Greed Life

This just in: Good Life clothing company (A.K.A. GLIFE or GEELIFE) of Montreal capitalized on the name that I wanted for my dream company name. This appears to be their mission statement:

Born out of the inner revolutionary stance of everyday street life, at GOOD LIFE aka GLIFE we strive to create art & fashion-forward collectables that reflect our dedication in defining what inspires us NOW… so we can avoid waking up one morning to the horror of having what we all love being defined for us.

Lame.

Collectables? Not only is the word misspelled, but I believe the "GOOD LIFE" should have nothing to do with collecting. Investing is good. Upgrading is fine. But collecting? Don't argue semantics with me--I'm talking about hording stupid shit, keeping it in mint condition (i.e., not using it), and then expecting others to be impressed by your piles of shit. That's dumb. (At the same time, I see value in general record collecting, preservation, and maintenance of other historically relevant artifacts, so don't get it twisted.)

While I realize that all the ideals I've loaded into the term "Good Life" wouldn't ever be embodied in something material, and buying material things won't transfer the thrills and enjoyment of a Good Life to a consumer, I'm still sore that the name has been taken and abused. Of course my definition of the Good Life is meaningless to the next person, but I will continue to live as if my vision (despite its ever-changing nature) is the one and only.

If I had a company that was based on the (real) Good Life, it would have integrity. It wouldn't be cheap designs slapped on shirts. Granted, their concepts are similar to designs I've created in the past, and are akin to designs of other brands that I would care to emulate, but it's been executed in poor taste. I would hope that my company wouldn't even be primarily focused on the merchandise--it's about the message. GEELIFE's Good Life is filled with gang signs, dollar signs, and a crown that looks like the Intel Inside logo's inbred, clip-art cousin. A few collaborations with some established names and Glife is rolling.

Anyways, jealousy and envy have got my blood boiling right now.
Lesson learned? Get on it.

Thoughts about reading, work

Let it be known: I don't like to read. In most cases, I read slowly, and often need to re-read parts of or entire sections of the printed material, whatever it is. What's worse is even this strategy fails to result in a permanent deposit of the information in my memory bank. I quickly get bored and set the book down, possibly returning to start from the beginning at a later time. I do well with short articles and video clips. I don't believe I have a "learning disability," but feel free to leave a diagnosis in the Comments section...or perhaps an interesting fact you may have picked up in a book recently.

I do admire the person who enjoys reading and recognize that there is an endless amount of useful information and advice contained in printed pages... I'm not sure where this leaves me. Fortunately for me, our society is super-saturated with electronic media containing concise bites of information. Some of it is bunk. Take my commentary on the 2008 Presidential Elections. Most of the information I include is useless, emotionally charged opinions. That's not to say it's baseless, but it is rather useless.

So, back on topic: I hope to read something one day. I'm not sure where to start, or when. I guess I'm usually drawn to non-fiction materials (the most boring of all) as they seem to contain the most "bang for your buck," as far as "learning stuff" is concerned. I'm just not sure when I'll make time for it. I don't think I ever have a free moment. I'm either working, playing, fetching, or resting. If I get a free moment, I can find something with which I would rather fill it.
--

Speaking of personal behaviors, I also want to talk about work ethic. I don't care too much about the work for which I am employed. I'm not "invested" in it as much as my boss would hope. I get paid for 40 hours of work, and care to be present for only that many hours. My boss sees it differently. As I am an "exempt, salaried employee," he would have me working well over 40 hours (but never less). He has lost sight of the fact that I am invested in my home life (my wife, my dog, my house, and my hobbies) and expects me to take some stake in the company--motivation to work hard without compensation in the short term. One of these days this fact might become unavoidable, or it might change. For now, I am getting by, as they say.
--

Oh well. Enjoy the new blog header. The photo was taken by Jessica Love. I've also made a few other amendments, like changing colors and adding a couple links of sites I enjoy visiting.

