leftovers

i am a fan of Chuck Palahniuk. no question. did you know he wrote a (comic) sequel to Fight Club 10 years after the original Fight Club? yup. i didn't have any idea. but he did. more details are here for those of you who are interested. anyway, the quote above is worth talking about. yes, we all die. we do. and there is no rule or guide or book that says when our time will come. but when it does, it comes fast.

i guess i think it's noble and admirable to leave something behind that will live forever. even the most sparkling personalities eventually become shopworn. but why the goal to leave something that will live forever? the best pieces of literature are timely and within context. i was always bugged (and consequently, horrible at history) because i had to test on the the annals of the reigns of English kings or the 14th century Anglo-French chronicles. they don't mean much to me. not because i don't think history isn't important. i just don't see the point in memorizing or analyzing something i can read in a book SHOULD i need to know something about it for one day of my life. it is just useless. (insert jeers and intellectual criticism here.)

there are so many other things i need to remember just to survive. we are saturated--inundated with information. it is impossible for me to store thousands of terabytes of available information in my brain. let's face it. i have a hard enough time remembering my grocery list. birthdays. to feed the dog.

so Chuck, I agree. if you can create something that will live forever, i think it's super cool. like when robots rule the earth or Jesus comes ... and everyone is still talking about Tyler Durden, you've accomplished something amazing. and Fight Club might just qualify. it was epic. for me, however, i am content with being remembered for a few kinda cool things i did for maybe two years after i die. just a few good things i did. like that one 7-layer dip i made for the Superbowl or when i picked a perfect NCAA tournament bracket.

i don't know. i have a point. our schools are teaching things that kids don't understand because they cannot grasp the time or circumstances surrounding the events. they need applicable information. they need financial advice. they need to learn to treat each other better. they need to learn to explore and create their own path. they need to understand that the times are changing (thank you, Bob Dylan) and marriage isn't the only answer after high school. that men and women are equal. that everyone should follow their dreams.

that's it. that's really all i am going to try to remember. i mean, when was the last time i had to find the foci of an ellipse? never.