Chinese New Year

Since it is still January and since I get sucked into my own quests for knowledge like no other I am going to continue on my last blog touching on the history of New Year. This time, I got to thinking about the Chinese New Year. It is the one different New Year tradition that the majority of people I run into have at least heard of – whether it be to know what year they were born in or the festival surrounding it, this ancient tradition has captured the attention of many people the world over.

Since 1912, China as a country has celebrated the calendar New Year on December 31^st – January 1^st with the majority of the world. The Chinese New Year is not a set calendar date, and is still celebrated today as Spring Festival, starting on the first new moon of the New Year and ending 15 days later on the full moon.  The Chinese New Year is always on a different day, since it is based on a combination of the lunar and solar scheduled movements. This causes an extra month to be added in every few years – the equivalent to our leap years. There is a lot of history and tradition seeped into every aspect of the actual Chinese New Year ceremonies, from religious ceremonies to all of Heaven and Earth to recognizing the ancestors and all their sacrifice (family specific).

The ancestor portion of the ceremonies is usually the most significant, and is celebrated with a feast dedicated to them on the Chinese New Year’s Eve known as weilu (surrounding the stove). This weilu is a symbol of all the current and past generations of a family, and is meant to promote unity and honor within those generations for the upcoming year. Along with the deep traditions and religious implications of the Chinese New Year, there are many rituals and superstitions followed by the culture. For instance, the house should be completely and thoroughly cleaned before New Year’s Day, with all cleaning equipment and materials put away on New Year’s Eve. Then, after, you can sweep the floors beginning at the door, to the middle then to the corners, and not removed until the fifth day of the New Year, and never trampling on the piles. When taken out, it must go out the back door – this is due to an ancient belief that anything going out before this will be sweeping one of the family away, and to take anything out the front is to take away the good fortune or luck of the family.

 Also, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, every door and window should be open to let the old year leave and the New come. No cursing, no unlucky words should pass your lips, nor should anything about dying, death or ghosts, the past year or crying….as whatever passes will come to you in abundance that year. Do not wash your hair or you wash away good luck, red is a good bright color that is seen to welcome good fortune. Knives or scissors are avoided as they can cut good fortune. There are many more traditions that many may not believe in any longer but that are still done out of the view that these traditions are what connect the past with the present and the future.

The coming Chinese New Year is to begin on January 31, 2014 and the upcoming year is the year of the horse…and that is something that is a blog in and of itself, the year of and etc…so, until next time.

Another New Year - here it is, 2014

Here we are, at the start of another year. It seems to come faster and faster every year. However, being me, I don’t just count down from ten, blow the noise maker, kiss my wife and party it up. Here is how my mind works = what the hell? Why am I blowing a noise maker? Who decided this is when the calendar flips? Why do I care? The kicker is, being me, I am NOT content to shrug and move on. So, though I doubt ANYONE but me has these questions and cares, read on my friends.

The current calendar we use is the Gregorian (AKA Western or Christian) calendar. This is the most used calendar today. It is an adaptation or refinement of the Julian calendar that dates back to 1582. Now, if you were to look at a Julian calendar you would most likely not immediately see a difference. They have the same 12 months, in the same order, and of the same lengths. What then you may ask is the difference? Well, okay, you may not ask that, but again, I did. The difference is that both calendars are actually an approximation of the calendar year, the Julian calendar was simply too long by tenths of time, and actual length of 365.25 days, and the Gregorian calendar is 365.2425 days – a length difference of .002%. Seriously.  The major reason this was done was typical of the day – to correct the celebration of Easter back closer to the spring equinox as was originally decided during the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Under the Julian calendar, Easter continued getting earlier and earlier. The Roman Catholic Church worked to correct this and the Gregorian calendar was born. *Fun Fact – the Julian calendar is currently approximately 13 days behind, since the Gregorian calendar started by skipping 10 actual calendar days to get the vernal equinox back to the March 21 date that worked best for the Church.*

So, here we are, in year 2014 under the Gregorian calendar, still celebrating something that has been going since 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. It was really cemented in 42 B.C. by the Romans, who raised Julius Caesar to a deity on January 1^st and honored his reinvented (Julian) calendar after his murder on the senate floor. Now we have a period of remembrance, looking back at the past year, and analyzing every major event. This all culminates in a night of jubilation and partying the world over on what has become to be known as New Years Eve (NYE). On actual January 1^st, there are many traditions, from family to religious to sporting events and parades.

