November Soap-box

If we really want to change the world, each of us should stop one stranger each day and tell them we love them; we love them regardless of their race, religion, political views or personal biases; we love them without knowing them, simply because they are alive.

The older we get the more we forget that each of us was brought into this world the same way, so the only differences that exist are just manufactured perceptions.

In the end, we don’t have to like each other, but we need to love one and other.

UPDATE: Baltimore, MD- A Dry Town (At least around Patterson Park)

UPDATE:  After I posted the letter below on Baltimore City's DPW Facebook page, a crew fixed the problem that night around 6:30pm and knocked on doors throughout the neighborhood to make sure it was fixed. While 311's initial response was lacking, DPW was prompt, thorough and their assistance was appreciated. -Jack

___________________________
Original Post:

Dear Mayor Rawlings-Blake,

My name is Jack Bunja and I have lived in the City ofBaltimore for over 5 years now. I originally hail from a small town in Pennsylvania, so I was a little bit apprehensive when I and my fiancée, Dawn Papuga, decided to move into the City near Patterson Park. Too make a long story short, I have grown to enjoy the city and all it has to offer, until recently. Two nights ago I noticed that the water pressure in our house at 15 N. Linwood Ave. had drastically decreased. It is common for our water pressure to fluctuate, so I decided to wait for the day to see if it would return to normal; when it didn’t, I used the 311 system for the first time and reported it. The first gentleman I spoke to at 311 was very friendly and took all my information. Then a few hours later a city worker knocked on my door to let us know that a contractor was working in the neighborhood and that he would contact them about a valve issue. Unfortunately, that is where the helpfulness ceased. Nearly 24 hours later, when the water pressure didn’t improve, I called 311 again to find out that my ticket had been closed. The reason for the closure was that a “contractor is in our area and there was nothing they could do”.  When I asked if there was a timetable, they said, “they do not know and there was nothing they could do”. When I asked what I was supposed to do in order to shower or wash my clothes, they said, “I’m sorry sir, there is nothing we can do”. His agitation at my issues grew with each question I asked and customer service quickly took a back seat to getting me off the line. 

Let me preface what I’m about to say next with a little bit of understanding; I am well aware that there are bigger issues in Baltimore then the water pressure on my street. However, this situation has raised many red flags for me and my neighbors. First, I was never notified about contracting work being done that would affect my water. In every neighborhood I have ever lived, it was a standard practice to mail or place notices on the doors in the neighborhoods about to be affected by utility work. Failure to do that can cause issues for the public and inflates the number of inquiries your 311 team must handle. Second, the lack of answers to my questions and they lack of desire to find an answer is a great concern. As a federal contractor, I’m aware of what it means to be a good steward of the tax-payer dollar. I am dismayed that the City of Baltimore doesn’t hold the same expectations for its contractors. When asking multiple people about timetables for this work, they all had no idea. In fact, since I’ve complained, I have not seen a single worker back at that site. With my entire street having the same water issue, I was hoping to see some sense of urgency. My father worked for a utility company for over 40 years, his employers’ expectation and his own belief was that a job wasn’t done until the customer was taken care of. In this case, as a customer, I feel the only answer I've gotten is “we will get to it when we are ready” and that leads me to my final point; what exactly am I paying for? I pay a water bill and taxes; I would assume some sort of customer service would come along with that. Right now, my shower will not engage because of the low water pressure and our sinks are barely running beyond a drip. The result of this is that I can barely clean myself, Dawn cannot wash her hair and we will have to use a laundry mat for our clothes. Will we have a water bill next month and will it be adjusted for the poor service? Beyond that, will I be compensated for the money I spend at a laundry mat?  So far, the only answer I’ve gotten is “there is nothing we can do”.

Let me close by being very frank; my fiancé and I are both established professionals and we are preparing to buy our first house next year. We had hoped that the city would be an option for us, but now we have to reconsider. Why stay somewhere that looks at its population as an inconvenience? Why should I pay taxes to a city that doesn’t monitor its paid contractors? Those are questions that any citizen should expect their city to answer. Like I said in the beginning, I realize there are bigger problems in Baltimore then my water, but I’m not asking for the city (or in this case city contractors) to stop everything and fix my issues; I’m merely asking for some respect. If a city respects it citizens, it might just get a little respect back… Thank you for your time. 

 

Sincerely,

Jack L. Bunja 

I'm a Superman Fanboy

To say I love comic books would be an understatement. As I’ve said before, I’m what you’d call a "passionate enthusiast" with disposable income. Whenever a new friend or co-worker finds out I’m a comic book collector, they usually ask me, “Who is your favorite superhero?” Honestly, the answer is “it depends”.  I’m a fan of the comic genre, which means that I enjoy good writers, artists and story-lines. I fall in and out of love with various books all the time; for instance, right now I’m reading/collecting "Indestructible Hulk" and "Aquaman", but that doesn’t make me a life-long Hulk or Aquaman fan. All it means is that currently I find both books to be well done and I'll keep buying the book until I stop enjoying it. I think that in order to call a superhero your “favorite” you need to have deeper tie than just finding it to be a good read. I think most of us comic book fans gravitate to a superhero when we are young and then stick with them as long as we buy comic books. When I was a kid, I had two main heroes that I wanted to be, Spiderman and Superman.

