Musings for a Rainy Day

What if clothes really did make the man? I think we'd all be out of luck come judgement day. If I created man and then man put me in a thrift store because the writing on me was out of style, I'd be offended.
I don't think that being worth its weight in gold is a very good description of the worth of some things, for example, oxygen.
If I ever have to experience a gut-wrenching disastrous end to a romance, I hope someone plays the tune called Promontory (Trevor Jones & Randy Edelman, 1992) from the Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack while I'm going through it.
If I'm able to rise up the next day and continue on with my life after that gut-wrenching disastrous end to a romance then I hope someone will be nearby to play the Main Title (Randy Edelman, 1993) from the Gettysburg movie soundtrack.
Finally, if none of that ever happens, I hope that instead I live a life full of adventure and intrigue, all the while having The Black Pearl (Klaus Badelt, 2003) from the soundtrack to The Pirates of the Caribbean playing.
Randy Edelman knows how to compose an emotional tune.

Romance is in the Air...Better Than Asbestos Being in the Air

I'm not in love, don't worry. Not that you would. But if you were, then stop. If you are now worried because I said I am not in love then you can stop that as well. Just stop worrying about anything Ajax related, except for worry about what would happen if I ever stop this blog. That is a legitimate worry, for if I stop this blog you will have to resort to finding entertainment and education through any one of millions of other avenues for such things. It's best not to talk about that right now though. Just be happy that I am still posting on this blog and continue to check in everyday, don't go to other sources for education or humor. Okay, you can go other places for education, but keep it here for humor...here and the Marx Brothers, Psych and Jerry Seinfeld. And Brian Regan, too.

Back to the romance in the air. I have been reading old e-mails today. I had opened the 'sent' folder of my Yahoo! mail and noticed that there were over 1700 messages in there. I've never noticed how many messages it had saved, so after finding the information I had gone there to find, I scrolled down to see how far back this message trail goes. August 2002. I started reading messages I sent to people I haven't talked to since then. It was an interesting discovery. I felt like I was in the museum of Ajax. I found the first e-mails between Muffin Man and me. Nothing has changed in the five years since then. We are still making the same jokes.

I took my old message reading to Facebook. I happened upon a message Muffin Man sent to me on March 13th of this year. It was in regards to a blog post I had done that he found particularly hilarious, he said about the post

Your most recent one, about the "love email", is quite possibly the funniest
thing I've ever read. Although because of my low-grade Alzheimer's, I can't
really commit to that statement. It was hilarious though... was literally
on my knees laughing whilst holding my stomach...

He went on to say that the physical discomfort he experienced because of the laughter was well worth it. Which he says was the 7th most romantic thing he has ever said to anyone. I retorted

[That] is the 4th most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me, after:
3. Are those your real ears? 2. You know the bus schedule in this town
better than anyone I've ever met, even the bus drivers. 1. No dogs allowed,
you'll have to tie him to that tree or something before you come in

I just realized that it probably isn't as funny when it comes out in this context. I think it is hilarious, but for me to re-write it here just seems cheap and needy. I won't deny that. I like to make people laugh. Even at the risk of seeming like a show-boater. But really, when you think about it, this whole blog is about me show-boating. So I guess the romance in the air is actually the love I have for my own ability to write funny things. It doesn't matter now I'm doing asbestos I can. How's that one? Huh? That was a new joke. I think it is along the lines of Chico Marx, such as when Groucho needed the password and Chico gave him a hint. The hint was that the password was the name of a fish, and Chico would give Groucho three guesses. His first guess was "Mary," to which Chico said something like nah, thata not the name of a fish, and Groucho says, its not? She sure drinks like a fish. Something to that extent. Just look up "Marx brothers swordfish" on YouTube and you'll probably find it. So where was I? Right, so the second guess of Groucho's is haddock, to which Chico responds something like, you've got a haddock? I've got a haddock too. Then Groucho, what do you take for a haddock? And so forth. You get the idea. So when I say asbestos, I'm saying it like as best as. I've heard a joke is no good if you have to explain it. I don't think I had to explain this one, so it's still good. Besides, the whole process of thought that I just displayed for you ought to be worth something. Now you know how things work inside my head. This is the beat of the cymbal crashing monkey in my mind. Or, this is the pace of how fast he turns the gear crank while eating his banana and reading his book. However you slice it, there is a small cartoonish monkey at the helm in my brain. Figuratively speaking.

If I Were Not Me

If I were a rock, I wouldn't want to be flat, so I could roll.
If I were a road I'd charge a reasonable toll.
If I were a tree, I'd want to be a straight one, so I could be tall.
If I were a leaf I'd be evergreen so I'd never fall.
If I weren't disinterested in this I'd keep going.
I looked out the window and saw a rock and it made me think of that first line, so then I typed it and let what followed happen. I suppose this is what you could call a draft. Which makes me wonder if I've posted my sonnet attempt on here. I don't think I have [Wrong. I found it here. - Ajax 9/30/10], but I will now.
Several years ago I was listening to an Internet radio chat show. The topic was poetry, specifically the sonnet. My feeling about poetry is that it can be pretty ridiculous. I love music, and songs are poetry, so I'm not anti-poetry, I just think some of the abstract stuff doesn't make sense. There are a lot of songs that don't make any sense lyrically, but are carried to stardom because of the music behind the lyrics. As I listened to the poetry program they shared some "phenomenal" examples of sonnets. I didn't get them. And that's fine. I don't have to understand or appreciate a poem to make it good to anyone else. But I also don't have to understand how someone else can understand or appreciate some of that stuff. The general message of the program was that it is tough to write a good sonnet. I wondered if that was the case. I searched the Internet for tips on sonnet writing, and then wrote my own. I know it isn't perfectly matched up with the delivery rhythm, but I think I got the rhyming scheme correct. If you are a poetry expert, give me a review, I like constructive criticism. All that remains is for me to find the poem I wrote, and then copy and paste it here:
“Origin of Thought”
Where do my thoughts begin I wonder, if not through my minds front door?
Like whispers on the wind from yonder, not as soldiers marching, or geese beginning their ascent;
Not as a neighbor near approaching on a sunny afternoon.
Sometimes quick, a bit too soon, overpowering and encroaching,
Before I fully comprehend,
Where they come from, over, under,
Does not matter anymore,
But as my thoughts divide asunder,
Which ones I keep becomes the chore
(c) Paul Brodie 2007 [and that's my name, in case you didn't know already. this is the first time I've mentioned my real name on the blog. Paul Ajax Brodie, that's me.]
Now write your own: http://www.ehow.com/how_3335_write-sonnet.html

