Category: Uncategorized

Always On The Go

Rob Says1 Comment

time lapse photography of train

I know a few people in my life that are always on the go. They got shit to do. They want to be efficient and productive. If they don’t have an itinerary to follow, they get anxious. It’s like the Hounds of Hell are nipping and chasing at their heels.

Don’t get me wrong, I get it. I prefer to be productive and doing things instead of lying around like a lazy piece of shit.

I also know that while being productive and on the go can be a good thing, I also know that you end up burning the candle at both ends.

If that sense of urgency to do shit, to be productive, is really the Hounds chasing you, were you diagnosed with some terminal illness? Do you know something I don’t? I understand that our time here on the planet is in fact, limited. We will all leave here someday. No one here gets out alive.

At the same time, I’ve tried burning the candle at both ends, and I just can’t do it for extended periods of time. I burn out. I get fatigued and exhausted. And I lose focus on the bigger picture.

What is the bigger picture? I’m glad you asked. It’s going to be different for everyone, but the bigger picture for me is the time that I get to spend with those that I cherish.

I’ve traveled quite a bit over the years and I’ve seen a lot of places and things. I’ve definitely bought the T-shirt. You know the one: Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. In all of the places I’ve been, with all the things I’ve seen, only one thing really has mattered to me over time.

It’s not where I’ve been or where I’m going. It’s not seeing this place, that thing, or the other thing. It’s who I’ve spent my time with that matters the most.

I would rather sit next to a fire, smoke a great cigar while sipping scotch, talking philosophy with good friends than hike the Grand Canyon by myself.

I would rather ride my motorcycle next to a couple Brothers, flying down the highway, feeling the wind on my face as we ride side by side than hike another goddamn mountain to see yet another goddamn peak, to look down into another goddamn valley just to say that I hiked up there and looked down there. The top of a mountain is overrated anyways. Same shit up there. Rocks and probably snow. And it’s cold.

I’m not against hiking or doing anything. It’s just that I would rather spend time relaxing and talking about taking over the world with good people, close friends, than hike for the sake of hiking.

At the end of your life, it’ll be the memories of the people that you did stuff with, that you talked to, that you shared a moment with, that will matter most. It’s not going to be that monument you saw in some national park somewhere. It won’t be the plane flight that you took to bumfuck Egypt, unless you met your mate on that flight.

It’s about the people in your life that matter most. It’s those memories and those experiences that will mean the most to you at the end of your days. Not how many miles you logged while backpacking across Europe.

Sometimes it’s okay to slow down and just relax. You don’t always need to be on the go, to be doing shit. Sometimes the best itinerary is no itinerary at all.

Like the tired old cliche goes: Slow down and smell the flowers. Or something like that. Or in my case, sit down, drink some scotch, smoke a good cigar while talking to close friends about everything and nothing at all.

You can take over the world and be the whirlwind that you are tomorrow. While we all have to leave this world eventually, and we will all leave it sooner than we think, I do think that for the most part, you and I will both still be here tomorrow.

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I Am Tyler Durden. (And So Are You.)

Rob Says2 Comments
Durden-fa-pipi
Don’t Mind Him, He’s Just Pissing In The Lobster Bisque.

I just got done watching Fight Club for the umpteenth time, what can I say? I enjoy this film. I’ve lost count as to how many times I’ve seen it over the years, but I can say that when it came out in what? 1999? I saw it at least three times in the theater itself. I’ve seen it on cable countless times, bought the dvd when it came out, and even bought the 10th anniversary edition on Blu-Ray.

While I can sit here and wax poetic about the entirety of the film, one scene in particular has always stood out for me. It’s the scene where Tyler and “Cornelius” (come on, we all know he’s “two dudes in one man’s body”) go through their assorted “odd jobs.”

“He was the guerrilla terrorist of the food service industry….”

This particular scene of Tyler pissing in the lobster bisque reminds me of when I used to work in the food service industry as a teenager and as a bartender in my early to mid twenties. While this scene could be seen as extreme, I assure you it’s not. Maybe you know where I’m going with this. Maybe you’ve even done it yourself.

I’ve always made it a point to be nice to food servers and the other staff at a restaurant, bar, whatever. I choose this because I’ve been Tyler Durden. I may have not pissed in the lobster bisque, but I have done things to extract vengeance against an asshole customer. So have many of my previous co-workers. Where else do you think I first learned the “Art of Getting Even?”

Some douche made the waitress cry? His steak got “special seasoning.” Some dickhead decided to turn his own volume up to eleven? Food got dropped on the floor, picked back up, tossed on the grill for a moment, and then tossed on the plate to be served to said dickhead.

And Visine. Oh Visine is a wonderful thing in a bar. It has more uses than just for “getting the red out.”

What is my point to all of this? Why am I strolling down memory lane besides that I just got done watching Fight Club yet again?

Be nice to the help. Be nice to the man or woman who is serving you your food and beverage. Sometimes they can be dicks, god knows I’ve run into them while they are on the job, but many times they are having a bad day or a moment, and you get to be the one who gets the front row seat to it. Be nice even when they are distracted or are being a dick to you. Be nice because they can fuck with your food or drink. It doesn’t mean that you have to be a doormat and take whatever shit they are shoveling. If it’s that bad, either ask for the manager, or take your wallet and your money and go eat or drink somewhere else.

