1. Carmilio Villegas with his JLindberg outfits has been an idol to so many golfers around the world for his spidey image while figuring out putting lines.
2. He has a character.
3. People like him needs to win to add style and hope to the game of golf we love.
4. 2 hours to go- Last flight- Carmilio Villegas, Jim Furyk and Anthony kim- An outstanding performance by all three

Last week was mad. I have a new CEO. 

Earlier that week, I was interviewed by a journalist from a well known business magazine. The journalist wanted to know about some of the benefits and difficulties that I had experienced whilst completing a MBA (I had graduated with one just over 15mths ago), and why I had chosen to do a masters degree in business from a well known business school?. What was he thinking when he asked me this question???. I'm sure he could have googled the response for this question himself. Fortunately, for the purpose of keeping up appearances and my career intact, diplomacy prevailed. I gave him the standard reply on the benefits- MBA led to a change in job.. business networking opportunity.. learning to communicate complex issues and scenarios in a way that does not paralyse decision making.. a new tool which enabled better understanding of business issues.. set of frameworks to help analyse business operations and implementation of effective strategies to grow shareholder value.. increased confidence when dealing with senior management.. blah blah blah).  As for the difficulties of a MBA...well, there are no real difficulties, mere challenges, which a MBA will help you identify, and with the tools and framework given, enable you take an appropriate course of action to sort out any such difficulties.

What I was really thinking at the time...

Why would you do a MBA! -So! if you are making six or seven figures a year, then taking time off work for a full time program is a very bad move financially (and I think it shows a poor grasp of cost-benefit analysis..think effort and outcome ). Further, I am yet to find proof of the "100%-300% salary increments" for MBA's quoted by some business school publications (forget hedge fund managers or heads of investment banks). Even if you graduate with a MBA from the very best of schools, you will need extensive working experience (preferably in management roles) to seriously make an impact. And most of time the guys with the 25+ years experience in senior management can do a better job at anticipating, assessing and reacting to business issues. 

And don't forget the impact a MBA can have on social life, families and relationships.

For those of you deciding to undertake a MBA -work out what your goals are. If it is to make the most money, more school (and in particular, business school) may not be the best option. If however, your personal goal is for ongoing learning -  go for it, you will certainly get lots of "tools", "frameworks" and the experience itself can be exciting. Further, check out if your chosen industry perceives the degree as an asset as you are hoping it to be (this is a very important step)! If you are in the finance industry, why would you even do a MBA!! (a CFA or CPA is likely to take you further).

If you are still serious about a MBA, get some quality experience (preferably even in management) before you commence, and get a mentor of some sort. Being able to apply, discuss your progress, or even get some direction from someone smart early on helps . Other key factors to a pleasant experience include the following- read your study materials and contribute wisely in class (people remember); keep abreast of key global business issues; support your discussions  with solid understanding of the MBA material (don't quote theory from the study material- you need to show that you can apply it, not just repeat it - further, this will impact the calibre of peers who choose to network with you down the track); be diplomatic with your peers- get used to working with people from different levels of experience or nationalities. Finally, choose not to be dismissive of the quite or shy colleagues- engage them, you will be surprised at how much they know, and a perspective can be priceless. 

 Just like university degrees, MBA's are now common (even the ones from top business schools), and we all know that commodisation causes devaluation. Having a masters degree in business did once set someone apart from a crowd - but now it is the crowd. Further, an MBA does not stop you from destroying shareholder value, nor does it stop you from creating a greater gap between the wealthy and the rest of the world. Most of the time common sense does.

Some of you are wondering what my point was yesterday.  Many of you spent the weekend flipping through stacks of antiquated, bug-infested porn magazines looking for shots of Palin dressed in a sexy schoolgirl uniform, being serviced by five quarterbacks.  You want to believe you are trying to help me, but in reality, you leap at any excuse to look at perfectly formed, buck nekkid women.  You found many girls who wore their hair just like she did, and who could be her under pseudonym, and are presently trying to scan the likenesses into your photo-editing software, in order to superimpose them with current Palin photos.  When your significant others stumble across you, ankle-deep in smutty brunettes, you strike an "innocent bystander" facial pose, and indignantly claim, "Cindy asked me to do this!"

There's so much to be said for the possibilities put forth by opportunistic interpretation.

And then there are all you Moms who buy G-string panties for your toddlers, and have racks full of pink rifles hidden in the back of your bedroom closet.  Motivated by your secret, burning shame, you are busily scanning yesterday's post for any reason to put me down.  Of course, you are entitled to do so without any further explanation on my part.  I am the big "nerd" here.  I take the risks, and I do things the way they work for me, rather than bending over backwards to be like "everyone else".  I learned early on that when you are above average tall, with great legs, and a cute face, and too much talent, you don't get treated like everyone else, anyhow.

People in large groups are affirmed by averages, and go out of their way to ignore those they perceive as a threat.  A kind of unspoken group consensus happens.  All those who are unable to promote, or flaunt their natural advantages, are relegated to the "nerd" category.  If there is no conscientious leader to promote them, they fall by the wayside.  There's no room for humility, introspect, spirituality, or intellectual refinement in all that.  I always had friends, but they were other A students, and they were also pretty, smart girls who found they were mistreated by underachievers, and under-stimulated in school.

Others who do so are free to feel superior, and use any peculiarities as an excuse to counter-criticize.  Whatever makes them feel better.  It's all about perspective.  I am happy where I am.  It's not about my looks any more.  It's not about comparing my "grades" to other people's, or allowing their accomplishments to interfere with my sense of self-worth, or even allowing others to make my looks more important than my achievements.  I worked hard and I found my very own comfort zone. I am proud to be a part of a society which encourages and provides the means for this type of self-exploration.

Some of you already know that I have two kids.  They are full-time apprentices into the craft of animation, illustration, graphic design, book publishing and film production.  They select their own clothing and meals, prepare their own meals, do household chores, and are around me a lot, and that's just how I like it.  I am glad that most people choose to immerse their kids into the school system because this allows me a distinct advantage as a parent and caregiver who chooses to home school her brood. It's nice and quiet all day while others are in school, too.

Whatever "me" time I lose out on while others' kids are in school, I gain back due to their early independence, and self-sufficiency.  And I can stand being around them, and, as they are active in reading current events, and such, they make stimulating conversation— they are in no way boring or annoying in my mind.  It's all about perspective.  I do not have a door on my office, and yet, I am able to do all this with few problems concentrating.  I am proud of that fact.  It took both discipline and consistency on my part, and effort on theirs, to find a mutual comfort level that allows us all to co-exist productively, but it was well worth the effort, for my family.  We're too busy enjoying our unique arrangement to care how other people choose to live their lives, so long as they are productive.  Every so often, some ignoramus who never bothered to ask polite questions first, will make accusations, but you get that in school, too, and much more often.

Take, for example, take my next door neighbor.  The other week, my children overheard this woman telling her plumber that my kids are "inhibited", and that "homeschooling is no way to raise children".  Her teenage daughter is lovely, if not super neurotic and inhibited looking.  She looks at her feet a whole lot.  I have NEVER seen her smile.  She recently bleached her hair bright yellow, and frequently leaves her Mother's house at midnight on week days, to go party with her friends. It's something to be proud of.

