Doodie!!!

I did not really grow up going to a public pool. We went to my Grandparents' house. They had a pool and a trampoline and a big yard with old beat up cars in it. They had olive trees and 7-Eleven was across the street. The baseball park was next door. We only had to share the pool with a couple other kids. And many times we had friends come over. So, we were really spoiled.

So, the idea of a public pool is a little foreign to me. The most public I got was going to the beach. If we had to go to the bathroom, we were told to go out in the water. You can't really do that in a public pool. Of course, lots of kids were doing it last year. So much so that they had to close many of them down to clean it all out and keep everyone from getting sick.

I can still see that a public pool is fun and I will make the best of it for my little family, but boy! There is nothing like that memory of having a pool to go to all summer long. I can still picture it. Its size. Its shape. I had to clean it in later years. But it was a great swimming pool. That was a great house. I could go on and on about that place. Maybe I will dream about it tonight.

Experts and Excuses

Have you ever been really good at something and someone else comes along who purports to be really good as well? And then, when you see them do the action of what it is, they make excuses for why they are not better at it. They seem to feel that if the sun was not in their eyes, or if the grass was not so wet, or the controller was not so stiff then they could easily match your skills. But they do not or they cannot and it is obvious to both of you. What do you say?

I suppose I have been on both ends of this situation. I think the best people in the world make excuses for their shortcomings. But why? Why do we feel it is so necessary? It only makes us look bad.

A few years ago, we had a work party and towards the end of it, the host brought out the Scene-It DVD game. The assumption was that I would smoke everyone because I am the movie trivia guru/dork. I was excited to play. I did not tell everyone I was going to lose or that everyone had just as good a chance. I had never played before. Excuse number one. The trivia portion is just one aspect of the game too. Excuse number two. And, I am not a quick thinker. Number 3.

Our team did not win. I suppose it was my fault. I guess I let a lot of people down. Well, not a lot. But, it was still my opportunity to shine. I feel like I have since redeemed myself at another scene-it dvd gathering. This time I went head to head with my rival, P, who is a well-spring of useless movie trivia as well. His excuse was that he had not seen Backdraft in a long time. I can't fault him for making that excuse. I had just seen it and did a blog entry on it a month previous, so it was fresh in my mind.

I guess we make excuses because we want people to esteem us higher than the situation is giving us. We see ourselves failing when we know we have succeeded before. This goes back to people not knowing us and only getting a brief glimpse at the real us. But why do we care? Shouldn't we know ourselves well enough that we do not have to prove anything to anyone?

Then again, the situation does not care. The situation dictates to us what it will and we have to deal with that. I came up short and this is as good as I am at this particular moment. If only we could be that humble...

Disneyland Delivers

After going through an anti-Disneyland phase, since I went so much as a kid, I discovered that I like it once again. Maybe it was because we went in January and the crowds were so minimal. Maybe it was because my wife loves it there and I was happy to make her happy. Maybe it was because Tigger was so friendly and insisted I get my picture with him. Or maybe it was just because Space Mountain kicks A and is still the coolest ride on the planet...

We had a great time and my wife kicked my butt on both the Toy Story themed interactive rides. I can't understand why I suck so bad. I know that my aim is off because of being the shakiest gun in the west. I will just blame it on that. Excuses...

Haunted Mansion was closed and Pirates of the Caribbean was still good despite there being too many Jack Sparrow references. I say keep Jack Sparrow out of it. The movies were based on the ride. That is the order of things.

California Adventure was fun too. I got my butt kicked on California Screamin' but it was well worth it. Their rapids ride was closed. And, Soarin' Over California broke down when it was over. The cage on our left did not come all the way down so they were stuck there indefinitely. Well, as far as we knew. I am not sure what to think of California Adventure. It has some really cool stuff, but it is almost like they ran out of ideas, so they just threw in more Disney stuff.

