Know Thyself

If I could wish one thing upon all people in this world, it would be greater self-awareness. After I introduce this and give some examples, you will see that this is a multi-layered issue that is in an abundant need of improvement in our world.

Self awareness...It is knowing your physical, emotional, and social self. It is knowing you are a part of a bigger picture, that your actions affect other people.

Examples of people with a lack of self-awareness:

...Loud cell phone talkers.
...People who cuss on those public cell phone coversations.
...Too many carry-on items on the plane (see previous post)
...Body odor.
...Grandma perfume.
...Fat people on airplanes.
...People who, for some reason, cannot whisper, but just talk in normal voice more "quietly."
...Loud talkers.
...Close talkers.
...Soft talkers.
...Slow walkers (often multiple and fat) in malls who take up the entire width of the "lane."
...People who leave their blinker on.
...People who are looking around at anything but the stoplight when it changes to green.
...People in front at the stoplight in the far right lane who aren't going to turn right, while people behind them want to turn right.
...Babies who cry at bad times. (that's not fair, is it?)
...Cell phones in movie theaters that ring--and then answered by those people.
...People who haven't figured out that you can quickly press a button to stop the ringing cell phone without hanging up on a person.
...People who give with expectation.
...Unemployed, fat smokers who are sick.
...People who write ads for car dealerships.
...People with huge, untended boils/wounds/abscesses/toenails/feet.


There are many...many...more.

Future Survey

I am moving in June. I have interviewed at several locations. How 'bout some assistance with where I should live.

Rank these from 1 to 10:

Lexington, KY
Little Rock, AR
Kansas City, MO
Baton Rouge, LA
New Orleans, LA
Temple, TX
Richmond, VA
Columbia, SC
Omaha, NE
Columbus, OH

...just curious.

Music Recommendations

Band: Elbow
Album: Asleep in the Back
Recent addition to the collection (much thanks to my friend, David Gilbert). Love the 1st track. They are melodic, slower tempo, good for the gray days. If you need comparison, combine Coldplay and Peter Gabriel.

Band: Radiohead
Album: The Bends
Radiohead fans are in one of two camps: those who allege to "The Bends," and those who allege to "OK Computer." My S.R.C. is that people are devoted to which of those two was the first they bought/heard. "Bends" was that for me. If you are a guitar player, this is the best example of excellent rhythm guitar in a modern rock setting. The guitars are adding to the music, not simply backing the singer. Masterful.

Band: Spoon
Album: Girls Can Tell
Great title for an album. I guess it's supposed to make you feel insecure. This is an accessible alternative to the pop song-writing out there. This stuff should grow on you. I began to like this album after letting it spin in my car CD player for many days.

That's all for now.

Listen to these tunes, and let yourself be hippened.

[Strength] + [Weakness] = 0

I once was told that everything is math.

Biology is really chemistry. Chemistry is really physics. And physics is really just math.

My good friend has posted on her blog her acknowledgment of weakness in two areas: diets and baking cookies.

To me, that equation works out to be a benefit. Can't eat tasty cookies you cannot bake, right? The result is positive.

Here's my deal:

Strength: Self-starter
Weakness: Bad-finisher

Result: Lots of unfinished business, self-loathing from poor perseverance. Negative result.

Life really is about math.

9 Degrees

I'm visiting Omaha, Nebraska, next week for a job interview. Forecasters are predicting highs in the single digits.

That's very cold.

I have only seldomly existed in a sub-zero environment, so much so that I cannot remember the last time.

The last 24 hours...

I've had a tough day today.

Last night was tough, too. Cried hard...and I'm not afraid to admit it.

You can ask why, but I may not answer in depth.

It's good for me to cry, but only occasionally. If I'm going to cry, that means I'm digging into some deep, surprisingly sensitive areas.

If I'm gonna cry, it had better mean something.

Funny how it sneaks up on me, though. Most often it does sneak up on me. It happens when I talk about my mom. And I don't say that to make the ladies swoon. We've been through some stuff together, and she hasn't deserved one bit of it. Mind you, it hasn't been from me, either.

But the surprise cry is cathartic, in a way.

The father and son playing catch.
The lost, panicked dog in the busy street.
The woman putting her best face on as her marriage crumbles.
Seeing a picture of yourself as a baby in the arms of your now distant father.
Remembering when you and your siblings spent every day together.

Today and last night were different cries. Painful cries, almost mourning. That, I do not do often at all. I was in a sad state. I cannot remember the last time I've done that. Kinda weirded myself out.

Airline Annoyance

It was recently announced that cell phone service on airplanes will soon be achieved--much to my dismay. Actually, I'm less dismayed than fearful and pissed off.

I have had a major upswing in my airline travel recently and have been introduced to the pet peeves of this lifestyle. Cell phones are one. The two main culprits are business people and women. Both have been guilty of being on that stupid phone like it's an oxygen tank. You see them at the gate before boarding and you realize they've included you in their conference call as well. They're a little loud, too--do they think we aren't forced to peep in on their conversation? They continue their phone call on the airplane right up to the second that the attendant forces them to hang up. And wouldn't you know, the minute the plane lands and slows down, those fools are right back on the phone, and, again, I'm in on the business meeting/idle woman chit-chat. (btw...I love women dearly...everything about 'em.) Can't it wait a little bit? Don't you want some privacy??

Then there's the carry-on baggage. Remember the rules--maximum of two, one up above, one under the seat below you. There are people out there who don't know these things. Some people cram both large items up above, leaving little room for the late-coming flyer who has to search the plane up and down for some space in the overhead bin. One above, one below.

A similar beast is the coat monger who crams their bags up above and then adds a huge coat or two up above. And usually the coat is poofy, goose-down coat or something, that expands in the bin. This is how it happens. Stuff it in there, then a sleeve flops out. Stuff again, sleeve flops out. Stuff sleeve really hard in bin, sleeve flops out more slowly. Remove poofy coat and re-fold, stuff in bin, everything flops out quickly. Stuff in with olympian might, and the coat magically stays long enough until person hurriedly slams the overhead bin over the coat. Sheesh...then they settle into their seat.

...and get on the cell phone to tell whoever in their right mind cares that they just boarded the plane. Try the text message.