I just logged on to Blogger and realized that's it's almost been a full year since my last post. Wow. A lot has happened that I have no aspiration to go into. The only significant thing to talk about is that lately I have been giving some real thought about personal development. I started back in the gym and trying to watch what I eat. However, I also am thinking about how do I develop mentally so with that I am launching a new project later today.
Keep posted, it should be an interesting experiment and I hope people like it. I promise that it won't be another year before you see a post from me.
Patrick
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
How fragile life is
Sometimes it takes dramatic, life changing events to make you really tke stock in what you have and what you are doing. Today is one of those days. This will probably the only time I speak or write about this in detail and I am only doing it to gte all of this off my chest.
Regardless of what I say and regardless of how much I might complain, I truly believe that I have had a very forutnate and blessed life.
Last night, the apartment below mine caught on fire, killing the two occupants in there sleep.
http://ourmidland.com/articles/2009/07/01/police_and_courts/doc4a4b6b5e4f811606246104.txt
The crazy part is that the only reason that I woke up was because the firefighters were in the process of kicking my door in to clear the apartment and make sure the flames didn't spread. The smoke didn't wake me nor did the sirens of the two fire trucks, two ambulances and four police cars. I am pretty sure that I was the last person out of the building, at least on my side of the building.
What is wierd is that today, I feel the safest that I have ever felt living in this apartment. In old apartments like these, I was told that fires spread much easier and cause considerable damage to multiple aka that means I would have been crispier than the Colonel's extra-cripsy chicken. The fire walls and the safeguards in the apartment building are solid which makes me feel very secure. Really the only damage to my apartment is my broken door from when the door was kicked in, the window screens that were broken by the firefighters, a little bit of smoke around the pipe orefices that connect my apartment to the ont below and a smokey smell which will obviously need to be cleaned out.
Anyways, I am perfectly alright and that is what is really important. I think I am fully vented.
These things happen and all we can do is hope and pray that when it does, we come out on the good side.
Regardless of what I say and regardless of how much I might complain, I truly believe that I have had a very forutnate and blessed life.
Last night, the apartment below mine caught on fire, killing the two occupants in there sleep.
http://ourmidland.com/articles/2009/07/01/police_and_courts/doc4a4b6b5e4f811606246104.txt
The crazy part is that the only reason that I woke up was because the firefighters were in the process of kicking my door in to clear the apartment and make sure the flames didn't spread. The smoke didn't wake me nor did the sirens of the two fire trucks, two ambulances and four police cars. I am pretty sure that I was the last person out of the building, at least on my side of the building.
What is wierd is that today, I feel the safest that I have ever felt living in this apartment. In old apartments like these, I was told that fires spread much easier and cause considerable damage to multiple aka that means I would have been crispier than the Colonel's extra-cripsy chicken. The fire walls and the safeguards in the apartment building are solid which makes me feel very secure. Really the only damage to my apartment is my broken door from when the door was kicked in, the window screens that were broken by the firefighters, a little bit of smoke around the pipe orefices that connect my apartment to the ont below and a smokey smell which will obviously need to be cleaned out.
Anyways, I am perfectly alright and that is what is really important. I think I am fully vented.
These things happen and all we can do is hope and pray that when it does, we come out on the good side.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Get ya popcorn ready!
So for the TO reference but it light of the topic I plan to write about, it seemed appropriate,.
It's been almost a month since my last post. Where has the time gone? I've been practically living out of my suitcase(s) for the month of May. So, I have been doing some really fun stuff. I got to see some great friends and talk about the things that make me happy in life. For those who know me well, know that I love to watch movies. When I am happy, sad, or just trying to kill time, I watch movies. At home, the theaters, a party, wherever. If there is a movie on, I plan to watch it. I have even gone so far as to require any woman that I have seriously dated to be a fan of my favorite movie, The Usual Suspects (It generally doesn't go so well).
I say all this only to introduce my post for today. While I was in Chicago, I went to see Terminator: Salvation with Rob and Lance. In normal movie-goer fashion, we discussed our likes and dislikes upon completion of the movie. After we discussed the movie, Lance said something really interesting to me. He said that I should be a movie critic. At first I dismissed it but after I got back to Midland and promptly watched the Blockbuster Movie (The Illusionist) that was waiting in my mailbox. I began to really think about it. What would it take to be a good movie critic? I know what I like but who's to say what I like about movies is what others will find valuable information about movies.
Movie critics usually get ridiculed for not understanding what the general public likes in movies. Which from the outside looking in makes sense. Critics often write about the artistic nature of the film, the subtleties of the dialogue, emotional engagement with the character and connection to the audience through the third wall. The normal every day person wants to see believable acting, good action, good effects and a compelling but not to intellectual story (IMHO). So this observation begs the question why? Critics are normal people too. My attempt to answer the why is that movie critics watch movies for a living. I would compare it to those who drink a particular beverage frequently. You know the taste completely. All of the subtleties of the interaction between the sugar, water and other additives. So when something is a little different, you pick up on it right away. I think the same applies for movie critics. They watch movies so much that the normal everyday movie does not excite them. Movies that are made to be commercially appealing can come off as bland because what is fresh and exciting for the occasional movie watcher does not satisfy the right-brain of those whose job is to identify what is special in pieces of cinema everyday.
So, I now sit here pondering what would life be like if I had chosen to become a professional movie critic and not a supply chain professional. I have a feeling it would have ruined movie watching for me. The thing I like about movies is the surprise, especially when you get surprised after having watched the movie multiple times, and the ability to become fully immersed in a film and forget everything else that is going on. As a movie-lover, I don't think I could ever give up that connection to cinema.
It's been almost a month since my last post. Where has the time gone? I've been practically living out of my suitcase(s) for the month of May. So, I have been doing some really fun stuff. I got to see some great friends and talk about the things that make me happy in life. For those who know me well, know that I love to watch movies. When I am happy, sad, or just trying to kill time, I watch movies. At home, the theaters, a party, wherever. If there is a movie on, I plan to watch it. I have even gone so far as to require any woman that I have seriously dated to be a fan of my favorite movie, The Usual Suspects (It generally doesn't go so well).
I say all this only to introduce my post for today. While I was in Chicago, I went to see Terminator: Salvation with Rob and Lance. In normal movie-goer fashion, we discussed our likes and dislikes upon completion of the movie. After we discussed the movie, Lance said something really interesting to me. He said that I should be a movie critic. At first I dismissed it but after I got back to Midland and promptly watched the Blockbuster Movie (The Illusionist) that was waiting in my mailbox. I began to really think about it. What would it take to be a good movie critic? I know what I like but who's to say what I like about movies is what others will find valuable information about movies.
Movie critics usually get ridiculed for not understanding what the general public likes in movies. Which from the outside looking in makes sense. Critics often write about the artistic nature of the film, the subtleties of the dialogue, emotional engagement with the character and connection to the audience through the third wall. The normal every day person wants to see believable acting, good action, good effects and a compelling but not to intellectual story (IMHO). So this observation begs the question why? Critics are normal people too. My attempt to answer the why is that movie critics watch movies for a living. I would compare it to those who drink a particular beverage frequently. You know the taste completely. All of the subtleties of the interaction between the sugar, water and other additives. So when something is a little different, you pick up on it right away. I think the same applies for movie critics. They watch movies so much that the normal everyday movie does not excite them. Movies that are made to be commercially appealing can come off as bland because what is fresh and exciting for the occasional movie watcher does not satisfy the right-brain of those whose job is to identify what is special in pieces of cinema everyday.
