BSOS

What with all the flamingos and stuff, you may be wondering what kind of person Tom is. Well, as you know, before his retirement he was an IT consultant for GM, partner in his own firm, and before that he had been a share partner in a big law firm in Chicago. He used to run the RCIA program at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish (that's the classes for adults who are entering the Catholic church). He and Helen raised four of their own kids and a foster son. He was one of the judges for the high school debate competitions in Chicago, and he also taught at the Law School at Loyola University Chicago at one point. He was a medic and a Green Beret in Vietnam. Sounds pretty responsible and steady, right?

Well, mostly. He is, however, subject to BSOS -- Bright Shiny Object Syndrome. It doesn't take much for something to catch his attention and distract him. The whole "boys and their toys" thing. For a while it was cowboy hats, then it was ponchos (he had a whole Clint Eastwood motif going there), then it was trucks, then bird feeders, then it was flowers, then it was a motor scooter, then it was air conditioning and lately it has been flamingos. Since he is retired, there is nothing to drag his mind back into focus, and you never know what will catch his attention next.

I noticed this long ago when we were talking and something would catch his eye, and he would be off. I began referring to it as "bright shiny object" and now think it is a full-blown syndrome. I intend to write the American Psychological Association to see if I can get in in the DSM V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, now in its fourth edition).
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The photo is of "Cloud Gate", a 110-ton sculpture that is part of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. It is the biggest bright shiny object I could think of.