It's certainly not out of the ordinary to have either of those two as your favorite superheroes. For some people saying that you enjoy Spiderman and Superman is kind of like saying Pepsi and  Coke are your favorite brands of cola. It elicits a giant “duh” from comic book fans and the average person alike.  So, why did I love these two characters? If you were to do a straight up comparison of the two they represent different things to a kid. Spiderman is the smart mouthed kid with super powers. He could leap from building to building, shooting webs and having fun. As a kid, it was easy to pretend to be Spiderman. We could climb on the back of the family couch and make the “Spidey Hand Motion” while making the “chawawawa” sound. Spiderman in essence was our youth; we could be wild and crazy, but still a hero. I enjoyed Spiderman, but I don't collect his comic books. I kind of drifted away from the character over the years and just when I wanted to go back, they really screwed up the story for me. This might not make sense to some non-comic book people, but "A Brand New Day" was the last day I ever thought about collecting a Spiderman book. I might sound like a snob and it probably is proof that I wasn't a hardcore Spiderman fan, but when they introduced a plot device that esentially wiped out all of the previous "Spider-history" I couldn't follow. Of course, there are stupid plots in every characters history and I can look past them for one of my favorite characters of all time, Superman.

Superman…geez, I don’t even know where to start. He was the strong, invincible, flying leader of all the other heroes. Just one of those reasons would be enough to make him any kid’s favorite, but the reason he was my favorite had little to do with Superman and everything to do with Clark Kent. Clark was unpopular; he was perceived as weak and was, in short, a nerd. He was what every small kid with glasses wanted to be, a hidden hero. I can remember trying to give myself a “curl” at a very young age, just around when I got my first pair of glasses and I was picked on for the first time. 

Typical hero idolization aside, I have always been amazed at the difficult choices it must take to be Superman. The character represents the ultimate force of good, which has to be the hardest easy choice that anyone can make. In my opinion, this is the real beauty of the Superman character, he can take the negative conotation of being referred to as the “big blue boy scout” and makes it a term of endearment. Historically Superman has been written as a character that makes the choices we should make and makes them with ease. It's a really simple concept for kids to grab. Sometimes good and evil to be as simple. In a world full of brooding anti-heroes, it's nice to be able to give kids a hero whose motives are black and white, letting the shades of grey wait until they are older.  So, I’m proud to be a Superman fan. I’m proud to enjoy something that appeals to my inner child and occasionally my outer one. So, for every Dark Knight, it’s nice to occasionally have one that represents the best of us, at least until Hollywood decides otherwise... I’m looking at you Zack Snyder, I'm really excited for "Man of Steel"...don’t mess this up for my inner child...

Mars: Putting the "Red" in Red, White and Blue!

I’m feeling philosophical this week (I blame Justin Kownacki and Mike Friedrich). So I want to pose a question to my tens of, ten readers. Let’s say in the next 125 years we were able to colonize the Mars. It is a dangerous mission, so we don’t send the A-list of humanity. Instead we send the dreamers, adventurers and those looking for a fresh start.  My question to you is this, how long until this social experiment breeds a “New America”?  Let me clarify what I mean by the term “new America”. I’m not suggesting that Mars would end up just being an addition to the United States. It may start that way, but what I’m suggesting is that in the end it becomes a complete retelling of our countries birth, with the role of Great Britain being played by the United States and the role of revolutionists being played by Mars colonists.

Imagine it, the red planet 2138; the last of the settlers arrive on the last ship, the Bransonita. It has been a long journey; provisions nearly ran out since they had navigated around an errant band of meteorites. The settlers are exhausted but excited; this is their new start, a new beginning. No longer will they be subject to the limited opportunities of earth. Here they will be free to live away from a society that subjects them to ideals which they don’t agree with. On Mars they will no longer be subject to the endless stream of corporate commercials that pass off as culture. On Mars they have no need to worry about student loans, finding a safe place to live, and electing leaders that no longer represent them. This is the new world! Fast forward another 25 years and the Mars settlers have organized and began to have a thriving community.  The first generation of Martians has been born and they are quickly spreading across the planet. Of course, this colony is still part of the United States and their citizens are protected and in some cases supported by their earthly motherland. However, their home planet ties are dwindling; the people of Mars have perfected hydroponics and have almost created a complete self-sufficient ecosystem which makes the need of constant supplies and visitors from earth less necessary. In fact they are down to one supply ship a quarter, until they discovered “element X”. Element X is a new type of construction material for microchips. It conducts electricity perfectly with zero impedance at room temperature. This means that all power can be used to its utmost efficiency. This new element has the potential to revolutionize all technology and mankind with it, the only catch is that it can only be found on Mars.

Suddenly there is a surge of immigrants to Mars, every one of them looking for ways to cash in on this new “gold rush”. Of course now the governments of Earth are paying close attention to the Red Planet. What started as a frontier adventure has turned into a financial boom for every Martian. You see, for the first 50 years of the Mars colonization they believed that there were limited resources on Mars and thus little value to the planet. So, the United States allowed people willing to travel to Mars to claim or purchase land, which includes mineral rights to that land. Aside from a few entrepreneurs who bought huge plots of land for entertainment purposes, most of the land was bought by frontiersmen who accepted it as pay for work and services. These are the citizens who moved to Mars to escape the less desirable parts of earthly living. They came to Mars for adventure or to start new churches, new cultures, and a new way of life. They took a leap of faith and now this leap made them rich. These Martians now have a pride for their new planet, its culture and people. It’s this pride that makes them want to form a new country and of course you know, this means war.

What qualifies me to think any of this might happen? Nothing, I’m not qualified in any way, shape or form. My only justification is that we, people, humans are very predictable. Throughout history we have cycled through the rise and fall of many empires. So, in short, America isn’t that special. Maybe that’s going a bit too far…we are just as special as Greece, Rome, Persia, Egypt, and every other empire that has ever existed. However, to think us unique is a stretch. We weren’t the first and we won’t be the last and what better place for the “next America” to be born then on another planet. Its history and we never learn from it, so we often repeat it. By the way, this would make an awesome tv series or book. I would write it, but I’m too busy making money to buy an acre of red dust.

