90 Day Retirement Checkin
Please pardon a certain degree of typos; eyesight makes it a chore to catch everything.
Ok, it's a little more than 90 days, but I'm not quite ready to embark on Phase II of my IT experiences yet, so a little update on how retirement is going.
First, an update on the major initiatives of my retirement, for keeping myself busy and out from under Anne's feet: Focus on Health, Chess, Music, Time with Family and vacation time with Anne.
Health.
I'm fairly pleased on this front. I've been able to maintain an exercise regimen of swimming and walking 4 days a week. The winter weather has been really beautiful where we live, making it a real pleasure to walk to/from the gym before and after swim. I started out doing 13 laps in 1/2 hour (small pool, about 40yards/lap). Today I did 26 laps - about 1000 yards. My current goal is to get to 30. I can easily do this if I stop taking breaks and vacations during my swim. (A break is a 7 second rest after each lap. A vacation is a 40 second break after 5 laps).
I must reserve a swim lane one week in advance every day. You must call after 4am to reserve. This is not a problem for me since I'm often awake by 4am. I get lane 3 at 9am, every day.
am often the youngest person swimming; it's a good exercise for older folk. I can out-swim most of the 80 year olds and my share of the 70 year olds. There are a couple that consistently out-swim me, but I console myself with the fact that they are not taking breaks and vacations like I am.
This routine is usually very smooth but there was a little drama this week. I showed up for my Wednesday swim, got in the pool and did a lap. There was a young (20's) couple standing at the end of my lane, and they said that they had lane 3. I knew for sure that I'd reserved the lane, so I said they needed to go double check (them being dry and all). They did so, and came back with the same report. So, I climbed out of the pool and walked up to the desk - not far, but dripping wet and cold. The young lady there informed me that my name had been whited out and someone else had the lane. I'd had no such problems in 3 months of swimming. I suputtered and huffed, but did not think fast enough to do anything but harumph off. I'd been evicted from my lane.
After a shower in humiliation and a chance to think, and went back to the desk and asked how this could happen. She didn't know, so she said. I asked to check my next week's worth of reservations - and sure enough, Monday's reservation was missing as well. Again, I knew I'd made the reservation (a fact I could substantiate because I call on my cell phone at the same time every day. Yup, ther's the call, 5:05am, 41 seconds long). I asked for a manger's card and headed home.
In talking to the manager, it turns out that some members, who have access to the signup list for swimming, will white-out another members name and put their own down. This made more sense to me than the people I make reservations with every day doihg so, but it's not conclusive. Bottom line is I'll be triple checking my swim lane reservations every day.
It's been difficult to keep blood sugar numbers stable. My average (A1C) is still good and improving, but there are too many swings from high to low back to high, and too many lows. Seeing the doc soon.
Only other thing I'll mentions is that I have two doctors. My endocrhonologist is 90 years old, and a great doctor. My generalist MD is a fifty-ish guy from NYU. I received a notice that my doctor is retiring...and it wasn't the 90 year old, it was the other guy! So now I have to break in a new doctor. Ugh.
Music
This part is going pretty good. I'm getting my studio where I want it, although possibly contemplating seizing half of the garage for a studio expansion. Anne does not object to this.
Part of my justification for this is that I believe the next 10 years will see the need for two cars per family start to disappear, between Uber and driverless cars. If a car can take a guy to work and then drive itself home for the rest of the family's use...I thin a lot of foks are not going to need the traditional garage, especially the older generation (which the area we live in caters to).
I'm possibly up to two groups recording in the studio; a young cousin will be visiting with a friend from her school singing group, and we'll see what happens from there.
I've been super excited to be playing again with buddies Tod and Ron. We use the RockSmith Remastered program I've blogged about before. What a fantastic learning tool. I've thoroughly learned at least 20 songs, primarily on the bass guitar. When the trend toward 60-something guys covering 80's music catches fire, I'll be performing once again.
I can't quite fam with Rocksmith the way the boys can; it's really designed to move from song to song without having to "learn" them. That unfortunately does not work unless I am very familiar with the song, since I don't see well enough to use the interface in real time. Still, fantastic learning aid.
Music: A+
Chess
This is an area I've got to get more in gear. I've still only played in 2 tournaments. I play on line, but I have a bad habit of only playing 5 minute blitz games. This is not good for my chess psyche because I don't see well enough to play five minute blitz, so I lose more than I should and lose foolishly because I'm not seeing obvious things.
I have studied, and do enjoy that. I've never been willing to study enough and need to concentrate on that more. I hope to be playing in another tournament in early April.
I have overcome my fear of the Sophies, but a brief update: I blogged before about getting beat by a 12 year old girl named Sophi, and Anne got tired of hearing about it. Last month, my Northwest Chess magazine came in and guess who was on the cover? ONE OF THE SOPHIES! I think she's quite the prodigy. So Anne had to give me that one.
Chess: C+
Vacations and Time with Anne
We've really only taken two non-swim vacations. The first was Mexico for a week with friends Tod and Ann. The second was fairly recent, a short trip to Palm Desert. Both were good fun trips, and in Palm Desert we ended a 20-year search for a ring Anne likes and she actually let me get it for her.
I was VERY close to being able to go to a regional Burning Man even in Joshua Tree National Park (not far from Palm Desert), but it was short notice and my wingman buddy was unable to go. My friend Blaine is really into the Burning Man events, and I'm hoping to be able to to the other reginoal later in the year.
We're going to Florida for a week at the beginning of April and will see family as well as visit Connectwise for a board meeting.
Vacations: B+
Time with Family
This I hope to see improve, although it has not been bad.
The single biggest pain point here is I really miss my eldest son, William Gregory. He's working in London, and we're about half-way though his year-long stint. Very glad he's got the fantastic opportunity to do so, but definitely feeling his absence.
Very fortunately, we get to spend some time with my son Gary and his fiancee Haley - usually after few weeks, but this particular week we've seen them quite a bit. Always a happiness grenade to see them.
Had mom's 75th birthday party last week and that was a good time. 60% of applicable siblings made it to the event, as well as grandkids. Mom was in great form.
Family Time: C
Outside of the primary missions....
We've connected with friends old and new, and socializing has been a bigger part of our life than it has been for a long time. I'd say that's pretty much our favorite thing to do.
We continue to enjoy activities we've always enjoyed - movies, theater, etc.
I've been able to stay on the retirement trajectory. I've pretty deliberately avoided trying to "check in" too often with my former colleagues (except for social occasions, lie our Scotch Club). I do not (yet) find myself thinking about another venture.
Anne's feared twin demons of boredom and the resulting 'being underfoot" have not materialized. While routine is a big part of our lives, it's got plenty of variability to it and we most often find ourselves asking where the day disappeared to. I remember being a kid and a teen and thinking that time couldn't possibly be moving slower. Now, it speeds by.
Definitely watching too much cable news.
Perhaps because of this, I also find myself feeling very political and even activist. I am quite alarmed by certain things (which I won't got into in this update), and I'm feeling that the time for complacency may soon be over.