We did miss out on Matterhorn and Tower of Terror. Also, Star Tours. I now realize that it has become a multiple day adventure and we need to spend a lot more money to get the full experience out of it. I hate that part of it. When it comes to the expense, I would rather spend a tenth of the amount and go hike Mount Whitney. That is a true California adventure...

Snow Is a Winner

Snow has a way of beating me. It snows. I shovel. It snows again. I shovel again. Then, it snows a third time and somehow, I am busy, so I do not get to it. Then, we drive over it. And it is all over. Snow has won.

My intention at the beginning is to keep up. I watch for the snow and brave it at all hours. I found myself shovelling while it was still snowing one day. We even had neighbors help out, but the snow just keeps coming. It has to win.

And, of course, we used up all of our rock salt right away. So there the snow is piling up on our porch. Then, it melts and later freezes back up. Snow is such a baby. if it does not win, it cries more snow.

It's White

I am no longer dreaming of a white Christmas. It is here in all its fluffy glory. Snow. Everywhere. It was here already, so we did not have to worry too much. The roads were getting that brownish snow look, which is kind of gross, but other than that, it has been pretty cool.

I grew up where the snow did not ever come. Something about climate. It hardly ever rains there, so why would it snow? So, it is neat to see it and be a part of it.

I am somewhat fascinated by the idea of being able to handle harsh climates. Not that this is a harsh climate, but where I am from, everything is harsh. If one cannot wear shorts every day of the year, it is harsh. The concept of having to go out and shovel a driveway. Or learning to drive in snow. These are the things that a wild imagination thrives on.

Retro Movie Critic - Backdraft Hairdo

Last night, I stayed up until 3:30am watching a movie I really needed to see. Actually, I probably did not need to see it. I have seen it before and it was not that good the first time. But, there was a certain fascination with it since it is a firefighter movie which has a lot of good actors in it. It also has that quality to it where even though I have watched it from beginning to end it still feels like I have missed part of it, or at least some significant scenes.


The movie is Backdraft. I think its problem is its main character. Brian, played by William Baldwin, basically sucks. It is his hair. There are scenes where his hair is assuming Kevin Bacon quality, but he does not have Kevin Bacon coolness. I assume that it is why we have not seen Billy Baldwin in too much lately. Other people were not impressed by his hair either.

Kurt Russell plays Brian's older brother, Steven. I am okay with the name Steve, but having the name "Steven" drummed into my head over and over again is a little maddening.

The movie is really about Steven, nicknamed Bull. He is the only one we care about. There is this sibling rivalry thing going on and we see the heroic nature of Steven going on. It is not hard to take his side as he is trying to impress upon Brian what it takes to be a firefighter.

But Brian is the everyman. He represents all of us, the guys who try hard but just do not get it. And that is sad, because there are probably very few actual Stevens out there, but we have a whole host of Brians. We see him give up and go work for Deniro and that is the weakness that Steven expected out of him. I do not know for sure, but I would guess that being a firefighter is more about picking one's self up and working at it continually, because it is such a difficult job.

Donald Sutherland is sort of a surprise character in this. He is a great actor and his scenes are among the best in the movie. Robert Deniro is close behind him. JT Walsh was good too, but he is such a love to hate type character. Jennifer Jason Leigh was forgettable. She has had good roles, but she is so obviously not a blonde in this and the chemistry between her and Baldwin is like watching two kids squirt each other with squirt guns from 5 feet away from each other.

The only other painful part of it was Rebecca DeMornay who played Steven's separated wife. She represents the everywoman, the wife of the firefighter, who cannot deal with the fact that her husband is putting his life on the line all the time, so she kicks him out of the house. And, they have a little boy as well who has to deal with his Mother's weakness all the time. I realize that there are women out there who are really like this, but do we have to see it in one of the only firefighter movies that is out there? I want to see heroes and heroines.

Sometimes, I wonder about Ron Howard. It is almost like he has no personal style to his movies, other than making sure his brother is in all his movies. One day, we will say that something is very Howardian, which will be a slam because as far as I can tell, Ron Howard goes straight from the script. There is no deviation from anything. It is just a predictable movie with standard, normal characters. I guess it works for our society.