I still am not sure that I get the big party and celebration.  Personally, my celebration comes on (surprise, surprise) Shark Week Eve, but this is where my lives philosophy comes in – to each their own. I want to party before the new Shark Week specials; others want to ring in the coming year. See, how I figure it…I know that Shark Week is going to be good. I will get to see old shows that I love, I will see new documentaries that are enlightening, maybe even a mockumentary I really see no need for but is entertaining. I do not know what the upcoming year will bring, so why ring it in anywhere but in my bed, with pjs ready to go to sleep. The past few years have brought huge changes, from good – marriage, career, volunteering opportunities – to bad – old jobs, fights with family and friends – to horrible – sick parents, debilitating sickness, lasting injuries. And that is how it is. I am not celebrating nor complaining about these things – life happens. Every minute of every day of every week of EVERY YEAR. It is tradition for so many people that I sometimes wonder if anyone else wonders why we litter Rockefeller Center with confetti every December 31^st or if it is so familiar to them, they don’t give it a second thought. For those who love to party it up as one year ends and another begins, I say good for you. It shows an optimism and faith I am not sure I have ever truly been able to muster up, and therefore a part of me is jealous of it. Rock on whether you are an optimist who waits for midnight with bated breath or one who does not care at all and just rolls over to spend it like you would any late night – these are the differences that make life interesting, right?

Back from Life Time Out

So, first off, I am trying to get back into this. I know I haven’t written in almost 6 months – life got crazy. I got a job that I love, but of which I skipped about 4 rungs from no responsibility to lots, and it took some adjustment. Also, with birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, injuries, etcetera, life got away from me and taking the time to write was so not in the cards. Life is starting to calm down however, and I am slowly getting back into some of the things that I let slide before.

I am reiterating – there is no theme to this blog. The one constant will be that my thoughts and interests are everywhere, and so this will be. There will be some constants – Star Wars, happy geek things, sports and the Annual Holy Shark Week Celebration. Other than that, I have no clue where my mind will take it in any kind of pattern.

I stand by what I said in my first blog. I am not a “professional writer” and you will often see a lack of polish and finish. Also, I am not unaware of the fact that I am a tad strange, and that some of my rants or as I like to think of them “flows of thoughts” are also strange. I also see the validity in my wife’s most common phrase, that she really wishes she could “YouTube this shit” so people could understand what she is subject to listening to on a daily and nightly basis. However dear (if you are actually bothering to read this one…;-p) as I often remind you – you put a ring on it, you have to listen to it.

So again, buckle up my family, friends and any poor reader who clicked on any of these links hoping it was actually knowledgeable. Welcome to a small taste of the brain and thoughts of Heather…I promise no one will get hurt, yet make no such assurances on confusion issues…

SUMMER CAMP AT 30?

BY HEATHER MARLETTE

                I know I promised to return to normal after my last more personal and kinda preachy (I can admit it…) blog. This is nowhere near that level, but I do need to take a moment to get out some personal joy I experienced this past weekend and there is no better way to do that than to write it down right? Trust me, there isn’t. Sometimes you can’t think of the words to express the great things you have seen or heard or learned, but personally I can’t always think of the words to SAY them to people, I can to write them. SO here it goes.

                        I am not a nature type person. I have always hated pretty much all things that have to do with nature, like sweating from the heat, being hot, being cold, and rocks in my shoes, insects, arachnoids, and animals of all types, mold, fungus, trees, and leaves. Well, not all things – there was a time when mud puddles were some of my favorite toys, but I am Heather and these things happen. I NOW hate mud puddles as they make my feet wet, and that could make me cold and that sucks. So needless to say, though I did enjoy playing outside when I was a kid, I liked to do it on pavement, in very populated areas. Other then my excursions to the county fair for 4-H things, I didn’t want to do wilderness or camping and I didn’t. This is important to bear in mind because the place that literally made me happier than happy can be was a camp. Like a real camp. For a woman whose catch phrase is “I don’t BELIEVE in nature” this is strange, right? It could be, and the decision to go was not one I made lightly.