Stay up! D

lion life

"it's better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb"
New music project by Zach de la Rocha and Jon Theodore

The Goods (Plus, "Everyday is the Worst Day")

Been thinking about employer-employee relationships, or tensions, lately, and remembered there's a band called Employer Employee. I looked them up and they are really good. Their style sums up that very tension on which I've been dwelling. I think my friend Brandi used to listen to them, no? She probably did. I can imagine her imitating a mosh pit like, making a face like she's singing, like: ----!!!! Nevermind. Ha

John McCain...I forget what I was going to say. Not sure why I feel compelled to attack his reputation and his campaign. I wouldn't hesitate to say that I've been very negative against him and I'm not too worried about it. Today I heard a sound bite of an interview with McCain in which he was asked how many homes he owned, and he declined to answer. He had to check with his staff or something. At a later time he claimed four homes, while an attack add by Obama claims seven. Supposedly McCain has four residences and other "investments." Does that matter? Not really. But it irks me.

Also, I can't figure out my bike tire and that makes me feel really stupid. And when I feel stupid, I get angry. Like, piping hot mad. Ask C. Haha

Also #2, I came home to find that Alden had eaten an entire bag of dog treats. What a jerk!

This is the most pointless entry.

out

--
Post-script
I "figured out" my bike tire! Apparently my car-powered air pump just sucked and the floor pump I purchased at the local bike shop did the trick...

Also, "Everyday is the Worst Day" was C's suggestion for today's blog post. We're both exhausted from the additive effects of small problems and stupid happenings that seem to have been more frequent than usual. However, I'm sure even she will admit that we live a charmed life.

Say word?

Deflated

On my ride to work this morning, two men in a pickup truck yelled at me to "Get off the road!" as they passed while revving the engine. As loud as I could, just short of cupping my hand around my mouth in appropriate bullhorn fashion, I responded "Fuck you!" It appeared as if they had then entered into a lively discussion about cyclists' disregard for the rights of motor vehicles, affirming their correctness and moral duty to remind me of where bikes don't belong. I recall shaking my fist in the air in a comical, grumpy-old-man sort of way, but I don't think that really happened. I was really hoping the stop-light ahead of us would have turned red so that I could pass and give them an angry look, or to offer them a brief lesson on Ohio roadway legislation; although, I never think "on my feet," as they say, and the whole incident might have escalated into fisticuffs. Almost simultaneously (but unrelated to the ignorant hecklers) I heard a succinct "POOF!" underneath me and concluded I ran over some trash that usually lines the margins of the road. About 100 feet later my deflated front tire sounded the buzzing moan that characterizes the resistance of flabby rubber on pavement. Fortunately, my commute to the office is a short one (~1.5 mi) and I was already two-thirds of the way there. So, I walked. I regret not having a spare tube with me--and I look forward to being better prepared next time, especially if I find myself much further from my destination, down a creek without a paddle, or up a creek with a bike instead of a boat, or whatever...

I've decided not to interpret the flat as karma; a supernatural sign that I shouldn't curse loudly in public or shouldn't respond to ignorance with anger and ill-will. Instead, I've chalked it up to out-of-the-ordinary obstacles trying to derail my enjoyment of biking that add up to an eventful morning before a mundane day at the office.

--
By the way, cyclists are allowed to be on the road and are allowed to claim the full width of the lane as necessary for safety in certain situations. In some (if not most) cities, bicycles are legally obligated to be ridden on the road, as it has been proven that biking on sidewalks is generally unsafe.

Shout-out + Re-vision

Reviewing yesterday's post I had one of those smack-my-own-forehead moments of self-disapproval; I failed to send out a very public "Happy Birthday" to my dad. He turned 51 yesterday! Also, a point worthy of note, C will be turning a very beautiful 25-years old tomorrow. I will admit, the dread inside is growing as I really don't want her to be disappointed in her special day. She deserves the world and I want to be the one to give it to her, on a silver platter. Or a polka-dotted one if she would like it.

Speaking of C, she and I had an interesting discussion yesterday about jobs, the economy, and our parallel vision of the Good Life. I don't want to give away any secrets, but I would care to say that I feel very good about the future, which will hopefully include checking-off most of the items on that list I wrote up in high-school... Nothing is very certain, and some of our radical ideas are in a very primitive stage, but I realized C has the imagination to create a better life and I'm on board. I also realized that since high school I've not "stepped outside the box," and have found myself in a stream that might be carrying me away from the original ideals that originally inspired me. The Good Life--which I'm apparently NOT living--seems more feasible than ever and it's within reach. I just need to accept the challenge and take the leap. [and I don't mean "plunge" here!]

Say word?

