Notes from a Friend's Town

1. I retract the declaration made recently to "let them see a proper asshole at work". It remains highly unlikely, that a generally well natured man as I, could ever begin to emulate the truest essence of a "proper asshole". It appears I made assumptions based on less than solid observations and experienced as a result of said observances, quite more than a few lack luster forays into the dating world. The better approach, most importantly the one I intend on taking, is to focus my efforts on refining my understanding of the world. I'll leave the romantic endeavors to the romantics. 2. & it's amazing, that I can still sing this song, so simply, about you. 3. A few notes on etiquette: • When invited to grab a cocktail with some one, you should ask when the invitation is extended whether or not you may bring along a friend. You do not make mention of someone else joining you after being notified that your host is running a tad behind schedule. • You d...

1. Congratulations to the people of Egypt!!! Goal achieved without direct Western assistance. 2. Some days, I'd rather abandon all responsibilities & just cool with Chewy. Since childhood has passed & retirement is a ways off, I'll have to table that idea. 3. Valentine's Day is here & I'm ok with not having one. I could wax poetically about how much of a bullsh!t holiday it is, about how the commercialization of eros has undermined the American family structure, etc...I won't. I'm a man & even though its a wack day in principle, it drove me nuts for years knowing I didn't have one & could look forward to receiving nada. I've moved on, I believe. 4. It bears repeating: it's not what you say, it's how (word choice) you say it. 5. I'm reading Zissner's On Writing Well & learning quite a bit about the craft. 6. ballonboyd.tumblr.com <--give it go why don't cha! 7. Mike: $5 million sounds like a decent am...

1. Now your draped in chocolate, taste the opportunity. 2. I respect the assessment "it's not you, its the market" but part of me doesn't agree with it completely. I should succeed in any market, regardless of the conditions. I'm born to win, remember. 3. "Yea bra, I stopped wondering (about that) long time ago". 4. Once I became aware that our state constitution allows for funding to be cut from education & health care first when a deficit occurs, I knew it was foolish to consider starting a family here. 5. Although I complete despise the commercial bullshit that is associated with Valentine's Day, I'm a bit ticked that I can engage in a discussion about it with my significant other because I have none. 6. Memoirs that cover traumatic experiences, if written well, have the profound effect of depressing me slightly. This makes finishing said memoir a chore. 7. Warhol?! Really?! Ok, that's cool but when it comes to scheduling face time,...

1. John Mayer's song "Fathers" directly reminds every man that the women in his life were at some point daughters. Daughter that need(ed) love, attention, respect , & encouragement. I'm not interested in electro-shocking the dead horse of absentee fathers, but if you have daughters, God-daughters, nieces, sisters, etc make sure that they receive all the emotional support to become complete women who are able to engage in well thought out decision making exercises with confidence. 2. At times, I take pleasure in argument for the sake of argument. Occasionally, I'll even entertain such while I'm drinking. Just to see how long I can banter before the flood of alcohol removes some blood from my brain so my liver can knock out the sugar surplus. However, such experiences are usually relegated to arguments where I retain a vested interest, a proverbial dog in the fight. (If that offends you, you're welcomed to leave) I'll go on the record & state th...

1. I woke up the other morning with a whirlwind of ideas passing through my mind as I reached for my glass of water. It was far too early to call anyone, so I spent part of my morning ritual talking to Chewy. Mind you, he only looked attentive in the moment I mentioned food. 2. Less than 30 days away from my least favorite holiday and I'm dreading it already. I can't stand shopping for anything during this stretch because those crappy decorations abound. 3. Even though it's a huge investment that constantly needs more funding, I'm quite excited to hear my friends talk of buying a house soon. 4. There are times when the use of "tact" greatly undermines the urgency & the essence of the message. Ahhh, the things we do out of concern for our fellow (wo)man. 5. It's been requested that I restructure the blog. In particular, that I post more critically engaging essays about current events. I'm reviewing the idea and have considered even starting a 2...

1. Heavy rain calms my mind down considerably. Soo much that drinking during heavy rain has the potential to knock me out. 2. Don't play around with your significant other for 7 yrs. If ya'll ain't made it to marriage phase by then end that ish w/ a bang & walk away smiling. 3. You've got to be comfortable being alone, not just capable of doing it. You need to able to come home on cold night, wanting to cuddle with another human being & realizing that life will not fail to continue should you pass the night alone. Unfortunately, the lesson takes awhile for some to master. 4. Didn't anticipate the night taking such a turn, twice. I suppose a more discrete approach would have been effective, but I wasn't in the mood for such. Tis a shame we were on different pages. 5. My mixologist>>>>>>>>anyone you can call. 6. Growing up in a financially rocky but emotionally stable house does wonders for your mental endurance when you'r...

1. Fell for the hypebeast, saw Tron, & got a movie pass from the manager because the disc was scratched. Funny how life balances out. 2. The only people who can do the most without breakfast are super heroes. I've tried on numerous occassions and the results are pretty lack luster. 3. What's the word on parents who bring their children in on the conversation regarding how they (children) are raised? Since when did parents cease being dictators, making it clearly known where boundaries reside? How can you expect to raise a generation that genuinely respects it's elders when you allow children to determine how their world will actually opperate? 4. What if the pretense was abandoned and we just played it out as it developed?? No play making, no strategies, just moving forward with it as it became clearer what it was. Perhaps such a luxury is the material of children's dreams and has no business crossing my mind, certainly less business clearing my lips. 5. Every ...