Mar 20 I often like to think about things that I take for granted. It makes me more appreciative of what I have, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. A while back, I was thinking about how great the yellow light is. For me, more often than not it’s a sign that says, “figure out if you can make this light!” Sometimes this is a resounding yes, and sometimes it’s a resounding no. Sometimes it’s even “you better get going pronto!” Can you imagine, though, what it would be like without yellow lights? Drivers would be moseying along thinking that they’re good to go, when all of a sudden they need to slam on their brakes. Accidents would abound because brakes cannot stop you instantly.
Recently, I even got to experience a similar kind of fun. Many of the lights along a street that I commute on were out. So as expected all of the cars treated each malfunctioning light as an all-way stop intersection. And that wrecked havoc on my commute. Boy am I glad for signals!
Oddly enough, this reminded me of a problem that I am dealing with at work. The problem is that I am trying to make a single database access for every single object that I want to create. That would be analogous to a stop sign which lets everyone through one at a time. Ideally I am trying to code things that will allow for multiple objects with a single database connection. This would be with the lights that let multiple cars through. I do enjoy finding out how good software practices relate to life.
Mar 11 Not watercraft!
Everyone who is alive has probably gone through this. Unless you’re Paris Hilton or some other well-heeled person (perhaps even if you are), you will come across things that need to be done. You will see dishes in the sink, clutter on the table, or tasks that need to be accomplished at work, and trash that needs to be picked up.
In the past I have had the conscious thought that I want to be that person who will do what needs to be done. So I work at it. I am by no means great at it. In fact, I am probably not even that good at it. But I can see where I want to be. I want to be the person doing it.
But there are so many people who do not even care. People will say that it is not in their job description or figure that someone else is going to do it. At times there are even people who do not see the things that need to be done because they are so intent on caring about themselves. How revealing!
Do you think that doing what needs to get done is natural? Today you can choose whether you want to be someone who gets it done or someone who cannot conceive of doing more than what is required.
Mar 4 Nobody will go through life without changing. Sometimes that will be a physical change (e.g., exercising more) while other times it will be a character change (e.g., keeping secrets better). Personally, I think that it’s great to want to change for the better once you realize that there’s something that needs to be changed. It shows that you don’t don’t think that you’re perfect. And nobody likes someone who thinks that they’re perfect!
What about when other people dictate how you should change? When you’re young, it’s fairly normal for your parents to tell you what to do. That’s what they do. They instruct you on what to do in life. Without them (or perhaps sadly even with them) you don’t learn about things like manners and a good work ethic. But even more than as a child, there are all kinds of times when people are trying to tell us what to do. There are policies in the workplace, subliminal messages in the media, and even some form of instructions in politics. Everyone is trying to say how we are to be.
More than having people tell you how to be, I think that it’s supremely better to have the desire to change come from yourself. It is so difficult to cause someone to want to change. Take losing weight as an example. There are countless people (especially in the United States) that are obese. Do they wish that they were healthy? On some level I’m sure that they do. Unfortunately, that desire isn’t strong enough to enact actual change (otherwise they wouldn’t be in the state that they’re in). But someone who is motivated to change will get so much more done. The key for all of the obese in America is that they need to stoke that fire of desire. Nutritionists and health experts can only tell them so many times about portion control and exercise. If they don’t desire it for themselves, they won’t do it.
Okay, okay. I must admit that I’ve been watching The Biggest Loser.
That desire surpasses everything else in importance. Skill? Sure that helps. But I’ll take a hard, less skilled worker over a lazy skilled worker any day. Status? People who get caught up in status are too content with that status to really do anything. Opportunity? People who really want it will make their own opportunities. And they will keep on trying until it happens.
Feb 25 Another year, another jury duty completed. This time I actually got as far as a courtroom. I was originally summoned in 2008, but I postponed it so that I could do something for work. Today it was time to pay the piper.
Jury duty sure seems to happen to me often (especially considering you’re only allowed to serve once a year)! Last time I realized that jury duty is probably a good thing. And this time? Well this time I just want to write down and remember that in the future:
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Don’t wear sandals. I was torn whether to do it today, and I’m glad that I did not because nobody else had them.
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Bring a jacket, you’ll be glad.
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The juror orientation doesn’t start on time. But don’t be that late. Today I was 30 minutes late, and I got there just before they started.
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You can bring food, there’s even a microwave that can be used.
Feb 20 Late breaking news, this just in. I got my highest score ever in bowling recently. While playing a game in the midst of bowling all I could for $5, I accomplished a feat that I thought not possible. The bowling alley was old school, and we had to score our own games (it’s amazing how few people know how to score bowling without a computer). Still I think that the picture speaks for itself:
Lest you think that I am amazing at bowling, the score that I got the previous game was 98 thank you very much. I must also say, though, that I didn’t bowl my own third frame. If I did, who knows what great and earth-shattering things might have happened!
Also, I got sore from bowling that much.