Overall Retirement: A-
Next: My IT Journey, Phase II
Friday, March 16, 2018
Monday, March 12, 2018
Its Time to Move Past the NRA
As always, I invite your comments...click the "comments" count button below this post.
Every day since the Parkland massacre, I've been wanting to post about the this issue, and especially about the completely unreasonable level of influence the NRA has in this country.
First, I need the check the usual boxes that you'll usually see when someone attempts to speak out on this issue. I'm not currently a gun owner, but I have been in the past. I am a believer in the 2nd amendment TO THE CONSTITUTION, but certainly take issue with the vast expansion of its simple expression of the right to bear arms. I have a lot of friends of both political parties that are avid hunters and gun hobbyists, people that I respect and that I know might not agree with everything I have to say here. I feel most of them are also good American citizens and believers in the ENTIRE constitution that would never disagree with my right to speak on the topic, as I would never disagree with theirs.
I even agree with the deeper original goal of the founding fathers; that the right to bear arms is not just about hunting and self protection. It is about the rights of the citizenry to protect the nation - from its government. Particularly topical with our current leadership I would add. In the days of the founding fathers, citizens with rifles and pistols had a chance to do so. I see the value in this.
*****
The actions and devices of the NRA after Parkland has gone over the top for me.
This week alone, the NRA has sued the state of Florida for trying to enact very sensible legislation in the wake of Parkland and so many other tragedies. The President, afraid of the NRA, has backed down on any of the ideas he put forward that make any sense, under the pressure of the NRA. The attack of the NRA on the children and young adults who were already viciously attacked in their school continue, and are inexcusable.
Watching the NRA and their political mouthpieces try to make the case that our problems are not caused by the huge number of guns in our country despite the massive world-wide evidence to the contrary is Orwellian. Witnessing the lack of will exhibited by bought and paid for politicians when other countries like Australia have shown the way out of this mess is the ultimate in frustration.
Watching the lives of children and the safety of our places of learning take a back seat to every nuance and every sliver of gun "rights" is the greatest injustice I can imagine. The very idea that arming teachers is the solution - which by the way would probably sell another 3 million guns to the government - is the worst idea I've ever heard. Even trained armed deputies on school grounds when the shooting began failed to act. Americans, you are being mocked right in your face.
The reason cited by the NRA for trying to block legislation requiring a person be 21 years of age to purchase semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15? "The rights of citizens who have done nothing wrong might be trampled" - referring to the right of an 18 year old to buy a semi automatic weapon.
News flash NRA: In our civilized society, under our constitution, we ALL AGREE to have our rights impinged. It's the price of the greatest level of personal freedom to be found on the plant.
We agree that we can't keep all of the money we earn. We play taxes.
We agree that we can't physically attack and harm another person for what they say. That person has the right to speak freely on any topic.
We agree that in times of war we may have to give up our personal freedoms entirely to serve our country in the military to keep our citizens safe. Even 18 to 21 year olds agree to this and are the most often called on during a draft. And you know what NRA? I think you'd find the vast majority of those same 18 to 21 years olds that are called on to sacrifice everything would be more than willing to sacrifice the "right" to a a semi-automatic weapon for an extra 3 years to help keep the most helpless and vulnerable people in our society safe. I'm certain of it.
We agree that we can't run around doing whatever the hell we want if it harms others.
And we sure as hell agree that we can't run around shooting each other, and especially our children.
In short, we agree to abide by the Rule of Law, and we eschew the right to anarchy.
The NRA has exalted just one of the rights provided by our Constitution above all others. There are a of other rights that are quite a bit more important than the right to a semi automatic rifle at the age of 18: The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The right to a safe place of learning. The right to not be massacred by one psycho with an automatic weapon.
The fastest path I can see to losing the right to bear arms is the "all or nothing" approach of the NRA. because in the absence of reasonable, common sense compromise the day will come when the people of the United States are pushed too far, and if the only answer "allowed" by the NRA is nothing, then NOTHING IT SHALL BE.
Only the Sith think in absolutes. The NRA organization is the dark side, attacking children and taking positions that are unreasonable in the extreme. Acting as if the desire to get rid of something like "bump stocks" is the government coming into American homes to relieve us of our guns is simple extremism at its worst.
An organization of five million people simply can't stand against and control the other 295 million of us, financially or with the vote. Since our politicians, including our president, are being bought off and intimidated by the NRA, it may be time to fight fire with fire. A crowdfunded effort advocating a responsible approach to the second amendment may be an idea whose time has come - an alternative to the NRA for gun rights advocates. The NRA's strength is organization and contacts, and that does not come overnight. Raising 100 million would be a good start.
The NRA is a bad organization with bad leadership, even though many good people are members. It is up to those NRA members who do not agree with the extremist all-or-nothing views to be heard and to be heard loud by the leadership of the organization they belong to. NRA members, you are responsible for the actions of your leadership. If you do not agree with the positions taken, please be heard.
Americans, we can't stand by with our hands in our pockets and let one organization representing an extreme point of view run our country and ruin those lives.
Agree with me? Leave a comment. Disagree with me? Leave a comment.
As always, I invite your comments...click the "comments" count button below this post.
Every day since the Parkland massacre, I've been wanting to post about the this issue, and especially about the completely unreasonable level of influence the NRA has in this country.
First, I need the check the usual boxes that you'll usually see when someone attempts to speak out on this issue. I'm not currently a gun owner, but I have been in the past. I am a believer in the 2nd amendment TO THE CONSTITUTION, but certainly take issue with the vast expansion of its simple expression of the right to bear arms. I have a lot of friends of both political parties that are avid hunters and gun hobbyists, people that I respect and that I know might not agree with everything I have to say here. I feel most of them are also good American citizens and believers in the ENTIRE constitution that would never disagree with my right to speak on the topic, as I would never disagree with theirs.
I even agree with the deeper original goal of the founding fathers; that the right to bear arms is not just about hunting and self protection. It is about the rights of the citizenry to protect the nation - from its government. Particularly topical with our current leadership I would add. In the days of the founding fathers, citizens with rifles and pistols had a chance to do so. I see the value in this.
*****
The actions and devices of the NRA after Parkland has gone over the top for me.
This week alone, the NRA has sued the state of Florida for trying to enact very sensible legislation in the wake of Parkland and so many other tragedies. The President, afraid of the NRA, has backed down on any of the ideas he put forward that make any sense, under the pressure of the NRA. The attack of the NRA on the children and young adults who were already viciously attacked in their school continue, and are inexcusable.
Watching the NRA and their political mouthpieces try to make the case that our problems are not caused by the huge number of guns in our country despite the massive world-wide evidence to the contrary is Orwellian. Witnessing the lack of will exhibited by bought and paid for politicians when other countries like Australia have shown the way out of this mess is the ultimate in frustration.
Watching the lives of children and the safety of our places of learning take a back seat to every nuance and every sliver of gun "rights" is the greatest injustice I can imagine. The very idea that arming teachers is the solution - which by the way would probably sell another 3 million guns to the government - is the worst idea I've ever heard. Even trained armed deputies on school grounds when the shooting began failed to act. Americans, you are being mocked right in your face.
