While I suppose it’s a practical requirement to take inventory from time to time, I find that birthdates seem to be a good bookmark. Birthdates are also a good excuse to eat whatever the hell ya’ want…all day long; which is precisely what I plan to do.
Perhaps it’s time for some shorthand notes that I’ve carried around in my jeans to finally be transcribed tonight. Hence I can finally toss this ragged piece of notebook paper and wash these jeans. Of course, I will have to purge the washer of clothes from two of the other tenants in my building since they tend to wash clothes and assume that they’ll magically jump into the dryer and upstairs to their closet. Here we go:
Never listen to movie critics. I would have missed some classics if I had.
Overindulgence of any kind is never a good idea.
I really love fried chicken…for that matter, I love fried anything…especially if it’s enveloped in bacon.
There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.
Admit when you’re wrong.
No matter how long I live…farts will still be freakin’ hilarious to me.
I sometimes, foolishly, forget that I DO have one living family member. No matter what a piece of notarized paper says. And this person has unquestionably been an enormous source of advice, comfort and self realization of late. Thank you.
I had a whole bunch of fun drinking cheap ass tequila at 20 years old sitting in the middle of the lake with people I‘ve not seen since. It was a blast…no matter how bad my head hurt the next morning. Waking up at 7am with a trail of beer cans floating behind us seemed funny. How we never got busted by the coast guard still puzzles me.
Some people are simply not nice…that shouldn’t dictate your own mood, actions or mode of thinking.
Tucking things away does not fix a problem. If a tree falls in the forest it may not be heard if no one is there, but the fact remains that there is a mess to clean up and ignoring it adds no redeeming value to the work at hand. Put on some work gloves and get busy.
Real love isn’t necessarily hard to find. Sometimes it finds you when you least expect it. Keeping it is what takes work…and it’s never to be taken for granted.
Agreeing to disagree is an overused and unreservedly inaccurate statement. You simply agree or disagree. There’s nothing wrong with healthy debate. Sometimes only one side is correct. Sometimes ALL parties involved are wrong; sometimes they‘re all correct. Compromise comes to mind.
The first kiss between two people, no matter how old you are, still causes butterflies…it’s supposed to do just that.
I miss my family, but missing them to an unhealthy level won’t make a single one of them come back. So, I savor the good moments more often.
Publishing a book is harder than writing one…but it’s certainly worth it.
Good friends are indeed hard to find. They’re also easy to overlook if your head is clouded. Pay attention to them; they need YOU sometimes too.
I really have an unhealthy obsession with Cash Cab.
It’s a good idea to step back and let someone else give you a fresh, outside, perspective on your problems, shortcomings or situation. Critique is not always easy to hear, but necessary to grow.
I don’t care how bad your relationship is with a parent or sibling, don’t let them pass without making amends or speaking your mind. I’ve seen too many people live a life of regret because of it.
It’s time for some bad habits to go away.
Finn McCool’s deserves a public thank you from me for providing a creative and comfortable environment in which I spent half of 2009 writing. They were also more of a family than they might realize when I was dealing with things in Tennessee.
Having a hobby is a good thing
If I had a time machine, I wouldn’t do a damn thing with it other than visit the grassy knoll in November of 1963 to see exactly WHAT happened with JFK. That’s why taking a little inventory is a good idea from time to time…to avoid the necessity for a time machine. A flux capacitor (what a great movie) won’t help.
People watching is a fun and entertaining way to amuse yourself or forget about troubles for a while. It’s like watching live, unscripted, television without the 7-second delay. Plus, it’s free!
New Orleans has afforded me painful lessons, incredible friendships, inspiration, indescribable love, high and low times and valuable insights. But, I suspect there is a guy or girl sitting in Boise Idaho saying the same thing about their town. No offense to Boise, I‘m sure it‘s a fine place for some. The potatoes are most abundant there…but I’ll take crawfish with my potatoes these days thank you very much.
Slow and steady does indeed win the race.
City Park is a great place to spend a late afternoon, except for dodging giant, stinging, man eating caterpillars by the way.
Saying that you’re sorry is an important thing to do. Fully realizing what you’re sorry for is an absolute must in order for it to be real.
I think that many of my friends could be legitimate stand-up comedians. It’s nice to close the laptop, put away the cell phone and laugh rather than to miss the moment.
I need to get new tires…and an oil change. Crap!
Hope is a good and healthy thing.
Things can always be worse. Just this week two of my friends are incredibly lucky to be alive. They should both be dead, but apparently it wasn’t their time to go. And for, undoubtedly, selfish reasons I’m quite happy.
Fruit plate for breakfast and a spinach salad for lunch still paves the way for a guilty pleasure on birthday eve…cheeseburger and fries! Judge me if you will…I‘m having a sugar coma inducing bowl of cereal tomorrow morning too.
I’m looking at a gorgeous full moon right now sitting on my stoop. After years of having friends deployed in the military in far off lands, having bouts of homesickness and experiencing lost love here and there I still find myself wondering who else is looking at it while I am…and what they must be thinking.
It’s still good to buy something for yourself that you absolutely don’t need.
If you ever think that no one is listening to your little radio broadcast in the middle of the night, as a friend of mine once told me, open the mic and say “shit”. You’ll soon find out otherwise. Unfortunately, it will probably be the boss. (they NEVER sleep)
For some reason 11pm is the loneliest time of night. Not sure why but, to be sure, DVD’s help.
Cell phones can be a modern day ball and chain.
Sometimes life can suck, but if you stop and think about it, most of the time it doesn’t. Especially when you hit a royal flush on the max bet at a poker machine. Score!
Life and love really are just that simple, until you complicate it. (see the aforementioned tree falling)
copyright Pontchartrain Press 2010
