Todds and Ends

Some time has passed since my last post. I feel compelled to add something in order to keep up even though I am less emotionally moved than I was during my earlier two posts.

First is a tip of the cap to a quite interesting read that was referenced on Slashdot, called Microsoft's Sacred Cash Cow. The article, penned by a former employee of Microsoft, is well-written and offers a sobering opinion of the future of the Redmond, WA company. I don't harbor the irrational hatred for Microsoft the way some of my peers do, but I do find that a lot of my frustrations with Microsoft products are eloquently echoed by Jeff Reifman's editorial. I admire the way he has stated his case and tempered his negative comments with an allowance for that which he perceives to be positive. Would that I could be as succinct and articulate in my own soapbox missives.

Next, a general lament about the fact that I am getting older. After going to a physical today, I learned that I am now expected to show up for my physical on a yearly basis instead of biennially. I acknowledge that physicals are relatively minor annoyances, especially when one considers the benefits gained from their attendance. Still, I reluctantly admit that it bothers me that the all-to-brief period in everyone's life when a person seems totally impervious to any major malady has finally passed me by. I think that I may have been in denial over my age for the past 5 years, but with today's pronouncement, I am finally accepting starting to accept that I am no longer invincible. Please lift a pint of pity for my lost youth if you are reading this.

I'll wrap with an observation that if life were fair and likened to a poker game, all cards would be dealt face up so that everyone would see what you had been dealt and wouldn't have to struggle to guess what facts your poker face hid.

-Pepe

Admit you admire the avuncular

Last night I had the pleasure of spending quality time with someone whom I admire very much. It is admiration that I find complicated in its design - very intellectual yet capable of being defined as both peer-to-peer as well as apprentice-to-master in nature. It is an unfamiliar experience for me - to feel simultaneously like someone's intellectual equal yet also not quite educated/experienced enough all the time to truly be on the same level. As unfamiliarity breeds excitement, I eagerly anticipate the next encounter with heightened expectations for myself and for our mutual association.

The best word to describe my day off thus far is languid - mostly by virtue of the weather. It is difficult to motivate oneself for activity when the humidity hangs in the air with all the pleasantness of a sauna full of sweatsocks. Unfortunately weeds seem to grow very admirably no matter how grostesque the atmospheric conditions, so I am forced to consider mowing my lawn in the sweltering climatological miasma that is North Carolina in the summer.

*sighs* After consuming mass quantities of water I am now suitably armed to confront the task ahead of me. Though not quite Sisyphian as my lamenting might suggest, the weeds do seem to regenerate with a gusto unmatched in the natural world. I groan with the thought of repeating my work again in a week.

A thousand miles...a single step

Day one post...don't expect something profound to germinate this time. This is my first rumination to initate what is sure to be a flood of theelings...to prime the pump, in some circles.

My first foray is motivated by the mental moldiness that accompanies the ingestion of spirits. Somehow I feel more profound when my neurons are not burdened with the morass of morality. I won't delve into the details tonight, but I might as the mood strikes me and when I have less weighing on me.

For now, I'll just say that that being alone is safe - in a way, it's the only way one can feel 100% secure - especially from those that know you.

Until my next ramble, thank you for being curious.