My Passion

Dawn and I sampling the flora & fauna of Washington, D.C.

My Grandfather used to say that he hoped I’d become passionate about something someday. I’m pretty sure he was just talking about a career or a professional interest, but I took that hope to heart in all things. You see, I was somewhat of a nonchalant kid when it came to interests. I was never overly fascinated by any subject. I enjoyed things, but I was never crazy about any one thing. When it comes to the collection classified ads I call a resume, it’s  fair to say that my lack of a consistent passion shows through. I have yet to find a career or professional interest that truly keeps my attention, however, I do not lack passions. When it comes to things that I couldn't live with out, I only have two things, comic books and Dawn Papuga.  Oddly enough, I discovered both of these at the same time and they are forever linked to each other.

Before 2008, I was merely a passive comic book fan. I collected one or two issues, but it was hardly a passion. Then for some reason that I don't remember, I decided to read the novelization of Alex Ross & Mark Waid's "Kingdom Come" by Elliot Maggin. For those of you who don’t know, "Kingdom Come" was a 1996 DC Comics mini-series. The series dealt with what happens when Superman goes into exile for a decade and new “heroes” step into the fold and start to run amok. (If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you do. It is a good example of how to write a story with a strong understanding of a characters history and motivations.) It was this novel that really opened my eyes to the world of comics. I was drawn in by the fantasy and the complex situations of what seem to be simple characters. So I began to pick up all things comic related and that is why a good friend of mine invited me to the Steel City Comic-Con in Pittsburgh where my life changed forever.

The Steel City Comic-Con was my first "comic culture" experience and I honestly didn't know what to expect. All I knew is that my friend was meeting another group of his "Pittsburgh Social Media" friends, which Dawn just happened to be part of. When I first met Dawn she was a bundle of energy and was bouncing from exhibit to exhibit at the Comic-Con. Honestly, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her and all I wanted to do is walk next to her. It’s funny, 5 years later and that feeling still hasn’t gone away. Our first conversation was among a large group of her friends and we were talking comic books, of course. Dawn said that she was a Marvel girl through and through, X-Men to be exact and she didn’t like DC. Of course, me being a DC fan, I had to start a discussion about the difference between Marvel and DC. It is my opinion that DC is really based on a religious model of existence and Marvel is based on the scientific model of existence. My evidence for this is that Marvel often talks about the “mutant evolution” and uses more science-fiction basis for many of their characters, while DC uses more of a mystical and ideological tone. Not that DC shies away from science, but their language is a bit softer and broader, they have “meta-humans” as opposed to “mutants” and different “Justice Leagues” as opposed to “Avengers”.  As I was exercising all my nerd muscles, it was like everyone else at the table disappeared and Dawn was the only one I was talking to. (Editor’s note:  My argument must have worked, because in the past 5 years we have only bought a handful of Marvel comics.)

In a nutshell, from that first dinner on, I was hooked. There hasn’t been a single day since where I haven’t thought about her. That’s not to say it has been perfect or easy. We’ve both gone through quite a lot to be together, but isn’t that what being passionate about something is all about? I can’t imagine life without her, so that’s why I’m marrying her. I’ve found something I can’t live without and I’m taking it with me wherever I go.  I can’t imagine being as passionate about any career as I am about her and I’m pretty happy about that. My pure bliss would be an infinite amount of time with her and a never ending stack of comic books. I wonder if it would be creepy to invite Mark Waid to our wedding since he helped to start this whole thing...worst case scenario we’ll just register at the Twilight Zone.

Out of Hibernation

I cannot wait for spring! Not because we’ve had a bad winter, in fact, we’ve barely had a winter at all in Baltimore. The fact is I just need the weather to pick a consistent temperature and stick with it. This back and forth between 40 degrees and 70 degrees has caused me more literal headaches and sinus/cold issues then I would like to count. It has been the mildest winter I’ve experienced since moving to Maryland over three years ago and is not even comparable to any winter I experienced in my 10+ years in Erie. Since, both astrological and meteorological spring is nearly here, I figured I may as well blog again. So, I’ll ease into it with the #1 bloggers tool for easy content, a list. Here’s my list of things that helped get me through the long winter:


• Dawn Papuga, duh…

• DC’s launch of the New 52, I’m digging the Red Lantern and Red Hood books

• Game of Thrones, I can’t wait for season two

• Archer, “Serpentine Baboo, serpentine!!!”

• Justified & SOA, best dramas on television

• Batman: Arkham City, I lost a week of vacation to that game

• La Scala, our favorite restaurant in all of Baltimore

• NFL, let’s go BRONCOS!!

That’s just a few things that made this winter bearable. Now on to a summer full of excitement and if I’m lucky, blogging!

Your opinion doesn't make you stupid, your Bumper Sticker does.

I consider myself a fairly even tempered person. I would rather go with the flow than rail against it. However, there are two seemingly harmless things that make me want to rage into a blind fury.

• Whistling in the work place
• Bumper Stickers

If you feel the need to whistle while walking down the hallway in a full office, then I feel the need to tackle you into the copier. Seriously, who thinks that their talent at whistling qualifies them as entertainment for the rest of us? When is the last time you downloaded a really awesome compliation of whistlers on your ipod? Never, that's when.

