How come Winter seems to pass in freaking slow motion? Whereas Summer is practically gone in a week? I can't believe it's already July. I love summer. I love June and July. You can walk outside at any time of the day and it's warm. I can roll my window in my car at night or in the morning and not freeze my balls off. The days last longer and the nights are a perfect temperature. Ah, I love summer.
This June has been especially accomplishing since I've lost a few pounds. I don't look as chubby as I did. But I have a long ways to go. I would like to be lean again. I would like to feel like I'm not disgusting. I hate looking back at old pictures wishing I was that skinny again when all I have to do is work for it, like everything else. I feel better having lost this weight. I sleep better. I look better. My overall mood has improved incredibly. I'm more focused and concentrated. I worry when I will get thrown off and not go back to the gym. I fear that day. It always happens when I get on track like this. But I can't complain too much. I lost 12 pounds in a month. I'm very fortunate. But now I've plateaued. I'm either starting to build muscle or my body has gotten wise to my sudden burst of "not wanting to be chunky."
In a few weeks I get to go to Chicago with my good friend to help him move. It will be glorious and sad at the same time. It will be a hell of a road trip, but sad because our friendship will change forever after this. My friend Kevin and I talked about this at length the other night. We were both reminded of how we both must face the sober reality of really going our separate ways. Kevin himself is heading to law school around the time my other friend Jeff is moving to Chicago. It scares me to think that my close group of friends will grow slightly smaller. I don't have a lot of friends that I see often. Of course, we will still be friends after they leave, but it won't be the same. But I can't fight reality and I have to say I'm happy and envious of them. All their hard work finally paying off.
Before I know it, this Summer will be over and I'll be stuck in class again. Bleh. But I guess it's all good if I still get to where I'm going.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Being Homeless Wouldn't Be So Bad
Most homeless people today have an underlying mental illness that ultimately lead to their unfortunate living situation. Depression. Schitzo-Effective. Bi-Polar. Drug or alcohol problems. It seems pretty crummy. Especially with just a little bit of effort, it would be relatively easy to not be homeless.
I gave this subject some unusual thought the other night. I tried to look at the pros of actually being homeless and how I might be king of the hobos if I had to be in that situation.
Who says being homeless is so hard? You get to piss and shit in beds that aren't yours! More specifically hospital beds. This is a pro, especially if you're capable of walking yourself to the bathroom and helping yourself. You shit the bed and boom: not your problem. A low paid and slightly disgruntled tech will have to bring in other people, such as nurses, to help clean it. Another pro of being homeless in that situation is that you won't have to clean it. Like I said, a low paid tech will probably have the honor of that task. Now, I'm not implying that regular people shit their beds because it's THEIR bed. No one does that. I'm just saying that being homeless and shitting yourself is largely not your problem. It's the problem of the staff that is temporarily housing you.
I find that most homeless people lack survival know-how and resources for food. The food problem would be the easiest thing to solve. If I was homeless I would live at Liberty Park, not Pioneer Park with the rest of the hobo shacks. Why you ask? There is a giant pond for swimming and possibly bathing if you so desired. The second, being the most important, is more food. How? People picnic and BBQ there all the time. The garbages are full of uneaten food. Every night would be a feast! There is also a surplus of geese and ducks that don't fear humans anymore because they are fed by people so often. Catching and killing one would be ridiculously easy. Then at night when everyone is gone, you can make a fire in one of the steel garbage cans. You would have yourself a reliable source of light, heat and protection. Plus a way to cook the goose you probably killed in front of a family that was trying to have a wholesome family picnic. Of course there are BBQ pits in the park, but that would be way too easy. I would much prefer the flaming garbage can method.
Now it's time for my small pros list for homelessness
1. You would be off the government radar. You wouldn't have to pay taxes. Even if you did, arresting a homeless guy for tax evasion would be costly. You would really be sticking it to The Man.
2. Even if you do commit a crime, you're guaranteed a jail cell for a few days with 3 meals a day. If you really go overboard with the crime, you still end up in prison or a psychiatric institute with a roof over your head and food. Win/Win!