Cross Traffic Was My Enemy

About a month ago I was driving some friends home from a day of hiking and such. We hit a patch of nasty traffic. Now, there is something you must understand in order for this story to be of meaning, that is that Marley was dead, to begin with. I think I've used that literary joke before in a post. If you care to find it, if I did, I'll take you out to dinner. I got distracted. Sometimes I wonder if I get so easily distracted because I have a brain tumor. Then I stop wondering that because there aren't any brain tumor symptoms. I just have a creative and ridiculous imagination. What I really wanted you to know from the start is that there are only two reasons you'll ever see traffic in Vermont: snow and vehicle accidents. Snow causes people to drive slowly and can back up traffic. That is good; it is best to be safe. Traffic accidents also back up traffic. This is also good for safety sake, the safety of the emergency responders. It is bad because knuckleheads have to slow down and stare at the accident, thereby slowing traffic even more. Now that you have this background, I can tell you that when we hit that patch of traffic, it wasn't because of snow. You might think, 'but it was August, how could there have been snow?' My response to that would be (in the style of George Costanza) 'oh, it's possible, baby!'
As we sat in traffic with the AC up, the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) on my truck's dash illuminated. Those two stupid little words, "check engine," all lit up in orange. My previous vehicle was a 1998 Ford Ranger, my current vehicle is a 2001 Ford Ranger. The "check engine" light was on in my old truck for the last three years I had it running. So when the light came on in this truck, only a few weeks after buying it, I was frustrated. There weren't any immediate symptoms to indicate why the indicator light was indicating. You can quote me on that. I assumed it had something to do with sitting in the heat with the AC on. But since there was nothing else to clue me into an issue, I kept driving, business as usual, for about a week and a half after.
It got to a point where the was another symptom: a surging idle while stopped at red lights. It never seemed like the truck would stall, it was more of a power surge and then right back to normal. This went on for a week or two before I took it to a shop. I had asked my dad about it and we did nothing about it. There just wasn't enough to go on. Anyway, it was one week ago today, if this posts on Monday, I'm two minutes from Tuesday (how's that for a band name?) right now, so it might post on Tuesday. In the interest of total accuracy in my timeline giving, I will say that on September 20, 2010 I took my truck to get checked. This leads to a fun part of the story. A friend told me that I could take the truck to an auto parts store and they could plug in a computer and give me an idea of what kind of malfunction I was dealing with. I decided to do this. I went to the store he told me about and after waiting in line for a few minutes I asked my question. The store associate asked me what make and year of my vehicle, I should have told him "2001 Ford Ranger," but I think I said "'91 Ford Ranger." I don't know why I would have said that, but I think I did. Here's why. He told me that it was too old, his computer wouldn't be able to read it. Then another customer said it would only do '96 or later. But he might have said '06 or better. Whatever was said, I said I'd just take it to a shop, thanked them and left. As I walked out of the store I wondered if I had just told him my truck was a '91. The reason I thought I said that was because I thought he said '96 or later. At this point I was confused and too embarrassed to turn back and ask him what dates we had all just thrown around. I also really hoped that they wouldn't see me getting into my truck and wonder why I told them I drove a '91 when it was obviously a newer model. I took solace and put that worry to bed by convincing myself that even if they saw me and thought that I could always explain to them that I drive the 2001 but have a 1991 at home that needs to be checked and I was only on a fact finding mission, I never said I had the truck with me at the time. Did I mention I have a wildly creative imagination? It is always on.
Following my mishap at the auto parts store I went to a shop. They plugged the computer in and told me that the malfunction code was telling them that the first and second cylinders weren't getting enough fuel. I gave the guy the look my dog gives me when I ask him why he hasn't found gainful employment yet. He must have picked up on it because he told me that could mean a lot of things. His advice was that I get a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and run that through. Something as simple as that could fix the problem. It was extensive and invasive diagnostics or a $4 bottle of car tonic. I went with the $4 option. I went straight to the store, bought a bottle, then to the gas station and mixed the tonic with a fill up of gas. It takes a while for that stuff to do its job, especially when you aren't driving more than a few dozen miles a day. I drove a total of 170 miles since putting the tonic in the tank and was down to a quarter tank left when I filled up again today.
The problem had yet to subside when I filled up the tank again and set out on a trip 40+ miles up the road to spend time with some friends. It was a dark and stormy night when I left home. By which I mean mildly rainy and late afternoon. I don't have any trouble driving, it's just being stopped at lights and stuff that is the problem. So with the majority of the trip on the interstate, I expected to be OK. And I was. I made it all the way to my destination and was pulling into a parking spot before the truck stalled and I coasted to a stop. I said "come on!" Then put it in park, turned the lights and windshield wipers off and removed the key. I wasn't going to think about it right then. A while later some of us decided to hit up a restaurant for some ice cream or something. John and I decided to carpool, I offered to drive because I wanted to test my truck out before getting back on the highway to make the trip home. We made it to the second light before it stalled again. At first it started right up, but the second time it wouldn't start until I had the accelerator down the whole time. I made it back to where we started and we switched to John's car to meet up with our friends at the restaurant.
This place was in a mall, so there were windows by our table that could see out into the hallway. At one point the song "Just What I Needed" by The Cars was on the store radio. Chris and I played air guitar and air drums to the intro. It was great. Then there was a girl out in the hall that I saw through the window who looked like she walked out of a Madonna video circa 1983. I said, "That girl just walked out of this song." Which led to a conversation about what she was wearing. I said I liked it. Then Chris said she was a man, I think he was joking, because she was clearly not a man. I replied, "man or not, that is hot." I hadn't intended to create a little rhyme, but I inadvertently had. Some of my friends didn't think that was a great motto to go with, but I was pleased with it. It rhymed. I looked up the song when I got home because I couldn't remember the name of it. I knew enough of the lyrics to find it with Yahoo! I was wrong about my '80's fashion observation; this song in question is from 1978. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hwE0slNd3Y It is a great song, give it a listen. Then come straight back here and finish your blog reading or you'll have no dessert tonight.
Also, from the restaurant, I ordered sliders. I've never ordered sliders before because I think it is ridiculous to order such small burgers. When the plate arrived, Chris suggest that I put the slider inside of an onion ring, parodying what some people do by putting onion rings on their burger. I'll tell you, it worked. I put that slider into an onion ring and it was good.
After all of these festivities I made it back to my truck and began the trip home. There were three lights until the highway and then seven more from the highway to my house after I got to my town. Lights were the problem, so I was worried. The first one was rural so it was blinking red when I hit it, which means treat it like a stoplight, in case you are from an area that doesn't have lights blink after 10pm. No cross traffic was coming, so I rolled on through. The next light was green. The third one was red, and for a looooong time. I put it in neutral as I rolled up and kept revving the engine. This was one of the few lights in the state that are posted "No Turn on Red." Unfortunately. I made it through, however, and then it was highway all the way. I had no issues on the highway. After getting off at my exit I hit the first four lights at green. Divine providence was shining a guiding light before me on this rainy night. The fifth light was a blinking red and I was turning right, again, no cross traffic so I hesitated and rolled 'round the corner. Next was a blinking yellow, slow down and proceed with caution. The final light was a blinking red and I needed to turn left. I was back to a more rural area and there wasn't anyone coming head on, the cross traffic had blinking reds as well. Two cars were coming from my left, but they were further from the light so I treated the blinking red as a green and made my way right on through. All in all it was a stressful drive, not knowing whether or not I'd make it, but I did. Kind of anti-climactic, but I'm happy about it.