When it comes to bumper stickers, I fail to see the logic. What opinion is so valuable and permanent that you feel the need to express it in the form of a "car tattoo"? For instance, "My child is a Middle School Honor Student". That may be, but their parent is an idiot. You are defacing your car for something that changes on a yearly basis. So your kid can read and do basic math, congratulations. Also, I don't care what airports you have been at or that you vacationed in the Outter Banks (OBX). If your marathon time is that fantastic, why are you driving anywhere? That stick figure drawing of your family doesn't change the fact that your husband is nailing his secretary and I'm not exactly sure what Jesus would do, but I'm guessing he'd start by telling you to get your slow moving ass into the right lane.  This brings me to political bumper stickers; why would anyone deface a high valued commidity like a car with a topic that, by rights, should take more than four words to explain properly? For instance "I refuse to believe the Liberal Media", ok, be more specific. The typical definition of "media" is "the means of communication that reach large numbers of people, such as television, newspapers, and radio". So, with that in mind, what do you mean? Is all "Media" liberal? You define it as "the Liberal Media", is the word "liberal" an adjective that modifies "media" or is "Liberal Media" the entire noun that would be defined as "liberal leaning media outlets"? As the catepillar once told Alice, "Say what you mean and mean what you say". If you are willing to lower the value of something that you make payments on with paper and adhesive, I do not trust your four-word-views on the financial health of our country. If you want to flip off other people's eyes with your semi-literate ramblings, do what I do, get a blog.

I'll be Your Huckleberry...

I was a ball hog in almost every sport I've ever played. Ok, so this was before I was a bit over-weight and still had all my hair, regardless, you may ask, was this "ball-hoggery" an over-estimation of my ability? Maybe. Was it a Hero Complex? Perhaps. Was it an over-dose of testosterone? Definitely. Testosterone is a funny thing; it can be spurred on by actions, music, or in some cases just words. It's amazing how simple one-liners can fuel our testosterone output. For instance, I defy you to show me any person who doesn't get a little psyched up when Val Kilmer echoes that famous line, "I'll be your huckleberry..." in Tombstone. If you barely remember much else about that movie, I guarantee you remember that line. "March Madness" is also full of testosterone enducing moments. What testosterone junkie doesn't want the ball in the last 10 seconds of a tied game?


What brought made me think of this subject? A lot of things really; emotions have been surrounding me a lot lately and the emotions that a jolt of testosterone causes is something I can easily relate to. I have had to really face my emotions recently, because last week I had to bury my grandfather. I was lucky enough to speak (in between tears) at his funeral and help carry his casket at the cemetery. Those moments will always be special to me, but one moment will stand out to me. My grandfather served in WWII and he requested a military burial. I don't know how many of you have witnessed a military funeral, but it goes kind of like this; the casket is draped in a flag and after the final words are spoken, a 21-gun-salute is fired and then a soldier plays Taps, which is possibly the most moving song that can be played at a funeral. Two soldiers then fold the flag, place 3 shell casings from the 21-gun-salute in the flag and hand the flag to a relative, in many cases the widow. When they hand the flag to the widow, they thank her for her husband’s service and then salute her. This is what happened last week and when the soldiers saluted my grandmother, I felt sadness of course, but also I felt pride and a twinge of testosterone.

It might not sound appropriate to feel testosterone at a funeral, but it's not caused by the normal reasons. It's caused by the thought of doing something for a purpose or a cause that is greater than you. It's caused by sacrifice. It's caused by being in the presence of a hero. My grandfather fought muderous Nazi's in probably one of the most justified wars to ever exist on our planet. Even though he had been out of the military for over 60 years, he was still part of something that existed for the greater good. All the people that served in WWII are nothing short of heroes. When they salute a fallen hero, it's something to behold and it should give us a glimpse at the pride that needs to exist in making that kind of mark on history. I think that more of us need to have pride in something like that.

Up to this point, if you are reading this and the next thought that pops into your head starts with "god" then you are missing the point. What I'm talking about here isn't about religion; religion starts wars that men die for. Religion is why people in this country protest military funerals and is the fuel for many political agendas. This is about the brotherhood of man, whether you praise Jesus or a flying spaghetti monster we are all made of the same stuff. Maybe, just for once, we need to have a little less thought and a little more testosterone...

What I've Learned in 2010

• When you love someone, there is never enough time.
• Comic Books = Happy
• I cannot start a conversation in my head with someone and finish it out loud.
• Everyone needs to have a good local Chinese take-out restaurant.
• I’m mostly obsessive compulsive about things that don’t really matter.
• I’m allowed to be happy and show it.
• It took 30+ years of stubbornness, but I actually appreciate my family.
• I enjoy not having to worry about money all the time.
• My job doesn’t define me.
• I’m not really a big city person.
• I’m not really a corporate person, either.
• I could live in New Mexico.
• It’s hard to watch people get older.
• I tend to read the comments people make on online news articles.
• I fear for our country’s future.
• I’m not a republican, at all.
• In order to have common sense, you need to have experience.
• I’m a lousy liar.
• Comcast is the worst company, ever.
• Ever!!!!
• People, who live in glass houses, truly do enjoy throwing stones. I enjoy the ricochets.
• Life is good.

WTF: What the Fruit?

So, Dawn and I were watching television last night, when a commercial came on that pointed out how I have some real blind spots in my Pop Culture knowledge. The commercial was for Fruit of the Loom and it was a music video parody starring their familiar mascots, The Fruit Guys.  As I watched the Apple sing beside the Grape, I realized that I had no idea what the other two fruits were.  I wasn't alone, when I asked Dawn, she had no idea either.  I made a mental note and continued to watch "Air Jaws", which is just one of thousands of reasons why I love Shark Week.  So today I decided to investigate and found out that "The Fruit Guys" actually have a website.  The members are as follows: Apple, Purple Grape, Green Grape, and Leaf.  So, this knowledge now leaves me with ton of other questions... 