I constantly hear her younger son mouthing off at her when he is asked to do his chores.  She plays her radio so loud, that her classic rock station is always pouring into my back yard, whether or not I am in the mood to listen to classic rock that day.  She waits so long to rake her leaves, that they all blow into my yard.  She has some man in there, supposedly a second husband, whom I have yet to see once.  She always does the yard work alone.

Last Summer, she paid someone to move her rain spout over to the North side of her house, which means it now pours right into my basement whenever we have heavy rain.  It was obvious that this would happen, because of the landscaping— it pools there.  She did it deliberately because the previous Summer, I complained about her to the neighbor on the other side when she began to close in on me. The building inspector confirmed just last week that her drain pipe is indeed a violation of city bylaws.  I already knew this because I have been wading across a wet carpet every time it rains for over a year now.  When I mention it to my neighbor, she laughs in my face, and gives me the finger.

But you see— she is "normal", so she can do whatever she wants to a "freak" like me, and I have to take it if I do not want her to spread malicious gossip all over the region.  I am branded a "fighter" because I stood my ground.  She is affirmed by statistics.  She has the trendy layered haircut and the minivan and the right attitude.  So do her kids, evidently.

I told my kids last year to ignore the woman, and her kids, because I could already see that she had mental problems when I first moved in.  I think we all kind of do that.  We assess a social situation, and decide whom, if anybody, we care to associate with.  I find it really shocking that she presumes my kids are "too shy" to answer her persistent nosy questions, and to allow her to boss them around in our own back yard.  She is so affirmed by statistics, that it never crossed her mind we had reached a family consensus to shun her.  I guess that's not something "nerds" usually have any control over in her circles.  I relish the fact that because I make my own choices, I am able to flout all the standard trappings of being "the bullied misfit".  Oh-- I know I am the "weirdo" in all this, but we all make choices in life. LOL!

And here's another little anecdote.

We all went to see a matinee version of a famous ballet production three years ago, and all my arguments against public schooling my own brood became abundantly clear that afternoon.  I was presented with a lifetime's worth of perfectly valid arguments why my own children could do better in a home environment.

The auditorium was filled to the brim with coughing, sneezing, nervous, hyper, poorly behaved, badly dressed children who clearly did not have the attention span for the classical art of the ballet, nor the desire to be there.  It seemed that half of the 800 plus grade-school kids were coughing on the backs of our heads, hollering and kicking our seats throughout the entire ballet performance.

Any financial satisfaction we had from the discount tickets we purchased was heavily countered by the sea of runny-nosed, miserable children accompanied by their jaded-looking teachers.  Even my children were appalled by the behavior of 90% of those public school students.  We thought they were adorable, mind-you.  And they were.  Every last one of them was beautiful.  But they were miserable.  We felt sorry for them because they were not able to sit still, and because they were not able to enjoy the show.  Because so many of them looked malnourished, inappropriately dressed, and overstressed, tired, younameit.  Because they had never been given enough credit, or attention, the vast majority could not be expected to do any better.

We all caught the worst cold & flu we had in years from that experience, and we have little recollection of the ballet, because we were unable to enjoy it.  I remember we all managed to nip it in the bud with some nice broth, but is was not the sort of souvenir we had in mind, should we be so brave as to want to collect memorabilia of the catastrophic event.  And we all knew we would the minute we entered the room. LOL!  Even though we rarely catch anything, we all knew we'd catch something in there.  It was inevitable.  It was a cesspool of pink eye and sticky, unwashed fingers.

Public school children do not get half the attention that my kids get.  They have pressure, as do their parents, to adhere to the least impressive characteristics of pop culture, which are exemplified, in my humble opinion, by that wretched pop rock promotional video I posted yesterday.  It's pablum for the masses.  (Never mind all the pink guns.)  It is not by any means healthy, or beneficial in any way.  It feeds the ego, and the most primitive aspects of our sensual life are captured, and assaulted, by the crassness of it.  That's because it was created in order to make money, and that's it.  Any art and culture which is created for the sole purpose of generating revenue, is as unhealthy as junk food.  Hate to be the bearer of bad news.  Sorry to drag you off your superior "normal" chair and show you the light of reason— but there you have it.  The people who make that music think you are stupid.  They are laughing all the way to the bank.  They poop one of those tunes out over breakfast every morning.  They are handsomely rewarded for poisoniing your children, and you not only help them do it— you punish those of us who have the audacity to know better.

As a family of artists, we belong to an even larger group of people who fully realize this.  It is common knowledge in my circle of peers.  Sorry you are too ignorant to understand this.  Sorry some people in my business underestimate your kids, and your parenting skills to such an extent.  I am genuinely sorry.  Even as I scrape the tire tracks off my face, I am sorry that you were not given the opportunity to know better.

But calling me "reclusive", "weird", "creepy"; implying that I abuse substance if I need pain medication for a chronic health problem, saying that I neglect my kids when they act independently of me, or that I am "outcast"— it's a lame, transparent attempt on the part of ignorant people, a tiny 3% of "normals"— the ones who attend the PTA meetings, and who decide for the rest of us how to educate our children— they are the only ones who benefit from this lowest common denominator culture that validates a primitive, Darwinian approach to modern life; the infinite power of the "popular" bully whom nobody likes, and yet, is so validated by the idiotic garbage we call "popular television programming".

My kids are able to act independently because I made sacrifices earlier on in their lives; and taught them how.  If you are ignorant enough to look at the results of their education, and not see that I played a role in that— God help you.

And, you know what? I am not a "nerd" at all.   There's no such thing as a nerd.  That is a term concocted by sadists.  In adulthood, I am a risk-taker, and I am an artist, but kids, and adolescents, like, and emulate me.  Not just my kids, but many of the kids in the area as well.  Especially the kids of these women who are grasping at straws to try and cut me down to size because I do not strive to reaffirm their positions as "leaders" in our society the way my t.v. does— because their kids are not happy.

In the end, whenever we seek to destroy that which we fail to understand, we can only destroy ourselves. I understand the school system.  I participated in it growing up. My hapless critics are completely ill-informed, and clueless as to what they are criticizing.  I do not expect peple to live as I do.  I do not think most people would have the ability to pull it off.  I have the right to be proud of my accomplishments, even if they infringe on the "crown of mediocrity" of self-appointed queen-bees who see only what affirms their sense of social superiority.  These women who paint virtues as weaknesses, and knowledge as burdens— did anyboody ask them for their opinions?  And when push comes to shove, the facts stack up, and the truth comes out, and all the nonsense falls to pave the way for reason, and good fortune for those who show understanding, and tolerance for their neighbors' choices.  God knows I'd fight for my neighbor's right to keep making good choices.  I think any decent person would.

Sorry I been gone so long, but dad gosh it all, it's summer.

Summer means I got to milk the cows, tend the garden, keep plucking the eggs right out from under the chickens and plow the fields.

We got to put up tomatoes, pickles, jams and sauces.  Working busy as little ants, getting ready for the winter.

Mostly 'cuz we like to eat.

Saw a sign the other day.  It said  "We Grow. You Eat."

I like that concept alot.

Yessiree.

If they would grow it, and give it to me for free, I sure would be happy to eat it.

But, 'til then, I got work to do!

And I love it!

Keeps me stong and fit, gets me out in the blue sky sunshine every day. 

Gets me real food, too. 

Real food made from real stuff that really grows.  Not some made-up factory stuff like those gosh darn big food companies try to pass off to us as food.

So enjoy your day and keep busy like them little ants.