I got an e-mail from the Pride Center of the Capital Region that if I was interested, they were looking for counselors for their first ever summer Leadership Day Camp for LGBTQA Youth. I love the work I do with my Youth Group kids, and I knew a few of them were going. Also, the Pride Center of the Capital Region is staffed by people who are very good at their jobs, but more than that by people who every day go out and try to make a difference through their professional and personal lives. These are people who astound me every day, who do what so few are willing to do and do it publically. They are honestly amazing people who I love to work with and learn from literally every time I see them or work with them. Then there are the kids. Going into this I only knew a quarter of the kids going to the camp, but the ones I did know, they are amazing. They are these kids who stand up and say no, we aren’t normal and we won’t bend to the pressure of society to try and make us normal. We aren’t going to lie down and date people of the opposite sex until we get to college to make you happy. These kids, anyone who meets them could never believe the things you hear about kids today. They aren’t the mean little cliques who exclude anyone outside of the bubble they have made for themselves. They are the kids who stand back, look around to see who is being excluded and then walks over and sits down with them. I could write blogs and blogs, and books full of the greatness of these kids, just the ones I knew going in. Now that I went and met the rest of them – well, neither my talent is good enough or my life long enough to write the praises of the kids I was privileged enough to meet this weekend.

Anyway – I got this e-mail and at first was like UM yeah, is that gonna be in a Hotel or Nature, because I think we are having a definition issue here – camping for me is where it’s not my sheets on the nice actual bed and it’s not my preferred brand of toilet paper. Then I realized it was a day camp, so there was a pause in my immediate NO. I have been behind this idea since the start. A camp where LGBTQ youth and their allied friends can come and relate to each other in a completely safe environment - that is an idea I can completely get behind! So, despite my loathing and chosen methodology of not believing in nature I said Yes – sign me up Scottie…more accurately sign me up James, but I digress. So I signed up. Now, I did this in typical Heather fashion, so the week before I was out until late each night leading up to and running around to get ready. We went, and I have never done anything like a leadership camp before, as a youth or adult and it was a little nerve wrecking. What happened in actual detail that is for the youth and adults that were there. I can say that at the end, looking at these kids sitting in a circle debriefing the first year, begging for it to go longer, I was very emotional. I don’t like to cry in front of people, and managed not to, but these kids and this staff, and my fellow volunteer AC’s, and the EMT/nurse/tech who also came as a volunteer…words cannot describe the bond I feel with them all. If any of you have seen a new saying on twitter #hotterthanhot, and if it is annoying you, e-mail me, I will do the whole cheer for you and you can blame my partner in crime, fellow crew AC and new platonic life partner/soul mate for it.

In all seriousness I saw that future LGBTQA youth isn’t waiting to take up the fight when we are gone, they are already joining in. The best feedback I heard from a camper was that he woke up for it on Saturday morning going oh yeah, going to gay camp – but left after the whirlwind two days just having gone to camp. There were specific workshops geared towards LGBTQ issues of course, and it was a constant conversation topic. However, many of the kids don’t see this as anything special, because they are members of the LGBTQA community, and they don’t see it as weird to talk about it or learn about it. So these kids signed up for a LGBTQA Leader Ship Day Camp, and really just got a Leader Ship Day Camp. There were some issues here and there, things we could do different, maybe even better. But every single kid learned, had fun, made a friend, and felt like they final had a place where they were free to be them, that it was okay to like who they like, identify however they identify and know that there is honestly no judgment and no fear. That my friends was a beautiful beautiful thing, and unless you have seen something like it, you may understand what I am saying, but it may seem cheesy to you, because you do not get it. Watching them, I kept having this quote from my all time writing mentor Superstar Joss Whedon (told you, will almost ALWAYS bring it back to him) in an introduction video in 2011, he said “…I want to make some noise. I want to make a joyful noise, I want to make too much noise. I want the neighbors to complain. I’m tired of being polite about something that matters.” Yes I do Mr. Whedon, and so I have been and what I learned this weekend is so do this amazing adults and youth, and so we have and so we will.

Now, I would say I promise next time will be a normal sarcastic/sassy blog, but apparently I was wrong last time so I make no promises. Thank you for indulging!

AN OPEN PLEA TO FUTURE GENERATIONS ON HIV/AIDS

BY HEATHER MARLETTE

                        This is an issue that I care very deeply about. It is not one that directly affects me, but I have felt deeply about it since child hood, and more so since my tenure at UAlbany. There I meet some of what I truly believe to be the kindest people around, and one of them was named Jamal. Jamal and I became fast friends, and he said it was because I liked to listen and he liked to talk, so we were made to be friends. Jamal is not someone that I ever really broadcasted our friendship, or that I felt needed to be connected with at all times, neither one of us were that people. Every morning before class and every day between our classes, if we weren’t with other people we migrated towards the fountain. We always met up at the same picnic table in nice weather, and near the same vending machines in bad. Jamal was an older guy, a returning student who had had life take some nasty turns on him and who was trying to accomplish some goals in his life so he could make peace with his past before he died. 

