The Illustrious One has "friends"....my God does that man have friends. How can you know someone as long as I have and yet they still have "friends" coming out of the woodwork? He and I have debated this issue because I have a pecking order....there are "people I know" and then "acquaintances" and then "friends". Think of it like a tiered cake with smaller layers as you get to the top. I have lots of people I know but few people I call "friends".

It's just one of those things that makes us unique. I find it refreshing because Illustrious genuinely likes people. He can be amazingly sociable. I have tried to learn from his example and I don't think I'm as reserved as I used to be - but I could be wrong which may explain why I still have so many "acquaintances" and so few "friends"...

Speaking of acquaintances, a few years ago, I was asked to watch a film called Office Space. I remember that Jennifer Aniston was in it as some Bennigan's-like waitress with buttons o' crap all over her shirt and I believe they referred to it as "flair". On Facebook, they have this Flair application which are virtual buttons that you can pin on your bulletin board. Here are some of the choice pieces of Flair I'm selected for my bulletin board:

• What would Keith Richards do?
• Dear Santa, can I have the numbers of the boys on the naughty list?
• Still plays with motorcycles
• 1 day of coal, 364 days of fun - I think I'll take my chances
• I don't do drugs. I am drugs. - Salvador Dali
• I'm having another "It seemed like a good idea at the time" moment
• Come to the dark side....we have cookies!
• Whoever said anything was possible obviously never tried slamming a revolving door!
• God will make a way when there seems to be no way.
• As a math atheist, I should be excused from this (WOW - do I wish I had thought of this when I was in school!)
• Life isn't about how to survive the storms but how to dance in the rain.
• It's ok to say Merry Christmas!

...and in homage to that slogan that's all over our neighbor city to the south that proclaims, "Keep Austin weird", I throughly support the slogan: "Keep Dallas Pretentious!"

The Thanksgiving holiday is coming to a close.

On Turkey Day, I joined some neighbors for a bit of a pot luck. It was good company, very laid back and the Cowboys kicked impressive ass in just the first few moments of the game. Someone from the building - whom none of us knew - decided to go outside to wash his bicycle. And I must say, that never in my life have I ever seen anyone wash a bike in quite the fashion he did -- detail brushes, special soaps, etc.

One of the girls tried to get his attention to invite him in for a plate but he was either ignoring her or didn't hear her knocking on the window.

I abstained from participating in the mass hysteria known as Black Friday. Typically I love things black and Fridays but not when it involves masses of people and needlessly spending money.

I was very saddened to learn of that man in New Jersey who was trampled to death at the opening of a Wal-Mart. When I read on the New York Post's website that the employees could not get the shoppers to leave even when they announced one of the staff had been killed, that just sent up massive signs of something is tragically wrong in this society. To keep shopping when a person has been killed like that is just horrific and callous beyond reason....and all to save a few $$.

Today, I ventured out for a bit and was approached by a couple guys with camera gear. One of the guys was working on his photography portfolio for college. They were quite nice and I hope some of his shots turned out the way he wanted. I was all bundled up because it was very blustery today. Superstition looked good -- but then she always does. One of the guys asked me how long I'd had her and I realized that today was our 8th anniversary! She and I have had some fun times together and I look forward to having many more fun years with her.

For a black Harley, she's been in so many media shots -- when I was editor for Thunder Roads Texas, on a video shoot for Colin Raye, shooting for my dream project, etc.

Speaking of projects, there is a wonderful one pending and I look forward to working on it. I hope it will be able to allow me to pick up working on my personal pet project. My project has been at an absolute standstill for months and there's not a bloody thing I can do about it since I don't know how to edit.

I was recently involved with another person's pet project - he wrangled something like 150 people to assist on both cast and crew. All people helping him achieve his goal.

I have to have faith that when the time is right, I can pick up my project and start running with it again with the right people supporting the long term goals for it.....I'm anxiously looking forward to that day.

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