And eat your fruits and veggies.  They's real, mostly.

Until next time,

Luckey Haskins, Working for Food 'cuz That's the Smart Thing To Do

According to the Wall Street Journal, Uncle Sam is preparing to bail out housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Not just with loans, but essentially by taking them over--whether they like the idea or not.

Oh yeah. There's a good idea. Put the overextended, can't-keep-a-balanced-budget, too-many-chiefs-and-not-enough-indians folks in the mortgage business. They seems to have trouble just regulating the industry--yet they think they can run it?

Oy.

While it's true that Fannie May and Freddie Mac are in crisis mode, let's not forget that they're for-profit companies that made tremendous profits for many years. The financial mess that they're in is dire, but it's also one primarily of their own making. (Psst! That's called Greed, folks.) If I start a business and mismanage it, should Uncle Sam use taxpayer resources to fix my problems for me? Mmm...I'm thinking...no.

And that's not even touching the creepy feeling I get about the government stepping in without being asked. When private companies do that, it's called a hostile takeover.

I'm just saying.

Ugly Ass Opinion does not endorse either presidential candidate, but a comment the WSJ article attributed to Barack Obama has a lot of merit: "If these are public entities, then they've got to get out of the profit-making business; and if they're private entities, then we don't bail them out."

True, dat.

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This article is an original post from www.UglyAssOpinion.com© Kelly L. Trainor 2008 All Rights Reserved

One day a thief stole the jewel and ran from the palace, hiding in a forest. As he stared with deep joy at the stone, to his amazement the image of the King appeared in it.

"I have come to thank you," said the King. "You have released me from my attachment to Earth. I thought I was freed when I acquired the jewel, but then I learned that I would be released only when I passed it on, with a pure heart, to another.

"Each day of my life I polished that stone, until finally this day arrived, when the jewel became so beautiful that you stole it, and I have passed it on, and am released.

Moral:
The jewel you hold is Understanding. You cannot add to it's beauty by hiding it and hinting that you have it, nor yet by wearing it with vanity. It's beauty comes of the consciousness that others have of it. Honour that which gives it beauty.

Who was happy and content. He was happy because he was content. He was content because he was happy.

One day a wise man came to him and told him about the glory of diamonds and the power that goes along with them. The wise man said, "If you had a diamond the size of your thumb, you could have your own city. If you had a diamond the size of your fist, you could probably own your own country." And then he went away.

That night the farmer couldn't sleep.

He was unhappy and he was discontent. He was unhappy because he was discontent and discontent because he was unhappy.

The next morning he made arrangements to sell off his farm, took care of his family and went in search of diamonds.

He looked all over Africa and couldn't find any. He looked all through Europe and couldn't find any. When he got to Spain, he was emotionally, physically and financially broke. He got so disheartened that he threw himself into the
Barcelona River and committed suicide.

Back home, the person who had bought his farm was watering the camels at a stream
that ran through the farm. Across the stream, the rays of the morning sun hit a stone and made it sparkle like a rainbow. He thought it would look good on the mantle piece. He picked up the stone and put it in the living room.

That afternoon the wise man came and saw the stone sparkling. He asked, "Is Hafiz back?"

The new owner said, "No, why do you ask?"

The wise man said, "Because that is a diamond. I recognize one when I see
one."

The man said, no, that's just a stone I picked up from the stream. Come, I'll show
you. There are many more." They went and picked some samples and sent them for
analysis.

Sure enough, the stones were diamonds. They found that the farm was indeed covered with acres and acres of diamonds.

Moral:
1. When our attitude is right, we realize that we are all walking on acres and acres of diamonds.

2. The grass on the other side always looks greener.

3. While we are dyeing the grass on the other side, there are others who are dyeing the grass on our side. They would be happy to trade places with us.

4. When people don't know how to recognize opportunity, they complain of noise when it knocks.

5. The same opportunity never knocks twice. The next one may be better or worse, but it is never the same one.

*...But as I am writing it now, I've modified it significantly so as to blend better with current thought, and also to incorporate recent concepts when relevant...*

As I explained in Playing the Victim, one of my co-workers was suffering from acute depression, and asked for advice. The solution I gave her was *obviously* to stop "playing the victim", and accept responsibility for her life - thus empowering herself and providing the psychological leverage needed to deal with the other issues, and begin progressing with life again. Although this solution is logically valid, I've become to realize more and more how much truth cannot be logically justified -so, for lack of better feelings, I should  "be more considerate of her feelings"- for lack of better phrasing - So this depression needs to be handled more gradually, using "gentler" methods :P

Due to the ever-constant chaos already eminent in her life, dealing with it logically would be impossible, because logic has already become irrelevant. I assured her that I would see what I could do in finding a [irony alert!] more *reasonable* solution, and fortunately, I think I've found one. Well, from the looks of things the *best* solution is a work-in-progress, but at the very least it's something to work off of. Of course the solution has nothing to do with drugs. I was medicated for several years in the past, and although I definitely had, and *have* the illnesses I was diagnosed with, I found I did far better without them. Come to think of it, the several different medications I was given did little more than sedate me. As far as I can tell, that was about it. Don't ask why, I have know clue :P

As I mentioned in that same post ("Playing the Victim") I was able to deal with my psychological issues best (by an overwhelming margin) without medication; if anything the medication just made things worse. So although I cannot speak for anyone else, From my person experiences I would definitely recommend against the ingestion of psychological drugs of any kind. Treatment is frequently contrasted with "Cure", being only a temporary/partial solution (i.e. to minimize symptoms)- Cures are permanent.

I think the fact that medication only minimizes symptoms is particularly interesting- after all, "Symptoms" are the proof that the body/mind/etc. is fighting against the disease/etc. If the symptoms disappear, that doesn't mean the person is better. In fact, if the disease/etc. still exist despite symptoms, that should be considered a bad thing, since the immune system is essentially being suppressed, allowing the disease freely roam, resulting in far worse [in this case] mental health. Well, that's just speculation on my part, but such an opinion is also implied in "I Never Promised you Roses". In the cases of depression, the "cure" might well be to deal with the problem as described in "Playing the Victim"- however, for now, a temporary solution [*treatment*] should suffice.

Among many-- more minor illnesses, I have Bipolar- previously known as "manic-depressive" disorder. The previous name is much more descriptive, but I guess they're trying to be more politically correct :P I regularly go through cycles- between depressive and more manic states; I maintain a more "normal" demeanor in-between. The upside and downside of Bipolar is the same: the cycles are predictable. That is- I only get depressed or manic "when I'm supposed to"- this makes cycles very predictable, and I can schedule accordingly, since it works like clockwork. But of course, no one likes getting depressed-- well, I'm sure plenty of people like getting manic though :P Then again, I don't ever get anxious (for certain reasons that I'll cover in later posts) so I don't have to deal with that part of the manic cycle...but for whatever its worth, that's the downside.

A while ago I realized that I could completely thwart the depression cycles (although the manic isn't so bad) by making a habit of automatically rejecting the logical validity of all negative thoughts. Although I did not realize it then, I had already been doing such a thing for a few years now. But I have also realized that, in accordance with balance, to disregard any emotion logically, I had to lose my emotions; this is because to logically get rid of emotions, one must believe any previous emotions to never have existed- this is necessary because emotions are the backbone of passion and desire- no decision can follow through without one's emotions backing it.