Yay! Sleep! That's Where I'm a Viking!

I just discovered that I spend roughly 38% of my time sleeping. It doesn't seem possible. Or does it? I kept track of my activities last week for a project. It only covered 5 days, however, so it wasn't a full week. I don't know if it can be called an accurate sample of my time spending behavior, but I will treat it as such nonetheless. When you break it down to hours in a day and the recommended amount of sleep, I'm not too far off the mark. 24 hours in a day divided by 8 hours of recommended sleep (I read it somewhere) equals 33% of the day being spent asleep. Roughly speaking. You get the idea. So while it was initially shocking to think that I spend that much time asleep, factoring in the recommended 33% makes my 38% seem not as lazy and idle. So I sleep a little more than 8 hours a night. Does that really make me lazy? No. What makes me lazy is that I spend roughly 20% of my day consuming some form or another of media. Whether it is television, movies, music or Internet content (such as Facebook). Right there I'm spending half of my day either asleep or lying around watching TV or watching my Facebook newsfeed. Again, not all bad. I know how many chicken zombies my friends have on their farms, as well as whats happening in the world. I do watch the news often. These stats are all just rough estimates based on one 5 day period of time when I kept track of my activities. It is hardly a scientific study. Which worries me all the more that it is incredibly accurate in portraying the type of person I really am. The aspect of this project that saves me from throwing the television out the window is that I spend equally as much time, percentage-wise, working as I do consuming media. Being unemployed financially at the moment, my working consists of yard stuff. I was surprised to see that I spend a nearly equal amount of time working as I do being entertained by various media. Surprised but pleased, or at least mildly complacent. The disappointing part of this whole project is that the work I am doing is largely for my own satisfaction. I like the exercise and the spending time outside. Which means that adding together my media consumption time and my working time I'm spending 40% of my day seeking to please my own interests. Tack on 38% of the day for sleep and I spend 78% of the day following after my own desire. I am a hedonist, at least for 18 hours a day. But that rings true with my thinking that we are all hedonists. I don't think we can clearly label ourselves as strictly meeting one man's philosophy or anther's, but I think there is a lot of truth behind the hedonistic approach to human motivation. Hedonism is portrayed as sensual and dirty in a lot of cases, but it isn't. If you have ever slept in rather than get up early to help someone out you were acting hedonistically. It is putting yourself above others and doing things to increase reward and limit pain or punishment. The controversial part of hedonism is when you try to see how it jives with religion. Unfortunately, I think a lot of religious activity is hedonistic in nature, but that might not necessarily be bad. It's a tough call. One recurring theme in religion is to please God. I have no complaints with this. He is pleased when we serve other people. So if we are serving other people to obtain a pat on the back from God, then we are serving other people in order to serve ourselves. Hedonism. Also, there is the desire to avoid eternal punishment that motivates people to serve. Hedonism again. Along these lines is where I think hedonism finds merit. But where it seems to fall short, at least in my understanding is that it never allows for a person to transcend this base level of motivation. Hedonism doesn't allow that a person might actually divorce themselves from any expected return and serve in a truly self-less manner. I believe that is possible. I think we are able to get over ourselves completely, even if it is only in one instance or one type of behavior. I think overcoming hedonistic, or perhaps biological, motivation is what charity is. Charity is the love of Christ, the love of God for his children. It is the motivating factor that makes life possible for us on the Earth. Charity is the motivation and the end goal for true Christians. To obtain true charity is to be like Jesus Christ. Though no one will accomplish this in mortality, because of our natural, biological imperfections and weakness, charity is still accomplishable in fragments and portions. Perhaps if I want to reduce my hedonist pursuits from 78% of the day to something a little less embarrassing I can focus on my motivations. Why do I spend so much time seeking entertainment? Motivation is an interesting subject. One that I will not discuss any further at the moment because mine has just run out in regards to typing. I will now eat some pie.

The Monetization of The Whimsical Revolution

Well, I did it. I clicked "monetize" on the blogger dashboard. I figured that in an economic setting such as the one we are currently in every penny counts. I might be in violation of the terms of agreement for Google AdSense by even mentioning this. They have a lot of rules; such as, "don't run with scissors," "get your haircut! you look like a hippie," and others. One of the main rules is to not cheat the system by asking or encouraging people to click on the ad links. So I do not encourage or discourage any clicking of links you might see on this blog, unless it is your personal desire to do so. I know that if I click on a link from my computer then Google comes to my house and has a "talk" with me. I think that was somewhere in the legal paragraph number "XIV. Do As We Say...or Else." It's all good though. The 35 or so cents I can get yearly from this program far outweighs the rules, restrictions and displeasing appearance of adds on the blog page. That's not true. I would love to get paid to write, and this is the first step to, what do they call it? Oh, right, selling out. I'd love to sell out. I can't think of anything better than to get paid to do what you like. As long as what you like isn't unsavory. To rephrase, I can't think of anything better than to get paid to do your favorite savory activities. Except for church and faith based activities. Those shouldn't be paid. And if your favorite savory thing to do is volunteer work, then you probably ought not get paid for that either, because then it would just be a job.

