I’m a little obsessive with ensuring my phone is charged as much as possible at all times. At any point I’m usually within ten feet of one of my phone chargers. I feel anxious if my batter percentage drops below 50% and immediately begin planning how much time I have to find an outlet and charge the phone again. I’ve met people who don’t care about that stuff and as a result let their phones die. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it can be very inconvenient for people trying to get in contact with them. Let’s not forget that a phone can be helpful if you’re ever stranded. A few years ago I had my phone stolen by a homeless lady. Needless to say, I was very upset. Not just because I had gone against my better judgment and given her money, but because I had a 16g memory card in my phone that contained pictures and videos from about three years of my college experience. All gone. Needless to say, it wasn’t backed up in a computer and I lost it all. I was devastated. There’s a picture that circulated a while back of a man busy in his phone while he missed the opportunity to see a whale. I wonder how many real life moments I’ve missed because of that same thing. No, I don’t intend to give up my cell phone or downgrade to a non-smart phone, but I do need to be more mindful of what’s around me. And maybe it’s ok to let my phone die or even turn it off once in a while so that I can be 100% tuned into something a bit more meaningful than social media.
Category Archives: What I Think
Rubber and the Road (and Scandal)
So life has once again brought me to a place where I have to make a very hard decision. It’s not critically life changing and doesn’t involve a career change. However, it’s interesting because the decision isn’t the most convenient and it doesn’t benefit me in any way. I’ve learned that sometimes the right thing feels like the wrong thing to do. Especially when it’s best for everyone else except you. While I’m not advocating being an emotional martyr I am saying that character doesn’t come out of convenience. It’s the tough times (and decisions) that show our true colors. In my case the decision has been made. The only thing to figure out at this point is a way to communicate clearly and effectively while getting the point across. I’ve learned that it’s one thing to make a decision but another thing totally to follow through. I guess a great example of this is one of the recent Scandal episodes where the new vice president explains that there is a difference between a law that sounds good and a law that is actually enforceable. If there’s no action to follow the decision then it’s pointless. So my goal is to take this as a learning experience and to make sure that my actions follow my decision because that’s where the rubber hits the road. It’s not easy but it’s very necessary and the right thing to do. Will I have that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that I did the right thing and decided to be unselfish in my actions? Probably not. But it’s better in the long run and 20 years from now I’ll be happy with myself. Keeping the long term in mind.
The Leftie Life
I’ve been left handed for as long as I can remember. It’s always been weird bumping elbows with people at the table and using scissors that are excruciatingly uncomfortable. The combination of being homeschooled AND left handed lent itself to the assumption many people made that I was smart. The jury is still out on that one but I must admit that being left handed requires you to think a lot more. You have to write really weirdly on spiral notebooks and judge distances when you are trying to navigate activities designed for righties. Let’s not forget how uncomfortable it is to sit at a right handed desk and actually take legible notes because you don’t have anywhere to put your elbows. The funny thing is that while I use utensils and write with my left hand, I do pretty much everything else with my right hand because it just comes more naturally. I don’t know that many left handed people and I remember reading stories as a kid of parents who forced their children to be right handed when they saw that they favored their other hand. I ran into this interesting article that talk about characteristics of left handed people and it was rather eye opening for me. I won’t comment on all of the assertions of the article but I will say that as a leftie who knows a few other lefties, I do think that we indeed do get angrier in certain stressful situations but I don’t know if that should be blamed on being left handed.
The Move
This week has definitely been interesting to say the least. I’ve always hated packing things up and I was spared this mind- numbing activity by my wonderful mother who consented to be flown in from across the continent to help me pack. I had forgotten how much time and energy goes into moving considering the fact that I haven’t moved in almost 4 years. College was one of those times where I always felt like I was dissembling my life every four months when the semester ended and I used to hate having to pack while studying for finals. When I got a letter in the mail informing me of a raise in the rent I decided it was time to look at other housing options. While I love the idea of a new environment, the actual execution of packing and looking for a new apartment was very daunting. One of my retirement activities needs to be scrapbooking because I like to keep small and insignificant mementos that end up in random shoeboxes stored away. The thing about moving is that it takes some adjusting. You have to find all your favorite things, arrange your kitchen and then change your address on everything. As much as I love being spontaneous and doing new things, I’m also a creature of habit and I don’t like moving once a place becomes familiar. And while the new place qualifies as an “I made it” sort of place with many of the coveted amenities of apartments, it’s still unfamiliar and weird. I think that one of the reasons moving is stressful is because people are required to adjust to a new environment. They no longer sleep and eat in the same place. It takes some getting used to. I’ve put off buying any furniture for the past 3 years so maybe it’s time to get that done.
