have a grasp on some of the bicycling needs in the area.  I would like to make you aware that the County is working on a 2035 Long Range Transportation Project.  Following the links from the County's home page http://www.bocc.citrus.fl.us/  will bring you to some additional information regarding the details of the study, participation questions, and public meetings.  I would encourage you to take a look at the site and to attend the meetings.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.  I can be reached at 527.5446 or by my email.

Thank you for your interest.

Walt--- "
 
OK, so that sucks. I appreciate that some action will be taken to prevent motorists from running over bicyclists at 486/491 intersection, but it's still going to be dangerous. A bike LANE would have been a much better idea than the separate bike path, but I don't make the decisions. Still, tying it in to the Withlacoochee AND the bike lane on SR44 is a good idea.
CR491 isn't getting widened? Really? So here's what we have. CR491 is 4 lanes from Grover Cleveland to SR44, then it's 2 lanes till it intersects CR486, then it's 4 lanes through Beverly Hills, then is it 2 lanes again? Weird. The section from SR44 to CR486 is a high traffic corridor yet there's no money to continue. Guess all the businesses along there are breathing sighs of relief, but it sure seems like that road needs to be improved NOW. And putting a bike lane on either side would make sense----so it would tie in to the bike lane on the south side of CR491 AND the trail alongside CR486. Unfortunately, the short sighted powers that be didn't accomodate bikes on CR491 from CR486 to Beverly Hills. Shame, because there's a bike lane halfway up Roosevelt that continues up Forest Ridge.
Grover Cleveland is the head-scratcher. WTF? I drive that road multiple times every day. It's HORRIBLE. The road is narrow. It's falling apart--the section in front of the pet store is like driving on a washboard. At certain times of the day the traffic is very high, with lots of people stopping to turn left at the multiple side streets along the road. I was rear-ended last year as I waited for someone to turn left, while at exactly the same time there was an identical crash in the opposite lane. There are crashes on Grover Cleveland all the time, but there are no plans to widen it. It's a bummer, because Grover Cleveland was on the 5 year plan. A bike lane would make perfect sense there. The new library is on the west end of the road, and the bike lane on CR491 is on the other side. I see plenty of cyclists on Grover Cleveland, and it's very dangerous. I ride on it but only the west end, from Alabama to US19, and not even that long most times. I usually turn onto a side street and take shortcuts.
We pay an additional six cents a gallon for road improvements. But the only road getting improved is CR486---and the Crystal River section of that road needs it badly but will be the last section finished. I guess Steve Tamposi has more influence than any one else in the county. But it will be done eventually and that will be a nice beginning to having a network of bike paths and lanes in our county.
On another note, the Suncoast Parkway extension has been postponed indefinitely. YEAH! I'm happy. No 70mph superhighway cutting the county in half. Good. I mean, having the Suncoast Trail would have been nice but not having the Parkway is nicer.

I'm thinking I'm going to buy a house next year. I've delayed doing it for years, thinking I would eventually move away from Citrus County. But I like it , even with all its faults, so I'm going to stay. This is not a bad place. Granted, it's not as nice as it once was, but still preferable to living in a nightmare like Tampa or St. Pete.
Where to live? I'm in Homosassa now, but the available homes here don't aren't really what I want. They're either old pieces of shit (like Patti bought LOL) that are out of date and will need thousands of dollars to modernize, ridiculously expensive waterfront, or Sugarmill Woods. Sugarmill Woods has some affordable properties but they're all old. I don't think I want a 1977 model villa. Plus, SMW is way out in BFE. Too far from work. Too far from the folks. Closer to the Parkway and points south, though.
I'm thinking Citrus Springs is where I'll end up. The speculators and house flippers all got caught out there, and prices are cheap. Come on---I found a 2007 3/2/2 with a kitchen island, living room, AND family room for $95K. And that's NOW. With the huge number of houses that will go into foreclosure by then(and at an average of 50 per month that's 600 by then, and I'm being conservative) the market will only continue to drop. We could be looking at new homes out there for $85k or less.
Granted, Citrus Springs is far away from Crystal River, the mall and movie theater, but it's closer to Ocala. And it's closer to the trail. Being trail-adjacent would make it MUCH easier to be the geeky bike nerd I really want to be. Kinda far from a gym, so I guess I'd have to set up some equipment in the house. That would save money in the long run.
Spoke to Jackie Beech the other day. Told her if/when I become a homeowner she's more than welcome to have a room. She's cool and it would be nice to have someone help out with expenses---not that things would be a stretch in a house that cheap.  I'd really like to be able to help Mark out but I don't think moving his 5 cats in with my 2 would be a good idea.

