So the first day at the office was pretty much as expected. No one seemed to know which cubicle was mine, there was no phone service for awhile, and the network people never showed up to give me an IP address. [Yes, even though I can talk to them on the phone, they have to come by in person to tell me my IP address. It's the only thing I need.]
I couldn't work on my work because the division is still all screwed up due to the recent security breach. So, I spent most of the day counting the minutes until I could go play ultimate.
Ultimate was great. The altitude wasn't bothing me much, and I made one good lay out catch. A lot of the people from last year were back, as well as some new faces. We went back to Mary's apartment afterwards to watch the Lakers win the championship (take that, Larry Bird, you twat) and eat pizza.
I feel somewhat bad that I've lost the last month's worth of opportunity to hang out with these people, they're really a lot of fun. And now there's only just over a month left in my stay here.
Upon my return home, I randomly settled in front of the TV and watched a Bill Maher stand-up routine. I never realized how smart his comedy is. And it's not just because I agree with him in his cynical views - I don't always. Or, I should say, I didn't. Bill Maher said some things tonight that changed my point of view on something I've always been adamantly against.
Drug use. I've always thought of drug use as stupid. And anyone who chooses to use a drug is making a stupid decision. Now don't get nervous, I'm not about to start doing drugs of any sort. I've still never smoked a cigarette and the number of times I've been remotely drunk I can count on one hand. But Maher said something that really registered with me. It just makes sense.
People seem to have this idea that longevity and perfect physical health should be the most important motivations in everyone's life. I see now that there's no reason why this should be the case. Some things can be beneficial and dangerous at the same time. Fun can come at a cost, and that's a price that some people are willing to pay. And that's OK.
"Sammy Davis Jr. lived to be 64. I'd much rather have 64 Sammy years than 150 Ken Starr years."
And, you know, that just makes sense to me. Furthermore, he pointed out that we judge drugs on the habits of the losers. We don't judge automobile usage on the tendencies of losers, why drugs?
None of this changes anything about my stance on taking drugs myself. I still believe that there isn't a recreational drug out there that is worth the cost to me (and I'm not talking about money). But, I now look very differently at others that choose to use drugs responsibly. If it doesn't affect me directly (I still won't tolerate second hand smoke or drunk drivers, etc.), then its none of my business.
It's a strange feeling having a paradigm shift.
