Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Deets Brought to you by Folgers
Marion Raven and I are over. She just wasn't making herself as available to me as I need her to be. Our relationship was becoming monotonous and routine. All I saw of her was the same thing over and over and over. I will always hold a special place in my heart for her, but for now I am going to have to move on to a celebrity who has more to offer me. I have needs, too!
Speaking of needs, some people have simpler ones than others, and those are the people we ignore the most.
When I took a semester off school I managed a pizza place. I met some very interesting people at that place. My employees and the regular customers of this store had all sorts of heartbreaking life stories. There were high school girls whose boyfriends beat them up at prom, then stole their money to buy coke. There were meth heads who abandoned their families and were overjoyed with a fifty cent raise. There were parents buying their 14 and 15 year olds kids cigs and booze. There were stories of drop outs, meth, pregnancies, evictions, addictions, and beatings, and I heard something like that everyday I worked there. If it didn't come from an employee, it came from a customer who just came in to get a bite to eat and perhaps to find someone to lend him or her an ear for a minute.
It's amazing how just listening to someone for a few minutes can brighten their day. Listening is a great temporary cure for lonliness and escape from despair. People who have been beaten down by life sometimes just need an open ear for five minutes. All they are looking for is that look in the listeners eye that says, "Yes, I am listening to you." It's the easiest thing in the world to give. And it might keep that person going all day. I can't tell you how often I just stood and listened to a customer talk to me like they had known me for a decade.
This blog post was literally made possible and brought to you by Folgers Coffee Singles. Right now, Folgers is my fuel. I am trying to finish up this paper and I've been up all night. But I haven't pulled a good all nighter in a while and I actually enjoy them. I have two presentations to give today as well. This will be an interesting Tuesday. I should have a documentary crew to follow me around for this shit as a PSA to all incoming freshman: "Do not do as this guy does. It isn't healthy." But it's sometimes how I do my best work.
The night has actually gone quite quickly and morning will be here soon. The key to my day will be keeping the coffee intake steady. An IV would probably work best, but I think I'm stuck with the traditional way of injesting caffeine.
In 12 hours I can just put my feet up and sleep. Or get drunk. I will be out on Water St. in about 17 hours. I hope to see you there. I'm making Cassie sing kareokee this week. Help me make her. If you know Cassie and haven't heard her sing, you really should. She's great. But she does a good job of keeping that a secret from the rest of the world.
Listen to somebody today. Don't be thinking about what you're going to say next or a story that you can tell them about something similar. Bite your lip, ignore your desire to hear your own voice. Just listen.
My number one pet peeve probably in all the world: someone responding to something you've told them with a story about themselves. If the subject of my mom's death comes up in conversation and I say something about it and someone says something to me about when their dog died when they were nine it makes me want to just get up in the middle of their story and walk away. The level of respect that would show them is about the same as they showed me. This happens all the time. And it's all because people don't listen, they are too busy thinking about how this conversation applies to their own life and how they can bring their own stories into the conversation to turn the focus on themselves.
When I meet new people my favorite thing to do is listen to them talk (unless I'm drunk). You can learn so much about a person just by letting them talk. Ask them a few questions and let them roll. People might think you're shy, but really you're just listening. There is a difference.
Listening is an underappreciated, underused, underdeveloped, and underacquired skill. Talking is the opposite.
Folgers will keep you awake, but it will not keep you focused.
Until The Next
Speaking of needs, some people have simpler ones than others, and those are the people we ignore the most.
When I took a semester off school I managed a pizza place. I met some very interesting people at that place. My employees and the regular customers of this store had all sorts of heartbreaking life stories. There were high school girls whose boyfriends beat them up at prom, then stole their money to buy coke. There were meth heads who abandoned their families and were overjoyed with a fifty cent raise. There were parents buying their 14 and 15 year olds kids cigs and booze. There were stories of drop outs, meth, pregnancies, evictions, addictions, and beatings, and I heard something like that everyday I worked there. If it didn't come from an employee, it came from a customer who just came in to get a bite to eat and perhaps to find someone to lend him or her an ear for a minute.
It's amazing how just listening to someone for a few minutes can brighten their day. Listening is a great temporary cure for lonliness and escape from despair. People who have been beaten down by life sometimes just need an open ear for five minutes. All they are looking for is that look in the listeners eye that says, "Yes, I am listening to you." It's the easiest thing in the world to give. And it might keep that person going all day. I can't tell you how often I just stood and listened to a customer talk to me like they had known me for a decade.
