Hergest Ridge

22:00 “Mad, Mad World” streaming directly into my mind, new jogging shoes on my feet, sailing through the night under the dark gray sky and the green trees really bring out the wonder of life. So many things coming together, the various pieces so much more than their sum.

There is something about that music track, the quiet piano all by itself, like a warning that no one wants to hear. It takes everything in its surrounding, plays on the shadows and calm exterior appearances, weaves all into one, and then gently waves a red flag, “You’ve been warned.”

17:30 Seven times they’ve sang “Happy Birthday” - that was the message, but the exact song is foreign to me - in less than two hours. The song comes with free desert for the celebrating individual to whom attention is drawn by the folks at Montana’s. Although I didn’t mention Caddy’s birthday, I can’t help wonder if he’d keep quiet for me. I think he would. Montana’s has been our Birthday Lunch place of choice for a couple years now, and I can’t remember having to wear the silly Viking headgear on either occasion. Surely, I’d remember that, which means he did indeed keep quiet.

Time flew by as it always does during these meetings. We met at the mall where my friend bought a pair of running shoes, and I decided to finally do so for myself. An impulse purchase of sorts, but one that was significantly overdue. Three weeks in pain from various injuries and old sores aggravated, last thing I want is for my feet to act up again. The summer is too short for sitting it out for such trivial reasons.

We visited the book store where I nearly bought “God is Not Great” by Christopher Hitchens . Had we left a few minutes earlier, I would have done just that. The few extra minutes was enough time to cool off - I should wait until the book is available in paper back. I have several books on my list of reading for the summer, and some of them are available cheap, or free on the web (Animal Farm looks to be out for open distribution). The library is of some help, but I have been told that the wait for Mr. Hitchens’ book is long.

“Red Strangers”, “The Lion Children”, “Atheist Universe”, “Snake Oil and Other Preoccupations”, and if I get really ambitious a shot at “Euclids Elements” are on my short list, along with anything by George Orwell. Yes - I do realise that Euclids Elements consists of 13 books, and No - I’m not even dreaming of reading more than the first book before fall is back in our hemisphere.

Back over lunch-turned-to-dinner, Caddy brought up an interesting point. Well, to be exact several interesting points are the norm and today was no exception, but there is one in specific I’d like to bring forth. He alluded that the side of the debate he presented with myself was quite the opposite of that he presents with other individuals. In other words, if the debate was with someone else, he would likely be asking a lot of the questions I am asking. Without getting into details and turning our personal conversation into a public forum, let me get to my point: There have been times where I agree with an individual, but press on with arguments against his or her stance. I play the Devil’s Advocate, but the other side is not aware that truly I happen to agree with them. “Why?”, I asked myself in reflection to such episodes. Am I just being facetious?

Caddy’s comment made me realise that to learn anything we need to be able to turn on our own views and challenge them, and sometimes the best way of achieving this method is to have others whom agree with you ‘fight for the belief’ by having it questioned. Besides, some of the best debates are those in which you make a convincing argument for something you don’t actually believe. Pulling off a feat of this nature shows a deeper understanding of the issue at hand, and can be very rewarding.

So, it’s settled then: I’m not trying to be difficult or facetious. Learning is the sought end result. At least that’s what I tell myself, but we all know that it’s impossible to observe a system from within without bias weighing in heavily on all such assessments.

12:00 Altering between Blocky (Addiction Defined - 543,891 Points), a couple of projects for clients, and a second reading of “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins, the day promises to be a fine one.

8:00 The city is covered in a blanket of fog. Two pigeons have once again decided to make my balcony their home. If it wasn’t for the mess they leave, they could stay. That, and they’d have to shut up, because on a day like today I’m going back to bed.