Not Just to Exist

"The proper function of man is to live - not to exist." - Jack London

Now it is time to get back to my regular routine. Vacations are over and now I'm just a regular working guy trying to return to business as usual. Things are not the same though and hopefully they will never be. It is easy to keep a good mood when there is hope and good fortune around, but will I be as optimistic when circumstances start changing. Outlook is important, sometimes more important than what is actually going on around you. Here is to a good summer.

Do you know what it feels like when you put something off and the longer you put it off the more stress it gives you? There hits a point where you have put it off for so long that you feel you can no longer get started. Kind of like when you promised to call a friend, but it has been so long that calling now would seem worse or highlight your lateness. I generally had that type of feeling over the weekend into Monday. I finally sucked it up and got what I needed to get done. It seems to easy to say, just do it, but it isn't always that easy. I thought I would of felt much better now that it was done, which I did, but it wasn't the total peace of mind I had expected. It did feel good though. Not long after celebrating internally, my plate began to fill up with more projects to take care of. I guess there will always be something else to do and stressing over it isn't the best plan of attack.

A: Hey, man! Please call me a taxi. B: Yes, sir. You are a taxi.

I don't know why, but that really made me laugh today. I read that kids laugh like on average 300 times a day and adults laugh only on average 15 times.

So this week I saw the movies Love & Sex and Love in the Time of Cholera. I had seen them both before, but it had been a while. They are good movies and why I saw them I won't get into. Love & Sex I find myself quoting a lot without even knowing it. I had even forgot that I had seen the movie. I have a list of netflix movies I need to watch, but I have been dragging my feet. Usually I wait until a person says, "You have to see this movie" before I take action on lesser known films. I've seen most of the mainstream hits, (almost all of the netflix top 100) but it is the 2nd tier or hidden gems that I miss out on.

So Robert McNamara Died on Monday. He had served as the U.S. defense secretary during the Vietnam war. As much as I hate a lot of what he did, I did respect that he apologized for his mistakes. Not that that should make a difference. A great movie about him is "The Fog of War." I remember when I found a theater in DC showing the documentary.
The subtitle of "The Fog of War" was "Eleven Lessons From The Life of Robert S. McNamara." Here are those 11 lessons:
Lesson #1: Empathize with your enemy.
Lesson #2: Rationality will not save us.
Lesson #3: There's something beyond one's self.
Lesson #4: Maximize efficiency.
Lesson #5: Proportionality should be a guideline in war.
Lesson #6: Get the data.
Lesson #7: Belief and seeing are both often wrong.
Lesson #8: Be prepared to reexamine your reasoning.
Lesson #9: In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.
Lesson #10: Never say never.
Lesson #11: You can't change human nature

So Al Franken is finally a senator. Franken takes the oath.
I'm pretty excited about this. I think this Harvard educated man is going to be a great senator. It is a nice change from the conservadems that seem to be slowing things down. I don't feel like his place as the 60th Democratic senator makes a big difference since well they are like herding cats. What happened to needing 51 votes to pass a law? Well at least Franken favors transitioning to a universal health care system.

This weekend is looking like it is going to be very exciting. Other than having people come to town, I'll be going to see Bill Maher's Comedy Show on Friday. How great is that? I don't know the name of the show, but can't wait. I've had some pretty good weekends as of late and I hope the trend continues.

My friend Christina got great news the other day. After her bar exam, she is going to work for a firm in San Antonio now instead of Corpus. This is good for her since, this is where she wanted to live. It is always good when things work out just the way you want them.

I vowed not to watch the Michael Jackson Memorial on TV, but then curiosity got the best of me and I decided to check it out for a few minutes. I really liked the part that had music. The talking not as much, but then again that is why everyone was there. I figure I'll catch a recap on the news. I thought MJ as fine an all (personal stuff aside), but I must of clearly not been a fan because this isn't moving me like it seems to move other people.

Nevertheless, I thought this was really cool after watching the video:
Michael Jackson's patented dancing shoes
Above is the patent for the shoes that enabled Michael Jackson to lean at a full 45-degree angle when doing the Smooth Criminal dance.

14 Basic Skills All Men Should Possess So I was reading this article and I scored 13 of 14. I won't tell you which one I didn't possess, but hint hint I can't ride a motorcycle because I don't know how to shift gears on a bike. The comments are great because people add their own things to the list such as keeping your job or staying married. One guy wrote:
Nice list but there are some very important omissions:15. Perform reasonably well in a fist fight.16. Fire a gun.17. Grow tomatoes.18.Catch, clean, & cook a fish.19. Skin a buck.20. Care for an infant.21. Train a dog.22. Throw a ball. I won't tell you how I fared on these, but no I can't skin a buck or care to clean a fish. Though my favorite is #15 the ability to not read lists to know they are a man.

room for bella