Why me?

I just learned that if I type a title and hit 'enter' then the blog is posted.
Why me? is something I was thinking about earlier. We probably all ask it at some time. Whether to parents or a boss, or God. There are two ways to ask it, simple and selfish. If a boss asks me to do a task, I might ask "why me?" thinking that I am not qualified or whatever for the task, this is asking it simply. If I ask in a whiny way then I am being selfish. It is either because I think I am above the task or I'm lazy, in a bad way (yes, there is good laziness, listen to "Lazy Day Afternoon" by The Plain White T's, well, maybe there is no good laziness, but it's a good song). So we can ask "why me?" in different ways. Obviously we don't want to ask it with a sense of pride. That's all. My thoughts ran out on this one. I need to get a voice recorder and carry it around. Sometimes I'll think of a topic and start writing it in my mind. By the time I get to the computer I've lost some or all of it. Such is the case this time. Let's see if I can salvage the topic.
I suppose the point I wanted to make was that often when we have an experience and we ask why, it is because we are shortsighted or selfish. We either don't understand how the experience will work for our good, or we don't want to get our hands dirty. I have no closing thoughts or moral to sum up. I guess one last thought is that if we find ourselves asking "why me?" to someone we trust, maybe we should just trust that they know better than us and follow their recommendations. And for those of you who might be a bit more on the pessimistic side, there are of course people who will be asking you to do something out of their own selfishness, in which case you might ask "why me?" Can't really do anything about that I suppose. I've got nothing on this thinking thing tonight.

Check This Out!

Earlier this evening I was watching TV. At the moment it is later in the evening and, surprise, I am watching TV. But don't fret, I played guitar for a while earlier, as well as spent four hours working outside. Anyway, while I was watching earlier, there was a commercial for a new movie with Betty White in it. What is the deal with Betty White? Seriously. All of a sudden a few months ago she is showing up on commercials all over the place. She's in actual commercials, television shows, movies...it's too much! Not really, I don't care, I just don't see the interest in her. I guess I don't have anything against her, it's just that I don't like seeing older people doing raunchy comedy. I think it is disgusting. So I thought about this when I saw her commercial earlier. Then just as I started typing this I was watching The Office (which, several days ago I mentioned a plan to write about something and The Office is related to that as well, I'm still working on it) and Creed mentioned his disgust with Betty White being all over the place. Someone asked if he followed Michael's lousy nephew on Twitter and he later explained to the camera that he was sick of seeing all the Twitter posts about Betty White. All the kids are Twittering (I refuse to participate in the Twitter lingo and so forth) about Betty White, and Creed is sick of it. So he follows Michael's obnoxious nephew because he doesn't Twitter about Betty White. I thought it was interesting that a random thought I had was portrayed on The Office, just hours after I thought it. And it was a new episode of The Office so it couldn't have been that I thought it because I saw it previously on that episode. I'd never seen that episode before. Amazing. 30 Rock was hilarious tonight as well.

You Don't Get Paid For What You Do

I've been looking for a job for a few months now, though not aggressively. It is really interesting seeing what types of pay are associated with different work requirements. This is an interesting one:

Working Conditions
Duties require the ability to work in extreme outdoor
weather conditions. An employee must be available for considerable overtime
during heavy snowfall or other emergencies. All employees may be required to
report to work outside of their work schedule and must be reachable by phone.
Dangers are present when work is performed near heavy equipment, hazardous
materials, and roadside litter. May be exposed to blood or airborne
pathogens. An incumbent must be able to use tools and lift materials
commonly used in routine maintenance work. Participation in a random drug and
alcohol-testing program is required before driving vehicles or operating
equipment. Overtime work is required, particularly during the winter months, and
is considered a condition of employment. https://erecruit.per.state.vt.us/

And now compare it to this one:

Working Conditions
Incumbents must be able to work quickly and accurately
under pressure before the public eye and from telephone inquiries.
Employees must be able to deal with confused, frustrated, and highly upset
customers and handle large sums of money. Normal office conditions
prevail
with occasional trips outdoors to verify vehicle identification
numbers, as well
as trips to other branches to assist when personnel
shortages occur.
Private means of transportation may be
required. Some overtime work may be
required. https://erecruit.per.state.vt.us/

Do you see any discrepancies? One says you are staring in the face of danger constantly, in severe weather, while the other says you make occasional trips outside to check VIN's. Which would seem like it would pay more? I would think the action/adventure movie one would be more than the office comedy one, but I'd be wrong. The first job has a pay rate of $9.86/hr. The second one is $13.46/hr. That just seems kind of ridiculous. Why would I want to go for the heavy lifting job when I could get payed 25% more to sit in a climate controlled office? I don't know if it is 25% more, I just guessed. (I'm not saying I'm opposed to getting $13.46/hr to sit in an office, I'll take that any day)

Crime Doesn't Pay

As I was driving yesterday morning I saw a man leave a bank and enter the road, on foot. He stopped between some parked cars and waited for an opportunity to cross the road. He was probably expecting me to stop and other drivers to stop and let him cross. Just as the Santa Barbara Police Department has a saying (probably on a T-shirt) "No body, no crime," I have a saying "No crosswalk, no stop." Cold and heartless? Of course not. Jaywalking is a crime. Though not even a misdemeanor in some jurisdictions, it is usually at least an infraction. The typical punishment in either case is a minimal fine. Money isn't the issue though, it is safety. I confess, I am an occasional offender in this case. I do jaywalk at times, but I feel I do so responsibly. That is not to excuse myself, as I would never excuse a criminal who was responsible in robbing a bank or committing a murder. "I plead not guilty to robbing the bank. Sure, I held a gun to the man's head and pushed him to the ground, but the safety was on! Obviously I took money that didn't belong to me, but I said please!" That might have the markings of responsibility (it doesn't), but it isn't responsible. I jaywalk when the road is clear and I do not pose an interruption to the flow of traffic, that's my goal for being responsible about it. The way I see it is that I am capable of crossing a road without dying, so I will. If that means not using a crosswalk, then sometimes that's the way it is. Any person who steps in front of a moving vehicle and expects that vehicle to stop is a jay, a rube, an imbecile. In the battle between moving vehicle and me, I don't stand a chance. I'm not going to chance it. Hence responsible jaywalking. Though wherever jaywalking is a crime, I do not endorse the practice of it, responsible or otherwise. I suppose the only real responsible street crossing is to obey traffic markings and signals and employ active observation of traffic. I never walk anywhere any more so I don't have much need to cross roads. But that's mostly irrelevant.
I decided to read some facts about jaywalking so I typed it into the search bar on the browser. I checked out the Wikipedia post for it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking) even though school taught me that you have to be careful with that site. I think it is informative for basic things like this, but I wouldn't cite it as a reference, well, you know, in a real piece of writing. This blog is "casual Friday" about that kind of stuff. Yes, I did just use that phrase in that context, feel free to do so yourself. Example: I am casual Friday when it comes to matters of foreign policy. Back to the Internet search. I found this section of results interesting:

