The Way I See It #76

The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up, and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.

I retract my previous statement

I had stated on Dec 15, 2007 that I was done with the era of my life that includes school. This is no longer true. On September 9, 2009, or so, I will be back in school. The idea is to complete my degree through the University of Lethbridge, Calgary Campus.  The unfortunate part of it is that it will take from 3 to 5 years to complete the program. I was enjoying my freedom, but in order to get my CHRP (the Canadian Human Resources professional designation) I will need a degree.  And, it would be nice to actually have a graduation which my family can be proud of (my high school graduation was expected, and my college one ignored).

The other aspect is that I'm thinking of a slight change of career direction (potentially permanent, maybe not). This would make my schooling much less relevant, though it is always good to have a degree. Today a co-worker, who is hiring an assistant, talked to me (after I gave her a friends resume) and said that I should apply for said position. Now comes the inevitable internal debate as to if it is better to take the risk and jump, or to remain in a good job. If I fail at the potential job I would be terminated, and in this economy, that's not a fun proposition.

Interesting Concept

Article
So, basically, there's a trigger, you know, when you change the functionality of the site without warning everyone. That's a bad idea, it causes people to not like the site anymore. While us youngins are supposed to be ok with change, the truth is that we get used to things, and when they change without warning, without input, we hate it. We like to know WHY things are being done the way they are, this should not be a surprise for anyone who deals with the under 25 crowd on a regular basis.

After the trigger event, people use the easiest resource available to them to communicate this dislike, be it the forums, or comments or the 'contact us' button. Of course, the more media or photosphere attention is received, the bigger the revolt. The Facebook change to the terms and conditions got onto the news, and it exploded. If the news hadn't reported it, it might not have gotten to be the huge issue that it was.

Now that the company sees the issue, it has to be dealt with quickly, sincerely and in the best way possible. They have to address the issues, or the users will run away like the flighty people they really are. If the problem is fixed well and explained within hours, things will be fine.

Of course, the only way to avoid these issues is to communicate changes before they happen, and to ensure the changes are slow, steady, and based on feedback given by the users. After all, what is a social networking site without its users?

The Proximity Problem

When I'm walking the dog, and she squats to do her business, I reach into my pocket like a good citizen and take out a plastic poop bag. The bags are slippery and hard to open. The only solution is to lick a finger and give myself enough temporary gripping power to pry it open. The problem with this solution is that I'm licking my finger while thinking of dog crap. This never fails to creep me out.

But I topped it yesterday. I was working out at the gym and felt a powerful thirst. The gym provides large paper cups near an ice and water dispenser. I filled my cup, slapped on a plastic lid, and inserted the straw. So far, so good.

As I was happily slurping away, I entered the locker room and the first person I saw was a man in his mid sixties with a towel around his waist, blow drying his hair. Suddenly, to my horror, he put the blow dryer under the towel and started drying his junk. . . while I was sucking on a straw. I was temporarily blinded and I forgot most of my childhood.

- Scott Adams
Link

What's Cheating?

So, what is it?

Cheating is engaging in physical or emotional relations with someone other than the person you claim to have a monogamous relationship with.

Recently, I have met some guys who think that kissing someone, who you may or may not have feelings for, is not cheating. Or, at least, not enough to warrant the discussion with the significant other. This evening I was invited to a friends house for drinks and 'fun', this male friend told me three weeks ago that he has a girl friend. And yet he was perfectly ok with inviting me over with the casual phrase "want to go out for drinks?", and didn't understand my distaste for getting together. He said it would just be fun, no sex, as if that makes it all better. Do males not see that that is betrayal as well? Since when is kissing someone else not cheating?

I am reading the book "He's Just Not That Into You", and I have been watching "Lie to Me" and therefore am trying to see all the little things that people do that prove their real intentions. So, a drunk guy kissing a drunk girl, and a guy inviting a girl over for 'fun' both strike me as proving that they're not into their girl friends and have no problems cheating and lying, at least, in the female definition.

We are bombarded with what is 'right' and 'normal' day and night by TV, movies and advertising. These media outlets show teens and young adults engaging in behaviour that would get you ostracized 20 years ago; these actions are being promoted now. Being a teen mom and not knowing who the dad is, that's ok. Living at home being coddled by mom until you're 25, that's ok. Not knowing basic grammar and spelling going into High School, that's what spell check is for. Sleeping with anyone you fancy, perfectly acceptable. Giving up on your marriage because of a disagreement, expected. Taking responsibility for your actions, who does that anymore? No wonder we don't care about sleeping around, it's what is good, and expected, and rewarded.

Changes

As you can see, the site has changed. New hosting, new theme (I couldn’t find my old one),  new content. Ok, that last one is coming soon.

Calgary experiencing the wonderful phenomenon known as the chinook. It’s the middle of January and we’re expecting temperatures in the mid teens for the next few days. My neighbour just stopped by and mentioned that he saw people riding their motorbikes around today. If I was able to do that, I probably would.

Shedding the Shell

Have you ever experienced this phenomenon that makes you act like totally different people depending on who you're with?
I recently met a friend who, when we talk, when we hung out, makes me want to hang out with them, but in a way that I'm not used to at all. I want to be loud, and have fun, and be outgoing. This is so completely different from what I normally am, being reserved and unremarkable. Somehow this person has mastered the art of bringing people out, something no one else has ever managed with me.
Tonight I was talking to another friend, and thinking about hanging out with them, and my imagined actions included just curling up and being dependent on them.
Most people I have met, if not all before this point, have made me want to be small and quiet, and yet, within hours of hanging out with this new person, I felt the need to step out of my shell and destroy it. It's a weird sensation for me, especially switching between the two modes. I'll just have to work on being the outgoing me more often.