Be nice to the help because it’s the right thing to do. Take the high road. You may get all sorts of perks out of it too. I couldn’t tell you how many free meals, drinks, what have you, that I’ve received over the years because I was simply nice to the help. I have almost one hundred percent certainty that my food or beverage hasn’t been messed with either. Almost one hundred percent. There’s always a possibility.

If you are the help, thank you for what you do. Thank you for your tireless dedication to giving the best service and experience that you can offer. I know it can be a thankless job, believe me, I know. But I notice what you are doing, I notice you. Thank you.

And for you reading this, if you are that customer that I just described, if this is you, remember: I am Tyler Durden. Remember this every time you go out to eat or get a drink. Remember that Tyler works there. Remember that those that are serving you aren’t there to be your punching bag. They aren’t peons or slaves to do your bidding. They aren’t there to take the shit that you are shoveling. They will have their vengeance. They will have their pound of flesh. One way or another, what comes around, goes around. Think about this when you decide to go out.

Enjoy your meal…

 

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An Anniversary Of Sorts

Rob SaysLeave a comment

close up of beer glass against black background

Here it is close to the end of April, and I realize that I’ve had this blog for two and a half years now. I’ve had over 100 posts so far, the majority of them have been from 2018 and this year.

I look back on these past two and a half years and a lot has happened in that time frame.

My Mother died in September of 2018, my LTR of almost 4 years ended in December of 2018, although in all honesty, I knew and I believe she knew that the relationship really ended in early September of 2018. Maybe it ended earlier than that. It probably did.

I met up with the fine gentlemen of Masculine Geek in early January 2019 and started podcast/video casting with them (go visit and sign up for the newsletter while you are there. Trust me.) It’s been a roaring success thus far. I’m glad that my Brother from another Mother, Vincent took me on and decided to give me a shot, it’s been a helluva ride so far. In late September, early October of this year, the Masculine Geeks are planning a “Village by the Sea” trip where we are going to get together, celebrate our achievements, both personal and as a group, get some grooming done by George Bruno, smoke some cigars, drink some booze, and plan our next moves. There’s even been talk about doing a meetup of some kind where other Men from around the area, and maybe even the world, can come out and hang out with us and celebrate masculinity. More details will come as they arrive on that one.

I’ve picked up a lot of new followers here on the blog. Thank you all for joining me and being a part of my journey. I’ve had a lot of great interactions via the comment section of each post and it’s become a sort of “collaboration” for me. It’s great to see new ideas and information being exchanged. To my fellow bloggers, blogging isn’t dead, far from it. Keep doing what you are doing. Keep doing you, being you, and keep writing. I’ll keep reading what you have to say and throw my two cents in if and when they are warranted.

I’ll keep writing as well. It’s funny to me, one of the last things that I would consider myself is a writer. Motorcycle and firearm enthusiast? Absolutely. Hard rock and heavy metal fan? Most definitely. Asshole extraordinaire? Goes without saying. Lover of women? Yes. And I do love you women. The way you look, the way you smell, the way you feel when I touch you, the sound of your laugh, and the music of your song. All of it. That being said, I’m going to call you out on your bullshit if you try and pull it on me.

But a writer? I still don’t consider myself one, at least not in my own eyes. When I was a younger Man in college, I dabbled with fiction writing. I wanted to be the next Stephen King. Why not? He happens to be my favorite fiction author. I’ve always considered people like King, Orwell, Frost, Robert Greene, and Clive Barker (although he is a wordy motherfucker) to be writers. But me? I’m just a Man putting my thoughts down on paper, or on a screen as the case may be. I’m just a Man who is running his mouth about things that I hold near and dear to my heart. I’m just speaking my truth is all.

Apparently a lot of you out there that are reading what I’m saying think otherwise. The e-mails I get from my list from you guys say otherwise. For all of that, I’m flattered and honored that you think and would call me a writer. It’s a title that I hold with great reverence and great honor, but really the credit goes to all of you that are reading this. You are why I write. You are the reason that I keep pounding the keys and keep on keeping on with what I’m doing here.

You Readers are the reason ultimately that I keep Screaming into the Void. Somehow, some way, you’ve found me and I in turn have found you. Shall we let the entire world know our secret? I think we should. It’s time.

Dear World,

There are more of Us out here than you know. There are more of Us who don’t buy the bullshit that you are trying to sell Us. There are more of Us who are tired of the narrative that you are trying to push. There are more of Us that are choosing to ignore your bullshit, or even better, there are those of Us who are starting to push back.

Enjoy your politically correct Reign of Terror while you still can, because your time is almost up. Conventional Masculinity and Femininity cannot and will not be overrode by your bullshit politics and rhetoric. Your ideology and dogma of intersectionality cannot override biology. Your time is coming to an end.

See you soon,

Us

And for those of you reading this, Thank You for taking the time to read it.

I still don’t consider myself a writer, but maybe I’m wrong. I’ve been wrong before.

Here’s to the next two and a half years and beyond.

Cheers.

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