Cue singing: "One of these things is not like the others." Sorry about the fuzzy-wuzzy image. It's legible though. What do Chinese and dryers have to do with jaywalking? That's what I want to know. If you find out anything, let me know. I suppose I could have clicked on the link and maybe found out, too late now.
Back to my original thought. As I was driving and saw the man who obviously wanted to cross the road but was not at a designated pedestrian crossing area I wondered if it is possible to be an accessory to jaywalking. Many crimes have accessory charges associated with them. Perhaps there can't be an accessory to an infraction though. I guess in most cases it just hasn't been legislated. It probably never will be as the general rule is that pedestrians in the street are given the right of way, common sense dictating. That's not to say it is fair game to run over people not in a crosswalk, nor is it to say that if you hit someone who irresponsibly jumps out in front of your car that you are fully responsible. Maybe you are, I don't know. The point is, if I had stopped to let that man cross the street when he wasn't on a crosswalk (he was pretty close to equal distance between two crosswalks) then I would have been an accessory to his crime. I don't need that. I think it would be entertaining to see someone get charged (as long as that someone isn't me) with accessory to jaywalking. I'd also like to see someone picked up for conspiracy to commit jaywalking. If someone walking along the road starts walking towards the curb, maybe takes one step into the road and then steps back up and keeps walking on the sidewalk. It could be argued that they were thinking about jaywalking. I guess these issues aren't really that high on the priority list. But wouldn't it be sweet if they were? How about if the worst crime being committed was jaywalking? It'd be a nice place to live. Or we would adapt our ways of thinking so that jaywalking would be as morally reprehensible as murder. It would take some time, but it would happen. I guess.
So be careful out there.

What? No references to Jay Leno's Jaywalking bit? There's one.

Harpo Marx Shining Shoes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo0ZkclUzCg
Just jump to the 5:37 minute mark (a quick preparatory scene at this time leads into the best part at 5:51). The funniest bit of Harpo ever. No joke, funniest ever. If you don't believe me then you can see for yourself, but make sure you aren't drinking any liquids or have any broken ribs. Also, be wary if you are sharpening a knife or building a card house. You will laugh and convulse. I promise. If not, you are dead. I'm not threatening you, I'm just saying that only a dead person wouldn't laugh at this scene; then again, I think even a dead person would laugh at it, so if you don't laugh you probably aren't dead, you are just a turtle. If you don't know what that means, we are even, because I don't know either. But if I find out I'll be sure to give you a call. Enjoy the comedic genius of Harpo Marx.
You gotta get in the Marx mood because I think I have a card up my sleeve for a future posting that will be insightful and entertaining. Or it will be so obvious that you will read it and think "duh." That possibility doesn't deter me though. For better and for worse. That's right, and. Furthermore...I don't remember now. Oh right, I wanted to recycle a joke. First, a bit of background info. A little more than a year ago Muffin Man introduced me to the Marx Bros. It was right before I started dating a girl who was also a fan of the Marx Bros. Muffin Man sent me clips on YouTube and I was hooked. I watched Duck Soup with the girlfriend; that being the first full movie of the brothers that I saw. About that time I declared that I was in a new phase of comedy. You see, when I happen upon a comedian or certain style I usually adopt that style a bit in my repertoire. My first phase would be called Simpsonian. Then I followed that by becoming a Seinfeldian. Many years passed before I added being a Reganist (Brian Regan, lesser known, but well worth the time to get to know him). I was still in the Regan era when I was introduced to the Marx Brothers, at which time I became a Marxist. You see, it is funny because Marxism is a real thing, but in this case I don't mean it in the way that it is typically meant. So it's funny. Just to keep things clear, I am not a Marxist, nor do I like anything like that train of thought. I believe in God and freedom. If anyone tells you Marxism, communism or socialism is OK, and you believe in God, you better read the original works of the proponents of these three ism's. I haven't, but you should. I have read some of Marx's Manifesto, and I've read about them in text books. So really I don't know what I'm talking about. But Marx said this in the introduction to a book, or something, called A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right

Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has
either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again. But
man is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is the world of
man—state, society. This state and this society produce religion, which is an
inverted consciousness of the world, because they are an inverted world.
Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopedic compendium, its
logic in popular form, its spiritual point d'honneur, its enthusiasm, its moral
sanction, its solemn complement, and its universal basis of consolation and
justification. It is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the
human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion
is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma
is religion. Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of
real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the
oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless
conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the
illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call
on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to
give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is,
therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is
the halo.

Remember he is no known (to me) relation to the Marx Brothers of comedic
glory and fame. Man, this post really got away from me. Perhaps I miss the days
of paper writing at college? Sometimes yes. Which reminds me, I need to send an e-mail to a certain favorite sociology professor of mine.

No Animals Were Harmed in the Typing of This Blog

Have you ever seen at the end of a movie that some animals were harmed during the filming of a movie? I was just wondering. They always have that note to appease the animal society people, but I wonder if they can make that claim honestly. There are a lot of movies with animals in them. I know people sometimes get hurt during the filming of a movie (I wonder why there is never any notes about that at the end of a movie, is human safety not worth as much as animals? Probably has something to do with informed consent, I'll allow that). Animals must get hurt in the filming of these movies and then they still make that claim. Who is checking up on these people? Is it possible that during the filming of Free Willy there was a catastrophic accident and the whale died and then they found a new whale and passed it off as the same one? I wouldn't know. A lot of animals look the same (within their species I mean). I wouldn't know if they started with one dog and then finished with another one. No one would know. It's almost like the movie people are trying to exercise Jedi mind influence on us. The sad thing is that it is working...

