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As I sit here in the darkness that is 6:00 PM, I realize how much I dislike the time change that we do every Fall and Spring. Well, actually, I like the one in the Spring, because it gives us longer evenings and that is a good thing.       So, with this in mind, I decided to add another point to The Hudin Plan which has us doing away with this antiquated time shift and moving into the 21st century once and for all.       Some people may balk at the idea because they are convinced that they get an extra hour of sleep in the Fall. What they seem to have forgotten is that you lose that hour in the Spring, which I don't see anybody liking. Anyways, it's now officially on The Plan.

There are some simple, dumb things that are lacking in the world today and they all revolve around people using a little thought and as cheesy as it may sound, being nice to each other.       I get reminded of this point all the time when I'm out and about, but there it was the poignant thought on my mind that other day when I was out be Golden Gate Park. I went to a grocery store for a quick something to eat and as I got in express line, some guy was in front of me with a whole bunch of things. Kindly reminded him that it was an express line, he told me that it was twelve items or less, which was a ridiculoud thing to say when there was a sign next to his head that said ten items or less and he actually had thirteen items he was getting.       Yes, yes, I know, this is a small thing to quibble about, but there are small things like this that people can do to start making the world in which we live a better place. It's my believe that our leaders will always do what they want to do, but if we make it a point to simply be nice to each other, think a second before we do something in how it will affect others, and just use some common sense as needed, we'll all be happier.       This is just one of the things that I'm on a crusade for. I know people will cuss me out here and there, since I'm calling them out on their rudeness and don't like having it pointed out that they're being a turd.

I finally saw Terry Gilliam's very unreleased movie, "Brazil" which is a fantastic film. It's a shame that it had gotten help up from being released widely in the US. There's a whole story behind this, which included Gilliam taking out a full page ad in Variety which just asked the studio head when the movie was going to be released, since it has been relased internationally and done very well.       Obviously this is a movie that a lot of Americans probably would have had trouble with, since it didn't show an idyllic place, but a messtopia in the future and a governmental nightmare. Unfortunately, a lot of the film has come true 16 years after it was made.       What does boggle my mind is why the film was never released and why so many films are never released or given a very small release only in the top 15 cities or what have you. Film distribution is definitely the platypus of the performing arts world, since there is very little logic to it and it's usually always a comittee decision. I guess it's a group or single individual that sit around and try and decide what the public wants to see. It isn't governed by the stars involved or the budget or anything rational. It's all just a guess.       Distribution is the reason that movies like "Lost in Translation" and "21 Grams" aren't at every cineplex in the nation and a piece of junk like "The Cat in the Hat" is. It's the biggest hurdle in filmmaking that there is for an independent director. A lot of people hear that making a film is the hardest part in making a film, but that pales in comparison to actually getting the movie out there to be seen. Something like 1% of all the films made get distribution. It's really a shame too, since, if there was more of a network, then ther would be more films and there is certainly a good amount of arthouse or small, independent theaters across the US.       Someday all this may change, but for the time being, it's always funny to see someone like GIlliam get the upper hand and win a bunch of critic awards for a film that was never released domestically.

I like to cook. I like to use spices. I usually use the bottle variety as it's rather hard to keep a lot of the spices around and fresh. Occassionally I'll get fresh ones and of course it pays off, since the flavor is so much richer.       There is one spice though, that I simply cannot ever get in the bottle variety again and that's Ginger. For those who don't know, it comes in root form and keeps for quite a long time, thus making it rather easy to keep around. The only catch it that you ahve to peel and cut it up when you want to use it, but that's a small price to pay for the burst of flavor it affords.       I'm sure there are other health benefits to using it that people will attest to, but all I care about it how damn good it tastes when you add it into things. Try sauteed mushrooms with some diced ginger and cilanthro. That's simply to die for. Mix in a little soup stock into it and you've got a sauce that will knock you're socks off.       Now I understand why just about every dish at a Chinese restaurant is crammed full of this wonderful root.

In addition to having problem one of the worst websites out there, Adolph Gasser Camera on 2nd Street in San Francisco is staffed with some of the most unhelpful people I've ever encountered. In all fairness, their rental people are pretty decent and I guess that this must be where most of their business is. But the guys in sales are something else. I've had two pretty bad experiences in the last six months that will make me probably never go there again.       The first was when I was buying a new camcorder. I figured, what the hey, let's give some local guys a chance before I order online. So, I went in to them. I asked the salesguy about the mondel I was looking in to, which is a Sony PDX10. He said that while he was kinda familiar with the camera, he didn't know much about it since it was so new. So new? It had been out for 10 months! If I were in his job, I'd know about every new camera as soon as it came out. These guys do get visited by dealer reps all the time, so they should be up on this stuff. I asked him if he could order it and he said he wasn't sure. That's a pretty funny comment, since it says on a big banner behind the counter "Authorized Sony Dealer." So, anyways, I gave up, and bought it online for probably $1000 less than what that guy could have gotten it for if he cared to look it up.       Just the other day I was in there, looking for a rubber shockmount for my microphone. There were two. They were behind a case and I managed to get one of the guys to dislodge his ass from his chair and open up the case. Once he did, I saw that they weren't going to be the right size for my boom pole. Once again, asking if I could order the right one, I got a bovine look. Okay, I admit it would have only been a $50 purchase, but that's something when the economy ain't that amazing. Needless to say, I gave up and am in the process of finding it elsewhere.       When you tie into all of this the fact that they towed my car (when I still had it) from their lot while I was in their store asking about rental prices, you get a pretty unspectacular shopping experience.       I guess if you're a student and want some stuff cheaply to rent, they might be decent. Otherwise, they're just a lousy setup. I'm amazed that they're able to stay in business.

