by John Philipp
Member since:
August 10, 2006

Thought~Byte No. 105

June 18, 2008 12:06 AM EDT
views: 149 | rating: 9.7/10 (46 votes) | comments: 95
Thought~Byte No. 105


http://media-files.gather.com/images/d753/d780/d744/d224/d96/f3/full.jpg

Concept and words by John Philipp. Drawings by Phil Frank.
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Comments: 95

John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:08am EDT
Thought~Bytes are posted every Wednesday. To see all Thought~Bytes and get an email when new ones are posted, please join Thought~Bytes-The Group

Additionally, all my humor articles are now posted to John's Humor.
JoAnne D. Jun 18, 2008, 12:12am EDT
To forever in a day.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:14am EDT
OK, JoAnne, I can make that work.
Robert - just a simple man - B. Jun 18, 2008, 12:15am EDT
That's a Bus. They HAVE buses in Boston. Awesome Coincidence John, you knew - you knew. BOSTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lin G. Jun 18, 2008, 12:22am EDT
Are you sure? With today's gas prices? LOL
Patty H. Jun 18, 2008, 12:25am EDT
Who ever knows whats at the end of the road?
Rodney R. Jun 18, 2008, 12:31am EDT
Okay
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:31am EDT
The shadow knows, Patty.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:31am EDT
Of course, Robert. Actually, I was in Boston Sunday.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:31am EDT
How about wise, Dan. You forgot "wise."
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:31am EDT
I'm sure, Lin. This is bigger than gas prices.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:32am EDT
Yo, Rodney.
Tanya P. Jun 18, 2008, 12:51am EDT
So many choices of 'style', too.
Yvonne R. Jun 18, 2008, 1:41am EDT
Whether it's actual physical travel or traveling through life, it's the jouney that's important. Might as well enoy it! Peace and Love
Karen E. Jun 18, 2008, 1:41am EDT
Absolutely! To travel by bus...travel at it's finest.
Jerri H. Jun 18, 2008, 2:19am EDT
LOL!
Debra B. Jun 18, 2008, 2:43am EDT
Yvonne said it. It's the journey, not the destination, so it doesn't really matter how long it takes to "get there" -- or even if you "get there" at all! The anticipation is always better.
Shirley U Understand Me S. Jun 18, 2008, 2:55am EDT
This reminds me of the old Twilight Zone episode where they were all on a bus bound for nowhere.....in the Twilight Zone of course...It was my favorite of all of them.
Mike Ellwood Jun 18, 2008, 4:56am EDT
As long as you don't annoy the other passengers with boorish and selfish behaviour you may 'travel in style', but if that means you think you can put your feet on the seat in front, irritate everybody with the ching ching of your mp3, drink to excess, pollute the atmosphere with your poisonous vapours and talk loudly about your personal prowess then it is a sad day for a world on the road to nowhere.
I speak metaphorically, of course.
Donna S. Jun 18, 2008, 7:02am EDT
I drive the short bus, does that count?
Jan S. Jun 18, 2008, 7:04am EDT
Life is a journey, not a destination. Regardless of chosen style, it's the things we do along the journey that make up our lives.
Donna Hammett-Tooker Jun 18, 2008, 7:43am EDT
I love the bus driver - he looks like he has been everywhere. I sometimes wonder why we make such a fuss about where we have been and want to go. With the level of media, the travel to remote places is almost virtual but there is still something about having seen it for yourself that makes us wander and seek to touch everywhere. I have nearly doubled the number of states I have visited since I got married five years ago because my husband wants to see things through my eyes because he loves me and because they aren't as accustomed to the changes as are his. I saw Niagara Falls with my family on a tour bus in the mid 1990s but when I went with my in-laws from Buffalo, NY it seemed to be a diffferent place. We saw things from a personal view and not from the tour bus director's eyes leading ours. We ate at a restaurant they had often visited because my in-laws lived in the upstate NY area during their formative years and they drove us around showing us NY and Canada as only natives can show it to others. It is wonderful to experience and re-experience things at different ages and different times in your life.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:46am EDT
And how we do them, Jan.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:48am EDT
Donna, that's a very interesting addition to this. If I take your comment to its extreme, it is similar to "you can't step in the same river twice."

Thanks.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:49am EDT
Correct, Tanya. You can tailor your style.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:49am EDT
That's a good handle on it, Yvonne.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:49am EDT
OK, Karen, you can pick your mode of transportation.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:49am EDT
Thanks, Jerri.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:49am EDT
"It's the journey, not the destination"

I agree, Debra.