3. All the money you beg from people can spent any way you choose. Alcohol would be the prime choice. You would be drunk all the time and wouldn't have to face anything!
4. Since you're homeless, people expect you to be crazy. This would ultimately give me full power to make up any story I want. I would make up elaborate stories about being in the cabinet of the Reagan administration but got fired because I was too hot and detracting from all the good news the president was trying to say. This would totally rock.
5. You wouldn't have to shower. That's like 20 minutes of time that can be used begging for money, sleeping on the ground or shitting my pants again. I'm homeless, I got things to do. No time to be bothered with showers when I have so much on the agenda.
This is the lovable hobo from Disney's "Oliver and Company." They got it mostly right with the missing teeth and clothing apparel. But this hobo was too nice and never once managed to be drunk or be an endangerment to society. Apparently, Disney was too lazy to do correct hobo research.
Now that you're done reading this, look at the clock and realize how much time you just wasted reading this crap.
I gave this subject some unusual thought the other night. I tried to look at the pros of actually being homeless and how I might be king of the hobos if I had to be in that situation.
Who says being homeless is so hard? You get to piss and shit in beds that aren't yours! More specifically hospital beds. This is a pro, especially if you're capable of walking yourself to the bathroom and helping yourself. You shit the bed and boom: not your problem. A low paid and slightly disgruntled tech will have to bring in other people, such as nurses, to help clean it. Another pro of being homeless in that situation is that you won't have to clean it. Like I said, a low paid tech will probably have the honor of that task. Now, I'm not implying that regular people shit their beds because it's THEIR bed. No one does that. I'm just saying that being homeless and shitting yourself is largely not your problem. It's the problem of the staff that is temporarily housing you.
I find that most homeless people lack survival know-how and resources for food. The food problem would be the easiest thing to solve. If I was homeless I would live at Liberty Park, not Pioneer Park with the rest of the hobo shacks. Why you ask? There is a giant pond for swimming and possibly bathing if you so desired. The second, being the most important, is more food. How? People picnic and BBQ there all the time. The garbages are full of uneaten food. Every night would be a feast! There is also a surplus of geese and ducks that don't fear humans anymore because they are fed by people so often. Catching and killing one would be ridiculously easy. Then at night when everyone is gone, you can make a fire in one of the steel garbage cans. You would have yourself a reliable source of light, heat and protection. Plus a way to cook the goose you probably killed in front of a family that was trying to have a wholesome family picnic. Of course there are BBQ pits in the park, but that would be way too easy. I would much prefer the flaming garbage can method.
Now it's time for my small pros list for homelessness
1. You would be off the government radar. You wouldn't have to pay taxes. Even if you did, arresting a homeless guy for tax evasion would be costly. You would really be sticking it to The Man.
2. Even if you do commit a crime, you're guaranteed a jail cell for a few days with 3 meals a day. If you really go overboard with the crime, you still end up in prison or a psychiatric institute with a roof over your head and food. Win/Win!
3. All the money you beg from people can spent any way you choose. Alcohol would be the prime choice. You would be drunk all the time and wouldn't have to face anything!
4. Since you're homeless, people expect you to be crazy. This would ultimately give me full power to make up any story I want. I would make up elaborate stories about being in the cabinet of the Reagan administration but got fired because I was too hot and detracting from all the good news the president was trying to say. This would totally rock.
5. You wouldn't have to shower. That's like 20 minutes of time that can be used begging for money, sleeping on the ground or shitting my pants again. I'm homeless, I got things to do. No time to be bothered with showers when I have so much on the agenda.
This is the lovable hobo from Disney's "Oliver and Company." They got it mostly right with the missing teeth and clothing apparel. But this hobo was too nice and never once managed to be drunk or be an endangerment to society. Apparently, Disney was too lazy to do correct hobo research.
Now that you're done reading this, look at the clock and realize how much time you just wasted reading this crap.
Monday, June 7, 2010
I Dont' Like to Lose
Nobody likes to lose. Some people are better at it than others. I don't think I'm bad at losing. I'm a good sport when I lose for the most part, at least in games. I can get rather competitive, but if I lose at something I'm not good at, well I don't feel so bad. If I lose at something I'm good at to a shit talker, then I don't take it so well. I usually don't let my competitive side show on games because usually I don't care. In my head I'm mostly competing against myself.
