PIRACY IS NOT A VICTIMLESS CRIME

PIRACY IS NOT A VICTIMLESS CRIME

How often have you seen this when you are playing a DVD or a Blu-Ray movie? Probably the question I should ask is have you ever seen this and do you care? I know that every time I see it I think about Long John Silver, Captain Kidd, Blackbeard and of course Jack Sparrow and how little they would care about the studios losing money. I have to say that I tend to agree with them.

Yes, if the studios don’t make money they will stop making movies or will only make movies that they know have a built in audience and sure to make money. Oh…wait…that’s what they do already. I’m sure that lots of movies are made that are worthy of my interest, but at $12/person I have to be pretty sure that I am going to like the movie. Not only that, but I have to be sure that I can’t wait three to six months before it comes out on DVD or Blu-Ray. Why have a big screen TV if you aren’t going to enjoy movies made for the big screens.

I grew up going to the movies every week. Mom and dad would drop me off at the Golden Mile Theatre where I would meet my buddies and we would go in to watch the show while our parents had a couple of hours off to shop, clean, rest or drink. We would get a Coke and some popcorn, argue about where the best seat in the house was and then settle in for an afternoon of fun. There would be a cartoon followed by a newsreel (sometimes), maybe another cartoon, and then the first movie would play. There would be an intermission to give us a chance to go to the bathroom and buy more popcorn if we had enough money. The second movie had another cartoon first and this movie was probably the one everyone really wanted to see. When all was said and done, we would wait outside until we were picked up to go home for supper. Mom and dad always seemed relaxed and ready to deal with kids for another week.

When I grew into my teen years, going to the movies was part of becoming an adult. It was through movies that we became aware of the important movements of our time. Woodstock, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Rocky, Star Wars, The Sting, The Godfather, American Graffiti, All The Presidents Men, Blazing Saddles, Deliverance, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes, Patton, Smokey and the Bandit, Logan’s Run, Billy Jack and every Saturday night we would get herbed up and watch Reefer Madness and Marx Bros movies at the 99¢ Roxy. Good times…good times.

I don’t know when my love affair with the theatres ended, but I am sure it had something to do with pop and popcorn costing more than the movie. If going to the movies becomes an affordable alternative to staying home and renting or downloading, there would be a lot more people in the seats. What the industry needs to do is take a good long look at why and where that money is going instead of threatening their customers with fines and jail terms.

Piracy is a crime, but so is treating your customers like shit.

Torment The Cat

There is something that feels just a little off when you are sitting in someone else's empty house. I suppose it would be even more unnerving if you hadn't been invited to be there and the possibility of police intervention a very real possibility.

I have an invite just in case you wanted to know. My daughter and her husband are having central air installed and neither of them could be here for the service call. This is exactly the thing I envisioned myself doing when I retired. I am a useful tool when needed and a useless tool at all other times. Hmmmm.... That didn't come out right. I got here just a little early in case the guy/girl was ahead of his/her schedule; it wasn't as if my appointment book was filled.

The first thing I did when entering is to reassure Lola that she was a good girl and give her a good, long belly rub. Then I let her go out to take care of business, now, I just wait.

Houses have their own distinct personalities, and this one is semi-organized mayhem with music in the background. This is the place that Hurricane and Tornado hang their hats and race up and down the stairs calling out for Poppa to "come see...". Today there are no excited little boys showing me that latest Happy Meal toy, no mom serving or cleaning and no dad wandering around inside and outside the house catching up on those things that never seem to get done. No coffee or tea being made and no conversation going on. It is just quiet!

The only thing actually moving is the timer on the stove that is flashing "4:16" over and over again. I would fix that for them if I could, but to tell the truth I have more than a few flashing digital numbers in my own home that I don't know how to deal with. There is a steady hum from the refrigerator and eventually, the furnace will probably kick on. There is a half eaten bowl of Cheerios which was probably abandoned in the rush to get to school and or work.

The cat just made his way up the stairs from the basement and is going up to the sleeping area of the house. Good, cats and I don't mix very well. They like me but I have an allergy to them and would prefer never to see them. I don't see the point of having a cat. Why not just buy a stuffed animal if you want a pet that ignores you? I have a lot of friends that own and love their cats more than you can imagine. They obviously aren't smart friends or they would own dogs who do appreciate everything you do for them and sometimes will drive would be burglars to the next house on the block.

Still waiting and I am starting to think I will be here for hours and hours. I hate servicemen. However, I don't have a lot to do and I came prepared with iPad, book, journal, newspaper and if I am bored with all of that, I can torment the cat.