Getting back to habits though, as I detailed in [insert post], it's possible to force oneself to change the perception of anything you want, even if it is the exact opposite of the original and natural perception. In that experiment, as I was walking in the freezing cold (of last winter, to be exact) I decided to imagine the pain as being pleasure, and concentrated on the cold being a good thing, setting aside all "common sense" in favor of this perception. The result was a bit surprising- by concentrating the pain completely went away- it was very exciting seeing how perceptions can be manipulated this way.

The only thing lacking with this is that one must concentrate to experience the conversion. That's where habits come in. The purpose of habits is to keep of memory of thing that are done often, and usually require a degree of concentration. It is an adaptation that allows us to perform tasks better the more that we do it, because those things we've already concentrated on a lot are stored in our "cache", which frees up our "memory" to focus on the finer details, or other tasks. Although perhaps I'm a bit partial due to my hobbies, I think that the human brain is strikingly similar to the computer- or, even more likely, the other way around.

As a result of these habits, I have not felt depressed for a few years now.

*Note "felt"- "depression can mean more than one thing; "felt" meaning that I have not had any sad or depressing thoughts for a while. In retrospect BTW this is not a good thing- to accomplish this required "unbreacheable" psychological walls to be put up, resulting in an almost completely nonchalant perspective towards everything; the root meaning of depression ("to slow down"/ "fall" / "be undone" /etc) is still true even now- the depression just does not include the emotional components (i.e. sadness/melancholy/etc.)*

There was one brief period a while back (see Self-Awareness post ) but that only last half an hour. I was thrust into a terrible depression, due to not being able to prepare a decent resume (I had no work experience at the time). But, seeing that I needed it to get done, I forcibly moved myself forward, and was able to pull off what had appeared to be impossible, thus effectively ending that "episode". Recalling this incident has also played a key role in determining another, more "reasonable" solution to my coworker's problem.

All of "today" (*see top*), as expected, I experienced the usual wave of depression. Well, I say depressed, but (as explained above) the only symptom I still experience is a complete lack of motivation to do anything productive. On these days I might normally do nothing but watch anime- and in WCS even lack the motivation to play games. But even when I have such days, going to work is not a problem. Actually, on these days going to work is actually more of a vacation, anyway. Much of the reason for this is explained in Opportunity- that is, working each day with the awareness that half my pay is not in the salary, but in the opportunity to work. As I've discovered over time, the reason why working can be so fulfilling- is because of expectations- knowing that our coworkers and supervisors expect us to do the job well, and fullfilling those expectations, fills us with a wonderful sense of pride. The way I see it, this is "running away from ourselves"- here's why:

Who we are- that which we perceive ourselves to be, and also who and that which we perceive others to be, is dependent on memory, which also means that we can only see ourselves and other people as we were in the past. That is because we are contantly changing and growing, clarifying and building upon who we are every second, although the changes may not be noticed for years. Because of that, the person we perceive ourselves to be, is actually the past, and is not entirely accurate. The irony (and amusement) of this, is that we are able to change in the first place for this same reason. See, to move forward and grow, we must leave our past behind us, which I believe is a necessity due to balance. Interestingly enough, it is also a central theme for reincarnation. So "running away" from ourself in essence means "leaving behind the past" to move towards a better future. So perhaps a more optimistic phrasing would be "running to" (although that would totally kill the visual)

Since I am a restless individual, lacking in patience (although I have aquired a significant patience these past few months, in recognition of the need) I first dealt with my lack of motivation by being confrontational (i.e. a complete ass) with my roommates. Thinking about it now, that initial approach is strikingly similar to Linkin Park's song "Breaking the Habit". From what I can tell, this journey I'm going through has an extremely close likeness that the journey that Linkin Park depicts in their music, so I often listen to the words of their songs for guidance. As the contributers (of that song) in Linkin Park did though, I realized that there were better ways of dealing with it, that I needed to 'break the habit'.

So I started settling down, and played games with them instead. Here I realized another way of self-treating depression. Summing it all up, a person's psychological health is primarily dependent on one factor- pride. This is why it's important to not play the victim- depression is caused by insecurity. The opposite of insecurity is self-control. Taking control of a situation is an active way of alleviating insecurity (and thus depression), but it's likely that in most cases of depression, the person's state-of-mind renders them incapable of taking the initiative- thus a passive response is necessary. By playing games with my roommates that I knew I would win, and by following through with that expectation, I am able to alleviate my insecurity in a passive manner. That is, it required no initiative, because they already wanted to play- I only had to say "yes". Thus, one of the best ways to alleviate depression passively, without initiative, is to put oneself in an environment where we will succeed, and have the expectations of others to drive and support that success.

With both the resume incident and the days that I played games to relieve depression, the key factor is power. In one way or another, empowering oneself plays a vital role in allowing us to move on. To put in another way, the most efficient way to get over depression is to "pet your ego" by showing off your strengths to others. Pride is, after all, one of our greatest needs as humans, making this a reliable "quick fix" for depression

He carried out his plan. Every day he sat on the bank of the river with the kusa grass in one hand and the gold bangle in the other. For some days no one came that way. The tiger was sad and hungry.

After a week a Brahmin passed that way. He was a poor and greedy man.

The tiger saw him and said, "Come here, good sir, I will give you a gold bangle. You can give it to your wife or daughter or you can sell it for a lot of money."

The Brahmin saw the gold bangle. He thought, "The tiger has spoken kind words to me. He is very old too. He will not do me any harm."

Then the Brahmin asked the tiger, "You are sitting on the opposite bank of the river. Is the river very deep? Can I cross it safely? How can I trust you?"

The tiger replied, "Don't be afraid of me. I am very old. I have lost all my teeth. I bathe in the river every day and give presents to the poor. The river is not very deep. You can easily come to me and take the bangle from my hand."

The greedy Brahmin trusted the words of the tiger. He got into the water and walked a few steps. The river was not very deep. In a few minutes he was very near the opposite bank. But suddenly his feet sank into mud. The tiger said to him, "Do not be afraid, O Brahmin. I will come and pull you out."

Then the tiger walked slowly to him, pulled him out and ate him.

MORAL:
Greedy Is Bad.

Andre 3000 and Seven

The exceptional debut disc, Baduizm, was Erykah Badu's album that all the hip-hop heads played when they needed a break from the "bitches and bling" music that was clogging up the airwaves. Filled with materialism and macho posturing, Hip-Hop sucked...and we wanted a little more soul. Badu's soul-inspired-Hip-Hop joints cleared the airwaves like a fresh rain washes away all the LA smog we at eargoggles had become so accustomed to. The album came off like a well-executed hip-hop record; she kept it real, she proved her point, but did it through song rather than rap.

Badu continued to grow with Mama's Gun, her third release. It took the listener on a journey into a deep and tender jucier part of her soul; a place most artists would keep heavily guarded. From the opening whispers that are supposed to be the voices in her head, the listener is made to feel as if they stumbled onto the open diary of a woman who has poured her soul into the pages. At first, you feel bad for invading her privacy, but then you are drawn in and you can't turn away.

Mama's Gun concludes with "Green Eyes." Badu's brilliant, heart-wrenching, three-parter (featuring Roy Hargrove on trumpet), which was appearently was written just after the break-up of Badu and Andre 3000 (of Outkast), the father of her son Seven. Clocking in at a smidge over 10 minutes, the track is a moody, jazzy trip through the various stages of emotions one goes through when faced with sudden unrequited love.

