“…Things bother me and I vent, I write it down… Just the fact that people seem to be getting dumber and dumber. You know? I mean, we have all this amazing technology and yet, computers have turned into basically four figure wank machines. The internet was supposed to set us free, democratize us, but all its really given us is Howard Dean’s aborted candidacy and 24 hour a day access to kiddie porn. People… they don’t write anymore, they blog, instead of talking, they text, no punctuation, no grammar: LOL this and LMFAO that. You know, it just seems to me that it’s a bunch of stupid people pseudo-communicating with a bunch of other stupid people at a proto-language that resembles more what cavemen used to speak than the King’s English”
~ David Duchovny
“Yet, you’re part of the problem. I mean, you’re out there blogging with the best of them”
~ Henry Rollins
“Hence, my self-loathing”
~ David Duchovny, Californication
This diatribe may be a little harsh, but it speaks volumes about the direction our world is going in. No one speaks on the phone anymore, it’s befuddling. In this act, I stand guilty too.
Last weekend I went out, shots followed by beers distorted my vision. When I refocused, I realized all my friends who weren’t involving themselves in booty calls had left. I was alone, broke, hungry and exhausted. I stumbled into a Mr. Sub and attempted to find my way back to the “drop point”.
My friends were held up at the city’s finest japanese eatery, much farther than walking distance. I grabbed a cab with my last twenty and upon arrival discovered my phone was dead. Ergo, there was absolutely no communication with anyone and no possibility for a rendezvous.
This was crazy, when I was young, I could remember at least twenty of my closest friend’s telephone numbers (mind you, there was only seven digits to memorize). I’m now hard pressed to recite three telephone numbers, not including my own. Technology and social networking has all but engulfed the world over.
There was a homeless man in Ohio, displaying his talents for money. He had an amazing radio voice, catered mostly towards sports. A stranger captured him on their camera phone and he was the “it” guy of last month. From what I hear, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired and purchased a home for him. Do you know how they got ahold of him? Guess? If you said his cell number, you’re absolutely right. The man didn’t have two dimes to rub together, but had a cell phone and was involved in a NFL football pool (which he won).
The point is, everyone and their five year old nephew has a cell, facebook and/or twitter account. If I asked them a skill testing question, they’d be dumbfounded though. So, the question then becomes are we benefiting or at the detriment of technology?
Carpe Diem Que
Premature Ejaculation
27 Feb“It’s not a race, it’s a marathon” ~ Unknown
“You may have won the battle, but I’ll win the war” ~ Unknown
Do you ever feel like you’ve expended all of your energy before the end of the race? It’s a commonality in most people and although I’m not speaking sexually, the title worked well to captivate your attention (I’m smiling right now).
My friends, a lovely group of individuals, secretly planned a going away dinner for me. This act absolutely amazes me. One, because I don’t see myself as someone warranted of such kindness and two, because I was just going to walk into the night like a thief. My dedication to my mission and trip abroad has given me tunnel vision. For that, I apologize and I’m eternally thankful for everyone’s support and well wishes, its meant a lot.
The surprise party was thwarted by my trip delay. The start date of my new job is up in the air and spending my St. Patrick’s day birthday alone is out of the question. It’s a great day to share your birthday and I prefer to drink Guiness stout with me mates.
This brings me back to premature ejaculation, the longer I stay here, the more I feel like I’ve used all my gas in the first few laps without a pit crew to fill me up. Most individuals within my realm of friends don’t truly understand what I’m planning or why I’m doing it. Support from people who have no idea what’s on my mind is both a gift and a curse. It’s a beautiful thing to have people believe in you, but it’s also a horrible thing to look in their eyes and know they don’t believe in your journey. It doesn’t offend me, but it makes speaking to like minded people difficult.
You can either be a glass half empty or glass half full person, I’m the latter. It’s almost as if I’ve been sipping that half full glass of water and there’s no well in sight to keep it level. My challenge now is to remain erect, strong and determined. Becoming flaccid and deflating is not an option.
Jack Nicholson was once asked, what would you have done if you weren’t an actor? His response, “I would have been homeless. There was no Plan B, this is what I wanted to be”. Will Smith said, “Having a Plan B distracts from Plan A”.
C.D.Que