omfg

Taking a break from my content as of late to post this video...I'm amazed

Optimism (Anxiety Part 2)

Where does Optimism come from? what gives some people the ability to see something that's still formative, new, or unknown as a potential success? Are we born with optimism as a child and can lose it as we grow into adults? I really don't know how to answer those. I look back, and I have a hard time seeing whether or not I've been an optimistic person. I think as time went by and "bad" things happened to me (and by bad I just mean unfavorable or difficult or trying) my natural anxious tendencies kicked in. But I don't know. maybe optimism is too black/white of a concept? maybe optimism isn't what I should be striving for, but just realism. trying to take a rational view of the future, and accepting that some things could go bad or good, and give them equal weighting. I'll edit/post again when I think of more.

Update: Good comment from Glittergirl..."i think folks like us are more sensitive to stuff, and it's hard at times, but it's also a gift. we see a lot of beauty in things others miss."

This kind of highlights my point but not in the way she intended. That statement, at it's core, is one of positivity. Calling it a "gift" and being able to see the "beauty" in things. I had to stop and think for a second, because that's not I would see it at first. What is different about her brain, her experiences, her life, and my own, that leads us to those different viewpoints? We've both been through hardships in our lives, so it can't be that. Maybe she wants to believe that more than I do? Something about her allows her to appreciate the positive side of things. Maybe those of us with the "worry gene" as she put it over time develop the ability to say "fuck it" and take away some of the worry gene's important or effect?

Something else I've thought of is that I may have gotten my hopes too high early on in life and those unrealistic expectations were dashed enough times to make me "gun-shy" to having even realistic or rational expectations. Somewhere along the line I got hooked on the idea that good things happen to good people. I wish I could remember when and where I got that concept and in what context, because I think that's been a big problem for me. I think my negativity towards the future and the unknown is a mix of frustration that I'm not getting what I "deserve" for having done the "right" things in my life, and too many dashed unrealistic hopes that led me to make the deduction that hopes and dreams generally get dashed...

I dunno. Will post more as thoughts come to mind.

Anxiety

So, I had an anxiety attack this week. I've started seeing someone new. Things were going pretty darn well at the start, better than most of my previous relationships have started. But I still ended up having an anxiety attack. As I've done before, I let my mind wander and get caught up in the emotions of the moment, and started to project into the future. For some reason, the future to me is full of fear and potential disappointment. I'm not sure why I do it. I'm hoping that by typing out this blog post that maybe I'll get a glimmer of a clue. Anyways, I started projecting to the future that we're going to end up in a relationship, and that I'm not going to feel as strongly about her as she feels about me, and that I'm going to have to disappoint her and hurt her feelings or break her heart. I flipped out and nearly ended the relationship. We were able to talk and I let her know about some of my problems, and I think things are better now. But the stigma's still there. So, why can't I be optimistic about the future? I can't control what's going to happen, but I also can't expect things to go wrong. I dunno. Anyways,I'm going to take a break for now. I'll write a follow-up later or in the morning.

Update #1: Whitey makes a great point in his comment "The only thing I can tell you is that after I faced the scary moments, wether they turned out in my favor or against, I didn't have to be afraid anymore. It was over..." That initial hurdle for me feels insurmountable somedays. When it's something I have to face alone, I buckle. If it's something I'm doing in a social situation with people I feel comfortable with, I have more strength inside, or I don't give a shit nearly as much about how things will turn out. when I'm on my own, I lose faith in myself, or I fear the outcomes too much. More updates to come as things pop into my head

My Johari Window

Arena (known to self and others) caring, intelligent, logical, silly	Blind Spot (known only to others) able, accepting, adaptable, clever, complex, dependable, friendly, giving, happy, helpful, kind, knowledgeable, loving, mature, modest, observant, reflective, relaxed, searching, self-conscious, sensible, sentimental, shy, trustworthy, warm, wise, witty
Façade (known only to self) introverted	Unknown (known to nobody) bold, brave, calm, cheerful, confident, dignified, energetic, extroverted, idealistic, independent, ingenious, nervous, organised, patient, powerful, proud, quiet, religious, responsive, self-assertive, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense

Dominant Traits

60% of people agree that copaX is caring

All Percentages

able (10%) accepting (10%) adaptable (10%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (60%) cheerful (0%) clever (30%) complex (20%) confident (0%) dependable (10%) dignified (0%) energetic (0%) extroverted (0%) friendly (20%) giving (30%) happy (10%) helpful (30%) idealistic (0%) independent (0%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (10%) introverted (0%) kind (10%) knowledgeable (20%) logical (10%) loving (10%) mature (10%) modest (10%) nervous (0%) observant (10%) organised (0%) patient (0%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (0%) reflective (30%) relaxed (20%) religious (0%) responsive (0%) searching (50%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (10%) sensible (30%) sentimental (20%) shy (10%) silly (10%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (0%) tense (0%) trustworthy (10%) warm (30%) wise (10%) witty (30%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 30.4.2008, using data from 10 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view copaX's full data.

Lyrics

"I wanna get lost in my life sometimes
sit on the side and watch the world go by
I wanna get lost and I don't know why
Sometimes I wanna get lost and I don't know why
Sometimes I wanna get lost and just dream for a while"

"I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?"

Blizzard of Aught 8

The view this morning when I got up..

(note the far left white car. See that stick like thing sticking up out of the snow? Yeah, that's my snow shovel which I had left outside. Someone conveniently borrowed it last night to try to dig themselves out, but didn't bother to put it back. Needless to say the shovel stays inside from now on)

And here's the view this evening, after an hour or so of shoveling 2-3 foot drifts and some thawing thanks to the wonderful sunshine.

Random

I don't know where this is gonna go, just kind of a free association post...

Life's like a river.

I've heard a few people tell me that, jennifer for example, and I've read some books that refer to it that way.

Sometimes it's calm and peaceful..

(source)

..and other times not so much

(source)

There's this sense that we have more control over the flow of this river than we really do. We try to paddle or swim, or redirect the flow, but all we end up doing is wasting our energy and getting ourselves frustrated. Would it be nice if the river flowed through that beautiful valley over there?

(source)



Sure would. Will it? Maybe, maybe not. Should we let ourselves get upset if it doesn't? Only if you thrive on frustration, which last time I checked most (normal) people don't. (I gotta admit, I've known at least one person in my life who did, oddly enough). So, what can we do? Things would be really cool if we ended up in the pretty valley. What we have to do is make the best out of what we have. We have to make the most out of the path that the River of Life ends up taking us. Sure things could be better. But who's to say there's not another valley up ahead that's just as pretty, maybe even prettier.

Ok, so we can get our hopes up that around the next bend will be another valley right? If you're the gambling type, then go for it. But wouldn't it be a bit more peaceful, and maybe even more fun honestly, to just ride along with the flow and see what happened? Not have expectations about what's around the bend, just have a keen interest to see what's there. For better or worse, just patiently wait and see what's around the bend. Not like we should just close our eyes, lay back and blindly float down the river. A) you still have to make some minor course corrections here and there to avoid the rocks and the shallow sections and B) where's the fun in that?


That's like taking a long car trip sitting in the backseat of a station wagon with your nose buried in books the whole way. I should know, that's how I lived most of my childhood. Anytime we went anywhere, I had to make sure I had toys or books or games that I could do along the way. I ended up missing a lot of life by doing that. I also ended up with a rather horrible sense of direction, that I'm still trying to overcome in my adult life. (thank GOD for GPS units). I had a point somewhere around here I was aiming for....hmm, must've fallen under the desk. Ah, there it is. Anyways, the point is to open your eyes and be witness to where the River of Life ends up taking you. When it's pretty or not so pretty, there's still much to be learned from where it takes us.

UPDATE: Music recommendation. Yael Naim - Endless Song of Happiness. Listen to it.

it's batTERies, not batTRies, ya bloody wankah!

and there were no pieces of wood on fire, so where's this supposed "torch" he speaks of...god, you'd think he was a foreigner or something

Glittergirl's famous!

Sorry glittergirl, but I took your video down for a while. It loaded up everytime my blog loaded and kept freaking me out.