I really do feel bad ripping on Ron Howard. I liked Splash and Willow and a couple other ones, but even those ones have that Howardian feel to it, like we are getting exactly what we paid for, no more, no less...

Lunch

I left my jacket in the car and walked in with my friends. It was a pleasant restaurant. It had that cheesy fake wood paneling along the walls, with various pieces of flair adorning the open spots. There was an extension cord sticking out of the side of the bar indicating that there was no intention by the owner to actually make any aspect of the place look professional. Good! I thought. That is how I want my steak sandwich. I want the focus put on that. Who cares if there is fake brick paneling not meeting up at the breaks? Who cares if the open sign has not lit up in half a century or that there was a plant hanging from a hook which was looking less and less hook like?

It was cold in there. I wished I had my jacket. I couldn't get up to get it since I did not drive and we were packed into our seats like the clothes in the dryers at the laundromat next door. We waited forever watching M gulp down his butterscotch milkshake, wishing we had gotten one too. But then the conflict of cold and the stomach problems.

The conversation ebbed and flowed. B had only smart-ass answers. L was not his usual start up the controversy self. Something must have been on his mind. Even M had less to say than usual. J was not impressed with his sandwich, longing for the replica from the Italian Place. Mc responded to the Real Salt Lake game conversation, or was that earlier in the day? And D. What did D say? Was he in character? I tried to draw out S with the stupidly sarcastic: "That's weird! S has been unusually quiet today."

By and by we left but not before seeing the Chargers/Steelers highlight over and over. A blown ref call did not hurt the Steelers, nor help the Chargers, but it did make Vegas a little happier.

The food was good. Well, not good. Just good. Mostly good. Call it good.

So hipp

So I found a new way to waste my time... Facebook! Actually, I got pressured into it by my peers. B and S (in that order) made fun of me for not being with it and having a facebook account. Then, they mocked me for writing in a blog.

This is what I have to say to all you out there who have to have the latest and greatest everything. You don't.

You don't have the latest and greatest. You bought something that went out of style five minutes after you bought it. You downloaded something that was out of date before it finished downloading. You are constantly swimming upstream not enjoying the nice, old canoe you are towing with a rope.

I know my tv is outdated. So is my computer. Our truck and car. Our dvd player. And our dvd's. My wallet is outdated. My iphone is outdated. I read from books and I keep my receipts. I have not bought a new cd in over a year.

So, here I lament writing in my blog, feeling so out of touch and behind the times. Ha! I feel vindicated writing in here, because when it comes right down to it, this is where I express myself. Oh, that I had an old fashioned typewriter and could pound on the keys in my loud house.

Reflections On a Beautiful Fall Day

While I was waiting for the traffic to clear after the game, I saw this old man walking. He startled me because he walked right past the truck. It looked as if he was doing a lap around the church. I thought a little bit about what he was doing. It was a nice day today, but I would imagine this man goes for a walk every day. He struck me as a possible widower who was trying to occupy his day.

It is very interesting to think about the various cycles we are going through in our lives. We are hit with periods where we seemingly have lots of extra time. Unfortunately, those are usually lonely times. I suppose once we start sharing our lives, time shared becomes extremely busy time. I love having that sort of purpose, but in reflecting on this old man, I wonder if he misses out on the days of lots of activity.

Like the old man, I would do walks in very social areas. I would just want to be out, taking in the world, being a part of what was going on. At the end of A River Runs Through It, the narrator is fishing by himself, knowing that most of his family is gone. I think despite the sadness of that, the idea of him fishing is a very positive image.

The elderly are still such a valuable part of our society. They may be retired, but do they want to be? I know their bones creak and they cannot do all that they once did, but they still like eating pizza, don't they?

Graveyard Guess 2008

The rules are simple:
a. Submit your guesses without looking them up. You can do that after.
b. The people have to have died within the last year. Halloween 2007 to Halloween 2008

1. 
   
   


2. 
   
