Who do I still think I am??

This one's about Oscar and a message.

30DBC PROMPT: "Did you watch the Oscars? Tell us about a time in your life that was worthy of being made into a movie/TV show/novel/short story."

Good afternoon, kind readers! It's Monday, so let's try to get through today together.

I can say in good conscience that I didn't watch the Oscars, nor would I have even if I owned a tv. It's just not my thing. I tend to fall on the side of Billy Crystal's famous quote: "Nothing can take the sting out of the world's economic problems like watching millionaires present each other with golden statues." Yeah, that's a tough thing to stomach. I get it...they're rich (mostly) for a reason, and they work hard at trying to convince us they're someone they're really not. And then they file along a red carpet for photo-ops and whatever. Last time I tried that same ploy I was arrested and charged with crimes I can't even recite by memory; that's how complicated it was.

What I am paying attention to is the Oscar Pistorius trial (http://news.msn.com/world/witness-tells-pistorius-trial-bloodcurdling-screams-th...). Dude went from hero to zero in a few months. He's go no legs. None! And yet he was an Olympian sprinter! I'll gladly trade my barely-functioning legs for some carbon-fiber "blades" to boost up my heart rate and add some fitness to my life, and not own guns I'll easily fire under the premise of intruders because I can't handle myself emotionally around women. As with a lot of things like this, all he has to do was admit his crime...by going to trial no good can come from it, and all of the goodwill and his credibility is now shot to Hell (no pun intended). The fall is harder to watch than the incline was easier to be enraptured with.

But since I'm straying a bit from the prompt, give me a second to dial myself down into the main purpose. By attacking this prompt, I'd argue that by blogging daily we're in charge of writing our story. It's already happening, and I happen to be one of the fortunate ones with the ability to share on a worldwide level. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable, and maybe it scares you at times, but the often-overlooked part is that somebody- me- lived through it. I'm not proud of many of the things I've done (or failed to do), but to be able to be here now with you is something I'm eternally grateful for. I still have a lot of time left to right my wrongs and disprove negative images of me. There are other biographies I'd like to write before I sit down and let someone else decipher mine...and writing my story is a chore I wouldn't wish on anyone. Sure, my three blogs could make for a pretty interesting book to my close friends, but that seems more like a vanity project than anything, and I'm not fully built for that kind of fluff. Yet...maybe if I'm ever able to turn these words into something more provocative and far-reaching, I'll drop a tell-all that spares no secrets and truly knows no bounds. Until that day, this is what you get...a first-person account of me in my time, doing what I do, and occasionally reminiscing, over a soundtrack that fits the given day. This is my preservation. This is my day. This is how I "do it".

BCF PROMPT: "You have discovered a bottle with a message in it. What does it say? Do you write a message back and put them both back in the bottle? Or just toss it away. Inquiring minds want to know."

I'm a sucker at times for impending situations. Rolling up meanings and foresight is a gift and a curse. I've seen the bottom of many bottles where the only message was "Maybe you shouldn't have" or "Try again next time". And I always feel like I have to respond, which isn't the greatest of choices depending on the circumstances. Part of the problem is that I think too much; before I know it, the opportunity to act favorably has passed, and I revel in the regret harder than I let a chance be taken. Self-preservation is a bitch sometimes.

But I'mma play along with this prompt because it's one of the best I've seen in a long time. When I roll up on the shore of a beach and open a bottle that has a message in it, I have to think it's fate telling me something I should know. Because what are the chances? This stuff doesn't happen on the daily, yo. It's like a horoscope that hits you point-blank and paralyzes you with fear and understanding, without the caveat of "This is only for entertainment purposes."

I'm also hoping I'm not deserted on an island when this happens...that's a whole 'nother set of challenges.

With a little bit of luck, hopefully it's not an advert for something I have no use for. I would like to think it says something encouraging, like "You're still alive!" and without hesitation, pretenses, or consideration as to what that means, I'd quickly reply "Of course I am!". There's no other way that I know of to respond in such a situation. Unless the sun has clouded my creativity and capacity for reason, as it's been known to happen before (sunstroke and sun poisoning aren't things I like to talk about, other than to acknowledge how real they both are).

Common sense tends to find me before I realize it...much like the comic strip BC (http://www.gocomics.com/bc#.UxTsN5WPLIU), when the guy etches something on a tablet of stone and floats it out into the ocean, only to receive days later a reply that causes him to smirk or shudder with realization.

I long to be that engaging pearl of wisdom-making, rather than the one who always needs answers.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

I'm busting this old sig out, because I friggin' love it, and it's one of the first I ever received on WDC.

It came with me from my very first WDC blog, "I'm Studying You" , and stayed with me as the image icon through "Who Do I Think I Am??" . I absolutely love it. It's the cover art for Pearl Jam's "Alive" single (although theirs is a white stick figure on a black background...{link:http://www.amazon.com/Alive-Once-Wash-Pearl-Jam/dp/B000002D0J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393881024&sr=8-1&keywords=Pearl+Jam+Alive+single}), I owned the "Alive" t-shirt for awhile, and this song has meant a shit-ton of different things to me over the years. It's not my best Pearl Jam story, but this also isn't "The Soundtrack of Your Life"  either, so I guess that's something you'll have to look forward to.

Sill epic, no matter how many versions of this song I've owned.

THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

Still trying to think this through, but I'd love to do some kind of lip-sync contest/activity on WDC. I have a laptop with a webcam, so why not take advantage of it? Take some live-motion of me, sync it up to a song, and upload it to YouTube...why not? Hilariousness should ensue.

With that, I'm out. Plenty of things I need to get sorted out before this week is over, and I really should be considering them. Peace, you're still alive, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!