The value of time.

"Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend," said Diogenes Laërtius . And sometimes we have to spend a lot of it on mundane things like washing dishes, sleeping and brushing our teeth. So one must find joy in the mundane moments. It's like at the end of American Beauty where Lester sees beauty in a plastic bag floating in the wind.

Blizzard

Back in the day, when you bought a Blizzard at Dairy Queen, they would turn it upside down to show you how well it was made.

These days though--and I've found this at a number of Dairy Queens in different cities--if a blizzard was turned upside down, it would pour right out of the cup. Blizzards are becoming more like chocolate soup.

Is this a new product development? If so, I haven't seen any ads out to promote it.

Where the buffalo roam

I was out walking the grid roads yesterday and was delighted to find a herd of buffalo grazing about in a field. I hopped down into the ditch to take a photo, but they all ran off in a thunderous gallop. The sound of them running was the most amazing thing I ever heard. Watching them run was also pretty cool.

I felt guilty though for causing them panic, especially when a baby became separated from the herd and struggled to keep up. If I was a predator, it would have been dead.

Anyhow, I didn't think the buffalo would be so jumpy. Clearly I underestimated their survival instinct, which is definitely lacking in the cows around here. You could walk right up to a cow and it would just look at you. And a cow certainly should be afraid of humans. Yet somehow they do little to fight us.

A connection

Through my work I sometimes have the opportunity to travel around and meet people.

And it's amazing, how once and awhile, you can meet someone for a short period, like a day or two, and make a special connection.

While these connections are great, they make it hard to say goodbye. I personally feel very sad after the person leaves, because often one can loose touch, despite best efforts. Knowing this maybe inevitable is why it is diffcult to let the person go when he or she is in my presence.

As a friend of mine always reminds me, though, is that people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Only time will tell which it is.

Sigh.

On science and art

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about science and art. Someone once asked me which I thought more important: a great artistic achievement, such as modernism, or a scientific development such as penicillin.

I found this to be an unfair question. Science and art are each important to society in their own way. What would our world be like without art? There would be no paintings on the walls, no movies, no sculpture on the street. Art gives us clues about the cultures that came before us. And without science, there would be no medicine, no dishwashers, or cars.

I'm tempted to say science and art are equally important, but I'm not sure. Let's not compare modernism to penicillin.

On failure

"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative." - Woody Allen

It's tough to remember that failure can sometimes be a good sign.

Overstatement

Sometimes an "out of order" sign is not necessary.

For instance, when a sink in a public washroom is missing its facets, it is obvious that one should move on and try the next sink over.