Floating Away
I’m sitting sipping coffee before I report for a 12 hour shift that will most likely end up being a 14 hour one and I think, “why not do a blog post?” So here goes. This week I got a chance to experience something I’ve never done before. A salt water soak. So apparently my trip to the ocean last week was not an adequate amount of salt water for me. I’m always up for a good adventure and I saw this great deal listed on Groupon and decided to try it. Apparently there are lots of great health effects derived by soaking in salt and its supposed to promote wellness and a good immune system or something like that. I didnt really care but wanted to try it. First off there was a whole studio devoted entirely to soaking in saltwater. Apparently these soaks range from 90 minutes to overnight soaks. So I go into the studio and sign my life away on a waiver promising that I wont sue if something bad happens. Then to get me relaxed the staff directs me to an inversion table where I lie upside down and listen to ocean waves with low pulsing beats. It was at this point I realized that I might be incapable of relaxing all the way. Lying upside down with headphones in a room with dark lighting probably isn’t the best for someone with slight trust issues. So after an eternity (20 minutes) I the music stops and I go into the float tank. I should preface this by saying that I’m not super claustrophobic but if I was I would have a HUGE issue with the tank. You open up the door and climb in and close the door behind you. From this point on you’re supposed to float in 10 inches of warm water that’s more salty than the Dead Sea where you WILL NOT sink. Now, I havent swam in about 5 years but I figured that it shouldnt be hard to float and it wasn’t. However, the tank is about the size of an oversized coffin and you are enclosed in absolute darkness for about 60 minutes. The only think you can hear is your heart pounding in your ears. Really relaxing right? I don’t like staring into darkness so I just did what came naturally and slept for the whole time just floating in the saltwater coffin. I don’t know if it was relaxing but it was a new experience I just might try again. Self care right?
Missing Home
Growing up, Easter was always a special time of year. Not because of bunnies and rabbits or because of some of the religious traditions of Holy Week but because of Alumni Weekend. The time where my family and I made the relatively short trip to Alabama for the weekend. As a homeschooled kid, these trips were good great for seeing how “regular” kids were and just taking in the sights that only come with a large gathering of thousands. This trip was made every year without fail. Through multiple kids and carting strollers up and down stadium steps, my parents adapted and made it work. My family didn’t celebrate Easter however many family members made it a point to be present this weekend. From aunts, uncles, and extended cousins to people we considered family, it was like a huge yearly reunion. From childhood to adolescence to adulthood, this weekend is the second time in my life (the first being three years ago) that I’ve missed this event. I’ve attended as a grandchild and child of students who attended, as a student myself and then as a student who graduated. The routine is always the same with the exception of little adjustments. This weekend I’m feeling especially homesick as I’m missing the feeling of being in the familiar environment in which I spent 21 years or so of my life. It’s a habit that has become a tradition I don’t like to deviate from. It is a family reunion of sorts–especially considering the fact that I don’t go to my actual family reunions. Everyone doesn’t have the chance to go to a college where their grandparents and parents, cousins and other extended family members either taught at or attended. I had an awesome college experience and while I didn’t believe when people said that college is the best years of your life, I believe it now. Not that there’s nothing to look forward to but there’s something special about living for four years with people you’ve grown up with and known for years and bonding over mutual experiences. I won’t live that close to that many friends at any point in my life again. Adulthood has happened and I have to adjust accordingly. I’m a fan of new adventures but sometimes it’s nice to visit where you grew up and catch up with old friends. There’s no place like home and today I miss my college one.
