so now what do I do?

Just saw Avatar. Loved it. Changes things. But not really. 3d might be the next big thing. The story is an old one. Inspired me to write this. Inspired me to yak halfway home about how conflicted I am. I am inspired to help save some indigenous tribe but I don't have the resources. After the third eloquent re-stating of my point, my partner asks me to kindly drive in silence, she was tired of hearing me whine. [not her exact words] I am also tired of hearing me whine. When will I get off my ass and act? Do you have a tribe I can save with my leatherman multitool?

Goodnight Bob

Could be a euphemism there.

So here is an anecdote, honk if you give a fuck.

I go to pick up my wife, we are going out for dinner. As I am sitting on the lobby of her large office building, a lady walks out, and on the way past me she says "Goodnight Bob." I nod and smile, not recognizing her. Then another lady goes by who I DO recognize. I say "Hi", and she says "Goodnight Bob." Two more leave. Another person I don't know says "Goodnight Bob." I wave weakly. Another "Goodnight Bob." A couple more. I am confused. I recognized one person but about thirty people leave and about twenty of them say "Goodnight Bob."

Finally my wife comes out. We greet and hug and I ask her "Did you tell like your whole floor that we were having dinner together?"

She goes "No, maybe two people."

I don't get it. I put on my coat. We get to the door and my wife turns to the security guy at the desk and says "Goodnight Bob."

So there are a number of people who work there wondering why this vagrant was sitting at the lobby looking confused and waving at them.

cars behaving badly

I find it interesting [whether you do or not] that people act different around me when I am in different cars. Yes maybe I am over thinking it. Maybe I have different expectations of THEM and then find ways to support my belief. But hey.

I drive to work the same way every day. Getting on the highway requires a weird merge to the right, then a right onto an onramp. The merge and the ramp are close enough that I just leave my right blinker on for both maneuvers. Nobody has ever had a problem with this, done it 5 days a week, 51 weeks a year, couple a years now. But now, now I am in a 10 year old cadillac. One day last week, this guy is on my bumper following my out of town. I blink as always. Stay blinking. But then he darts up under me on the right and gets all surprised when our mirrors are almost touching and he gets brushed up near the guard rail. Yanks on his brakes, beeps. You know. I have mostly out grown the stink finger salute. Didn't throw one this time. By the time I am through the onramp, I am over it. I am thinking maybe he is actually in a hurry, maybe he is a doctor or his cat is sick or something. But no. We get straightened out on the highway and of course he guns it out left around me. Then he feels he has to make a point. He slows way down right in front of me and puts on his right blinker and wanders across the dotted white line for a while. He sure showed me. So now we are both 11 seconds late for wherever.

I am guessing here, but maybe when I did the same right blinky thing in other cars, people just took my word for it when my blinker was on. Now that I am in an old-guy looking car, they expect me to act old and decrepit. The old cliche about leaving the blinker on since florida. I'm just saying.