Jack Flacco

Changes

Posted on December 5, 2014December 8, 2014 by Jack Flacco

In the next several weeks, you’ll notice a change here at JackFlacco.com. The change is an effort to capture my feelings about what I’ve been watching. For me, the thrill of starting something new has taken a life of its own. It will serve as the springboard for a new series. I’ll talk more about this later on.

For now, today’s Freedom Friday is about change.

In the Oliver Stone movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) says, “Greed is good.” It’s an affirmation that I’m sure everyone has heard before.

I say change is good. Change allows for growth. Change keeps everyone thinking of better ways to get things done. Progress can only come from change.

Water needs to flow. It’s alive and vibrant when it moves from a stream to a river. It crests, splashes, and sprays as it enjoys the freedom of its movement. But when water remains standing—stagnant—an unpleasant smell occurs. Bacteria forms and makes the water undrinkable.

Similarly, in life, if there is no change, things become stagnant.

Greg photographs his food. (Photo credit: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic)

I try to balance the content of my articles as a means of maintaining an invigorating reading experience. When folks visit, I want them to say, “Hey, I never heard it put quite like that before!” That is the driving force to how I’d like my readership to react to the ideas I present on this site. It’s a tough balance, and that’s why you sometimes see photography and food articles for my Freedom Friday series. Changing it up makes for an enjoyable time—and who doesn’t like a good time?

Which brings me to my new blog feature—Wednesday Warriors. Since the protagonist to my Ranger Martin book series is a truck driver thrown in a fight he never wanted in the first place, and since I’ve been gorging on high-octane, white-knuckle action films, I figure I might as well make a feature of it.

Beginning December 17th, the first article for Wednesday Warriors will debut. It will feature fictional males in films and television who are either larger-than-life heroes or interesting anti-heroes with an agenda. Women Who Wow Wednesday may resurface, but for now, I’m looking forward to this new series and seeing where it will take us.

This is an exciting time here at JackFlacco.com, which I’m also hoping my readership will find just as exciting!

How do you feel about change? Is it something you readily accept?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Jovie

Posted on December 3, 2014December 5, 2014 by Jack Flacco

When a stranger dressed in an elf suite shows up at a department store, everyone is convinced he’s there for the part-time Christmas job. But after he decorates the entire floor with custom-made decorations, Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) begins to believe there’s more to this odd character than one might think.

Women Who Wow Wednesday today celebrates the jovial Jovie from the movie Elf.

Will Ferrell stars as Buddy the title character to Elf. He can toss snowballs at lightening speed, create Christmas ornaments out of plain paper, and build a LEGO city from leftover boxes of toy bricks. He has a penchant for drinking an entire bottle of cola in one gulp, mixing chocolate syrup with all his meals, and drowning the rest of his food groups with a pound of sugar. And why not? He is, after all, a real Santa elf who is trying to find his real father (played by James Caan) in the big city.

Jovie on the other hand leads a simple life. She lives in a humble apartment, has a job at a department store as an elf—not a real elf like Buddy but playing the part of one—and is all decked out in elf regalia, including the awesome hat with the little fluffy ball at the end of it. Jovie is the least likely person to catch Buddy’s attention.

Yet, the first time he sees Jovie, Buddy can’t resist staring. The clichéd lightening bolt strikes him and her beauty dumbfounds him.

For other girls, what would pose as a cause for concern—Buddy’s childlike behavior—Jovie instead enjoys. She relishes his simple quest for fun, even if it means trapping themselves in a rotating door without knowing when the ride would stop.

But the budding romance doesn’t come without its price. In a strange sequence of events, Jovie finds herself singing in the department store shower before its opening with Buddy joining in on her private crooning.

An innocent mistake.

Regardless of what may have happened between them, Jovie shows what makes her who she is by her belief of which others have lost faith. While others scoff at the notion Santa exists, Jovie stands up in the crowd and declares her belief loud and clear:

With those words, Jovie saves Christmas and the world once again believes in the things that make children stay up at night to wish upon a star.

