Greetings friend,
I sincerely hope this entry finds you in good spirits in this "New Year" 2009!
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In the several weeks that I have been blogging, I have come up with many ideas while away from a computer that I would scribble on Post-Its, napkins, or any other surface that would accept ink from a ballpoint pen (except for my skin... that's so 6th grade!). The ideas have ranged from the deep and profound to asinine and nonsensical. Some have been published and others have laid dormant in my "Drafts" folder.
I am about to unveil a few of the ideas from 2008 that didn't make it to the "Published" phase of my blog. Enjoy!
-- writing about New Yorkers' negative attitude towards... well... just about everyone!
This idea was proposed by a friend of mine when I was struggling with a bout of writer's block. I wasn't particularly moved by the idea since I know NYers get a bad rap when it comes to how we deal with strangers. But we're not nearly as bad as we're reputed to be.
Before you start demanding my head on a platter, understand that I am fully aware that the majority of us are, in fact, jerks. Most of us wouldn't lift a finger to help another in need and would snicker at someone who is asking for directions and go about our day (either that or guide the person in the opposite direction). All in all, we're really not that terrible. At least, not terrible enough for me to write about.
-- Excerpts from the insecure man's diary
I had this idea of starting a "diary" that would describe the actions and thoughts of an insecure young male. Some of the stories would be taken from personal experiences (exaggerated, of course) but mostly it would just be a reflection of typical "shy guy" behavior.
However, I didn't think I really had enough to work with. Also, though I had some setups for a few passages, I just didn't care enough about the "insecure man". I might revisit this but I sincerely doubt it.
-- Anything related to my father
I'm sure that there will be a future post that will be related to him in some capacity or another. But, to be honest... I've given too much time, energy, and thought to him throughout the majority of my adult life and I just need a break from him for a while. For those who don't know, I haven't had any contact with my father since my senior year of high school... by choice. If you want to know why... Let's just say he was not a nice man to my family.
-- Rewriting lyrics to popular holiday songs
This was a sure-fire blog abortion waiting to happen. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Alkie, Frosty the "Snow"man, etc.
I can keep going but let's just leave this idea buried and forgotten forever. We shall never speak of this again! lol.
-- The breakup of my engagement
For some fairly obvious reasons, I chose not to write about this.
It's not so much because it's a painful memory to revisit or because it was a terribly sad moment of my life. On the contrary, it was huge relief to have such a mature, rational conversation with a well thought out resolution to our relationship. It propelled me to continue full throttle into the new credo I had adopted of seeking out people, things, and activities that make me happy and bring joy to my life.
The two main reasons why I didn't write about the break-up are:
(1) it's a very personal experience and it's not MY story to share. It's OUR story. For as much as I love opening up on this blog about many topics, there are some things I feel should be kept close to the vest. This happens to be one of them. Also...
(2) everyone else has reacted pretty badly to our break-up. Some took it so hard that I almost felt bad that I even mentioned it after seeing how heartbroken they were with the news. Others refuse to believe that we really are OK with our decision to split. They keep insisting that we are simply hiding our true feelings and that they will erupt one day despite repeatedly reassuring them that we know this is in the best interest of us both.
Time will surely prove them wrong and they'll learn to accept our decision. But I certainly won't be blogging about it.
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Well those are the failed blogs of 2008. I hope you enjoyed them. Rest assured that it was better to digest these ideas in this form rather than reading the full blog version! Trust me!!
Until next time, faithful reader.....
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Is it nauseous or nauseated?... and all about the "Friend Zone"
Hello everyone,
My apologies for those who have relied on my words to carry you through your dull and sometimes unfulfilling work days. For those of you in that category, I fully expect you to be able to recite my last 5 entries verbatim and without peeking. ;) I'll call you later tonight to quiz you.
