The Cat That Went Out For Lunch

    It's not often one gets a friendly hello from a cat while at a stoplight.

The Coverage Of The Olympics In The United States Sucks

    Tell me, who won the decathlon at the Paris Olympics? Oh, you're a resident of the United States and don't know? Of course you don't, and that's due to the jingoistic coverage of the Olympics that every U.S. based media source shoves down our throats. You have to search ESPN like a bloodhound to sniff out the decathlon results, and to actually view the event you have to rummage through NBC/Peacock as if you're searching for loose change in a sofa to find coverage of the event that is quite literally the single most challenging and athletically demanding of the entire Olympic games, which is why the winner of the decathlon is considered the world's greatest athlete.

   It is incredibly frustrating that the powers that be running the Olympics media coverage make blanket assumptions about what residents of the U.S. want to see/read/hear about regarding the Olympics. Those chowderheads cannot fathom that perhaps there are people in the U.S. who do not desire to be force-fed sugar-frosted shovels full of patriotism in order to enjoy the Olympics, that maybe there is a large contingent of us (or should I write U.S.?) that enjoy athletic accomplishments even when they are not performed by athletes from the United States?

   Excuse my rant, but I'm one of those guys who enjoys watching the pursuit of excellence regardless of who is doing the pursuing.

   For the record, the medalists for the decathlon this year are the following:

		Markus Rooth	Norway
		Leo Neugebauer	Germany
		Lindon Victor	Grenada

The Benefits Of Situational Awareness & Good Vision

    Along I-15 in west central Utah, the speed limit was increased to 80 miles per hour a little over a decade ago (this change was made on a number of rural highway corridors throughout the state of Utah, but this is the only stretch of the legal 80 mph I've experienced). Eighty miles an hour is fairly fast, but evidently it is not fast enough, as I passed several vehicles pulled over by Utah State Troopers as RL and I cruised west.

   

   Along one isolated, lonely stretch of a mostly downhill run, I noticed what I thought was an SUV parked on the highway median about half a mile in front of us. I mentioned it to RL and he said that I must be seeing things as he couldn't see anything even slightly resembling a vehicle of any sort parked on the median or anywhere else ahead of us, just scrub and the occasional rock. However, after about ten seconds more of driving he remarked, "Oh yeah, I see it now, looks like a cop." (not verbatim, words to the effect).

   At the same time he made that remark a car blew right past us, and had to be going at least a 100mph. I said, "Huh, looks like that driver hasn't spotted the cop yet." (not verbatim, words to the effect).  

   Which became something of a prophetic statement, for as we got closer to the vehicle parked on the median we could clearly see the lights on top of the cruiser as well as the Beehive logo of the Utah Highway Patrol emblazoned on it's door - but evidently the driver that had zoom zoomed past us still hadn't as we didn't see even the slightest hint of a brake light tap. That car just kept charging along at 100mph plus.

   The Utah Highway Patrol is not known for being indifferent to speeders so it was no surprise to us to see the trooper light up and pull out onto the highway in hot pursuit. We followed the chase for a little over two miles (from a safe distance, 'natch) before it came to an end when the speeder pulled over for the trooper. As we passed them I caught sight of the driver of the speeding vehicle resting his forehead on the his steering wheel in a gesture of utter defeat.

   So, lessons learned, 80mph is plenty fast enough for driving through Utah, and those white blocky looking things on the median are not rocks. 

   

 

Your Dog Might Be Half As Cool

 

If Clem Leaves His Home Driving Westbound At 35 MPH & Milton Leaves His Home Driving Eastbound at 25 MPH...Who Is In The Wrong Lane?

 

Opposites May Attract, But Do They Stay

The woman who liked to write

Fell in love with the man who hated to read

The man who found excitement in hiking

Fell in love with the woman who relished watching TV

The woman who delighted in celebrating

Fell in love with the man who couldn't help but remain glum

The man who enjoyed travel and exploration

Fell in love with the woman who preferred the comforts of home

And so it goes

It's A Most Wondrous Time Of Life

   The reasons people do anything that could draw attention to themselves differs with age. 

   When younger and craving attention it's usually the sort of attention that shocks or offends people that one may feel need to be shocked or offended, so people do things that are calculated (or at least hoped to) shock or offend - it's the whole "teenage rebellion" dealio.

   As a person gets older and matures out of the teenage rebellion cliche (which unfortunately has no set expiration date - some people achieve maturity in their teens, some a few years or decades later, and some...well, some just never do), The reasons people do anything that could draw attention to themselves start to change. 

   The most prominent reason that people want to draw attention to themselves at this stage becomes one of marketability; they need people's attention because they have something to sell, something that will make them money. 

   This happens almost reflexively, at least in the western world. Heck, "branding" is part of the transition from adolescence to adulthood (or what passes for adulthood) these days, and it's not just marketers or celebs that do it - it's something that is part of a wide variety of avocations: athletes, gamers, influencers, networkers, activists, evangelists - heck, even bloggers. 

   There is nothing wrong (IMHO) with wanting to make a name for oneself, to become known for being good at something to the degree that people are willing to throw money at you to do it, or even just wanting to be known for being good at something just because it gets your ego/mental state some sort of placation (there is something wrong with wanting  to be known for being good at something if that something harms or takes advantage of another human being, but that's a digression for another day). 

   However, there does come a time when a person does things to draw attention to themself not to be iconoclastic or to piss off parents/relatives/teachers/authority/a demographic they despise for whatever reason, etc., and that time is truly a wonderous time.  

   I am of course talking about the point in life that, when reached, is the most emotionally liberating and satisfying of all, and is not dependent on having reached any of the other markers of progression such as mental stability or financial security. 

   It's the point at which one simply does something, whether it's wearing a specific shirt or getting a specific haircut or indulging in a specific activity, simply because it's something one wants to do, likes to do, finds satisfaction in doing (and does not harm, interfere with, or take advantage of another human being), and adds to their enjoyment of life without remorse or regret. 

   That right there is true freedom. When the motivations for doing anything are not based on how others are going to react or think or be impressed/influenced/made envious or jealous by, but instead are motivated simply because you and only you are going to enjoy and be comfortable with the clothes you're wearing, car you're driving, home you're living in...free from ego-driven motivations, free from that dreaded "keeping up with the Jones" status trap, free from a need to address a misperceived shortcoming, free from the need to look or talk or act in a specific manner to fit in with a specific crowd..that's true freedom, right there. 

   I think I'm there. 

   Maybe.