More Potpourri

Whenever I park anywhere I always park (if at all possible) in a spot that reduces the likelihood of getting my vehicle dinged in any way. In a lot of parking places you find your vehicle vulnerable in three places: the left and right sides and the front. If I can park a little further away but feel safe about cutting my percentages by a third or even two thirds of getting banged up by something else then it's totally worth it to me. And it's not even because I'm that much of a freak about my vehicle; it's simply an obsession with me mentally because it just makes so much sense. I'm weird like that. Even if you don't do it to the level I do, you still do it to some degree when you opt to not park next to some torn up old clunker.

I'm not a huge fan of fast food. It's not that I'm a health freak or anything (isn't that obvious?), it's just I really like food and fast food doesn't taste that good to me. In fact, the older I get the more and more I find it kind of creepy. Anyway, I discovered Del Taco's Del Carbon tacos. Wow! Very tasty and authentic.

Usually the title of the particular piece I've authored is kind of an inside joke with myself. This one isn't.

I work with this guy that was talking about his latest adventure to a third world country. This dude is a few years older than me (which is pretty rare where I work) and I really dig him. He's kind of a modern day hippie like myself except it's way more obvious on him. He's had a real job and worked hard for a living and he understands how easy and good he has it in his current employment and he rolls with the punches with the best of them because of this attitude. He's super friendly and likable and when he's telling these outrageous stories about his journeys in these various countries you know he's telling the truth because that's how he really lives life. When he was done with an incredible story I said, "Man, I think I would be afraid to be in a third world country in this day and time." He replied with, "Yeah, fear makes a lot of people do a lot of different things." I really think I would now be totally willing to go to a third world country simply by grasping exactly what he was saying. I mean, I already understand that idea very well and point it out in others all of the time, but in this case my shadow got the best of me. Some one plan a trip.

The NFL replacement referees are lower division college refs, officials in smaller arena leagues, and one of them actually reffed in the Lingerie League. Seems wild to me that a business, the NFL, that makes billions can't find a way to hammer out some agreement just to avoid damaging their own business. But what do I know?

I don't think randomness exists in the universe. Einstein said, "God does not play dice with the universe." Things do exactly what they were supposed to do. There is no magical realm of randomness that comes into play. There is only one possible outcome to any set of events. We can predict the likelihood of that one outcome, but it's not random at all. We just don't know all of the millions of pieces of information that would be required to know that one outcome in advance in most situations.

I love when it starts getting dark earlier. It makes the entire 24 hour day seem longer to me.

After I officially went "over the hill" I began to notice signs of my age. My eyesight, which was always very good, is starting to fade. I can't focus in on things as quickly as I once could. My muscles get tight and cramp way more often than when I was younger. But the one thing that bothers me the most is the sensor mechanism  decline of the thing that tells me I need to pee. I used to be able to feel one coming on, but not anymore. I can be doing anything and all is good and then two seconds later I have to pee my pants and sprint to the bathroom. I hate that.

I feel more in synch with my role in the universe than any other point in my life.

Most of the time I ferment an idea for a blog piece for several weeks. Many of the ideas just don't develop and don't make the cut. When I write pieces it feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. I feel a duty to author them.

I think one area that will drastically change in the next few years is advertising. The model being used now has been in existence for a long time and the data collected isn't nearly as relevant as it used to be. Technology has made it possible for people to avoid almost all types of advertisement wherever it may try to intrude. Advertising tries to force information onto people. However, I think in the future advertisement will find a way to draw people in.

This last month Democrats donated 100 plus million to the Obama campaign and Republicans donated 100 plus million to the Romney campaign. Are we really that broke if we're donating that much money in a month for the "lesser of two evils"?

It's believed dolphins were a dog type animal that ended up going back into the ocean.

I'm honestly better off than I was four years ago. However, I hate that we are so shallow that this is how we judge our reality. We are a strange creature.