So, I now sit here pondering what would life be like if I had chosen to become a professional movie critic and not a supply chain professional. I have a feeling it would have ruined movie watching for me. The thing I like about movies is the surprise, especially when you get surprised after having watched the movie multiple times, and the ability to become fully immersed in a film and forget everything else that is going on. As a movie-lover, I don't think I could ever give up that connection to cinema.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Do we have to thank the servicemen all of the time?
It has been over a month since my last post which is ridiculous considering a whole lot has gone on this past month.
With that being said, let me clear up something about my title. I am very appreciative of all the sacrifices that our members of the United States Armed Forces make in order to protect the freedoms and privileges that we as a country hold so dear. I also fully understand how that sacrifice effects the family and friends of our proud military men and women.
So, why the question? I probably should provide a little background. I spent the past week celebrating the nuptials of my closest friend from high school who is also a United States Marine. A decent contingent of Marines that he works with flew to St. Louis for the ceremony so I spent a lot of time. Regardless of where we went, as soon as it was discovered that they were Marines, a chorus of praise and adulation filled the air. I will never forget the looks of anguish on there faces after having to respond to endless iterations of the same and somewhat shallow "Thank you for your service." In my opinion, they seemed more stressed than honored to receive the praise.
I am all for giving credit where credit is due but after what I saw this weekend it begs me to wonder, do we really need to thank every different soldier that we meet with every chance that we get? It seems that ever since 9/11 and the War on terrorism began, the country has entered into this hyper-appreciative, hyper-congratulatory spirit for all of the "boots on the ground." Maybe its just me, but it seems to dilute the significance of giving genuine thanks. This in by no means reflect that I believe that people are not being sincere in their expressions of thanks. However after being with a group of soldiers for multiple days in a row, it seems that they have heard it so much that they are becoming desensitized to it.
Obviously, they are cordial and appreciative of the thanks but have you ever seen someone who is truly grateful for a word of thanks? If you have you know that it is an expression that cannot be faked and it is abundantly clear that the brief word of thanks struck a cord within them somewhere. I believe that is the kind of thanks that our men and women of the military deserve. To give you an example of what I mean, at my friend's wedding, the father of the bride gave a heartfelt and almost tearful thanks to all of the past and present military men and women in attendance during his toast. You could see that his heart was in it and because of it every current and former military person at the reception had that same expression that I commented on earlier in this paragraph. It was a joy to see the impact that the 1-minute expression of thanks had on the entire room.
For those that read what I have written and have become offended, I am sorry. However, I stand by every word in this post. I believe that it is great that people feel compelled to thank our military personnel for there service. From now on, however, instead of issuing a blanket thank to every soldier that I meet, I plan to reserve them for the special moments when I know those selected soldiers will understand the immense depth of my appreciation for their selfless service to our country and the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made, to keep me and my loved ones safe.
With that being said, let me clear up something about my title. I am very appreciative of all the sacrifices that our members of the United States Armed Forces make in order to protect the freedoms and privileges that we as a country hold so dear. I also fully understand how that sacrifice effects the family and friends of our proud military men and women.
So, why the question? I probably should provide a little background. I spent the past week celebrating the nuptials of my closest friend from high school who is also a United States Marine. A decent contingent of Marines that he works with flew to St. Louis for the ceremony so I spent a lot of time. Regardless of where we went, as soon as it was discovered that they were Marines, a chorus of praise and adulation filled the air. I will never forget the looks of anguish on there faces after having to respond to endless iterations of the same and somewhat shallow "Thank you for your service." In my opinion, they seemed more stressed than honored to receive the praise.
I am all for giving credit where credit is due but after what I saw this weekend it begs me to wonder, do we really need to thank every different soldier that we meet with every chance that we get? It seems that ever since 9/11 and the War on terrorism began, the country has entered into this hyper-appreciative, hyper-congratulatory spirit for all of the "boots on the ground." Maybe its just me, but it seems to dilute the significance of giving genuine thanks. This in by no means reflect that I believe that people are not being sincere in their expressions of thanks. However after being with a group of soldiers for multiple days in a row, it seems that they have heard it so much that they are becoming desensitized to it.
Obviously, they are cordial and appreciative of the thanks but have you ever seen someone who is truly grateful for a word of thanks? If you have you know that it is an expression that cannot be faked and it is abundantly clear that the brief word of thanks struck a cord within them somewhere. I believe that is the kind of thanks that our men and women of the military deserve. To give you an example of what I mean, at my friend's wedding, the father of the bride gave a heartfelt and almost tearful thanks to all of the past and present military men and women in attendance during his toast. You could see that his heart was in it and because of it every current and former military person at the reception had that same expression that I commented on earlier in this paragraph. It was a joy to see the impact that the 1-minute expression of thanks had on the entire room.
For those that read what I have written and have become offended, I am sorry. However, I stand by every word in this post. I believe that it is great that people feel compelled to thank our military personnel for there service. From now on, however, instead of issuing a blanket thank to every soldier that I meet, I plan to reserve them for the special moments when I know those selected soldiers will understand the immense depth of my appreciation for their selfless service to our country and the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made, to keep me and my loved ones safe.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
SWAG-ology
It is amazing how themes can carry on throughout an entire weekend. For me, the theme of this weekend was establishing your swagger. As Katt Williams would say, "tuning into your star player."
This weekend wasn't about me establishing my swag because I already know me but it was about helping others to discover there swag. On Friday, I was out with some friends and this guy whom I have never met walked up and kept complaining how he wasn't getting any girls because he had just got out of a relationship. From my assessment, that girl screwed up his mind and crushed his swag. He carried an air of timidness and for a man by my best guess was about 6 ft tall, 235 lbs, that is no small feat. So a friend and I gave him a quick lesson about swag, Needless to say, the next time I saw him, he was walking out of the bar with a smiling woman on his arm.
This is the power of swag, it takes everything about you and makes them desirable but turning your faults and insecurities into charming characteristics that draws people to you takes an inner understanding and satisfaction with yourself that is unflinching and never wavers. At this point, I have told you what swag is and what it can do for you but where does it come from?
Swag is not a tangible object. It's more of an abstract conception that you enrich the lives of everyone you meet regardless of how trivial the interaction because you are just that awesome. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to teach you how to grow your swag . I also do not believe that no one can tell you how to do it. If someone tries to tell you different, watch out because they might also be a snake oil salesman. At its core, Swag is confidence. The kind of confidence that permeates all aspects of your life and radiates to everyone around you. It's like you have a golden aura of attractability around you.
