According to Blade Runner, now that it is 2019 we should have flying cars. I need my flying car. I still don't understand what begins the chain reaction of people stopping on a highway that has no intersections, or traffic control signals, or stop signs. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, there would be no traffic if you would just go.

Just go.

But I guess according Blade Runner,  we should also be living in a somewhat dystopian society. We're close. Not quite there yet, but Trump is still in the White House so in time...

Wait, What? You're Doing What?

Buffalo has done an amazing job over the past few years of growing into a city that has relevance again. The rebirth, after so many decades of stagnation, and inaction is nothing short of miraculous. From downtown to the Hertel Ave. strip, the city is again bustling with new businesses, hot new restaurants, new hotels that are constantly sold up, or sold out, including the renovation of some vintage hotels, such as Lafayette, Curtis, and boutique hotels such as the Delaware Mansion, or Hotel Henry. Canalside is constantly packed with people, Harborcenter hosts events, and hockey from around the world annually. Even the really crappy Convention Center hosts more events all of the time.

So it only makes sense that the city should do something really dumb to thwart all of this growth in a money-grab effort, right?

And, lo, it happened. Parking rules, and costs are changing. Street parking fees are doubling. Free parking on main city streets after 5:00PM is now changing to 10:00PM so that dinner crowd will be handcuffed to paying for parking, and rushing their evening to get back to their car in 2-Hours. I can imagine the meter updates, and signage changes required to identify this city wide is going to be extravagantly expensive. Does the cost of implementing this truly balance with the return? The point is to get more cars off of the street, and into private lots, and ramps for long term parking, but that doesn't eliminate the real problem of simply having too many cars in the city. Private lots are currently sold out for monthly contracts. Lots, and ramps in the most popular areas are already often full. Areas such as Elmwood, and Hertel lack public parking options entirely, which is going to now push more parking onto the side-streets, and residential areas.

This is a solution? Or would it make more sense to invest in park & ride options, to keep vehicles out of the city entirely, and make it easier for pedestrians in the city? Or expand rail options?  

The other challenge is, this is not a nice weather city year-round. Many people, especially the handicapped, and elderly don't relish the idea of having to trudge through inclement weather for multiple city blocks just to get to an appointment, or a business they might frequent. Not to mention the increased costs, for people on fixed incomes, might be too much for their budget to bear. The city parking planners, and common council seem to be ignoring the accessibility challenges they are creating for a percentage of their population.

Don't get the wrong impression on this - it's a money grab. Straight out, it's a place where the city sees that they can get more revenues from parking, and more importantly, parking violations around the clock. I would challenge any study they present that shows that this will truly open up more parking, or turn over parking spots faster. All this might do is push more commuters to more expensive, and often less available private lots, and I will guarantee to you, parking rate increases at private lots will be quickly coming on the heels of this change. In all I see this as a disastrous change for the city. Those who live in the city, it doesn't impact nearly as much as the population who doesn't live in the city. With a city center of about 350,000 people, and a surrounding population closer to 700,000, it's an imbalance that this policy doesn't solve, or even address, but assured, a tremendous amount of the revenues generated by businesses in Buffalo come from suburban residents, and much of it after 5:00PM.

It's a money grab. That is all.

Master Thespian (not really)

For the start of 2019, a short format film that I had a very small part in was completed, and released. You can see it here on YouTube. It is also embedded below for your convenience. My part doesn't occur until about the 5:30 mark, and it's quite brief, but another project I can add to my resume of acting. I think it is well shot for a personal project, and the audio is pretty clean.

For a change I didn't play a cop, but I did play someone who interacts with a cop, I guess to congratulate him on going rogue, and taking out a bunch of drug dealers. At least that's my interpretation. Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Still waiting to see commercials I've been in, a Lifetime movie that is set to release in 2019, a larger film project that I had a more significant speaking role in, and of course, looking for new projects, or my own opportunities to create my own. Looking to do much more of this in 2019, of course, as time, and resources permit.

The Actual Weigh-In

I didn't remember to weigh myself this morning. With the holiday, and some changes happening in life, my routine has been way off. Got to the gym on Saturday with the boys, but didn't manage any gym time since, and won't be able to again probably until Saturday. Things are going to get quite busy for the next few months. Time to get to the gym will be challenging. I can assure you the number probably isn't a good one. Along with the changes happening, I'm going to need to make change in my routine, diet, etc.

This is not a "resolution." It is continuing action. Nothing new, just need to be flexible to the changes my life is going through.

