An Insolent Southern Man

After mistaking the neighbor's donkey for a Tusken Raider's war cry tonight, I came to the following conclusion:

Tusken Raiders would make terrible neighbors.

 Borrowing a cup of sugar, a shovel, even my lawnmower is one thing... Borrowing my camera is another.

Lately there's been a rash of folks asking to borrow photography gear from me. Now before I go off sounding like an a$$hole, let me be upfront - I will loan out gear to friends in need. Heck, I've borrowed a few items from other photographers myself. But here lately, it's been getting out of hand. Add in the fact that money is really, REALLY  tight in my house right now, and you've got me feeling a little on the stingy side. So, I'm sorry if I come across as a douche when you ask to borrow a list of my expensive camera equipment that I barely had the money to buy in the first place, and I tell you "no."

I used to have a plan. It was only a couple of years ago, but it seems like it was forever ago. Nonetheless, I had a plan.

One of the most commonly asked questions I get about backpacking is "Where do you sleep?" For me personally, about 80% of the time, I sleep in shelters which have wooden sleeping platforms. The rest of the time, I'm in a tent. I have been known to bivy out on the open ground once and a while, but that's really a rare thing with me these days.

I guess this is my official review of it. I honestly hate the back end of Blogger. Yeah, it's simple and clean, easy to understand and navigate, but it's boring and bland. I hate having to hit "preview" to see what my post will look like. I've tried coming around with it, but as of late, I was writing posts in MS Word and then copying and pasting them into the oh-so-boring Blogger UI. That really didn't solve any problems or help me get over my annoyances, but it I did it anyway.

Recently, I've noticed that all I seem to do is hang out on Facebook. It's to the point that I think it's become a real problem for me. So, in order to take back my life via self discipline, I've decided to opt out of it for a while. To explain myself, I kind of went through the whole thought process as if I were interviewing myself. It's kind of kooky, but it works.

I read a blog every day posted by the caretakers at the lodge on top of Mt LeConte in the Smokies. During the warmer months, the lodge is open to the public. They take reservations for people that wish to hike up and spend the night there. I think a shared bunkhouse that will sleep four will set you back about $100 or so, but good luck getting a spot. From what I understand, it's in such demand, that a lottery is how they decide who gets to stay.

 Well, here I am. Let me throw out a disclaimer here first: This blog will have profanity in it. As I intend to complain a lot, and sometimes I get a little heated. This blog will name names. I don't care who you are. This blog will be upfront and honest as I can be about whatever it is I may talk about. With that being said, I'm not an expert, scientist, psychologist, social expert, or anything else for that matter... I'm just a man with opinions. Some count, some (most) don't. I like to think that my ideas and opinions are facts, but we both know that that's not always true...

 Now, without further ado, here's my first post. Enjoy!

 I'm not gonna joke around with you. This blog has been on my mind for months. Hell, I might have even thought of it last year. I can't remember. I do remember posting some garbage on Facebook about it after a day of mowing the grass here at the house.

 I have an 18" Cub Cadet push mower, and it takes me a long time to cut my yard. Therefore, I have lots of time to think about things. Seems like I have some of the best ideas while I'm out there sweating and pushing. I guess mindless work has that effect. Why do I push mow my lawn? Because the riding mower broke a long time ago, and I don't have the time or the inclination to fix it.

 Anyway, mindless work seems to have that effect on me. I could remember standing in front of the CNC machine at work, watching it and thinking about something completely unrelated. Over the last couple of years, I've been working part time at a local grocery store, and I'd have days where I'd come up with some of the best ideas while I was stocking the shelves.

 The worst part was forgetting the idea by the time I got home. I'm not talking about coming home and trying to remember what it was that I thought of in the first place, I'm talking about NEVER thinking about it again. Like, it never happened, gone...

 I thought I had cured that stigma when I got an iPhone. I signed up and downloaded Evernote, but the problem there is that the app is so damn sketchy, and it takes too long to do anything in it. I often found myself on an aisle in the store, fiddling with my phone, trying desperately to record a thought, only to have a customer walk by and ask me where the sour cream or the Ziploc bags were. By then, the thought or idea was gone. Or, if it wasn't, then it would be by the time I got my phone back out and waited on Evernote's slow user interface to wake up and work for me. Worse, I'd be caught by a manger messing with the phone while I was supposed to be working.

 So why are our minds like this? Why is it that I can sit around this house with a broken leg, all the free time in the world, and can't come up with a decent idea like I could if I were engaged in a mindless task? If you know the answer, or this happens to you, feel free to explain or share your thoughts in the comments section.

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