Do you know the feeling that you get when you are the best at something? Like when you get a A on a test and no one else does or when you are the best player on the court or when you have the hottest girlfriend in the room? That is swag at its infancy. In maturity, that feeling permeates through all aspects of your life regardless of your actual ability. You feel that you can do anything and even when you fail you can still shrug it off and not let it bring you down. There are also some down sides to having too much swag. Sometimes you can be too brash or too arrogant, which turns people off. You could also mistake your confidence for competence and make some really bad decisions.
So, fully maximized swag is really about being confident in your abilities but also being secure enough to know that you can't know everything and sometimes you need some help. In light of full disclosure, I firmly believe that I have a long way to go to reach full swag, on a 1 to 10 scale where 10 is full swag, I believe I am at a 6.5 however I recognize that being swag-alicious takes time and i'm gonna do me until I reach the top.
I've got to go now. Stay up, do you and happy swagging!
This weekend wasn't about me establishing my swag because I already know me but it was about helping others to discover there swag. On Friday, I was out with some friends and this guy whom I have never met walked up and kept complaining how he wasn't getting any girls because he had just got out of a relationship. From my assessment, that girl screwed up his mind and crushed his swag. He carried an air of timidness and for a man by my best guess was about 6 ft tall, 235 lbs, that is no small feat. So a friend and I gave him a quick lesson about swag, Needless to say, the next time I saw him, he was walking out of the bar with a smiling woman on his arm.
This is the power of swag, it takes everything about you and makes them desirable but turning your faults and insecurities into charming characteristics that draws people to you takes an inner understanding and satisfaction with yourself that is unflinching and never wavers. At this point, I have told you what swag is and what it can do for you but where does it come from?
Swag is not a tangible object. It's more of an abstract conception that you enrich the lives of everyone you meet regardless of how trivial the interaction because you are just that awesome. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to teach you how to grow your swag . I also do not believe that no one can tell you how to do it. If someone tries to tell you different, watch out because they might also be a snake oil salesman. At its core, Swag is confidence. The kind of confidence that permeates all aspects of your life and radiates to everyone around you. It's like you have a golden aura of attractability around you.
Do you know the feeling that you get when you are the best at something? Like when you get a A on a test and no one else does or when you are the best player on the court or when you have the hottest girlfriend in the room? That is swag at its infancy. In maturity, that feeling permeates through all aspects of your life regardless of your actual ability. You feel that you can do anything and even when you fail you can still shrug it off and not let it bring you down. There are also some down sides to having too much swag. Sometimes you can be too brash or too arrogant, which turns people off. You could also mistake your confidence for competence and make some really bad decisions.
So, fully maximized swag is really about being confident in your abilities but also being secure enough to know that you can't know everything and sometimes you need some help. In light of full disclosure, I firmly believe that I have a long way to go to reach full swag, on a 1 to 10 scale where 10 is full swag, I believe I am at a 6.5 however I recognize that being swag-alicious takes time and i'm gonna do me until I reach the top.
I've got to go now. Stay up, do you and happy swagging!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Writing for the sake of writing
I have been thinking to myself "man, I should write something in my blog." Unfortunately there is nothing going on that I feel that I need to share my insight about. I have done a lot of really cool things since my last post, the world has gone through some very well-chronicled situations, and what I have always to be believed as true has finally revealed itself: Chris Brown is crazy. However, none of these things have spurred when to take to keyboard and expound upon the events of the time.
I am trying to keep this blog as non-political as possible which is very difficult these days and I don't want it to be a series of essays about racial injustice. Which unfortunately can be hard because I live in a town of 40,000 and no more than 5% of the population is of minority descent. So what should I write about? I assume everyone would be amused be the disgraceful showing that I put on while trying to curl. Also, many of my friends would be happy to know that I have finally started going back to the gym (ladies look out, my charisma with an in-shape body would prove for some exciting times in my life). I have learned that I am a much more interesting and likable person after taking out all of my frustrations at the gym. I also feel less guilty about sitting on the couch watching a movie after a 90 minute body-killing workout.
It has finally been confirmed that my mother, Shanda Kay West, is intent on setting me up with women from all across the country. When I first moved to Midland, she told me to visit DC to meet up with this girl who I have known for a long time and haven't seen in years, then on another occasion she wanted he to take a girl from St. Louis to lunch because she thought that the girl was cute and interesting and then yesterday my mother almost demanded that I take a specific lady (who is actually a really cool person) to dinner or a movie or something when I am in Texas later this year. This is mom being mom but at some point, it's got to stop. She has been doing this since I was old enough to drive and it usually ends badly. If you have ever experienced match-making by your parents or other family members, then you will understand. Oh well, at least she cares.
I am trying to keep this blog as non-political as possible which is very difficult these days and I don't want it to be a series of essays about racial injustice. Which unfortunately can be hard because I live in a town of 40,000 and no more than 5% of the population is of minority descent. So what should I write about? I assume everyone would be amused be the disgraceful showing that I put on while trying to curl. Also, many of my friends would be happy to know that I have finally started going back to the gym (ladies look out, my charisma with an in-shape body would prove for some exciting times in my life). I have learned that I am a much more interesting and likable person after taking out all of my frustrations at the gym. I also feel less guilty about sitting on the couch watching a movie after a 90 minute body-killing workout.
It has finally been confirmed that my mother, Shanda Kay West, is intent on setting me up with women from all across the country. When I first moved to Midland, she told me to visit DC to meet up with this girl who I have known for a long time and haven't seen in years, then on another occasion she wanted he to take a girl from St. Louis to lunch because she thought that the girl was cute and interesting and then yesterday my mother almost demanded that I take a specific lady (who is actually a really cool person) to dinner or a movie or something when I am in Texas later this year. This is mom being mom but at some point, it's got to stop. She has been doing this since I was old enough to drive and it usually ends badly. If you have ever experienced match-making by your parents or other family members, then you will understand. Oh well, at least she cares.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Alabama Leprechauns? Really?
It seems that I start off every blog by saying sorry and I can't belive that it is been so long since I have posted. So for the 4 or five people out there that actually read this blog, I once again say sorry and I can't believe that it has been over two months since my last post. A lot has actually been going on in my life but I will not write about any of it in this blog. I am going to address something that has shaken my confidence in the american people to my core.
I just recently returned from a trip to my Alma Mater and was exposed to a specific youtube video originating as an actual news story from a small media outlet in Alabama that broadcasted a story about the possible sightings of a leprechaun in a tree in Alabama.
If you haven't seen the video, here it is.
When I first saw the video, I thought it was funny but after thinking about, I got increasingly disturbed at the amount of widestream pleasure that individuals across the country were getting from the embarrassment of a group of lower-income African Americans. There is a specific line in the video that seems to be a de facto rallying cry that likens Mel Gibson's exhortation before the final battle in Braveheart or Leonidas' confident roar about the profession of the Men of Sparta. This unfortunate line served as the rallying cry for the evenings escapades for our highly educated and accomplished group of individuals. The more shocking the matter was that regardless where we were (the party bus, the piano bar, on the street, etc) there were equally as if not larger groups who knew exactly what we were talking about immediately as the phrase was uttered and responded as if it was their own call to arms.
