smog inspection

I had to put my favorite jacket away.  What is it,70 outside?

Real quick thought before I go off and do adult things again...

I just took my car in for a smog inspection and passed.  But the whole time I am waiting for the technician to finish I am thinking about how it is just pass or fail.  I take good care of my car.  I would love to see the guy come up to me and tell me that my car is in the top three percent in terms of emmissions.  He'd come up to me and say in his eastern european accent, "I haven't seen anything like this in a long time... what are you doing... what kind of gas you use.  There has to be something you do, your emissions are INCREDIBLY free of pollutants."  He would shake my hand with a grin that says, can I be your friend.  I don't know I guess I just want recognition for doing things that normal people do regardless of how well they do them.  Kinda like the Alcoholic who wants credit when he goes a night without a binge.

Do you think that would be a good theme for a "Curb Your Enthusiasm"? 

If you're wondering how I take good pictures.  Well, I don't know how to frame and for some reason it complements my shots.  Go figure.

Bye.

bottle caps

What is that?

Those are the bottle caps from my favorite beer.  It is an amber ale made by the Fischer brewing company in Alsace, France.  It is a French beer but could have easily have been considered a German beer had things gone differently in World War I and II.  The ownership of the area it comes from has been contested since Charlemagne.  Also, it is an area where High German not French is spoken according to Wikipedia.  I would like to think that I enjoy a german beer not a french one.  This is because I don't think the French have a reputation for good beer. 

Anyway,  I took the picture cause the image struck me as, well, different.  It is common to see like things together. But bottle tops?  What happened is that my dad who is the world's most motivated recycler was told that he would have to remove the bottle tops from the bottles to redeem the glass.  The tops are a dense plastic stopper with a rubber seal which connects to the bottle with a metal clip.  My dad seperates the tops now from the bottles before he takes them to recycling.  But he can't bring himself to throw away the tops.  Hence, he has started tying them aroung this gate post.  The result is this hive of bottle tops which simultaeneously endear my father to me in a comical way and remind me that I drink too much. 

I uploaded another picture today (when you look at my picture you will see that it is 1 of 2) for this blog because it is indicative of how my life is going.  In this picture I am fixing a flat tire.  That's my life right now!  No forward progress just taking care of the things that will convey me into my future.

Hope everything is well.  I, by the way, am suffering through my third cold in 5 months.  It's just not like me to get sick so often.  The last time I was this sickly was before a major transition.  Change is scary, I think?

 

fanciful whim of the first degree

fanciful whim of the first degree

what was that phrase we used in high school when we wanted to make fun of what others wanted to do?

was it "whimsical flamboyancies"?

Happy New Year and all that...

Everyday on my way to work I read this sign on the elevator in the employee parking lot.  It's funny cause it tells you not to become "alarmed" if the elevator stops.  But then goes on to say that if the elevator does stop use the button which happens to be labeled "ALARM" to summon aid.  I kinda get a mixed message there.  If I am hitting a button called "ALARM", I have a feeling that that will be my general mood.

So I am thinking about the new year and these lyrics come to mind:

Now everybodys talking about this new decade
Like you say the magic numbers
Then just say goodbye to
The stupid mistakes you made
Oh my memory serves me far too well

They come from a George Michael song called "Waiting for that Day".  It was released back in 1990, hence the reference to "new decade".  By the way if you don't like George Michael, you just haven't been "listening without prejudice."  This is a guy who suffered one of the most embarrassing dramas a person can go through without going into seclusion.  Furthermore, he was able to make fun of it.  That deserves loads of respect.

Anyway, the lyrics.  It is so natural to feel that the start of the new year is like the reset button on an Atari 2600 (please, someone remember that!)  You are starting fresh and all your lives are intact.  You are not going to make the same mistakes this session that you did last.  But like that former boy from Wham, your memory will "serve you far too well."  I think the happiest people are those with the poorest memory.  Unfortunately a poor memory makes for a poor soul.  There's the Rub!

The New Year?  There are things I would love to change.  There are plenty of things I would love to see remain the same.  This was my 39th new year.  I am proud of my strengths and achievements.  At the same time my weaknesses and vices have been around so long that they seem like old friends. 

This brings me to my other old friends (like the segue?), I pray that the new year brings you many blessings and few tears.

Thank you so much for putting up with this blog.  I hope to see all of you soon.  If I have one resolution this year, it is to connect with those beings that have made these 38+ years worth it.