SOC on a Friday

It's a beautiful sunny afternoon. I'm sitting here in an air conditioned tea house, gazing out the plate glass windows at the bustling city, mountains actually visible in the background; the typically all-encompassing smog is absent today. The remains of my $20 mid afternoon snack lay before me. They will go to waste.

The weather is the stuff of dreams, for a man who spends most of his days out in the world. California, despite how much I might bitch about it, is in this respect superior to any other place I have ever lived in or visited.

I am a lucky soul. Despite any personal headaches that I have, no matter how serious and costly they are or may be, I am at very little risk of personal injury or death. And though I admit that compared to my peers, my risk is exponentially higher, let us speak in broader terms.

I'm mostly whole, ignoring some relatively minor persistent damage from injuries sustained in the past. I'm not fighting in some distant war zone, for a cause I know little or nothing about, nor am I fighting to protect my home and/or family from oppressive invaders bent on wiping me and all those like me off the face of the planet for some nameless and intangible "god," or vice versa. My income already puts me above 99% of the rest of the world, meaning I am winning the struggle for the scarce resources available to the entire human population.

The water just served to me by the pretty waitress(thank you) is refreshingly cold and guaranteed potable. The food I just ate has an extremely low probability of being anything but fresh. I live in a big house, I have few enemies(and those I have, are not physically murderous, and even if they are, I'm paranoid enough to make it difficult for them(I hope)), and I have companionship enough to keep me from falling further into this psychopathy others claim I have(just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm psychotic, it means its not important, interesting, or relavant enough for me to care about).

The fact that I can sit here and can just not work for a few hours, eat overpriced snacks, drink overpriced tea that was shipped here from half the world away, and just be idle, yet not suffer a single consequence is amazing to me.

The $20 I spent, I can make more, yet it's enough to feed a family for a month in the Sub-Saharan territories.
The time I spent writing this, what work that was to be done has been delegated to my minions.

I am incredibly fortunate.

And yet, I know, it can all change in a moment, and it troubles me.

But not this moment. This moment, I can be content.

There will be time for strategizing and contingency planing later.

Let me have this moment in peace.

What to do, what to say

Rushing about this week, meetings with family retainers, partners, friends, and employees. Phone calls here, there, and everywhere. Plans made, scrapped, remade, refined. Contingencies readied and checked on.

And Harvest Moon preordered.

And I do want that Springfield EMP, but need to update or build a better Pc than the one I have now, and the car needs servicing and upgrades as well.

So much to do, so much to see.

And girlfriend is increasingly annoyed with Borderlands 2.

Borderlands, $0.05 Wine

Went drinking over the weekend. Remembered why I dislike going barhopping. Rather, my wallet reminded me. I also did not drink much, mostly because I knew I was going to drive, and a friend of mine just got a DUI the previous weekend.

Got Borderlands 2 this week. Girlfriend is feeling ignored. Head is feeling nauseous.
Conclusion: Video games are bad for body and relationships.

Bevmo held a $0.05 wine sale again this week. Went by, returned with a bunch. Ain't drunk 'em yet, but will strive to do so in a most un-snooty way.

Going out tonight, hopefully to gather information and try to head off troublesome things. This issue has cost me enough brain-cycles and grief.

9/11-11 years after.

Seems like its been long enough, and everyone is 'bout ready to move on.

It's destined to go down in history as another date on a page, much like December 7th.

But wait! Embassies and consulates being attacked? Ambassadors and staffers killed?!
What is this, Iran, 1979?!

Sad part is, Facebook is trending iPhone 5 nonsense, and not a hint of Ambassador Stevens' death to be found.



ION:

Democrats want to reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban this cycle. Republicans are calling for a constitutional amendment against abortion.

What the hell is going on with this country. Can't we all just keep our noses in our own business without pushing our views on others? 

Who the hell do I vote for now? At this rate, I'm going to need to vote for more gridlock so nothing gets done!

Damocles

Head overflowing with heavy thoughts.

Hanging over head. Will it drop?

Cleaned out the garage.

Car is long, garage is short.

Ate, drank, and was merry.

Looked into Corona for work.

New, yet smells like cow.

Sent off a care package.