I am generally not one to subscribe to conspiracy theories that the media is out to get a particular group of people however at some point I believe some programming manager at the television station should have said "This makes the people of Mobile, AL look really bad. Maybe we should not air it." It would not have been a huge controversy to not air it. Come on, it's a story about a leprechaun sighting in an impoverished neighborhood in downtrodden Mobile, Alabama. Is that really a subversion of free press to not air the piece? Even though this story originally aired in 2006, I am sure there was plenty of relevant and entertaining news going on that could have filled that two-minute segment which will now exist virtually in infamy.
Isolated events like this very rarely cause me to stir but the aggregation of this, the Delonas/New York Post cartoon, a revisiting of the Whistle-Tip video and the end of United Black World Month (Black History Month for the old school) has really got me concerned about the amount of pleasure that can come from the embarrassment of a group of people which seems to be disproportionately focused on impoverished African-Americans. I feel somewhat of a Gloomy Gus by harping on this. I'm always down for a funny story or a good time but at some point it goes from funny to sad. I understand that people say and do ridiculous things but does it really need to be a feature story on the nightly news. My grandmother always talked about not "airing the family's dirty laundry." Unfortunately, this is dirty laundry for evey American citizen and with the advent and popularity of youtube it has been aired to everyone in the world.
I could write more but I won't so this is what I have. It is what it is...
I just recently returned from a trip to my Alma Mater and was exposed to a specific youtube video originating as an actual news story from a small media outlet in Alabama that broadcasted a story about the possible sightings of a leprechaun in a tree in Alabama.
If you haven't seen the video, here it is.
When I first saw the video, I thought it was funny but after thinking about, I got increasingly disturbed at the amount of widestream pleasure that individuals across the country were getting from the embarrassment of a group of lower-income African Americans. There is a specific line in the video that seems to be a de facto rallying cry that likens Mel Gibson's exhortation before the final battle in Braveheart or Leonidas' confident roar about the profession of the Men of Sparta. This unfortunate line served as the rallying cry for the evenings escapades for our highly educated and accomplished group of individuals. The more shocking the matter was that regardless where we were (the party bus, the piano bar, on the street, etc) there were equally as if not larger groups who knew exactly what we were talking about immediately as the phrase was uttered and responded as if it was their own call to arms.
I am generally not one to subscribe to conspiracy theories that the media is out to get a particular group of people however at some point I believe some programming manager at the television station should have said "This makes the people of Mobile, AL look really bad. Maybe we should not air it." It would not have been a huge controversy to not air it. Come on, it's a story about a leprechaun sighting in an impoverished neighborhood in downtrodden Mobile, Alabama. Is that really a subversion of free press to not air the piece? Even though this story originally aired in 2006, I am sure there was plenty of relevant and entertaining news going on that could have filled that two-minute segment which will now exist virtually in infamy.
Isolated events like this very rarely cause me to stir but the aggregation of this, the Delonas/New York Post cartoon, a revisiting of the Whistle-Tip video and the end of United Black World Month (Black History Month for the old school) has really got me concerned about the amount of pleasure that can come from the embarrassment of a group of people which seems to be disproportionately focused on impoverished African-Americans. I feel somewhat of a Gloomy Gus by harping on this. I'm always down for a funny story or a good time but at some point it goes from funny to sad. I understand that people say and do ridiculous things but does it really need to be a feature story on the nightly news. My grandmother always talked about not "airing the family's dirty laundry." Unfortunately, this is dirty laundry for evey American citizen and with the advent and popularity of youtube it has been aired to everyone in the world.
I could write more but I won't so this is what I have. It is what it is...
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The wide-eyed innocence of a child...
Children, innocent. Yeah right but always generate funny moments.
Yesterday, I finished my first classroom volunteer stint for Junior Achievement. For those not familiar with JA, visit the website.
If you have ever worked with a group of third graders, you know that it can be a little taxing but a ton of fun. So, I had the privilege of teaching 26 third grade students about the structure of a city and some of the institutions that are integral parts of a city's operations.
The single greatest challenge that I had with teaching was that it was hard for me to speak with them. I spent so much time throughout my path to higher education and learning in developing and sustaining a larger and more intellectual vocabulary. Working on these lesson plans, I really found myself without the words to accurately convey to the students the lesson I was trying to teach that were at a second - fifth grade reading level. I felt like I was insulting their intelligence by essentially talking down to them but they are also in the third grade so what can you do?
The coolest thing about the whole experience was during our end of program review. The amount of information that children retain is amazing. To go from no knowledge about zoning to being able to accurately identifying types of establishments by primary focus and contribution to community and locating them in the right area after one 45 minute lesson taught almost 6 weeks ago was outstanding to me. Seeing this first-hand makes me feel that those people who say that children should be taught more complex information at younger ages know what they are talking about.
So all in all, I would say the program was a success. Each kid made me a homemade card saying thanks. I was taken aback by the careful thought put into each card. These cards indicated the worth of the JA experience on the lives of the kids as well as my life as I continue to teach these lessons to students that might not otherwise get this information through formal training.
Kudos to JA and I am looking forward to my next class, possibly second grade. I hear they learn about production and individual vs. batch manufacturing. SWEET!!!!
Yesterday, I finished my first classroom volunteer stint for Junior Achievement. For those not familiar with JA, visit the website.
If you have ever worked with a group of third graders, you know that it can be a little taxing but a ton of fun. So, I had the privilege of teaching 26 third grade students about the structure of a city and some of the institutions that are integral parts of a city's operations.
The single greatest challenge that I had with teaching was that it was hard for me to speak with them. I spent so much time throughout my path to higher education and learning in developing and sustaining a larger and more intellectual vocabulary. Working on these lesson plans, I really found myself without the words to accurately convey to the students the lesson I was trying to teach that were at a second - fifth grade reading level. I felt like I was insulting their intelligence by essentially talking down to them but they are also in the third grade so what can you do?
The coolest thing about the whole experience was during our end of program review. The amount of information that children retain is amazing. To go from no knowledge about zoning to being able to accurately identifying types of establishments by primary focus and contribution to community and locating them in the right area after one 45 minute lesson taught almost 6 weeks ago was outstanding to me. Seeing this first-hand makes me feel that those people who say that children should be taught more complex information at younger ages know what they are talking about.
So all in all, I would say the program was a success. Each kid made me a homemade card saying thanks. I was taken aback by the careful thought put into each card. These cards indicated the worth of the JA experience on the lives of the kids as well as my life as I continue to teach these lessons to students that might not otherwise get this information through formal training.
Kudos to JA and I am looking forward to my next class, possibly second grade. I hear they learn about production and individual vs. batch manufacturing. SWEET!!!!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Leave it to the Iraqis
For those who have not seen this, here is a video of the Iraqi reporter who felt it in his obligation to his country that he disgrace President Bush by throwing his shoes at him.
After seeing the clip for the first time, I thought to myself, "He must be pissed off a W. He now has to go to jail in Iraq with no shoes." As the story was revealed, it seemed that this man was more than just angry. He was out to make a statement.
According to CNN's stroy about the reporter and his actions. The man was quoted in saying that his shoe throwing escapades were "A farewell kiss to a pig." Like this Iraqi, there are many people that are happy to see George W. Bush depart 1600 Pennslyvania Ave and land with little Pomp and Circumstance in his gated and minority deprived neighborhood in Dallas, Tx. However, I don't think many people would want to throw there shoes which in these times can be seen as somewhat as a status symbol.
