I had to come to the office because I forgot to print my airline e-ticket yesterday. It's like my aunt Louella used to say about my cousin Gary, "He'd forget his head if wasn't screwed on". It seems to happen more and more to me lately. There are three signs that you're starting to get old. The first is that you begin to forget things. I don't remember the other two signs. I better get going. See you in the funny papers.

There was an interesting espisode of Survivor last night. The person voted off was the one that I would have chosen. Ghandia was very divisive in her tribe. She made a huge issue about Ted's alleged sexual advances when it should have been settled between the two of them. She also had a habit of belittling anyone she didn't like. For example, she made fun of the way Clay talked in an attempt to make him look like an idiot. I know we live in a society where everyone feels that they can disrespect anyone, but that doesn't make it right. People who do that are just displaying their own ignorance. I know a few coworkers like that and, believe me, I wish that I could vote them off the project. They do more damage to team morale than productive work. I guess they think that it's easier to tear someone else down than it is to improve themselves. They're pathetic.
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The reward challenge was amusing. Each tribe had to carry a 250 pound dummy around the island, including up and down some tree-coverered embankments. It was kind of symbolic of the way that you have to carry some people who are deadweight in certain situations. Of course, from a personal standpoint you sometimes feel like tossing them over a cliff, but from a team standpoint you know that it's necessary to help them as much as possible. Everyone needs help sometime.

It's Survivor night, the only TV show that I really look forward to watching. I find it intriguing that 16 people with diverse personalities are thrown together in two tribes with the common goal of surviving, but the individual goal of being the last one standing. The same people that you befriend or betray are the same ones that might vote you out at the end. To be successful, it becomes necessary to identify and align with the power lines which are continually shifting. It also helps if you have unique skills that are important to the tribe, such as catching fish, cooking, or finding food such as tapioca. Some skills, like being able to build a shelter or start a fire, can become obsolete once the shelter is built or matches are provided. Being the first one to find fresh water becomes obsolete when everyone else knows the location. Other talents such as being a fast runner or a strong swimmer can be important when competing with the other tribe. The show becomes a microcosm of real life played out in the wilderness. There is very definitely a strong comparison to office politics or even some families. I find it interesting that the ultimate survivor is usually not the strongest or the most talented or even the hardest working person, but rather the one who is the smartest and the most politically savvy.

My manager's daughter has a great project that she's working on. She lends her stuffed bear to people who are traveling for business or pleasure. They are asked to take a picture of the bear in whatever state or country that they are visiting and also send a postcard. So far, just from her Dad's work site she has plans to send it to Italy, China, Hawaii, San Francisco, Orlando, St. Louis, Chicago, and a few other places. They live in South Carolina, so any location in the Midwest probably seems far away. I'm not going on vacation any time soon, but I might take a short trip up to Wisconsin with the bear. Maybe pose it next to a bunch of cheese. I can't think of any major landmarks. Sounds like fun.

I'm working late again. That's ok. The only TV shows that I seem to watch lately are Survivor, The Sopranos, and David Letterman. I did watch the Bears-Packers game on Monday night football yesterday. That was a waste of time. I don't know why the Bears can never find a good quarterback. The last good one that they had was Jim McMahon and he was injured most of the time.

Survivor is starting to get interesting. It has a beautiful location; an island off the coast of Thailand. The guy named Ted works for my company. Wouldn't you know that he would be accused of sexually harrassing a teammate, although he claims that he was half asleep at the time. Personally, I believe him. You have no idea how much you move around when you're sleeping. Frankly, the woman shouldn't have been close to him to begin with while sleeping.

I don't understand my fascination with the Sopranos. It violates just about everything that I believe. I guess I find it interesting that there are people who live their lives in such a way. Far too many, actually.

The reason that I watch Letterman is because I just can't stand Jay Leno. He is one of the worst interviewers that I've ever seen. He also seems to take a subject and pound it to death night after night. How many Dan Quayle or OJ Simpson jokes can you listen to in one lifetime? I seem to be in the minority because he always leads the ratings. I haven't watched his show in several years, so maybe it has improved. Perhaps I should give it a second chance someday.

I saw an interesting article yesterday in Forbes. It had the top dead money makers. The top five were as follows:

5. Dr. Seuss - 19 million
4. Dale Earnhart - 20 million
3. John Lennow - 20 million
2. Charles Schulz - 28 million

and the top moneymaker among the deceased

1. Elvis - 37 million

Elvis is the King! It's amazing that he still generates that much money after being dead for 25 years. Assuming that he really is dead and not hiding at 7 Eleven where he is usually spotted. It's hard to believe, but Elvis may be as famous 100 years from now as Abe Lincoln or William Shakespeare is today. Not too shabby for a poor boy from Tupelo.