              See, Jamal was a very sick guy, had been sick for many years. It was the third or fourth time we were talking over cigarettes (yes, I smoked, deal) when he let me know that he was infected with the AIDS virus, not HIV, he made it very clear that he was one of the unfortunate ones that had progressed to the full blown virus. I remember him watching my face very closely as he told me, and I also remember controlling myself. Not for the reasons why he was watching me, but for my own. He was sure that this was the end of yet another blossoming friendship, as the stigmatism and fear of HIV/AIDS still controls society whether they want admit it or not when it is presented to people’s faces. NO, I was controlling my emotions, because if Jamal could see that I truly didn’t care that way about his diagnoses, I also didn’t want him to see my fear not of him but for him.

                        I looked at him, said Okay and went back to talking about how annoying it was that you couldn’t sit at the tables next to the fountain without getting sprayed. He got a little choked up, smiled and moved on as well. The flood gates seemed to open from that day forward however, and I learned that no matter the advancements, no matter the treatments, HIV and AIDS are still horrible diseases that tear at your body, mind and soul. I learned that part of what had advanced the disease in him was HIV drug resistance that causes the cocktails to become less and less effective, and allows the system to be more susceptible to the AIDS virus once more. I listened to the fact that even when they work, the drugs often make a person just as sick if not even worse than the virus itself. I realized over time that yes, it is a treatable disease – then in the early 2000’s, even more now. However, it is still one of the worst diseases that can attack a human being. More so then ever Jonathan Larson’s haunting lyrics in RENT hit home as you listen to the stories of throwing up, crying, wishing it were all over – will they lose their dignity? Will anybody care?

                        One day late in the first semester of my senior year, as I always knew would happen, Jamal let me know he was pulling out the next semester. Sporadically we e-mailed back and forth, but slowly the e-mails were shorter, some were even confusing. Then they stopped. I don’t have the confirmation on it, but in my heart, I know they only stopped because his body gave out, and he finally got to lie down and stop fighting. When I said earlier understand, he was not an older guy where he had white hair and could have had grand babies. He was in his mid-thirties when we met, about a dozen years older than me.  I know that he, as many were in the 1980’s, early 1990’s was a promiscuous gay youth who did not believe he was anything other than invincible and therefore did not feel the need to practice safe sex. Though the HIV/AIDS crisis was in full gear, he was a stupid kid that felt it could never happen to him. Here is where my plea comes into play. I work with LGBTQA youth regularly. I facilitate youth groups, and I am involved in the first ever LGBTQA camp this summer in the Upstate NY Capital Region. What terrifies me is the attitude they have towards HIV/AIDS. Sadly, it is the same attitude I see in most of today’s youth and even young adult generations. That this is a thing of the past, that the fight has been fought and that they are safe. THIS IS NOT TRUE. If you look at the numbers, due to these attitudes and people straying from safe sex and regular testing, infections are again on the rise.

 DO NOT FORGET HISTORY – when they say those who forget it are doomed to repeat it, it’s true. Trust me, I was a history major and you can see the truth of that statement in all of the books. If we for one second forget the beginning of HIV/AIDS in this country in the 1980’s we will have another one. We CAN NOT let that happen. This is a NON-DISCRIMINATORY disease people. It attacks first, and NEVER asks questions. Left untreated, it escalates quickly and unforgivingly. Please educate yourselves. Please practice safe sex. Please remember every time you sleep with someone, as much as you roll your eyes or think we are old for saying – YOU ARE SLEEPING WITH EVERYONE THEY HAVE EVER SLEPT WITH. We must restart the fight against HIV/AIDS. Yes, Mr. Larson, sadly many of them will lose their dignity – but I also answer YES – I will care. About every one of them. Every time. And even if it is just me, I will be fighting the fight, and letting them know that someone cares. Please, join me. Click below, donate even a dollar, or walk, or fund raise yourself. Please, REMEMBER

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 http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/heathermarlette/AIDSWalk2013CapitalRegion

YES I ADMIT IT I AM A SARATOGA HORSE RACING JUNKIE

BY HEATHER MARLETTE

                I am a horse racing convert. I used to be the person who refused to go to the Saratoga Springs, NY race track because of perceived “abuse” of horses. Being a country girl who was lucky enough to be around horses and take horseback riding lessons, I was convinced that I had to hate the track and all it stood for. So the first time I went, I went very grudgingly. Then, I started having a good time. It was against my will, but it happened. The picnic like atmosphere, the goofy hats, the betting and of course the actual races drove me to the dark side. OH and I do not see how after spending even just an hour at The Spa, one could not be a convert…or as I have become a Saratoga Springs Horse Race Track junkie.

