1st Quarter Round-up 2012!!

O.K. I am back to see if I've been living up to what I said I would do this year back in January.  As you may recall, I discovered LAST YEAR that I can greatly effect change in my own life by following a few simple steps:

1.  Decide what I want to do
2.  Write it down
3.  Actually do it!  Hold myself accountable!!

Having said that, I don't know if I'm quite so successful this year...that's why I have to remind myself every 3 months to remember to be the person I WANT to be, instead of the lazy, default version.  So then, let's see what my 5 things were: 

1.  My number one priority this year - be OUT OF DEBT before 2013!

So far so good on this score!  I've just made another payment today, for a total of $3800.00 paid off so far this year.  With 8 more monthly payments this year and what I estimate is only about $8500.00 left to pay, I should knock this out of the park easily.  Even if I'm a little off in my math, as has happened from time to time... 

2.  Maintain my weight in the 135-155 range, while actually building a little muscle and tone.

I am 142 pounds as of this morning and have yet to see myself go above 145 this year.  Furthermore, although I got off to a no-start in January (slacker month!!) I have been doing my exercise routines at LEAST 3 times a week for the last 2 months.  Mainly focusing on core and upper-body strength.  It's made a big change!  My arms and chest actually have shape to them again and my stomach is getting really rock hard.  I wouldn't be surprised if I have abs by the end of the year!  Like those boys you see on the Television!  Unfortunately, no power in the UNIVERSE seems able to remove my love handles.  WTF body?  W. T. F... 

3. Memorize one song a month, chords and lyrics, throughout 2012.

Here's where I feel I really dropped the ball so far this year.  Again, January was slacker month for me...and this is a lot harder than I thought!  Having said that, I have memorized "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers AND "Superman Song" by The Crash Test Dummies.  Having said that, I know the chords and the words (even keyboard on Superman Song) BUT that is not to say that I am playing them particularly WELL yet.  Practice, practice, practice.  I'm still going to try to list 12 songs by the end of the year, but honestly, if I can get 6 that I'm comfortable with, I'll live with that...we'll see what happens... 

4.  Write lots!

This isn't very specific, is it?  I am keeping up with both this blog and Fruitless Pursuits! I've also written quite a bit more back story and done a lot of world building for my novel/graphic novel/whatever it ends up being.  However, I would like to put aside one night a week where I work a lot harder on that and just write for a few hours.  This is hard because TV is very interesting.  However, soon it will all be reruns and hopefully thus easier to throw off the shackles of my electronic oppressor!  I mean, the Leafs didn't make the playoffs so what use is TV until September??  

5. Schedule one half day a month to really clean my apartment and keep it looking nice.

Well, I have been cleaning more in the new year, in particular keeping the bathroom and kitchen counters and whatnot a lot cleaner.  I am also dusting and tidying in general a LOT more frequently.  However, I have also slacked off on the BIG cleaning jobs.  Floors, windows, fridge, balcony, reorganize the bedroom....stuff that I've been meaning to do ALL YEAR.  I need more time off every week, I think...hmmm.

So that's it for this quarter.  Looking over this I am proud of what I've done so far, but I also see a LOT of room for improvement.  January really was such a slacker month for me....luckily things have picked up!  And why do I do these things if not to show myself where I need to do more?  Mission accomplished!

Limitless Undying Love to all the Bitches and the Ho's on the 87! ;) Have a great week!

Return of the Duck!

This is just an addendum to the last post about a Duck.  Just in case you thought I was crazy, I have photographic evidence of said duck!  Complete with plastic Easter egg, placed there by yours truly before noticing said duck.  Quack!!

Just so this isn't the world's shortest post and cause I also randomly got this photo over the weekend...here's a pic of me and several family members in front of the Alamo circa 1992 or so....Dig that crazy hair!!

Oh and finally, On May 7th there's a charity event going on on Facebook to help out the Wayne Foundation!  You may remember me liking them a lot back in the day!  Well, I STILL do!!  I'm gonna donate a couple bucks and I hope you do to!  Check out the Facebook page I'm referencing HERE.  If you can't donate that's cool...but try and spread the word!  Every little bit of help they can get goes a long, long way!  Thanks!

Peace! ;)

Duck Duck Goose!

