Masterminx

My friends teased me when the film was released, suggesting that I would be pulling a Paul Reubens in the back of the theater. My amorous fervor for Al Gore is well documented and widely known. The man is very good-looking, smart, and thoughtful. What's not to love?

Crush aside, I was impressed with the amount of work that had gone into his presentation. He seemed to be genuinely passionate about the environment. There were a few funny little jokes in there, some interesting insights into Gore's childhood, and a teary moment when he talked about the plight of the polar bears. That broke my heart, a little.

He explained the way that the climate change affects the migration of birds, their brooding season, and the skewed life cycle of their food. It's all out of whack, now. I feel quite doomed, to be honest.

I wish I wasn't so frightened by public transit. I do telecommute about one day per week, or every other week. That's something.

I wonder if I am a product of my generation. Am I typical of my generation? I don't even know what my generation would be called. I look around and see young Americans getting fatter, shunning work and activity, becoming far more self-absorbed than is healthy. They aren't getting any smarter, though. It's not that they have introverted and chosen to read books or follow more cerebral pursuits. I think stupidity has become the norm for kids and adults.

Is that the mark of my generation? Corrupting the language so that no one balks at the confusion of there/their/they're and where/were? We see signs and banners that muddle too/to, its/it's and you're/your proudly displayed in front of businesses. Plurals written with apostrophes! Don't even get me started on txtspk. Retch.

Is that our contribution to history? Inflated mortgage foreclosures, credit card debt, and the death of grammar? All of that, and the honor of being the generation that gave birth to the fattest, laziest, most medicated children in American history. Christ, it's an ugly thought.

I'm not saying everyone is that way, so don't twist my words. I'm talking about noted trends and averages; I'm talking about the new norms. We are bad for ourselves.

I think the attitude of gorging on self-indulgence is part of the problem that left us in the middle of a dying planet. We are short-sighted to the extreme. We have attention deficit. We're so bad that we wage wars and give up counting the numbers of our dead long before the conflict has ended. Remember how the headlines used to keep a tally?

The overwhelming nature of our self-destruction keeps me from leaping into action. I wonder what I can do, besides being damn glad that the rising ocean won't reach us here in Utah. I already switched to CF light bulbs. I can't afford a hybrid car. Shit, man.

I'm conserving some fuel for my Christmas shopping. I made my 2008 calendar and I'll be sending those off to all my (very few) loved ones and friends. I know it's sort of a jackass move to send people a calendar made from photos I took, but they act enthusiastic about it, so...fuckit. That's what they are getting. Anybody who wants to spend the $20 for one can get it on the Shutterfly site. Just ask for the link.

I know. I totally suck.