This blog post was literally made possible and brought to you by Folgers Coffee Singles. Right now, Folgers is my fuel. I am trying to finish up this paper and I've been up all night. But I haven't pulled a good all nighter in a while and I actually enjoy them. I have two presentations to give today as well. This will be an interesting Tuesday. I should have a documentary crew to follow me around for this shit as a PSA to all incoming freshman: "Do not do as this guy does. It isn't healthy." But it's sometimes how I do my best work.
The night has actually gone quite quickly and morning will be here soon. The key to my day will be keeping the coffee intake steady. An IV would probably work best, but I think I'm stuck with the traditional way of injesting caffeine.
In 12 hours I can just put my feet up and sleep. Or get drunk. I will be out on Water St. in about 17 hours. I hope to see you there. I'm making Cassie sing kareokee this week. Help me make her. If you know Cassie and haven't heard her sing, you really should. She's great. But she does a good job of keeping that a secret from the rest of the world.
Listen to somebody today. Don't be thinking about what you're going to say next or a story that you can tell them about something similar. Bite your lip, ignore your desire to hear your own voice. Just listen.
My number one pet peeve probably in all the world: someone responding to something you've told them with a story about themselves. If the subject of my mom's death comes up in conversation and I say something about it and someone says something to me about when their dog died when they were nine it makes me want to just get up in the middle of their story and walk away. The level of respect that would show them is about the same as they showed me. This happens all the time. And it's all because people don't listen, they are too busy thinking about how this conversation applies to their own life and how they can bring their own stories into the conversation to turn the focus on themselves.
When I meet new people my favorite thing to do is listen to them talk (unless I'm drunk). You can learn so much about a person just by letting them talk. Ask them a few questions and let them roll. People might think you're shy, but really you're just listening. There is a difference.
Listening is an underappreciated, underused, underdeveloped, and underacquired skill. Talking is the opposite.
Folgers will keep you awake, but it will not keep you focused.
Until The Next
Monday, November 20, 2006
Crazy Christians
It's time to end the first prolonged absence of the return of my blog. Nine days off after two days on... pathetic, I know.
I chose to start at the wrong time. I needed to build up some consistency earlier on so I could have taken an excused break during the mid-term run. Now you are all probably thinking, "Thanks, Brent, you're an idiot." Yep. Sorry.
Much to cover.
First, OJ Simpson and the special that almost was. The layers of this mess are infinite. The way I understand this is that is was to be a confession that wasn't a confession. It's taken me almost a dozen years, but I finally think he's guilty. This incident pushed me over the top. Who does a special on murders for which he was found not guilty titled "If I did it, this is how..." Ridiculous.
I was in fourth grade when the OJ trial took over the country for a year. I wanted him to be innocent because I was a sports fanatatic kid who idolized great athletes. And since I've claimed that that they had to have found him innocent for some reason because I really don't know the details of the case. Then there is the glove thing.
I know 90% of America thinks he did it, but I have never been too fond of public opinion. Ninety percent of Americans are stupid lemmings - and more than half of those live in states that were painted red in 2002. But this special that almost was might have topped the list of the most tasteless things I've ever seen on TV. This list includes: Fat people losing weight on a reality TV show, Jerry Springer, Nancy Grace, Temptation Island, The Real World, All of MTV actually, and CBS' election coverage in 2002. It's also interesting that his was to be on the FOX network. It was FOX's opportunity to strike down the black man in defense of white people everywhere! Okay, that's a stretch, but you get my drift... I think.
The saddest part of the OJ trial? In my fourth grade math class the teacher stopped the class and turned on the trial so we could see/hear the verdict live.
Each generation has a handful of events that happen where every person remembers exactly where they were when it happened.
So far, those events for me include 9/11 (I was skipping morning classes my senior year of high school, woke up at 9:30 or 10 and my dad said, "Do you know what's happening in New York?") The OJ Trial Verdict (4th grade math class - we actually had a debate about it. My teacher maybe was an idiot), Our invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan (Spring Break 2003, PCB, FL. We have two TV's in the hotel room, one tuned to NCAA Tournament hoops games and one to CNN). I'm guessing the majority of people in my age bracket remember where they were during these times.
Thanksgiving is this week. It's great because we get a few days off to visit family, eat a traditionally excellent meal, and celebrate the white man's slaughtering of thousands and thousands of Native Americans and the start of the imperialism whose influence is still reigning in Washington and being felt in Iraq.