• Why are there two types of grapes?
• Why is Purple Grape not called by it's real name Red Grape?
• Why are citrus fruits not represented? 
• A leaf, while it is part of a fruit plant, is not a fruit itself; so why is it there?
• What are the orange colored fruits in the Fruit of the Loom logo and why are they not represented?
• Is there such a thing as ethnic diversity in fruit?

Ok, so these are my questions.  I'll continue my quest to find the answers to these "Fruitful Ponderings"... I'm gonna quit now before I make anymore "un-a-peel-ing" fruit puns......damn it.

It's Finally Over!! Freedom Never Seemed so Obvious.

For those of you who have been following the drama, the negotiations are finally over. Late yesterday afternoon I received word that the goal has finally been reached, MySpace set me free and deleted my vacant page:

From: "MySpace.Com"
To: "Jack Bunja"
Date: Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 3:58 PM
Subject: My email has changed [Incident: 100721-004809]

Hi Jack,
We appreciate you bringing the profile to our attention. After further review, the account (myspace.com/74273330) has been scheduled for deletion.
NOTE: If there is another page that you were referring to, please provide us with the URL/link.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to write back.

Sincerely,
The MySpace Support team

From: "Jack Bunja"
To: "MySpace.com"
Date: Fri, July 23, 2101 at 12:24PM

Dear MySpace Collective,
Thank you so much for your last reply that you will now delete my account. Rarely do you see such a personal and heartfelt message from a hive-mind. Kudos in being able to retain emotions despite being of one mind and purpose.

I can now forgive you for ignoring my request to delete my account when I asked you the first time back in 2009 and even changed the name on the account to "Please Delete This Account", but still had no success. Perhaps, at the time, your complete assimilation into a true collective had not taken hold or perhaps now I am not deemed worthy of assimilation. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely happy that I can retain my individuality, but if I was deemed unworthy, I reserve the right to feel a little rejected. Was it my computing brain power? Or was it my poor use of commas just didn't fit into your mastery of the modern sentence structure? Never mind, it doesn't really matter now.

My freedom tastes so sweet and I can even cancel that order of "cause ribbons" I placed. I had chosen the color "Sunwashed Nantucket Red". It's a perfect late summer color that would have taken me seamlessly into fall. Well, this is goodbye MySpace. I'll never forget you and if one day you evolve into Skynet, I hope you will remember me fondly.

-Jack "Free Like a Bird" Bunja

I would like to thank the MySpace Support team for really joining forces and rallying around my problem. If you are confused about what transpired, you can check out my older posts. To make a long story short, I was locked out of my old dormant MySpace account and had no way to delete it. Sure, it sounds like a small problem, but the solution was insane. MySpace wanted me to take a "Salute" picture in order to get action?!? What happened to "What's your Mother's Maiden Name?" MySpace's security practices are one DNA sample short of being creepy. If anyone out there has actually sent MySpace a "Salute", please share and tell me what you think they actually did with the photo. Please keep it clean, this is a PG rated blog.

Thanks to everyone for the support and thanks to the "MySpace-Support-Team-Hive-Minded-Collective" for quickly solving my problem with such heartfelt and personal emails.

Continuing Coverage of the MySpace Hostage Crisis!!!

So, the drama continues....I could rant about this more, but I'll just share my email exchange instead:

From: MySpace.Com
To: jack.bunja@gmail.com
Date: Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 12:12 PM
Subject: My email has changed [Incident: 100721-004809]

Your message
1. I do not have a picture on my account.
2. Even if I did, I would not take part in such a idiotic security practice.
3. You can read all of my true feelings here:
http://bunjajumping.blogspot.com/2010/07/salute-this-or-why-facebook-is-better.html

Just delete the account please. I understand you wish you were still
relevant, but it's 2010. You had a good run, just let it go.
-Jack Bunja aka "Delete This Account"

Thanks for contacting MySpace.

A salute is the way we verify that you are who you say you are. We use it to protect your privacy and security. Simply put, we compare a current picture of you holding your MySpace friend ID with a photo from your profile. If they match, we're cool.

We only ask MySpace friends to make a salute when it involves an important matter of security, safety, or privacy.

Here are the top reasons you might be asked to make a salute:

1. You want to delete your profile and can't do it yourself (visit http://faq.myspace.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/285)

2. You forgot your email address (visit http://faq.myspace.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5)

3. You forgot your password and can't retrieve it (visit http://faq.myspace.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/311)

Sincerely,
The MySpace Support team

From: Jack Bunja
To: "MySpace.Com"
Date: Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 1:40 PM
subject: Re: My email has changed [Incident: 100721-004809]

Dear MySpace Team,
I appreciate that the entire team has stopped their busy day to reply to my email. While I would think multiple hands on one tiny keyboard would be clumsy and not time effective, perhaps this is more like a tag-team type affair. If that's the case, perhaps you have mastered modern sentence structure and have people that are designated to type the subjects, verbs, adjectives, etc... Unless of course your team has developed a hive-mind mentality and one person typed it, only there is not "one person", only "MySpace".

I do however see a problem with your hive mind response. You (or "all of you", I'm not sure what to call a hive) did not respond to the fact that I do not have a picture on my vacant MySpace profile to compare it to and I look nothing like a faceless silhouette. This is fortunate as I would not have a way to hold up my glasses. Please advise me on how to shut down my worthless site that has not been accessed in over a year. Thanks to all of you for not assimilating me.