The reason cited by the NRA for trying to block legislation requiring a person be 21 years of age to purchase semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15? "The rights of citizens who have done nothing wrong might be trampled" - referring to the right of an 18 year old to buy a semi automatic weapon.
News flash NRA: In our civilized society, under our constitution, we ALL AGREE to have our rights impinged. It's the price of the greatest level of personal freedom to be found on the plant.
We agree that we can't keep all of the money we earn. We play taxes.
We agree that we can't physically attack and harm another person for what they say. That person has the right to speak freely on any topic.
We agree that in times of war we may have to give up our personal freedoms entirely to serve our country in the military to keep our citizens safe. Even 18 to 21 year olds agree to this and are the most often called on during a draft. And you know what NRA? I think you'd find the vast majority of those same 18 to 21 years olds that are called on to sacrifice everything would be more than willing to sacrifice the "right" to a a semi-automatic weapon for an extra 3 years to help keep the most helpless and vulnerable people in our society safe. I'm certain of it.
We agree that we can't run around doing whatever the hell we want if it harms others.
And we sure as hell agree that we can't run around shooting each other, and especially our children.
In short, we agree to abide by the Rule of Law, and we eschew the right to anarchy.
The NRA has exalted just one of the rights provided by our Constitution above all others. There are a of other rights that are quite a bit more important than the right to a semi automatic rifle at the age of 18: The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The right to a safe place of learning. The right to not be massacred by one psycho with an automatic weapon.
The fastest path I can see to losing the right to bear arms is the "all or nothing" approach of the NRA. because in the absence of reasonable, common sense compromise the day will come when the people of the United States are pushed too far, and if the only answer "allowed" by the NRA is nothing, then NOTHING IT SHALL BE.
Only the Sith think in absolutes. The NRA organization is the dark side, attacking children and taking positions that are unreasonable in the extreme. Acting as if the desire to get rid of something like "bump stocks" is the government coming into American homes to relieve us of our guns is simple extremism at its worst.
An organization of five million people simply can't stand against and control the other 295 million of us, financially or with the vote. Since our politicians, including our president, are being bought off and intimidated by the NRA, it may be time to fight fire with fire. A crowdfunded effort advocating a responsible approach to the second amendment may be an idea whose time has come - an alternative to the NRA for gun rights advocates. The NRA's strength is organization and contacts, and that does not come overnight. Raising 100 million would be a good start.
The NRA is a bad organization with bad leadership, even though many good people are members. It is up to those NRA members who do not agree with the extremist all-or-nothing views to be heard and to be heard loud by the leadership of the organization they belong to. NRA members, you are responsible for the actions of your leadership. If you do not agree with the positions taken, please be heard.
Americans, we can't stand by with our hands in our pockets and let one organization representing an extreme point of view run our country and ruin those lives.
Agree with me? Leave a comment. Disagree with me? Leave a comment.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Responsibility for the Opioid Epidemic
I ready a news piece yesterday that basically stated that after years of prescribing addictive opioids for pain, studies are showing that they are no more effective than other forms of pain medication, especially after a year of use. With the horror of these drugs among us, they don't even help pain sufferers that much.
That pushed me over the edge.
Like many "normal", regular folks I know, my family has been very impacted by heroin-based medications, both prescribed by doctors and obtained on the street. Our family's experience has not been good; lives are severely impacted and altered, whether for years or a lifetime. Our story is the same as many, many other families that I know from all walks of life.
I've read on the subject and participated in treatment programs (as a supporting family member); but I am not a scholar on the subject. Even so, I want to challenge the assertions that this is a "Mexico" problem and the current and former administrations have loudly claimed. It is an American problem, and I feel we need to take responsibility for it.
It is necessary to also add this huge disclaimer: While I've witnessed the cycle of drug addiction many times, I have never dealt with chronic pain or even the severe pain of surgery (and i hope I never do). I am also not a person that becomes addicted (i gave myself plenty of opportunities to do so); I also don't really like drugs and the states they produce.
There are a few facts that I would present.
1) It appears to be well known and I've not heard it disputed that 90% of the heroin originates in Afghanistan, where 90% of the poppy is grown.
2) For the last 20 or so years, the armed forces of the United States of America have had a significant military presence and operations in Afghanistan. Before that, Russia spent many years there. I recall no reports of our military taking any action whatever against poppy growers. In fact, I spoke to a young man that had done multiple tours in Afghanistan and I asked him whether they ever took action against or even approached poppy fields. He indicated he'd never seen or heard of any action, and that they could only cross a field with express permission of the owners. If the damage being done to our people and our society by these drugs are not an act of war against us, I don't know what is.
3) Beginning many years ago, heroin moved from the streets to the doctors office, as Big Pharma started flooding the market and compensating physicians to write addictive prescriptions. The pharmaceutical companies knowingly lied about the additive nature of drugs like Oxycontin, no different than Big Tobacco and cancer. The result of years of this "collaboration" between doctors and the drug companies was the entrapment of millions of people whose pain, often transitory pain, became a nightmare of addiction hell. In my opinion, doctors prescribed these medications unnecessarily both before AND after they knew the addictive effects. They broke their Hippocratic oath to line their pockets.
Here's the question I pose: How is Mexico to blame for the rampant escalation of this problem and its encroachment into the lives of mainstream Americans if we allow the Afghanis to produce and ship this poison under the nose of our military, and if we allow our own bloodsucking drug companies to legally produce millions of pills, and we allow our medical professionals to irresponsibly prescribe the drug without ensuring their patients do not become addicts?
They hypocrisy of our leadership, past and present, is unbelievable as it relates to this issue.
The only answer I have is the usual. We allow this because the rich get richer through means both legal (ownership of large amounts of Pharma stock) and illegal. Simple as that.
Many Americans are unaware of the scope of this problem, and the drug companies work hard to keep it that way. We'd be much more aware of it if those who are addicted wen through the life-threatening pain of being forced off the drugs due to inability to afford them - but the same Pharma companies that charged huge amounts to get people hooked while they had insurance to pay the huge prices make those same drugs available at a fraction of the cost to addicts that no longer have insurance - because they're still making money on these cheaply produced drugs, and because they don't want to visibility and the stink of what would happen if they didn't make them available. I've seen this with my own eyes.
I'm often dismayed by how willing we as a people are to screw each other. There is no better example of this than the pharmaceutical companies.
It is clear that our government and our leaders are not going to do anything about this, which means this is another are that we the people must find a way to take into our own hands. We are not the first civilization on earth under attack from drug addiction. We are not handling it well.
How do we confront the ugly truths and decide on what actions could be effective to end this plague? How do we deal with the weakness in our own society that allows this to go on? Many who are prescribed these drugs are snared unwittingly by their own doctors; but for most it is a choice they make and continue to make. Why do our people make this choice?