Glittergirl's WKYC Page of Famousosity

Some things change...

some things stay the same.

a looooooong time ago I gave eharmony a try. Well, some friends of mine are in burgeoning relationships, so I thought, "You know what, I've gone through alot of personal development in the past couple of years. Maybe I've changed enough to be a better match for someone." So, I went through the peronality test again. I cleared my mind and just went with my gut and answered the questions honestly. At least, 3 years later, eharmony doesn't appear to reject people outright. This time I was allowed to upload a photo, so I thought there was a chance. Got in, and was presented with my "home page". 0 matches :)

I'm actually sitting here smiling about it, chuckling.



I've been reading books about Taoism lately, trying to find some inner peace and happiness. Guess that's why this isn't really bothering me that much. Last time this happened, I reacted a little bit differently :)

For those curious about Taoism, I recommend reading The Tao of Pooh I'd get into details, just take my advice and read it. it's a short book, easy read.

Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures

Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures

Interesting site concept. Basically if you run across a memory card or camera with pictures on it, you send a couple in that would be the most identifiable and hopefully through the power of teh intarwebs and good old word of mouth, they can be reunited with their proper owner.

I think it'd be fascinating to find someone else's pictures like that. Does that make me voyeuristic? That I want to see other people's pictures? I don't have any ulterior motives, I'm just fascinated at seeing how other people live their lives compared to mine. I also have the same problem when I'm riding in a car in the evening down a street with alot of houses. I tend to try to look into the living rooms where the lights are on and the curtains/blinds are open. Not because I want to spy on them, it's just merely curiosity's sake. I tend to think things like "Wow, the average television size has gotten insanely big." or "That's a very interesting way to have your living room setup."

I also have started going to the Art section of Borders, and checking out as many of the Post Secret books as I can, looking to see if anyone left their own postcard in it, like I've read stories about people doing. No luck yet, but I'll be sure to let everyone know when I do.

Amaryllis Update

Here's where the Amaryllis started back on 12/26



And here it is today

You Suck at Photoshop

Be sure to check the Related Videos for parts 2 through 5

Hmmm...

You're Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!

by Mark Twain

With an affinity for floating down the river, you see things in black
and white. The world is strange and new to you and the more you learn about it, the less
it makes sense. You probably speak with an accent and others have a hard time
understanding you and an even harder time taking you seriously. Nevertheless, your
adventurous spirit is admirable. You really like straw hats.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

My Birthday Weekend - A Play in Three Acts

Also, new pictures have been added to the Flickr Zeitgeist on the right

Act 1:


Act 2:


Act 3:

An open letter to my father

Hi dad,

It's that time of year again. I figured I'd try to get some of the stuff out of my head and into the blog, see if that helped me any. I miss you so desperately, dad. I just wish I could sit down with you face to face and talk. I wish I could hug you again, and tell you I loved you. I wish I could show you around my apartment, show you what I've done with it, have you tell me all the things I need to be careful of. I wish you were home with mom so she wasn't alone. I wish you could give me advice on how to be a better manager at work. I hope I've lived up to your name. I know I'm not perfect, but I just hope that I've taken everything you gave me and have put it to good use in becoming the man I am today. I just want to hear your voice telling me you're proud of me. I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you a grandson to carry on the copac name before you passed, but I know that ben and will carry on the copac spirit at least. I have trouble remembering much of our past together, I don't know if I've blocked it out in the past couple years or what. I hope that someday I'll be able to remember more of our life together. I wish I could've had the chance to help you with your anxiety in the same ways I try to do it now in my own life. Dad, I'm trying so very very hard to become a better person. I want to be happy. I want to be in love. I want to not feel so alone and lost anymore. I have alot of good friends in my life, and I try very hard to take care of them. I know how important that was to you, taking care of other people. But even with all of these good people, I still feel so alone without you. I feel very lost and without direction. I'm trying to find my way without you here to lead me, but it's really hard, dad. It's the second hardest thing I've had to do besides saying good-bye to you. I'm trying, dad, I hope you know that. I'm trying really hard. I screw up, and I take steps backwards, but I'm still trying. god, dad, I miss you so much.

