Snarky Tom's Rants, Raves and Ruminations

Some time back I critiqued or skimmed the surface of James Bond  (#9). Last weekend I found myself in a funk. I was melancholy and in need of something to pull me out of my doldrums. As a guy, chick flicks are not the cure. Action, manly-man, adventure, overkill kills, spies, and SEX!!! James Bond was the answer. Bond has always been a male oriented film product specifically designed and targeted for men. I am sure there are many women who like the sex appeal of the Bond character (actors), but most women could live without the violence and excessive naked and/or dead body count. More on body count later. So. Starting last Saturday I began my binge watching Bond Fest. I started with the first film, Dr. No (1962) and finished up this afternoon with the most recent film (I own) Skyfall (2012). I intend to get SPECTRE (2015) shortly. There is, to-date, a total of twenty-four Broccoli and Saltzman (EON Productions) produced films. There are two other non-EON films, but I ...

Job searching is not a pleasurable process. It stimulates me negatively. I feel I have to be the CANDIDATE. You have to tell people what you think they want to hear. I can't do that. I don't know what people want to hear. I can only be who I am. Which may not be good in an interview. Where I think I sound confident and empowered may come off as conceited and arrogant. It's not my fault I am so great! I don't like the dog and pony show aspect of the interviewing process. You dress the part. I always "Suit up" as NPH would often tell Ted in How I Met Your Mother . I put on a cheerful persona and a happy face, even though, I'm miserable and dying inside. I understand the hiring process requires this uncomfortable pas de deux . My issue is after forty years in the workforce when do you get to cut to the front of the line and just get the goddamn job based on the merits of your resume and a few phone calls to former employers. The answer is: Never. Face ...

As many of my readers here know, I'm a reader. I like my books and eBooks. I finished a book, Faithful , written by horror-master, Stephen King and fellow novelist and avid Red Sox fan, Stewart O'Nan. Written like a daily diary, we follow the 2004 Boston Red Sox's season to their first World Series victory in eighty-six years. This got me thinking about the World Series in general. Many sportswriters in March or April make their predictions for which team is going to the "Fall Classic." I believe they're all premature and the majority of them look foolish with egg on their faces when they're not even close. Personally, I like to wait until just after the All-Star break and around the trade deadlines. By then you can take into consideration, injuries, slumps, trades and the remaining schedule. Before I set down my predictions, I researched the history of the World Series. The World Series started as far back as the 1880s. That was between the National L...

Now before we get too deep into this subject. I have absolutely no intentions in marrying any cousin be it first, second or third or first cousins once or twice removed. If you don't know the levels, more on this shortly. Many years ago, I used to make crude jokes about people from Arkansas and other southern states marrying their cousins. Because those of you know who have read my blogs or know me, know that I have no love for the south. I still blame them for much of the grief in this country dating back to the  secession  from the motherland. I did some research and was amazed by the things I learned about marriage, our country, our states' laws and feelings about marriage between blood relatives. I was quite unimpressed and underwhelmed. And of course anybody who is a fan of Game of Thrones knows about the incestuous marriages among some of the families in that fictitious world. That brought me to seek out more information about our real world. I don't ...

There's been a lot of talk about what matters. Black lives matter. Blue lives matter. For me: All lives matter. Or no lives matter. The problem is no one is addressing the real cause behind all these deaths. Guns. I know. I harp about this all too much. But guns were the issue involving all these deaths. The Louisiana shooting was due to a report of someone brandishing a gun. The Minnesota shooting was over the belief that the man was going for a gun. The Dallas shootings definitely were because of a gun was in the wrong hands. In all three cases, guns shouldn't have been produced or fired. Of course, one thing is lacking in the Louisiana and Minnesota cases. Video. Oh, we have got video. The video of the cops taking a man to the ground and shooting him. Unjustly, I add. If a man is down and you are sitting on top of him, you don't need to shoot. We also have the video from the woman whose boyfriend was shot by a probably scared and adrenaline pumped officer. Also, may ...

I'm writing this for a former co-worker who had to deal with not one but two visual atrocities. The first being a fat guy in a Speedo at his gym. The second, at same gym, some old guy parading around naked as the day he was born. He's no prude. I'm no prude. Most of the people we know are not prudes. However, we all have common sense and a sense of decorum. No one wants to see your junk,buddy!!! Or your fat and flabby gut hanging over and covering your junk leaving the impression that you're not wearing anything. It's disgusting. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but for fux sake, a blind person would find your appearance disgusting. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a hater or a body shamer. Large or overweight people can look beautiful in the correctly fitting clothes and swimwear. Proper etiquette in a gym is to keep your stuff covered. We only want to see parading naked bodies if they're female and physically fit and attractive. Don't mis...

Warren G Harding circa 1921 I recently watched one of my favorite programs on the History Channel, Mysteries at the Museum . In an episode from the 5th season (2013) containing The Infamous Jersey Devil, Tank Rampage and The Mysterious Death of President Harding, I learned things about the 29th President that I never knew. First, he was a womanizer. This sets him into the company of Clinton and JFK. However, he trumps them all because his one affair lasted throughout his political career as Senator of Ohio, Lt. Governor of Ohio and POTUS. Not since Jefferson, at least to my knowledge, had a President fathered children out of wedlock by a mistress. TJ and Warren did. [Note: Grover Cleveland was also believed to have fathered one also. Not yet proven.] He had the fourth shortest presidency, 881 days. Zach Taylor, John Garfield and William Henry Harrison had the top 3 shortest presidencies. You would think with that little time in office you wouldn't leave much of a legacy. Ww...