What is friendship…?

It’s an odd topic for someone who has lost so many friends over the years but bear with and, if you’re not lucky, you may learn something before we’re done. So, let’s get going, okay?

…. where was I?

This is definitely one of those things I think about once and end up writing about in a book later on. I was at Taco Bell today. I ordered my Spicy Chicken Burritos and prepared to abscond with a hefty booty of hot sauce packets. (It is the height of irony that I end up paying for eating all those hot sauces in that very same place, too…) Then, this guy drove up through the drive thru and I realized two things about this guy. First, he’s a new customer; he’s never been there before. Second, he’s talking to the guy taking his order as though they were long time friends.

That got me thinking, of course. You see, most of us treat life as a series of transactions. I know I’m guilty of that. I transacted with the guy at Taco Bell. I transacted with my instructor, Mr. Ring, tonight. Transacting is the act of engaging with another person for an expected result. I expect that ordering food from Taco Bell will get me my supper. Paying attention to Mr. Ring’s lecture will help me pass his final. (I’m hoping.)

I see most people going through life this way.

But this guy in the drive thru got me thinking. What happens when we don’t engage others for the expect result but, rather, engage with them without expecting a result of any kind. There’s an obvious answer here and that is “This is friendship”. Obviously.

But I’d like to take this a step forward. What’s on my mind tonight is not “Why don’t more of us act that way, and engage with people without expecting a result?” Rather, I can’t help wondering “Why do so many of us treat life as a series of transactions?” What prevents us from being friendly? What holds us back?

… I don’t know where that’s going. I’m just wondering.

Corporate Lobbyists? Don’t mind if I do!…

John McCain has been mythologized as the straight-talking maverick who fights special interests but the facts tell a very different story.

Here’s a great chart that shows all of the corporate lobbyists McCain has running is campaign. These are the people at the handle of flushing our nation down the toilet.

Fight special interests? Sure. He fights them with LOVE!

Yahoo… Let’s Panic!…

Okay, I admit it. Right now probably isn’t the best time to be alive.

Global Warming.

Global Food Riots.

A nation in deep denia – er, recession.

(And, I’m unemployed and haven’t sold a book, yet!)

But do people really have to encourage panic? Yahoo is telling people to start stockpiling food, for crying out loud. Are we there, yet?

… okay, but do we have to be all negative about it?

Fuck you, Ruby Tuesday’s…

I don’t know if you have a Ruby Tuesday’s near you. I don’t care. This is just another sign of how fucking stupid we’ve become in America if they actually think we believe this shit.

Okay, so I’m watching TV and this idiotic commercial comes on for – you wanna take a guess? – and they start spouting off about how they make hamburgers out of meat that has NEVER BEEN FROZEN. Okay? Should I repeat that? It’s NEVER BEEN FROZEN!

So, what do they expect us to believe?

That they ship live cows to each location for slaughter – the minute they have the need for enough ground beef that they’ll use an entire cow?

Or maybe that they do slaughter their cows remotely – or buy their beef remotely to be more realistic – only then they truck it in the bed of a very old U-haul truck – a very warm U-haul truck – over the course of 10-15 days, because the drivers keep getting lost but that’s okay BECAUSE THEIR MEAT IS MAGIC?

Or maybe we should just assume that it’s just not fucking beef!

I just want to slap these people.

What debate is all about…

So, it seems that after tonight’s debate, broadcast on the network that brought you 9/11 propaganda as history, the issues seem to be that Barack Obama doesn’t wear the right pins and people he knows say the wrong things. Holy shit! Someone stop this man!

On top of the list were accusations about Mr. William Ayres who was alleged for having been part of a radical group… when Obama was eight years old.

Why that mother fucker.

Meanwhile, Clinton sounds ready to go to war with Iran next Thursday. Surely, she appears far more presidential. Look! She has the correct pin!

Pardon my snark but I get this way when I see this kind of shit.

King George II Tells The Truth...

Is it any wonder I can't sleep at night?

Sluts.com…

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Like 1981, but older…

Here’s something you might not have known: I used to be a runner.

…

… stop laughing.

Seriously. Track team and everything. I would have lettered in my Freshman year (way the fuck back in 1981) had our football coach not been such a dick. (Long story.) Anyway, I used to love to run. Even after I was out of track, I’d go for runs on my own… you know… until I started smoking… yes, yes, I know!

So, what does this have to do with today, you ask? (Go ahead. Ask.) Well, this morning I jogged nearly 5 ¼ miles at the gym. Granted, it took 1 ¼ hours, but I am rather proud of myself just the same.

I’m not doing nearly as well as Jenn. (Whose blog you should check out and provide your support!) But then, she wasn’t a smoker… of cigarettes… with tobacco… the legal kind…

I’m nearly at my 1/3rd of a year mark for quitting and I’m doing great. I haven’t cheated and I’m back to where I can run every day (when I don’t get lazy, that is). Does this mean I’ll never smoke again? I’m still not ready to say that. If Clostio stepped back into my life, I’d probably smoke tomorrow. If Murphy came for a visit… maybe… though he’s less likely to try and get me started again.

It just feels good to know I can do it. I can run. I can refrain from smoking… as much as I might love it… as much as every cigarette is like a dream… as much – sorry, what was I saying?…

Let’s hope this running pays off soon, too, because it would be nice to be less of a fat-ass… (okay, that’s next on my list!)

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

So, is it just me or does McCain's wife look eerily similar to a cyborg? (New series, not old series.) I mean, you take out those contacts that cover her red eyes and...

I'm just saying...