I think it is important to clarify that. Our society, and culture seems to get hung up on making New Year's Resolutions; changes that you want to make now that the calendar shows a different number for the year. However, I've always been of the opinion that the number doesn't matter, and there are no arbitrary locations within the Earth's orbit around the sun that it is better to decide to improve yourself, or make changes, than in other locations. Make a February 7th resolution, or an August 19th resolution for all that it matters. Any day you decide to work on improving who you are, and especially how you view yourself is as good of a day as any other. If there is something symbolic about January 1st for you to make a change, that's fine too. But set some goals, and make them achievable. Then set loftier goals once you surpass the first ones. Even something simple will do.

"This week I will cut out drinking soda."  And then do it. Stick to it. It's just a week. You can live without soda for a week! And once you get past a week, give yourself another week. When you succeed with two weeks, then give yourself the rest of the month. Then the next month. Then the next two months. But take it a day at a time, and don't beat yourself up for slips, or cheats. They happen, and they're ok. A cheat is fine. Happiness breeds success. So take that cheat, then get back to it without feeling down about the cheat.

80-20 rule, right?  80% follow your goals, and 20% indulgence.

Of course, mine is more like 80% indulgence, and 20% following my goals, but I digress....

It's Only 10:00AM

The new year has done nothing to resolve this dilemma....

Conservative Values

One thing I do like about Twitter is the app doesn't automatically refresh, and throw you back to the top your feed if you step away from the app to do other things. Which allows me to leave the app open on interesting posts. Or, sometimes infuriating posts, that I want to review when I can focus on them more.

I was struck by such a post today; a quote from Thomas Sowell, tweeted by someone who goes by the Twitter handle of @ThomasSowell, however, qualifies in his Twitter profile that the account owner is NOT Thomas Sowell, but that they own all of his books, and apparently love quoting him. Yesterday's quote was:

"Advocates of diversity in a race or gender sense are often quite hostile to ideological diversity, when it includes traditional or 'conservative' values and beliefs."

Cool. So the basic breakdown of this is, those on the left tend to fight against the ideology of the right. Captain Obvious could have said the same, he just wouldn't have said it in such a flowery or elegant way. He probably would have said, the left, and the right tend to not see eye-to-eye on matters of ideology. I guess without context I would have to ask specifically, what matters of ideology is Mr. Sowell pointing at as places where liberals fight against conservatives, and has he broken down those ideologies in order to get a better understanding as to why liberals don't like them? Of course, this quote alone roused a thousand-tweet trail of pro-conservative replies, accusing liberals of everything from communism, to being pro-abortion, and lacking intellectualism (tons of intellectualism, and open-mindedness in those responses).

Twitter users such as @Zooch51 who goes by the name "TrumpWonGetOverIt" stated:

"I believe that lack of diversity of thought is the most devastating result of the Obama administration, the political left and especially the MEDIA."

Diversity of thought lacks on the left, as said by the parrot who obviously is enamored by a president who gets his information from a single, unreliable, and often blatantly dishonest, and propaganda directed "news" source. But she's obviously an expert on diversity of thought.

Or user @JimAustin45, a self-described, "Radical, right wing, reactionary, warmongering extremist" who has a Twitter feed filled with retweeted right-wing, fear-mongering propaganda. Jim states that he only sees the Left fighting against the Right, not the other way around, but then states:

"In terms of diversity issues, the left is wrong - period. Asking the right to concede unspecified faults is a copout."

Diversity of thought, in action, isn't it Mr. Sowell?

It goes on, and it doesn't get any better, or more well thought out.

In this, I am not questioning the education, or intelligence of Thomas Sowell. He is obviously a well education person, and delivers very well thought out ideas. But a lot of educated, and well thought out ideas on paper, don't work in reality for a multitude of factors. Such as, communism, which on paper might sound great, but has there been a single attempt at communism as a system that wasn't headed by a authoritarian dictator who was far more interested in a consolidation of political, and military power, rather than the benefits of the ideology to the larger population?

As I have challenged conservatives in the past, show me one conservative proposed agenda that can be demonstratively shown to be set forth with a primary focus of helping the majority of people. Show me how the ideologies of fascism, Nazism, and right wing extremism, including proposed christian based theocracy are superior to making America freer, more stable, providing more financial, and social mobility for all people, and leading to a happier, and healthier populace.

You can't, because no such conservative agenda exists. 

Quick Pre-Publication Update

Before I finished writing this today, the City of Buffalo changed their minds on extending paid parking hours, and will remain free street parking after 5:00PM and on Weekends within the city. Wise move, and the presence, and power of the people pushed them to reconsider. The price increase during the day will still go into effect, but at least it is a compromise that will help businesses city wide.