For those of you "normal" folks... welcome back to the next installment of my ramblings here inside my thought repository:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I recently came across an interesting rant on the misuse of the English language, specifically, the difference between 'nauseous' and 'nauseated' (http://phrogz.net/nodes/nauseous.asp). Essentially, the argument is that we have misused these two words so often that it has become an acceptable error in the popular vernacular. Most people aren't even aware that they are misusing the word 'nauseous'.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary (and many other reputable dictionaries), nauseous is listed as an adjective meaning:
(1) Causing nausea; sickening: "the most nauseous offal fit for the gods" (John Fowles); (2) Usage Problem Affected with nausea.
Nauseated is an adjective that means to feel, or cause to, feel nausea.
So the next time a roller coaster ride (or a cab ride after a night of drunken revelry) makes you feel queasy, remember that the ride was nauseous but you, in fact, feel nauseated. Interestingly, even scholars who criticize the misuse of nauseous to indicate 'feeling nausea', they themselves are guilty of classifying things that make people nauseous - such as roller coasters and cab rides - as nauseous and NOT nauseating.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For some reason, I have had several conversations lately with my friends about friendships, hooking up, general dating, and the dreaded "friend zone" that "nice guys" tend to find themselves in. In the spirit of offering sage advice and general feedback, I refer you now to the online men's magazine Womopo
(What is Womopo? Womopo is an online men's magazine with one simple mission: help men become better men in every way. The site delivers weekly content helping men improve their skills and knowledge with women, money, and power.)
For my insecure male friends (or just the ones who feel they're always put on the back burner when talking to girls only to find themselves as "just friends") and to my female readers, here's some food for thought:
"Top 5 Ways Guys End Up in the Friend Zone"
"How To Tell You're in the Friend Zone"
"How To Get Out Of The Friend Zone in 3 Steps"
I wonder if this will spark conversations among you and your friends. If so, feel free to comment and sound off on what you agree with what you disagree with. Or just let me know how you (and others) reacted to this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well... It has been a long week first week of 2009 (in a good way) and I need to get back to my normal sleep patterns... lol.
Until next time, faithful reader....
My apologies for those who have relied on my words to carry you through your dull and sometimes unfulfilling work days. For those of you in that category, I fully expect you to be able to recite my last 5 entries verbatim and without peeking. ;) I'll call you later tonight to quiz you.
For those of you "normal" folks... welcome back to the next installment of my ramblings here inside my thought repository:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I recently came across an interesting rant on the misuse of the English language, specifically, the difference between 'nauseous' and 'nauseated' (http://phrogz.net/nodes/nauseous.asp). Essentially, the argument is that we have misused these two words so often that it has become an acceptable error in the popular vernacular. Most people aren't even aware that they are misusing the word 'nauseous'.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary (and many other reputable dictionaries), nauseous is listed as an adjective meaning:
(1) Causing nausea; sickening: "the most nauseous offal fit for the gods" (John Fowles); (2) Usage Problem Affected with nausea.
Nauseated is an adjective that means to feel, or cause to, feel nausea.
So the next time a roller coaster ride (or a cab ride after a night of drunken revelry) makes you feel queasy, remember that the ride was nauseous but you, in fact, feel nauseated. Interestingly, even scholars who criticize the misuse of nauseous to indicate 'feeling nausea', they themselves are guilty of classifying things that make people nauseous - such as roller coasters and cab rides - as nauseous and NOT nauseating.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For some reason, I have had several conversations lately with my friends about friendships, hooking up, general dating, and the dreaded "friend zone" that "nice guys" tend to find themselves in. In the spirit of offering sage advice and general feedback, I refer you now to the online men's magazine Womopo
(What is Womopo? Womopo is an online men's magazine with one simple mission: help men become better men in every way. The site delivers weekly content helping men improve their skills and knowledge with women, money, and power.)