Garden 2008: Successes and Failures

I realized yesterday I should take a minute to jot down some of the many things I've learned from our garden this growing season; successes, failures, and ideas for different approaches to next year's garden. I'm not sure what would be the best model for this entry, and in light of the carpel tunnel I've developed after a few hours of weed-whacking cattails at a local mitigation wetland yesterday, I'll keep it as a brief list that might be expanded on later...

Success
1. We got vegetables! Lots of vegetables. Maybe too many of only a couple varieties (see Failure #1). What was also cool was that this crop is pretty tolerant of the climate without needing lots of maintenance.

2. The seeds were started in good time so that tomatoes were rocking to be put in the ground not long after the last frost and really started growing huge!

Failures
1. We planted too much of only a few things all at the same time. This included 3 zucchini plants, 3 hot jalapa pepper plants, and 6 tomato plants! What?! Are you kidding? Nope. We really did that. It might not have been so overwhelming if we staggered the plantings by about one month. That way, by the time the first plant started closing up shop, a new one would be all fired up. Instead we have ended up with a pile of zucchini and tomatoes, and don't have any more cilantro coming to us this year.

2. (This sort of ties in with Failure #1...) We planted ALL of the seeds of a few varieties of plants. This included all of our tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, parsley, and cilantro. What we could have done was planted only a few seeds of each (because, as we learned above, we didn't need so much all at one time) and saved the rest to either stagger the plantings to extend the harvest or to use next year and save a good amount of money.

3. We didn't pick the zucchini fast enough. The result: giant zucchini! It is my belief that by letting the fruits grow too big, it sucks lots of nutrients out of the rest of the plant (and the ground) and hurts other fruits that could be produced.

4. We didn't stake the tomatoes or pepper plants early enough which hurt the plants and made it very complicated to finally get the cages around them. Hopefully this will be done at the same time the starts are plugged into the ground!

New Ideas for 2009
1. More vegetables! Here are veggies I would like to try:
- romaine lettuce
- beets
- beans and/or peas
- onions
- edible flowers (i.e. pansies)

2. More structure. It would be cool to have a trellis or a bamboo tepee for certain plants (runner beans) to climb. Maybe a raised section of the bed, or introducing a potted plant, will add an interesting aesthetic...

3. Lots more flowers! Sunflowers especially! Other herbs, like chamomile are pretty and interesting, and fill space well...

4. Try to use organic pesticides or repellents to keep away certain insects (esp. those that like our zucchini!)

Ok. That's all for now...Peas! D

A few things that would care for some attention

- In my last post, I didn't intend to suggest that the two "highlights" I provided there were the only good things that happened over my week in the OBX. I wanted them to illustrate the awesomeness and the hilarity we were fortunate to experience on vacation. What I failed to mention was that, (as I predicted) C and I were able to spend a lot of really high quality time together, one-on-one. There's nothing better than that.

- Returning to the aforementioned "highlights" of the OBX trip, I've tentatively identified the sea turtle as a Loggerhead. Out of the five species found in North Carolina, the Loggerhead is the most common. Incidentally, all five of those same species are endangered.

- I'm pretty confident I did not place in any of the top three spots of the Blue Moon art contest, nor did I receive the audience choice award... Oh well. I still get $100 which will be the most money I've received for a piece of art work yet.

- C loves the Olympics and I wish I was Mike Phelps, for her sake.

- The McCain campaign is full of douche-baggery.

Home on the Range

We've returned from vacation and I really wish I had another week to unwind from the trip. My brain is so tired that I can't even think about writing much. Really, the middle of the week was very relaxing. Every day was spent on soaking up the sun at the pool, boogie-boarding in the ocean, napping, eating, contributing to the group's efforts toward finishing the puzzle, and drinking. I was even so relaxed I was persuaded to finally pick up a book and start reading it. [While I care to mention said book is Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent, I would also care to note I do not necessarily endorse this author due to his outstanding arrogance and pretentiousness.]

Two highlights of the trip:
1. Witnessing a massive sea turtle patrolling the shoreline, probably looking for a safe place to lay eggs.
2. Terry asking "Whatcha gon' doooo?!"

It's great to be at home with Alden who we missed so much. The garden was in shambles, and I will hopefully spend the next eight months accumulating a much better plan for our landscaping and next year's vegetables. The weather is perfect and I really don't want to return to work...

More later...

D