Riding with the window down…

While in Wal-Mart the other day with Tony, I was reminded of how much I truly detest shopping. In an effort to stay conscious, I leaned against a rack of dress slacks… something shiny caught my eye. It was then that I saw the blood!

Here is the story as I imagined it:

Some dumb ass decided that it would be a good idea to steal a $20 watch. He got the package, (I am betting he was stock clerk) decided it would be easier to steal without the plastic case, took his box cutter and proceeded to not only free the watch but also take a good slice out of his own hand. Bleeding like a stuck pig with a stolen watch covered in the same was a situation that can only result in panic, so he tossed the watch inside the rack and ran to bandage his wound.

I am guessing that CSI would not be interested in the case as nothing was actually successfully stolen. I am also guessing that since the blood had long been dried, none of the store dicks noticed it yet. The interesting part of this whole thing has to be the guy watching through the little black bubbles on the ceiling. I can imagine his confusion at seeing me snapping a half dozen photos of a rack of pants. He probably figures I am a spy from Target.

Ever thought those people drinking out of the wino bags looked cool? Well, now you too can be part of the “who cares about society” crowd.

Not worth the risk? Don’t want to lose the wife, the job, the clean underwear?

All you have to do is leave the 40 oz’ers at the store and just grab the bag for your bottle of water. You too can look like a hardcore boozer!!

Just think of the fun when you are pulled over by the cops. After they yank you out of the car, tazer you silly, and toss a couple welts on your forehead with their clubs, you can say “gotcha!” with a nice size lawsuit. Good times!

20/20 had a story the other night about luck. Are people really lucky? Are people unlucky? Is there any science to luck? The findings were that there is actually a difference between lucky and unlucky people. It’s all in the attitude. With apologies to Dave for doubting him, I have to admit I am very lucky.

It seems that lucky people are open to new opportunities. Rather than being caught in their doldrums and beaten down by society, lucky people are always looking for the next opportunity to learn, experience, have fun, or grow. Rather than dismissing crazy ideas and invitations as impossible or likely to fail, lucky people instead think, “that might be cool.”

The flip side of this lucky coin is that successful people rarely give luck any credit. When something works out, they chalk it up to experience and hard work. Who wants to be known as the guy that skates along on luck? I do.

I am okay with the fact that I am lucky. In fact, I am probably the luckiest person I know. I have great friends - a great family. I work in a great field. I get to travel when I feel like it. I find new experiences around every corner. The one caveat to all this is that I accept it all as luck as long as it is accepted that I have luck because of my attitude.

The good news there is that if you don’t think of yourself as lucky, all you have to do is work on changing that perception. Next time you find money on the ground, a good parking spot, even see a butterfly… think of how lucky you are. Little by little, if you avoid the pitfall of blaming the universe when you step in a puddle, your luck will change.

I did it… after dozens of comments over the past year about the sad state of my shower curtains, I replaced them. The ones I had were perfectly functional if somewhat rough looking. The cat (Nardo) tore a big hole in one and sure, there was a little mildew gathering on another, but come on - its a bachelor pad.

It’s not that I’m too cheap to buy a shower curtain or two, its just not that important in my day-to-day life. Functionally, the ones I had were fine… aesthetically - not so much.

Shower curtains and the like are things that noone should have to concern themselves with. They should just be taken care of, like at a hotel. The whole idea of having to replace such a boring piece of my life is counter to everything that interests me, but I gave in to peer pressure and I have to say that I like the new ones a lot.

I guess that means that someday I might actually get around to painting again… don’t hold your breath.