I have only one suggestion: Any doctor trying to prescribe addictive drugs to you is basically putting your life at risk. AT LEAST ask for alternatives. AT LEAST demand a full plan not to just get you on the drugs but to get you off of them as well. ASSUME that you will become addicted. Here again, I speak as one that has not personally dealt with these levels of pain. I have talked to many who feel they could have handled their pain in other ways and were simply unaware of the danger their own doctor put them in.
I welcome your comments and experiences. So many are affected. This is not a political problem; though it is partially a leadership problem that we've had for many years.
God bless and help those that are suffering through this horrible experience.
I ready a news piece yesterday that basically stated that after years of prescribing addictive opioids for pain, studies are showing that they are no more effective than other forms of pain medication, especially after a year of use. With the horror of these drugs among us, they don't even help pain sufferers that much.
That pushed me over the edge.
Like many "normal", regular folks I know, my family has been very impacted by heroin-based medications, both prescribed by doctors and obtained on the street. Our family's experience has not been good; lives are severely impacted and altered, whether for years or a lifetime. Our story is the same as many, many other families that I know from all walks of life.
I've read on the subject and participated in treatment programs (as a supporting family member); but I am not a scholar on the subject. Even so, I want to challenge the assertions that this is a "Mexico" problem and the current and former administrations have loudly claimed. It is an American problem, and I feel we need to take responsibility for it.
It is necessary to also add this huge disclaimer: While I've witnessed the cycle of drug addiction many times, I have never dealt with chronic pain or even the severe pain of surgery (and i hope I never do). I am also not a person that becomes addicted (i gave myself plenty of opportunities to do so); I also don't really like drugs and the states they produce.
There are a few facts that I would present.
1) It appears to be well known and I've not heard it disputed that 90% of the heroin originates in Afghanistan, where 90% of the poppy is grown.
2) For the last 20 or so years, the armed forces of the United States of America have had a significant military presence and operations in Afghanistan. Before that, Russia spent many years there. I recall no reports of our military taking any action whatever against poppy growers. In fact, I spoke to a young man that had done multiple tours in Afghanistan and I asked him whether they ever took action against or even approached poppy fields. He indicated he'd never seen or heard of any action, and that they could only cross a field with express permission of the owners. If the damage being done to our people and our society by these drugs are not an act of war against us, I don't know what is.
3) Beginning many years ago, heroin moved from the streets to the doctors office, as Big Pharma started flooding the market and compensating physicians to write addictive prescriptions. The pharmaceutical companies knowingly lied about the additive nature of drugs like Oxycontin, no different than Big Tobacco and cancer. The result of years of this "collaboration" between doctors and the drug companies was the entrapment of millions of people whose pain, often transitory pain, became a nightmare of addiction hell. In my opinion, doctors prescribed these medications unnecessarily both before AND after they knew the addictive effects. They broke their Hippocratic oath to line their pockets.
Here's the question I pose: How is Mexico to blame for the rampant escalation of this problem and its encroachment into the lives of mainstream Americans if we allow the Afghanis to produce and ship this poison under the nose of our military, and if we allow our own bloodsucking drug companies to legally produce millions of pills, and we allow our medical professionals to irresponsibly prescribe the drug without ensuring their patients do not become addicts?
They hypocrisy of our leadership, past and present, is unbelievable as it relates to this issue.
The only answer I have is the usual. We allow this because the rich get richer through means both legal (ownership of large amounts of Pharma stock) and illegal. Simple as that.
Many Americans are unaware of the scope of this problem, and the drug companies work hard to keep it that way. We'd be much more aware of it if those who are addicted wen through the life-threatening pain of being forced off the drugs due to inability to afford them - but the same Pharma companies that charged huge amounts to get people hooked while they had insurance to pay the huge prices make those same drugs available at a fraction of the cost to addicts that no longer have insurance - because they're still making money on these cheaply produced drugs, and because they don't want to visibility and the stink of what would happen if they didn't make them available. I've seen this with my own eyes.
I'm often dismayed by how willing we as a people are to screw each other. There is no better example of this than the pharmaceutical companies.
It is clear that our government and our leaders are not going to do anything about this, which means this is another are that we the people must find a way to take into our own hands. We are not the first civilization on earth under attack from drug addiction. We are not handling it well.
How do we confront the ugly truths and decide on what actions could be effective to end this plague? How do we deal with the weakness in our own society that allows this to go on? Many who are prescribed these drugs are snared unwittingly by their own doctors; but for most it is a choice they make and continue to make. Why do our people make this choice?
I have only one suggestion: Any doctor trying to prescribe addictive drugs to you is basically putting your life at risk. AT LEAST ask for alternatives. AT LEAST demand a full plan not to just get you on the drugs but to get you off of them as well. ASSUME that you will become addicted. Here again, I speak as one that has not personally dealt with these levels of pain. I have talked to many who feel they could have handled their pain in other ways and were simply unaware of the danger their own doctor put them in.
I welcome your comments and experiences. So many are affected. This is not a political problem; though it is partially a leadership problem that we've had for many years.
God bless and help those that are suffering through this horrible experience.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Goodbye to my last Harley
Anne and I went to a play up in Everett last weekend called "the Gin Game". WE have season tickets; it's small theater with productions of often unknown works. True to the title the play was about a gin game between a man and a women in an old folks home. Over the game they talked about old folks home issues like their belongings being stolen...what small amount of their treasures they had left were walking away. Kind of depressing really.
Back in 2005 i got on a motorcycle kick. This came about after a bad trip on some drugs a dental surgeon gave me to have wisdom teeth extracted. I had the most paranoid tripping night of my life, and in the morning got up, went to breakfast, and bought a Honda at the local Harley dealership. Well, I got bit by the bug and before you know it I traded the Honda in on not one but TWO brand new Harleys, a soft-tail "Fat Boy" and a VROD.
The Vrod was an awesome bike (they both were), but it was special because it was co-designed with Porsche. I loved that thing.
I didn't have a lot of time riding the bikes; my eyes were already starting to go, not that riding motorcycles isn't dicey enough as is. I was able to ride for about 3 years. Never achieved my dream of a big cross-country ride, but still enjoyed riding to work and around the area. Second childhood stuff.
I sold the VRod back in 2007 to a young man from Iran. His father paid for it with a big wad of sweaty bills.
I could never bring myself to sell the Fat Boy, but I finally have. I don't know, there was just something about it that felt like a line I was crossing. I haven't driven or ridden for at least 8 years, so it's not like I'm "giving up" riding.
I guess that's part of the process as you get older (not that I am), but you give things up, have to let them go, and your world kind of gets smaller and smaller. We all end up with some set of issues of our own - for me, it's my eyesight - but whatever it is (even simple old age) you can't keep doing everything you were able to do in younger days.
There's plenty to look forward to, I would say that being in a geiatric care facility waiting for my stuff to walk off would not be one of them.
An interesting sub-story:
I ad not licensed the Harley Fat Boy (sub sub story: I bought the Fat Boy not only because I loved it but because I thought it was the Terminator bike; it wasn't - that was actually a Honda) since 2009 - about 8 years. In all the house moves, I'd also managed to lose the title.
