one for sorrow, two for joy
Wednesday. Some people call this "humpday." I envision a corporate sub-culture that celebrate with phony, wearable "camel-humps" on their backs. In the world I see, social status is determined by the quality of your hump. The higher quality humps would belong to the elites and the professionals. They would display the Bactrian dual humps with pride as they meet in each other's offices and in board rooms. Their support staff would wear plastic single-hump "dromedary" models that could be purchased at the same kind of stores that sell Dilbert day-callenders and amusing office novelties. The two classes of hump-backs would clash periodically, and rivalries would emerge based entirely on disrespect toward an individual's hump, or a willingness to prove that you have the most admirable hump---to prove you are the "humpiest."
This, I think, is proof that my imagination is dangerous to society and should never be allowed a public forum with which to express ideas. Anyway, thanks for reading my livejournal.
Lance Armstrong is done with professional cycling. So, what does he want to do next? He said he wants a job. Like, an actual job sort of thing. I think it's hysterical. Many of Lance's fans and admirers are who have jobs and would rather be cycling, and they have to squeeze it in on weekends. It's kind of like the professional fisherman saying, "well, I'm done. I think I'll go get a job at Merryl Lynch."
Actually, it's more like this: imagine if Tiger Woods---who makes millions playing the greatest golf courses in the world---decided that, instead of playing golf for a career, he'd like to work in an accounting firm in New Jersey.
I think Lance is going to take a job that doesn't involve cycling. After winning seven Tour de France's in a row (which is something Hercules would've said "yeah, right" to if he'd been ordered to do it as one of his twelve labors), he can do anything he wants. There's probably no better role model in sports than Lance Armstrong. ESPN had a lot of commentary on Lance's condition, before he underwent treatment, recovered, and started winning every Tour since 1999. They said he had very little chance of even living a comfortable, healthy life ever again. It was questionable whether he would ever be able to race a bike again. His cameo in last years's "Dodgeball" pretty much sums it up perfectly. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was somethin like this:
"Well, I was diagnosed with three kinds of cancer and given a 40% chance to live, and then I won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you've got a really good reason for quitting."
After filming that, he won it two more times.
I like to believe that a person's capacity for wisdom is a perfect reflection of their moral capabilities. That is, the wiser you are, the greater the evil you are capable of, and the greater the good you are capable of. The farther you fall to darkness, that's how far you can ascend to light. I'm not just trying to be poetic here, but that's really what I believe. With wisdom comes the capacity for empathy; and therefore sympathy and apathy. I could be totally wrong about this, but it's what I like to believe.
Besides winning seven tours, Lance raised something like $50 million for his foundation, which donates to cancer research, treatment, and social programs. The people who came up with the Livestrong project had no idea it would be THAT popular---that so many people would be willing to display their support for cancer relief. You can't know for certain what Lance's intentions were, or those of the people who organized the Livestrong project. They only made a couple million rubberband bracelets in the beginning. But what they did was something of such great value to the world that it will never be forgotten.
If hope is a candle held up against the darkness, then Lance Armstrong is a Lighthouse at night in a storm. If that metaphor is too much, then here: the storm is cancer, the night is sorrow, and the lighthouse is the effort to stand against a horror that threatens to consume all---er, "cancer."
I'm exhausted. Two cups of coffee, and my eyes are still half closed. I got about this much sleep last night. No idea why. I just know that I looked at my alarm clock to see how long I'd been trying to fall asleep, and it was already 6 AM. That can't be good.
This, I think, is proof that my imagination is dangerous to society and should never be allowed a public forum with which to express ideas. Anyway, thanks for reading my livejournal.
Lance Armstrong is done with professional cycling. So, what does he want to do next? He said he wants a job. Like, an actual job sort of thing. I think it's hysterical. Many of Lance's fans and admirers are who have jobs and would rather be cycling, and they have to squeeze it in on weekends. It's kind of like the professional fisherman saying, "well, I'm done. I think I'll go get a job at Merryl Lynch."
Actually, it's more like this: imagine if Tiger Woods---who makes millions playing the greatest golf courses in the world---decided that, instead of playing golf for a career, he'd like to work in an accounting firm in New Jersey.
I think Lance is going to take a job that doesn't involve cycling. After winning seven Tour de France's in a row (which is something Hercules would've said "yeah, right" to if he'd been ordered to do it as one of his twelve labors), he can do anything he wants. There's probably no better role model in sports than Lance Armstrong. ESPN had a lot of commentary on Lance's condition, before he underwent treatment, recovered, and started winning every Tour since 1999. They said he had very little chance of even living a comfortable, healthy life ever again. It was questionable whether he would ever be able to race a bike again. His cameo in last years's "Dodgeball" pretty much sums it up perfectly. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was somethin like this:
"Well, I was diagnosed with three kinds of cancer and given a 40% chance to live, and then I won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you've got a really good reason for quitting."
After filming that, he won it two more times.
I like to believe that a person's capacity for wisdom is a perfect reflection of their moral capabilities. That is, the wiser you are, the greater the evil you are capable of, and the greater the good you are capable of. The farther you fall to darkness, that's how far you can ascend to light. I'm not just trying to be poetic here, but that's really what I believe. With wisdom comes the capacity for empathy; and therefore sympathy and apathy. I could be totally wrong about this, but it's what I like to believe.
Besides winning seven tours, Lance raised something like $50 million for his foundation, which donates to cancer research, treatment, and social programs. The people who came up with the Livestrong project had no idea it would be THAT popular---that so many people would be willing to display their support for cancer relief. You can't know for certain what Lance's intentions were, or those of the people who organized the Livestrong project. They only made a couple million rubberband bracelets in the beginning. But what they did was something of such great value to the world that it will never be forgotten.
If hope is a candle held up against the darkness, then Lance Armstrong is a Lighthouse at night in a storm. If that metaphor is too much, then here: the storm is cancer, the night is sorrow, and the lighthouse is the effort to stand against a horror that threatens to consume all---er, "cancer."
I'm exhausted. Two cups of coffee, and my eyes are still half closed. I got about this much sleep last night. No idea why. I just know that I looked at my alarm clock to see how long I'd been trying to fall asleep, and it was already 6 AM. That can't be good.