Lunch is a green salad. Lots of lettuce, raw/fresh (yeah, right) broccoli, grape tomatoes, egg, cucumber, a bit of shredded cheese and peas. Dressing is some sort of raspberry vinaigrette. I'll probably go snag some pretzels or chips or something crunchy out of the vending machine, too. Ice water is the libation of choice.
What a bunch of thought-provoking replies yesterday. It seems to me that the majority here are not typical 'consumerist' Americans. That's great news! At least it is to me. Alan Watts made the observation that Western societies, and Americans in particular, are not really 'materialists.' (I'm not going to go into his argument in depth, so don't leave yet!) In general, we buy things not because the things themselves are very high quality (they rarely are), but because they have become symbols of high quality and elicit a particular emotional/psychological response when we own them. One example of this phenomenon is clothing, where certain well regarded brands are manufactured in sweat shops alongside unbranded lines which are considered inferior just because they lack the right logo. The good is the same, but by affixing a brand, it becomes a symbol of quality and worth (and the price jumps for no reason; which has the interesting effect of reducing the actual value of the item, although the perceived value skyrockets...amazing). Watts was writing in the late 60s, IIRC. How much farther have we 'progressed' since then?
There are items, though, that buck this trend. G&L guitars are a good example. Heritage is another. There is evident pride in workmanship, a commitment to quality and, perhaps the most important piece, a desire to connect with the customer on some level beyond the simple transaction. In my view, that is what marks true value in a good and I think Dave & Co. have done and are doing a great job. I think that they've adhered pretty closely to Leo and George's approach, albeit with a little bit of BBE spin (damn four bolts!).
How about today we play a little "Back to the Future II" and prognosticate a little bit? This could be interesting...
Close your eyes and imagine yourself 20 years from now. When someone mentions G&L, you immediately think ________.
I'm pretty sure that I'll still know what G&L is up to in 2031, and I fully expect they'll still be around. So, when someone says, "Hey, did you see the press release from G&L?" I'll immediately know that they're talking about Dave The Third's announcement that the new G&L QuantumCaster is fully compatible with the BBE SubSpace multi-effects unit, allowing unrivaled control over every nuance of sound and tone that you can squeeze out of a guitar.....by thinking about it! No more tweaking knobs or tripping over cables, it's all connected by psi-power, adjusted and manipulated just by concentrating on the parameters you want to change, played by relaxing, letting go and just letting the music flow.
OK, maybe not. What have you got?
Speaking of birthdays, what is your take on them? I've never been big into the birthday thing. It's more or less another day to me. It's nice when people wish me a happy birthday, but I don't feel depressed or neglected if nobody does. My family (parents, sisters), on the other hand, make a huge deal out of birthdays. Big party, everyone there; food, cake, ice cream, presents. And that's for everyone, from my parents on down to the youngest nephews (I only have one niece, but four nephews in addition to my four boys). I don't begrudge them their birthday circuses, I just don't "get it," though.
Are birthday's a big production at your house?
I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. I sometimes wonder, though, how far off the center of the bell curve I've slid.
Sorry, no Bell's with lunch today. Maybe I'll call in "sick" tomorrow and do the report from home.
Congrats on raising a child 'til "out the door" age. 
Not terribly bad as I had a pretty moderate amount, but cripes!
That's funny! Indeed has that Back to the Future 2 aura over it. Funny in that context that 2015 is only 4 years away 