"Undermining my electoral viability since 2001."

Scenes From The Suit-Wearing Day

Spent the day yesterday with my suit on, something that I get to enjoy as it's not what i have to do every day. It was good. Quickly:

Read More

Pure Fun

Remeber fun? Pure fun? I miss pure fun.

Somewhere along the way I started being more "serious" (and I mean that w/quotation marks) and it was good and important to be able to do, but it became a norm. I've been waking up to the fact that my seriousness, my skepticism, my increasingly reserved nature have pushed out other things that I love and are natural, really part of the organic composition of my soul. The human flower sprouts not from plastic, and so on.

There's no use in getting serious if you can't have fun. All the points you can rack up are... uhh... pointless, unless you can enjoy them, si?

The utilitarian view, that human hapiness as the only verifiable good is pretty persuasive. It's a basic thing that drives the emergent complexity of life, a rich tapestry of experience, etc. Happiness itself is complex, I think, because over the long run it rests on contrasts, challenges, risk, novelty, and most of all the happiness of other beings. It's certainly greater than stimulating a pleasure center in the brain; I'd argue that most crackheads aren't really happy, and those monkeys who starved themselves to death didn't seem to be enjoying it too much eaither.

In my mind there's an antogonistic relationship between recreation and responsibility. Is this true? I remember a common catchphrase from my youth, the "consequence free environment." That was Fun.

Can Coach Koenig learn to cut loose? I don't really know. I don't know that Coach Koening is doing a very good job right now, so I'm wary of even trying. But it's an issue, and it's one that's probably not going away.

Read More

TarmacBlogging

Las Vegas airport has free wifi, which happens to reach the airplane while we wait for fuel (delayed by lightning). I'm in the midst of a travel run and it's wearing on me. New York was a much much better visit -- real good to see the Fam and have more time for enjoyment -- but I got sick again, probably from staying out all night on Saturday and maybe sleeping w/air conditioning.

It's not an evil flu, but rather a pernicious cough. I'd probably have it beat, but yesterday I flew real early back to Oakland, and today I'm my flying to Chicago started early as well. Nothing like sleep deprivation and air travel to boost the immune system. Still I feel I'm fighting through it. Feeling better today than yesterday, etc.

Life seems to be firing at me with both barrels though: I discovered last night when I got home that my car was stolen! Moamar, come home! Now, we always knew this was a possibility. It's easy to break into my car, and you can start an '88 Toyota pickup with virtually any car key, or the same screwdriver you used to break in even. Still, it's a bummer. The Lande man is flexing his Pig contacts to track it down, but I'm not holding out too much hope.

Possessions are fleeting, and we shall overcome. It's just a wrench in the works with a high cost of hassle.

UPDATE: Fortune smiles! My truck turned up impounded in Richmond, just as predicted. Moamar apparently got mixed up in a Grand Theft Auto, as a suspect was caught on video leaving my vehicle and breaking into another. I'll have to talk to him about getting involved with the Wrong Crowd, but I'm glad to know he's safe and sound.

Read More

Pages