-Jack "Delete this Profile" Bunja
http://bunjajumping.blogspot.com

Salute THIS!!! or Why Facebook is better than MySpace

I think it is fair to say that it is easier to change a postal mailing address than it is to change anything on MySpace. A postal mailing address to which you might get checks, money from grandma, shipped items of value, etc... Before I continue to rant, let me explain my hostage crisis. I, like so many other people prior to common sense, had a MySpace account. It was created with an email address that was linked to my home Verizon account. I moved and lost the email account before I could delete my MySpace account (you need to click a confirmation email to delete your account on MySpace). I emailed their helpdesk and nothing happened. I changed my profile to be blank with only, "Delete This Account" as my display name and still nothing happened. So, for a while, I just let it go. I let it go for so long, that I can't even remember my password to get into the account. Now, I'm just annoyed that this vacant account exists so I tried a different method. Instead of saying I want to delete the account, I framed it as I was just "locked out", which is now actually true. I was proud of myself, maybe now, I could get some assistance. This is the response from them:

Thanks for contacting MySpace.

In order to assist you further, we will need a salute from you. We only ask for a salute when it involves an important matter of privacy and security.

To make a salute, here's what you do:
1. Write MySpace and your MySpace friend ID or your MySpace vanity profile ID, for example http://profile.myspace.com/...viewprofile&friendid=0000000 or http://MySpace.com/VanityProfile) on a piece of paper
2. Take a photo holding the paper in front of you (right side up, please). Make sure there's a clear view of your lovely face.
3. Respond to this email, leaving the subject intact, and attach your salute.
4. Once we verify your salute, we’ll complete your request.

Important stuff to know:
- if you don't have a camera, consider using a cell phone camera, or using your own or a friend's Web cam to take a photo
- the salute picture must be in full color (no Sepia, black and white, etc.)
- no one else can be in your salute picture with you (unless this is for a band or artist profile)
- you must be able to see you holding the salute in the photo you submit (in other words, we want to see your hands holding the Salute with a clear view of your face; no Photoshop)
- you MUST have a photo in your MySpace profile that clearly shows your face
- the salute must be hand-written (we cannot accept typed salutes)
- salutes cannot be submitted by posting them to your MySpace profile and sending us a link
- MySpace will never ask you to submit a video or webcam salute, so if you get an email message or MySpace message asking you to do so, please let us know at once!

Sincerely,
The MySpace Support team

Seriously?!?!? WTF!!! A salute? Do people actually do this? It makes no sense at all. I understand security, but my account is vacant, and they won't delete it, so I have to go threw all of these hoops? This is like taking one of those cheesy "time-share vacations". Also, handwritten notes only? I assume this is so you can't photoshop in different addresses, but anyone with photoshop can insert handwriting just as easily as printed text. I can only assume there is a losers bulletin board at MySpace headquarters with all of these pictures on it. Perhaps they photoshop their own words into the paper I'm holding, with ridiculous statements like "Palin for President 2012". Either way it's not national security here, it's MySpace.

Look, it's 2010 and MySpace isn't fooling anyone. We realize they suck. It's a vehicle for musicans, wierdos, and emo-preteens. I have no intention of taking a picture, besides it won't work for me, I removed all my pictures a long time ago. What I will do is ask everyone that reads this to please report my account for violating some term of service on MySpace. Just say I was making wild claims and disparraging your mother, I don't care, just please, please, delete my account.

Summer 2010

I can honestly say I've had better summers.

I'm sure I've had worse summers if you look at it cumulatively over all the years. The odd part is that on the whole, I’ve had a good year. I’ve got a new job, a great girlfriend that I love very much, and a wonderful new house. Hell, we’ve even done some pretty fun things so far this summer. The only thing that is making this summer hard is that I have to say goodbye to someone that I really don’t want to say goodbye to. My Grandfather (Pap) has taken a turn for the worse and it’s really looking like these are the last few months he’ll be with us.

Wow, it was even hard just writing that last sentence out. I’m one of the lucky people, really. I’ve had my Pap in my life, my entire life up to this point. He helped teach me how to fish, hunt, ride a bike, him and my Grandma took us to Disney World, Sea World, Hershey Park, camping at Lake Raystown… the list is really endless. He has been a constant for me my whole life. Pap has always been there. I guess as far as all the memories he has created for me, he will always be there. The only regret I have is that my children won’t get a chance to meet him. Sure I have pictures and stories, but it’s not even a shadow of who he really was. If I could tell them one thing about him, I would just say he was like a tree (Yes, a tree…bare with me here). My Pap was strong, supportive, gentle, caring, and above all, calm. I would normally just call him a rock, but rocks are cold and that was the opposite of what my Pap was. That’s why I idolized him as much as I did. As a teenager, I was a quiet powder keg. I was always fighting to keep from being too emotional and bouncing from one end of the spectrum to the other. I guess I probably still am in a lot of ways, but he was always solid in what he was and I admired that.

In the end, I know he is ready to go. The active, vibrant man he was is all but gone. His mind is still intact, but his body has failed him. He would rather be fishing the shores of a quiet lake than lying in that hospital bed fighting to breathe. That’s what I wish for him in the afterlife-- a tranquil lake to fish on with his family. Actually, I visited him this weekend and when it was time for me to go home he told me I’ll see you soon or in the life after this. I then asked him if we would go fishing and he said, “I guarantee it.” I’m not sure if I deserve at this point to end up in the same “after life” as my Pap, but I know one thing for sure, my favorite fishing partner will be there waiting for me. I love you Pap, now and forever.

What kind of "Blogger" are you?

It’s April Fools Day and nothing says April Fools like a fresh blog post. I’ve been taking a long time in between posts and I was beginning to feel bad about that, but then I realized what kind of “blogger” I am.

