So you shared your face with us, but what makes you YOU?

[rlditmars]

Just remember Zina, you asked for it.

The full back story is too long and depressing but suffice it to say I am surprised that I came through my youth alive. Common story. Broken home…Blah, blah, blah. Moved a lot… Blah, blah, blah. Self medicated...Blah, blah, blah. I struggled with the concept of high school because of my intolerance for the banality of the material and the cruelty of the peer hierarchy. If had to use a reference from The Breakfast Club to describe me, I would say I looked and dressed like Judd Nelson’s character, was smarter than Anthony Michael Hall’s character, but was perceived as Ally Sheedy’s character. Even if I had wanted to, which I didn’t, it would have been pretty difficult for me to fit in. High school, in the simplest terms and the most convenient definition, was unbearable. When it ended I was finished with structured education. I am surprised that others are surprised by all of the tragedies happening in the schools these days. I’m not condoning it mind you. It is tragic. But I’m not surprised.

Today, I am 30 years a husband to a wonderful woman and I am the father of three beautiful daughters. My children are the greatest events I have ever been a part of. I am on my third career, none of which I ever wanted or cared for, but they all have afforded me a decent life so why complain. I’ve never cared about my station or the trappings of status.

I’ve loved animals all my life, and reptiles in particular. I’ve enjoyed hunting and fishing since I was a kid; not for the kill, but for the time I get to spend in quiet reflection and for the solitude and beauty of nature. Some of my most amazing hunts had nothing to do with a kill. Once I had a Bobcat stalk to within 10 feet of me through a snow covered forest. He was so close I could see his eyes darting back and forth trying to locate me. He could smell me but couldn't see me as I was in full snow camo sitting on a blown down log. In Canada I had a Timber Wolf walking below me for about 10 minutes. Beautiful. I won’t take anything I won’t eat and am very cognizant and appreciative of the animal’s sacrifice when I do. I process my own animals.

I love stories. I used to read when I was younger but now can’t/don’t find the time. Last thing I read was the Harry Potter series. I started to make sure it was appropriate for my daughters as my oldest was 7 when the first book came out. I couldn't believe how I was drawn in. I love movies. A well told or thought provoking story coupled with stunning imagery can be incredibly moving. As an example, “American Beauty”. That said, I hate what CGI is doing to the industry. It was meant to enhance the experience, but has been so overused and is so over the top that it has diminished it. Most technology is like that now, diminishing the human experience.

I love music, couldn’t live without it. To me the lyrics are as important as the melody because again, the story matters. I also believe that music is the purest form of expression. By that I mean that if there was no one to exploit it and no one consuming it, it would still be created. While the Beatles could have just as easily never happened, Paul and John were going to make music regardless.

I love live theater. Even though it is rehearsed, it’s authentic. There aren’t a dozen takes and anything can happen. Both the performers and the audience are taking a risk and are invested in the moment.

I have no use for competitive sports. I enjoy watching some Hockey but only because I’m amazed at the speed in which it is played and the ability of the players to hit a four inch hole with a three inch puck while using a five foot stick and going twenty miles an hour balanced on two pieces of steel. That's a lot of numbers. Now that I say it out loud it even sounds ridiculous. All other sports are just mind numbingly boring, in my opinion. It is tough to live in the south where everyone is so wrapped up in sports. I went to a football game once because my daughter was in marching band. There were 10,000 people at a high school football game! That’s right, 10,000. High school football. I can’t tell you how many times someone will start a conversation about sports and I just get a glazed look in my eyes.

In the third act, I play the role of a Realtor. I was once showing a property and about half way through I was asked if I knew who it was I was showing? It turned out to be a former professional basketball player. I apologized saying I wasn’t into sports and that the only time I had even remotely paid attention to basketball was back in the 80s when the Pistons were called "The Bad Boys” and I lived near Detroit. He said, “Yeah, that’s when I played”. It was Terry Cummings from the Milwaukee Bucks. And we're walking.

I’ve become pretty much a curmudgeon these days and have little tolerance for humans in general. I struggle to understand a species that is so hell bent on promoting its own worthlessness and self-destruction. The next time you get into the self-checkout line or make your own doctor appointment online, ask yourself three questions. Why have I agreed to do someone else’s job for free? How will I recover that time? What are the costs/impact on society regarding the job that I have eliminated? We’ve become so impatient that we can’t wait to do anything. So consequently we have resigned ourselves to doing everything. In the end we have less time and less resource, not more.

Now consider what AI (Artificial Intelligence) will bring in the future. The single most intelligent being in the world was lost just a couple days ago and he was terrified by the implications of AI. Well that's me. I hope I have provoked thought.