   


3. 
   
   


4. 
   
   


5. 
   
   


6. 
   
   


7. 
   
   


8. 
   
   


9. 
   
   


10. 
    
    

No Windows... And No Doors...

Halloween approacheth.
For me, Halloween has so many applications. It is such a creative holiday.

Let's create a haunted house, path, trail, etc. Let's figure out the best way to make people feel uncomfortable. Scare them. What is scary?

+ Well, death is scary.
- Okay, so let's put it in a graveyard.
+ But those people have already died. What about making it in a dark place?
- Are there going to be chicks there?
+ I hope so. We have to have screams.
- How about having severed heads on the ground talking to people as they walk by?
+ Or, we could have arms holding candles in the hallway.
- What about having them walk through a certain section bare foot and there could be eyeballs on the ground?
+ Well, chainsaws usually scare people.
- Yeah, chainsaws are scary, but so is any loud sound. A loud air conditioner can be scary.

Then again, aren't haunted houses just representing the kind of places that young girls should not be going to? Yeah, my 16 year old daughter went with her "boyfriend" to this house where a few friends were supposed to be. The house has no electricity and supposedly someone died there. Also, an escaped mental patient is in the area. She should be fine though because she is with her "boyfriend" who has been a perfect gentleman and has no thoughts of sex or anything like that.

All we are doing with a haunted house is playing on our basic fears. We hate darkness. We hate death. We hate psychos. We hate clowns. We hate strobe lights. There! We covered it. We have our haunted house.

The Money Changers

My friend referred this video to me on youtube. It is called the Money Masters. It was in three sections of seven parts each and it was pretty cool, but they took it off youtube for some reason. It was obviously very conspiratorial and some of the history was a little bit of a stretch, but in one of the scenes, they mentioned the Rothchilds. And, I kept thinking: Where have I heard that name in relation to the wealthiest people in the world?

So I Married an Axe Murderer of course.

Anyway, the argument of the Money Masters is that the money changers have been using their influence over the years to make sure to have national banks, which are really private banks. There is no real control over them either. They are able to determine wealth and they keep everyone owing to them. And society has no chance whatsoever against them. Countries go to war and these people remain in power. Wars are fought for their own gain.

And, so I sit here and think: What good is this to me? Does this cause me to shun everything? I refuse to use their money. I refuse to go to war. I refuse to take any type of political stance. I refuse to work for them. I refuse to use their cars, their roads, their tvs, their microwaves. When does it end?

Maybe it is true. Maybe they control everything. I do not think it is very practical to be very concerned about it. It is interesting though. I like the idea of having information regarding these groups of people. History is a terribly important subject. And, it is so vital that as we study history we look at many angles, trying to seek out truth. From a historical perspective, this is very interesting stuff. These are the kinds of conspiracies that make history fun, but not necessarily very accurate.

Some Thoughts on the Election

I feel weird talking politics on my blog. Partly because I do not know anything. And partly because most people who do know something still look like they know nothing. People throw out stuff that seems like a good point, but then they have no actual information to back it up. It just sounds like a good point.

One such point was the idea that large companies should pay higher taxes because of shared resources. The example my friend gave was roads. Since a company would have more vehicles using those roads and would be making more money from the use of those roads than the common man, they should have to pay more taxes. Some of the things left out of this argument were actual numbers. Are there taxes being applied to businesses who use these roads excessively? I know that my Grandfather, who had a trucking business, paid a ton of taxes in California. And, I know that he did not make very much money. Are the two related? I don't have the actual numbers though.

So, I do not understand how people can argue for points when they do not have facts. Speculation seems like the best they can do. And, of course, this brings us to the debates. I really do not understand the debate process. Why are we watching these things? I know what the candidate stands for. Is it all about the show? They do not seem to have their facts straight either. The Palin-Biden debate was interesting. She never answered any questions and Biden repeated a bunch of stuff. And then, some debate expert has to come along and say: It was a draw!

Isn't every debate a draw really?