Well, in turns out in trying to get a title to the bike that the state of Washington only stores vehicle records for 7 years. After that, if you lose your title, you can be in a situation they call "ownership in doubt". If you land in this mini-hell, you have to jump through a lot of hoops and then you can't register or sell your vehicle for 3 years.
The state said "we can't store those records in our computers forever", like we're still e]dealing with PC's from the 80's that only have 20mb storage. Pointing out to the state that the cost of data storage has decreased by 10000% over those same 7 years does not get you far by the way.
At any rate, the problem turned out to be mistaking an 8 for an X in the VIN number, so the "tier 2" folks at the DoT were able to find my records - and my last Harley is gone.
Depressing play, depressing blog post. I think I'll take the proceeds and buy a new guitar.
Adios friends!
Anne and I went to a play up in Everett last weekend called "the Gin Game". WE have season tickets; it's small theater with productions of often unknown works. True to the title the play was about a gin game between a man and a women in an old folks home. Over the game they talked about old folks home issues like their belongings being stolen...what small amount of their treasures they had left were walking away. Kind of depressing really.
Back in 2005 i got on a motorcycle kick. This came about after a bad trip on some drugs a dental surgeon gave me to have wisdom teeth extracted. I had the most paranoid tripping night of my life, and in the morning got up, went to breakfast, and bought a Honda at the local Harley dealership. Well, I got bit by the bug and before you know it I traded the Honda in on not one but TWO brand new Harleys, a soft-tail "Fat Boy" and a VROD.
The Vrod was an awesome bike (they both were), but it was special because it was co-designed with Porsche. I loved that thing.
I didn't have a lot of time riding the bikes; my eyes were already starting to go, not that riding motorcycles isn't dicey enough as is. I was able to ride for about 3 years. Never achieved my dream of a big cross-country ride, but still enjoyed riding to work and around the area. Second childhood stuff.
I sold the VRod back in 2007 to a young man from Iran. His father paid for it with a big wad of sweaty bills.
I could never bring myself to sell the Fat Boy, but I finally have. I don't know, there was just something about it that felt like a line I was crossing. I haven't driven or ridden for at least 8 years, so it's not like I'm "giving up" riding.
I guess that's part of the process as you get older (not that I am), but you give things up, have to let them go, and your world kind of gets smaller and smaller. We all end up with some set of issues of our own - for me, it's my eyesight - but whatever it is (even simple old age) you can't keep doing everything you were able to do in younger days.
There's plenty to look forward to, I would say that being in a geiatric care facility waiting for my stuff to walk off would not be one of them.
An interesting sub-story:
I ad not licensed the Harley Fat Boy (sub sub story: I bought the Fat Boy not only because I loved it but because I thought it was the Terminator bike; it wasn't - that was actually a Honda) since 2009 - about 8 years. In all the house moves, I'd also managed to lose the title.
Well, in turns out in trying to get a title to the bike that the state of Washington only stores vehicle records for 7 years. After that, if you lose your title, you can be in a situation they call "ownership in doubt". If you land in this mini-hell, you have to jump through a lot of hoops and then you can't register or sell your vehicle for 3 years.
The state said "we can't store those records in our computers forever", like we're still e]dealing with PC's from the 80's that only have 20mb storage. Pointing out to the state that the cost of data storage has decreased by 10000% over those same 7 years does not get you far by the way.
At any rate, the problem turned out to be mistaking an 8 for an X in the VIN number, so the "tier 2" folks at the DoT were able to find my records - and my last Harley is gone.
Depressing play, depressing blog post. I think I'll take the proceeds and buy a new guitar.
Adios friends!
Thursday, March 1, 2018
How Peter Jackson Sold Out Every Character in The Lord of the Rings: A Tolkien Rant
Please leave a comment, especially if you get through this whole thing!
Yes, I am stepping fully out of the geek closet to state that I'm a lifelong Tolkien fan, to a fairly (but not totally) unreasonable degree. Middle Earth was my happy place growing up, even before I discovered the much larger world outside of the Lord of the Rings that Tolkien created with The Silmarillion, the Lost Tales, and the many studies that his son Christopher Tolkien has created.
To put a limiter on this Tolkien geekery, I will say that there is a level (or perhaps many levels) beyond me - the truly hard core scholars of the Tolkien Society for example. I do not profess to be a scholar. If we get to vote on our next world of choice, there's a fairly good chance I'll be some kind of hobbit, elf, or Balrog in my next existence. That's assuming I'm not an inchworm because the Buddhists are correct.
As these two paragraphs have already shown, not everyone will be interested in this particular blog post. It's been a rant I've needed to get out ever since seeing the Lord of the Rings however. Most people that watched the LOTR in the theater were perfectly happy with it because they are the great Tolkien unwashed, never having read even the LOTR once (much less 100 times), and never gone beyond to the greater world of Arda. Jackson's movies were entertaining - but ultimately very untrue to the core characters, especially the Nine Walkers.
There is no doubt in my mind that one day these stores will be told fully and I hope in a way that is true to the stories, the grandeur, and the unbelievable depth that JRR Tolkien spent his whole life (literally) creating.
I understand why Peter Jackson did what he did; even with three long movies he could not get into the depth of the story and the characters. Still, I do not feel it was necessary to cheapen and dumb down the characters as much as he did - to what I call "Sell them out". Without further adieu, her's my list of the characters and how they were hamstrung for the sake of shortening the films or dumbing down the story for the uninitiated audience
Let's start at the top.
Frodo
Frodo was one of the many characters impacted by some (to my mind) foolish manipulation of the timeline of the events in the Lord of the Rings. The biggest example is the fact that between B ilbo's Farewell Party and Frodo's flight from the Shire, 20 years have passed...but in the movies, Jackson shortened this to practically days. Among many other impactful effects is this: This Ring is like crack - anyone possessing and particularly using the One Ring would become attached or addicted to it, and would be unable to let it go. Frodo would not become so addicted in matter of days (or hours) as the Jackson story represents. Over 20 years in the actual story Frodo used the ring on several occasions, and certainly possessed it for a long time. IN the movie, he only used therein twice for very short periods.
In the movie, Frodo sends Sam away at the Pass of Cirith Ungol and went through Shelob's Lair alone. Frodo would NEVER have sent Sam away, and Sam was with him through Shelob's Lair. While Jackson's exploration of the empathy/sympathy Frodo had for Smeagol/Gollum, this was taking it too far.
By skipping both the adventure with Tom Bombadil and the Barrow Downs, as well as the death of Saruman in the Shire, Jackson left out important elements showing Frodo's courage, character, and the elements of fate that he was subject to. I dearly hope the future remake of the LOTR will not omit these elements.
Samwise Gamgee
in Tolkien's LOTR, Sam defines loyalty and dedication in service to Frodo, and ultimately is shown to be a shrewd (if not overly quick on the draw) and critical element of the success of the Quest. While Samwise as created was not hesitant to speak his mind (and was usually right), he was not what I'd call a whiner as he was portrayed in the movie - and eh was absolutely no quitter, and would NEVER have left Frodo whether ordered to or not. His epic struggle at the Pass of Cirith Ungol and in the Tower was absolutely defining, and was almost fully skipped in the movie.