Our Founding Fathers truly were visionaries and did a tremendous thing. But I think they also needed a speech on "Practice what your preach" and a dose of humility and some anti-hypocrisy meds.
I think the most important American to the philosophy of this country today is Thomas Jefferson. And he nailed his slave and knocked her up - although they did have a long-standing, loving relationship, he was not just a horny ass white dude hitting up the slave cabin after coming home from a night at the taverns slugging pints with the other guys wearing wigs.
One of my professors made an interesting comment last week. She said that this country was better at talking about sex and sexuality 100 years ago. She is probably right.
Sex and all the issues that come with it have become so taboo as the religious right tries to bail out a ship that is already almost touching the bottom of the sea. Anytime a politician or public figure makes a comment about the realities of sex in this country they just get pounded by the religious right. It's ridiculous. The biggest special interest groups in America (I think) have to be pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, and religious organizations. Separation of church and state was one of the finest ideas ever put into writing (thank you, Mr. Jefferson) and from day one it has been trampled on. The constitution guarantees us the freedom of religion, which implies that we are also guaranteed to be free FROM religion, yet they (Washington) keeps shoving it in our faces. Fucking pisses me off. Anybody representing any religious group or "values" group, while working, should be banned from all government buildings. This is not an anti-religion position, it is a pro-constitution position. We need to get their influence out of our politics. It is in everybody's interest - including the religious groups.
Anyone who thinks "Abstinence Only" is an effective model for sex education is an idiot. If that includes you and you are offended, come see me, we'll argue and I will win and then feel better about myself for the rest of the day while you re-evaluate your position, and really, your entire life. Why even try to teach kids not to have sex? Take all aspects of religion, values, and opinion out of it and look at it as an Army General would look at the enemy. Proponents for Abstinence Only sex ed are fighting TV, pop music, pop culture, magazines, and the internet -- all are bombarded with messages about sex everyday. If someone were looking at this battle they would see that they could not possibly win and they would retreat right away in order to save lives. Well, you can save lives by teaching safe sex. If you don't want to see abortions, then teach kids to use a rubber. Kids are going to have sex. They are going to do it a lot - and before they are married. It's reality. If the Catholic Church wasn't so unbelievably wealthy, this would not be an issue. Kids are screwing around at younger and younger ages. I think they should put a fishbowl of condoms in the nurse's office in Middle Schools. Seriously.
Today on cnn.com I saw two articles relating to a re-institution of the draft. I am going to declare right now that if I am ever drafted into military service that I will not flee to Canada, I will not hide out in some cabin in the woods, I will willingly go to jail in protest of the draft, the war, and our government. I'm about 6' 2", sign me up for a comfortable fitting jump suit. Dibs on top bunk.
My world of Fantasy Sports is out of control this week. I got my ass fucking handled this week in fantasy football and a team in our league won with a mere 67 points when a sure thing wasn't so sure Monday night. I am still in line to make the playoffs, which is encouraging. And there was an outrage in our Fantasy NBA league, which none of you will care about. I also sent out the first e-mail of our Fantasy Baseball 2007 league. I realize that the World Series is barely a month into the history books, but we have much planning to do.
It's 2:20 and I have much to do for tomorrow so I am going to leave it here. Have a good day.
Until The Next.
I chose to start at the wrong time. I needed to build up some consistency earlier on so I could have taken an excused break during the mid-term run. Now you are all probably thinking, "Thanks, Brent, you're an idiot." Yep. Sorry.
Much to cover.
First, OJ Simpson and the special that almost was. The layers of this mess are infinite. The way I understand this is that is was to be a confession that wasn't a confession. It's taken me almost a dozen years, but I finally think he's guilty. This incident pushed me over the top. Who does a special on murders for which he was found not guilty titled "If I did it, this is how..." Ridiculous.
I was in fourth grade when the OJ trial took over the country for a year. I wanted him to be innocent because I was a sports fanatatic kid who idolized great athletes. And since I've claimed that that they had to have found him innocent for some reason because I really don't know the details of the case. Then there is the glove thing.
I know 90% of America thinks he did it, but I have never been too fond of public opinion. Ninety percent of Americans are stupid lemmings - and more than half of those live in states that were painted red in 2002. But this special that almost was might have topped the list of the most tasteless things I've ever seen on TV. This list includes: Fat people losing weight on a reality TV show, Jerry Springer, Nancy Grace, Temptation Island, The Real World, All of MTV actually, and CBS' election coverage in 2002. It's also interesting that his was to be on the FOX network. It was FOX's opportunity to strike down the black man in defense of white people everywhere! Okay, that's a stretch, but you get my drift... I think.
