a thought while re-watching some classics

i have a feeling that there would be more peace in the world if we were all to sit down and enjoy some looney tunes cartoons together.

since war hasn't helped, why not try looney tunes?

that's all folks.

keith

yesterday maria and i met our across the hall neighbor, keith. this is not a picture of keith but it is a keith that i found on google images. keith is a proud owner of two cats and multiple cars, which tend to have damage done to them anonymously, which was how the conversation started. he asked if maria and i had heard anyone run into his vehicle between 7 am and 10:30 pm on Wednesday. we had not. and so began a 30 minute conversation covering a varying array of topics.

he explained to us, in detail, what has happened to each of his four or five cars and two garages in the 14 years he has lived in these apartments. alot of windows had been broken and some hit and run situations. his garage was broken into and ransacked as well, but nothing was really taken.

after he explained these things to us the conversation topic turned to the downfall of our neighborhood. apparently the apartment complexes across from us are a haven for illegal drug activity. a woman once asked him over and in the house she offered him drugs and sex, both of which he turned down. she had just ended a long relationship and he didn't want any drama.

in our own apartments there was a "raging lesbian" who would have "raging lesbian parties" with marijuana and drinking which were very loud. when he asked her to quiet the party down she was belligerent and cussed him out. there were some other instances of drug abuse on a massive scale but i don't remember the specifics.

not only drugs, but violence is escalating apparently too. last winter, or the winter before, a gentleman drowned his baby in a bucket of water. keith has heard many gunshots on several occasions as well. he also witnessed a biker beat another man to death with a tire iron. he called the police and they never showed up. he said that "the screams were the worst sounds he's ever heard."

there was a time when he wasn't living in our neighborhood and i am not sure, since the stories came quickly and out of chronological order, which ones actually happened in this area. i have never heard a gunshot and have never had any problems with drugs, violence, or loud parties. still, it was a little disconcerting.

other topics of conversation:
1. our landlords. apparently they are crooks and have kicked several old people out of the apartment building. one being disabled.

2. the female cat rules the roost while the male is a wuss.

3. his mistakes with women. he said he always went for the one who was "in skimpy clothes and as easy" or something to that affect. he said he didn't always make the best choices.

it was interesting talking to him, some of it kind of made me uneasy, but i think he needed to talk. he said he's on disability and is home all day. so he probably just needed some human interaction, which everyone needs. we've come a long way from the day he yelled at me for "slamming" my door.

(this was not "The Pursuit.")

coming soon: The Pursuit

looks like the Schultz clan will be inhabiting the metro area for an undetermined amount of time. we're happy about it.

abilities

"will there ever be a boy born that can swim faster than a shark?"

Gareth, from BBC's "The Office"

i have always liked this quote, for obvious reasons, it is funny and it has to do with sharks, but the last time i heard it made me think about something else. it made me think about my abilities. what skill do i have that i excel at? even abilities in general, about the abilities of those who surround me. how do these things make us stand out amongst this never ending sea of people trying to stand out themselves.

this boy, if he is ever born, would have an amazing swimming ability that would set him apart in an amazing way. just imagining someone racing a shark makes me wish it were me. but that would mean that i have to swim constantly and work harder on that than i am used to. but i don't think amazing ability is taught, there has to be something ingrained somehow. a gift of skill, maybe some physical or spiritual attribute that makes someone excel at something. if i were meant to be an incredible swimmer maybe i would be born hairless, that sort of thing. piano players with spindly fingers, tall basketball players, scientists with larger than normal brains. i can spot these things in others but very rarely do i spot it within myself.

i can listen to a CD and hear inspiration and skill, i can look at a painting and see that artistic touch that i never would have come up with, i can read a book and be blown away by the emotional depth or new idea that i never would have been able to create. i can look at my wife and see her incredible way with children, which leads logically to her being an amazing teacher. i can look at my brother and see his writing ability, which would lead him to be a great writer. i can look at most people and see their particular skill and see how that is going to guide them to a career in which they will excel. a career that will hopefully fulfill them and make them happy. then i try to look inward . . . and it doesn't go so well.

this is not meant to be a poor me blog. i am only saying that i struggle with seeing my own special skill, and i think that that is a normal thing. alot of people struggle to discover what they are truly good at. i think i dabble. i play the drums well, i write decently, i am a good bank teller, i work well with people. but i sometimes feel like i don't have a skill that takes me above and beyond. something that makes it obvious what i should be pursuing as far as my career. i am able to do alot of little things just well enough. where is that drive to be the best? what is holding me back from putting my whole effort into one of those things that i am okay at? i think i would feel a stronger push towards any one of these things if it was my calling. i just think that i haven't quite landed upon it yet. i know part of it, being a good and loving husband, and someday a father. i think i am developing those skills on a daily basis, and both are things that i want to be. but what about the rest of it? how am i to fulfill my career path?

i think i need to focus on what i am passionate about. i need to look into those things that make my heart skip alittle when i think about them. of course, this isn't that easy. sacrifices would be made, hard decisions come with it. it helps that maria and i are supports for each other. this time of transition is so difficult for everyone, i am just glad i am blessed to be with someone who will be a rock of support instead of one weighing be down. both of our families are there for us as well as our tight circle of friends. the problem is myself, my doubts and insecurities causing me to stay stagnant and fearful of really taking chances. nothing is gained if nothing is risked. i just pray that God will guide through with grace and love.

i still need to discover that one thing that i am passionate about doing, the place where i feel i could do some good, and pursue it regardless of the risks. hopefully i will succeed, even if i don't i will have learned something and will know that much more about what i would want to do. but, if i do succeed, i hope i understand that i am not the best at what i do, but that i do my very best.

i think i rambled a bit much, i am sorry. just to clarify, i do think that people aren't just boiled down to one skill. everyone has many different things that they are good at. but i do see that the one thing that people do excel at tends to be what they pursue as a career. so i guess that is where my mind was going with this. sorry. God bless.

not so great clips

i don't like getting my hair cut. waste of time.

viewer discretion advised (not for children)

i apologize to anyone who is sensitive to bare skin or young celebrities but since it has been getting so much talk lately i feel i should weigh in my opinion on this whole miley cyrus/hannah montana thing. first i'll show you the controversial picture and discuss from there. if you still have a good opinion of the teen star you might want to look away . . . it is a young girl and alot of skin . . .

i'm sorry you had to see that but feel it is important to show you what is being deemed controversial. personally i am offended. not only is this nearly naked man standing next to miley cyrus but, and i think worst of all, she is touching him. she is also very happy about it. this is sending a bad example to our young people. this is the message it is sending to me . . .

"i'm hannah montana, if you see a naked man just smile and touch him."

what example is that setting for all of the millions of little girls looking up to miley. she used to be so wholesome and now, whore! and what is that going to breed? millions of little whores just waiting to get at some huge naked man, just because "hannah montana does it."

i was going to endorse miley cyrus for president but now i am not sure that she is fit for politics because she is involved in morally offensive behavior. she would tarnish the good name of politics with her sexual escapades. i think she should be banned from america and made to apologize personally to each of her fans and tell them to not be a whore like her. she should take responsibilty for her horrible behavior.

and now . . .