                I am not a huge better, if I bet more than $20 in a day at the track; it is because I made money on a race. I take about $25 for myself, and $25 for my wife, and we go. We are not clubhouse or grandstand ladies though – we are picnic area residents. We take our cooler – no glass, but of course – and we pay our $3 admission. We sit in about the same area every time, near the main gate in the shade of the trees, in between the 2 sets of monitors, across from the big monitor and kitty-corner to the betting veranda. No electronic betting for either one of us – you have to have a person. I have a few tellers that I switch between as I go, and they are familiar because I have used them for years. Of course, if you lose on a ticket, you have to move to a new one, and I generally stay with men – which the people reading this and who know me, are thinking that is slightly ironic…what can I say enigma here people. It is not about big bets or anything like that for me. It is simply fun. Not to mention, these are beautiful animals. They are graceful and strong, and the ones I tend not to bet on are really fast…

                I like to walk around the track in between races. I mean, where else can you see people mingling in such a way. You can walk to the “vendor” area and check out the hats, portraits and anything else that has anything to do with horses, racing or Saratoga that you can imagine. There is always some kind of band going, generally a jazz or horn ensemble. Let’s not forget the dancing that they have – generally a few good tap or jazz couples, it is a very entertaining turn. Visiting the Big Red Spring is always on my list – not that I drink from it, that is what bottled water is for! I love to go up to the rail for dirt races, not turf ones. I find the horses racing, kicking up dust in front of the infield gazebo to be a beautiful sight. I want for the call to post like a 5 year old waits to see Santa Claus, and get a goofy smile on my face every time. It is a very specific experience for each race course junkie, so not everything that I state here is going to apply to you – but this is my feeling, my reaction – it is the thing in my life that can automatically take me back to having that kid-like excitement, that makes me forget the trials and tribulations of being an adult.

                So how can I make such a turn around that my favorite activity from July – August (activity mind you, Shark Week is still my happy week, it just falls in this time period) is something I used to think was deplorable. I guess all I can say is that I opened my mind up and tried something new. I have talked to other people who are all about horses, either they ride or own them, and I haven’t found many that think horse racing is any kind of abuse. Yes, I talked to people because as much as I enjoy it, and as much fun as I have if the animals are being abused, I need reassurance that I am not causing pain to any of the magnificent animals that run there. At the end of the day, do I think horses are happier wandering fields and trails in the country – maybe, yes? I have never seen abuse though, and most owners, handlers and jockeys take excellent care of the horses in their care as they are the tool to run and win races that can make them very rich people.

So, I will go and I will continue to picnic the days away while watching my favorite jockeys = namely John Velaquez, Javier Castellano, Joel Rosario and my personal jockey hero – Rosie Napravnik who this year became the first female jockey to run in all three Triple Crown races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes) but she had a number five finish in the Kentucky Derby and a third place finish in the Preakness, the two highest finishes in these two particular crown races by a female jockey. She is known as not a great female jockey but simply as a great jockey, and that is impressive in such a male dominated sport. Between my favorites and the other jockeys, the horses and the atmosphere, I will continue to go to the Saratoga Springs Race Track and place my meager bets. For any who are still Spa hold outs, I highly recommend this great upstate New York tradition. 

IT’S A WRAP SHARK WEEK – UNTIL NEXT YEAR…SHARK WEEK 2014 – NATIONAL HOLIDAY??

BY HEATHER MARLETTE

                        With the beginning of my happy time comes the knowledge that in a few days time, shark week will be over for the year. I always enjoy the programming, but every year I have a worse feeling that the true essence of what shark week once was is disappearing. 26-years ago, this was a week of what it set out to be – using the popularity of television and channels like the Discovery Channel to bring attention to the most misunderstood, scapegoated animals roaming – technically swimming – the planet today. Over time, there have been many changes to the weeklong programming, which incidentally is considered the longest running cable programming with 26 consecutive years having it.