Jovie of Elf—a true believer of Christmas magic.

What did you think of the movie Elf? What do you think about Zooey Deschanel’s character Jovie?

Monday Mayhem

Zombie Apocalypse: The Aftermath

Posted on December 1, 2014December 3, 2014 by Jack Flacco

I haven’t read many zombie books to know for certain, but I know my movies, and I would have to say I haven’t seen this issue explored—what would society be like after a zombie apocalypse? Zombie movies typically concentrate on the time when the undead take over the world. But, what of the aftermath? Society would need rebuilding.

Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J31347 / CC-BY-SA (This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.)

Today’s Monday Mayhem will explore what would society need to do to rise from the ashes of a zombie apocalypse. Of course this is all speculation, and for the most part, for entertainment value. However, I will assume some truth lies therein, and I’m rather opposed to revealing what that truth is. I’m sure you’ll figure it out—eventually.

First thing on the agenda? What to do with all the bodies of the undead once a cure for the zombie virus hits the streets? I will presume a zombie virus antidote will render the survivors immune to the virus and kill everything else undead. Even more so, let’s take that assumption to include zombie traps that would disperse the antidote to the undead masses like a net and relieve them of their zombiehood. So, again I ask. What will happen with all the dead zombie bodies?

Gas stations would need gas. If there is gas in gas stations then tractors can have gas in order for survivors to use the tractors to dig ditches. The survivors can then use the ditches to bury the dead bodies.

The other solution is to burn the dead bodies and bulldoze the ashes into the fields where former farmers could fertilize their crops. Morbid? Yes, but it’s a positive solution for a negative event.

Next, as it happened after World War II, a baby boom will take place. Those left will have nothing else to do but to procreate the next generation of survivors with the hope that generation will build a society void of the threat from the undead.

With all the children born, a number of things will need to happen if society wishes to survive another generation. Not necessarily in this order: The survivors will need a leader to instruct them in the way of civility. Laws will have to come into effect to address quarrels among families, individuals and other areas of the land. With growth also comes farming, education and healthcare. Who will do what? will be the big question on everyone’s lips.

Lastly, as with all great emerging societies, comes the sanitation question: What to do with all the human waste once society gets into a rhythm of birth, growth and death?

So you see, even though we may have won the war against the zombies, we’ll still have to win the bigger war—the war of rebuilding after the undead are no longer a threat.

To me, that is the greatest challenge of them all.

What do you think the world would need to do to rebuild from the ashes of a zombie apocalypse?

Freedom Friday

Friends, Love and Other Things

Posted on November 28, 2014December 5, 2014 by Jack Flacco

I had a Freedom Friday post dedicated to Black Friday scheduled for today, but I felt the need to push it forward a week so I could write about something else that’s been on my mind. [Update: Pushed the Black Friday post to next year.]

I recently visited the blog and Twitter feed of a longtime author friend of mine. In the interest of respecting their privacy, I’ll use they and them as a means of address. About this friend, I’m overjoyed to have learned they’re in good health again. They were going through a rough time last year—hospital, surgeries, going to sleep and not knowing if they’d wake up. Yet, despite the chaos, they pulled through. Today, they are healthy, exercising, eating right, and have a renewed sense of accomplishment and productivity. I admire their will to live and their ability to bounce back from such a devastating blow. To me, they are the truer hero than the fictional characters I write about on an ongoing basis.

Cancer is an insidious disease. It tears apart families and destroys lives. I hate it and wish medical research would hurry up and find a cure. Regarding this author friend of mine, their family is no stranger to the dreaded disease. And, from what I’ve pieced together, it seems to have resurfaced. I’m not sure what I can say here: I hope for the best? get well soon? No matter what I say, it never seems enough. The words sound fake, and I wish I could do more.

I guess the only sincere thing I can say is that my thoughts are with you.

Anyway, I have a few things I would like to briefly touch on for the remainder of this post.