When a person is being a huge jerk and gets angry and throws a tantrum, the winner is the other person, right? Person B expressed himself better. Person A had no composure. Person A had more facts, but apparently could not handle being referred to as someone who just doesn't get it. So, even though Person B resorted to name-calling, Person A is the one who deserves to lose.

Another funny thing happened recently. A McCain supporter railed against Obama and McCain came out in defense of Obama, saying that Obama would make a fine president. McCain is running for president, right? He does believe that he would make the best president, does he not? If McCain and Obama are really not much different, why is McCain in there? People have sunk millions of dollars into this candidate and he gets out there and tells his supporters that his competition will be a fine president? I understand that McCain wants to be fair and to give credit to Obama, but there would seem to be a lot at stake here. That does not sound like someone who thinks his ideas are all that great. That does not sound like someone who feels he has to be in there for the country to be where it needs to be. It does not sound like McCain is a leader.

I know that the candidates are doing their best to distance themselves from Bush. I hate that the country hates Bush so much. We elected him. We knew who he was after four years. It is not like we had no idea where he was coming from. We put him in office. Are we going to elect McCain and gripe about him for the next four years?

Almost Half a Year

Our roommate has been with us almost six months now. It is pretty fun to come home and talk with him. He smiles and laughs a ton. It is nice to have that in a roommate. I have had some who I would just dread coming home to. What do they have to complain about now? D is not like that. He makes us feel like we are the best. And what more could one ask from a roommate?

We took him up the canyon last weekend to see the fall colours. He slept through it though. He had a really tough week. I think his boss has been a little hard on him. There is this expectation for him to perform at top efficiency according to very rigid schedules. He can't keep his food down and he is starting to lose his hair. I know that he works in a high stress environment, but he gets paid well. We support him in his efforts. It is inspiring to see someone keep up the fight.

On Saturday, he participated in the Walk for Diabetes with us. I appreciated him coming along, because I know that he has plenty of other options. He has friends everywhere we go. He has that ability to make friends too. It is weird how people are so taken in by just a smile and a handshake. He does not have diabetes himself, but he really cares about those who do. I have heard him say the nicest things about those with the dreaded disease, going to the extent of thanking them for things they have done for him. Sometimes, I marvel at his ability to see into the hearts of people and not worry about the other extraneous things.

D's grandfather came to visit and the two of them were great to see together. D just laughed and laughed as if his grandfather was the funniest guy. He was funny, but D was in stitches. I love my grandparents, but it is rare to really have a good laugh when they are telling me stories. I look at this as yet another example of how D lives in the moment...

D is a great guy. We are really lucky to have such a fantastic roommate.

Some Pretty Groovy Tunes

A co-worker had never heard of The Stone Roses. I had to introduce him to them this week. I brought in a few of my Brit Pop cd's. Suede, The Verve, Ride, Blur.

My friend, J, used to bring me cd's all the time. "Here! Listen to this!" Fortunately, it was all great music including those listed above. J was the one who clued me into the coolness of Brian Eno. Eno produced my favourite U2 cd's. Also, a couple James. Something about Eno's style just rang true to me.

I feel bad, because my music listening has totally come to a screeching halt. I listen to tons of talk radio these days. I switch it over on the commercials, but I rarely listen to anything new.

And that is a problem, because there is always new, good stuff coming out. Unfortunately, J does not come over all the time anymore and drop off cd's to listen to. I bet he would if he only lived a little closer. Maybe he can mail me some.

J! If you can hear me, mail me some new Brit Pop! (No Keane or Coldplay though. I hear plenty of them...)

Fame! I Want to Live Forever!

I don't have any, so I feel like I can talk about fame objectively. People who are famous have a tremendous burden. Or burdens. The main one is the fact that people everywhere love them for nothing that they have done for anyone but themselves.

One guy wrote a song about a girl and it got picked up on the radio. One girl wrote some songs about a guy and it made her millions. An actor got a break and starred in a movie with a theme that grossed people out. A politician said some things that a lot of people agreed with. A girl wrote a book about her experiences living with the polar bears in Alaska. The list goes on and on, but the one thing that most of them never counted on was how screwed up they would become because of the fame.

