American/Yankee Roulette

I think I came up with it in Junior High (so like 1987) when a group of my friends and I were walking down the street and goofing off. Pushing around is fairly common around boys that age - I guess and so we would. I came up with the idea that when walking 3 or 4 abreast down the sidewalk, there wasn’t always room. Occasionally a pole, person, etc. would come along and no one wanted to be stuck walking ahead or behind.

So a re-arrangement was in order. Shoving sometimes ensued.

But why not make a game out of it? Why not - when the need to shift came up - not have the “inside” guys push the guy closest to the curb towards whatever happened to be just off the curb. Perhaps that would be a car. Some cars have alarms. Alarm rings = that kid looses. Alarm doesn’t ring = kid wins and moves to the inside.

Repitition.

Thing is, I am usually the one who comes up with these ideas, but I’m usually the furthest from being the type to do something like this. I’m not a kid (or adult) who’d really want to set off some poor soul’s car alarm.

That’s why I’ll just write about it.

Do all criminals have an unfinished basement on their houses? Do all interrogations take place in a military bunker filled with all of the tricks of the torture trade?

Scene opens: In the empty dining room of a McDonald’s fast food restaurant. The restaurant has been cleared out of customers. Unfinished food still sits on trays across the room. Camera pulls back to find itself over the back/shoulder of someone who’s hands are tied behind his back, sitting in one of those swiveling plastic chairs. In the distance, in front of him are a handful of thuggish men who are obviously not happy and they are all focused on the tied-up man. In the further distance, over the shoulder of one of the thugs is a cardboard cutout of Ronald McDonald who happens to just be staring into the scene with a more menancing look than one would expect.

And it goes on from there.

I expect to see it in a theater near me sometime soon.

Why is virtual reality so unreal? Why are people escaping to online worlds which are never anything like the real world?

Virtual reality should be along the lines of real life, no? With its shares of disappointments, pitfalls, bad choices, all of the ramifications of those choices, etc.

I’m sure that “Ball & Chain” would sell - who wouldn’t want to experience in crisp HD the fun of sitting around in a loveless marriage watching reality tv.

But perhaps we’re actually already living our virtual reality when we sit on that couch and veg out.

Why are there never any trailers in movie trailers?

Scene opens, posters plastered against a metal wall… for a movie, perhaps. Some metal noises, maybe creaking brakes. Then some dust, then a little more.

Without pulling back, the camera starts sliding horizontally and more posters.. seemingly all about same movie.

Eventually, the camera slides off the back of the truck and you realized you just saw your first “movie trailer.” Scene closes.

Or how about a trailer broken down on a side street. Names are grafittied all over it and in the small window, there’s a television playing a clip from the movie.