What I've Learned 004: I Suppose Blogging Counts For Something.

Continuing an ongoing series of creative writing exercises inspired by Esquire's "What I've Learned" articles. This time, Conor Oberst's interview was my template; the first few words of each paragraph of the feature (in italics below) serve as prompts for my own answers.

high-contrast

• Airports, hotels, and rock clubs are all equally awesome places to get drunk. Or that's what I've heard, anyway. Yeah.
  
  
• I met some really great people since moving back to the Midwest two-and-a-half years ago, from both rural and urban areas. I just hope I can keep in touch with them. I've gotten quite a bit more outgoing over time so I'm optimistic about it.
  
  
• I think in a lot of ways unconditional love is trivialized. I'm talking about movies, books and music. I've grown to realize that it takes a lot of work to make a relationship work. You can't just talk about loving someone. You have to actively do it.
  
  
• Nebraska is probably somewhere I'd drive through just to get to somewhere else. Nothing against the "fly-over" states, but I'm a city boy at heart. A sincere thanks for all the corn though.
  
  
• We've got the best country in the world to live in, and we're busy wasting our own time, money and energy on utter bullshit.
  
  
• When you get past Kansas City's drawbacks, it's actually not a bad place to live. I'm happy to have lived here and experienced what it's had to offer. No regrets. I'll try to make the most of the (short) time I have left.
  
  
• I would prefer to be a little more productive when it comes to writing on a schedule, but I suppose blogging counts for something. At least it keeps my brain active and away from reality TV.
  
  
• If I could meet anybody, I'd love to spend an afternoon with my father's father. He passed before I was born. I think it would be fascinating to meet the man who helped shape my dad's life. From what he's told me, my grandfather was a cool dude.
  
  
• I keep my eyes closed when I shave my face in the shower. I don't know why.
  
  
• When you play songs that nobody knows, you have to break that barrier that comes with hearing the same song twelve times a day on the radio. A good audience is receptive to material other than what's pushed by the industry. Sometimes it works. Big up to college radio!
  
  
• Bruce is an indisputable icon. I find inspiration in his work ethic and philosophy on life. "There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." Knowledge dropped. I wonder how different the action genre and martial arts culture in general would be if he were still around.
  
  
• Once you get past your prime reproduction years, it's not the end of the world. It just lets you focus on other things that might've not seemed important at the time. I think I'm at that stage now, although I don't really consider myself "old" just yet. Other people probably have a different opinion.
  
  
• One of my best friends wants kids. His wife however does not, at least yet. Kinda funny how his biological alarm clock's gone off, and hers is unplugged. Anyway he'd make a great dad. It's interesting and amusing to see how he's changed over the years, but he's always been a loyal friend. Now put a bun in that oven!