Archives for March 2005

I received another piece of fan mail in which I was told that I am a heartless, sociopath because I do not believe that Terri Schiavo is alive in any meaningful way and that I think she has been turned into a political pawn.

I am still not going to spend a ton of time writing about my thoughts and feelings on this, in part because I just don’t feel strongly enough to do so. But the few moments I give are enough to say again that this case has rolled out a large number of hypocrites.

This is not a situation that has to be seen in black and white terms and I argue that if you do you are missing out on the many subtleties and intricacies here. It is not about saying that someone is pro0-death or pro-life. It cannot be boiled down to such a simple description.

We have taken the most personal, private and painful moments of a family and placed them on display.

We are not providing coverage of the funerals of our servicepeople. We are not watching as wives/children/parents cry over the casket of those who gave their lives in service to our country. And I am not arguing that we should, but there are people among us who are not coming correct here.

Terri’s case is tragic, but it should not be our focus and if we must do so than I would hope to take it to a higher level then the rudimentary discourse I see out there now.

And I still wonder about the people who claim the moral ground here. What do you do in your community. How do you help? What do you do to improve the world? Or is it easier to sit in your recliner and complain about how unfair life is.

Boy, there is nothing better than knowing
that so many people want to make me rich.
I just received the email below and cannot wait to go wild.
 Think of all the monkey business I can get into with this.
Hello,

I am Mr James Alinco, an auditor of a reputable bank in Johannesburg,
Gauteng Province in the Republic of South Africa. I have an urgent and
very confidential business proposition for you.
We had a foreign client named Mr. Chung, Timothy, who deposited a huge
sum of money (18.6 Million United States Dollars), with our bank.
Eventually, this client died in a plane crash and since his death we have
not had anybody come up for the claims as the next of kin.

You may want to take a look at other passengers, who were on the same
plane; here is a site for your
perusal.http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9708/06/guam.passenger.list/
A situation I have monitored closely with my position in the bank. Now
having monitored this deposit and managed it over the years before his
death, and hence nobody has showed up as the next of kin for the past
years. I now solicit for your assistance to present you as the next of
kin as every other arrangement/ processes will be monitored by me and my
partners involved. However I got your contact from a trade consultant
here in South Africa, though I did not disclose the purpose of my
seeking for a foreign business partner to him. Although we will still have to
sign some agreement before the final transfer of the fund into any of
your designated bank account.

I have involved a very senior official in the operational department,
and we have agreed that after the transfer of the money into your
account, you shall be entitled to 30% of the total sum, my colleagues and I
will have 65% while 5% will be used to reimburse any expenses incurred.
All necessary precautions have been taken to ensure a risk free
situation on the side of both parties. Please note that this deal can only
take place on the following conditions;
1. Absolute confidentiality and sincerity will be required and
guaranteed, considering our positions in the bank.
2. Assurance that our own share will be released to us in good faith
when this money finally gets into your account.
Please treat with utmost confidentiality. Contact me as quickly as
possible through my e-mail.

Expecting your urgent response,

Best Regards,
Mr. A. James

I have spent a large part of my life living a dream. I don’t care to explain that in great detail now so I’ll climb up onto my soapbox and begin my session of preaching to those who need it and to those in the choir.

I am a voracious reader, it is something that I love. I read almost anything, nonfiction, fiction, biographies, science, medical files, legal, this and that. My library is a potpourri of odds and ends, an assortment like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates. You don’t really know what you are going to find there.

My personal library is an area filled with snobbery and high falutin’ ideas. It is a place that I can always find solace and sanctuary in, although there have been times where it is hard for me to catch that little thing that makes me smile.

I am moody, at times more high strung than laidback and then the exact opposite. A dear friend calls me consistent in my contradictions. If nothing else I am longwinded and not as concise as I could or probably should be. Members of my fan club take me to task for not getting to the point, but if you are reading my words you are probably willing to take the long way home.

