Day 1058

I went to get some lab work done this morning in preparation for my upcoming physical exam. On the way home from these mandatory blood tests, I drove by a new breakfast restaurant that I'd never seen before. It was odd that I didn't know about this place, since it was less than four miles from my house. I learned long ago however, that there are lots of thing I don't know about.

When I went inside, I was greeted by some very old people eating a late breakfast. They didn't look happy. Most were talking about last night's election results. "When do you think he's going to change the flag," said a white haired woman to her companion at the table next to me. "You know he's got his own flag." she continued. At the other end of the dining room I overheard a man say. "There's plenty of jobs. These kids today are just too damn lazy to work."

I'm a chameleon. I blend in easily at places like this. I blend in equally easy at restaurants where the patrons all sport tattoos, raise their own urban chickens, and have long discussions about sustainability. It's kind of sad. In a world that has gone tribal, I still haven't found my own tribe.

I'm not a religious person, but I feel more comfortable around Christians and Jews. Somehow, people that put their faith in a higher power seem much nicer to me than the secular humanists who have become convinced that they are the higher power. Although I strongly believe in the importance of family values, I haven't talked to my own family in years. On and on it goes. Although I have become very good at my chosen profession, it still hasn't stopped me from thinking that advertising is basically rubbish. It would be nice to believe in something, but I'm not sure what that would be.

In lieu of becoming a true believer, team player, or tribal chieftain, I have become a good observer. I see things that I think have meaning and I take pictures of them. I observe the world around me and write my observations down. I seldom make judgements about what I see. That's your job.

Maybe all this is why I appreciate the wisdom of dogs. Dogs are very good observers. Dot and Dash are extremely alert and notice everything around them. Lord knows what they actually believe.

Chase is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 947

Have you ever noticed that if you took away all the cute cat and dog pictures on Facebook, all you would be left with is an endless stream of politically correct and occasionally incorrect opinions from people you actually know? I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want to know this much about the beliefs of people I actually know. Please guys, just let me live in blissful ignorance. All this being said, I still think my Facebook stream is better than my Google+ stream, where everyone seems to think that a dash of science and a giant group hug will cure all the world's problems.

Coming face-to-face with all these opinions everyday is a bit discouraging for me. It has made me realize that as a society, we have reached a point where we will never come to a consensus on anything. Instead of uniting behind a common goal, like going to the moon or winning WWII, we have  become a bunch of ineffectual competing tribes, with no loyalties beyond our own tribe. Maybe it won't even matter. I have a feeling that in thirty years or so our world will start to resemble that Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome movie.

Since there's a good chance I won't be around in thirty years, I concentrate on more pleasant things. I really enjoyed going to the Panasonic seminar this afternoon. I couldn't begin to afford most of the video equipment that the manufacturers demonstrated today, but it's nice to know that it's out there. So, who goes to these types of seminars? Increasingly, it is the cameramen and editors who are employed by professional sports teams. I routinely see folks who work for the Cowboys, the Mavericks, and the Rangers at these events. I guess it makes sense. Professional sports organizations still have the money to buy boatloads of this expensive high-tech equipment. The rest of us don't. The rest of us are faced with the prospect of making cheap YouTube videos on our iPhones.

I think I'll go back to the empty restaurant with good food tomorrow. It's really peaceful there. I'll listen to a piano concerto and watch birds splashing in the bird bath right outside the front window while I eat my whole grain pancakes and a pulled pork breakfast taco. It's only Thursday evening, but TGIF anyway.

Jade is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day