Anyways, it was also interesting to me that in the article it stated that the showing of the bottom of one's feet is of ultimate disgrace to the sole viewing party. So, putting the action in its appropriate social context this Iraqi reporter is telling the world that George Bush is essentially the scourge of the earth and should rot in hell for the pain and suffering he has caused the global community. To me, that is a little extreme but to each his own.
Thsi reporter may never again see the light of day since he "assaulted" the President of The United States. I hope he felt it was worth it.
After seeing the clip for the first time, I thought to myself, "He must be pissed off a W. He now has to go to jail in Iraq with no shoes." As the story was revealed, it seemed that this man was more than just angry. He was out to make a statement.
According to CNN's stroy about the reporter and his actions. The man was quoted in saying that his shoe throwing escapades were "A farewell kiss to a pig." Like this Iraqi, there are many people that are happy to see George W. Bush depart 1600 Pennslyvania Ave and land with little Pomp and Circumstance in his gated and minority deprived neighborhood in Dallas, Tx. However, I don't think many people would want to throw there shoes which in these times can be seen as somewhat as a status symbol.
Anyways, it was also interesting to me that in the article it stated that the showing of the bottom of one's feet is of ultimate disgrace to the sole viewing party. So, putting the action in its appropriate social context this Iraqi reporter is telling the world that George Bush is essentially the scourge of the earth and should rot in hell for the pain and suffering he has caused the global community. To me, that is a little extreme but to each his own.
Thsi reporter may never again see the light of day since he "assaulted" the President of The United States. I hope he felt it was worth it.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Happy 23rd!
Tuesday (Dec 2) was the 23rd anniversary of the day that I was brought into this world aka my birthday. The main question I got was "What are your plans?" So, for all that wants to know, this is what I dd on my birthday. I woke up around 6:45 and got dressed and went to work. At work, everyone brings some type of baked good on the birthday of someone from our team so after I got my daily cup of green tea, my team proceeded to feast on what looked think the Thanksgiving desert table part 2. Then I was in meetings most of the day. At about 1:00 pm, I left to go teach JA to a rambunctious group of 3rd graders who insist on calling me "Mr. Patrick". I came back to work after that and answered some emails. Then, I went back to my apartment and took a brief nap and changed clothes then I went to the Wheel House for dinner/drinks. For those who have never heard of the Wheel House (which no one reading this blog should have ), it is one of the two bars that I frequent in Midland, mostly because the wait staff is nice, the food is really good, and the people that drink there regularly are a fun group. I decided to have the special for dinner which was a delicious Gyro with homemade Cucumber Sauce. If this is added to the menu, I may no longer be relegated to having the usual in which I am some accustomed to. Danielle the bartender gave me some cracked out shot made with Crown Royal and Butterscotch liqueur which was alright but I will never order it on my own. After a few Budweiser's I left. Then, I went to a friend from works apartment and had some more beer and cake. In hindsight, a heavy wheat beer and cake are not necessarily the best combination.
Following the very good cake, I went over to a very disappointing Oscar's (another bar) where none of the bartenders that I know were working and was quiet that I could actually hear people talking further than 5 ft away from me. I did however get to see the highlights from the OSU/Uof Miami basketball game. Congrats Bucks! Anyways back to the story. After having one beer, it was about 10:30 so I decided to go home and that is the full version of how I spent my 23rd birthday.
It was definitely a break in birthday ritual. I have been spoiled over the previous 22 years of being able to spend my birthday with most if not all of my closest friends and the last 4 years were the best of the bunch, Freshmen year was dinner at Steak and Shake in Reynoldsburg with a bunch of people from Park Hall including the full group of fellas, the 9th floor girls, and DWash. Even though their was an altercation in the Park hall lobby prior to leaving we still had a good time. Sophomore year was dinner with the fellas at BDs and then Cheesecake with Dana and Tanisha, Junior Year was dinner with the fellas again at BDs but I was 21 and the unfortunate events surrounding a large bottle of Grey Goose courtesy of Mr. Alex Young and last year was watching West Virgina and Missouri losing. Which put Ohio State in a BCS National Championship which we unfortunately lost to LSU but nonetheless made the start of my Birthday great. That same night, Anjali made me drink a bottle of Korbel in which I still have the cork. Thanks to Mr. Sanchez, the bottle was finished and we were able to go to the bar. I also went to BDs with the fellas yet again, which is always a treat.
I write all of this to say, birthdays are always special but they are so much more special when they are able to be shared with those who you care about. Birthdays are traditionally considered to be a day to celebrate the life thus far of someone close to you and to look forward to the life ahead. It is that person's day as the center of attention. However, as I learned this year, a birthday can mean so much more. By my lack of plans and real interaction with friends, I learned a lot. My friends are by far the most important people to me. They keep me balanced and excited about the challenges of life. I always looked forward to birthdays because they were a time that I was guaranteed to spend a good amount of relaxed time with some friends for the sole purpose of having a good time.
I expected this year to be very different however I hope that next year I will be back to spending birthdays with all of the people that I care about closely (at least the ones located in Midland).
Thanks to all of my friends that called, texted, sent emails, sent facebook messages, and wrote on my wall. It meant a lot!
Following the very good cake, I went over to a very disappointing Oscar's (another bar) where none of the bartenders that I know were working and was quiet that I could actually hear people talking further than 5 ft away from me. I did however get to see the highlights from the OSU/Uof Miami basketball game. Congrats Bucks! Anyways back to the story. After having one beer, it was about 10:30 so I decided to go home and that is the full version of how I spent my 23rd birthday.
It was definitely a break in birthday ritual. I have been spoiled over the previous 22 years of being able to spend my birthday with most if not all of my closest friends and the last 4 years were the best of the bunch, Freshmen year was dinner at Steak and Shake in Reynoldsburg with a bunch of people from Park Hall including the full group of fellas, the 9th floor girls, and DWash. Even though their was an altercation in the Park hall lobby prior to leaving we still had a good time. Sophomore year was dinner with the fellas at BDs and then Cheesecake with Dana and Tanisha, Junior Year was dinner with the fellas again at BDs but I was 21 and the unfortunate events surrounding a large bottle of Grey Goose courtesy of Mr. Alex Young and last year was watching West Virgina and Missouri losing. Which put Ohio State in a BCS National Championship which we unfortunately lost to LSU but nonetheless made the start of my Birthday great. That same night, Anjali made me drink a bottle of Korbel in which I still have the cork. Thanks to Mr. Sanchez, the bottle was finished and we were able to go to the bar. I also went to BDs with the fellas yet again, which is always a treat.
I write all of this to say, birthdays are always special but they are so much more special when they are able to be shared with those who you care about. Birthdays are traditionally considered to be a day to celebrate the life thus far of someone close to you and to look forward to the life ahead. It is that person's day as the center of attention. However, as I learned this year, a birthday can mean so much more. By my lack of plans and real interaction with friends, I learned a lot. My friends are by far the most important people to me. They keep me balanced and excited about the challenges of life. I always looked forward to birthdays because they were a time that I was guaranteed to spend a good amount of relaxed time with some friends for the sole purpose of having a good time.