From the opening lines of the "Denial" movement ("My eyes are green / 'Cuz I eat a lot of vegetables / It don't have nothing to do with your new friend"), to the admission of hurt in the "Acceptance?" movement ("Feeling insecure / Love has got me sore / I don't want no more"), and ending with the raw honesty of "The Relapse" movement ("Don't you want me? What's wrong with me / You told me we had a family / Wanna run to mama when you're down and low / Boy times get tough and there you go"), you can practacally hear the tears streaming down her cheeks as her voice cracks on the songs closing notes.

Reflecting on her breakup with her Andree she noted: "We were together for three years and we have a 3-year-old son named Seven. We are still together as a family. We are not a functioning couple, but we are a family. So therefore, I am not a single mother. My son has both a father and a mother who are very responsible."

She also confirms that "Green Eyes" is about her breakup. "It is very personal. It's a three-movement suite, 10 minutes long. I wrote that song in December 1998 and that was shortly after Dre and I decided to separate. It took such a big toll on my emotions that I had to write about it. And Dre thought it was important that I write about it as well. He said, `Yeah, you should write about it so other people can feel what we feel and know how that feels so they won't make the same judgment on themselves.' So we thought that it was important as artists that we use our outlet, music, and pray that our freedom of speech and art will aid someone else's growth."

The powerful tune details the stages of the breakup. "The first movement is called `Denial.' I was denying that I was even upset at all."

Badu continues, "The second movement is called `Acceptance?' with a question mark behind it. `Am I accepting this?' I was kind of starting to accept it. And the third movement is called `The Relapse.' You go through all these stages of heartache and getting over it. The Brother helped me through it is as much as he could," she laughs. "But that's something we have to do as adults. We can't make anybody else responsible for our feelings. I hope the song shares that bit of wisdom."

She loved OutKast's Stankonia with the hit Ms. Jackson, the song about a baby's mama's mother.

"I am the mother of his first son, so it may have something to do with me," she admits. "He wanted to give the world something to think about baby's mama's mother and baby's daddy. We are very proud of him, my whole family. My mom just laughs about Ms. Jackson. She and Dre are really pretty cool; they talk."

She explains that Andre is essentially saying in  the song, "`I apologize, my intentions were good. I never meant to make your daughter cry.' Nobody wants to do that. He is a very humble, good Brother. He is a really good person."

Trading Common Sense for Common

In 2000 assending Rapstar Common was in Chicago promoting his new release, eargoggles must-play favorite, "Like Water for Chocolate." The album had just been released 2 weeks prior; the night held two shows at the House of Blues with a break in between.

During the break in between the shows was where it all started. Common, Common Sense at the time, was go through the beginning phase of his transition from underground Hip-Hop artist and local hero into the mainstream Rap Act for MCA.

Up until this point a major record label had never invested three to five hundred thousand dollars into a Rap Act that wasn't from the East Coast, West Coast, or talking about negative things surrounding them. With the success of The Roots' 1998 smash album, Things Fall Apart, record companies started to look at "Rap" and Hip-Hop from a different point of view.

MCA thought that Common was the right artist at the right time and they were more than ready to exploit explore this new avenue of positive Black Music. He had the Mega-Platinum Lauryn Hill on a couple of tracks, yet he still had never reached gold status with any of his previous 3 albums (Reserection is a must for any Hip-Hop Heavy). Before Like Water for Chocolate his previous albums combined had not toppled the 500,000 (or Gold) sales mark.

Why the success with this album? This was during the time when Record execs thought the whole "Napster Fad" was going away; especially with the whole DRM thing. MCA was throwing an unprecidented level of money into this project considering it's content. All kinds of merch and promos. Billboards, radio airplay, retail displays, press, and tours. They were allocating more resources to Common than some of their Rock acts of that time. Common was on buttons, stickers, T-shirts, posters...

A promising thing at the time was that they were pushing the album's release date back because the orders were still coming in. Back in 2000, the number you sold in stores was directly releated to the amount that distribution set for it's sales goal to the stores before the album dropped. So, if Capital Records had your album at a national retail sales goal of something like 20,000, then that was how many they were expecting to sell-not much. But if the album demand increased at the store level, then the release date is pushed back and numbers re-calculated. Remember Pre-ordering albums? This was a gauge for the Record Companies. Gold and Platinum are certified by how many are sold to stores not by stores. The retail store orders for Like Water for Chocolate were somewhere around 340,000 when the album finally dropped in March of 2000-a prime spot to go Gold.

Swoop

--paraphrasing an account from an unknown source backstage:

Back at the House of Blues, Common had many of his Chicago-based friends of this new "Black-Positive" Movement there supporting him and collaborating with him. Erykah and (Common's Bandmate) Bilal performed in both of the shows and Mos Def came out as a surprise guest in the first of the two.

In between sets Erykah showed up in Common's dressing room wearing some extremely tall boots-almost fell down the stairs, stumpled here and there. Along with Bilal the two of them started drinking-smoking and having a good time. She sat down next to Bilal on a couch and that's when Bilal started in. He eased himself up to Erykah, talking to her, mumbling in a hushed tone in her ear. She was very receptive to the things that Bilal was saying-giving him a look of longing and acceptance. They had a couple more sips of their drinks and moved in closer.

Bilal wanted a refill, asked if Erykah could use one as well, and got up to get them some fresh cocktails. As he got up they looked at each other very intensely. Erykah was giving him that "come back to me baby" look she very seldom, if not ever, used and he exited. As if out of a Notorious BIG lyric Soon as he buy that wine / I just creep up from behind Common walks in to the dressing room, trimmed beard-Kangol hat-nicet fitted suit- to "talk" to Erykah. She was equally receptive to Common's game as Bilal's. At this point she was single, Andre and her were and had been broken up for a while, and she was possibly a little lonely. Probably could have been any smooth talking gent at that time that would catch her ear. Few moments later, Bilal returns to the dressing room drinks in hand and a shocked look upon his face. Common had swooped in on his game. He sat down in another chair, sipped the two drinks in his hands and tried to play it off like nothing happened.

By now Common had Erykah fully engaged in conversation, but not as intense as Bilal and Erykah's had been, it was as if they were old friends catching-up. Anyone in the room could tell that something was happening in there though, whether that was the beginning or not...you could tell that Common had influenced her that night-or she was under some kind of influence.

Electric Circus

Just as Common had influenced Erykah Badu, Badu had inturn influenced Common. On his next album, Electric Circus (2002 MCA), if was instantly apparent that Badu had done something to Common. Whether that was a good thing or not was for the people to decide. The underground rapper who used to tote a 40oz as a young buck was now exploring a whole new sound on this record. Many guests (Badu, Mary J Blige, Jill Scott and even Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier) and guest producers (?uestlove, J-Dilla, and the Neptunes) make the album hard to swallow for some of his evergrowing fanbase; here at eargoggles we embraced it. Like some Herbie Hancock records in the 70s (Fat Albert Rotunda, Mwandishi, Man-child.....) he brought in outside influences and ran with it. Not all of the tracks mixed, but if Prince were to do a Hip-Hop record this would be the closest thing to it. Upon a recent roadtrip through the Berkshires some of us at eargoggles (re)listened to the album amongst the beauty that is New England. Wasn't too fitting, but really funked up the drive. Man, the Red Sox are really getting on our nerves...Go Angels!

