Two posts in one day!!!
Yeah, it's true, but the end of my last one got me thinking about things that will happen in my lifetime. Actually, this hit me the other day, while driving and listening to some Johnny Cash, since I realized that my parent’s generation had just lost a popular culture icon that had been around for their entire lives. In the same vein, I'm offering up my predictions for major events which will (some of them sadly) occur during my generations near future:
The following cultural icons probably won't be with us much longer:
-Dolly Parton
-Willie Nelson
-B.B. King
-Ringo Star
-Paul McCartney
-Al Pacino
-Pope John Paul
-Stan Lee
-Magic Johnson
-Elizabeth Taylor
-Cher
-Neil Young
-Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford
-Queen Elizabeth
Anyways, that's my list of people who I think won't make it to my 30th birthday. It's kinda sad for some (Nelson, Pacino, King) and a big relief for others (Cher). If you've got people you don't think will make it another 7-10 years, leave their names in the comments.
It's been a bit since my last 'real' update, and some important things have been going on. Foremost is, of course, that over 3,000 of you all have utterly wasted your time checking out my opinion on everything from politics to plastic toys. So, feel free now to send those
demands for 5 minutes of your life back via email.
Speaking of what people do with their time, I've had to ponder recently what the heck to do with mine. I know that in the immediate sense it means a
lot of Zelda,
downloading music, and contemplating the exact correct amount of time to grill a bratwurst, but sadly this stage of my life too must pass.
In the more permanent sense then, I've been asking myself questions more in the line of "what do you want to accomplish in life" and "where do you want to be when you're 40/50/60". Curiously enough, I've come to some scary conclusions, since, the fact of the matter is, I really don't know. Nor do I think those are questions anyone can answer with definity, even much later on.
Instead, I'm pretty sure that my future will be definitively dictated by my past, which is quite reassuring, since in effect, it means I'll always be Rob. While I haven't nailed down a career choice (and in fact, I think that would be counter to this revelation), I know a few things for sure:
1 - I'll never have many friends
Some will doubtlessly bemoan me, citing their own friendship with me as proof that I've got spades of friends. They are correct to say that I know, get along with, and cherish many relationships in my life. But I have always, and probably will, retain a core group of around 10 individuals with whom I share those things that usually remain unsaid.
2 - I plan on helping people
Whatever my career path turns out to be will, I know, be defined in many ways by what I dislike doing. Through previous experience I know then that whatever work I do in life has to be helping people, since I'm constantly aware and incensed with injustice. When I had dreams of being an Intellectual Property lawyer, for example, it was because I saw "the little guy" being trounced by corporate moguls. In the contra positive sense, I dislike contributing to poverty and inequality, however they come about in the world.
AND
3 - I plan on reading a lot
This is said with utter seriousness, since I really just enjoy reading. When my life was crashing around me my sophomore year of college, and I had no clue what my major would be, I fell back on reading. In essence, reading was my major, and I have never looked back on that decision with regret. Ok, well maybe I did for a few minutes, but those were moments of introspection.
And frankly, that's it. Those are my goals in life. In essence, simplicity could be the summation of what I want, even if there are always exceptions to that blanket rule. I don't have the answers to questions like if I want kids, or if I even want to be wealthy, although I expect that the answer to the second is a big 'NO'. It'd be great to cure AIDS, end hunger, and create world peace, even if I think only one of those may happen in my life time (
here's a hint: it's not peace). And that's ok, I don't have to be a martyr or a fanatic to help make the world better, in fact, it's probably much more effective if I'm not, as fanatics are marginalized and martyrs... well, they're dead. Still that doesn't mean I will shy away from trying to make a difference, no matter how small.
Hey all,
Sorry to keep this short, but I'm currently at a swim meet with Case in beautiful Wooster Ohio. The meet is going well so far, we're about 1/2 way through and the team is doing quite well.
You know, I'm always surprised when I go to towns like Wooster, since they really do give me a better understanding of where serial killers come from. Places like this are depressing, and I can now see why Curtis Woolfe was such a douche bag.
But, I digress. Anyways, for those of you who are wondering intently on what they should get me for Christmas,
I've made a little wish list.
Here's to hoping that all 2,900 visits to the site buy me one thing each. Yeah, right...