You see, in my opinion, there are three different types of bloggers. The first type is the “self-important bloggers;” these people blog, Twitter, update Facebook and basically type their fingers off every day. They see themselves as entertainers. Often they are humorous or highly opinionated and if you look closely you can see the definite outline of their ego on everything they touch—not that it’s a bad thing. I've had many a long discussion with my good friend Justin and my girlfriend Dawn about how ego is a central theme in social media. Twitter, Facebook, 4-Square all run under the guise that you are important and entertaining enough for complete strangers to follow throughout the day. Ok, that sounds a bit harsh, but it’s not meant to be. I consider social media just another creative outlet or art-form. I think that being relevant, creative, and entertaining in 140-characters or less is challenging and I respect those that can do it. They are talented in a way that really cannot be taught and really isn’t that what art is all about; talent and ego?

Alright, now the next blogging style is the “dam bloggers”, not to be confused with “those damn bloggers”, which is likely something you’d hear at an AP News convention. What I like to call “dam bloggers” are creative people who have enough fresh ideas to blog, tweet, and spew social media creativity everyday, but they are too busy, unmotivated, or indifferent to do so. What happens to them is they wait until their reservoir of ideas/opinions is full and then they spew all of them onto blog pages, twitter feeds, or Facebook updates. This usually results in either a quick and heavy burst of social media posts or just one really, really long blog post. I think this is probably the most common type of “blogger” or social media user. In this case, these individuals need a creative outlet, but not everyday. They have no real aspirations at making money via social media or even being known for their social media use. They just like to occasionally express themselves and be social and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a lot like the term “social drinker”-- it’s somebody who likes to go out and have fun, but not necessarily every night. I’d try to dub the term “social blogger,” but that might get too confusing.

Then there is the final type of social media user. I like to call them the “peer pressure bloggers.” These folks have a blog because everyone else they associate with has a blog. They could also be referred to as “apathetic bloggers.” In a lot of cases, they get the whole “idea” behind blogging and they might even be amazing, creative, insightful writers, but they are missing the level of ego that is needed to be a prolific social media producer/creator. They don’t understand why their voice would matter or if anyone cares about what they would have to contribute. They use social media more as a communication tool than a resource. They use Twitter only with their close friends and Facebook is really just a giant rolodex for their friends and family. Like I said before, this isn’t wrong, it’s just different and that’s what makes social media so confusing and great at the same time. Social media is an art-form and a tool; it’s the “Adobe Creative Suite” of communication devices. There are right and wrong ways to use social media, depending on your desired outcome, but you won’t know if you don’t try. These folks try, but the art of it, really isn’t in their blood. Even so, they can be an important part of the community. As the saying goes, “the world needs ditch diggers too.”

Now, back to my realization of what kind of blogger I am…well, I’m a mixture of type number two and three, with enough ego for a handful of number ones. Lucky for me social media is big enough for all of us.

WFSE Memories, R.I.P. Dr. C. W. Chandler...

Ok, so I haven’t posted in like two months…it’s been a busy two months. Not so busy that I didn’t have time to post, but enough that I didn’t feel like posting. There I said it; I didn’t feel like posting. So, to all three of my readers (because I’ve been marketing my blog so effectively), I apologize.

It’s been a busy 2 months. There was a move, two holidays, football heart-break, fantasy football heart-break, Christmas preparation, and some death. Not a lot of death, but some death, you see an old college advisor of mine passed away this week. I know it’s a pretty sad topic for the holiday season, but it kind of made me reflective. His name was Dr. C. W. Chandler. He was my academic advisor and, at the time, advisor for WFSE. WFSE is the college radio station I was the Student General Manager of during my last 2 years of college. It is a place where I met many of, what I consider life-long-friends. I spent nearly every week day at the station. All of the managers did. We would do our homework there; have lunch there; and pretty much lived most of our college lives there. It was the birth place of the MD3 Radio Show (for those of you who don’t know, it was a highly entertaining radio show that some of my best friends created) and led to the birth of the MD3 Athletic Club (which is really neither athletic or a club, but is mostly cool anyway). I think it could be best related to as a fraternity. When I was there, there was a brotherhood among all the men and women who touched its airwaves. I don’t know if all college radio stations have that feeling, but it was special.

Dr. Chandler advised that station from about 1994 until 2001. If you ever attended the meetings, you’ll understand what I mean when I say, as far as WFSE was concerned, he was god. That being said, he had his issues. His sense of humor made some people uncomfortable and he could be un-professional at times. It would occasionally cause some problems for him and the station, but it always seemed to work itself out some how. There were and are some people that hate the man to this day and that “is what it is”. I for one saw the man for what he was. He was lonely and the only people he really seemed to have in his life were the students of the radio station. I guess that made me sad for him. Not in a “pity sort of way”, but in a “hope for the best for him” sort of way. Maybe I only see the good in people, or expect that all people are good; either way I never had an issue with the man.

I think the main reason that I’m writing this and the main reason that I think his passing needs mentioned is because I feel that, professionally, I became who I am, because of WFSE. WFSE gave me a place to grow and to have responsibilities. The station was run by students and when I was there, it seemed to be in a golden age. The station was on the air 24 hours a day and we had over 50 different students on its airwaves. We were doing something that mattered or at least it felt that way. I think that environment can be credited to a man who, in my opinion, looked out for the students of the radio station. There are quite a few stories I could share, but each of them revolved around some DJ’s saying or doing some questionable things on the air and Dr. Chandler “handling” the situation. It wasn’t always perfect, but when he was in charge of WFSE, it wasn’t pre-programmed personality free “satellite radio” and believe me, there were plenty of “suits” on the campus of Edinboro University that wished it was.