The rest of this post can be found in the Ajax's Whimsical Revolution ebook for Amazon's Kindle. The book is a compilation of my favorite posts, 78 to be exact, of which this is one. If you don't have a Kindle e-reader you can download the free Amazon Kindle app for PC or Mac.

Hibernation: Not Just For Picnic Basket-Stealing Bears Anymore

I suggest that since humans are mammals we are susceptible to hibernation characteristics. As always, I will offer supporting evidence of my claim. I am good about giving evidence, my weakness is in the weakness of my evidence, it's usually nothing but anecdotal - but then what evidence isn't anecdotal (think about it). Example one: years ago I was working at Subway. My friends would come in all the time in the afternoon. During the summer we'd go over to someones house and play rock and roll music. Most of us played guitar or something. They could come in at 4pm and want to go do something when I got out of work at 5pm and I'd go. Then it turned to Winter and it was dark and cold by 5pm. My friends would come and ask if I wanted to do something and I'd say it was late and I wanted to go home. Nothing in the situation changed except the temperature and amount of light from the sun still visible (how's that for an accurate statement?). I figure it must be the cold and dark that make me want to just go home and not be out. I guess that's really the only example I have to give, it just happens a lot. I'm noticing it again now as Summer is ending. It is still light until 7pm or so, and it's not so cold that I need a heavy coat yet, but I'm starting to feel like not going out in the evening. Either I'm feeling some hibernation tendencies or I'm developing evening-specific agoraphobia. I've lost interest in this topic rather rapidly. I would at this point do some research on hibernation and make some ridiculous comparison to human brain function or behavior, so ridiculous that you would believe it, but I think I'd rather not. Another time, perhaps.

Help! You Need Somebody!

I like to point out things that I think are in error. Be it a person’s idea or action. Humans are very discerning creatures, though creatures is used here in a literary sense, to introduce neat sounding words, I think the word subjugates our animal distinction and takes away our unique divinity. Now some of you might take issue with the fact that I am associating humans with deity, more on that later. I say we are discerning, and I mean that we constantly have to discern, or to decide, between different options. We are always making choices. We are free to choose, but the options are dependent upon the previous choices we have made. I studied psychology in college. It was my choice. This course of study prepared me for certain options in the future. If I now decide that I want to be a doctor of medicine, I have not previously made the choices which will allow me to make this choice without further choices and passing time. My choice to study psychology limited the options that would be available to me in certain areas in the future. In some ways we determine our futures by our agency. The future is not determined for us but by our own choices…for the most part. I do believe that there is divine providence which interacts with the course of our lives for good, but this influence is probably going to be dependent upon previous choices we have made, though I don’t intend to command what God can or cannot do, I believe he can intervene in our lives without our preparing the way, but I also believe he greatly respects the gift of being agents unto ourselves which he gave to us. I believe that liberty to choose is one of the natural rights, or inalienable rights, which was pertinent in the founding of the United States of America. There are also some limitations to our total liberty based on the liberty of others around us. Sometimes the choices of others can heavily influence our total liberty in options and choices. Cue our more recent, say, 90 years worth, government of the U.S. In some ways they have impeded our liberty through selfish legislation. Which brings me back to my original thought: I like to point out when I see someone or something which I think is in error. The question that springs from this thought is this, who decides what is right and wrong? Further, when is it appropriate for me, or is it, to instruct someone else about their error and suggest correction?
I do this all the time, if not out loud then in my head. I hear a comment from someone and think about how much I disagree with it and imagine a correction to the comment. I wonder if it is my place to say anything though, so usually I keep quiet; depending of course on the situation and my relationship with the person who I am judging to be in error. I expect that you might feel unsettled by the suggestion that there is any one person who can determine who is in error and in need of correction. That uneasiness about this topic is what generated my question in the first place. Personally, I believe that Jesus Christ is the judge of all people. So where does that leave me? Do I just keep my mouth shut and let whatever happens happen? No, of course not. If that were the case we wouldn’t have any laws. We have laws because while living on this planet we must govern ourselves. We have been taught the laws through prophets and by Christ himself. For those who accept Christianity and the accompanying commandments, there is recognition of the law and the Judge. But not all people do accept this belief system, so there are man-made laws and judges (yes, judges are man-made; storks bringing babies is a myth). We have laws and judges in place and we have law enforcement agencies and officers, but there are still opportunities, some less extreme, to see and judge and correct in day-to-day life. These are the situations I’m talking about. The best I can do is to judge acts and ideas against my autobiography. I can look through my lens and see discrepancies. Is it right for me to think that my lens is better than the lens of anyone else? The easy answer is no. But the simple answer is no also, just a different kind of no, or perhaps neither of these answers make sense. The real answer (for me) is that Jesus taught that with whatever judgment we judge with, meaning, whatever our system of discerning and calling someone out will be what is used to judge us. If our judgments of others are unfair, we will think our personal judgment for eternity unfair. If we judge with mercy and according to eternal laws with which we are familiar, then this is how our judgment will be. In the end, it is not discerning and making a judgment call that is prohibited, rather, it is self-righteous discerning and making a judgment call that is. We must judge righteously, that is, we must follow the laws when making judgment. The laws I speak of are the laws of God, which not everyone adheres to and accepts the same version of these laws. And this leads us back to the same question, is it OK for me to offer correction to someone who believes differently than I do?
I think the answer is to only judge and to only offer correction out of love for the person you are referring to. If your motive isn’t genuine concern for the welfare of that person, then you are operating on anything but love. Love does not vaunt itself, love lifts those around it. I think a primary motivation for wanting to correct others is competition. I know this is the case from personal experience at times. I want to correct people because I want to show off my knowledge or understanding or I want to be seen as more competent and capable. These feelings come from competition. The world speaks of healthy competition, but I’m beginning to wonder these days if there is such a thing. I blame our language, having only one word to describe competition. Maybe there is good competition and bad competition. It is similar to the issue of the word pride. Pride is bad, according to religious definition, yet people are proud of their accomplishments and take pride in their country and family. There are two meanings to this word, each with drastic difference. For my own understanding, I separate pride into these categories: self-aggrandizement and joy of accomplishment. One is bad, it puts self above all others; the other is good, it shows value in following a job through to the end. With competition there might be two categories as well, possibly the same. Bad competition could be defined as that which is for the purpose of lifting yourself above others, while good competition could be that which encourages personal growth by all parties involved. However you slice it, competition and pride have dark sides, and they are not fueled by love.
Contention is the root of pride and competition, I suggest. Contention is the feeling of animosity towards an individual or group. It is being at odds with another party. Contention is argumentative. Contention is “I am right; you are wrong.” Competition and pride fueled by contention are the dark sides. Competition and pride fueled by love are the light sides, or Jedi sides for those of you who might prefer. Since we are on the subject, Anakin Skywalker wanted to help people, just like Yoda, but when it came down to it, Anakin wanted to help people to serve his own selfish desires. I’m not going to say that Star Wars is a perfect example of how one should or shouldn’t align their motivations, but if we look loosely at the story as a generalization I think it works. The Jedi were selfless in the use of their abilities, Anakin was portrayed to be the opposite. Motivated by selflessness, or love, the Jedi were on the good side of the Force. Anakin, motivated by selfishness, was on the dark side of the force. To get back to my topic of thought, motivation determines when to correct another, and who ought to do the correcting.
As I try to keep the revolution oriented towards myself - I don’t want to be a pompous commentator - I am keeping this topic centered on me. I want to know when it is appropriate, or if it is at all, for me to judge others and then offer correction. I feel it is almost prideful to expect that I can give correction, but then I have to be introspective and realize that I have been blessed with attributes and experience which does allow me to offer helpful ideas and suggestions to other people. Again, it can become a fine line to traverse, just like the Jedi. The lesson I will take away from thinking through this topic is to seriously analyze my motivation when I want to call someone out on something. Some questions I might ask myself are these: what are they doing they I find displeasing? Why do I find it displeasing? What purpose would it serve to voice my displeasure with their thoughts or actions? How might they feel after I do, if I do? How might I feel after I do? Am I willing to suffer through the pain of change and correction if I decide to voice my displeasure? That last question might be the most important one in determining when we offer correction to someone. Am I willing to be by their side as they make the effort to change their life, if that is the choice they make and they have a desire for me to help? This is an idea I’ve gotten from my brother when we have discussed these things. If we are not willing to help a person change (again, the idea that we know better than someone else is a tough one, but if we are seeking to align ourselves with the will of God, and desire to help others do the same, then in my subjective point of view, it can be done out of love and not selfish pride) then we ought not to suggest they are in need of a change. If I am not willing to put on the apron and get behind the minimum wage counter at a sandwich shop then I better not tell the trained sandwich maker how to do their job. Unless the motto of that sandwich place is “Have it your way,” in which case you should probably just be polite in asking to have it your way. In any case, we should probably all be polite. Hopefully I’ll keep thinking about these things and allow it to lead to improvements in my character. I will, however, retain the right to criticize politicians because I am willing to take their place, as untrained as I am, because I don’t think a dog, a pony and a spider could do any worse than those self-gratifiers we have elected into office right now, and for the last several decades, generally speaking. I love to contradict myself as a grand finale. We all have room to grow.