            For 16 years Shark Week was aired with no host from 1987-2003, and for some reason the Discovery Channel decided that in 2004 they needed to remedy this. In 2004, the cast of American Chopper hosted, and then in 2005 the hosts continued up to this year. From 2005-2009 the hosts were the popular faces of the Discovery Channel, then in 2010 it all kind of went to hell. That was the year when there was no need to be a scientist at all to host shark week, with late night talk show host/actor Craig Ferguson taking the helm. Discovery Channel stayed with funny men, and in 2011 it was Andy Samberg, 2012 brought Philip DeFranco – online journalist, social media icon and this year we had comedian/actor Josh Wolf as our Shark Week Captain. Okay. I do not truly know why they ever introduced a “host.” I did not mind so much when it was the MythBusters, Les Stroud (Survivorman) or even Mike Rowe who had some kind of connection to Discovery Channel and added to the programming. I can almost give them this year, as Josh Wolf showed an enthusiasm that led to high ratings and interesting conversation on the new addition Shark After Dark a late night talk show that blew away the competition this week.

                New additions are nothing new to shark week. Every year they save the primetime rating hours (generally 8 PM – 11 PM) for their new shark programming. Every year they have about 5 – 7 new shows that they premiere to the devoted and often outspoken shark week fans, and yes, in that description me is included. More and more though, I have noticed that they are getting away from the shows that drew me in to begin with. I am not quite sure when shark week turned into Great White and a few other more well known Sharks Week but it does appear to have. There are few exceptions lately, and especially this year. I will give you that the above mentioned Shark After Dark was quite enjoyable. I will also say that I enjoyed Air Jaws: Beyond the Breach, but it was not as good as Alien Monster Sharks, Spawn of Jaws and Return of Jaws. For new programming, that was about it.

I am a huge Air Jaws but this behind the scenes look seemed to be just an attempt to fill a time slot with the progression of the scientist team over the years – but we have seen them, we know who Chris Fallows and Jeff Kurr are. I am excited to know they have a show coming next year, searching for Colossus who was introduced in last year’s Air Jaws. We have seen them get shot after shot people told them they never would – their shows depict the Great White as an apex predator, and not as a Great White Serial Killer – do NOT get me started. The rest – please. Great Whites are starting to target and hunt humans? Voodoo Sharks had potential had they gone with the Bull Shark science, but instead they chose to follow the people hunting down the non-existent giant mutation of Bull Sharks and I couldn’t even make it through it. The updated Shark Countdown was ridiculous and seemed an attempt to throw some new names out there and have some kitchiness going on. AND OH THE GREAT WHITES.  

Is Discovery Channel aware that there are other sharks? Not just the Bull, Tiger, Sand Tiger and Hammer Head, but Blues, Whale Sharks, All Reef Sharks?? How about more on the deep water sharks, or some specials on those who hunt the sharks and why? Instead of some REALLY STUPID AND NOT WELL DONE mockumentary – I mean, did you see those special effects? – how about an expose on Finning or sports hunters. That is really all I can say on that. That mockumentary was a disgrace, and defending it by saying well, you know, maybe Megalodon is out there, it’s a big ocean is UNFORGIVEABLE. With the seriously just flashed disclaimers that showed for seconds at most, people believed that show. They thought that this was a documentary presenting real evidence and there is no excuse allowable for Discovery not making the truth clear before the show, going to and coming back from each commercial break and at the end. Despicable.

I get that the attack shows and the Great Whites draw people that are not geeks, shark enthusiasts and science aficionados in for ratings but for some of what happened this year…wow. I will vote for more Shark After Dark, and even I enjoyed good old Bob the Shark and who could not get into the Snuffy promos. Shark enthusiast, including myself, can only hope that Discovery Channel takes a look at their programming and realize that when you are presenting this information to the public as a whole, they take it as their shark knowledge and run with it. Most people aren’t like me and my fellow sheeks (yup, that is how I refer to us shark geeks, you know you love it). They won’t go out and learn about sharks on their own. They aren’t going to research the details, or study the history. They don’t want to; they trust the Discovery Channel to present them with the actual facts, not theories, skewed views and outright lying mockups. So yes, I still love me some Shark Week, and can NOT wait for Shark Week 2014, I just hope that there is a return to basics somewhere in the future.