Health is important, but what about free will?

It is Saturday, and rainy, and early, and I am up, heading for my second cup of coffee. There was a study that indicated five cups of coffee every day was optimal for your health.  It may have been dis-proven since then, it is hard to say, but, we here at Life Explained didn't care.  We had taken it as gospel, as incontrovertible proof of a kind, gentle higher being, a caring, loving deity concerned only with our welfare.

There was a mad dash to buy bigger "cups."  Imagine our dismay when we found out mugs, and cups could be completely different. Imagine the crushing heartache when we discovered a cup was not a generic term applied to any bucket sized jug of sweet, glorious, French Roast. Consider the despair when we learned that some of our new coffee "cups" actually held 5 1/2 cups of coffee.

A few of the more aggressive among us were approaching 19 cups of coffee a day, and some of them were fighting over almost anything. An uncontrollable white rage that would burn white hot for a few minutes and turn into weeping, apologizing and remorse. It was hard to believe this was "healthy."

We had to hire a security company to monitor our coffee, making sure everybody got 5 cups, no more, no less.

It got a little tense when we discovered some of us just don't care for coffee.  After an armed standoff in the 5th floor break room, when Bob refused to drink his 5th cup, saying he would rather "die early than drink one more cup of this swill."

After a few tense hours, some exchange of small arms fire, and reinforcements from Jet Propulsion Laboratory besieging the compound (those scientists really stick together), we decided that forcing people to drink 5 cups of coffee a day may not be that healthy after all. Maybe people would be happier and healthier if they could drink what and how much they choose.

We bought some tea, some bottled water, and people seem a lot happier. But, there is news that red wine will help people live longer.  That is a bit of health news we can really support, thank goodness for research.

Top Secret meets Irresistible Force.

While our search continues for the ideal executive officer for Life Explained we have decided to try other, well tested approaches to the day to day operations of the company.  Obviously, CEO for a day did not work.  But, there are many different approaches to running a multinational, top secret, enormously profitable, fantastically innovative research and development facility.  We think.  

It is hard to say, for sure.  There are not a lot of periodicals, or publications discussing top secret research facilities management practices, probably the top secret thing.  

Maybe, though, there are mountains of research, hidden away in deep caverns.  Using stealth, and cunning to infiltrate the facility we can make off with all of information.  Of course there are probably heavy iron gates.  Gates covered in locks.  Gates patrolled by machine gun toting judo experts, reeking of energy drinks, after shave, and testosterone.  

Probably dogs, too.  Big, drooling, vicious dogs, who are not slowed by the weighty addition of rabies, or distemper vaccines.  Barbed wire collars, kevlar helmets reflecting the florescent light, untrimmed claws clicking on tiled floors as they goose step in front of the only entrance.  Don’t forget the robots, armed with laser rifles, waiting just inside the electrified fence.  

Obviously, this is going to take some planning.  

What we need to do is convert the espresso machine into a large bore, high velocity glue gun.  We can mount it on top of the Prius, right in front of the sunroof, and use the HSD (Hybrid Synergy Device) to super heat a 4 gallon bucket of Roberts Wood and Bamboo Floor Adhesive (only $240.50 @ at Grainger's) to 375°F (17 Pounds Sterling °C).  Using the high volume air compressor (Ingersoll Rand Garage Mate Air, 2 HP 5.2 CFM, only $559.99 at Northern Tool, with free shipping (act now, limited time offer)) soon to be installed in the hatch back (powered by the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)) we will spray the entire security contingent, with quick drying commercial adhesive.

They will be helpless, solidified, watching as we drive off with all of the carefully guarded secrets.  Secrets once believed inaccessible.  It will be the heist of the century.  Of course, the century is barely 15 years old, (or maybe 16, depending on math, and we don’t want to go down that road, and fall into that abyss, again do we?) so it may not last, but still it will be cool.

Wait, that isn’t what we were discussing at all.  Oh, yes, our search for leadership.  We tried a democratic approach, and that was a mess, everybody voting on everything, we can explain that tomorrow.  It took forever, but our time is gone for the day.  And, we have some technical work to perform on Bob's (Bob from Inventory Control) car.  

Tune in, for Life Explained, A Failed Republic, or “I Vote For Cream and Two Sugars In Your Coffee, it’s just better that way."

Thank you, to all of the Dylan fans here.

Somebody, possibly several somebodies, has been posting quite a few Bob Dylan videos on Google+.  This has made me very happy, thank you all.  Dylan has been an icon in my life for so many years, memory fades trying to remember a time when he wasn't a regular on my music player, I had Bob Dylan 8 tracks cassettes.  It was a long time ago.

To this day, Dylan remains an unrepentant individualist.  His recent work may be as strong as his earliest albums.  He writes songs that can be universal in meaning, and so narrowly focused at the same time.  He hammers home a point and lets the listener figure out what it means to them.

Since he began his meteoric rise to music royalty he has been unapologetic, and cared little for the criticism.  He ignored the people who felt his voice was less than ideal, the same for the people who felt he sold out whatever style they preferred.  He made music his way, and when he sang it always seemed to me that the voice and lyrics were a perfect match.

His voice has aged, and changed, but I still find it perfectly in sync with the lyrics.  Lyrics that are still strong and vibrant, filled with life, and meaning.  He is evolving, experimenting, even at 73 he is new and fresh.  I hope he is working on another album.

His music takes a lot of room on my phone, and Siri and I listen to a lot of Dylan.  "Siri, play 'Changing of the Guards'."


So to all of you who have been posting his videos, thank you, because the times may be changing but Dylan is still fantastic.  Let me return the favor."Changing of the Guards" album version