"Can't you read the signs!"

I began touching paths, "reunited and it felt so good," but the person told me that she was embarking upon a new stage of her life, the first year of college and she did not want to commit. But she said some day but not now.

I was dejected, but yet optimistic taking her words literally. That was the end of the summer, and I too was entering a new year, a new dormitory, and embarking upon the next phase of my education.

As time went by during the course of the semester, studies aside, my feelings intensified. As is often the case with me and especially with this relationship, it was one-sided in that the feelings were "my imagination running away with me."

Although it was one-sided, for the most part, there were frequent gestures and signs pointing in my favor. "Signs say, long haired, freaky people need not apply."
Now, years later it is absolute after a 180° turn in my life. It is so clear and the signs are so obvious. I chalk it up to  my inexperience and also naïve wishful thinking.

One for the road, "these are salad days."

Jimmy

"Run for the hills"

This song was recently a header for a talk show I listen to on the radio. It is a sports show and this song as played by this sports show today has nothing to do with politics, but could easily apply to today's politics.

Whenever Mitt Romney speaks or makes any presentation, I cannot see him as president of this country. I am not impressed with the fact that he is a multimillionaire, with wealth I can only dream of.

I am sure he made money the "old-fashioned way." But in its truest sense, he did not earn it from scratch, but like many multimillionaires, or billionaires, he inherited it. It is nice to hit the proverbial "home run" in life. But when you start at third base, it ruins the accomplishment.

I think that to be a corporate lion is commendable, but does not translate into being a good president. But most if not all of the past presidents have been wealthy. And some of them have been phenomenal presidents. I think the best example is John F. Kennedy. The Kennedys are incredibly wealthy. That notwithstanding, John F. Kennedy had a heart for poor people and made it his mission to assist the less fortunate.

Now, as most people know, John F. Kennedy was no saint. He was far from being loyal to his wife. His extramarital affairs/1 nighters with women on a worldwide scale have been well documented. But these kind of shenanigans do not take away from the fact that he took care of many of the underprivileged in society.

I have always been proud of being an American, I never want to be ashamed of our president on the worldwide stage. I look to past presidents, some who are not the most glamorous, or shine with great public speaking, but very few, if any, that are shameful. Let us please not start with this election. And that is all I am gonna say about that.

One for the road, "He had the snake, the size of a sewer pipe living in his rib cage, and I felt like a pickled priest who was being flambéd."

Jimmy

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

There are many ways to waste the mind. One is to fall victim to propaganda and commercialization. This includes excessive exposure to television and radio, while abstaining from reading. 
This also includes free thinking and imagination. Similar to being a communist regime where people are controlled by one the common theme, to serve their country and/or leader.

Sometimes people feel locked into a common movement for political party, even in a socialist regime. It can be argued that this is happening in this country which is supposedly purely capitalistic.

Even worse, one can waste their mind by simply not using it. Not thinking, being controlled 100% by forces outside their control. People who are not trying to tune people out by ignoring them, people who are just tuned out themselves.

One for the road, "Comatose yet walking still."

Jimmy

The closer

It never bothers me when people are arrogant, especially when they can back it up. This is most impressive because their arrogance sets the bar very high, and that notwithstanding , they succeed.

These people often make reference to themselves in the third person. For example, I applaud Rickey Henderson, the baseball player who used to play for the Oakland Athletics, and the New York Yankees. He often told the first baseman that he would be stealing second base, "Ricky is going to steal second base, and there is nothing you can do to stop Ricky."

Another example is when a surgeon has "the God complex." When a skilled surgeon thinks of himself as the savior, saving a person who is dying and facing fatal conditions. Now this level of arrogance is certainly an increase from the former level. 

The surgeon has to have this sort of confidence to be able to succeed under immense pressure.  Most would want that surgeon to be operating on them irrespective of his confidence level.

Similarly, for that matter, most would want the aforementioned baseball player. Some athletes exhibit confidence without overtly showing it.

For example, Lebron James does not brag about his skills. It is obvious that he is a superhuman basketball player, undoubtedly he knows it, and all he has to do is do it, which he does. Kobe Bryant is another example of someone who just does it without talking about it.  He is known as one of the most foremost closers in the entire NBA .

But actually, we are not on the basketball court, and we cannot hear what they are saying to each other. Many former professional basketball players said that Larry Bird talked the most smack, and the public never knew.

Confidence can be an asset, but one must hone it.

One for the road, "The killer awoke before dawn, he had his boots on."

Jimmy