As will be seen with Merry and Pippin as well, Sam did not stumble into his role as a member of Frodo's quest in the matter of the few hours between Bilbo's party and Frodo's departure; he was the member of a conspiracy that was committed to helping Frodo that cooked up their plans over a long period of time. It was very shallow make it appear otherwise.
Aragorn
As the heir of Isildur and the rightful king of both Gondor and Arnor, Aragorn's ENTIRE LIFE was dedicated to the long foretold final confrontation with Sauron and regaining his crown, saving Middle Earth. He was intimately familiar with and aware of all of the history and lore of the Elder Days and knew the ties between the current struggle and that history - and as a Nemenorean, he knew also the atonement that was due from his people.
In the movie, many references are made to Aragorn's "Turning from that path long ago" as if he had walked away from that commitment, which would never have happened,. Aragorn also continually received help from Arwen and Elrond (in events that never occurred in the books) that were in themselves major transgressions against the tenets of the story. Aragorn was a noble but not flashy character; his actions were not rash. He certainly did not nearly die and disappear from the action before Helm's Deep. What he DID do was confront Sauron directly through the use of the palantir of Orthanc AND DEFEATED HIM - an event completely left out of the movie theatrical release and mischaracterized in the extended release - which would have been fascinating to include in toto. What he DID do was encounter his own people the Dunedain after the victory at Isengard, who then accompanied him on the Paths of the Dead (rather than just Legolas and Gimli).
Aragorn was also a Numenorean and built like a Numenorean, "tall as the Sea-Kings of old". Viggo didn't cut the mustard for me. Aragorn has a lineage and a nobility that was not come through in the movies.
Boromir
In the small context of his time with the Fellowship, Boromir was not a major character and there were not enough events to really flesh him out - and thus he wasn't sold down the river too much. However, his doubts about Aragorn should have been portrayed more than they were. The funeral of Boromir was omitted from the movie (and the subsequent sightings of Boromir by his brother, a key part of the story. As I also felt Boromir was underdeveloped in the context of the LOTR by Tolkien I'm not grousing too much here.
Merry and Pippin
I'm committing a bit of Jackson's sin by lumping these two important characters together.
I truly objected to the way they were treated; they were only a part of Frodo's party because they happened to run into them stealing vegetables from Farmer Maggot. While they might have done this as Hobbit teens (and in fact Frodo had don so earlier in life), at the time of the story and their ages in the story they would never have don so. They were a part of the conspiracy to help Frodo and the team that was helping him move from Hobbiton to Crickhollow, an event again completely omitted from the movies.
They were portrayed as completely lightweight characters throughout the story. While Pippin was not quite the contributor Merry was, they both played key roles at key times. Merry was instrumental in the omitted trek through the Old Forest where Bombadil was encountered; and he was instrumental in the killing of the Witch King of Angmar for gosh sake
Perhaps the most serious wrongdoing against these characters involved Treebeard and the Ents. The coming of Meriadoc and Peregrin to Fangorm Forest catalyzed the outrage of the Ents, and Treebeard in his slow way had nurtured a strategy against Saruman. The movie made it seems like all involved just bumbled into this absolutely critical battle, with Pippin "tricking" Treebeard (one of the oldest living beings in Middle Earth into a casual walk with all the Ents into a field of destroyed trees. Nothing could be further from the spirit of the story or the characters.
At the death of Boromir, in the movie Merry and Pippin were picked up like toddlers by the Orcs and carried off. IN the actual battle, Merry relived several Orcs of their hands and arms before being overcome - again, under-serving the valor and character of these to young hobbits.
Finally, the omission of the final battles in the shire with Saruman robbed Merry and Pippin of their showing as trained, wizened leaders capable of mustering their folk and defending their land,. They simply came across as lightweight truants.
Gimli
Gimli the Dwarf of Erebor was a significant character in the story, representing one of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth - and it was important to the story that all the free peoples tark part in the destruction of Sauron and earning the right to Middle Earth. Aside from being cast as comic relief and not otherwise fleshed out, there was not a lot of serious dirt that could be done to GImli -
Except that a major aspect of the story line related to Gimli was this request of Galadriel at her gift-giving ceremony at the end of the stay in Lothlorien (unfortunately omitted in the theatrical release) for a lock of her hair, for him to treasure. This completely forward address was extraordinary, all the more because she agreed. I learned years later that Feanor himself (a character of the Elder Days and the First Age) had requested of his cousin Galadriel many times a lock of her hair, and she had refused him. An extraordinary centuries-long "F* you" to dead Feanor!
Legolas
Ok, so now I have to admit that there is one of the Nine Walkers not seriously dissed by Jackson, at least not in the LOTR. The Hobbit series is another matter for another day.
Legoals was abused as a kind of "catch all" of knowledge and information he did not possess in the books, and would have had no way to possess about things like the Rohirrim and Gondor. He was also cast as a kind of superhero vastly beyond the capabilities of any actual Elf short of Feanor or Fingolfin. They did ned to expand his role from the books (which was not very prominent), so this can be forgiven - especially since Legolas was a fairly big hit to the moviegoers.
Gandalf
Gandalf was the bringer of hope and endurance to Elves and Men, sent to Middle Earth to combat Sauron but forbidden to do so with power. He was the Gods' cleaner, tasked with ridding Middle Earth of the remnants of the old evil of Melkor and his servants - Sauron, Dragons, Balrogs, Orces etc.
Gandalf would never have (and did not) "lose hope" as portrayed in the Return of the King at the Council of Captains, where Aragorn has to pull him back from depressions. .
The beginning of the tale being characterized as happening in days instead of 20 years also affects Gandalf and makes his actions seem questionable - deliberately sending the hobbits off without guidance or planning, for example.
The re-tooled confrontation with Saruman and breaking of his staff was not included in the theatrical release, and is the moment that truly defined Gandalf as "the White".
Overall, Gandalf received reasonable treatment consistent withe the story and his place in it overall. IN particular the battle with the Balrog was awesome.
Other Characters and Peoples of Note
The Elves -
When an elven army showed up at Helms Deep I was seriously bummed out. The joining of the forces of Gil-Galad and Elendil at the end of the Second Age was called "THe Last Alliance of Elves and Men" for a reason. The Elves did not and would not directly help Men fight Sauron again.
The Ents
I'm really chapped that the Ents were portrayed basically as idiots that had to be tricked into fighting Saruman. The whole "When I walk South I always feel I'm walking downhill" was flat ridiculous. Not a way to treat one of the Free Peoples, creatures thousands of years old.
The Hobbits
As a people, the Hobbits were dissed of their role and suffering during the War, and their ultimate victory over evil men and Suruman. It just wasn't included.
