Turning

Randy's response (In the comments section).

Hydrate

My Gatorade Ad

Conclusion:

Forget what you thought you knew.

At First

A benefit to the Air Force is the time you get off. You're "on duty" 24/7, but you get out early some, and usually when there's a three day weekend, it turns into a four day weekend. The downside is getting shot at.

This past weekend was a four dayer and Eric Sward, a friend of mine from back in DLI days, invited/recruited me to drive him (and, sort of unavoidably, myself) to Minnesota and ultimately to an undisclosed location in upper Wisconsin for four days of ski, scrumptiousness, and scruples (nothing starts with "sk").


These are two pictures I took. I'll post more when I go back up there and take more pictures. I took my camera up there, then we'd go out on the boat or drive somewhere and I'd think, I should have brought my camera. These two are from backwoods tour given by the Sward grandpappy that the Sward children often fight over for their turn to go on. I doubt that sentence was grammatically correct. Nevertheless, I thought it was interesting. We checked grandpa's minnow traps, saw that big damn beaver dam in the left one, and learned about the history of the old rail lines that used to haul lumber out of there. I was also scoping out the place for where the holy grail was buried, as it was the Knights Templar Club and you know how those people are with their grails.

In the meantime, between when we got there and left, we did some hot tubbing, some tubing behind the boat, others skied and I oft considered skiing, saw pirates 3, played loads of games, and did all sorts of other things I promised not to disclose (in exchange for which I get treasure). It was much fun. The cast was myself and Eric, Stevo and Carla (the parents, we called them the fantastic 4, which doesn't really make sense), Sarah, Kristen, and Jenna (the girls, who we called the Lone Ranger(s)). It was a time of music and odd nicknames, and I didn't want to go home.

Vs.

Man, that guy on Man Vs. Wild is such a freakin MAN! It's like all the crap I did at survival school, just way more badass.

I need to get those DVDs.

The Mediocre Escape

One: The Professor, caught in this photograph in wicked contemplation of his next devilish plot.

Two: Sunday morning, May the 20th.

Three: A streak of some-to-very hot days finds the home of The Professor often with windows ajar as to let the cool night air calm the teeming innards of the apartment. The Professor could often be found next to these unsuspecting windows, apparently making aggressive noises at birds and children - alledgedy contemplating eating one. In reality, his intentions were far more sinister.

Four: The exit. On said morning in said location at one of said windows the owner of the ne'er do weller cat awoke to find exibit B - a screen cunningly dislodged from its place of...rest. Knowing that the cat would most likely seek to return to his gang - The Jets - with whom he used to "prowl," and not knowing how long The Professor had been at large, due to said owner sleeping a lot, said owner took to the streets.

Five: Several frantic minutes pass as said owner wanders said streets in search of said transient Professor. Finally, when all hope seemed lost, said owner steps back into the hallways of his apartment building, wondering if maybe, just maybe, through the months of a cush life in said apartment, the alley had gone out of the cat.

Six: Tentative meows come from the stairs next to door to said apartment. Indeed, it is the Professor. Lost and alone, he has returned to the hallway in front of said owners door which he frequents frequently. Mystery solved.

Breaking News: Professor apprehended again attempting another buggardly escape attempt during the writing of this very blog. Perhaps we've not yet heard the last of this...Mediocre Escape!!

Superman

I think I go through spells of what I'm interested in, but these last for months at a time. I'm thinking, though, that if I could identify the order of my interests, I could somehow harness that power, like a bolt of lighting and frankenstein.

It seems to, at least sometimes, go - that I just play a ton of video games cause I just want to be entertained - then I feel as though I'm wasting my life on the video games, so I stop them, and get really productive. During those times I'll try to write a lot, read a lot of books, research things...etc. At some point I start to see the inadequacy of these pursuits and I get kind of wistful and musical, and like to plan trips and write fiction. Then I think that degrades back into just being entertained and the cycle starts again.

I just came up with this a couple weeks ago and I might just be creating it in my own mind - but if it's true it could explain why I, for instance, want to change my proposed major every few months (it's still philosophy, for the time), or why I'll have spells of weeks when I am very social and entertaining, and spells where I just like to go home and do whatever it is I do. Maybe everyone has these kinds of things, but I just wonder if the ebb and flow doesn't have a logic to it.

Right now I'm productive. That's lasted me a while - maybe I can form that into a habit so it'll just become me. I'm reading a lot of books (Neitzsche, right now), studying math, cleaning my apartment. It's during these times that I'm most optimistic about what mankind, and I, specifically, could accomplish with focus. It's during these times that Benjamin Franklin's attempts to perfect himself seem like something to consider, rather than laugh at. Maybe what takes me out of these times, though, is getting lonely. Not many of these kinds of pursuits are conducive to a crowd, with any honesty at least, though their worth it.

I guess a balance would be what the psychologist would prescribe, Chuck Palahnuik wrote, "trust me, you won't look back and savor the moments you spent alone."

But Neitzsche apparently did, as he wrote, "All great things occur away from glory and the market-place...Flee, my friend, into your solitude."

HBO FOTC

Check it out. They're getting an HBO series...it's a little weird...napoleon dynamiteish I think.

Tool

Went and saw Tool tonight. My ears are still ringing of course.

Their drummer, who's amazing, wore a shawn marion jersey.

The Bell

Another response in the comments of this post.

Backlash

I wrote a response to Randy's statements, but I won't frighten the rest of you with it here, or it's length. I'm posting it in the comments of this entry, if you'd like to read it.