Still Ms. Badu couldn't take the most maddening (or maybe the most endearing) trait the Common has away from him-- his unapologetic earnestness. The Black Panther Salute-like-Neo-Soul-Bohemian influences didn't seem to fit, but what drove Electric Circus was an exploration of personal shortcommings and a lot of musical ambition. With the help of ?uestlove he took Stereolab into the Hip-Hop realm way before Pharrell; where do you think he got the idea? (Pharell is a featured artist on Electric Circus.) Nevertheless, the record is a spacy-good time that will take you to another place in the universe if you aren't prepared.

Just Be

After disappointing the hardcore Hip-Hop Heads with his last effort, the (over)exploratory Electric Circus in 2002, Common was sent back into the studio with longtime friend (and nobody at the time) Kanye West and Detroit producer Jay Dee (later changed his Name to J-Dilla). The result was the critically acclaimed Be, which leans on Common’s raw lyrical artillery of clever rhymes and metaphors. He went back to his dapper ways, dropped the hippie act and started smooth-talkin the ladies again. He also introduced the world to John Legend, but that's a whole other post all together.

Creatively, it’s between two albums, Can I Borrow a Dollar and Electric Circus.

Taken from:

Associated Press Mon, May. 23, 2005

AP: Perhaps your fans didn’t believe that the album essentially came from within you, rather more from your then-girlfriend Erykah Badu.

Common: (Laughs.) The album was all me at that time. I go through changes. If you look at my career, I started off holding 40-ounce (of beer) on my first cover. I grow and I go through changes. I think that there was a period in my life that I was trying to find myself, maybe trying to find myself in that relationship too. That was one of my transitional periods and that isn’t always going to fly with the masses.

AP: What do you say to critics who thought you got soft and impressionable during the making of your last album?

Common: Where I’m from and how I was raised, I never got to prove that I’m hard. My music never comes from anyone else.

AP: When you started recording Be, where you already broken up?

Common: We had been broken up for a little while, and it was a time where I was really grounded. It came to me at a hard time in life where I was really hungry.

AP: What are you trying to convey artistically on Be?

Common: That first of all, I’m a human, I’m a person. I experience different emotions like love, sexuality, creativity. I just want to show the sides of who I am as a being. I tried to not think about my sales, what I’ve done in the past. I was in the moment when making this album.

AP: After all these years, how do you keep on reinventing yourself and not get bored like most artists?

Common: I try to find new challenges, new things that excite me. On my last album it was about breaking boundaries and convention in hip-hop. Part of the challenge this time was that people where kind of doubting me, so that got me hungry.

AP: Would you ever consider having another public relationship like you did with Erykah Badu?

Common: I don’t think I would. I wouldn’t hide behind a relationship either, but one thing I do think is that sometimes you open up so much that you allow other energies to come in. And if it’s vulnerable at that time, then, you know, it can get messed up.

Badu 2008

“Don’t listen to the tabloids, they’re not always true, but what they say about me and the men? Yeah, that’s true," pans Badu on the taping of her February 2008 VH-1 Soul's Storytellerss. "I got ’em wearing crochet pants, but they still soldiers.” With thunderous laughter and knowing chuckles from the female fans in the crowd, Badu introduces her next single off the album “Soldier 7.”

What is it that they say about Badu and her men?

They ride bicycles????

Erykah Badu used to be a strong woman, with strong woman ideals and some sort of cred now she may be sending out the wrong message by becoming Hip-Hop's town bicycle.

She is now pregnant with her 3rd child. No big deal, congrats! That's wonderful. But...the father is that guy Jay Electronica, a self-proclaimed genius--which nobody has heard of right?. Not only that though; it's her 3rd different father. Happens all the time...but she was supposed to be a role-model some say. All kinds of people in the Hip-Hop world universe are in an uproar. Which caused Erykah to post this.

How dare you disrespect the queendom and my children and my intelligence.

Ive never been so disgusted in all of my life. There is no other place i used to enjoy more I post no where else .you guys have taken an all time low , tho.

I am an excellent mother and resent all of the negative comments and insults on my character. I put much time and thought into having and raising my children. Ive had the honors of having 2 home births and 2 wonderful partners by my side.

Every relationship i have been in was because i loved the person dearly and was dedicated to us "exclusively" for a number of years. The fathers of my children are my brothers and friends .we have a great deal of respect for one another and always will.

We love our children to no end. We took our own "vows" and continue to uphold them. And that is what that is .

Is it really "good" to stay in a relationship where both parties are unfulfilled , longing for relief , bringing one another down as a result of improper training , creating bad energy and experiences for the child to repeat ? (not to mention breeding deceit and anger and resentment )

How many of you grew up in 2 parent homes that were miserable as fuck ? Or 2 parent homes that were not perfect but worked? How many grew up in one parent homes where the mother worked hard to make sure you were cared for but she wasnt quite happy? How about a home where the father was the main care giver and did the best he could -lacking nurture? How many of you have a sibling that has a different father or mother? Does he or she mean less to you? How many of you have more than 1 mother or father of your own children ? How many of you had /or / are parents responsible enough to make good decisions for yourself and your children ,that dont quite fit any of these descriptions?
How many of you stay in unhealthy relationships for fear of going to hell?

Birth control lol- could have 10 babies instead of 2 .your opinions lack experience and are not only careless but also very uninformed and immature. Nothing is sacred here . And i see why.

If i loose you as a fan because i want to continue to have children then fuck off-who needs you-certainly not me |kick rocks ¦ call tyrone ¦ pack light â. Bite me

I have defended myself here on this site and hurled a few insults .. But only in response to your insults of my music , my clothes , my lyrics , my hair , my being a woman , my spirit, my choices of partners.

And if this post is not clear
kiss my placenta.

Nice.

Here's a recent interview from

GIANT MAGAZINE

“I know about the backlash, the ‘Erykah Badu, if you look at her, she’ll make you change gods and wear crochet pants’ backlash,” she says. “But nobody looks at the things that those people have given to me.”

What have they given you?

“Just so much musical freedom. Common is the most humble person I ever met. Kind and generous. He reinforced that in me. Andre is very creative and artistic. All of that that you see of him, that’s all him. That’s how he is, and that gave me a creative push, too.”

Although Badu is fairly cryptic when discussing her old beaus, she allows this brief, whispered indulgence.

“With Andre, we were both very young, so we didn’t know what we wanted or anything. We just knew we were in love, and we didn’t care who saw us. With Common, it was a little bit more mature.”

Whoa, lots going on there.

But why all the stories and info about these folks?? One reason... We just picked up an EP with the same theme as this post/feature from eargoggles' staple Turntable Lab.

Here's the write-up:

Feelgood summertime remixes from Plug Label head Kero One. His remix of Common's "The Light(1)" is super-satisfying like Pacificos by the pool. Warm melodic guitar loops and crisp drums give it substance, play it at your next outdoor gig and feel the warm vibes fill the air. Kero's remix of Erykah Badu's "On And On(2)" keeps a similar pace as the original, but adds that LA cosmic soul flourishes and swagger. On the flip, he adds some fatback drums and 70s synths to Outkast's "Roses(3)," and makes it into a song that both the ladies and beatheads can get down to. Three for three is rare, but Kero comes through. Also includes instrumental versions of "The Light" and "Roses."

...describing their view on climate change as a "hysterical psuedo-religion".

