Ok Universe,.. You Win This Round.

An Explanation is Needed on This One...

I've come to the realization that the only reason they make statues to pay tribute to a great person is that the honoree probably had to put up with a lot of shit in their time, and whoever erected the statue needed something there to keep the birds busy, while tourists and locals could worry about something other than having to pack an extra hat for the day. They got shat on in life but still persevered, so its a safe bet they're going to persevere now. The fact that they're dead and unable to complain about the smell is irrelevant, isn't it?

More and more recently I have noticed that nice guys, and girls, finish last more often than they finish first. And even if its not a last place finish, they have definitely hit the wall and are trotting embarrassingly towards the finish line, with maintaining a shred of dignity their only motivation. More often than not they'll still have a smile on their face, or at the very least they won't be frowning.

"Well Colin, thats just life" some might say, to which I reply "ERRONEOUS!" And it really is.

These are the people that keep the world running smoothly, the type of person who will see the silver lining on the dark cloud, the type of person who tries to see the good and the bad in, under, around, and on everything, the bird shit as well as the statue. I cannot comprehend that these people sometimes end up being that statue.

Recently, the store that I work in, owned by a member of the "nice guy team", if not the damn captain, was closed for a good 5 weeks due to a fire that was started in another store two floors above. This guy-of-all-guys busted his ass for those 5 weeks to get the store back open. While I'm sure part of the reason he worked tirelessly to get the store back up and running was to generate the income he was so sorely lacking, thanks to the birds upstairs, I also believe that he wanted to get the store back on its feet so as to provide his customers with the shoes they need and his employees (students) the money they practically salivate for.

Greg is the type of person that you never, ever, want to disappoint, ever. Not just for the completely unselfish reason that you wouldn't want to disappoint HIM, but also for the narcissistic, egocentric reason that you wouldn't want to let YOURSELF down. I'm guessing it would feel like growing up in Boston in the 70's, but end up playing for the Lakers in the 80's. You let down people around you, die hard Celtics fans, but dammit all if you didn't let down yourself by donning the purple and gold. If there were a million more "Gregs" in the world, well there would be a million less assholes.

As I walked down the street and around the corner while on my way to work today I stopped, speechless, outside the store's front window. All the stock was gone, and a sign on the window read, simply, "Unfortunately we have had another fire." Apparently the idiot who owned the building didn't have his electrical sources fixed correctly since the last fire, and on Friday night one of the fuse boxes actually exploded, shooting a ball of flame up a stairwell and knocking out power to the entire block. This leaves Greg with another couple weeks of paperwork and working out an empty shell of a store trying to get special orders and unique requests filled for customers, all the while battling the strong, piercing stench of smoke which the fire ungraciously left in the store.

Yet another example of how life can teach you, no matter who YOU are, to never, ever, ever take anything for granted.

He'll pull through, I'm 97% sure that he will. As for the remaining 3%, well lets just say that I'm glad I'm a friend, and the chances of me staring down the business end of an AR-15, autoloading, centrefire rifle with his twitchy finger on the trigger are slim. But still, if I catch wind that he's on any kind of a warpath, I'll be the first to sign up for a 3 week fishing trip with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, perfect storm be damned.

The sea can be cruel, but I'd rather take my chances with her. As complex as women can be, there's something so simple about a man with a gun and a reason that is chilling, viciously chilling.

Seaman Colin reporting for duty. Where do I sign?