For my insecure male friends (or just the ones who feel they're always put on the back burner when talking to girls only to find themselves as "just friends") and to my female readers, here's some food for thought:
"Top 5 Ways Guys End Up in the Friend Zone"
"How To Tell You're in the Friend Zone"
"How To Get Out Of The Friend Zone in 3 Steps"
I wonder if this will spark conversations among you and your friends. If so, feel free to comment and sound off on what you agree with what you disagree with. Or just let me know how you (and others) reacted to this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well... It has been a long week first week of 2009 (in a good way) and I need to get back to my normal sleep patterns... lol.
Until next time, faithful reader....
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Not Exactly New Year's Resolutions... More Like Life Goals.
Welcome to the year 2009, faithful reader:
I hope you all enjoyed yourselves this past New Year's Eve.
My goal this New Year's Eve was to do something different. Something that was outside of my comfort zone. I did accomplish that goal. Yet, I wasn't surrounded by friends and loved ones and I underestimated how lonely that would make me feel (despite having a decent time on NYE). It was strange to be surrounded by goombas and guidettes who are rolling in their tight little circles with a male-to-female ratio of nearly 3-to-1.
As the ball dropped in Times Square, the countdown was on. Despite watching it on the flat screen TV's scattered around the bar, the patrons still managed to mess up the countdown with loud, inebriated voices. I found myself seated next to a little old Italian man in a tan sweater and thought to myself "Is this what my life has become?" LOL. I'm kind of glad I didn't have a kiss at midnight considering the options immediately around me. (it was a sausage factory, after all)
Don't get me wrong. Free booze and free dinner on NYE is not a terrible consolation prize especially when considering a female friend was my benefactor last night. (Wait... now that I think about it... was I expected to put out? LOL) It certainly wasn't the way I thought I'd end up spending this NYE but I don't regret it.
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I suppose in the spirit of the season, I'm obligated by social norms to lay out a series of resolutions that I plan to work on throughout the year (or completely ignore and bitch about later in the year as I start a self-induced pity party). I personally think resolutions are BS. If we were serious about making a change in our lives, we shouldn't rely on January 1 to be the start date (though I certainly understand how symbolically useful it is). It's the old "Be the change you want to see in the world" philosophy. Rather than provide you with a list of resolutions, I'll leave a checklist of things (life goals, if you will) that I hope to accomplish in my lifetime. Let's see how many of these things I can scratch off the list in 2009:
- Teach a class (this is imminent but it stays on my list until the first day of class. I take nothing for granted.)
- Drive cross country (East-West)
- Drive cross country (North-South)
- Have kids (yes plural... I think kids need a sibling)
- Travel for the first time to (international): Egypt, Italy, Greece, Australia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, southern France, Japan
- Travel for the first time to (domestic): Washington DC, Pheonix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Alaska
- Revisit: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Colombia, Miami
- Go on a cruise
- Karaoke (for real: with the desire to actually sing a little and not due to peer pressure... lol)
- Write a short story
- Learn to play the guitar
- Learn to make paella
- Buy a house
- Fall in love again
- Have LASIK surgery (I love wearing glasses but sometimes it's a bit of a drag)
- Create a new alcoholic beverage to serve at parties
- Forgive my father rather than simply live with who he is and what he did
- Walk my daughter down the aisle at her wedding (clearly I would NEED a daughter first to be able to do this... lol)
- Learn to fluently curse in 3 languages, then 5 languages, then 8, then 10 (I think I'd stop at ten...lol)
- Get a tattoo (one that is meaningful and has personal value to me. Not just one that I picked out of an artist's portfolio)
- Learn to dance the tango
- Take a yoga class (I'd probably hate it but I'd like to try it at least once)
There's more... I know there is... I just can't remember any other things I'd like to add. I'll throw more things on here as they come to me. Consider this a starter list for my life goals. =)
I also have a short list of things I'd like to work on for the year. These aren't resolutions, per se. They're just a list of things I'd like to start correcting during the next phase of my life. Considering this is more personal and not something I'm willing to openly share, I'm leaving some words "blank". You can then play along by trying to guess the words (like a lame version of Mad Libs - without the parts of speech):
- Learn to separate ---------ship from --------ity
- Learn to ---st others
- Learn to eliminate lingering s--- d---t
- Learn to not question the m-----s of others
- Don't sweat the details. Simply, enjoy the ride and live life!