Good Parenting
Recently I’ve had the chance to interact with some good parents in a professional setting. This is in contrast to the hundreds of bad ones that I interact with. I’ve never been a parent but I know it’s a hard job. I loathe waking up to take my dog out in the middle of the night–let alone getting up several times a night to tend a sick child or feed a hungry baby. It’s a job with rewards, setbacks, challenges, and achievements. I’ve heard many people say that the reason they don’t have kids is because they’re too selfish and I can understand where they are coming from. Selfish parents are the worst. I’ve met them. People more concerned about their money, appearance or property than their child’s welfare, happiness and safety. That’s why I’m always so excited to meet people who are good parents and whose kids actually like them. One of the biggest perks of having kids who like you is that the will fight tooth and nail for you when you’re too old to do it for yourself. There’s nothing like addressing a complaint from an irate adult child about their parent’s care. It’s an experience I don’t relish but I don’t get upset about it because they are genuinely concerned about their parent and the fear comes out in the emotion of anger. I say all that to say that having a kid is like an investment in your future if you get a good kid and you raise them in a way that doesn’t mess them up forever. Easier said than done in my opinion–especially with the amount of selfish parents out here.
weekend travels
So once again I’m on another trip. This time it’s to a place that is incredibly warm with humidity and bugs. To the point that one crawled in my food the other day and I didn’t freak out. The humidity here is so nice and I’ve gotten back into the habit of greeting perfect strangers. There’s something nice about going 90 MPH on the freeway with the windows down and music with a decent beat blasting from the speakers. The sad thing is that while this was a sorta vacation, homework is still due. I will always wonder what possessed me to be in an academic program that has school year round. Regardless, it’s nice to be in a different setting while slaving away writing. One thing that was great this trip was seeing friends and sleeping on the beach. I feel like I don’t really sleep until I get to a beach. I sat in the sun and baked for an extended amount of time and my skin tone is testament to that fact. The thing I hate about coming home is working again but that will probably be a constant thing as long as I continue to finance my own trips. It’s been a good experience and I’ve decided that another weekend trip to Florida is in order for sometime later in the year. Did I mention that it’s summer down here already?
Jobs and Creatives
I ran across this intriguing article the other day. The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that the author mentions a group of people called creatives, and while I haven’t heard that term used a lot in relation to a specific category of people, I think it’s similar to people we often call “free-spirits.” You can read the article here. The basic assertion is that creative people hate the traditional 9-5 job and I can definitely relate. While I am an individual who appreciates structure and routine at times, my aversion to feeling confined puts me in the category of people who strongly dislike traditional work hours in traditional settings. The article references the fact that creatives hate to restrict motivation to certain hours during the day. I’ve never been much of a morning person–preferring instead to wake up at my own pace and start my day on my own terms. That’s just not possible in most jobs where you have to be at work between the hours of 7 and 9am Monday through Friday. That’s way too much structure for my taste. I love the idea of taking random breaks during the day to run errands and shop and then return to work. Sounds idealistic I know. Working at my own pace without being micromanaged is also important to me because I think I’m quite capable of getting work accomplished in a reasonable period of time without multiple interruptions from those who have the need to reassure themselves that I am indeed doing my job. It’s funny how much of the work world in the States revolves around this type of schedule. Working 5 days and then only having 2 days off to recuperate. I tried a job with traditional hours and lasted a little bit over three months because it was way too much structure for my tastes. While I don’t think I would categorize myself as a “creative,” after reading the article I can relate to every single one of the annoyances of having a traditional work schedule. I guess that’s why I work nights. For now at least.
Married At First Sight
Lately I’ve been watching a television show that portrayed a social experiment that was so intriguing. The show is called Married at First Sight and chronicles the experience of three couples who meet at the altar. The couples are put together by a group of relationship experts who match them based on comparability tests and personal interviews. While I admit the idea is out of the ordinary, I think there’s a lot of merit to it. The couples most likely would have never met if it had not been for these experts. As I was watching the show I asked myself if I could marry a perfect stranger in that type of situation and I would. It’s one thing to be set up by friends and family and another one to be set up by people who have studied human behavior and have years of experience and degrees in their respective fields. As someone who is familiar with many of the personality theories that guide studies on romantic interactions and the longevity of relationships, I would feel fairly comfortable marrying a perfect stranger in these circumstances. As I watched the show it was eye opening to observe how people requested certain traits and characteristics in their future mate but weren’t willing to compromise in order to complement those requested traits. An example of this was one of the women who talked and discussed with the experts at length on how much she wanted traditional gender roles and wanted a man who would do all the manly chores and be strong. Yet, she was appalled when she got what she wanted and found out that her dream man also expected her to cook for him. I’m a huge fan of social experiments and while matchmaking is a significant industry, it’s different when there’s a team working together to match compatible people.
Alisha's Angle 