Elrond
Never journeyed to visit Theoden and deliver Anduril to Aragorn. Anduril, the Sord REforged, was with Aragorn always and was reforged before the Company left Rivendell. Elrond would not have said that "Aragorn turned from the path of kingship long ago".
Arwen
Arwen Undomiel was a great lady of high lineage and prestige, and also several hundred years old. Aragorn had to work his butt off to win her and deserve her. In the movie, she is treated like a teenage warrior princess, on the road fighting the Nazgul. This is a part of th missing nobility of the story and many of its characters. Also, Arwen never set off for The Grey Havens to sail to Valinor.
Eomer
A key and noble character in the story, Eomer came across as a lout and a bully, even making fun of Merry (whom he highly honored in the book). Many of his key interactions were removed altogether.
Faramir
Big time objection here. Again, Faramir is a very noble chracter who used wisdom in his judgement in dealing with Frodo in Ithilien - he did not and would not have taken him prisoner at all, much less march him back to Osgiliath. There did not seem to be any purpose served by this major alteration of the story, and the timeline was casually altered by the quick jaunts back and forth from Ithilien to Osgiliath and back, territory crawling with Orcs.
The Ringbearers
Frodo and Sam were accorded no congrats or honors for their incredible sacrifices, at least in the theatrical release of the movies. Merry and Sam were accorded as much honor and while it is not a contest there's not much comparison of efforts.
You'll notices one name not on my shitlist: Smeagol/Gollum. I thought that this chracter was absolutely spot on, and even in the areas that Jackson expanded over the book were amazing. The scene with Faramir was a great example. I never expected to see Gollum in all his glory; I don't know how this character could be better done.
******
Well, there you have it. While many might think I'm picking nits, many of these issues are at the heart of these characters, their histories, and their motivations. How esactly I would have "fixed" these issues would be a longer discussions and probably a fourth movie.
Some of these issues would have been easily solved, some not so much.
I hope there's at least one Tolkien fan that got this far, and if so please leave a comment!
Namarie!
Please leave a comment, especially if you get through this whole thing!
Yes, I am stepping fully out of the geek closet to state that I'm a lifelong Tolkien fan, to a fairly (but not totally) unreasonable degree. Middle Earth was my happy place growing up, even before I discovered the much larger world outside of the Lord of the Rings that Tolkien created with The Silmarillion, the Lost Tales, and the many studies that his son Christopher Tolkien has created.
To put a limiter on this Tolkien geekery, I will say that there is a level (or perhaps many levels) beyond me - the truly hard core scholars of the Tolkien Society for example. I do not profess to be a scholar. If we get to vote on our next world of choice, there's a fairly good chance I'll be some kind of hobbit, elf, or Balrog in my next existence. That's assuming I'm not an inchworm because the Buddhists are correct.
As these two paragraphs have already shown, not everyone will be interested in this particular blog post. It's been a rant I've needed to get out ever since seeing the Lord of the Rings however. Most people that watched the LOTR in the theater were perfectly happy with it because they are the great Tolkien unwashed, never having read even the LOTR once (much less 100 times), and never gone beyond to the greater world of Arda. Jackson's movies were entertaining - but ultimately very untrue to the core characters, especially the Nine Walkers.
There is no doubt in my mind that one day these stores will be told fully and I hope in a way that is true to the stories, the grandeur, and the unbelievable depth that JRR Tolkien spent his whole life (literally) creating.
I understand why Peter Jackson did what he did; even with three long movies he could not get into the depth of the story and the characters. Still, I do not feel it was necessary to cheapen and dumb down the characters as much as he did - to what I call "Sell them out". Without further adieu, her's my list of the characters and how they were hamstrung for the sake of shortening the films or dumbing down the story for the uninitiated audience
Let's start at the top.
Frodo
Frodo was one of the many characters impacted by some (to my mind) foolish manipulation of the timeline of the events in the Lord of the Rings. The biggest example is the fact that between B ilbo's Farewell Party and Frodo's flight from the Shire, 20 years have passed...but in the movies, Jackson shortened this to practically days. Among many other impactful effects is this: This Ring is like crack - anyone possessing and particularly using the One Ring would become attached or addicted to it, and would be unable to let it go. Frodo would not become so addicted in matter of days (or hours) as the Jackson story represents. Over 20 years in the actual story Frodo used the ring on several occasions, and certainly possessed it for a long time. IN the movie, he only used therein twice for very short periods.
In the movie, Frodo sends Sam away at the Pass of Cirith Ungol and went through Shelob's Lair alone. Frodo would NEVER have sent Sam away, and Sam was with him through Shelob's Lair. While Jackson's exploration of the empathy/sympathy Frodo had for Smeagol/Gollum, this was taking it too far.
By skipping both the adventure with Tom Bombadil and the Barrow Downs, as well as the death of Saruman in the Shire, Jackson left out important elements showing Frodo's courage, character, and the elements of fate that he was subject to. I dearly hope the future remake of the LOTR will not omit these elements.
Samwise Gamgee
in Tolkien's LOTR, Sam defines loyalty and dedication in service to Frodo, and ultimately is shown to be a shrewd (if not overly quick on the draw) and critical element of the success of the Quest. While Samwise as created was not hesitant to speak his mind (and was usually right), he was not what I'd call a whiner as he was portrayed in the movie - and eh was absolutely no quitter, and would NEVER have left Frodo whether ordered to or not. His epic struggle at the Pass of Cirith Ungol and in the Tower was absolutely defining, and was almost fully skipped in the movie.
As will be seen with Merry and Pippin as well, Sam did not stumble into his role as a member of Frodo's quest in the matter of the few hours between Bilbo's party and Frodo's departure; he was the member of a conspiracy that was committed to helping Frodo that cooked up their plans over a long period of time. It was very shallow make it appear otherwise.
Aragorn
As the heir of Isildur and the rightful king of both Gondor and Arnor, Aragorn's ENTIRE LIFE was dedicated to the long foretold final confrontation with Sauron and regaining his crown, saving Middle Earth. He was intimately familiar with and aware of all of the history and lore of the Elder Days and knew the ties between the current struggle and that history - and as a Nemenorean, he knew also the atonement that was due from his people.
In the movie, many references are made to Aragorn's "Turning from that path long ago" as if he had walked away from that commitment, which would never have happened,. Aragorn also continually received help from Arwen and Elrond (in events that never occurred in the books) that were in themselves major transgressions against the tenets of the story. Aragorn was a noble but not flashy character; his actions were not rash. He certainly did not nearly die and disappear from the action before Helm's Deep. What he DID do was confront Sauron directly through the use of the palantir of Orthanc AND DEFEATED HIM - an event completely left out of the movie theatrical release and mischaracterized in the extended release - which would have been fascinating to include in toto. What he DID do was encounter his own people the Dunedain after the victory at Isengard, who then accompanied him on the Paths of the Dead (rather than just Legolas and Gimli).
Aragorn was also a Numenorean and built like a Numenorean, "tall as the Sea-Kings of old". Viggo didn't cut the mustard for me. Aragorn has a lineage and a nobility that was not come through in the movies.