I think people see my competitive side and they don't even know it. It usually shows in my stubbornness. At work, if I fail to do something correctly, it eats at me all day. The next opportunity I get, I try to redeem myself. I don't like to let others do my job or homework. In my mind, the only way to be the best is to do it yourself and learn from your mistakes along the way. That mentality has served me well. Other times it has totally screwed me over. I don't like feeling sub-par in my mind. I have to do it right and do it better than anyone else. If I can't do it better than some, than I gracefully accept my temporary handicap and aspire to be better.
I'm hard on myself sometimes. I don't think a lot of people would know it if they didn't know me well. I try to stay laid back and keep my crazy stubborn side to myself. No one wants to hear about that shit. But I do not enjoy being trumped at something I'm good at and do nothing about it. I don't enjoy being trumped by lazy or incompetent people. I will sometimes go to ridiculous lengths to prove a point or to come out even or on top.
This makes me sound bad like I'm some hyper competitive douchebag. But I've gotten better and have stayed pretty level-headed. I don't say these things thinking I'm unique. There are people who are 40x more competitive than I. And obviously no one likes being beat at something they're good at it.
There is my nerdy Star Trek picture moment :)
I think people see my competitive side and they don't even know it. It usually shows in my stubbornness. At work, if I fail to do something correctly, it eats at me all day. The next opportunity I get, I try to redeem myself. I don't like to let others do my job or homework. In my mind, the only way to be the best is to do it yourself and learn from your mistakes along the way. That mentality has served me well. Other times it has totally screwed me over. I don't like feeling sub-par in my mind. I have to do it right and do it better than anyone else. If I can't do it better than some, than I gracefully accept my temporary handicap and aspire to be better.
I'm hard on myself sometimes. I don't think a lot of people would know it if they didn't know me well. I try to stay laid back and keep my crazy stubborn side to myself. No one wants to hear about that shit. But I do not enjoy being trumped at something I'm good at and do nothing about it. I don't enjoy being trumped by lazy or incompetent people. I will sometimes go to ridiculous lengths to prove a point or to come out even or on top.
This makes me sound bad like I'm some hyper competitive douchebag. But I've gotten better and have stayed pretty level-headed. I don't say these things thinking I'm unique. There are people who are 40x more competitive than I. And obviously no one likes being beat at something they're good at it.
There is my nerdy Star Trek picture moment :)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Ah, Summer!
The sun is shining again. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. It's warm. It's hot. It's perfect at night. I tend to get giddy when summer comes around. I love the heat. I feel so much more alive when it's this nice out. Which begs the question, why the hell do I live in Utah, a place that is 60% winter? The only thing keeping me here is my friends and family. Some people don't let that bother them. I'm also not that much of a change person. I'm not sure if I could just move to some other state at random and hope I don't die. Yes, Utah is where home and heart is, as much as I hate winter with a grotesque passion.
Do I have anything relevant to say here? Not today. I've been meaning to write here more often. But something always seems to get in the way. So much to update on.
But I will say this. I'm back to the gym and eating healthy again. It's been nice to go back. I've tried several other times with little success. It's like the feeling has to be right in order for me to go. Hopefully I can shed a few pounds and look a little less chubby. I don't want to be the guy that old friends run into, then after we leave they tell their friends "Yeah, I saw Johnny Walker the other day. He really let himself go. He got faaaaaaaaat."
Yeah, don't want to be that guy.
Do I have anything relevant to say here? Not today. I've been meaning to write here more often. But something always seems to get in the way. So much to update on.
But I will say this. I'm back to the gym and eating healthy again. It's been nice to go back. I've tried several other times with little success. It's like the feeling has to be right in order for me to go. Hopefully I can shed a few pounds and look a little less chubby. I don't want to be the guy that old friends run into, then after we leave they tell their friends "Yeah, I saw Johnny Walker the other day. He really let himself go. He got faaaaaaaaat."
Yeah, don't want to be that guy.
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