First, Aristotle once said this about friendship:

I can’t say how beautiful a statement that is. It captures the essence of two people bonded to one another by a single heart. Oh, how devastating it would be if one-half was no longer there. Holidays wouldn’t be the same. Birthdays wouldn’t be the same. And the other half wouldn’t be the same.

Second, friendship and love are siblings:

Oh, to love and be loved in return.

Finally, the “other things” portion. As the end of the year approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for coming to my site and offering support.

At the risk of sounding preachy, can I be so bold as to ask something of you?

Appreciate those around you. Never let them go. When they’re no longer there, it’ll be too late to say I love you. Be kind to one another and give to those in need. And—live to make every breath count.

Do you have friends you’re cheering for during their trials?

Women Who Wow Wednesday

Skyler White

Posted on November 26, 2014November 28, 2014 by Jack Flacco

Every TV show has their haters. Every TV show has characters viewers love to hate. Skyler White of Breaking Bad is no exception. If there ever was a character a fan base poured their vitriol on, Skyler White is it. Even with the show’s final episodes of the series, fans didn’t surrender their rage over this woman.

And what better character to pick for this week’s Women Who Wow Wednesday than the complicated Skyler White?

If you haven’t seen Breaking Bad and would like to, suffice it to say this post will contain spoilers. Be warned.

Walter White (Bryan Cranston) just found out he’s dying of lung cancer. It’s aggressive. Apparently it’s Stage IV, but hasn’t metastasized to any other part of his body. The news of his pending demise is the catalyst for his journey into the dark world of drugs. He wants to secure his family’s future with the proceeds from the sale of methamphetamines. Joining him is former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) who takes care of the business end—sometimes with unexpected results.

What first starts out as a small-scale operation on the streets of New Mexico, expands to include cross-border and overseas sales. Additionally, like all fledgling drug empires, any business conducted will include coercion, blackmail and murder.

Married to the wannabe drug kingpin is the oftentimes-confused Skyler White (Anna Gunn). She drifts from being a mother, an accountant, a mistress and a cashier, to Walter’s conscience. She is the proverbial voice of reason to Walter’s manic appetite for money and power.

Breaking Bad's Skyler White — Breaking Bad’s Skyler White

Without giving any details to the online stories of disgust directed toward this character, it’s safe to say fans of the show could do without this woman. Despite her ability to maintain a household, cook the books for a multi-million dollar enterprise, and standing up for what she believes is right, fans still despise her.

Her sin? She has more than a professional relationship with her boss, lies about it to her husband, and kicks him out for being a drug dealer.

What could possibly redeem this woman of her sin with the audience after having sunk so low as to betray her husband with her lies?

She has one quality no one can deny. How does that saying go? Oh, yes. Of course. “It takes one to know one.” Skyler has the uncanny ability to spot when Walter lies. Call it a sixth sense, but no matter what it is, she knows perfectly well when her husband lies to her. That makes someone like her extremely dangerous. Even though she may appear fragile, vulnerable, and at times, weak, she can spot a liar. She knows what the truth sounds like. That ability is enough to make her a larger-than-life hero.

Now, if only the show’s fan base could see that. Then, instead of hating, they’d admire her.

Have you seen Breaking Bad? What are your thoughts about Skyler White?

Monday Mayhem

Zombie Apocalypse: Family

Posted on November 24, 2014November 26, 2014 by Jack Flacco

After having watched a number of zombie movies these past few weeks, I’ve concluded that family comes before anything else. I write this with the firm image of a family running through the woods trying to elude a zombie army. Not only is family above everything and everyone, but it’s also the key to a stable society, regardless of the law of the land.

For this week’s Monday Mayhem, let’s explore this thing called family, and its importance in terms of the survival of a nation—specifically during a zombie apocalypse.

Humanity has fought many wars. Many of which could have been avoided. Of those wars, the ones who would emerge as victor would always be the stronger side. But is that true?

