Monday, February 23, 2009

...

I did something new today. I was driving through a rural area of Minnesota, where the landscape was flat and monotonous and completely covered in snow as far as the eye could see. Who’s to say how the brain works and why one thought leads to another which leads to another which ultimately leads to some sort of action or decision, but my decision in that moment was to stop along the road and just aimlessly observe the barren wasteland before me. I would say something poetic to describe the feelings such a plain sight can invoke, but I don’t consider myself to be a good enough writer for that. I started thinking about that Japanese girl I mentioned last week and how she was convinced there was money buried somewhere out there in the snow. I wondered what kinds of things were actually covered in the snow. What was the landscape underneath like? There was a million – no, probably closer to a trillion – details that could describe the landscape but it was all invisible. Now there was only a couple words that could describe the land: flat, pristine, white, etc.

Then those thoughts led to this one: what areas of my life am I cruising by without considering what’s underneath the surface? What am I missing out on? What am I taking for granted? Notice that these questions aren’t “Am I” questions, but “What am I” questions.

I'm waiting to arrive at the next thought.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Don't mistake me for an existentialist

I’ve hit one of those spots in life where things feel different from the way they’ve felt before. Isn’t it weird how our mind evolves and our attitudes alter along with it without any specific catalyst? It just happens. I’m at one of those checkpoints where it happens and I’m asking myself new questions and rethinking old ideas; trying to make my life worth something.

I read a news article about a Japanese girl who saw some movie where someone buried a large sum of money. Apparently she thought it was real and traveled from Tokyo to North Dakota to find the money but ultimately froze to death in the snow. Such a damn shame of a pointless death that is. You think her life was equally pointless?

10 Random Things About Me

1. I hate when people abbreviate my name to R.J.
2. I attend a fitness center regularly.
3. I love to snack on peanuts.
4. I am on a bowling team with my buddies Walter and Donny.
5. My first job was at a car dealership.
6. I once had a local girl in Paris kiss me in the subway right in front of her boyfriend.
7. I have a sister who is a psychiatrist.
8. My first girlfriend was named Hillary.
9. I am a big Minnesota Wild fan (hockey).
10. I accidently squished a frog earlier this week.