ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ...

Blogging. It can be seen as a very narcissistic past time, full of oversharing and bragging and believing that whatever you have to say is important to everyone. It's not; not always. I find it to be a very liberating experience. It's full of soul searching, self realization, and expounding on thoughts and experiences. It's kind of like dreaming or teaching; it organizes thoughts in another way and gives you further insight into them. I like it.

Dodging balls, tending bar, and other participles...

Life has been...well, life, recently. Things keep moving along and I just try to keep up. Fast paced as it may seem, though, day to day is sort of chill. Sleep in some, Walk dogs, go on the computer, play some guitar, walk dogs, watch TV/Lost (rewatching)/Fringe (yay Netflix), walk dogs, go on the computer, go to bed. Repeat. Not too shabby. I have started to mix it up a little, however. My Tuesdays are now epic fun time evening hour (at least, that's how they'd be advertised in Japan) and this past weekend and the next one are full of learn. (Like full of win, but more educational.)

Friedrich Nietzsche and Pope Alexander...I mean, Alexander Pope...

I forgot how much I love Eternal Sunshine. It has a very uplifting message. Once you get past all the petty bullshit, real love is happy. At its core, love is worth it; no matter the tough times, deep at the heart of it, love is always worth it.

Growing up...

Sometimes I think about growing up. It's hard not to with facebook bombarding me with friends getting married, having babies, etc. The craziest part is they're mostly people who are younger than me. I don't feel like I've gotten older, but here are kids I used to teach who are now well into college; people who were born in 1990 will be able to drink this year; kids born in 2000 are in middle school.

I remember when I first felt old like this. I was directing Jungle Book and my friend Kenny was assistant directing and we were brainstorming with the kids to figure out themes for the Saturday rehearsals. Kenny suggested the '80s and one of the kids...not even one of the youngest, mind you, said, "What's the '80s?" Wow. Seriously? Quite a shock.

It all makes me think.

Editing Huckleberry Finn is counterproductive...

Really. It is.

What reason are they giving for removing the "n" word and "injun"? They want to avoid offending people? They want to prevent the perpetuation of racism by eliminating references to those words?

Another perspective...

First...let's get one thing clear. I would NEVER work for Starbucks again. Period. That being said, I think I can share this now without any confusion. I just got a coffee and they didn't have a carafe of half & half out. I went over to the bat to ask for one and the girl said they didn't have any in carafes, but she would give me the jug. Now, I know this is a blatant health code violation, but it popped on a light of realization for me. I saw everything from the customer's perspective in an instant. I understood why we should do all the small, annoying things that customers ask for. They're just nice. Eff the company & eff all the metrics the manager & DM try to judge you by. It really is only about people. I even had a moment of believing that I could go back and actually enjoy it. I definitely know it's an epiphany that will stick with me through any customer service job I may have in the future. I only wish we could live in a system of compassionate capitalism instead of the ruthless, bottom-line one that we have. People and all our interactions matter. Nothing should ever trump that.

Till next time...