I was in London when I first realized I was solar-powered. It was a curious sensation. Daylight was as rare as a tasteful meal there (except for Indian food). The gray skies drained my batteries, leaving me sluggish and unenthusiastic. It probably dried my humor too.
"There's that phrase again."
"What phrase?" I sat forward to listen to the TV.
"Men are the new women. I heard it on another show a few weeks ago."
I shifted on the couch. "Men are the new women, huh? You think it's true?"
"Are you guys talking about masturbation?"
Lisa and I glanced at Ken. His eyes were dancing in their sockets.
"Sorta," I smirked. "We were talking about that Seinfeld episode where Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer have a contest about…"
"The master of your domain episode!" Ken scooted his chair closer. "I loved that episode!"
"This guy is driving me nuts. He seems to be interested, yet he's not doing anything. What the hell is up with him??"
I shrugged and stared at my beer. "Maybe he's just a passive guy. They need a little more time to warm up."
She shook her head. "Well, I can't wait forever."
Whenever a person goes through a traumatic social experience, that person will make judgments that overcompensate in the opposite direction. The person's judgments will swing like a pendulum, from one side to the other, before finally settling on a more moderate stance. This is a natural defense mechanism, innate in us all. It is inevitable and even necessary for our recovery from traumatic social experiences, provided we swing back eventually.
"Do you have to be unhappy to create great art?"
I thought for a moment. "I wouldn't think so. Why should being happy or unhappy matter if you're a great artist?"
"Okay," Jimmy continued. "Name someone who's been happy and created a great piece of art. Music, writing, painting, whatever."
"Some of my female friends are so stupid."
I laughed. "Why do you say that dude?"
He sat up in his chair. "Because some of them have such unrealistic expectations."
"I think I know why people cheat."
"Oh?" I looked up from my lunch. "Do tell."
Jimmy cleared his throat. "Okay, here it goes."
I love a good action flick. Mindless, heart-pounding, knife-wielding, gun-totting, ass-kicking, chunk-full-of-cliches, action movie.
The hero walks into a room with a hundred bad guys. The odds are against him. They all have swords and rifles and rocket launchers. He has a pencil sharpener. And yet, he still manages to kick all of their asses.
God I love that.
That moment, that instant we're born: are we good? Or are we evil?
Do we arrive into the world with a predisposition for good deeds, good thoughts, and good intentions? Or are we innately bad, inclined for evil acts, evil notions, and evil desires?
Me, I don't think it's either case. I think we're born selfish, (though selfishness is generally considered an "evil" trait). Allow me to posit:
Weekly random rambles, musings & writings of Mike Lee in San Francisco, CA