Until next time, faithful reader....
I hope you all enjoyed yourselves this past New Year's Eve.
My goal this New Year's Eve was to do something different. Something that was outside of my comfort zone. I did accomplish that goal. Yet, I wasn't surrounded by friends and loved ones and I underestimated how lonely that would make me feel (despite having a decent time on NYE). It was strange to be surrounded by goombas and guidettes who are rolling in their tight little circles with a male-to-female ratio of nearly 3-to-1.
As the ball dropped in Times Square, the countdown was on. Despite watching it on the flat screen TV's scattered around the bar, the patrons still managed to mess up the countdown with loud, inebriated voices. I found myself seated next to a little old Italian man in a tan sweater and thought to myself "Is this what my life has become?" LOL. I'm kind of glad I didn't have a kiss at midnight considering the options immediately around me. (it was a sausage factory, after all)
Don't get me wrong. Free booze and free dinner on NYE is not a terrible consolation prize especially when considering a female friend was my benefactor last night. (Wait... now that I think about it... was I expected to put out? LOL) It certainly wasn't the way I thought I'd end up spending this NYE but I don't regret it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I suppose in the spirit of the season, I'm obligated by social norms to lay out a series of resolutions that I plan to work on throughout the year (or completely ignore and bitch about later in the year as I start a self-induced pity party). I personally think resolutions are BS. If we were serious about making a change in our lives, we shouldn't rely on January 1 to be the start date (though I certainly understand how symbolically useful it is). It's the old "Be the change you want to see in the world" philosophy. Rather than provide you with a list of resolutions, I'll leave a checklist of things (life goals, if you will) that I hope to accomplish in my lifetime. Let's see how many of these things I can scratch off the list in 2009:
- Teach a class (this is imminent but it stays on my list until the first day of class. I take nothing for granted.)
- Drive cross country (East-West)
- Drive cross country (North-South)
- Have kids (yes plural... I think kids need a sibling)
- Travel for the first time to (international): Egypt, Italy, Greece, Australia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, southern France, Japan
- Travel for the first time to (domestic): Washington DC, Pheonix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Alaska
- Revisit: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Colombia, Miami
- Go on a cruise
- Karaoke (for real: with the desire to actually sing a little and not due to peer pressure... lol)
- Write a short story
- Learn to play the guitar
- Learn to make paella
- Buy a house
- Fall in love again
- Have LASIK surgery (I love wearing glasses but sometimes it's a bit of a drag)
- Create a new alcoholic beverage to serve at parties
- Forgive my father rather than simply live with who he is and what he did
- Walk my daughter down the aisle at her wedding (clearly I would NEED a daughter first to be able to do this... lol)
- Learn to fluently curse in 3 languages, then 5 languages, then 8, then 10 (I think I'd stop at ten...lol)
- Get a tattoo (one that is meaningful and has personal value to me. Not just one that I picked out of an artist's portfolio)
- Learn to dance the tango
- Take a yoga class (I'd probably hate it but I'd like to try it at least once)
There's more... I know there is... I just can't remember any other things I'd like to add. I'll throw more things on here as they come to me. Consider this a starter list for my life goals. =)
I also have a short list of things I'd like to work on for the year. These aren't resolutions, per se. They're just a list of things I'd like to start correcting during the next phase of my life. Considering this is more personal and not something I'm willing to openly share, I'm leaving some words "blank". You can then play along by trying to guess the words (like a lame version of Mad Libs - without the parts of speech):
- Learn to separate ---------ship from --------ity
- Learn to ---st others
- Learn to eliminate lingering s--- d---t
- Learn to not question the m-----s of others
- Don't sweat the details. Simply, enjoy the ride and live life!
Until next time, faithful reader....
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