Imagine that you were so well known that when you went to Disneyland, you felt like you were as famous as Mickey Mouse. Everyone came up to you and wanted to take your picture, sign an autograph, buy you lunch, shake your hand, get your views on world domination, etc. It would be such a burden. Even if you were good with people, it would be such a hassle for the people around you, the ones that love you.

Most of these famous people do not have the proper training in being famous. Rock musicians seem to be the worst. Theirs becomes a world of partying and drug use and unlimited groupies. They really should have classes that they take in college. Fame 101. Family and Fame 201. Ego 309. With all that these people deal with, there should be a training course.

As one who is not famous, I feel for the common people who go nuts when they see a famous person. Like the time I saw Steve Young at the grocery store. I was a blithering idiot. So what! It's Steve Young. He beat the Chargers in the Super Bowl. I hate him for that. Well, not really. But I should.

What it comes down to is that the term celebrity has to go away. We need a movement in our world which is a twofold process. Celebrities need to chill out. And, the common people need to chill out. I guarantee you that Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jon Voight are really not that interesting. Madonna is probably very silly when it comes down to it.

Here is what should happen: I am hanging out at Disneyland and suddenly I see Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker and their family on the Jungle Cruise. I am not going to stare. I will recognize them in my mind. I will not point them out to my wife. She will not point them out to me. I am not going to say anything to them, because I would not say anything to a guy and his wife and their kids going on the Jungle Cruise. I suppose I could comment on the weather. I know it would be hard to not say something like: "Do you want to play a game?" in my WOPR voice or start humming "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", but I would have to refrain.

Why not just treat them like everyone else? Isn't this a major problem that we have in our society? The paparazzi is in people's faces constantly. Why? Oh, that's right! Because we can't get enough of what is going on in these stars' lives. Did I really need to know that Screech was in porno movies? Or that the dad in ALF is now a homosexual meth user?

If I end up making a big deal out of the situation, then I perpetuate the ego problem. These people are just dealing with incredibly inflated egos, all of which are based on the awe that people have of someone famous. So, if we take the awe out, then the ego gets lessened more and maybe we will not see as many articles on scantily clad female teenage singers.

You may ask: Well, why can't I get their autograph? Why can't I shake their hand? Why can't I tell them how much they mean to me?

My opinion on these questions is that they cannot reciprocate to you the same type of respect or adoration, because they have no idea what you have done. You may have invented time travel, but if they do not know you, then the love is only expressed in one direction. I think we are doing more damage to them by showering them with more praise. They probably get so much praise already from so many people, it stops meaning anything to them. I don't know about anyone else, but I want my praise to mean something to them.

I think the best form of praise we can give those who are famous entertainers is to buy tickets to their movies. Buy tickets to concerts. Buy CDs. Buy books. Support what they do. But, quit giving them something that frankly they do not deserve, nor do they really want (in the long run)

Stop making them out to be more than they are.

Outwit Outlast Take It Out

My wife and I play this game. It is kind of like Survivor, only instead of trying to be the longest one to last on the island, we are battling it out to be the longest one to last without emptying the bathroom trash. It is pretty competitive. It can stack up pretty high and because it is situated in the corner sort of wedged in between the sink cabinet and the toilet, more stuff can pile up.

I seem to remember this as being a very similar war with roommates. Little did I ever think it would continue. I remember seeing guys in one apartment who bought a gigantic outside-style garbage can. That seemed like a pretty good idea. I guess the only issue was that they did not have a lid.

My wife and I are not trying to be disgusting. If I am out in the kitchen and I see a full trash can in the pantry, no problem.

I think it comes down to this. The only time I see that trash can in the bathroom is when I am naked. And that is not the best time to go prancing around the house. That is definitely not good naked. When I am just getting out of the shower, my hands are clean. I don't want to get floss and tissues and cotton balls all over my hands (and who knows what else?) as I tie it up and take it out.

