I Really Like Doing Nothing

I saw somebody's sig recently that said: "All I want is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy". After a really good week of vacation, i'm totally grokking that. This was such a good week. Not only did i kayak, surf, rock-climb, and fish; i also did a nice bike ride with my friend Cathy and i ran the La Jolla Half-Marathon. But that's not all. I took naps. I watched bad TV, NBA playoff games, and several DVDs (including The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai). I ate without regard for my health. I played frisbee with my kids. I worked on my broadsword form.

I did not spend much time on my computer. I haven't checked my work e-mail, i haven't read blogs, and this is only my second blog entry for the week. Sadly, computers now represent drudgery. I still love computers in the abstract, but in reality they suck. For every compelling blog, there are a million monkeys typing; for every cool application there are a thousand Powerpoints; for every pony there's a mountain of shit. My boys and i went to the Aerospace Museum this week; and i was struck by the number of aerospace pioneers who were also serious adventurers. There are a few folks like that in the computing industry, but for the most part computing industry leaders are dorks. That's not too surprising- computers are intrinsically appealing to dorks, while airplanes are instrinsically appealing to adventurers.

When Buckaroo Banzai first came out i was in college, and when i went home to visit my parents i watched it with them. They didn't get it, but i remember my mom saying "So, is this what you want to do when you grow up?". Yes, mom, that's what i want to do. Basically, if you can't picture it being part of a comic book then i don't want to do it anymore.