The world as I see it

As I see it, the world is divided into two kind of people: those who understand you and those who don't. If you are lucky, you fall in that first category in regards to yourself.

The professional editor in me kind of cringes at the phrase "as I see it." It is pretty much a given that I can only speak in regards to the way I see things. And right now I see that one of the cats has puked next to the sliding glass door and my daughter is seeing it as something to play with. This in itself is an illustration of different perspectives on things.

But I digress.

We like people who get us. And generally in order to get us they tend to be like us. Because to get us, they must understand where we are coming from. They get our references to obscure movies and books because they have read them. I am always amazed at successful standup comedians, because humor is definitely one of those things people only like if they get it. But then again, humans being the sheep that they are, will laugh at a joke if everyone else around them is laughing just so they don't appear stupid, though they obviously are. Alchohol also helps.

Humor is a particularly funny thing when it comes to people getting it. I've discovered this the hard way on more than one occasion. For example, there was this group blog I made the mistake of being part of last year that took offense to a post I made about not liking the label "vanilla" when referring to a large portion of the population who doesn't like their behinds smacked with a hairbrush as part of foreplay. You would think a masochist would enjoy being tortured about their chose of labels. Go figure.

But there I go digressing again. Though it's hard not to digress in a spontaneous discussion of your world view. It's a pretty big topic. It's as big as the world. Ha, ha...

Anyway, back to my world view. Blogging puts it into an interesting perspective because potentially people from all over the world can drop by and either get me or not. Of course, it helps if they speak English. That helps people understand me. Except perhaps for my Aussie friends. Although we share the mother tongue I sense there is still a cultural gap we need to bridge now and then. Perhaps this is why I was dropped from one of my Australian friend's blog roll recently. But no worries, eh?

The problem with people like you getting you is that, if you don't like yourself then you won't like the people who like and understand you. Kind of messed up isn't it?

Well so is the world and it keeps revolving regardless. Mine just revolves around me.

100 years

I know nothing

This may come as a surprise to those of you younger than 40 that I know nothing (or maybe not since you are still struggling with knowing it all). And for those of you pushing 50 or so, it probably doesn't come as a surprise that I know nothing. Because knowing things is a quirk of youth. Not knowing things is a realization of middle age.

I don't write this with much conviction, because that would imply that I know what I'm talking about. I don't. But I feel what I'm talking about.

It is not as easy as you think to know nothing. I spent years perfecting the illusion of knowing something until I finally believed it myself. But in the past few years I began having doubts that my all encompassing knowledge of everything was real. After all, if I knew everything, I wouldn't think that no one would be stupid enough to vote for Bush for a second term or that reality television was just a passing fad. And knowing everything somehow couldn't explain why I am pushing 50 and still haven't become a best selling author.

Epiphany time! I don't know everything! I know nothing! I don't even know enough not to use an exclamation mark several times in one paragraph!

It is a challenge knowing nothing in a world that values expertise. But I think that experts are just people who think they know too much to know nothing. So I have become more or less comfortable with my nothingness.

In fact, I have nothing more to say.

And I feel good about that.

A more elaborate time

My office

Writer's strike

I must admit I don't know anything about the writer's strike. I don't know whether it is justifiable or not. I do know that it is somehow responsible for my inability to find anything decent on television to watch. I also know that the lack of writers hasn't stopped crap like Celebrity Apprentice, Deal or No Deal, or the plethora of other "reality" and game shows of the same ilk from cluttering up the digital airwaves.

It's sad when I look forward to the reruns of Seinfeld and Frasier to come on at 10 p.m. just so I can actually watch something that doesn't involve a competition to lose weight, become a supermodel or marry a vapid, but eligible bachelor.


Hey, if the sitcom and late night talk show writers are holding out for big bucks to turn out crap, I'll just throw my resume in as a scab writer who will crank out the same crap for half the price. I'd be so jazzed to be paid anything for writing that I'd even whip out a few screenplays as a bonus.

I'm not a big fan of unions. My own theory is that collective bargaining for higher wages here has done the most good for workers in China and Indonesia. Even as a kid I could figure out that the more companies had to pay their employees, the more their goods cost. And the higher the cost for the goods, the less people would buy them. So demanding higher wages either could lead to your eventually putting your employer out of business or you were just going to have to use your pay increase to pay higher costs for other people's goods because everyone else was demanding more money, too.

I think we should return to the barter system. I could trade puns for food.

Maybe it would help me lose weight.

But I digress.

Besides, there is an all new episode of My Name is Earl on followed by 30 Rock and then Grey's Anatomy. Somebody is getting paid write again.

I imagine my DirectTV bill is about to go up again.

Sigh...

Gunter lives

More Rain

Just a little moody video I whipped out on this rainy day in Seattle.