[...]

"The tactic used by the "green gang" is to label anyone who dares disagree with their view of climate change as some kind of nutcase who denies scientific fact," he said.

As if to prove his point here is the reponse by Peter Doran a spokesman for Friends of the Earth:

Mr Wilson (is) "like a cigarette salesman denying that smoking causes cancer".

Right... Just like that.

Of course, we don't have anything near the decades of real-world, old-style, test-tube type scientific evidence like we have that cigarettes cause cancer.

There are only assertions that the noted warming comes after the CO2 and the belief (this is the "psuedo-religion" part) that a cause and effect relationship exists. The problem is that correlation does not prove causation. That is why true scientists are still trying to prove it one way or another. 

If you don't believe me, ask the next true believer what scientific proof exists that there is man-made global warming.  You'll likely hear about computer models that seem to show correlation. But models are certainly not "proof" and some scientists even admit that the models are likely flawed. 

After that the "proof" the true believer proffers will pretty much trail off.

In the end, there is really no "scientific fact" to deny. I'm sure the irony of saying exactly what Mr. Wilson accuses him of saying was totally lost on Mr Doran.

Now, stating his belief and proposed remedy, Mr Wilson continues with his feet planted firmly on the ground.

Mr Wilson said he believed it (climate change) occurred naturally and was not man-made.

"Resources should be used to adapt to the consequences of climate change, rather than King Canute-style vainly trying to stop it," said the minister.

I agree. Since the climate has been changing since the beginning of time we should always be adapting to it. Its good to hear some common sense from a high ranking British official.

Link

Once there was loving couple travelling in a bus in a mountainous area. They decided to get down from bus at some place. After the couple got down at some place the bus moved on. As the bus moved on, a huge rock fell on the bus from the mountain and crushed the bus to crumbs. Everybody on board was killed.

The couple upon seeing that, said, ‘We wish we were on that bus.’

Why do you think they said that?!?!

If they had remained on the bus instead of deciding to get down, the resulting time delay could have been avoided and the rock could have fallen after the bus had passed…

Moral:
(1) Thinking out of the Box or Think positive in life always and look for opportunities when you can help others…
(2) Wisdom and intellect is the first thing that God created.
(3) Wisdom and intellect is every man’s friend, ignorance and illiteracy, are his enemies.

Doesn't it?

A couple posts ago, written by me, titled "Goodnight Pillow". It mentions no names and threatens no one. It was completely harmless, my thoughts, and my opinions. A very rude and threatening comment was posted on it. The following is a screen shot of THE ACTUAL comment this person posted. The message is in my email. The blacked out portions are to protect this person's name, email, screen name, and IP address.

I did not provoke this and I did not ask for this person's opinion. This person willingly chose to publicly threaten me and cause bodily harm to me. This person also continues to make threats to Daniel and me. We have copies of all the emails.

We do have a very good, strong case. This person is held libel for writing this, has publicly threatened bodily injury to me, and is continuing to threaten and harass us. The reason why I am coming to you, the public, is to ask of your opinion. I want to know what you think about this matter.

As a side note, I do not want any contact from, or see a comment(s) coming from, the person who wrote this email to me, or Daniel, in any way, shape, or form. I will consider it further harassment.

I stumbled upon an interesting quote by G.K. Chesterton.  He says, "The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married. A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet. If he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson colour of it should creep into his vote.... The question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes. The point is that only a minority of the voter votes."

Your allegiance should not belong to a political party.  It makes no sense to always vote Republican, or always vote Democratic.  You vote for the candidate that most represents your beliefs, and that person becomes your voice.  In most language, the words vote and voice are used interchangeably. In a way that person becomes your voice when you have none.  As I said to a friend of mine, we ought not to vote with the person that makes the most sense on only one level of our being.  It is foolish to vote for the most sensible man, or even the most courageous.  I know that in this race, many will simply vote for the most eloquent.

It is said that "strength without compassion is violence.  Compassion without justice is mere sentiment.  Justice without love is Marxism, and love without justice is baloney."

This is why we must vote with our whole being.  Perhaps the mind can understand strength, and the soul may be capable of sensing justice, but only heart can feel compassion and love.  If you are to pick the right man, you need all three.

The only reason for asking a retailer that question is if you think you and your friends and family can buy wholesale instead of retail.  It's a surefire way to put someone out of business in a smaller community.  What's the big deal?  A store owner like me has worked to establish a relationship with suppliers, paid for things like rent and/or property, business licenses, utilities, etc.  And, endeavored to do it all within the confines of what is legal.  Once a small business start making profit, which generally takes a while, it has to hire people, which creates jobs that would not otherwise exist.  At the start, any profit is incredibly small.  It's not surprising when someone like me refuses to give out contact information.

There are a lot of other questions people ask that don't deserve an answer.  In fact, answering any of the following can lead to big trouble (this is only a partial listing, but you'll get the idea...)

Any kind of unusual question regarding your business: someone you suspect isn't from the bank asking about account information, equipment like your debit/credit machine, or computers; anyone asking for your staff information--this is particularly important in Canada, as PIPEDA, the federal privacy of information act came into effect a few years ago; sales data, which could be harmful to your company's reputation or give the competition an unfair advantage; someone claiming to represent the government without proper credentials--a voice on the phone is not good enough.

Questions regarding your health are your business, and not the affair of other people waiting for the doctor.  Someone who calls your phone and asks who you are is definitely not deserving of an answer--they called you, they can tell you who they are.  Generally the busybody mumbles something about a wrong number and hangs up.  Pyramid schemes by their nature--using names and addresses of people who should have been able to trust you with them--are a violation of privacy.

Unless you're comfortable discussing your personal beliefs, you don't have to.  As a scifi author, people often ask if I believe in aliens.  You might be surprised how many are disappointed that I don't.  If I did, all the fun would go out of it for me, and I'd have to argue with my publisher about the fiction label.  Just recently I met someone who wanted me to listen to a 'qualified astronomer,' in the hopes it would convince me of her beliefs.  My indifference seemed to upset her, but she can believe anything she wants.

Questions about one's personal life sometimes get too personal.  My advice to younger celebrities, when the media asks if you're still a virgin, just tell them it's none of their business.  That might just be the biggest 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' question out there.  I applaud George Clooney's recent response to a rude question about his single status.

Be extremely wary of questions asked by strangers over the Internet.  Obvious phishing (looking for information with the intention of using it for criminal purposes) includes requests for your password, birthdate, confirmation regarding contests you didn't enter, etc.  Not so obvious might be questions on social networking sites.  If something feels 'off' call your friends to confirm.

Even more astounding than the invasive questioning is the answer I usually get when I ask why the person answered it.  "Well, you know, they asked me," as if that explains the person's momentary lapse of sanity.  So what?  Being asked a question doesn't require you to answer it, especially when it's not in your best interest.  You have the right to remain silent in the free world.  Sometimes it's a good idea to use it.

Thanks for reading.  :-)

Phyllis K Twombly
www.ScifiAliens.com

Since then, several people along the way have also suggested Life Coaching as a career path for me.  I have sort of blown off the idea because I just felt overwhelmed and unsettled in my own life and physically not up to taking on anything else as a challenge.

However, recently, I have been in fact been doing that very thing with several people in my life.  I have been doing that type of role of mentoring and doing some Life Coaching type of support for them.  It still didn't occur to me as a direction for a profession.  Even with my blog and all of the feedback that I receive from it, it wasn't clear to me that was a path that was something to consider.

