Nightmares, Come True!

In case you don't know, I do not like robots, not at all. There is a post somewhere down there about why I don't like robots, but I don't feel like looking for it right now.

This link is my worst fears realized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoPplpBPQxQ&feature=player_embedded

Fact,

GPS systems do not work while I am in the car.

Case one, in Landis's BMW up in the Poconos for his bacholar party. We were driving to the paint ball corse when we drove right past the road. I figured it was because we were in the woods and there was no reception. Landis seemed to be a little confused and said he never really had a problem with the thing before.

Case two, Sarah and Rob, and Jake driving home from Philly after the 4th of July parade. First, the thing, which they had a name for but I can't recall right now, and seemed like one of their family, could not find the car. We were in a parking garage so this made since. Then even when we were out on the streets of Philadelphia the GPS was like, "can not locate car...beep beep beep beep."

Case three, Donna our real estate agent getting lost when trying to find houses to look at. Us driving around, not knowing where we were going and nervous about finding a new home. Donna, going "I don't know what is wrong with this thing, it has always worked fine." Sorry Donna, it was my fault.

Case four, while helping Dr. Dan move last weekend we ended up driving a U-haul truck full of Dr. Dan's stuff all the way up the Roosevelt Blvd., then toward but not across the Tacony-Palmyra bridge, onto 95 South, then all the way to Girrard St. to get to Northern Liberties. After about one hour, for what should have taken 25 minutes, and through 110 degree heat, we arrived. I was in the passenger seat, and I knew it was going to happen. I felt bad, but come on, there is no way that a GPS would not work in the middle of the city. About 10 minutes up Route 1 the thing goes "turn around, turn around". It never said make a turn and I don't know if it missed it or never knew where it was going in the first place. Dr. Dan thought he knew where he was going. He did not.

Case five, down in S. Carolina, Mitch driving is Audi and using his phone GPS. We were looking for a restaurant, and got no where near it until I saw a good old fashioned billboard sign. We were there in 5 minutes after that.

There are other incidences that I don't specifically recall, but for your own sake try to know where you are going if you find yourself in a car with me.

All smiles in South Carolina

Interview with myself, part one

Hello Garden Club readers. Today we are going to have a candid conversation with myself, Jim on classic literature. I should forworn you that this conversation contains several spoilers, so if you are thinking about reading any of the mentioned novels, and I think you definitely should, do not read this interview!

So, Jim, what have you been reading lately?

Well, Garden Club, I am currently reading The Brothers Karamavoz by Dostoyevsky. I had picked up a copy of his "The Idiot", in which he tries to paint a perfect picture of a pure human soul. I thought it was okay, but I did not understand the ending. All of a sudden the two of them are lying there with a dead girl...weird. The night I finished it I was watching a youtube clip of Rand Paul, trying to find out if he was named "Rand" after Ayn Rand. In one of the videos he claims he is not, and at one point he said "The Brothers Karamavoz" was one of his favorite books. I don't know much about Rand Paul...politian, ultra conservative, dad ran for president, but I took his advice and bought it at the Borders in the city. Today I had a hard time closing it as my stop neared.

What was the first book to really get you into reading?

1984. For whatever reason, I don't really remember under what circumstance I read it. I think I was a junior in high school when we read it as a class. Before this, when given a novel to read, I would read the back jacket, the jacket's inside flaps, and whatever cliff notes I could get ahold of. 1984 was appealing because it is largely science fiction. I recall lying at the foot end of my bed to maximize the natural lighting. I admit, I cried at the end. I cried like a little girl. I could not believe the ending. Where was the salvation? Where was the redemtion? Where was the ever existing happy ending that I was sure to occur? I think this was the first piece of information... be it book, television show, movie, etc... that just blatently did not have a happy ending. And I waited for it, I wanted Winston to stand strong, to recognize the love he had for Julia despite that he betrayed her in the face of torture. I wanted the prolatereans to rise up and overthrow big brother, to smash the telescreens and tear down the giant billboards of the oppesors. Winston should have rebelled to the end, if only in his mind, and not let big brother win. He should have never said he loved them. But he did and he said it was okay, that everything was okay, that big brother was right all along in treating people like they did. He justified having every personal freedom taken away only to be tortured and shot in the back of the head. Again, this is not a happy ending, and this stuck with me and as time went on, became a standard that made soppy thrill stories seem down right corny.

What else have you learned from your readings?

One of the most important lessions I have learned so far is to not chase your white whale, you will only end up destroying whatever you already have. I think that when things become that built up in ours minds we have a difficult time letting them go, so we need to ask ourselves, "is this really worth it?" Will my current path, which has already cost me a leg and my sanity, better my life in any way or will it destroy my ship, eat my crew and leave me dead in the open sea. Many people glorify the person who sacrifices everything for a cause, but I would rather keep the things I love and the life I lead than give it all away for some overambious goal. Also, I think it is hard to fight things that don't really care about you, like nature, like a whale. The whale has no hard feelings for Ahab, its a whale, and only reacts out of instinct. We need to be better than that, need to understand that we have evolved passed basic instincts because of our ability to think things out and make a logical conclusion. So, don't chase white whales; learn to let go.