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Back From Service

I picked up this beauty a couple months ago, and despite it working without issue at first, it soon started skipping or hanging during playback. I knew this was most likely a simple clean-n-lube, but considering my demonstrated lack of technical expertise, I thought it best to leave that task in the hands of an expert. To that end I sent it off to Shawn in Pennsylvania. I knew from past experience he’d get it back in top shape, and sure enough he did. (Turns out it wasn’t just a clean-n-lube as I’d suspected. He needed to replace the laser; thankfully he had spares on hand and it fixed the problem completely.)

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What An Asshole

From Palmer Report:

Robert Mueller passed away yesterday. Unfortunately for him he’ll be best remembered for leading a historically crucial investigation into how Donald Trump and Russia stole the 2016 presidential election, only for his investigation to ultimately go nowhere. But before that, Mueller was a strong FBI Director, and before that he was a decorated Vietnam combat veteran. You can easily criticize his work later in life, but you’d be hard pressed to criticize his character or his patriotism. And if you were stupid enough to do such a thing on the day Mueller died, you’d make yourself look unbelievably bad.

That’s why, when someone sent a supposed screenshot yesterday of Donald Trump responding to Robert Mueller’s passing with “Good, I’m glad he’s dead,” I initially assumed it was a fake. But then I went to Trump’s Truth Social site, and sure enough, he actually posted that. Trump actually said “I’m glad he’s dead.” In those exact words. In public. While sitting in the White House. Which he recently partially bulldozed.

If it’s starting to feel like there are no words to describe Trump’s behavior these days, that’s because there really are no words. Except maybe one: asshole. Yes, it’s crude. It’s an easy cheap shot. But how else can one possibly describe the manner in which Trump is now behaving? Yes, he has severe dementia. Yes, he’s increasingly angry at the world because he appears to be near death himself. And yes, he’s a corrupt and evil person who’s done more damage than anyone in American history. But Trump is also something on top of all that. He’s an asshole. Here’s the thing though.

What we’re seeing over the past month or two seems to be new territory even for Trump. When another decorated Vietnam combat veteran John McCain passed away several years ago, Trump initially refused to lower the White House flag to half mast. And when the great Rob Reiner was murdered a few months back, Trump suggested Reiner was to blame for his own death. These were hideous, spiteful, tasteless reactions to the deaths of broadly respected people. But at the time, Trump didn’t go so far as to say “I’m glad John McCain is dead” or “I’m glad Rob Reiner is dead.”

This is a whole new level of disgustingness from an individual who already long ago firmly established himself as one of the most disgusting people in history. As Donald Trump’s cognitive problems and physical health continue to bring him closer to his end, his behavior has become more distasteful than ever. It’s not going to get better. Perhaps deep down Trump knows that when he himself succumbs to his failing health before too much longer, billions of people are indeed going to say “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.” And they’ll have more than earned the right to say it.

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Sunday Vibes

Thankfully, I can still sip and swallow coffee; other liquids, not so much.

I have to say that Mishima is probably one of Glass’ most underrated works. I’ve never seen the film, but to this day (and it’s been in my collection since the early 00’s) it gives me chills.

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Torturing Myself

While most days I don’t miss physically eating (Progresso makes some great ready-to-eat soups that are blender-friendly), there are other days where I’m like…

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Cautiously Optimistic

Villeneuve lost me at the end of Dune 2 when Alia failed to be born (much less kill the Baron) and Ciani stormed off into the desert. If he had stuck to the original storyline Dune 1 and Dune 2 would’ve been the consummate adaptation of the “unfilmable” novel.

After seeing the trailer for Dune 3—nee Dune Messiah—however, I’m cautiously optimistic that Denis will somehow wrap up the director’s interpretation of the first two books of the series into something closer Herbert’s vision of Paul’s journey..

The scene of Alia especially—or rather St. Alia Of The Knife as she appears here—on the palace balcony gave me chills.

Nailed it, Denis!

As did the nearly unrecognizable Robert Pattinson as Scytale and this…sarcophagus. Who is in there? Is this Scytale presenting Paul with the gift of Hayt, the ghola of Duncan Idaho? Or is it Edric floating in spice gas as he meets with his fellow conspirators?

In any case, these two scenes one give me hope for Villeneuve’s redemption.

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