I’m one of the — Many? Few? — people on this planet who really don’t care for Twilight, to the point that I’ve started saying things like, “We need to go shopping, we’re almost out of twilight paper.” Anyway, the thing I’ve always wondered about the series is, why anyone would ever care for Bella Swan? She’s such a worthless, clumsy, stupid piece of crap, why would the story revolve around her? But then I remembered something: There was a cartoon show called Darkwing Duck, about a super hero with no actual super powers, who, much like Batman, relied on gadgets and sleuthing to catch the bad guys. But he was an acquaintance of many powered super heroes. Like Comet Guy, a superman from an entire planet of supermen.

In “Planet of the Capes,” Comet Guy asks Darkwing to come back with him to save his home planet, only to discover that the planet’s one super-powerless resident, Ordinary Guy, was missing, and they brought Darkwing there because they needed someone else around, someone ordinary, to save from dangerous situations with their superpowers. And so it occurred to me, was that the appeal of characters like Bella Swan? Are vampires so bored with their preternatural super-lives, that they need some clumsy human douche bag falling all over the goddamn place to make their lives whole?

That’s this week’s Question Time! If you have any feedback, we’d love to here from ya!

You’ve probably already heard of Promises on television, they’re kinda famous for their famous clientel. But it’s not just for celebrities. Promises is a treatment center that offers substance abuse treatment for people with addictions to drugs and alcohol. They’ve had twenty years of experience and each Promises facility keepss the number of clients in residential treatment down to eighteen to keep a high staff-to-client ratio.

Have I said how much I love Keen Eddie? The depth of the writing, the composition of the scenes. I can’t for the life of me understand why FOX keeps canceling great shows like that, but it was a really beautiful, moving show, where all the characters — not just the main characters — were fully-formed, interesting and endearing. It was so much more than the average scruffy, smart-ass American cop show. I’m sorry, I love Angel, too, but why does a show have to say “it’s about saving souls” a hundred times for people to know it’s about saving souls? Yeesh.

Okay, so since I actually started putting pictures on my blog, I’ve been looking for a decent image host for the blog pictures. I just joined Acobox to test it and review, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. Very easy, you don’t have to download the image to link, it re-sizes and aligns for you, and generates the code you’ll need to post the picture on your blog.

I don’t think this service is for me, though, as I’m looking for a host for my personal albums, and Acobox specifically collects, screens, and hosts good or high quality images for bloggers, and when you submit images, it’s for all the bloggers to use, not just you. And there are format, size, and quality restrictions, and if you’ve got an iffy digital camera like I do, you really can’t swing quality. (you guys have been here before, you’ve seen how bad my pictures come out.) You can use this to your advantage if you’re a photographer, though, by getting your name out there and getting feedback. Plus, their images are really nice, and it’s easy to sign up for and account, so kudos to them! Here’s a nice one of peach blossoms. So nice!

We’re looking into some ways to keep our outdoor cat warm, as she’s too preoccupied with the front door to go be cozy in the garage for anything but sleep, and won’t stop hanging out with the obnoxious neighbor cats, who’ve turned into her abusive boyfriends. This skanky, self-destructive behavior may have been tolerable a few years ago, but she’s so old now, it’s taking it’s toll. But she’s not only too wild and evil and gross to bring inside, (she likes to get into the cabinets and put her butt on the dishes ) but since the hillbilly flee blow-out that wrecked the house a few years back, claimed the life of a family member, (S.B.D.E. R.I.P.) and nearly killed the cat in question when she ran off and got lost before we evacuated, we’ve had to keep all animals out of the house.

Neither the cat, nor the house, have had fleas since, but if we brought her in, we couldn’t let her out, for fear of bringing her boyfriends’ redneck parasites in with her, and if she had to stay inside all the time, she’d go banana’s again, just like last time, as she insists on knowing all the juicy news, to the point of demanding constant trips in-and-out-and-in-and-out. We’ve been setting up a lounge area for her on the porch, but I’m always worried it’s not enough. I wish we had more money and could afford a heated kitty house for the little old hose-bag. I can’t believe how much they cost! Rackin’ frackin’ sassafras!

I just saw Be Kind, Rewind today. I assumed it’d be awesome from the premise, but I had no idea it was going to be so sweet. Mos Def was amazing. A little understated, a little broad, but it was just a perfect, touching performance. And Melonie Diaz, who I hadn’t seen since A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, was lovely as always. Gorgeous film, guys! And Mia — that was scary for everyone else, too, right?

I really can’t get enough of LA Police Gear Right now they’re pimping their sweet 5.11 Tactical Flashlight. It’s a rechargeable black flashlight that’s got over one hundred and thirty years of life in it and apparently does this strobe thing. It comes with it’s own 12V DC charger and mouting plate.

Since before I could remember, living at the mercy of the emotional miasma that was our family, our troubled nomadic existence had few mercies. But sacred among our rare staples were cheap motels, vending machines, gas stations, rests stops, and all night eateries. Denny’s was a favorite of mine, but I couldn’t tell you why. Pleasant memories, I suppose. They had a this one menu — you might’ve seen it: Several little squares portraying different Denny’s locations across the land, peering back at us from down the road or just around the corner. One, that featured a lush pasture before dawn, is my Fiddler’s Green. What’s that beyond the rolling hillside? What else, but the promise of happiness!

I’ve always been more than content with that promise. The relief that the worst is over and the best is yet to come. When you finally allow yourself to hope again, and the glorious elation goes right to your brain. You’re swimming in it, drunk as a skunk, and because it hasn’t happened yet, it can’t end. It can’t go wrong. It’s paradise to just be waiting outside the gates.

I was able to hold myself together last night, waiting and hoping that America would elect Barack Obama president of the United States. Everyone was celebrating when he was projected the winner, but I held out, fingers crossed, knowing all too well what happened the last two terms and worrying over the potential ass-pull on behalf of a prolonged Bush administration. But it was a shut-out, hot damn! McCains remarks were pretty classy, despite the brusque crowd. Screw Palin! Seriously, though, when Obama gave his speech, I was beyond moved. I couldn’t help but tear up at the end.

What’s that beyond the rolling hillside?

I re-watched The Lost Boys this morning, and I’ve gotta say, it’s the best thing Joel Schumacher has ever put his name on. Among it’s other firsts for vampire media, I’d have to say it stood out to me for it’s use of the family unit. The Emersons are all differently but equally affected by the vampires of Santa Carla, and the issues they face could all be written off as phases in their lives, and serve as metaphoric parallels. In other words, it laid the ground work for Buffy the Vampire, and through BtVS, all of it’s current rip-offs. And Schumacher was never able to do it again, Ain’t that about a B?

Right now, we’re all aware that with the state this nation’s in, we’re all gonna be shafted out of our social security. That means that people are gonna be more particular about retirement planning, whic could mean a lot for small business owners. Anthony Barkate is a Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist for California Retirement Plans LLC, who does financial and retirement planning workshops for businesses like Boeing, NASA, and even the U.S. Department of the Navy. He specializes in helping local businesses and individual investors conservatively manage their retirement assets.