I expected this year to be very different however I hope that next year I will be back to spending birthdays with all of the people that I care about closely (at least the ones located in Midland).
Thanks to all of my friends that called, texted, sent emails, sent facebook messages, and wrote on my wall. It meant a lot!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Itis
Have you ever heard someone say that "they got the itis?" Well, it is a condition that is caused by eating too much. It causes you to be extremely full to the point of where you can barely move and you become extremely sleepy. This condition is somewhat like an epidemic that manifests generally on holidays and special occasions where food is of principal concern, Thanksgiving being the worst of them all. I say all of this in order to state that I was a victim of the itis this Thanksgiving and I have no regrets. If you cannot indulge yourself on Thanksgiving then when can you?
For a variety of reasons, I decided to spend Thanksgiving in Midland and eat dinner with the Johnson family that I have met since moving here. The family is a group of African-Americans that relocated here after Fred (the patriarch) took a job at Dow. Anyways, I went out to there house which is gorgeous but in the middle of nowhere. The food was delicious which was part of the reason why the itis got me. I just couldn't stop eating everything was equally delicious in its own right. For some that is called gluttony but for me it is a great Thanksgiving dinner.
While I was at the Johnson house battling back the itis, there was a Godfather marathon on AMC. If you know anything about the Godfather movies, you know that they are around 3 hours a piece so a marathon really can consist of Godfather and Godfather Part II. Which coincidentally is what AMC was showing. Due to this marathon, I woke up on Friday, went to Wal-Mart and purchased the Francis Ford-Coppola Restoration Editions of the Godfather Trilogy and I only paid $40. Following the purchase, I proceeded to watch parts 2 and 3. When I was watching them, I realized what makes them so great. It's not just the plot or the acting, it is the screenwriting. Mario Puzo finds a way, specifically in parts 1 and 2 to make every character who has dialogue significant to the progression of the movie. Have you ever watched a movie and wondered why that character or a set of scenes were included in the movie? In the Godfather, I never thought that. At the end of the movie, every character had done something significant to, in part 1, to help Michael Corleone become Don and, in part 2, keep the Corleone family together. Even the flashback to Vito Andolini's transformation into Don Vito Corleone was relevant to the current plot because it shows the importance of Clemenza's death. This is why the Godfather is so great excluding Part 3. If you don't believe me, you should watch them.
By the way, I also purchased the Special Edition DVD of 300 for $6 but I have yet to watch. Now I an off to watch the rest of Fantastic Four on F/X and look out of my balcony door at the developing blizzard.
For a variety of reasons, I decided to spend Thanksgiving in Midland and eat dinner with the Johnson family that I have met since moving here. The family is a group of African-Americans that relocated here after Fred (the patriarch) took a job at Dow. Anyways, I went out to there house which is gorgeous but in the middle of nowhere. The food was delicious which was part of the reason why the itis got me. I just couldn't stop eating everything was equally delicious in its own right. For some that is called gluttony but for me it is a great Thanksgiving dinner.
While I was at the Johnson house battling back the itis, there was a Godfather marathon on AMC. If you know anything about the Godfather movies, you know that they are around 3 hours a piece so a marathon really can consist of Godfather and Godfather Part II. Which coincidentally is what AMC was showing. Due to this marathon, I woke up on Friday, went to Wal-Mart and purchased the Francis Ford-Coppola Restoration Editions of the Godfather Trilogy and I only paid $40. Following the purchase, I proceeded to watch parts 2 and 3. When I was watching them, I realized what makes them so great. It's not just the plot or the acting, it is the screenwriting. Mario Puzo finds a way, specifically in parts 1 and 2 to make every character who has dialogue significant to the progression of the movie. Have you ever watched a movie and wondered why that character or a set of scenes were included in the movie? In the Godfather, I never thought that. At the end of the movie, every character had done something significant to, in part 1, to help Michael Corleone become Don and, in part 2, keep the Corleone family together. Even the flashback to Vito Andolini's transformation into Don Vito Corleone was relevant to the current plot because it shows the importance of Clemenza's death. This is why the Godfather is so great excluding Part 3. If you don't believe me, you should watch them.
By the way, I also purchased the Special Edition DVD of 300 for $6 but I have yet to watch. Now I an off to watch the rest of Fantastic Four on F/X and look out of my balcony door at the developing blizzard.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Holiday Happenings and general Tom-Foolery
I was told last night that I need to post more frequently to appease the 1-3 people that actually read this blog. So for you who read this, I apologize.
Thinking over the past month since I have last posted, I guess a lot has been going on from trying to make holiday plans, getting notification of a friends wedding, my godbrother releasing his first single, the strengthening of the realization that I have to go back to school, and my swag coming back. I am going to try and string all of these together, if I can do it, I deserve some type of medal (if only blogger was like facebook). This is going to be a marathon post so get your popcorn ready!
I got the "Save-the-date" notice for Luke's wedding. For those who don't know who Luke is, he is my best friend from high school who is a Marine and is currently on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Anyways, I got the note on Saturday, Even though I have known the date and location of the wedding for almost six months, I was still sent a notice. The pleasantries of wedding proceedings are an interesting notion which I may tackle in a post as the wedding gets closer. As the "Co-Best Man." The notice along with other things going on (thanks Chris) got me thinking about the idea of managing friendships through transition. The one question that continues to come up is how do you merge your previous life to your current? I am still work on that one. I will keep you posted when i get some answers.
One effort to consolidate the lives is attaching to similarities in all situations. One thing I think that I am pretty good at is making friends quickly and being comfortable in most situations. However, Midland threw me off my game for a bit. I got here and the people were incredibly nice but I just wasn't making the right connections which came so easily to me in college. When I finally made a good friend, he moved away (sounds like a plot for a bad made for TV movie). I was really distraught. I began thinking, what has happened to me? Midland was changing me. I was no longer the relaxed, charismatic and mildly aloof gentleman that I have grown accustomed to being. In the past, when I have had serious problems, I dig down deep and do some serious introspection. During this time I thought of many things that could be wrong. Questions that ran through my head were, Is Midland changing me? Are the people here just fake? Do they not like black people? Or, Is it me? The hypothesis that I landed on was that it was me. The first piece of advice that is always given to someone entering into a new situation is to relax and be yourself. I have given this piece of advice countless times but in this situation, I forgot it. Sure enough, things began to click. the way I judge if a successful connection was made is if after you have met a person, they remember your name and want to talk to you again. I walked into Oscar's (local Midland Bar) and for the first time in Midland people recognized me (other than bartenders, I think I drink too much), I had good conversation (which in non-existent in most bars), and I left feeling good (not drunk). I feel confident in proclaiming that My Swag is b=Back! So, the moral of this story is to really be your self and rely on the lessons learned from your past experiences.
I attribute much of the development of my swag to my godbrother, Justin. He is about 4 years older than I am and I always looked to him for guidance growing up. Everyone has the person that they believe to be the epitome of cool, for me that was Justin. Well, he has been a professional singer since I was in middle school and now he has finally released his first solo single. For those interested, his website is http://justinclay.net/. I am proud of everything that he has done and this single is a monument to the achievement of dreams.
