3 Degrees from 3rd World

This morning, my "Facebook Status" read...
"Timothy Is going to meet a really cool guy for breakfast at a place where the average age of the patrons tops the national debt."

Well, That's just the beginning of the story!
I visit my local "Al-a-Carte" cafeteria about once a month to once every couple of months, and ONLY when I am meeting a good friend who happens to like the food selection (and prices). Well this morning, there I was, My friend (which I did not know at this moment) was at home sick with a stomach bug.... I was sitting outside waiting and watching...

You see, I really do like just watching people. Not only does it give me lots to blog about, but gives me a deeper insight into the human condition, if you will.

So I decide I am getting hungry and figured something came up... so I head on in.
What do my wandering hungry eyes feast upon first in line........

PRUNES!!!!!!!!!

Not just Prunes, as in plums that forgot to wear their sunscreen and keep cool in the pool, but STEWED PRUNES!!!!!!!

Why oh why would ANYONE want to stew something that truly should have been thrown away 10 years ago when the expiration date hit???

Ok, so getting through the line.... asked the short order cook.... "Do you have any breakfast specials"?

Her answer.... in completion... "Yeah... a couple"!
.... that's it.... no more.... so like a confused non octogenarian I asked....
"and they are??"
Following this question I received an answer.... not too sure what the exact words were but I got the gist.... it was....
"You should know... but since you don't it's basically the same breakfast special that we have had since our grand opening in 1612!"

Strike 2!!!

Make my way through the line, got my receipt, made it to the table.... sat down and began to eat. By this time I was doing pretty good. Having had a stomach bug a couple of day's ago, this is the first real meal that I have had in a while and believe it or not was actually looking forward to it!

All of a sudden... it hit me!
The wall, the offensive wall, like falling off from a roof into a pile of manure.... took my breath away.... but not like that song from top gun, but the opposite way.... I about lost by food (for the second time this week).
It was..... Dun Dun Daaaaahhhhhh!!!!! (dramatic music)
B.O.!

Horrific, painful, and quite unnerving.... a smell that unfortunately I had smelled before....
All of a sudden here I am in a restaurant having flashbacks of being stuck on a very very small elevator in Kiev, Ukraine with a couple of "Locals" one of whom hadn't ever shaved.... and believe me... she should have.....
Hit by the smell of B.O. covered with some funky, musky french perfume that you get for free on your hotel bed (like we get candy).

Then I realized
The epiphany of all epiphanies....

Deodorant, good food, and manners....
without it...
we are 3 degree's from being a 3rd world civilization


how weird is that!

Flowers - God's way of "Helpin a brother out"

Last night, on my way home (late) i was tasked with stopping in and grabbing dinner for Eliza and I. Eliza (my wife) has got to be the most intelligent, most beautiful, and most creative woman I have ever met, to this end, I find myself always in a difficult place when trying to get her something to bless her when she if feelin down..... or sick..... or whatever. She is a chemist, so anytime I think about getting her some super intelligent gift (like a new space shuttle) we usually can't afford it. She makes jewelry ( BTW she is now selling jewelry here.... you really need to check it out) so when I go and look to buy her jewelry, all i can think about is how much prettier her stuff is (unless it is diamonds, but I am saving that for when I become independently wealthy). Then there's the practical things, like a new pan.... nothing says lovin like ....*think Sherman Helmsly - here you go, now get in there and make me some dinner woman!
I thought about a new band saw, or drill press, but again that wouldn't be used by her often.... OH and you can't forget about chocolate.... but that too is not for just her.... here's some chocolate babe... yes I know there is a piece missing, I mean c'mon it's chocolate.

Which brings me to flowers..... God's way of "helpin a brother out"!! You see, unlike those other things, MOST guys, although having no problems appreciating the beauty of flowers, especially in this context, don't personally benefit from flowers directly. Flowers say... "This is for you - not me, I was thinking about you - Not me". That's why they are so important, it is God's way of helping us guys understand that a gift/thought should have NOTHING to do with the person giving it. YES I Know that it is a nice "Surprise" when you realize that your wife doesn't really want to use that new arc-welder you just bought her, and has no problem with you using it to your heart's content.... But... Gifts like that aren't gifts....
When I give my wife something that is from the heart, it says this is for you and I have absolutely NO benefit from it, because of this I get the benefit of blessing you and hopefully brightening your day!

One of my favorite gifts I found for Eliza that demonstrates this perfectly was a bath pillow that had written across it "Leave Me Alone".
This is for her and her alone!

Thanks God for the little reminders that true love is about others, not symbiosis!