“A factory converted into a huge reading room. We live immersed in the industrialization of thinking that makes us slaves of production away from an enriching personal development through education.”
Works by Isaac Cordal
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Shootin’ hoops with Blane
Rhododendron
To die of old age (Carl Hiaasen – Basket Case)
My first blog post back in 2002 was a quote from Carl Hiaasen’s Basket Case. I’m rereading the book for the umpteenth time and came across the following which… resonates.
“Early on I made up my mind not to die of anything but old age. Stopped smoking because I was afraid of the cancer. Swore off booze because I was scared of driving my car into a tree. Gave up hunting because I was scared of blowing my own head off. Quit chasing trim because I was afraid of being murdered by a jealous husband. Shaved the odds, is what I set out to do. Missed out on a ton of fun, but that’s all right. All my friends are planted in the ground and here I am!”
Hail
Sounded like a load of bricks being dumped on the roof. Guessing this would have fucked up a modern vehicle but the old pick-up is made of thick steel. Bet she didn’t get a dimple.
Funny and fast
Barb and I were in DC in 2009 and during a cab ride back to our hotel, we struck up a conversation with the driver and asked about celebrities-he-has-driven. His list included: Telly Savalas, Senator James Lugar and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
I came across this old post tonight and found this an amusing group of names and shared it with my friend David. Our chat thread (from earlier this evening):
My point here is that genuinely funny people like David are funny fast. They’re quick. And, yes, I realize you have no idea who Telly Savalas is or Carnac the Magnificent.
Our smaller worlds
Back before the viral shit hit the fan, I decided to replace the really old, nasty carpet in my office and bedroom. That happened earlier this week and I finally got my office back in order. The space feels different now, not just because of the new carpet, but because I’m spending so much time in these rooms. And will spend much more before this is done. I made this little 4-minute video for a friend.
David Brazeal
A plague is upon us and I have hunkered down (a word one gets to use so infrequently). I’ve been using the time at home to call/text old friends, like David Brazeal. David almost certainly the most amusing person I know. Perhaps droll would be a better word for David. From just one short iMessage exchange:
The biggest hardship right now is that all my usual hypochondria, normally spread out over my entire body, is not centered in my chest and lung area.
This has also been good for me to discover which businesses still have my email address from a purchase I made 7 years ago. I am fully informed of the COVID-19 response plans of every business with which I have interacted since about 2010.
I have seriously neglected my hunting and gathering skills for 50 years.
David’s bon mots have shown up in my post often enough to deserve their own tag.
Green Button
Imagine having a couple of buttons on your desk. Let’s say, red and green. And everytime you walked by you could press the red button for a negative/angry/fearful thought… or the green one for a positive/peaceful/uplifting thought. Wouldn’t last long, just a few seconds or a minute or two.
Why would you ever push the red button? You wouldn’t, not if you thought about it for a spit second. You’d wear that fucking green button out. But we find ourselves soaking in negative thoughts and — if we’re lucky — have a moment of awareness.
“Whoa. I must have hit the red button. A couple of times.”
All of which goes to explain why people report constantly hearing me muttering, “Green button, green button, green button.”
My friend Kent reminds us the red button state is most people’s default. (Always going for green.) Buddha says “life is the red button state’. Awareness would be the inbetween.