Month: May 2012

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Books

I miss buying books. Once upon a time, I was a voracious reader and a huge amount of my disposable income went to building my personal library. Books were gleefully given and gratefully received as gifts. My interests were (and remain) all over the map, and my library reflected that.

But somewhere along the way, the Internet appeared, and my book buying slowed and then all but stopped. Printed matter seemed to become increasingly—irrelevant—in this age of instant gratification, especially where reference and non-fiction material are concerned since more current information is always available online. Fiction is another matter, but even there I will sooner buy a digital copy and read it on my computer than purchase a physical book. Ben and I still visit bookstores, but it's rare that I actually walk out with anything.

Another problem, no doubt an unfortunate side effect of our internet obsession—or maybe it's just another one of those "joys" of growing older—is that I just don't have the patience or attention span I once did to sit down and actually read at length. And it's not just books; the same goes for blog posts; if you've written more than three or four screens, you can forget about me reading any further, no matter how interested I may be in the subject matter.

Another issue is that I'm at that point in life where I need reading glasses (or, in my case, a monocular contact lens arrangement) in order to focus on anything at reading distance. The one-lens-for-reading, one-lens-for-distance contacts thing, while convenient (since I don't have to carry reading glasses with me everywhere I go), has never been completely satisfactory. It allows me to function, but it's next to useless for actually reading anything on paper, except under very bright light. (That's probably why I prefer reading on a computer display.)

A few weeks ago Ben and I finally made a pilgrimage to the Denver Public Library. It was a great experience; the building smelled almost exactly the same as the University of Arizona Main Library, and I would've loved to have spent the day exploring. But at the same time I kept thinking, "There's really nothing here I want to bring home; anything I might need will be online somewhere."

Is this sad, or what?

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Quote of the Day

"The good things don't always soften the bad things but vice-versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things, or make them unimportant" ~ The Eleventh Doctor

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Boo Fucking Hoo

"You lie awake at night worrying about what will disrupt your business model. Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you're using iMessage, you're not using one of our messaging services, right? That's disruptive to our messaging revenue stream." ~ AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson

Maybe you just need to start charging the government more for wiretapping our electronic communications without warrants, Douchebag.

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Stolen from a Famous Person

"I guess it comes down to deciding which you find more offensive:

1) Using profanity to point out that there are plenty of things in the Bible we all ignore, or

2) Calling the Bible the absolute, unerring, infallible word of God, and then only obeying the chunks that let you feel superior to other human beings.

I say #2."~ Dave Holmes

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Friday Dance Party: Le Pamplemousse – Le Spank

Continuing on the Rinder & Lewis groove of the past few days…

Back in the day, a DJ acquaintence of mine from the Gay Students Organization at the University of Arizona used to mix this with some audio tracks he lifted off a gay S&M porn video.

Let's just say it worked.

I often wonder whatever happened to the guy. At this point I don't even remember his name, but I was wicked jealous of his gear. (No, not that gear, you dirty birds—although I know we hooked up at least once—even if I have no direct memory of the encounter beyond going to dinner and ending up back in his bedroom.) I mean his stereo gear.

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Quote of the Day

‎"It's a saying from thousands of years ago, written in a language called Latin about a place called Rome," he explains. "'Panem et Circenses' translates into 'Bread and Circuses.' The writer was saying that in return for full bellies and entertainment, his people had given up their political responsibilities and therefore their power." ~ Suzanne Collins in her book "Mockingjay" pg. 223

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Something a Little Positive for a Change

Stolen unapologetically off the Facebook and so out of character from what you've come to expect from me in this blog, I know, but whatever…

The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions–and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else–the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first–the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

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Wednesday

Otherwise known as one step closer to the weekend.

Sad, isn't it? This is what my life has become; simply making it through each weekday—not really giving a rat's ass about anything that happens between the time I leave the house in the morning until I get back in the afternoon—in order to just get to the next weekend.

I'm sure this isn't unique, but I feel like I'm wasting my life. Welcome to America in the 21st Century.

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Quote of the Day

"Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy." ~ Carl Sagan (1934-1996), American astronomer, astrophysicist, and author