Friday, January 22, 2016

40 things?

I found this little article over at Manmaiddiy I was reading it while on hold with a financial institution. I read it and thought I could relate some, here's my thoughts on each point.

1. Stop texting and driving. Once and for all.  Yeah but what else am I going to do when I am stuck at one of the two dozen plus traffic lights that line my commute to work and home?
2. Give up one social media channel.  I only have ONE, instagram. Fuck bookface and twatter. Want probs and weird ass staklers from the past post there.
 
3. Wake up 30 minutes earlier every day. I got that shit beat, I wake up at 0515 most every morning. 0415 when I work.

4. Quit drinking during the weekdays.  I'm an adult if I wanna have a beer or few after a rough day then by heavens I'll do it! Fuck your puritanical ways.

5. Learn to meditate. I need to start doing morning yoga again. Perhaps I'll do this:



6. Send one physical letter or postcard a month. Instant replies are overrated. Indeed I send post cards to my friends out west who don't have restraining orders on me...yet.
 
7. Get a new plant. I sincerely want to grow my own spices out of a window box.
 
8. Drink more water. I do, leave me alone.

9. Work at it until you can do a hundred pushups. I did my fair share of those in the Army. I let that shit go.

10. Start a project or commitment that scares you. Continuing college and brewing beer, check.
 
11. Learn one parlor trick, and use it only when the time is right. Does snide sarcasm count?

12. Get rid of your CDs. Finally. Heavens YES! I am not going to unload them into a landfill though.
 
13. Don't buy anything for a month. Not even staples like food and gas? I don't buy shit I don't need to impress people I don't like.

14. Take a walk during the workday. That's all I do at work is walk. 14 plus miles every work day.

15. Think about the coolest thing your uncle ever did for you (and do it for your nieces and nephews). I tried and all it got me was heartache and pain. Hockey games, watching sports and action movies buying dinners all sorts of great shit I wish my uncles would have done for me and nothing.

16. Read your local alternative weekly every week. Atl is OK. I'm familiar enough, thanks.

17. Quit doing that one thing where spouse or roommate is constantly requesting change.  no wife no wife problems no roommate no roommate problems.

18. Find a new place to volunteer. Bruh, I work in an ER. I give at the office so to speak, what more do you want?

19. When your family asks how your day at work went, tell them the good things that happened. We don't have those conversations. Plus no live in family, remember no wife or kids no wife or kid problems yay!

20. Go see more live music. It will energize you. It always does. Yup, you're right I'll do better.

21. Play more games. That's one of the things wrong with the world, folks always have to play games.

22. Find balance and health in your sex life. No sex life no balance and health in my sex life to find.

23. Take a class. I got that shit in spades, I'm in college bruh.

24. Do a clothing closet purge. Happens about every 4 months now.

25. Finally try to understand jazz. I get it that much more since I watched 'Treme'

26. If you know you messed up, say you're sorry. Apologizing doesn't mean that you lost the argument. It means you're an adult. I've done this in the past. People mistake this for weakness and then the shit storm really starts. I hold my ground now.

27. Compliment people. Every day. I do trouble is that now a days as a middle aged bearded tattooed fellow if you compliment someone they either thinking you are trying to pick them up or stalking in order to murder them.  Neither of which I intend,I'm being sincere.

28. Set up a monthly schedule to maintain your investment goods. Condition your boots. Clean and lubricate your bike chain. I learned this in the military and again in EMS.

29. Stop drinking soda. Mostly cut out except on work days, then it's an excuse to get away from the department for 10 minutes.

30. Say "Yes" to something you wouldn't normally say "Yes" to. See what happens. See 31
31. Say "No" to something you wouldn't normally say "No" to. See what happens. I've done this in the past and continue to this day. Somethings are just out of the question.

32. Quit checking your email first thing in the morning. ESPECIALLY work email. I only check it once or twice a week max.

33. If you want to be happy, the key is practicing humility and gratitude. I'm humble and grateful and so are my friends, family though...

34. Pick a band or musician that you know you're supposed to love but never resonated with you. I'm not picky about music I listen to. Although I did do this with Peaches a few months ago and was rewarded. Thanks Marc Maron!