While visiting my sister, we were talking, and she asked me out of the blue if I had considered going back to work ever.  I went through my reasoning for not going back to get my Master's in Psychology.  She both understood and agreed.  She then looked at me and suggested a Life Coach as an option for me to consider.  This type of coaching is done mostly by phone and email these days, so I would be able to do it from wherever I am and even if I wasn't feeling great.

The things I have in my favor is that I have a very strong and successful background in business.  I understand the business world and how it works.  I also have a very strong understanding of people and psychology.  I think most of all, I have good old fashioned common sense and a no nonsense approach to life for the most part.  I have also dealt with my share of crap, drama, and tragedy and have moved through it keeping my sanity in tact for the most part.

So, all this in mind, I thought I would ask you, my readers your thoughts on the subject.  What you think of Personal Life Coaches in general, and if you think that would suit my style or personality?  Do you see any drawbacks?  I would be interested to hear your thoughts....as always.

Society has become obsessed with Minutiae.

We've come to expect tiny, precise details about everything. It's not enough to get the weather report, we want to know the Doppler effect and the dew point, the humidity level vs. the 'real feel'. Well, some people do, anyway. I use the term 'we' loosely, because I couldn't care less. My husband will watch the Weather Channel for an hour. Me, I stick my head outside. Not raining? Good enough.

I understand the need for details. Really, I do. If a checkbook is off by 80 cents, I'll search for it mercilessly just because it bugs me to be out of balance. Details have a place, but I don't think they belong in every place.

Y'all have heard me gripe before that the Letter of the law outweighs the Intent. That there's bad mojo, for the simple fact that we cannot create enough laws to perfectly suit every situation. Ever. And the futile attempt to do so has made it stifling for citizens to breathe.

It bothers me that people don't notice. Almost every time I'm out in public I overhear folks comment, "There ought to be a law against that." Why? We don't have enough of the doggone things already? Besides, there likely already is a law against whatever-it-is. It just doesn't spell out that particular incident. Lemme show you what I mean.

No law specifically states, "Cooter the Criminal cannot throw a live turkey into a jello wrestling ring." I'm quite sure of it--I've searched extensively. But let's say Cooter does that very thing with his prizewinning show turkey. It gets body-slammed and placed in a half-nelson, where it dies a horrible, jello sucking death.

Poor turkey. He was so young--he'd not yet begun to molt.

Sure, Cooter's probably going down for animal cruelty. But does he also have a legal right to sue somebody for the loss of his turkey championship income? For loss of  companionship?  Sexual consortium? (Oh wait, that one IS illegal.) As I understand it--in most states he does have the right to file a lawsuit.

Why is he allowed to waste the court's time?  Just because no law has a specific Turkey-in-a-Jello-ring clause? Wouldn't it be easier to look at the intent of the animal cruelty laws, swat Cooter upside the head and throw his petition in the trash?

Minutiae. Tiny details. The law doesn't say he can't sue. (Yes it's a double negative. Leave me alone you grammar Nazis!) Therefore, if Cooter has cash, some lawyer will take the case for a shot at a spot on CNN.

Pitiful.

Not that I'm picking on lawyers. They have families to feed, too. My beef is with the lack of Common Sense. The ridiculous focus on Picky Shit. It's everywhere I look.

Is it really necessary for truck drivers to record every movement for every moment of every day? How would you like to make a notation each time you pee? Do we really need to tell them when they can and cannot sleep? If they're tired, let them take a nap for pete's sake! Leave them alone to do their jobs, already--the regulations are excessive and counter-productive. I'm not a truck driver and even I can see that.

Do we really need to examine the whys and wherefores of Sarah Palin's daughter being pregnant? I'm way more concerned whether the woman can handle the Vice Presidency than I am about her daughter's sexual activity. Palin has a pro-life stance, and her daughter plans to keep the baby. I fail to see the conflict. Move on, already! I still haven't decided whom to vote for--give me some news I can work with.

And finally, the celebu-crap. Oh dear Lord save me from tabloid journalism! It matters to me if a movie is good. I invested my time and money into it, and I'd like to be entertained. I do NOT care what, or who, the stars do when they're not onscreen. My homepage had a 'You-know-who doesn't wear deodorant' headline up for DAYS. It seems like every movie review or article about the man finds reason to comment on the deodorant thing. What for?  Would we like someone mass-reporting about the hemorrhoid cream in our cabinets or our Viagra consumption? Really, it's none of our business. Leave the guy alone. 

Minute details. Picky shit. Enough already.

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This article is an original post from www.UglyAssOpinion.com© Kelly L. Trainor 2008 All Rights Reserved

Judging from this open letter to Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain picked the wrong woman.

So we do get to talk about your policies. And we do get to talk about hypocrisy. You asked us to repect your family’s privacy, but you won’t respect my family’s privacy to make our own decisions!

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that, as parents, we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned,” said Palin, 44, and her husband. “We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.” They asked the media to respect their child’s privacy.

How come she gets to make a decision but the rest of the girls and women in America don’t! You won’t even let me learn in school about all the decisions I might need to make!

McCain could have used a woman like FrecklesCassie.  Alas for McCain, she's about 20 years too young.

Maybe he should have waited.  At a minimum, he should have shopped around for someone with more common sense.

Obama, I like him. I don't hold anything against him, other than the fact that I believe he should have chose Hillary as his running mate. I think that was stupid on his part. I bitch and complain about him all the time. I firmly believe that he was the media darling. That is the only reason why he is in the position he's in now. Many say it's because he's African American. I don't believe that. There have been a few other African Americans who were more qualified than him, and they lost out. When you break it down, all Obama's team did was find the best marketing strategy, "Change".

With the way the economy is going, "Change" is something his team knew people would respond to. Not experience and not diplomacy, just a good marketing strategy. Again, I like him. I just don't think he's ready.

So, I came to a conclusion. If we Hillary people were going to put our full trust in her as our president, than why shouldn't we trust her to make the right decision by endorsing Obama? If we truely have faith in her to make the right decisions for this country, than we should trust her jugement on him. I don't like it, I don't want to vote for him, but we're backed into a corner. It's either Obama or McCain. Do we really want four more years of Bush? We all know that is what the case would be too.

Not just McCain, but this Palin lady? Who the fuck is she?! Did he just throw a dart at a map and it just happened to land on the biggest igloo in Alaska? I mean come on! THE only reason why McCain picked her, is to win over votes from people who want a WOMAN in office. Not an experienced diplomat. Now who is turning it into a gender issue?

I don't give a shit if you're a man or a woman. I don't care if you're black, white, purple, yellow, or green with orange stripes. It doesn't matter. McCain is OBVIOUSLY pandoring! Anyone can see that!

And another thing. Something that pisses me off is people voting for Obama because he's black. It's rediculous. The color of his skin does not determin how good or bad he will be. It's pathetic. Same goes with Palin. People are dumb enough to vote for her JUST because she's a woman. On top of that, there are idiots who are going to vote for her because she's pretty. I only say this because I know people who are voting for one or the other based on these "credentials". When are we going to learn?

Anyway, there was a point I was trying to make before I went off track. If we were going to listen to Hillary as our president, than we should still listen to her and trust her when she says to vote for Obama. If nothing else, but because she is encouraging us to.