People grouse a lot about how many bad films there are out there, but in all honestly, they bring it upon themselves.       You can see this when you look at box office totals vs. the quality of the film (quality being an aggregate compiled from anonymous internet users.) "The Cat in the Hat" is a prime example of this. As of this writing, this movie has taken in $77 million US. When you look at the ratings for the film on IMDb - www.imdb.com you will see that it is ranked as the 35th worst movie or all time. Why is it making so much money then? Basically, I'd warrant that it's due to the market demographic (childrens' film) that it is targeted at. But, regardless, people are obviously watching this film in droves. No doubt, it will all taper off in the next week or so when a lot of other good films are going to be released, such as "21 Grams", which is stupendous.       What's good and what's bad will always be relative terms, since opinion is a subjective entity, but it's funny how public perception can change things. "Gigli" was a film that was torn apart by both critics and moviegoers alike and probably rightfully so. I don't know since I don't watch Affleck or Lopez films and one with the two of them in it would be like drinking Draino to me.       So, how can you avoid a bad film, since people may or may not go and see it and thus, the box office total will tell you nothing as to the actual cinematic worth of it? You might turn to the critics, but uh oh, they're no good. I think that Roger Ebert must be paid off these days, since he will give a thumbs up to some of the worst movies there are. Then there's the San Francisco Chronicle, which is actually very useful for me, since I will most likely feel the exact reverse on any film they review. In general though, you can't rely on critics, because even if they're completely legitimate, they're still human and will have varying and subjective tastes to films.       For my money, I find that the aforementioned IMDb.com is the best source. Their rating system, while not foolproof, generally, when it hits 1,000 ratings or so, will be pretty accurate as to a film's worth. So, the next time you want to go watch something and don't want to support the dearth of terrible films that get put forth in this day and age, give that site a try and see if it's something you want to see, but only use that as a starting point.

We've had some rain for the last couple of days here and it's a welcome thing. Not because it is a rare occurence and not because it is something that everyone wants, oh no. In fact, most people will complain endlessly about it here since they are so spoiled by good weather all the time.       The real reason that rain is good is because it cleans the streets, something which should be done by the city systems, which isn't. It's a pretty obvious thing as the streets in SF are really filthy. It's no wonder though, since, if you watch the street sweepers come through, they pretty much just stay in the middle of the street and don't touch the curbs where the trash really collects.       Current and on his way out, thank god, mayor, Willie Brown has all kinds of culprits as to why the streets aren't clean, but it's rather amazing that a town which takes pride in recycling just about everything is dirtier than New York. No, there are only two solutions ultimately since city government is so corrupt and those are, for it rain more, which isn't going to chnage any time soon or for us to adopt hydrogen fuel cell cars, which will dump out water from their tailpipes, thus regularly cleaning up the streets.

Like most, I have a cellphone. It's not a big deal and I have it for two reasons: to be gotten a hold of when I'm out and about and to make long distance phone calls.       I don't live and die by my cellphone, but I am amazed at the hardship that others cause me with their cellphones. One such group is some of the French. The only countries I've been to outside the US are England, Germany, and France. Out of those groups, I found there were more annoying French cellphone users than anywhere else.       People there yell at their phones. They try out all the ring tones the phone can make while sitting next to you and the best one is when a waiter is taking your order and he answers his cellphone in the middle of it. The last one I obviously brought upon myself, since I am a stupid American in France, attempting to dine.       Sure, you've probably seen other people in other countries doing these annoying things, but I was reminded of all this when I was sitting on the bus today and a French woman gets on and can't stop talking on her phone long enough to put $1.25 into the fare machine.       The other reason for my rant on cellphones is due to the fact that there is an idiot that has called me two to three times a week asking for some friend of his. While annoying, I finally drew the line when he started cussing at me, to which I gladly cussed back and told him off. Not to be abated in any way, he called me again today, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that he keeps calling me.       I have no idea who his friend is obviously, but given the blatant, active stupidity of this individual, I can understand why the former tenant of my phone changed it. Hopefully he'll go away soon, or I'll have to change my number again, as he has to be one of the dumbest or laziest people I've ever encountered. Oh yes, he puts on Caller ID blocking, or you could be sure I would return the wonderful treatment.       Word.

For awhile now, I've espoused many an idea for change in this world. Some of them I feel were very good ideas and instead of letting them fall by the wayside, I've created a new page on the site for them.       This will be a page that will grow and get more elaborate as time goes on with the things that I feel will make everything run smoother.       You will probably notice that there are some small things in there, which may seem insignificant. In reality, I think that these small things will foster a lot of change and growth within this country which have been lacking for quite some time.       Naturally there are big items as well, which are out of my and many people's ability to initiate, but I put them there in the hopes that cogitation and ideas will sprout forth.       

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to anyone out there with a spare minute that feels like reading this.       I didn't realize that Thanksgiving is starting to spread off the US shores and is popping up in other countries. I guess people look for any reason to have a good time and grow fat off the bird and potatoes.       Anyways, have a good time and watch out for Black Friday tomorrow (as we guys who accompany the shoppers have been calling it.)