Your mission, should you choose to accept it,

I went down to the temp agency earlier this week, thinking what the heck, it will probably pay better than what I was doing prior, and went through the normal routine- what are your skills, what are you looking for, what's the capital of Afghanistan. I got a call back with an interesting offer- on Monday, if all goes well, I'll catch a plane out to California, meet up with another temp, and spend the next three or so days driving down the highways of America back up to good old New England in a car equipped with cameras. I don't think we'll be using them on the return trip, but I'll then spend the remainder of this assignment driving the same vehicle around the streets of Springfield, MA and its surrounding areas. Why, you may ask? I'm a little unclear on this myself- mainly because I'm not entirely familiar with the project- it's something Google is doing. The car in question, a late-model Chevy Cobalt, will be used to record footage or pictures of the roads. I actually look forward to this job, as well as the ride back. True, I probably won't get to see too much of the countryside, but I always wanted to drive cross country. No Red Bull, though. Since it tastes (kind of) like cherry, I tend to get bad headaches from whatever the artificial flavor is in it. I know, I'm a freak. Some people were worried that what I'll be doing would be an invasion of privacy, as anyone on the street may find their image on the internet. I really doubt these people are identified by name, however, and I'm sure the legal ramifications have been worked out. I'm sure we'll get a few funny looks- no doubt the car is a rolling billboard. It's certainly an interesting project- the same reason I started going for my trucking license- to see the country and get paid for it.

Fun With Sacrilege

I just thought to comment on some of the more interesting religious messages we've been recieving down here on the bottom as of late. Yes, they are fake. Yes, you can do them at www.churchsigngenerator.com You can also put them on refrigerator magnets. There really is a market for everything... Anyway, hope I offended those who needed offending, and made those laugh who needed to laugh. Laughter really is the best medicine. Look up when you feel down- what's above you that you can't reach up for?

A Midsummer Night's Reading List

Read any good books lately? I figured I'd pass along what's been on the shelf as of late- also, suggestions are always welcome. Not really that much in the way of recently published books- it's been a while since I've made it down to the library. So here goes-
Othello- Shakespeare's oddest villain, this one is an interesting study in characters, both those that make sense and those that don't. Let's see, you've got Desdemona, the flaky, sheltered gal who, in the words of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, loves Othello because he has a big... sword. This is actually true- Desi loves not the real, flawed Othello, but her idealized version of him. There's Othello, who loves not too wisely but too well. Actually, it's his tendency to go ballistic at the drop of a hat that makes the play interesting. And add to this mix the apparently psychopathic Iago, who seems to have no real motivation for his actions, and you wind up with a lot of dead people. Classic literature at its best!
Siddhartha- Herman Hesse's novel about a disaffected young Indian scholar who wanders through life, trying on different lives, essentially, and finally settles down. Like many Hesse characters, Sid comes across as a smidge self-indulgent and a bit of a drama queen, but not really to a fault. There's a surprising degree of self-examination and honest evaluation in this book, so if that sounds like your cup of iced tea, this comes highly recommended.
Consolations of Philosophy- Written by a philosopher named Boethius, this is written as a dialogue between Boethius and a personification of philosophy, in the literal sense of the word- a love of wisdom. Philosophy tells Boethius that it's cool, seeking out wisdom and knowledge is not a wasted life, and that that wisdom will never leave him, and can't be taken from him. A good deal of emotion also comes across in this, even though it was intended as a study of the human condition, and the place of learning therein.
The Portable Walt Whitman- One of a number of compilations of Whitman's poems- I have to admit, I like him, despite his reputation as a dirty old man. He has an almost crude style of writing, but at the same time you can see exactly what he's talking about.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World- by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. With a title like that, it must be good. It contains two parallel and seemingly unrelated stories which come together eventually. Strange, involved and with a complicated plot, but very engrossing.
Well, hopefully that will keep you running until the fall. Enjoy your summer, everyone, wherever it may take you!

Tour Angkor Wat in About A Minute

Angkor Wat is a famous Buddhist temple in Cambodia- I'm told it's quite the place to see, but pilgrims report, notoriously difficult to reach. Here's a funny little time-lapse tour I found- perhaps not conveying the whole sense of a temple, (they are pretty darn cool, even the smaller ones around here that I've seen) but still worth a look. Enjoy and be enlightened!

