Tag: thoughts

The Sixteenth of October

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

When I was a child the big thing was a party at McDonalds. They had the playground area, and tables with benches that looked like their mascot characters, or so from what I recall. When I was turning 7 I think, I wanted to have friends over for a party and have my mom record it on the old 8mm video camera so I could see what it looked like from outside of my own perspective. No audio – home technology for the lacking of financial resources wasn’t that good back then. I got to watch that silent, monochrome reel once. I’m sure that reel still exists somewhere although I doubt I have the means to view it again today. Who knows? For me, like so many others of my generation, memories are mostly stored in our brains, and very little physical, or digital memories exist to remind us of how it truly was.

But three years ago my partner blindfolded me, put me in the car, led me into a bowling alley where friends and family awaited. I was surprised. I was a bit overwhelmed. No, I was very overwhelmed, by a lot of it. Mostly because my partner did this for me out of love, and joy. Yes, it was 50. That’s a big milestone. I never truly expect anyone to make a big deal about my birthday, and it’s ok that they don’t. But she did, and that means a lot to me.

In Conclusion

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Individually you only matter to a couple of generations before and after your life. Your grandparents might love and adore you. Your parents might love and care for you. Your peers might love and respect you. You might give rise to children whom you will love and guide to maturity. They might have children, and if you’re lucky enough, you might be around long enough to see them grow and be a meaningful part of their lives. And that’s about it. Rarely do we know or have significant relations with our great grandparents, and likewise, our great grandchildren. There’s an outside chance those generations might know you as a person. Outside of that, you’re a name. Maybe. You’re someone else’s memories to be relayed, maybe. You’re a grave marker.

Maybe.

Maybe you’re fortunate enough to be a grave marker people visit on purpose. But that too is rare.

The Blog Bog – Stuff I Shouldn’t Say In Public

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

I haven’t published anything to my blog in over two years at this point. There are reasons why.

Blogging is slogging at times. No one reads it, so sometimes there’s very little point in crafting anything resembling content for a blog, especially when you’re busy often creating content for others. Or photographing an event, or making a movie, or working a full time job that doesn’t allow much room for your own creative endeavors. That’s just kind of how life is.

We can add on top of it, right around the publishing of my last blog article, my health took a relatively serious turn toward the…. not good.

A New Social Restriction

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

If you’re getting on a flight, and you don’t understand that basic fact – YOU ARE SUBJECT TO FAA REGULATIONS THE MINUTE YOU WALK INTO AN AIRPORT AND/OR BOARD A FLIGHT – you absolutely should not be traveling by air. The second you start acting like you are above those regulations or your personal views should be held above FAA regulations, you’re not only being as asshole, but you’re most likely breaking laws, and in the larger picture making it more difficult, and more restrictive for people to fly in the future.

You asshole.

Today We Vote

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

I’ll vote for Biden – somewhat begrudgingly, but at least I know he has the experience, intelligence, and courage to surround himself with good people, good legislators, good policy writers, and people who will tell him where he might be going wrong. I trust his VP pick, Harris, and look forward to her stepping in when the time comes that she needs to. Honestly, I’d prefer her for President. I don’t think Biden will be in the seat for long.

An actual fortune!

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 45

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

So often fortunes inside of fortune cookies actually come across as advice, proverbs, or idioms. Not fortunes at all.

This was an actual fortune. And in reflection, it was accurate!

See, it was only 10 days after posting this that I photographed Cortney one-on-one for the first time. New headshots. But from there our relationship grew quickly. Five years later, and she is still the refreshing change I was seeking, and that apparently the fortune cooking sent my way?

Maybe? Whatever – I’m not sure I ever had a fortune cookie that was this accurate, and timely.

Hello? Religion?

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 36

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Listen, this works so much better as a religion critique, so you missed the mark twice on this, but in another breaking news flash, just because YOU don’t personally know someone dealing with COVID directly, good for you! Consider yourself fortunate, and keep doing the right thing instead of advocating for everyone to do the wrong things. Plenty of people, including yours truly, know people, and have people in their lives that have been directly impacted by this.

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 29

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

Yes, indeed, you can SEE this fucking virus. We don’t need to suspend all disbelief to pretend it is real. Unlike your god who you need to pretend he is in every sunset (but just the pretty ones, not the cloudy day sunsets where it just goes dark), or every baby’s smile (we know how babies are made now too – it’s a fucking biochemical reaction). So if that’s your response to being able to see your god, you’re fucking grasping at straws.

This is the same stupid joke as the “you can’t see your brain either.”  Well, you could. MRI, CAT Scan, they’ll show you your brain. The illogical religious arguments are based on the same level of being illogical that has given rise to criminal religions such as christianity. After all, the ONLY difference between a religion, and a cult is how many people follow it. The concepts, and tenants are no less batshit crazy whether you believe in Jesus, Alien Spirits from Volcanoes, or that guy who plays guitar, and fucks all the women is the messiah.  

COVID-19 Shutdown: Day 14. No, 21! 22?

Posted on by Paul In The Buff

When all this is over, and there’s thousands of surplus ventilators are being sold off, I’m buying one. As long as stupid people keep voting republican our taxes are never going to be used to provide services to the population, so I might as well be prepared for the next pandemic. Because you know, as long as stupid people keep voting republican, we’re not going to be prepared as a nation for the next one.