Happy Easter folks! 

So since this is the first week of April, I was totally prepared to do a first quarter round-up this week.  Then I realized that between work and Easter festivities I wouldn't have nearly the amount of time that I want to actually write that properly.  Instead, I've decided that I will think about all of that next week and today I will simply tell you about the duck.

This morning I woke up at 6 am and drove up to my parents house to go help hide Easter eggs for the kids at their church.  I figured that since I've been waking up at 4 am every other day for work, 6 was not too much of a sacrifice, and a bunch of little kids strung out on chocolate that are in no way my responsibility might be fun! Why not go up and help out?

So I'm hiding Easter eggs out in this park and I am immediately attracted to a large stump protruding from this one tree that looks like a good place to hide eggs.  I go over to it and place one of the plastic eggs nearby.  Suddenly part of the tree grows larger, sprouts wings, makes a snap movement towards me and a funny noise!! Turns out that I am not the only one who thought this stump was an excellent spot to hide eggs!  A DUCK had come to the same conclusion, and was nesting there with a clutch of eggs!  I guess this isn't that strange (although there wasn't any pond or stream within sight), but this duck was so well camouflaged in the tree that I was less than 6 inches away from it and still completely oblivious to it's presence till it stood up and quacked at me!  It's amazing the things we DON'T perceive....makes me wonder what else I walk right by without noticing...and how can I better train myself to open my eyes??  Crazy...

Anyway so that's my Easter story for the year.  It seemed super appropriate...Have a good one!

The Origin of Divinity?

I heard a theory a while back that's really stuck in my brain...I take it out and play with it when I'm bored.  The theory is that the reason so many people and cultures around the world believe in God or a god-like figure is due to our early childhood experiences.

As babies, we are all exposed to gigantic, all-powerful, godlike, incomprehensible beings. These beings are also known as adults!  Most commonly your parents!  I don't think it's a stretch to consider that your thoughts on God may later be shaped, subconsciously, by "memories" or impressions of your parents from when you were an infant.  Perhaps people who's parents treated them great and took care of them always instinctual feel nothing but love for God, while people who's parents were neglectful jerks are angry at God?  People who's parents loved them but who also experienced some sort of trauma in infancy (proving that their "god" is not infallible) could be the ones who, like me, struggle with the concept of God.  Like Mulder says, "I want to believe."

This is, of course, all complete speculation...but I DO find it fascinating...

For an example of how early childhood memories can strongly influence one's feelings well into adulthood, I need look no further than my own life!  Let me tell you a story about myself...it's a true story, although I personally have NO memory of it.  My mom told me about it!

So when I was a baby...I don't know how old but I guess under 2, we went on a picnic or something.  Anyway, there was a watermelon.  Somehow, my little toddler self managed to sneak away and swipe said watermelon and proceed to eat the ENTIRE THING!  I then became violently ill for some lengthy period of time.

As I said, I have NO memory at ALL of this incident.  All I know is that for as long as I can remember, long before I heard this story, the sight or smell of ANY MELON is very unpleasant to me and that watermelon, TO THIS DAY,  makes me feel incredibly disgusted and nauseous!  I heard the above story at some point and thought "oh, that makes sense!"   The story validated what I already felt about watermelon and thus both story and feeling are true!  Case closed.

Soooo....what if for as long as I can remember I have always felt deep inside that there is a gigantic, all-powerful being who is poorly defined and yet who watches over me and takes care of me...who loves me and wants what's best for me!  Then, what if later on someone told me about God and I just thought "oh, that makes sense!"  The story of God validates the feeling I already had from early childhood and thus the feeling and the story must be true...just like the watermelon!

Of course...unlike with the watermelon, the credit for my feelings about God are misplaced....they should be feelings about my parents!  My baby mind just got them mixed up....well, I was only an infant after all...

Do we all make this mistake?  Could this simple mistake be the origin of the concept of a divine being?  We know for fact that events we can't remember from infancy can strongly effect our opinions on matters for the rest of our lives!

Well, I'm not saying God doesn't exist or trying to reject or belittle anyone's religion or beliefs about spirituality.  Please don't lynch me or warn me about hell or any of that crap.  I just think this is an interesting idea!  If the essence of faith is doubt...well, food for thought....