(only two more topics to go, don't give up)
Justin's accomplishment along with awareness of what it takes to succeed in the corporate world has only solidified my resolve to go to a top 30 MBA school (I am considering the Ivies as my top choices). I am also pretty certain that I do not want to get an MBA specializing in Supply Chain. The concepts of supply chain seem intuitive and and the skills that you gain from studying other subjects can be applied to developing Supply Chain solutions. Last week, a young (35) Dow employee told us about his experiences and how going to Harvard Business School really helped to develop his career and to really understand who he was professionally and how that relates to his personal world view. I think insight like that, is something that i can gain while working but can gain more rapidly from a full-time top tier MBA program. I have some time before I need to make the decision of where but I do know that in 5 five years I will be enrolled at a school somewhere.
The answer to the question of why do I want to be successful is answered simply saying because my mom said so. My mother did not lay down the plan for my life explicitly but I know I try to do my best because I am representative of her and for that matter, my entire family and anyone that chose to support me. Holidays are very special to me for that reason. The holiday that really means the most to me is Easter. My senior year of high school, I was celebrating Easter with a lot of family friends that we went to church with. Myself, Greg, Little Brian, and Mr. Henry were on the basketball court following dinner. While we were playing, Mr. Henry collapsed face first while trying to defend Greg from driving the lane. At first, we thought that he was joking and then we realized that he wasn't moving. It was the one time that I didn't have my cell phone with me and for that reason I will never be without someone wit ha phone handy. So I sent Greg running to get the adults from the house. Meanwhile a young woman was walking buy and she let us use her cell phone to call 9-1-1. After it was all said and done, Mr. Henry was pronounced dead at the scene from a hereditary heart condition that has caused deaths in the same way for many years. The one thing I really remember from the funeral was that Mrs. Henry came up to the three of us and told us not to blame ourselves and that she was glad that we were there to be with her husband in his last moments and she told us that we were blessed and destined for great things. From then on, everything I do is never for me, it is for those who support and believe in me. Holidays are a time when I renew my focus on those individuals.
This holiday season will be a little tough. It is the first thanksgiving where I won't be spending it will my parents. I am very thankful however that there are people in Midland looking out for me and really becoming my surrogate family and inviting me to events like watching Barack Obama speeches, celebrating birthdays, and thanksgiving dinner. As it is right now, my Christmas/new years plans are up in the air. I will probably fly home for Christmas and then for new year's I hope to be in Dayton. I just have to find a place to sleep for the weekend.
Now that I have spent nearly two hours writing this post, I am going back to work.
Thinking over the past month since I have last posted, I guess a lot has been going on from trying to make holiday plans, getting notification of a friends wedding, my godbrother releasing his first single, the strengthening of the realization that I have to go back to school, and my swag coming back. I am going to try and string all of these together, if I can do it, I deserve some type of medal (if only blogger was like facebook). This is going to be a marathon post so get your popcorn ready!
I got the "Save-the-date" notice for Luke's wedding. For those who don't know who Luke is, he is my best friend from high school who is a Marine and is currently on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Anyways, I got the note on Saturday, Even though I have known the date and location of the wedding for almost six months, I was still sent a notice. The pleasantries of wedding proceedings are an interesting notion which I may tackle in a post as the wedding gets closer. As the "Co-Best Man." The notice along with other things going on (thanks Chris) got me thinking about the idea of managing friendships through transition. The one question that continues to come up is how do you merge your previous life to your current? I am still work on that one. I will keep you posted when i get some answers.
One effort to consolidate the lives is attaching to similarities in all situations. One thing I think that I am pretty good at is making friends quickly and being comfortable in most situations. However, Midland threw me off my game for a bit. I got here and the people were incredibly nice but I just wasn't making the right connections which came so easily to me in college. When I finally made a good friend, he moved away (sounds like a plot for a bad made for TV movie). I was really distraught. I began thinking, what has happened to me? Midland was changing me. I was no longer the relaxed, charismatic and mildly aloof gentleman that I have grown accustomed to being. In the past, when I have had serious problems, I dig down deep and do some serious introspection. During this time I thought of many things that could be wrong. Questions that ran through my head were, Is Midland changing me? Are the people here just fake? Do they not like black people? Or, Is it me? The hypothesis that I landed on was that it was me. The first piece of advice that is always given to someone entering into a new situation is to relax and be yourself. I have given this piece of advice countless times but in this situation, I forgot it. Sure enough, things began to click. the way I judge if a successful connection was made is if after you have met a person, they remember your name and want to talk to you again. I walked into Oscar's (local Midland Bar) and for the first time in Midland people recognized me (other than bartenders, I think I drink too much), I had good conversation (which in non-existent in most bars), and I left feeling good (not drunk). I feel confident in proclaiming that My Swag is b=Back! So, the moral of this story is to really be your self and rely on the lessons learned from your past experiences.
I attribute much of the development of my swag to my godbrother, Justin. He is about 4 years older than I am and I always looked to him for guidance growing up. Everyone has the person that they believe to be the epitome of cool, for me that was Justin. Well, he has been a professional singer since I was in middle school and now he has finally released his first solo single. For those interested, his website is http://justinclay.net/. I am proud of everything that he has done and this single is a monument to the achievement of dreams.
(only two more topics to go, don't give up)
Justin's accomplishment along with awareness of what it takes to succeed in the corporate world has only solidified my resolve to go to a top 30 MBA school (I am considering the Ivies as my top choices). I am also pretty certain that I do not want to get an MBA specializing in Supply Chain. The concepts of supply chain seem intuitive and and the skills that you gain from studying other subjects can be applied to developing Supply Chain solutions. Last week, a young (35) Dow employee told us about his experiences and how going to Harvard Business School really helped to develop his career and to really understand who he was professionally and how that relates to his personal world view. I think insight like that, is something that i can gain while working but can gain more rapidly from a full-time top tier MBA program. I have some time before I need to make the decision of where but I do know that in 5 five years I will be enrolled at a school somewhere.
The answer to the question of why do I want to be successful is answered simply saying because my mom said so. My mother did not lay down the plan for my life explicitly but I know I try to do my best because I am representative of her and for that matter, my entire family and anyone that chose to support me. Holidays are very special to me for that reason. The holiday that really means the most to me is Easter. My senior year of high school, I was celebrating Easter with a lot of family friends that we went to church with. Myself, Greg, Little Brian, and Mr. Henry were on the basketball court following dinner. While we were playing, Mr. Henry collapsed face first while trying to defend Greg from driving the lane. At first, we thought that he was joking and then we realized that he wasn't moving. It was the one time that I didn't have my cell phone with me and for that reason I will never be without someone wit ha phone handy. So I sent Greg running to get the adults from the house. Meanwhile a young woman was walking buy and she let us use her cell phone to call 9-1-1. After it was all said and done, Mr. Henry was pronounced dead at the scene from a hereditary heart condition that has caused deaths in the same way for many years. The one thing I really remember from the funeral was that Mrs. Henry came up to the three of us and told us not to blame ourselves and that she was glad that we were there to be with her husband in his last moments and she told us that we were blessed and destined for great things. From then on, everything I do is never for me, it is for those who support and believe in me. Holidays are a time when I renew my focus on those individuals.