My wishlist

People have been bugging me to make a wishlist. I guess people for some reason want to buy me things. I don't know why. Doesn't make sense to me. anywho... here's my wishlist :-P

My wishlist

Software Request

There may be something out there that does this, but I haven't had the time or luck to find it yet. I've found a bunch of list software, but no luck finding something like this.

I'm looking for some kind of list management software. Each item in the list just has it's position in the list, relative to the rest. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. No priorities, nothing like that. First item entered is #1, second is #2 and so on. Then you can click and drag an item to move it from position #3 to the top of the list, or anywhere in the list really.

I've tried using Microsoft OneNote, but it just doesn't fit what I'm trying to accomplish.

Bonus features:
- Ability to enter a list item as a simple sentence, then expand the item and enter more details or benchmarks about the item, then collapse it back down into the simple sentence description
- Windows Mobile version would roxxors my soxxors.

If anybody that reads this blog knows of something like this, I'd appreciate a point in the right direction.

Journal Entry - January 15, 2008

"I've seen a rich man beg
I've seen a good man sin
I've seen a tough man cry
I've seen a loser win
And a sad man grin
I heard an honest man lie
I've seen the good side of bad
And the down side of up
And everything between"
-What It's Like - Everlast

There’s a big
a big hard sun
beating on the big people
in the big hard world"
-Hard Sun - Eddie Vedder


Let's see...what happened today. Not a whole lot besides alot of snow. I was able to give somebody some good news at work today, so that was a nice switch compared to the past week or so. Honestly, I can't really thinkg of anything else "journal"ish to write. So I'll just go off on a tangent for a while..

I picked the first set of lyrics above for two reasons. A) it's what was playing on the Shoutcast station I was listening to as I worked on this post and B) It seemed like a good way to describe how life should be treated. Not so much from the pure irony standpoint the lyrics seem to take, but more from the standpoint that expectations are a tricky thing.

I picked the second set of lyrics above also for two reasons a) it's the second song that's come on since I've been working on this post and B) it kinda helps to remind me that life's unfair, and you gotta get over it.

Ok, enough with the lyrics, let's get down to the nitty gritty here. I didn't like the tone of my frustrations post the other day. I have this problem where I get caught up in this irrational idea that because I'm a supposed "good" guy and that I follow the rules and do what I'm "supposed" to do that I'm entitled to something as a result of it. I've tried to figure out where I got that idea from, but at this point I'm not really even sure if that would make much difference. Maybe it's just from being too logical of a thinker and looking at cause and effect so much throughout my life up until now. I dunno. Whatever it is, I need to find a way to counteract it. I should be able to accept what life gives me and make the best of it. and not get caught up in expectations and feeling due something. I guess that's kinda why I'm doing this again, this whole blogging thing, to try and document these times like these and try to work out in my head where I went wrong and try to find a way to make changes. I feel a little weird putting this out in the public like this, but I think it's necessary. I think I need to own up to my actions more and not just write them off. So any readers out there, feel free to call me on my shit now and then

frustrations

this post may sound whiny or bitchy, but I don't really care. Part of my resolution this year was to get myself to get stuff like this out and documented so that I can hopefully learn something from it and make myself a better person. This here is one of those such posts.

frustration is something that has a firm grasp on my life. Here's a list of the things that caused me frustration today: (Please note, I'm not justifying or rationalizing these things, I'm merely listing them)

• a good friend is getting married. someone I had a crush on for a while but never acted upon
  
• a project a former employee of mine was working on needs to be completed, and I found out that he didn't complete nearly as much of it as he had claimed
  
• a good friend who's going through some job difficulties, who I've been trying to support and be a good friend to, opened up to someone else who has more..ulterior motives behind being their for her.
  
• somebody cut me off on the way home.
  
• I spent a couple hours last night going through personal ads and not getting any replies.
  

ok, first off, most of these things shouldn't be causing me frustration. I can see that now, but when those events occurred, my first reactino was that of frustration. Either out of jealousy, or a sense of "unfairness". I shouldn't feel that I'm owed anything, but I do. Anyways, I'm going to watch some tv and chill out for a while. I'll come back later and edit this post with some more thoughts and musings.