Coolness In Action

What's playing on the iPod right now: Holiday in Cambodia by the Dead Kennedys

This is supposed to be on the "down low." I'm supposed to keep it all "hush-hush." No one reads this blog, so I'm good, right?

Never gave much thought to being friends with people in the government. Aside from my Dad's stint in the Navy, and my uncle Raul being a 5-star General, I only know as much about the" inside" as the movies have taught me. I never really knew anyone who was an "alphabet boy/girl." Being close to one has brought new meaning to the phrase "Membership has its privileges."

If they are reading this right now, don't fret. I'm not going into much detail at all. Not much. Certainly not anything that would incriminate either of us. Remember those meditative breaths, now ;)

Let me simply say that I'm in still awe at the limitless amounts of readily-available info that sits at their fingertips. I've learned new things about people I've known forever in a span of five whole minutes. Some things, I might add, I think I was better off not knowing. I've learned that the security I felt while being a bouncer who knew that at least six other bouncers were only as far away as a call on the headset, was only a quick, miniscule glimpse at the web of protection that's available to the company.

On the flip side (no pun intended and I'm not making Lumpia), my naive little balloon bouquet has been deflated just a bit more by the knowledge that we're all under some type of surveillance at any given time. The movies have some of it right. While I enjoy knowing that someone's constantly looking out for me and mine, I also feel more like drawing the curtains than I did when I was blissfully ignorant. Still, I'm marveling at the cool side of it all. I know enough. The rest can remain as it should, a secret.

While I feel privileged to know the little more that I know now, I understand that membership also has its price.