The Good Life
I've been fortunate this year to have already visited some of my favorite places - San Francisco, Chicago, and New Orleans. There are things about each of those three cities that I like to think will be with me all my life. To me, there's just something about a great city that inspires.
Our most recent trip was New Orleans for Mardi Gras, of course. We took some rookies with us who were great sports and let us drag them all over creation trying to cram in 200 activities in 4 days. The trip was a blast, and the only bad part was not being able to fit in everything we wanted to do. But then again that just gives us an excuse for a follow-up trip.
With all the talk of economic doom and gloom these days, I feel badly for people who have nothing to look forward to in life. I was thinking about this while we were on the Golden Gate bridge and we saw these signs.
An average of 19 people jump off that bridge every year, and that's just the ones they "recover." Most believe the actual count is much higher. Over 1250 have jumped since the bridge opened in 1937. Most are bay area natives, and most are men between 25-65. 26 have survived the fall. In years like this where times are tough, the numbers rise sharply.
I took a picture of this sign for the novelty of it. There's a phone right below it where you can reach a counseling hotline. In retrospect though, it's really a pretty sad sign. The more I look at the picture, the more it helps me put my own life in perspective. Sure, there are things I'd like to be going better in my life, but damn, I'm not going to go jumping off a bridge or anything. I'd never get to enjoy Mardi Gras again, or racing at Keeneland, or a good night of Blues music in Chicago. I love my wife, I've got two great dogs...
Last week my employer cut everyone's salary. Yes, I mean everyone. There were some angry, loud complaints of course, but at least we still have jobs. I'm actually of a mindset right now where I'm thinking, maybe my company will actually remember that I was one of the guys who helped the company through some tough times and will pay me back someday. Those of you who know me know that's uncharacteristically optimistic of me, but why not? A little optimism can't hurt now and then, right? Brunch at Begue's and a hot towel shave from Aidan Gill will do that to a man. Besides, if they cut any more benefits, I'll have to be my own doctor and dentist.
Our most recent trip was New Orleans for Mardi Gras, of course. We took some rookies with us who were great sports and let us drag them all over creation trying to cram in 200 activities in 4 days. The trip was a blast, and the only bad part was not being able to fit in everything we wanted to do. But then again that just gives us an excuse for a follow-up trip.
With all the talk of economic doom and gloom these days, I feel badly for people who have nothing to look forward to in life. I was thinking about this while we were on the Golden Gate bridge and we saw these signs.
An average of 19 people jump off that bridge every year, and that's just the ones they "recover." Most believe the actual count is much higher. Over 1250 have jumped since the bridge opened in 1937. Most are bay area natives, and most are men between 25-65. 26 have survived the fall. In years like this where times are tough, the numbers rise sharply.
I took a picture of this sign for the novelty of it. There's a phone right below it where you can reach a counseling hotline. In retrospect though, it's really a pretty sad sign. The more I look at the picture, the more it helps me put my own life in perspective. Sure, there are things I'd like to be going better in my life, but damn, I'm not going to go jumping off a bridge or anything. I'd never get to enjoy Mardi Gras again, or racing at Keeneland, or a good night of Blues music in Chicago. I love my wife, I've got two great dogs...
Last week my employer cut everyone's salary. Yes, I mean everyone. There were some angry, loud complaints of course, but at least we still have jobs. I'm actually of a mindset right now where I'm thinking, maybe my company will actually remember that I was one of the guys who helped the company through some tough times and will pay me back someday. Those of you who know me know that's uncharacteristically optimistic of me, but why not? A little optimism can't hurt now and then, right? Brunch at Begue's and a hot towel shave from Aidan Gill will do that to a man. Besides, if they cut any more benefits, I'll have to be my own doctor and dentist.
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