But we've only just begun

Ah, Quinn's ... very nice. Quite enjoyed my evening with my engaging companion. We'll call him Max to play it safe. He's a devastatingly handsome man, the kind of man anyone would want to be with or at least be seen with. Thick, full-bodied salt and pepper hair, masculine facial features (e.g., chiseled jawline, rugged good looks), hazel eyes, great skin, dimples and a smile that could light up any typical Northwest overcast day ...

Truth be told, if he weren't partnered, I probably wouldn't be the least bit interested. OK, well, that's not entirely true, in fact nowhere near the truth. I admire Max as a friend, gentleman and scholar. He is a gentle man through and through. From his posture to how he conducts himself in an uncomfortable situation, generally he smiles and curtails the conversation or subtly points it in a new direction.

We talked about, among all things, the ancient prophecies predicting the near end of life on earth as we know it today. Yeah, I know, what uplifting conversation ... and to think I broached the subject. Actually, I consider myself a die hard optimist, but I'm also a realist.

Recently, I've taken in some cable programming on the subject. Apparently the ancient Mayans, the ancient Chinese and legendary visionary Nostradamus all predicted an end of human civilization. In fact, they all predicted civilization would end on the exact same day less than five years from now ...

Following some of this prophetic programming, I also happened to catch a related special about Life After People (check out the related Ghost Town blog - it's quite spooky!). Not sure whether it's because my dining companion also happens to be a successful architect, or because I just happened to stumble upon these topics so recently they were top of mind, but I interjected them into the conversation.

It's amazing the illusions we as humans attempt to convince ourselves of. Foremost, that we are in control of anything, much less earth's environment. Perhaps our modern monuments give us some security in thinking that our time here is purposeful and will long since be remembered, even after we're gone. Maybe it will be, maybe not ... The real question is, why does any of it even matter?

We spoke of the three generations of family members slain by one of their own on Christmas Eve about 45 minutes East of Seattle this past holiday season because of a dispute over money. For the love of God - why?! Is money really that dire? Does anything justify killing one's own family, or is that just some mere societal thought that conforms to modern civilization? Where is the true divide between right and wrong? What is the value of human life?

More questions than answers here tonight. In the grand scheme of things, what does truly matter? As with most things, I truly believe that is in the eye of the beholder.

Well, I'm looking to have a bit more fun this evening, or might actually get a good night sleep before my 9:30 a.m. meeting tomorrow. Either way, more to come ...