Can't Fight Evolution

Another less than interesting day at work. I had to take the trash out to the dumpster- I regard this as a somewhat odorous, but necessary, part of work in retail. I headed out, with a reminder from my boss- "don't forget to close the door". The door being one of those little plastic sliding things on the side of the dumpster. Okay, I said, no problem. I dropped off the trash, and went to close the dumpster. Out of nowhere, several yellowjackets decide to say howdy. I'm not sure if this is the common name for them, but that's what we always called them- they are medium-sized members of the wasp family, decked out in yellow and black stripes. They are also highly ill-tempered and aggressive. As it turns out, we had quite the infestation in the dumpster- it became a virtual metropolis of the little buggers. So leave it to me to go and wake them up. Of course, I didn't find out about the pest problem until after I had come back inside, but more on this later. I happened to have a chunk of cardboard I was also on the way to pitch, so as the troops came marching out, I managed to send a couple over the far horizon. However, there were more to come. I learned several important lessons from this. One, wasps will protect their hive, even if you don't have the slightest interest in it. If they see you as a threat, they will, as Shakespeare once wrote, go ballistic. Two, they are really fast. Three, wasp stings hurt like hell. It's not really their fault, I guess- they're just acting according to their nature. My boss, standing close by, witnessed the whole thing, and said, "Well, I guess that spray didn't work." Ah. How nice to know that now. However, I've had much worse, and it did make a pretty funny story in the break room. Someone was kind enough to find me some anti-inflammatory, (we keep some on hand due to the fact that some people don't react well to pool chemicals) and I did get to sit down for a few minutes. All in all, both good and bad, much like the rest of life. I'm told wasps are different from bees, in that bees have barbed stingers- they can only sting once, and hurt themselves in the process- they cannot retract their stingers, so leave a little bit of themselves with you. Wasps, however, have smooth stingers, and can sting multiple times. I'm told they will sting even after their limited venom supply has been exhausted. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to test this theory, as I was too busy getting the hell out of there at the time. Interesting creatures, though- evidently they specialize in defending their hive, so that the young wasps can go on and in their time make baby wasps, and so on down the line. This would be why cans of Raid allow you to spray the nest from so far away. Well, I guess you really do learn something every day.

Lucky Sevens

Happy belated 4th of July, everyone! I was at work, but hear it rained a little bit up here in CT. I always kind of liked the fact that we celebrate the day the Declaration of Independence was signed- all the signers hoping that in so doing they could make a better world for themselves and subsequent generations. It started off a little rocky, what with the Revolutionary War and all, but I'd like to think that's really an example of humanity at its best- looking at what could be instead of only what was. And it's kind of inspiring, if a handful of people could alter history that much, then I'd like to think there's hope for all of us. If I've learned anything, it's that if you don't succeed, either you're doing something wrong, or you need to keep working at it. If it's something worth fighting for, you may have to do just that. The 14th of July, in little over a week, is Bastille Day in France- I'm not actually from France, but it's kind of the same thing we have. It was the day when all the political prisoners were released from the Bastille prison- in other words, the beginning of the end for the French monarchy. And this too is a celebration of freedoms- how people envisioned and worked for a better world. And, entirely coincidentally, it's also the day I proposed to my wife. Talk about envisioning a better world! We may not have it down perfect, but we have each other. (I'm going to need fillings after writing this...) It's not freeing prisoners or inciting revolution, but it's pretty good too. All that gets done too- so go to Amnesty International, and help them out too. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you get back.

Still Fighting

Fighting to stay awake, is more like it. A long day today, and still lots more to do, both around the house and outside of it. I have yet to pass my CDL test, but will get back and try again. No matter how many times you may be knocked down, you're not beaten until you don't get up again. Lesson for today- life is not like boxing. Also, you don't usually get to punch other people. Oh well. Apart from this, not much to report. Work, school, kids, clean the house, etc. The same type of things that make up all our lives. I'm beginning to think life is not defined by one heroic moment, though those can sometimes occur too, but rather by simply being- doing whatever it is that you do the best you can, day in and day out. Above, two of the reasons I do what I do: Emma, born June 14, and her brother Max, born four years ago today. Happy birthday Max!