Friday, September 25, 2009

No Photography, Please.

I went to a great concert last night. U2 at Giant's Stadium. I was in general admission on the floor actually sort of "inside" the circle of the stage. I could see Bono's 5 o'clock shadow, the frayed bottoms of The Edge's jeans. Amazingly close.

It used to be that no cameras were allowed at concerts. Nowadays, what with camera phones, they've given up. So everyone, and I mean just about every single person (but me) had an actual camera.

And bou did they use them. I found it really distracting. And actually disturbing.

I want to be in the moment and enjoy the event. Taking pictures pulls you out of it. We supposedly take pictures to remember, but this is a concert. It's music. You can't really capture that.

I wouldn't begrudge someone a pic or two, but it was relentless and ubiquitous. I feel bad for them, actually.

You can't hold onto an experience like that. Bono's 10 feet away! Look! Enjoy it! Be present! Don't look at him through a screen.

Won't your ticket stub be enough?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Don't Build Your House On a Flood Plain

It's just so obvious. That little creek over there, right next to your house on the plot of flat land? Yeah, well, once every 20 years or so it floods big-time. Don't build there.

There hasn't been a really major flood in Atlanta since I was a kid. I remember my school's football field, next to Nancy Creek becoming a temporary lake. The golf courses also looked like lakes. Ditto the YMCA soccer fields.

Why? Because they were in flood plains. Simple. Obvious. That's why you build sports fields there. And not houses.

But then I remember when the horse field across from the soccer fields was developed. 20 or more houses were built. Not a good idea. They must have sold them to people from out of town.

In recent years I've noticed several new homes right by creeks. There's one over near Sarah Smith School, practically over the creek. What were they thinking?

As humans, we have this ability to ignore, deny, lie to ourselves and others that we are not in control, that bad things won't happen to us. I'm pretty sure Jesus had a parable about wise and foolish builders that relates to this.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Some People Run Late...

But I'm on time.
Sometimes pathologically. Even sometimes when I know I should be late. Like right now. My dear friend, former New Yorker, and a few others are meeting at this bar on Irving Place. Here I sit. The only one here.
The time to meet was 7:30. It's 7:45 now.
I should have known better!
It's so simple.
I even thought I was going to be a little late. Took my time getting ready and everything.

This trait is great for making trains, appointments etc.

Not so good for a night out. Fashionably late? Moi?
Um, no.

Ok, back to sitting at the bar. Tick tock tick tock.