an offer you can't refuse
do you have an unreasonable love of something that is middle to low brow? i think most of us participate in some form of behavior that is somewhat embarrassing. Not illegal or immoral, more in line with the pursuit of dorkiness. here's a tale about one of mine:
my wife and i have an unhealthy love of all things disney. the pinnacle of disneymania -for us- is the annual pilgrimage to walt disney world near orlando, florida. when i inform others of an impending trip to wdw, i will invariably get a remark about having to do this kind of thing because of the age of my son (5.) what the joker doesn't know is that charlotte and i had been going to wdw for 5 years before jman was born; and, by that time we had already purchased ownership in disney's version of a time-share. we'll be going to wdw once a year long after our son is married and raising his own family.
because we are in this vacation club, we have been able to invite others to vacation with us,while offering lodging free for the week. this trip was no exception. charlotte's brother, david, went with us and seemed to have a really good time. i hope he was able to remove himself from some of his current worries, if only for a few days. he is a fantastic photographer, and i look forward to seeing what he was able to produce. our trip was made better by having him with us.
we were sitting in the lobby of the wilderness lodge, and i noticed that someone had dropped a popsicle on the floor across from us. it had been a while since it was abandoned there, and since the person who dropped it didn't have the courtesy to pick up his mess, the thing had melted into a sizable puddle that was ruining the wood floor. when i reported the mess to the concierge, he replied that he had just been made aware of the situation, and was in the process of summoning the facilities maintenance crew.
this was not the first, or last, time i would see a mess on the ground...left by some self-absorbed slob who expected "the help" to clean after him. it really is repulsive that people are this oblivious to their surroundings and the property of others. it is not only wdw that suffers from this refuse narcissism. look at your local movie theater if you need proof. i would love for someone to explain to me why he feels it appropriate to leave a box of popcorn and a cup of coke on the ground in the theater. on one occasion, charlotte and i had the opportunity to see a show on the opening night for the local theater. i mean no one had ever watched a movie in this room before. it was beautiful and immaculately clean. i can't possibly tell you the name of the movie; but, i can tell you that i was alarmed -but not surprised- to find the theater a mess when the lights came up. people just stood, leaving their garbage in the aisles, and walked out as if there was not a care in the world. it is beyond my comprehension. this happens everywhere. THERE IS A TRASH CAN RIGHT OUT THE DOOR. USE IT!
my policy is that if i bought it, i used it, i am responsible for its disposal. it is not a difficult concept, so i am not sure why we are so daft as to not comprehend.
of course, i have had my day as a litterbug. before stevie ray and willie enticed me with their credo to not "mess with texas," i had my own fun littering. when i was a teenager, i used to love to throw an empty coke bottle out of the window of a moving car. not just throw it arbitrarily, it had to be aimed at a road sign. when you are going down the road at 60 mph, hitting a highway sign with a bottle thrown with your left hand is pretty darned difficult. in fact, i don't know that i ever succeeded. unfortunately, now i have outgrown such sophomoric pursuits. i missed my chance...literally.
environmental concerns are one of the primary political issues of our day. as the earth's population continues to increase, and its natural resources are stretched further, the preservation of the planet's natural ecological functions will increase in urgency and importance. i don't know how we, as a people, can expect to preserve the delicate balance of life in prince william sound or the galapagos when we are unable to prevent the streets of our cities from becoming filth strewn cesspools.
my wife and i have an unhealthy love of all things disney. the pinnacle of disneymania -for us- is the annual pilgrimage to walt disney world near orlando, florida. when i inform others of an impending trip to wdw, i will invariably get a remark about having to do this kind of thing because of the age of my son (5.) what the joker doesn't know is that charlotte and i had been going to wdw for 5 years before jman was born; and, by that time we had already purchased ownership in disney's version of a time-share. we'll be going to wdw once a year long after our son is married and raising his own family.
because we are in this vacation club, we have been able to invite others to vacation with us,while offering lodging free for the week. this trip was no exception. charlotte's brother, david, went with us and seemed to have a really good time. i hope he was able to remove himself from some of his current worries, if only for a few days. he is a fantastic photographer, and i look forward to seeing what he was able to produce. our trip was made better by having him with us.
we were sitting in the lobby of the wilderness lodge, and i noticed that someone had dropped a popsicle on the floor across from us. it had been a while since it was abandoned there, and since the person who dropped it didn't have the courtesy to pick up his mess, the thing had melted into a sizable puddle that was ruining the wood floor. when i reported the mess to the concierge, he replied that he had just been made aware of the situation, and was in the process of summoning the facilities maintenance crew.
this was not the first, or last, time i would see a mess on the ground...left by some self-absorbed slob who expected "the help" to clean after him. it really is repulsive that people are this oblivious to their surroundings and the property of others. it is not only wdw that suffers from this refuse narcissism. look at your local movie theater if you need proof. i would love for someone to explain to me why he feels it appropriate to leave a box of popcorn and a cup of coke on the ground in the theater. on one occasion, charlotte and i had the opportunity to see a show on the opening night for the local theater. i mean no one had ever watched a movie in this room before. it was beautiful and immaculately clean. i can't possibly tell you the name of the movie; but, i can tell you that i was alarmed -but not surprised- to find the theater a mess when the lights came up. people just stood, leaving their garbage in the aisles, and walked out as if there was not a care in the world. it is beyond my comprehension. this happens everywhere. THERE IS A TRASH CAN RIGHT OUT THE DOOR. USE IT!
my policy is that if i bought it, i used it, i am responsible for its disposal. it is not a difficult concept, so i am not sure why we are so daft as to not comprehend.
of course, i have had my day as a litterbug. before stevie ray and willie enticed me with their credo to not "mess with texas," i had my own fun littering. when i was a teenager, i used to love to throw an empty coke bottle out of the window of a moving car. not just throw it arbitrarily, it had to be aimed at a road sign. when you are going down the road at 60 mph, hitting a highway sign with a bottle thrown with your left hand is pretty darned difficult. in fact, i don't know that i ever succeeded. unfortunately, now i have outgrown such sophomoric pursuits. i missed my chance...literally.
environmental concerns are one of the primary political issues of our day. as the earth's population continues to increase, and its natural resources are stretched further, the preservation of the planet's natural ecological functions will increase in urgency and importance. i don't know how we, as a people, can expect to preserve the delicate balance of life in prince william sound or the galapagos when we are unable to prevent the streets of our cities from becoming filth strewn cesspools.
posted by cm at 12/27/2005
<< Home