I Am Watching Super Size Me Right Now

Two words: We're Screwed!!!

(My God!!!)

Wow!

Dana Carvey SNL Gerald Ford Is Dead - Watch more free videos

I had the opportunity to witness one of Tom Brokaw's public speeches today in Denver. It was a bit interesting. One of the things I pulled out of it was how American's no longer communicate with each other. With this whole internet world that even I am totally hooked on, he pointed out how America is just polarizing itself with this whole liberal/conservative thing. How the elections is just bought by the politicians and the money they raise. And how we don't get anything done because we don't communicate in a common language. Baby Boomers and their parents don't talk to young people the same way they talk to each other. It's all text pages, Blackberry's, cellphones and blogs with the youngsters and no stories about how the generation did it after World War II. How we sit and fight over the war and never realize that the people fighting it volunteered to do it. How America only works if we accept that we are centrists and not these crazy ideologies.

He backed it up with his stories of sleeping in a cargo container in Pakistan to cover the big earthquake they had a couple of years back. Or how he walked on Normandy with the soldiers who fought there on the 40th anniversary. He made me wonder why I tuned my grandmother out when she babbled on with her stories about the 1930's and 1940's. Or how we are short of Vietnam with the current war situation because were not yet hating our troops for fighting over there.

He was so right with everything he said.

I just turned my back and said, "Damn." when he was done. I had the nerve to answer my cellphone a few minutes later.

Where are we going in this world?

ATM's and Assholes

A CAT Product destroys more historic memories in Downtown Denver

So I am now in downtown for a few days. And I thought when I was out looking around about another blog story to tie into my theme this week. Sometimes it's tough but one jumped right in front of me.

I parked my stuff in my hotel and ran down to one of the many Starbucks that populate downtown. I got to tell you, there is a tremendous amount of eye candy walking around this warm muggy day. Huge...

Anyway, I got inside for a mid day Latte and I was third in line. Look, I am not going to comment necessarily on the cashiers sexual orientation but he was fem-boy with the way he talked. He dazzled the women in front of me with the way he ran their credit cards. Suddenly it was my turn and he ran card with no problem.

So I am like, "Hey... is their an ATM nearby?"

He tosses his hands up and says really sarcastically in his like squeaky voice, "Um... this is like downtown you know, and their banks all around us..."

And that was it!! There was like a pause like... "Hey are you going to tell me where the nearest one is now?"

But nothing!!

So.. I go.. "Well... there are assholes all over Starbucks, do you want to tell me where the nearest ATM is or do you want me to go first on pointing out the nearest asshole thing?"

The barrista just laughed!!! She knew I was right.

I got my directions...

The Culture All Around Us...

I was driving today, in a Subaru no less, between Pueblo, CO and Colorado Springs. Off to my right, and damn me for not having a camera, on the side of the road was a dumped over Caterpillar "digger" of some sort. They had police, fire trucks, a crowd of people and a large tow truck trying to right the thing. (Poor fucking engineering if you ask me :) )...

I thought for a minute of the crap I see out on the road. Wrecks... disasters... homeless people begging for money in some far out places... Hotels with grown men who look like me walking from their rooms down to meetings or the Bennigan's down the street.

It's all sales reps.

Guys who fly, drive and teleconference to their customers on a daily basis.

There is a culture to it. Also lots and lots of patterns. For example... the flow of traffic threw an airport is an amazing thing to watch. Guys with their roller bags, with computer bag on top, sport jacket crumpled threw the handle. Walking and sometimes running like I did today when I ditched my wife hanging on the phone. "Gotta go!!! CLICK!!!" The train was moving man!! But the train threw airport is what's funny. The sales guys huddle near the exit of the train, where the vacationers are scattered. The sales guys walk up escalators. The vacationers stand and hold the rail. We got our place to go.

The hotel is interesting. You check in. Present your rewards cards. Nothing funnier than presenting your Hilton Card to Marriott property or vice versa. Pass the credit card, get your keys and head to the room. Coming down the elevator is a sales guy in his jogging shorts and wrinkled t-shirt either out for a run or for a bite to eat at the diner next door. As you pass the guy, you are like...that's me after I check email. Email can suck at this point. When you have been on the road all day, you have no idea if there is 10 emails or 50.

Rinse, lather, repeat... every week. It's really a culture. Dockers. Men's Wearhouse jackets. Eccos. Mid 30's to mid 50's. Road warriors in rental cars...

I cannot imagine what America spends to keep it's sales people on the road. It's cottage industry. Hotels, staff, laundry, cleaning supplies, food service, janitorial, and most importantly, the staff (again) who work menial jobs folding sheets, washing towels, checking you into the hotel, the management team... the shit goes on and on.

Power ball at $245 Million... I'm going to win.

Keep Moving Forward

I was thinking today of all the people you have ever seen or met. Ever seen anybody that just amazes the hell out of you? Everything they do is completely awesome. And in retrospect, they sort of knew it. They knew they were the shit but hey... they did not have the ego to rub it in? Like John Lennon or like Paul McCartney... or someone political like Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton. (Give Bill credit man... the dude has charisma). Or even some teacher or some guy in class that had it, could do no wrong and had it all going for him. (John Tucker Must Die!!!)

I sadly am not one of those people... I thought I could be back in high school or early college but the shit never really panned out. I haven't amazed anyone or myself the way I planned it all out to be. Truth be told however, I think it's the next five years of my life where it's going to really change either socially, economically or dare say it spiritually in one way or another. I got a hunch man... It's coming, but I don't know. Of course I have thought this way a lot throughout my life.

"What's next?" I tell myself.

I think outward and above a lot. But actually hardest thing for me is moving forward to the next step or level. It's the process of a challenge. Facing a fear and going through it. The twist of your gut. The shakes and cold sweat. Overcoming an obstacle to keep moving forward as one of my all-time film heroes says in the movie clip on top. A lot of my life nowadays comes down to big meetings and really big do or die situations. I don't do... I fail. But failure is not an option. I keep moving forward. The outcome I may seek on any given day may not be pleasurable or even self fulfilling. I may actually hate what I am walking into. But it's my life. And it's what I can control: To keep moving forward. Is it wrong to seek a win? Of course not... The seeking part is never hard.

Moving forward is never easy....