Boromir
In the small context of his time with the Fellowship, Boromir was not a major character and there were not enough events to really flesh him out - and thus he wasn't sold down the river too much. However, his doubts about Aragorn should have been portrayed more than they were. The funeral of Boromir was omitted from the movie (and the subsequent sightings of Boromir by his brother, a key part of the story. As I also felt Boromir was underdeveloped in the context of the LOTR by Tolkien I'm not grousing too much here.
Merry and Pippin
I'm committing a bit of Jackson's sin by lumping these two important characters together.
I truly objected to the way they were treated; they were only a part of Frodo's party because they happened to run into them stealing vegetables from Farmer Maggot. While they might have done this as Hobbit teens (and in fact Frodo had don so earlier in life), at the time of the story and their ages in the story they would never have don so. They were a part of the conspiracy to help Frodo and the team that was helping him move from Hobbiton to Crickhollow, an event again completely omitted from the movies.
They were portrayed as completely lightweight characters throughout the story. While Pippin was not quite the contributor Merry was, they both played key roles at key times. Merry was instrumental in the omitted trek through the Old Forest where Bombadil was encountered; and he was instrumental in the killing of the Witch King of Angmar for gosh sake
Perhaps the most serious wrongdoing against these characters involved Treebeard and the Ents. The coming of Meriadoc and Peregrin to Fangorm Forest catalyzed the outrage of the Ents, and Treebeard in his slow way had nurtured a strategy against Saruman. The movie made it seems like all involved just bumbled into this absolutely critical battle, with Pippin "tricking" Treebeard (one of the oldest living beings in Middle Earth into a casual walk with all the Ents into a field of destroyed trees. Nothing could be further from the spirit of the story or the characters.
At the death of Boromir, in the movie Merry and Pippin were picked up like toddlers by the Orcs and carried off. IN the actual battle, Merry relived several Orcs of their hands and arms before being overcome - again, under-serving the valor and character of these to young hobbits.
Finally, the omission of the final battles in the shire with Saruman robbed Merry and Pippin of their showing as trained, wizened leaders capable of mustering their folk and defending their land,. They simply came across as lightweight truants.
Gimli
Gimli the Dwarf of Erebor was a significant character in the story, representing one of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth - and it was important to the story that all the free peoples tark part in the destruction of Sauron and earning the right to Middle Earth. Aside from being cast as comic relief and not otherwise fleshed out, there was not a lot of serious dirt that could be done to GImli -
Except that a major aspect of the story line related to Gimli was this request of Galadriel at her gift-giving ceremony at the end of the stay in Lothlorien (unfortunately omitted in the theatrical release) for a lock of her hair, for him to treasure. This completely forward address was extraordinary, all the more because she agreed. I learned years later that Feanor himself (a character of the Elder Days and the First Age) had requested of his cousin Galadriel many times a lock of her hair, and she had refused him. An extraordinary centuries-long "F* you" to dead Feanor!
Legolas
Ok, so now I have to admit that there is one of the Nine Walkers not seriously dissed by Jackson, at least not in the LOTR. The Hobbit series is another matter for another day.
Legoals was abused as a kind of "catch all" of knowledge and information he did not possess in the books, and would have had no way to possess about things like the Rohirrim and Gondor. He was also cast as a kind of superhero vastly beyond the capabilities of any actual Elf short of Feanor or Fingolfin. They did ned to expand his role from the books (which was not very prominent), so this can be forgiven - especially since Legolas was a fairly big hit to the moviegoers.
Gandalf
Gandalf was the bringer of hope and endurance to Elves and Men, sent to Middle Earth to combat Sauron but forbidden to do so with power. He was the Gods' cleaner, tasked with ridding Middle Earth of the remnants of the old evil of Melkor and his servants - Sauron, Dragons, Balrogs, Orces etc.
Gandalf would never have (and did not) "lose hope" as portrayed in the Return of the King at the Council of Captains, where Aragorn has to pull him back from depressions. .
The beginning of the tale being characterized as happening in days instead of 20 years also affects Gandalf and makes his actions seem questionable - deliberately sending the hobbits off without guidance or planning, for example.
The re-tooled confrontation with Saruman and breaking of his staff was not included in the theatrical release, and is the moment that truly defined Gandalf as "the White".
Overall, Gandalf received reasonable treatment consistent withe the story and his place in it overall. IN particular the battle with the Balrog was awesome.
Other Characters and Peoples of Note
The Elves -
When an elven army showed up at Helms Deep I was seriously bummed out. The joining of the forces of Gil-Galad and Elendil at the end of the Second Age was called "THe Last Alliance of Elves and Men" for a reason. The Elves did not and would not directly help Men fight Sauron again.
The Ents
I'm really chapped that the Ents were portrayed basically as idiots that had to be tricked into fighting Saruman. The whole "When I walk South I always feel I'm walking downhill" was flat ridiculous. Not a way to treat one of the Free Peoples, creatures thousands of years old.
The Hobbits
As a people, the Hobbits were dissed of their role and suffering during the War, and their ultimate victory over evil men and Suruman. It just wasn't included.
Elrond
Never journeyed to visit Theoden and deliver Anduril to Aragorn. Anduril, the Sord REforged, was with Aragorn always and was reforged before the Company left Rivendell. Elrond would not have said that "Aragorn turned from the path of kingship long ago".
Arwen
Arwen Undomiel was a great lady of high lineage and prestige, and also several hundred years old. Aragorn had to work his butt off to win her and deserve her. In the movie, she is treated like a teenage warrior princess, on the road fighting the Nazgul. This is a part of th missing nobility of the story and many of its characters. Also, Arwen never set off for The Grey Havens to sail to Valinor.
Eomer
A key and noble character in the story, Eomer came across as a lout and a bully, even making fun of Merry (whom he highly honored in the book). Many of his key interactions were removed altogether.
Faramir
Big time objection here. Again, Faramir is a very noble chracter who used wisdom in his judgement in dealing with Frodo in Ithilien - he did not and would not have taken him prisoner at all, much less march him back to Osgiliath. There did not seem to be any purpose served by this major alteration of the story, and the timeline was casually altered by the quick jaunts back and forth from Ithilien to Osgiliath and back, territory crawling with Orcs.
The Ringbearers
Frodo and Sam were accorded no congrats or honors for their incredible sacrifices, at least in the theatrical release of the movies. Merry and Sam were accorded as much honor and while it is not a contest there's not much comparison of efforts.
You'll notices one name not on my shitlist: Smeagol/Gollum. I thought that this chracter was absolutely spot on, and even in the areas that Jackson expanded over the book were amazing. The scene with Faramir was a great example. I never expected to see Gollum in all his glory; I don't know how this character could be better done.
******
Well, there you have it. While many might think I'm picking nits, many of these issues are at the heart of these characters, their histories, and their motivations. How esactly I would have "fixed" these issues would be a longer discussions and probably a fourth movie.
Some of these issues would have been easily solved, some not so much.
I hope there's at least one Tolkien fan that got this far, and if so please leave a comment!
Namarie!
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