WHY DO WE DO THIS? and SEASON'S EMAILS OF THE WEEK

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
George Bernard Shaw, "Back to Methuselah" (1921), part 1, act 1
Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

YESTERDAY'S QUOTE OF THE DAY (because I forgot to add it):
For most folks, no news is good news; for the press, good news is not news.
Gloria Borger
Journalist (1952 - current)

So if any of you are like me, we own DVD's and/or VHS movies and, most of us also have cable TV or satellite dish for home veiwing pleasure. Now why since we own movies, do we as a generality watch movies on pay TV of movies we already own? I just sat and watched Prophecy 2, which is a pretty cool movie, on Showtime. I also own Prophecy 2 on DVD, and it is still a pretty good movie. A few days ago, I did the same thing with Edward Scissorhands which is one of my alltime favorite movies. I watched it on Showtime (or was it Starz-well it doesn't really matter you get the idea) when I own it. So basically I have, in the last few days, watched movies I already own, and that I could watch at any time but deemed it necessary to watch them again...on pay TV. I know this doesn't seem like a truly a blog-worthy viewpoint but stick with me.

I sat there after it was over asking myself, why didn't I watch something I have never seen, or better yet put in a DVD of something I have purchased and haven't watched yet. The answer was simple (which led me to this place).

I believe that I am starting to get to complacent. I wake up at the same time everyday, do my pre-work rituals, go to the same job, talk about the same things, come home, follow my after work rituals (all depending on what day it is), and then go to sleep, only to do the same thing again. Now don't get me wrong, some people like rituals, and I don't fault them for it at all. I wish I could enjoy or even like repetition but I can't. I have such a short attention span that one would think doing the same thing over and over again would be a good thing. But it's not. My mind starts to wander, I stop paying attention to what's going on around me, and I basically become a 2 year old when some starts waving keys (oooooh sumfin shineyyyy) and lose where I am.

But I'm also a guy who doesn't like to be let down. I, like most people, don't like to be disappointed. I don't want to feel like I have just wasted part of my time/money/life. Which sadly I think most of feel like that at times. So why do we sit and watch movies that we have already seen. Why do we listen to music on the radio that we already own? Why do we go to the same restaurants or shop at the same stores?

I think it's because noone wants to be disappointed anymore, so we go with what we know. We go with what we like. We go with what's comfortable and safe instead of taking the occasional chance.

So I think today I'm going to go try some new things. I think today I'll take a chance at being disappointed because who knows, I might be pleasantly surprised. You know, now that I'm talking about it, maybe I'll try something new everyday. Watch something I have never seen. Listen to a different radio station (other than the ones pre-programed). Try a different kind of food or shop somewhere I have never been in. It kind of seems like a microadventure of miniscule proportions, but I have to keep reminding myself that life is not a journey without moments to remember, but to remember the moments that make life.

I know some pretty deep thoughts, for a Saturday morning, but I have been up for a while.

SEASON'S EMAILS OF THE WEEK

A BOTTLE OF WINE

For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you open a bottle of wine: Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. "What's in the bag?" asked the old woman. Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine...I got it for my husband." The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said, "Good trade."

THE CAT (You Don't Have To Own A Cat To Appreciate This One!)

We were dressed and ready to go out for the New Years Eve Party.
We turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered our pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard.
We phoned the local cab company and requested a taxi.
The taxi arrived and we opened the front door to leave the house.
The cat we put out in the yard, scoots back into the house.
We didn't want the cat shut in the house because she always tries to eat the bird.
My wife goes out to the taxi, while I went inside to get the cat.
The cat runs upstairs, with me in hot pursuit.
Waiting in the cab, my wife doesn't want the driver to know that the house will be empty for the night.
So, she explains to the taxi driver that I will be out soon, "He's just going upstairs to say good-bye to my mother."
A few minutes later, I get into the cab.
"Sorry I took so long," I said, as we drove away.
"That stupid bitch was hiding under the bed.
Had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out!
She tried to take off, so I grabbed her by the neck.
Then, I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching me.
But it worked!
I hauled her fat ass downstairs and threw her out into the back yard!"

The cab driver hit a parked car . . .