35. Contribute the max amount to your Roth IRA. If you don't have one yet, this is the year to open one. Bruh, I go to college and pay the rent, I'm lucky to do that.

36. Ask someone else more about who they are. Since I work one day a week I do this with co-workers once in a great while cause they think I'm new.

37. Remember, leadership doesn't make others into followers. It transforms them, too, into people who will change the world. In order to be a good leader sometimes you have to be a good follower.

38. Always have two books on your nightstand. One fiction, one non. Doing that for awhile check.

39. Become a pocket knife guy. Man, those things are useful. Doing that since I was a Boy Scout although I would like to start carrying my swiss army knife again, An old girl friend gave it to me with my name engraved on it, it's nice ya know?

40. Reach out to that one guy from high school or college whom you've been wondering how he's doing. I keep in touch with folks from the old neighborhood , Colorado, work friends and have tried to find one old Army buddy and old room mate with no success. 

 That's all I got time for today. thanks for reading.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Journey on the brain

I got lucky and saw this sunrise this morning:

The pic does it little justice. Probably one of the better sunrise pics I ever snapped in Georgia. For some reason seeing this made me think of the band Journey, Specifically Steve Perry era Journey:


now before anyone (who reads this anyways?!) starts spouting off I gotta say that this in my early punk rock/straight edge days that Journey was a very guilty pleasure. I have not listened to this particular band in a very long time and for the last hour I've sat listening to the music trying to decide on the ONE video I was going to post. It was a tough decision and just picked one at random.

A lot of folks like this type of 80's music for the cheese factor, being ironic or some shit. I always liked it (guiltily so at times) Now at the back side of 45 I could give a fuck less who knows. Trust me I got fucks to give and none are handed out too easily, I got standards dammit. So yeah a sunrise made me think of Steve Perry era Journey. I'm a strange person, I remarked to myself that it was odd that my brain made such a leap.

Maybe it was because I was in a funk for the last few days and finally poked my head outside. I couldn't say for sure. Maybe as I get older and older I am just fine with being by myself for days on end and the moment I poke my head out from self seclusion that my mind erupts in wild 80's emotion. The brain is weird anyways...stupid brain.

I have not ridden since last month because of school starting and a busy schedule. I decided during my funk that 3 classes in a semester are a bit much especially when any math is involved. Chemistry I has me doubting myself. I gotta make a C in the class and honestly I'm not ready for the first exam. Scientific conversions got me all fucked up. I'll hang in until mid-term and then drop if I'm not pulling down a solid B. I'll try to get another instructor who is a bit less intense on the math end (so I've heard). So graduation gets pushed back again, Going back to the mountains on a permanent basis is on hold. I know I could rally and pull some alright grade out of my ass (which is the plan for pre-calc and stats) My sciences I want to do good in.

My mind has wandered a bit missing living out west some and having a bit of jealously of folks who are currently living out there currently.  I think I just need to get on the bike and ride a little and shake off some of this funk. It's way to easy for me to sit in the apartment and be content with being by myself and justify it by saying "We all need alone time" yup just not that much 'alone' time.

So being self sequestered should have gotten some beer brewed eh? Nope. I don't do it because I'm afraid of failing at it. Fear is a complete and total mother fucker. I drank beers for sure (hung over sunday from Bourbon Barrel Ale)

So what do I do. Keep going. That's all I have done is just keep going.

What does this have to do with sunrises and Journey (Steve Perry era)? It makes this middle aged soul reflect. Sometime ago I heard a pod cast on This American Life called "Plan B". I have moved from Plans A-B-C-D-E and so on during my walk on this path of life. I keep going because I have freedom in my life to do so. No girlfriend, wife or kids. No girlfriend, wife or kid problems to keep me nailed down in a job I don't really like anymore. Really, the only thing keeping me in Georgia is a lease. Earlier it was family obligation now I'm not needed so much if at all.

I continue on with my current plan whatever because I'm closer to the end than the beginning. I just want to get my little Associates in Biology degree, that's all.It's not going to be pretty or even timely but it'll get done. Like journey said "Don't Stop Beilevin' ":


So concludes some 'head full of weird for you.' Thanks for reading.