I guess, in the end, I’m just saying I respect the man for helping to foster an environment that allowed me to grow. I thank him for being part of a place that allowed me to find some of the best friends I’ve ever had. I know he had some problems, but don’t we all... I just hope that he has now found some peace. R.I.P., Dr. C. W. Chandler and Merry Christmas.

I'm 32 and nearly 1/2-way there...

I turned 32 this month. There isn’t really anything special involved in turning 32. In fact, most of my birthday milestones have been reached. When I turned 12, I could go hunting and, in Bedford County, that’s a big deal. I got to drive at 16, get drafted and vote at 18, drink at 21, I could rent a car at 25 and at 30, well… I was 30.

People rarely associate any significant milestone with the age of 32. By 32 most of us have had a “real job” and we have usually figured out where we are in life. At 32 we aren’t quite yet middle aged and we still have memories of being thin and in shape. Most of the time 32 is just a place holder, another year to work, eat, breathe, and sleep. Not me. In my 32nd year, I have thought of something that should be celebrated. It is a goal that those of us who pray at the "Temple of Lazy" eagerly anticipate. In February of this, my 32nd year, I will have a celebration. This celebration shall be known as “my half way to retirement party.” That’s right, it’s a party entirely devoted to the celebration of being half way to 65.

Now, before I hear a politically charged argument that social security won’t be around then, just wait a second, this is an anticipation celebration. I don’t want realism, I want to dream. In this dream, I will have saved enough to retire, I will get my social security checks and I won’t be popping pills like Pez to stay alive. This is simply celebrating the anticipation of freedom—of course I use that term loosely, as in all likelihood I will be at the beck and call of some needy family member, like my parents are. In this dream I am free to roam the country and do whatever my heart desires or my income allows. If my fellow dreamers want to follow me and also have a ½ Way to Retirement Party here is all you have to do:

1. Get 65 gray balloons (black is reserved for 40th Birthday or actual retirement parties)
2. Have a cake in the shape of a RV
3. Wear a youthful shirt, but sensible pants and sandals (the law states that sandals and socks can only be worn when one truly retires)
4. Drink heavily and print out your 401K projections for the year 2041
5. End the night by printing a copy of your resume and storing it until 2041, at such time you will read it out loud and then burn it ceremoniously.

I think I might have started a trend here. If Hallmark starts printing cards for this, please let me know, because I’ll cash in and celebrate with a ¾ Way to Retirement Party.

Batman is Dead...

I know, I know... I haven't posted in forever. Well my life is a pretty calm, which I enjoy, but I don't have much to write about. So, here is a little review I wrote for a website that should be launching very soon....stay tuned!!

Batman is dead and buried. Well, to be more accurate, he is “mostly buried” as currently his skull is playing “Yorick” to the Black Hand’s “Hamlet”…consequentially if you aren’t reading Blackest Night, you should be.

Anyway, in the mainstream continuity Bruce Wayne as Batman is no more, which is exactly why I was happy to open the first issue of Kevin Smith’s Batman: Widening of the Gyre to see the original caped crusader gracing the pages. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a bleeding heart “Bruce Wayne is the only Batman” kind of guy. I’ve been a huge fan of the Battle for the Cowl series, and I was as satisfied as anyone to see Dick Grayson embrace his legacy as the Dark Knight. What I missed was the brooding, smart-assed, constantly spinning inner dialogue of Bruce Wayne as he stalked the night. If the lines that mark the differences between Grayson’s and Wayne’s Batman feel blurred (and who could blame you, it’s been over a year since his death), Smith does an excellent job at jogging our memory with a few quick frames of banter between Grayson’s Nightwing and Wayne’s Batman to start off the issue. Of course the differences between the two are what truly made me miss Bruce. His constant analysis of every situation and his step by step assessment of “worst case scenarios” is why we love Batman to begin with. Lest you forget how Batman is always thinking, Smith throws in a quick reference to Batman always keeping an eye out for an “all powerful red and blue alien take over,” and he’s not referring to a Lantern Corps.

Over-all, Smith’s return to Bruce Wayne as the Dark Knight was successful. In the first issue he managed to reacquaint us with the character and establish the world for this six issue arc. He shows us the best of Batman and even manages to throw in a short appearance by the Joker and Poison Ivy. I was pleasantly surprised at the use of Jason Blood/the Demon as a foe to remind us that Batman is truly a frail human, but the main focus of this series is more than likely the introduction of a “new player” in Gotham who makes “a splash” on the last page. The art was satisfying and aimed at an older audience, thanks to Poison Ivy sporting “Garden of Eden” garb and some minor body dismemberment/consumption by the Demon. As far as first issues go, I’m hooked and plan on collecting all six issues to get my out-of-continuity-non-Hush Bruce Wayne fix for now…

1st Post Pressure!!!

Well, I'm finally here. It's been a long time coming, but I finally have my blog. Granted it's a cookie cutter design and more than likely, due to laziness, it'll stay that way. I've learned there is more pressure in designing your page than actually maintaining it. Getting your first blog is kind of like buying your first brand new car. You know the one, it's after you finally got your first "real job" and finally had money for something other than a six-pack of American Light. This new car is supposed to represent your status and be a visual manifestation of your "cool factor". The opposite sex should see the vehicle and swoon. Your co-workers/competition should see your "mantra-on-wheels" and cower in fear. This vehicle is the one that sets up who you are and what you stand for, for the rest of your life!!!! That being said, my first new car was a Ford Focus.

Yeah, that should set you up for what this blog is about. Enjoy.