see no evil, hear no evil....

Well Blogger was official blocked at work today, which means no blogging at work right? Wrong! These people really don’t realize that unless they block the internet in general, people can keep blogging. Hell they could block the internet in its entirety and if I felt compelled to, I could update via text and picture messages. Well I applaud their effort as weak sauce as they are. Onto the subject at hand…

Eve and I were killing some time over the weekend looking for a backpack for her triumphant return to academia. Without any good idea where one would go about finding your run-of-the-mill JanSport bag we headed to our local shopping mall. A side note about this mall in particular, it’s where they filmed the mall scene for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. If you haven’t seen this movie you should, if only for 80's pop culture references. In thinking about the Wild Stallions (see pop culture reference) I laugh because I've realized that Keanu Reeves has not matured as an actor one iota since his role as Ted "Theodore" Logan. Back to the subject at hand, while meandering through this enormous monument to commerce, we walked in and out of possible stores that might carry a backpack to Eve's liking. All the time being hit up by the sales people in the kiosks in the center of the mall thoroughfares. Now these generally rude, but just doing their job sales people place me a huge moral conundrum. We’ve all had jobs that we didn’t like, or didn’t want. The jobs might have even been a bit demeaning at times, but you do them regardless. You have to pay the bills right? Also I always try to treat people that work in retail, food service, or any other customer service position with respect and a bit of class because I remember being shit on while working the counter at the grocery store, working retail at a sporting goods store, but basically so they don't spit (if you're lucky) in my food. I always hated it and I attempt as much as I can not to be that guy we all loathed.

So here is the crux, if you don’t ignore these people and pretend they don’t exist they won’t leave you alone to save your life. It used to be that you could just say, “no thanks” or “I’m not interested today” but now-a-days if you even acknowledge their existence they will hound you like those kids in Mexico trying to sell you Chiclets. So what do you do? Pretend as if they don’t exist like some upper-middle class, nose in air, raging asshole, or hang-out for 5 minutes with every high school girl regurgitating a sales script about the amazing moisturizing effects of this particular hand lotion? I’m sure many of these people understand why they are ignored, hell many of them probably get off work and walk the mall ignoring their peers. I just wish I didn’t have to pretend like I don’t hear them, avoid looking them in the eye, and basically treating them like a sub-class of human beings.

i'm dying to know

Well its seems death is in the air, sort of sobering I guess, not that I'm drunk or anything. Ok now you think I'm actually drunk and there is nothing I can say to convince you otherwise. Back to the subject, with the passing of former President Gerald Ford, the King of Soul James Brown, and the imminent death of the Wacky Iraqi Saddam Hussein, the media is having a field day with depressing news coverage of death. I try not to think about death I guess, makes me sad and also makes me think irrational thoughts. Things like, I should just quit work and live day-to-day like a bum, see the world. Or, I should quit saving money and spend it all, its there to be enjoyed right? Also, I should do something the will really help/change/take over/save the world. What is it about the thought of death makes life's time line seem so short? Now accidental or homicidal death aside, I would say I have a good amount of living left to do, but for some reason when I think of not being alive it all truncates. I feel as though it have until next month to do and see everything. I know its irrational and makes no sense but sometimes I wonder if I would live a more fulfilling life if I lived everyday like the end was near? People always say "live everyday like its your last" but really that would probably kill you, if you weren't dying already. I guess the best you can do is find the life balance that is comfortable for you, secure but adventurous, safe but not boring. Its a tough balance but one I think is worthy of the attention.

good enough for government work

I know you are axiously awaiting the next segment of the Anti-Utah tour but I just wanted to let everyone know that Germany finally called me back today and said I should be good to go on Friday, so start packing. So Friday will be the day I tell them to piss off for letting me ponder what was going on for 3 damn months. I won't be leaving, really I don't know what I'll be doing just yet but I might take a introduction to guitar class. That sounds like it could be fun. I'll post the next segment tonight I think and some new pictures are up but I have to wait until December to upload the rest, damn Flickr. Until then you can see some more here.