What is that number? According to http://www.foreclosures.com , that is the number of properties currently in foreclosure in Citrus County. One thousand five hundred sixty one properties in foreclosure. Granted, not all of those are lived in. I'm quite certain a lot of them are investment properties that investors are unable to sell.

As I browsed the site, I noticed something odd and foreboding. I kept seeing homes which had loans for an amount which was much more than the market value and had negative equity.  Like 30 thousand dollars or more. So, basically, that home is unsellable. Who's going to buy a home that has more debt in it than the current market value?

How many more are going to end up in the hands of the banks? I drive through Citrus Hills every day and see more and more homes for sale. There is MILLIONS of dollars worth of real estate for sale just in Citrus Hills---and that's not counting Terra Vista.

I checked http://www.homes.com and they are showing 1942 homes for sale in Citrus County. That's just one realty website. So there are 1561 properties in foreclosure, and 1942(at least) for sale. So does that mean that the 1561 are part of the 1942, or is that a separate entity? Either way, there are tons of homes for sale without a workforce that can afford them.

I make an OK living, and there's no way I could possibly scrape together enough of a down payment on a $150K home to get the payments down to a bearable level. 20% downpayment? 30 grand? Yeah, right. 10%? $15,000? How many working people in Citrus can do that?

No, my friends, homes are going to remain unsold for a long time here.

I saw "The Dark Knight" today. I couldn't go on Friday because of work, so I went to the first feature on Saturday morning. I'm not going to post a movie review, because there are already tons of reviews on the net. I will say that it's a very dark movie filled with outstanding performances from a very talented cast. Heath Ledger disappears into the role, and his performance should be nominated for an Oscar.

What I am going to write about is the apparent disconnect between the actual substance of the movie and the marketing and product crossovers connected to it. First of all, this movie is rated PG-13. That should mean that kids under 13 shouldn't be seeing it. Yes, I understand that the rating means they should be accompanied by a guardian. This movie, however, really could have easily received an R rating for violence. It's not a gory movie, but Heath Ledger's Joker is evil incarnate on screen. He's a sadistic mass-murdering terrorist. There are scenes of torture reminiscent of "Reservoir Dogs". The movie is very violent and is WAY over the heads of most children.

Explain to me, then, why I went to K-Mart and saw TONS of "The Dark Knight" merchandise? I can kind of understand the deluxe action figures, because adults could conceivably collect them. But twin-sized bedsheet sets? Children's costumes? Children's clothing with the Joker on them? WHAT THE F? Any parent who brings their child to this movie is irresponsible, and anyone who would let their child wear a Joker T-shirt is sick.

Our society is seriously messed up.  I enjoyed the movie a lot. It's a brilliant movie. Not just the best superhero movie of all time, but one of the best movies I've ever seen. BUT IT'S NOT FOR KIDS. Just because it has Batman in it doesn't mean it's a kiddie movie.

If kids end up seeing this movie and being traumatized, who's to blame? In a perfect world, you would blame the parents. It would seem to me that a decent parent would research a movie(or TV show, book, video game, etc) before letting a kid see it. But that's unrealistic, because there are plenty of parents out there who don't care or won't take the time. There are parents who think "Oh, it's a comic book movie. That's OK for kids."--forgetting that Batman has always been dark, and that THIS Batman is more like the Frank Miller Batman than the Adam West Batman. So let's give the parents a break. The finger must be pointed at the corporations who are marketing to kids. They KNOW this movie is inappropriate. But still they market to children. It's immoral and wrong.

So, here we are. July 4th. Independence Day. A day on which we celebrate our independence from an oppressive government. Most people do that by drinking lots of alcohol, gorging on grilled meats, and watching fireworks. But do people actually THINK about what they're celebrating? We're pumped full of patriotism and told that America is the "GREATEST NATION ON EARTH". But are we? 

