Clutter

Clutter makes me crazy! You know the old saying “cleanliness is next to godliness” – I’m not sure that the expression has any meaning to me other than to say that clutter is a pain in my ass. I think that clutter is a sign of having an unfair share of stuff that doesn’t hold as much value any longer. Think about the things that are cluttering your shelves and drawers – books, music, bills, and papers. Sure, some of them have sentimental value and may be used at some point in the future (i.e. in the event of a lawsuit from an ex), but do we really need to hold on to so much of the stuff we have? Shouldn’t we purge every now and then and give some of those less important things to someone who will appreciate them? I have a tendency to fluctuate between hobbies and interests. I admit - it is a problem – I cannot commit to those types of interests, and yet I can commit to a relationship and job. I suppose I feel that we have one shot in life to try various things and we should find out what we like and don’t by trying them out. This, however, results in the problem of clutter. I have a bike that I “had to have” that sits in a small closet unused, I have books on the shelves that I have read and never intend to read again, and I have shirts hanging in my closet that should never be worn by anyone with a sense of style again (is it wrong to donate those to the poor?). I intend to spend a portion of my day removing some of the clutter that makes me crazy and think about who I can pass it along to that will better use and enjoy it. Anyone need an extra Bible?

Hottie for Week 9/23

Brandon Scott Votz

Dog Eat Dog

Have you ever had one of those days where everyone is in attack mode and you go to sleep thinking - this is really a dog eat dog world? I had one of those days yesterday. It started with lots of folks at work giving unnecessary attitude towards me. There wasn'’t anything in particular going on to cause it, but it was coming from lots of unrelated directions. It then continued when I did a client visit. My job allows me to sit one on one with clients once a month to get product feedback to be able to take back to the rest of my team to plan for improvements in the product to meet market need. Although I knew this client had indicated that they had a good amount of feedback, I was unprepared for the total mass of it. I'll simply leave it by saying that they had some very valid reasons for being upset, but I felt like the whipping boy for my company for the day. Maybe the moon and planets were aligned in a certain formation yesterday, but I just want to be like our dog Emma (above), a lying relaxed dog just for a day.– Maybe this weekend I will get a chance for it.

Nerves of glass

I was crunched up like a baby on the couch – heart racing – deep breath – tight fists – and nerves of glass – as I watched JetBlue 292 BUR-JFK makes its emergency landing at LAX on live broadcast last night. It is not often that the broadcast of such an air incident is televised live – usually we get the amateur video clips shortly after the incident, but this was a case where the nation was watching in anticipation. I suspect that it happening in California was no surprise where many live events (car chases for instance) are tracked by helicopter eyes in the sky. I have always wondered if there is a good that comes from reporting such events live. Sure – the networks will delay the images in rare cases where someone’s safety is in jeopardy (usually law enforcement), but even beyond that – what good does live recording these events bring except increased advertising dollars? Isn’t this just the American need for an adrenaline rush every now and again – or is there truly a public service being accomplished in those live moments?

Gas Station Attendants

What is it with some states requiring that a gas station attendant must be the one to pump the gas into your vehicle? It makes me crazy on several levels - I know - it's a control thing - I want to be able to control how fuel gets put into my gas tank. But there are annoying things about the other guy doing it. For instance, this morning I had the experience and was greeted by a cranky Russian man who was annoyed that I interrupted his coffee, danish, and cigarette. Then, it appeared he hadn't had enough time doing the job to get the swiping skill required to run your credit card through the payment machine - and so he kept running it through over and over - rubbing the magnetic strip down to a mint strip. He then proceeded to put the gas pump into the car and forced it in so far (this is starting to sound like mechanic porn) that it keeps autostopping (you know that lovely feature to prevent spillage). He finally put it in upside down after banging up the hole quite a bit. He then went back indoors to work on his danish again and nearly forgot I was there. I fianlly had to honk 5 minutes after the pump was finished to get him to complete his duties. I understand that these are underpaid prediminantly depressed individuals, but why does a state decide that it is safer to have an underpaid angry Russian smoker pump your gas than the owner of the vehicle?

New Jersey Cops

Wow – now I’m thinking twice about speeding when I come to New Jersey!

Gaining Weight

I was disciplined…I was good…ate lots of salad and fruits and vegetables…but dam nit if I didn’t gain a bloody 5 pounds despite my efforts. I am following my point allotment and this week was less than a wash. I spent more time last week working out and everyone on the ww board is saying it is because muscle mass is overcoming the lard in my ass – but whatever…I’m a bit depressed today because of my gain. It’s discouraging to see the graph go back up again. For those who don’t know me – I am on my journey to losing weight (among other things) – approximately 30 pounds to be exact. I started at 150 and am on my way to 120 (and looking to stick there). I haven’t been 120 pounds since High School, and am very eager to get back to that slim and freeing weight once again. I can't wait for the pounds to deliquesce off my small frame like they do for this cutie we met in Cancun this summer.