And Another Thing

Have you ever noticed how close these two statements sound, "coming!" and "come in!"?
These are two things that people yell when there is a knock on the door. Two very different messages being delivered, but two very similar sounding phrases. If I yell "come in!" and the person hears "coming!" then the person will stand outside the door waiting and I will sit in my chair waiting. Eventually the person knocks again and I yell again and then it just gets uncomfortable and socially awkward. But, if I yell "coming!" and they hear "come in!" it is so much worse. Have you ever had that one happen? You are in your apartment and the knock at the door and you yell "coming!" and then the door opens and some boppo's head is poking in your door. I don't know what a boppo is, but I don't want him coming in my house when I'm not prepared for him. My advice is to always keep your door locked and not to yell commands to people who knock. Seriously, why would you yell for someone to let themselves into your house when you don't know who is out there? So keep the door locked and approach visitors with caution. But you don't have to take my word for it. It's your life, do what you want with it. Just like J.G. Wentworth suggests you do with your money. And Goodnight!

Thinking

Now, I’m not a scientist, but I have a theory. You see, sometimes when I’m lying in bed at night, I’ll be thinking about something, but then I’ll roll over and by the time the shift is made I’ll have forgotten what I was thinking about. Let me show you an example…

[the audio on the video is weak, here is what I said, er, thought] today was long. I don’t want to do that thing I have to do tomorrow, oh well, I guess there’s no way around it…so about that, well, I don’t know what I was thinking, but I could go for some popcorn shrimp right now. What a perfect form of shrimp; near equal parts fried stuff and shrimp. Dip it in a little cocktail sauce, or tartar sauce, even better! But what an unfortunate name for it, tartar? Toothpaste commercials with their computer animations have ruined tartar sauce for me…

Right, well, here’s my theory, when you are lying on one side the blood pools in your brain on the one side increasing activity, then when you roll over and shift the pooling begins on the other side, rushing activity away from the neurons your previous thought process was involving. You then have the sensation of forgetting what you were thinking about, but it is probably only a stronger signal from new neurons that overpower the other. Like a head rush when you stand up too quickly, you feel light headed, like you are going to pass out. I’d explain my supposed scientific connection between these two ideas, but I don’t have one. Good day.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Sure, we aren’t even half way through September, it technically isn’t even fall yet, but I say it’s time for Christmas. Yesterday I listened to the Carpenter’s Christmas album while driving to church. I know some people like to wait until after Thanksgiving to break out the Christmas gear, but I say why wait? Or maybe I ask it rather than say it. Doesn’t matter to me, the bottom line is that it is never too early for Christmas. Last year was interesting; I was at my college apartment for Christmas. It was too expensive to fly home for only a two week break. I thought I’d get really into Christmas like I usually do, with music and movies and candy canes and stuff, but I never did. I had a Dr. Seuss’ Grinch moment when I realized that Christmas, as far as the traditional celebration parts of it weren’t the same without family around. Happily, I spent Christmas day with my friend’s family and it was great, but the weeks leading up to it weren’t as cheerfully celebratory as I had expected. Traditional Christmas is great, the music and movies and candy canes, as I mentioned, are all fine. The heart of Christmas is the observed celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and what his life represents to all of us. The History channel never fails to remind us of the pagan traditions mixed with this holiest of holidays in the Christian world, but I don’t care. Pagan or not, the tradition stands today as Christmas and for me there is a recognition of Jesus Christ. I think I will try to incorporate more reverence this year though. The Christmas season and spirit to me is all about faith, hope and charity. If you are a Glenn Beck supporter or hater you probably recognize those three topics. Or perhaps you are familiar with these three topics grouped together by the apostle Paul in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians in the New Testament. Paul gives charity top billing in this section. Charity is love, pure love, the kind of love that God the Father and Jesus Christ each have. Christmas embodies faith in something bigger and better than self, it embraces hope in mankind and overcoming physical weakness in drawing closer to God and it is fueled by love, or charity. There are many people out there who live faith, hope and charity every day of the year. There are others of us who are lucky to focus on these things at least during the Christmas season. So I say why not start the Christmas cheer three months early? Why not keep the decorations and candy canes out all year? Would it keep us acting more charitable in March and April if we did? Or would we get tired of it and not even improve ourselves in December? Would it reduce the sales numbers in late Fall so that’s why we seasonalize it? To keep it fresh every year and sell more? I guess there are some pagan traditions that have crept into the celebration that I could do without. Well, to each their own, but I will be listening to Christmas music from now until whenever, and I will enjoy it. And I hope that I can remember Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch so that I can remember the change in their lives and recognize that such changes are fully possible through faith in Jesus Christ, whose birthday we are celebrating with the holiday (or are we?). People can change of their own volition; however, I think the full, long lasting, most beneficial change for good, the true, honest change of heart comes only through the healing power of Jesus Christ. So I say Merry Christmas, even in mid-September.