Why do vast numbers of Americans have no health insurance? I'm fortunate that my employer offers it. I have to pay for a portion, but I still have it. If I was forced to buy an individual policy I could. It would be expensive and require some personal budget cuts, but I could do it. What about someone with a wife and children? How many people could afford to spend $800 or so a month on health insurance? Not many, and that's why so many Americans live in fear that a medical problem will bankrupt them. It's a damn shame. It's an embarrassment. Canadians don't worry about that. British don't worry about that.

But, you say, we can't afford universal health care. Too many people in America, you say. Do you realize that our military budget is a TRILLION DOLLARS A YEAR? What could we do with half of that money? The Republican party has done a fantastic job of convincing working Americans that their taxes are wasted by Democrats on social programs. The truth is, the military is a huge vacuum of our tax money. It's corporate welfare. The average serviceman makes a poor salary, but contractors get rich.

"But the military makes us safe!" you say. Really? Is that why our crack Air Force was able to intercept and shoot down the planes before they hit the towers and Pentagon on 9/11? Our military doesn't protect us. Our military enforces our policies around the world. But it's not about spreading democracy. If we cared about that, we would start with CUBA which is 90 miles to our south. We could take Cuba in a day, and easily depose their leadership. But Cuba doesn't have any oil, so they don't get to be free. It's perfectly OK for the Cubans to be oppressed. I guess it's OK for the Chinese people to suffer under the iron fist of their government, too. And it's especially OK for the Tibetans to be slaughtered. No big deal. We need China to keep pumping out cheap consumer goods for us. 

We are currently fighting two wars. Why? Even if you believe everything we've been told about 9/11, only three thousand people or so died. Are those three thousand people worth hundreds of billions of dollars spent? Are they worth bankrupting the nation? Worth destroying our global reputation? What sense does it make to attack Afghanistan and Iraq when the hijackers were mostly Saudi? Does no one realize that the last military leader to conquer and control Afghanistan was ALEXANDER THE GREAT? They defeated the British and Soviets. Why should we be different? As for Iraq, are we "winning"? Define victory. Is the average Iraqi overjoyed to see Americans in his country? It's a shame.

Do we have a representative government, even on the local level? Of course not. Do you really think John McCain and Barack Hussein Obama are the best candidates for the job? A mentally unbalanced septuagenarian career politician and a freshman Senator with no track record? No. They are where they are because they were able to raise enough corporate money. Period. They've made promises to the people they owe. Don't expect change. On the local level, even in Citrus County, we're screwed. We were subjected to an additional gas tax without being allowed to vote for it. We were denied the chance for even a non-binding referendum on the Suncoast Parkway 2. We weren't even given a chance to voice our support or opposition to a billion dollar road project that will forever change the face of our county. Why? Because commisson members with connections stand to get rich. Screw the little guy. If you don't have thousands of dollars to contribute to county commission candidates then you're out of luck.

Does anyone think that the road most in need of improvement right now is CR486 in front of Terra Vista? Of course not. It's being done because Steve Tamposi has the county commission in his pocket. If they had their heads in the game, they would be widening and improving Grover Cleveland right now. It's a disaster. It's a 2 lane country road with a lot of blind hills, no shoulder, ruts and bumps, and a 55 mph speed limit. I was rear ended there---at the same time another accident happened. But no, it's years and years in the future. The safety of our citizens doesn't count. Only money.

Are you free? Well, can my gay friends get married? No. Can my friends who like marijuana enjoy their harmless indulgence without fear of jail? No. Can you even say what you want? Not really. In the words of Ice-T, "Freedom of speech--just watch what you say.". 

But that's OK. You're no supposed to think about this stuff. You're supposed to go to work and pay your taxes(for which you receive very little in return), drive home(to the house you have a huge mortgage on) in the gas guzzing SUV(you owe a bunch on) so you can watch mindless TV(on the flatscreen you paid for with a credit card) and eat bad food(to shorten your lifespan so you'll collect less Social Security and Medicare). The powers that be don't want people to be informed. They want obedient workers. Run the machinery of the nation, pay your taxes, and shut up. Accept the crappy political candidates you're given. Eat up the jingoistic faux patriotism they give you. Don't worry about the massive national debt. Just keep watching "Dancing With the Stars". Keep watching multimillionaire athletes running around playing children's games. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

I went to the movies yesterday. I saw two movies---"The Incredible Hulk" and "Kung Fu Panda". Both movies were decent, and "KFP" was especially cool. However, both were pretty much ruined because people have no manners, or can't discipline their children.