The saddest part of the OJ trial? In my fourth grade math class the teacher stopped the class and turned on the trial so we could see/hear the verdict live.
Each generation has a handful of events that happen where every person remembers exactly where they were when it happened.
So far, those events for me include 9/11 (I was skipping morning classes my senior year of high school, woke up at 9:30 or 10 and my dad said, "Do you know what's happening in New York?") The OJ Trial Verdict (4th grade math class - we actually had a debate about it. My teacher maybe was an idiot), Our invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan (Spring Break 2003, PCB, FL. We have two TV's in the hotel room, one tuned to NCAA Tournament hoops games and one to CNN). I'm guessing the majority of people in my age bracket remember where they were during these times.
Thanksgiving is this week. It's great because we get a few days off to visit family, eat a traditionally excellent meal, and celebrate the white man's slaughtering of thousands and thousands of Native Americans and the start of the imperialism whose influence is still reigning in Washington and being felt in Iraq.
Our Founding Fathers truly were visionaries and did a tremendous thing. But I think they also needed a speech on "Practice what your preach" and a dose of humility and some anti-hypocrisy meds.
I think the most important American to the philosophy of this country today is Thomas Jefferson. And he nailed his slave and knocked her up - although they did have a long-standing, loving relationship, he was not just a horny ass white dude hitting up the slave cabin after coming home from a night at the taverns slugging pints with the other guys wearing wigs.
One of my professors made an interesting comment last week. She said that this country was better at talking about sex and sexuality 100 years ago. She is probably right.
Sex and all the issues that come with it have become so taboo as the religious right tries to bail out a ship that is already almost touching the bottom of the sea. Anytime a politician or public figure makes a comment about the realities of sex in this country they just get pounded by the religious right. It's ridiculous. The biggest special interest groups in America (I think) have to be pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, and religious organizations. Separation of church and state was one of the finest ideas ever put into writing (thank you, Mr. Jefferson) and from day one it has been trampled on. The constitution guarantees us the freedom of religion, which implies that we are also guaranteed to be free FROM religion, yet they (Washington) keeps shoving it in our faces. Fucking pisses me off. Anybody representing any religious group or "values" group, while working, should be banned from all government buildings. This is not an anti-religion position, it is a pro-constitution position. We need to get their influence out of our politics. It is in everybody's interest - including the religious groups.
Anyone who thinks "Abstinence Only" is an effective model for sex education is an idiot. If that includes you and you are offended, come see me, we'll argue and I will win and then feel better about myself for the rest of the day while you re-evaluate your position, and really, your entire life. Why even try to teach kids not to have sex? Take all aspects of religion, values, and opinion out of it and look at it as an Army General would look at the enemy. Proponents for Abstinence Only sex ed are fighting TV, pop music, pop culture, magazines, and the internet -- all are bombarded with messages about sex everyday. If someone were looking at this battle they would see that they could not possibly win and they would retreat right away in order to save lives. Well, you can save lives by teaching safe sex. If you don't want to see abortions, then teach kids to use a rubber. Kids are going to have sex. They are going to do it a lot - and before they are married. It's reality. If the Catholic Church wasn't so unbelievably wealthy, this would not be an issue. Kids are screwing around at younger and younger ages. I think they should put a fishbowl of condoms in the nurse's office in Middle Schools. Seriously.
Today on cnn.com I saw two articles relating to a re-institution of the draft. I am going to declare right now that if I am ever drafted into military service that I will not flee to Canada, I will not hide out in some cabin in the woods, I will willingly go to jail in protest of the draft, the war, and our government. I'm about 6' 2", sign me up for a comfortable fitting jump suit. Dibs on top bunk.
My world of Fantasy Sports is out of control this week. I got my ass fucking handled this week in fantasy football and a team in our league won with a mere 67 points when a sure thing wasn't so sure Monday night. I am still in line to make the playoffs, which is encouraging. And there was an outrage in our Fantasy NBA league, which none of you will care about. I also sent out the first e-mail of our Fantasy Baseball 2007 league. I realize that the World Series is barely a month into the history books, but we have much planning to do.
It's 2:20 and I have much to do for tomorrow so I am going to leave it here. Have a good day.
Until The Next.
