growing up

I've known him for quite a few years, but it was only today that I noticed how alive his eyes were. Eyes that are seeing the world, and eagerly drinking it all up. His posture was relaxed, and his facial features were composed. But his eyes, those eyes were alert and thinking. He's lost the naivete. Or perhaps I finally see him for who he is.

"It's not about how smart you are. You'll meet someone who is half as smart, but way more cunning."
"So you've become more cunning?"
"No, you just learn to watch out."

And I could picture him watching and waiting. He won't attack you because the ones who do move out of incompetence. He will do what his job requires of him. After all, it's just business. Watching and waiting.

The Unicorn Code

“If you go to Yves Saint Laurent or Prada or Tod’s or Chanel or Hermès this season, there are three different versions of the same bag: mini, regular and oversize.”

She said the last word as if she were describing seeing a unicorn — magical, beautiful, altogether perfect.

The New York Times carried an article almost 2 weeks ago about oversized bags and how they are all the rage and oh-so-bad for you. I like reading fashion news, but this little bit in particular jumped out at me because of the unicorn.

I've been trying to describe a unicorn for a while but I can't really find anything with google. I mean, what is a unicorn supposed to symobolize? What are the search terms that I need to use? Or does a unicorn not symbolize anything? Then one morning reading about how bad oversized bags are for you, I found a somewhat-description of a unicorn. Good enough for now. A fourth word to describe the unicorn, as implied in the context of the article, is "elusive". To me, that might be the most important word.

Why am I currently fascinated with unicorns? Someone once mentioned a unicorn for reasons unknown, and I promptly forgot about it. Months later, I was trying to find a birthday present, and I stumbled across a toy unicorn. It was a rather violent toy -- a unicorn impaling a human. The avenging unicorn. You get to choose the human and even the horn. I considered getting it for my friend, but didn't figure that he would like it. I ended up giving him a button that said "Unicorns are pretty sweet". I was also considering a "unicorns are real dammit" magnet from David and Goliath (they seem to have rather cool stuff), but figured that it was too in-your-face annoying. And while I was trying to buy a unicorn, I wondered about what it actually symbolized. I have no idea still.

Anyway, if you didn't click on the link above, there is a unicorn code. It's pretty simple:

1. Unicorns never lie.
2. Unicorns always lend a helping hand.
3. Unicorns are loyal.
4. Unicorns can keep a secret.
5. Unicorns don't use drugs.

I quite like it. I feel like I may know a unicorn. I want to know a unicorn. I want to be a unicorn. I'm currently fascinated by unicorns.