A Real Life Heist...

So, many of us, especially those of the male persuasion, tend to have a certain fondness of movies involving heists. It has even been a subject of comedians, such as Dane Cook, and something about the thrill of it just makes guys think "yeah, that'd be cool".

Well, for those of you who have a tendency to avoid (intentionally or otherwise) reading world news, let me give you a brief story of one Stian Skjold, the alleged mastermind of one of the worlds most daring acts of thievery.

According to prosecution, Stian (that's a cool name for real) was the mastermind and coordinator of a daylight robbery that managed to successfully steal two of the worlds most famous paintings by forcing themselves into a museum and holding all the employees at ay with a revolver or two.

These paintings, painted by Edvard Munch include "The Scream" and "Madonna".

Now, most of those involved have been arrested and tried, however Stian, the alleged mastermind, was acquitted. Interesting.

Anyways, I wanted to make sure that this story was told. It is very interesting, and you can find plenty about it online.

A big shout out....

...goes to Mr. F, who was the FIRST person to ever comment on my blogger.com account. Thank you, you big Italian you! Of all the people who read this blog, some random Joe (or Mario?) from another country was the first person to post a comment (albeit a single-word comment...) on this site. Thank you. With all of my heart.

So, let's begin this post.

Things are going well. Just read sethduncan.com and you'll see. Seriously. You should. You should also join the forums. For real.

So, let's end this post.

Bye.

Granny shifting, not double clutching like you should.

I have often stated that my life seems to draw quite a few parallels to all things automotive. Most recently, I have been reminded of my example relating my phases in life to shifting gears.

You see, it seems that the biggest changes in my life happen when (strangely) I get a new car and a new job all within about a month. Another situation like that has arisen. I've been offered (and accepted) a position selling cell phones for Sprint, and I have a new car on the table, ready to trade at a moment's notice. And Naomi is in Tulsa. And God changed my life plan. And I pulled out of school. And I'm finally going to be financially comfortable. You see my point?

I would say that I officially entered first gear and let out the clutch so to speak during the Christmas break of my freshman year in High-School. I changed the way I dressed, my confidence spiked, and I changed those that I spent my time around. Things got great. I loved High-School.

My shift into second gear probably occured the summer that Naomi and I started dating, I got my Stealth, and quit Taco Bell. Now, for those who are going to split hairs, yes, I've had a few odd jobs here and there since then, but the job that's going to stick in my mind for this "gear" if you will, is Best Buy.

So finally, I'm shifting into third, and really gaining some momentum in my life. In most decent sports cars, third gear is the first gear that can hit 100mph, or at least come darn-near to it. I'm planning on paying off my debt from the previous gear, maybe even getting married, getting a job that puts me over the poverty line (yippee.), and maybe even allowing myself to buy some toys. Maybe.

It excites me, really. However, the times when I shift gears also seem to bear with them painful situations. I guess life is like that. I'll always look back at first gear and remember Nicole, and that hurts. Second gear reminds me of Naomi, and our numerous break-ups, and Samantha (the Stealth), and all that hurts. Third gear; eh, I'll have to get back to you on that, but right now, I'm away from my sweetheart, she is super-preoccupied at school, i'm driving a POS RX-7 that is seriously giving Hell a run for it's money on spontaneous combustability, and I am transitioning. That is always the hardest part.

So why do I always seem to do it all at once? Who knows, maybe it's my super-developed sense of adventure (ha), and maybe it's my under-developed sense of responsibility (more than likely) and maybe it's my lack of Dr. Pepper for the month.

It's probably the latter.