Jab enter view, or not ?

We went off,off,off,off Broadway to a dinner theater here in Brandon. It was a showing of The Odd Couple, but it was kind of askew. The acting was OK, but I guess they supposed everybody already knew the premise. They did not really set up that Oscar was a slob or that he was a sports writer. They tried to set up that Felix was a neat freak, but mostly by putting him in an apron and having him pout and whine a lot. I asked Nong later, if she understood the play, since she does not know The Odd Couple story and she said, "I think so. It was a fat man and his gay friend." And I was thinking, yep... that's how it looked. Still, we went as a family, and it was a fun evening.

Things are not easy for me. Or at least they never have been. I joined the navy because I was tired of working all the time and still starving. Now I'm out and I feel a little bit cut loose. A little drifting. Like I am on hiatus from real life. But here's the thing...

Can you change and not know it? Can the world change while you're gone? Can a little of both happen? I mean look, I was a poor student. Now, I have passed the state Insurance Licensing Exam after just a few weeks study and pull a 90% on it. Then I start my college studies, where I fully expected to struggle and am pulling an A on what I feel is about 20% effort.

I take a job. Granted it is not much of a job, but still. In two months I am exceeding the expectations they are going to have for me (note I said going to have, not already have) at the two year point. Exceeding them. And I don't feel I am expending any more energy than talking on the phone. I know I am fixing to get really, really bored.

I mean, I am one lazy dude. I freely admit that. And I am not particularly good at things. I admit that too. I like to write and watch TV. So what's the deal? Are national standards steadily declining, so much to the point that I am above average? That hardly seems right. Did the navy shoot me with some kind of undetectable RFC Ray (Reading For Comprehension Ray)? I am really perplexed. And the only thing I can figure is that my time management skills are good and I have a fair amount of self discipline. To me, though, it still seems that you'd need more. You know, smarts or something.

Now, before I let you go, just let me say:
While snacking on the singing dog and painting the newspaper, I became fascinated with the curve of the barstool leg. It was one of four, which was really twelve, but either works better than five so I spilled my cereal. The road was gone outside, but since it was never very long I was filled with a craving for perogies. Mmmmm .... cheese and butter. A guy in North Carolina cleaned his gun and smiled, which mesmerized a reader of electronic words in a far distant city, and spawned discussion of his boots. Small world, eh? So, after the boot talk made me realize that a milkshake, banana flavored, and a cheerleader would hit the spot right about now, I put on my jeans and Airwalks, powered down Toshiba #5, and smiled at the commute before me. Verily.

It's true. I need a pitchfork, out
Ramblin' Ed