"The anticipation is always better." Well, now that drops you smack dab in the middle of Byte #106.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:50am EDT
I remember that episode, Shirley.

(Like the new icon).
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:50am EDT
"I speak metaphorically, of course." mike e.

(I knew that.)
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 7:50am EDT
"I drive the short bus, does that count?"

It doesn't count for you or against you, Donna S (got two Donnas close together today).

There is no skill requirement for living life, much as that may surprise many people.
Style being righteous
Susan E. Jun 18, 2008, 8:31am EDT
looks like my kind of holiday.
~Sia McKye~ Jun 18, 2008, 8:32am EDT
Um, a bus? Not my idea of traveling in style...given some bus schedules and the buses trying to run that route, it certainly feels like it's going anywhere but where you want to go. lolol!

I don't know, a thought comes to mind, as I sip my first cup of coffee. Traveling through life...while style may be important, a care needs to be given to the methods we travel if we want to have any destination.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 8:51am EDT
Judi, I will admit that the price of gas never entered my mind. :)
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 8:51am EDT
And righteous it is, Rodney.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 8:51am EDT
Welcome aboard, Susan.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 8:51am EDT
Sylvia, have a second cup of coffee and treat the bus as a metaphor — same with "destination."
Esther IS Flesh and Blood S. Jun 18, 2008, 8:57am EDT
I don't think that gasoline will ever be so high that I would subject myself to ride a city bus. No way, no how. Too dangerous, noisy, smelly, obnoxious, etc., etc...

I hope I don't live to have to eat my words. ;)
Kimberly Ripley Jun 18, 2008, 8:57am EDT
Oh John...PLEASE direct me to the ticket queue for this bus. It's exactly where I'd like to go right now!! Sounds divine!
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 9:02am EDT
Take a deep breath, Esther, and think "The bus is a metaphor. The bus is a metaphor."

Now, go have a great day. :)
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 9:02am EDT
Kim, close your eyes. There it is!
A metaphorical bus doesn't have to worry about the price of gas. It's gonna go even if it has to use alternative fuels.

Plus you might have a schedule and a map but roads change and clocks aren't always accurate so you may as well enjoy the ride.
David W. Jun 18, 2008, 9:32am EDT
Good one John. I am on the trip and wearing my best smile.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 9:47am EDT
Or even no fuel, M J.

Good way to phrase this.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 9:48am EDT
That's it, David — and the smile is important.
~Sia McKye~ Jun 18, 2008, 10:14am EDT
John, I did realize that, lol!

Still, the methods of travel through life determines the destination or destinations, don't you think? Anyone can 'get on' the road, doesn't take any particular skills to do so, but getting to a particular destination, * shrugs, that does take some thought, skills, and a fresh sense of wonder to enjoy some of the unexpected stops and sights along the way...
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 10:39am EDT
"a fresh sense of wonder to enjoy some of the unexpected stops and sights along the way"

and, if you have that, the question is why bother with a destination?
Kay & Snowy Cat Jun 18, 2008, 10:44am EDT
Donna, nice answer, better to drive the short bus, than being a passenger on one!
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 11:31am EDT
Hi, Kay.

We are all driving our bus. Just, sometimes, we don't know it.
Karen W. Jun 18, 2008, 11:51am EDT
I am always on the bus....no car~~
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:23pm EDT
Thanks, Stanley.

The movie was Defending Your Life (1991) with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep. Excellent flic.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:24pm EDT
Karen, would that be a metaphorical car?
Kay M. Jun 18, 2008, 12:24pm EDT
So true. But the gas prices are cramping my style.
Lance L. Jun 18, 2008, 12:28pm EDT
That's good. I've got nowhere to go, but up.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:53pm EDT
I'm sure, Kay but this "bus" doesn't need gas, just attentiveness.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 12:53pm EDT
Very true, Lance.

Journey well.
Patricia J. Jun 18, 2008, 1:18pm EDT
I just know I'm with Kimberly, I've been looking for Wherever. If I close my eyes and click my heels together 3 times and say there's no place like Wherever maybe I can get there.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 1:23pm EDT
That has been known to work in the past, Patricia.