For instance, take the ancient walled city of Masada. Built on a natural plateau in Israel, comparable to a mesa, in 74 CE, 960 Sicarii rebels and their families repelled 15,000 Romans before taking their own lives in an act of defiance against the empire. Archeological findings, though, indicate as little as 28 rebels could have held off the great Roman army from captivity. This contradicts the historian Josephus’ account detailing the loss of life.

Imagine if this were also true in a zombie apocalypse. The undead wouldn’t have a chance.

Stable families create stable nations, which in turn, create strong armies based on loyalty and honor. Numbers are meaningless with strong armies. In other words, if families are in the midst of a siege, hundreds could defend against thousands.

Zombies could try to attack families, but zombies are stupid, they haven’t got a clue what a father would do if their son or daughter becomes the target of the undead. A mother would equally decapitate those who dared threaten her offspring. Have a look at the animal and insect kingdoms. The females tend to be the most dangerous gender of the species. Two cases in point are the praying mantis and the black widow spider. You can read about them coming up with your own conclusions.

I’ll now leave this open for discussion.

If there ever were a zombie apocalypse, I believe a nation built on a strong foundation can conquer anything—it doesn’t matter if it’s a foreign invasion or zombies. Despite domestic disputes, families will always win.

What do you think of stable families and their role in regards to the security of a nation?

Freedom Friday, Other Things

Sweet Spots

Posted on November 21, 2014May 10, 2017 by Jack Flacco

As you know, I leave Freedom Friday to talk about things that may be on my mind, but don’t know where to fit them into the grand scheme of things. Sometimes I’ll pour it all out in a stream of consciousness, not really editing any of it in hopes what I capture will make sense later on. Sometimes I’ll write a story with a specific point in mind, with nothing but an idea to lead the way.

My family's trip to Niagara Falls. — My family’s trip to Niagara Falls.

Today’s a mix. I have something on my mind, which, at the same time, can constitute a stream of consciousness—yet I’m editing as I go along—so that sort of defeats the purpose of writing the first thought that hits the paper.

Anyway, I want to talk about sweet spots. Don’t worry. This is not about food again, although that would be cool to write about, too. The sweet spots I want to talk about have to do with times and places in my life that, for the lack of a better way to describe them, inspire me.

I’m talking about standing at the top of the stairs in my home overlooking the foyer from behind the railing. I’m not sure what it is that makes that spot so inspiring—it just is. The same goes for the window in our bedroom. I can stare outside all day, watching the leaves fall, the neighbors walking their dog, and kids going to school. It’s another sweet spot I can’t live without.

It's that time of year in our neighborhood. — It’s that time of year in our neighborhood.

Driving behind the wheel of my car also provides me with an incredible feeling. I suppose because I love to drive, it makes it all the more exciting, but that’s not it. I had a piece of crap car for a number of years before this one, and loved to drive it. However, I didn’t consider sitting behind the wheel a sweet spot. I think I like the car I have now because the display is blue. At night, the glow makes it exciting to drive.

Yet those are only things and places. My current seed of happiness is autumn. I shouldn’t talk about this subject again, you’re probably sick of hearing it. I can’t help it though. This time of year is my absolute favorite time. Yes, it’s cold. Yes, it’s dark. And yes, some folks experience SAD, but who can say they hate the howling of the wind on a cold fall night? Who can deny the rain’s power to persuade with thunder and lightning to boot? Who dislikes raking leaves? I know I don’t. It’s my happiest time of year!

The best part? Winter’s right around the corner. Hats. Mits. Heavy coats. Ah, but let’s not forget the hot chocolate, the flannel PJs, and the warm open fire.

Who has time to waste hanging around online? Facebook can wait. Twitter will always be there.

Good books are waiting for a ravenous reader. Family time is the only time. And the joy of going out with good friends at the local tavern calls.

These are the sweets spots in my life, and I’m enjoying them. What are your sweets spots?

Again, I ask, what are your sweets spots?

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