I just answered the CNN poll question: “Should Texting While Driving be Outlawed?” 92% of people said “yes.” You know darn well a lot of those 92% have texted while driving. Personally texting and I have nothing to do with one another. I don’t even have a cellular phone. But the question to me seems to be: “should it be illegal to drive while staring down at your hand?” or “should it be illegal to drive without actually paying any attention to the act of maneuvering the 2,000 pound hunk of metal and fiberglass that is hurtling through space and time at speeds of thirty miles an hour and up?” I know, I know – I just don’t get it. Those text messages are so important! They can’t wait 5 minutes until you are actually at your destination.
There’s an App for That!
You’ve heard this all from me before – I’m just not sold on all this technology. Yes I think if the technology is used efficiently and for the intended purpose of increasing productivity, then sure, it’s a good thing. I simply don’t think I’ve met a single person who doesn’t overuse technology in order to procrastinate, over-communicate, or just to make themselves feel cool and important. On that note, I recently received FaceBook updates from friends of mine who were on a camping trip! Does anyone else feel the irony in that moment?
Drunk and Productive
So I’ve been getting down on myself lately because, after being a good, responsible citizen, and working my ass off all week long, I have been tending to spend my weekends seeing how many Natural Lights and clamato juice I can suck down over a 48 hour period. As a result I haven’t been spending any time writing, creating art, or essentially doing anything remotely productive. I was getting close to giving up the beer when I had a break-through. My wife had asked me to build a bonsai display stand for her burgeoning bonsai forest. I poached a design from a recent visit to the Chico Garden Center and spend Saturday and Sunday knocking together a simple but effective piece of outdoor furniture. I also managed to build the stand, level the ground, wrestle the thing into place, and paint it, while drinking copious amounts of wine cooler and the aforementioned clamato beer. This worked out to be a cathartic moment for me. I don’t have to give up my weekend binge drinking – I just have to do more while I’m drunk! Kids don’t try this at home; I am a trained professional.
The Birds and the Bees
Our garden is absolutely stunning this year. Trish has been cultivating a sweeping variety of salvia and other long, flowing types of flowering plants. As a result, at any given moment the yard is populated with dozens of different pollinators: hummingbirds, native bees, honey bees, and a host of butterflies of differing sizes, shapes, and coloring. The plants dance from all the pollinating going on, even when there isn’t a lick of wind. We have also managed to grow a handful of tomatoes – this is the first year we’ve tried hanging them from a scaffold over the compost pile. I didn’t select enough large tomatoes though – we primarily have heirloom varieties of smaller tomatoes. There is one particularly interesting Russian variety that seems to be producing a large, dense tomato shaped like a heart. These are just starting to turn a deep orange color. The best part of this is that the tomatoes are growing high enough that Bill the dog can’t reach them. Our 100+ pound Labrador has a tendency to decimate certain tasty crops.
There’s an App for That!
You’ve heard this all from me before – I’m just not sold on all this technology. Yes I think if the technology is used efficiently and for the intended purpose of increasing productivity, then sure, it’s a good thing. I simply don’t think I’ve met a single person who doesn’t overuse technology in order to procrastinate, over-communicate, or just to make themselves feel cool and important. On that note, I recently received FaceBook updates from friends of mine who were on a camping trip! Does anyone else feel the irony in that moment?
Drunk and Productive
So I’ve been getting down on myself lately because, after being a good, responsible citizen, and working my ass off all week long, I have been tending to spend my weekends seeing how many Natural Lights and clamato juice I can suck down over a 48 hour period. As a result I haven’t been spending any time writing, creating art, or essentially doing anything remotely productive. I was getting close to giving up the beer when I had a break-through. My wife had asked me to build a bonsai display stand for her burgeoning bonsai forest. I poached a design from a recent visit to the Chico Garden Center and spend Saturday and Sunday knocking together a simple but effective piece of outdoor furniture. I also managed to build the stand, level the ground, wrestle the thing into place, and paint it, while drinking copious amounts of wine cooler and the aforementioned clamato beer. This worked out to be a cathartic moment for me. I don’t have to give up my weekend binge drinking – I just have to do more while I’m drunk! Kids don’t try this at home; I am a trained professional.
The Birds and the Bees
Our garden is absolutely stunning this year. Trish has been cultivating a sweeping variety of salvia and other long, flowing types of flowering plants. As a result, at any given moment the yard is populated with dozens of different pollinators: hummingbirds, native bees, honey bees, and a host of butterflies of differing sizes, shapes, and coloring. The plants dance from all the pollinating going on, even when there isn’t a lick of wind. We have also managed to grow a handful of tomatoes – this is the first year we’ve tried hanging them from a scaffold over the compost pile. I didn’t select enough large tomatoes though – we primarily have heirloom varieties of smaller tomatoes. There is one particularly interesting Russian variety that seems to be producing a large, dense tomato shaped like a heart. These are just starting to turn a deep orange color. The best part of this is that the tomatoes are growing high enough that Bill the dog can’t reach them. Our 100+ pound Labrador has a tendency to decimate certain tasty crops.
At Odds
Man I feel like I have been at odds with the world around me lately – like the chakras are clogged or the energy is jammed up. Sometimes all I want is a little peace and quiet; and all I get is a ton of noise and distraction. Interactions that used to be smooth are grating. My teeth grinding has kicked into high gear. My nubs are sore and crumbling. I have entertained thoughts of living in a box car, or on the sheer face of a hillside. This town living is starting to get under my skin. I’m feeling the confinement acutely, and the wanderlust is creeping in. My life is a little bit like Groundhog Day without the security that comes with monotony. I was actually never aware that you could have boredom and insecurity – but it turns out you can. You can be worrying ulcers into the lining of your stomach while at the same time getting so tired of the same four walls staring back at you that you want to scream. Who knew?
madbob@madbob.com
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