For years I have listened to people cry about their lives. Untold tales of sorrow and woe, high drama and things that are so petty that I just shake my head.

The basketball gym is filled with men who could have done something. I hate that. I grow tired and weary of listening to stories about what people could have done. Don’t yammer on about what you could have done, tell me what you are going to do. Tell me about how you have discovered a new love and how you are going to bring this love into your life.

It could be a person, a hobby or a career. If you are speaking/writing about things you love there is an energy that radiates from you. I am a big believer in exposing myself to that kind of passion. It is a highpowered fuel that fills me with belief in my own dreams.

I hate change, but I hate regret more. I measure success in my own happiness. Can I look in the mirror and feel good about myself. Do I like me? Would I want to be friends with myself. All that newage crap that you read in the greeting cards, I internalize a lot of it.

There are many people out there who have suffered more than I have, whose lives have been much tougher and there are many who haven’t begun to plumb the depths of sorrow that I have. There is a darker side to me, a place in which the sun seldom shines. It is filled with thorns and the dead rose petals. I know it for what it is, a graveyard in which I store the pieces of me that have died.

But a cemetery does not have to be a place of endings, it can also be the site of new beginnings. So I can look at the dark side and see the potential for many good things. It doesn’t have to be a place filled with regret. People bring flowers to the cemetery and they add bright and vibrant colors.

For no reason whatsoever allow me to share one of the contradictions of my life. I have often felt that I would either outlive most of my friends and family or die at a young age. I have already lost several friends so I don’t really expect to be among the vanguard of souls into the world to come. There is still too much to do and see so I expect that I’ll be around for a long time.

In Tolkienesque terms my doom is to watch over those around me and to eventually be the one to turn out the lights when the party is over.

And now on to a more exciting topic.

Apparently Audioblogger is not working because I tried to post from the middle of the Happiest Place on Earth which also happens to be the location of a bazallion people. And these bazaillion people were all milling about in a gazillion different directions making it difficult to traverse the rugged terrain of Frontierland, the wacky landscape of Toontown and just forget Fantasyland.

Hadn’t been to Disneyland in about five years, definitely not since they added California Adventure to it.

Somehow we managed to park in the one lot that didn’t have tram service. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t been loaded down with sleeping children and gear. It was literally a 20 minute walk from the car to the entrance. I had a backpack that weighed about 12 pounds and alternated between 17 and 38 pounds of sleeping child so I suppose that I am ready to begin basic training.

It was a good day, we had a lot of fun and so did the children. But today my body is feeling the pounding it took. My son and I had a great time on many of the rides, but the Pirates of the Carribean takes the cake.

It was a new experience for him and we was a little scared so he spent a lot of the ride tucked underneath my arm and squeezing my hand, but he still liked it.

We considered purchasing an annual pass, but there are too many blackout dates and I am not willing to spend $300 a pop to avoid that. It is about 45 minutes from the house, so we will go back but at these prices not that frequently. All in all it was a good day.

Dear Jack,

I have been following your blog for sometime now and really enjoy the fiction you write. Will you tell me something about how you write?

Thanks,

Mike

Dear Mike,

I write with a pen or sometimes a pencil. But if I am feeling really lazy I have my manservant take dictation from the houseboy. They make a good team.

Dear Jack,

You are one of the most obnoxious people I know and if I had my way you would never blog again. I can’t understand why any woman would ever want you. One day you’ll get yours.

Eat shit and die,

Your Pal

Dear Pal,

Are you sure that you know me, because if you did you would understand that women cannot help but throw themselves at me, just like you are now. I’d like to spend an evening with you, it would be educational for both of us.

Ok, maybe not educational, but I do believe in charity.

All of my love,

Jack

Dear Jack,

What do you think about Bush?

Regards,

Tim

Dear Tim,

After I finished smacking myself for all of the obnoxious remarks I’d like to make I want to say this ##%&$@#$&$&$^&$&$%#&*^*^, and how.