Really, it just comes down to what is in my line of vision and when. I think this probably goes for my wife too. I want to take out the trash in all the trash cans. I also want to clean all the bathrooms and pull weeds in the yard. It would be nice to dust more often and take the dog for more walks. But, let's be reasonable. We can't do everything we want...

Pedro Gabriel

I found this clip on YouTube and it makes me uncomfortable to watch it. I do, however, like the song. Do others feel uncomfortable watching this? I have always felt uncomfortable listening to Peter Gabriel's voice. It bothers me. It shouldn't. It's not a bad voice. It is quite distinct. (Well, mostly distinct. Phil Collins sounds a lot like him.)

Perhaps it is his white utility belt. My friend says he is dressed kind of like Han Solo. I doubt that was his intention. Then again, what do I know about Peter Gabriel? Thankfully, not very much. I think there should be a rule about how much space Peter Gabriel gets on a stage to run around. I suppose Bono has quite a big loop to use. At least he doesn't skip. Or did he? He would probably have to in order to get back in time...

I decided to listen to some Peter Gabriel songs that I have been listening to for years. Let me clarify. I have been hearing for years. The radio was on. I couldn't get to the tuner fast enough to change the channel. I don't know what it is. The association with Genesis? Is it the lyrics?

Your eyes. The light. The heat.
Your eyes. the lambs all bleat.
Your eyes. In your eyes!

Games without frontiers
War without tears
James without lump ears
Sore without beers

Big time. I have got to watch it grow.
Big time. So much larger than life.
Big time. I've got to hatch it blow.
Big time. So much smaller than knife.

I mean, what does this stuff mean?

With a lot of music, I try to give it its first shot with me. Like, even though I have heard it played on the radio constantly, I still want to go and listen to it without the repetition and try to soak it in. I don't think Peter Gabriel is getting past the initial shame phase though. Whether it is fair or not, I just don't think I can do it. I am not sure I see the value in it.

The Horror... The Horror

I realize that, statistically, flying is very safe. And, aside from the uncomfortability factor of it all, it is a pretty fast way to get places.

One thing that a lot of people do not talk about though is the horror of crashing. Sure they mention the aftermath, but what about the whole notion of right before the crash? A plane full of people who know they are going to die. I think that could be a good play or movie. The many perspectives on the horror of the pre-crash.

What would that be like? Hopefully, I never find out, but to me that seems like the worst part. The actual crash would be quite instantaneous. But the seconds leading up to that...

I wonder if this is one of those things people are not supposed to talk about. Like loneliness. People never talk about being lonely, because the person who hears the lonely lament has to respond by being the person who is going to save the lonely person. This is totally ridiculous. I think people should be able to talk about loneliness. It is a rather fascinating subject.

In fact, I think it is more fascinating than the horror before a plane crash.

Decisions

An adult has to make decisions, or so I hear. Part of being an adult is making decisions and dealing with the consequences. It is kind of a hassle, because sometimes one makes the right decisions. Sometimes...

The problem is that others have to deal with one's decisions. If it was just the one person dealing with them, then he could just slap on the LOSER shirt and be done with it. But, when others have to suffer along with that person's misguidance, there just aren't enough shirts to go around.

The one I get slapped with the most is staying up late at night. I love to stay up late. There is something about being up past the point at which one "should" go to bed. I suppose it is a childish thing, but it feels like freedom. But the next morning as I sleep in, because I am definitely not losing sleep, there goes most of the day...

It is tough to argue that one, because I am wasting the day. But who wants to get up early in the morning and mow the lawn? I know my neighbors don't want me to...

But the really incredible part of decisions is that one makes so many in one day. And there are little consequences the whole day. Like, I turned on the radio this morning on the way to work, but I wanted to think, so I turned it off. But then, as I was driving, I went about 3 miles before realizing that I was spacing out. So, I needed to pay attention. So, I turned the radio back on. Or did I?