While watching "Hulk", I had to listen to two 12 year old girls who were more interested in their own conversation than the movie. Then, directly behind me, was a family. The teenaged son was a dork who felt the need to announce everything that was happening on screen as it happened. "Hey, that's Bill Bixby!". "Hey, that's Stan Lee!". WTF? Yes, dude, you're a freaking genius---and I'm sure you're the ONLY person who caught that. Can't people just STFU? Seriously...

"Kung Fu Panda" is a kid's movie. I understand that. I know there will be children there. That's a given. What's NOT acceptable is when parents allow their children to talk and cry throughout the whole movie. I don't have kids, but perhaps there's a minimum age at which you bring your kids to a theater. And maybe 3 is too young. The worst is when parents let the little infants cry, disturbing everyone in the theater, simply because THEY don't want to miss any of the film. Geez. I've gone to movies my entire life. My parents took me to plenty of them, even when I was a little kid. I remember being made to be very quiet---and being taken out of the theater when I wasn't. It's rude to ruin the experience of 50 other people because you're a selfish jerk.

I've experienced people who've talked through other movies. People have taken cell phone calls. Why? But this leads into a general lack of civility throughout our whole society. How many times have you seen someone on a cell phone at a checkout totally ignoring the cashier? Wouldn't that piss you off if you were the cashier? That's dehumanizing. And sad. I would imagine it sucks bad enough being a checker at Publix without people treating you like you don't exist. I mean, not even a word uttered to the girl. Why? So you can continue your conversation with some person you're going to see in a few minutes anyway?

I recently turned 38. It's hard to believe I'm as old as I am, because I really feel about 15. I don't think I would want to be a kid today, at all.

I live in a small town. I have always lived in small towns, except when I was stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne was a city but it's an old city so it was designed before cars, and it was pretty easy to get around on two wheels, if one saw fit. My hometown was Eunice, Louisiana. The population was 12,000 at most. But it was a small town, with small town values and atmosphere. From the time I was able to ride my bike, the town was open to me. When summer came, I rode all over the place, with no fear. My parents expected me to do that. I would hang around home for a while in the morning, then spend the day riding around. I'd ride to friends' houses, ride to other towns, ride to the arcade, or wherever. I had freedom at an early age. I rode my bike to school in junior high(middle school was in da hood, so no dice there) quite often. I even rode to high school a few times, before I learned to drive. I guess that explains a lot of my independent streak.

Today? Kids are shuttled and chauffeured everywhere. Their parents put them in the SUV and drive them to school. Their days are planned. Scheduled play dates. Soccer practice. Activity, activity, activity. And let's not let precious little junior out of our sight for a second because the boogeyman might get them. What happens to these kids when they get out into the real world and they have to think for themselves? When do these overscheduled, overprotected kids ever have a minute to breathe, with their parents involved in every second of their lives? Parents---leave your kids alone. Let them dream and play in the dirt with a stick.

Give them bicycles and let them go. I know not every place is "bike friendly", but if you instill basic skills in them they should be OK. I mean, if you live in New Port Richey I wouldn't let the kid try to cross US19, but there's nothing wrong with letting junior ride to a friend's house. Maybe then we wouldn't have a generation of kids who look like the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man.

And what's the the "cult of the child"? There's nothing wrong with being proud of your kid. That's expected. But what I've been seeing lately is the "my kid plays sports" custom sticker on the rear windows of vehicles. Just the other day I saw a Suburban that had silhouettes of baseball players on the rear window. Under one was the name "Bryce" and the other was "Brok". The stickers are lame enough---but "Brok"? WTF, is he a caveman? It's great to encourage self esteem, but child worship is another thing. Geez, your kid plays LITTLE LEAGUE. Or kid's SOCCER. Does the world need to know? I'd rather see the "My kid is an honor student" sticker, because that matters, at least.