Yellow Watermelon!?

Apparently they make yellow watermelon. And my mom grew it in the garden. Then I ate it and it tasted like regular watermelon, meaning the reddish type you buy in the store. What a life changing event. Along with this watermelon experience I went to MusiciansFriend.com to buy a set of acoustic guitar strings and ended up with a new guitar. You see, they are giving away a free acoustic guitar (MSRP of $159.99) with the purchase of 8 sets of strings. Now, 8 sets of strings don't come cheap, we are talking $110. I don't have a job, so dropping that much money on strings would be ridiculous, that is, unless I got a free guitar with it. Which I did. And I've got it all figured out, Kramer-style. I'll sell my current guitar which I hope I can get around $300 for. The free guitar isn't quite the same level of quality as the one I have now, but it will serve the purpose for which I want it. This means that in the end I will end up with a perfectly functional acoustic guitar and 8 sets of bronze coated D'Adario .11 gauge acoustic strings and just under $200 cash. All of that in place of my current acoustic guitar with 5 old strings and one empty string spot (the high e just snapped today). As long as I'm doing my figurin' correctly, I'm making out like a viking in a neighborhood of sissy-boy gold refiners. If that's even a thing.
Finally, two words (names, actually): Seinfeld, Banya.

I Don't Want to Work or Bang on a Drum All Day, Now What?

If not for my love of modern convenience and comfort, such as Subway, deodorant and hot water indoor plumbing, I think I'd like to be a 19th century farmer. Since returning home from college almost two months ago I have been able to spend a lot of time outside cutting weeds, trees and anything else that grows and belongs to the plant kingdom. I've been digging up and relocating dirt to areas where it is more beneficial. It has been great. I love working outside, even when it is 85 degrees (Fahrenheit, in case you are reading from outside the U.S.) and super humid. I don't mind sweating, I just drink a lot of Gatorade and water. I haven't really worried about money, I have a little in the bank and my parents aren't charging me to live with them. I suppose if we worked it out I'm paying rent through my grounds keeping labor. But we aren't keeping score. The point is that I haven't had to pay attention to money. It has been nice. I looked at my bank balances today and realized that I need to get back into the job seeking. I don't mind working, I like to work, but looking for work is what I mind. Employers want schooling and work experience. I have both, but not on the same topic. And in most cases neither my schooling or my work experience match what I'm looking to do now. So then what? In a perfect world maybe my schooling, experience and work interests would all line up, but they currently don't. I don't want to just bang on a drum all day, I don't even want to strum my guitar all day, a few hours is nice, not even hours, maybe one. I'd really like to do something beneficial and functional though. I want to contribute. And get paid. But only because if I don't get paid I don't eat. Like I alluded to earlier, I don't want to go back to 19th century farming. Did I not allude to that? I probably misused the word. Don't sweat it. I don't want to go back to farm days, but I would like to have more survivability on an individual level. I guess that isn't possible without giving up toothpaste and Gatorade.
I just looked back up at the title of this post and realize that I contradicted it quite nicely. When I typed that I don't want to work it was in reference to my distaste of the job searching. So to clear that up, I do like to work, and I do want to work, I just don't want to have to go through the hassle of not having a job and then looking for one and getting it. Forget it, the title just doesn't work with my thoughts.

Life is a Test, But It isn't Standardized

We are constantly proven in different circumstances. Because of each person's unique experiences that make them who they are, none of the circumstances we are ever in are the same as anyone elses. Even if they appear to be so. The same situation provides vastly different tests for everyone involved. Yeah, it's not that profound, or unique, but it's something I was thinking. So that's a blog.

Take a Hike

I have come to the realization that the kindest people in the world have something in common, other than that they are all kind, they like to hike. This is the only explanation I can conceive. I went hiking with some friends today; every time we passed someone on the trail they said "hi," "hello," "how's it going?" or "nice view at the top?" A few days ago I went to the store and no one even made eye contact with me. I wondered about why this is (I honestly don't think that the kindest people in the world all hike, nor do I think that all hikers are kind). I did exaggerate, there were a few people who didn't offer a greeting until after I did, and others who didn't say a word (in which cases neither did I). The best I can come up with is that there is a sense of unity on the trail. A common purpose and interest brought us all together. Friendship is bred of commonality. Or perhaps it is a sense of awkward fear of the unknown that generates a desire to unite. When you are out in the woods away from society and our learned safety zones and features (witnesses, cameras, police officers, cell phone service, etc.) you might be a bit scared. You test the other hikers by offering a greeting. If they respond you consider them safe and feel at ease. For me, I think I offer greetings on the hiking trail because of the closeness. If I don't say hi they will know it. It is the opposite of the diffusion of responsibility phenomenon. I'm the only one there, so I have to say hello. There isn't a crowd to absorb the responsibility of offering a greeting. I guess the real question would be why do I feel the need to say hello on the trail, or better yet, why do I keep typing trial instead of trail. I've noticed it a few times so far, but I might not have caught it everything, and spell check won't catch it, so if you saw it and were confused, that's the story. What was I saying? Its not important. Bye.