Have a good trip.
~Lady Neeetah of California~Obama #44 W. Jun 18, 2008, 2:24pm EDT
The busdriver looks like he's a hippie straight out of Berkeley. Very appropriate for a
destination to "wherever". Whatever. Sounds good to me.

Most people don't know where they really going anyway. Ever see the bumpersticker that reads: "Don't follow me: I'm lost." It pretty much sums it up.


~~Let's just kick back and enjoy the ride!~~

All Aboard!

:=)
~Lady Neeetah of California~Obama #44 W. Jun 18, 2008, 2:25pm EDT
Finally got it RIGHT man. John, you have me ROFL!
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 3:08pm EDT
OK, Nee. Now it's time to get up off the floor and travel — nowhere but wisely.
Deloris Wright Jun 18, 2008, 4:51pm EDT
I want to go on that bus.That is where I want to go. Wharever!
Angela A. Jun 18, 2008, 9:33pm EDT
As the saying goes, "Whereever you go, there you are."
No matter where you have gone or where you have been, there will always be one more place to go. So, in essence there is no true final destination but death itself.
And, why not go in style before life passes you by?
P.W. Dowdy Jun 18, 2008, 10:02pm EDT
Memorable, John. Worthy of quoting often.

So often in fact that its destination may just well be the pages of Bartlett's.

And oh, the bus--nice finish.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 11:12pm EDT
Good way to put it, Angela.
John Philipp Jun 18, 2008, 11:12pm EDT
Thanks, Pat. I think there are several Bytes with this theme.
Bert Van Essen Jun 19, 2008, 8:54am EDT
Once I went to gettysburg, Pa for a vacation. The traveling was a part of the vacation. I stopped early, took a nap, explored the town. I felt no hurry to get there. I could have been driving a Lexus or beater and the enjoyment would have been the same.
Beaker (just Beaker) Jun 19, 2008, 11:46am EDT
On or off, the destination is always "further"--right?
Christine H. Jun 19, 2008, 12:15pm EDT
I have to think about that one. I have always thought since I know my final destination the journey is pretty important!
John Philipp Jun 19, 2008, 12:38pm EDT
Exactly the point, Bert.
John Philipp Jun 19, 2008, 12:39pm EDT
True, Beaker, or just forget about the destination and enjoy the ride.
John Philipp Jun 19, 2008, 12:39pm EDT
Christine, that's a great spin to put on this.

Thanks.
Angela A. Jun 19, 2008, 3:04pm EDT
Thanks John, you're insightful as always.
John Philipp Jun 19, 2008, 3:15pm EDT
You're welcome, Angela.
Rae M. Jun 19, 2008, 8:21pm EDT
Some may disagree, but I agree you should travel in style.
Donald M. Jun 19, 2008, 10:23pm EDT
I used to love to do that. Get on the road , have no particular destination, just be home by midnight. Travel down backroads I had never traveled down. If they come out on another road, keep going even when I got lost until I finally found a place or road I recognized. Then head toward home on a more known way home.
Donald M. Jun 19, 2008, 10:24pm EDT
Gasoline is to precious to waste now. Have to make every drop count for something.
John Philipp Jun 20, 2008, 12:06am EDT
Welcome aboard, Rae.
John Philipp Jun 20, 2008, 12:07am EDT
Donald, say it's your life and you don't need gas. Then what?
John Philipp Jun 20, 2008, 7:28am EDT
Another important aspect to this Byte, Phyllis.

Thanks.
Patti M. Jun 20, 2008, 10:33am EDT
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John Philipp Jun 20, 2008, 10:50am EDT
Thanks, Patti.
John Philipp Jun 21, 2008, 11:47am EDT
All this week, J R.

What's nice is that everyone has a magic bus.
Lydia (part of the solution) Shelley Jun 22, 2008, 6:25pm EDT
Yes. Yes. Why save it all for a rainy day and die on a pile of wasted opportunities?
Sophiya S. Jun 23, 2008, 5:44pm EDT
lol
John Philipp Jun 23, 2008, 6:33pm EDT
I agree, Lydia.
John Philipp Jun 23, 2008, 6:33pm EDT
Thanks, Sigriet
Rony J. Jun 23, 2008, 8:26pm EDT
Good One John
lol
John Philipp Jun 23, 2008, 10:25pm EDT
Thanks, Rony.
John Philipp Jun 24, 2008, 9:11am EDT
I agree Arleen.. and I didn't mention how excellent her choice of words was.

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