This holiday season will be a little tough. It is the first thanksgiving where I won't be spending it will my parents. I am very thankful however that there are people in Midland looking out for me and really becoming my surrogate family and inviting me to events like watching Barack Obama speeches, celebrating birthdays, and thanksgiving dinner. As it is right now, my Christmas/new years plans are up in the air. I will probably fly home for Christmas and then for new year's I hope to be in Dayton. I just have to find a place to sleep for the weekend.
Now that I have spent nearly two hours writing this post, I am going back to work.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Yes We Have and Yes We Will!
Good Day to all. Today I feel the all is well and good in the world. I am sure that this feeling of euphoria will fade but what will not fade is this sense that we have finally selected someone to lead this country that has the temperament, judgment and intelligence to begin to lead this country forward in one of the most challenging times in the history of the United States of America.
In this post, I will be commenting about President-Elect Obama's Victory Speech from Grant Park but for those who didn't get to see it, here is a link.
If the embedded video does not work, here is a link to cnn.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/video.election.obama/
To me, the speech was a work of art. A real testament to the governing philosophy and world view of the man that will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America.
"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America." However, "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were."
Juxtaposing these two quotes, Obama skillfully acknowledged the historical significance of the moment but realistically tells the world that there is still a lot of work to be done. While I was watching the speech, I got the same feeling that I got when I received my diploma. This is an accomplishment not only for me but for all of those that supported me but now I have to back it up with substance and because of this I believe that the tenure of the presidency of Barack Obama will a historic one. From his comments, I believe that he has the feeling that the achievement is significant but the only way that it becomes validated and transferable is if he succeeds and because of that he has the weight of the political aspirations of Black Americans of his shoulders.
The feeling that there is always more to do and never being settled with your situation is the exact type of mindset that we need in a leader. Personal accountability is a humbling mechanism and it is one that I think anyone who aspires to lead must develop. Complacency is the breeding ground for mediocrity and mediocrity is the catalyst for failure. To see this trait in one who has achieved so much gives me hope that this country and this world is in store for much more brighter days.
"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved. "
- Confucius
In this post, I will be commenting about President-Elect Obama's Victory Speech from Grant Park but for those who didn't get to see it, here is a link.
If the embedded video does not work, here is a link to cnn.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/video.election.obama/
To me, the speech was a work of art. A real testament to the governing philosophy and world view of the man that will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America.
"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America." However, "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were."
Juxtaposing these two quotes, Obama skillfully acknowledged the historical significance of the moment but realistically tells the world that there is still a lot of work to be done. While I was watching the speech, I got the same feeling that I got when I received my diploma. This is an accomplishment not only for me but for all of those that supported me but now I have to back it up with substance and because of this I believe that the tenure of the presidency of Barack Obama will a historic one. From his comments, I believe that he has the feeling that the achievement is significant but the only way that it becomes validated and transferable is if he succeeds and because of that he has the weight of the political aspirations of Black Americans of his shoulders.
The feeling that there is always more to do and never being settled with your situation is the exact type of mindset that we need in a leader. Personal accountability is a humbling mechanism and it is one that I think anyone who aspires to lead must develop. Complacency is the breeding ground for mediocrity and mediocrity is the catalyst for failure. To see this trait in one who has achieved so much gives me hope that this country and this world is in store for much more brighter days.
"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved. "
- Confucius
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Playing the Game vs. Changing the Game
So, I am in this program that is regarded as only selecting high potential employees that will one day be Global Directors and Vice Presidents. Due to the highly selective nature of the program, the individuals in the program are very intelligent, highly motivated and in some way are visionary (I have no idea how I got in this program). Keep all of this in mind as you are reading this post.
As I have gotten accustomed to the working world, I have realized that there is an unwritten structure on how to address issues within my company. It seems that as I work my way through the company those who are successful are the ones who follow the old saying of knowing when to pick your battles. I understand that this is important as going on through life but what I am having trouble with reconciling is that there are people being penalized for voicing their concerns when we are in a group that is positioned as future leaders of the company. Leaders are characterized as being critical of the process and trying to find ways to solve it. How can we be expected to critically assess a program and voice our concerns about it, if every time it happens, we are chastised?
After hearing about the situation, I have attributed it to a lack of understanding of setting rather than saying something truly offensive. We were in a casual setting that was really structured for us to get to know some important people in the company and it wasn't a venue to vent the problems on the day. However, there is something that should be said for stifling honesty. How can they tell us that we are the leaders of the future and will be solving the problems that plagues the company but when we apply the ability to assess and think critically, we are discouraged? This does not make sense to me.
It is what it is....
P.S. Sorry for the lack of structure or coherence but I couldn't figure out a better way to tell the situation without telling the whole story which I told a friend that I wouldn't.
As I have gotten accustomed to the working world, I have realized that there is an unwritten structure on how to address issues within my company. It seems that as I work my way through the company those who are successful are the ones who follow the old saying of knowing when to pick your battles. I understand that this is important as going on through life but what I am having trouble with reconciling is that there are people being penalized for voicing their concerns when we are in a group that is positioned as future leaders of the company. Leaders are characterized as being critical of the process and trying to find ways to solve it. How can we be expected to critically assess a program and voice our concerns about it, if every time it happens, we are chastised?
After hearing about the situation, I have attributed it to a lack of understanding of setting rather than saying something truly offensive. We were in a casual setting that was really structured for us to get to know some important people in the company and it wasn't a venue to vent the problems on the day. However, there is something that should be said for stifling honesty. How can they tell us that we are the leaders of the future and will be solving the problems that plagues the company but when we apply the ability to assess and think critically, we are discouraged? This does not make sense to me.
It is what it is....
P.S. Sorry for the lack of structure or coherence but I couldn't figure out a better way to tell the situation without telling the whole story which I told a friend that I wouldn't.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Back from home...
So, I am back from homecoming somewhat saddened that I have yet to find friends as eclectically inclined and genuinely caring as those in which I have from undergrad. However going back to campus gave me a new perspective on my life as it stands today. I will get to this new perspective soon but I have some other things to express though.
Being at Ohio State was the greatest composition of formative experiences in my young life but I could never really figured out why I loved Ohio State so much. For some, its the social aspects, for others, it is the intellectual stimulation and for some, it is the access to a wide range of opportunities. For me, all of those things were a portion of why I love Ohio State but is not THE reason. Until this weekend, I did not know but now I do. At its core, Ohio State is inspirational and that is why I love being there. It was at Ohio State where I first to really feel that with hard work and attention to detail, I could do anything I put my mind to. In a certain degree I took this feeling for granted thinking that it was just a normal part of college and I did not realize that I had lost that passion and fire in the short 6 months since graduation. Stepping back on campus and talking to my friends really reminded me of this. I do not know what makes Ohio State so inspirational to the 50,000+ students and 300,000+ alumni that walk the planet but whatever it is, it spurs greatness. Now that I have been reminded, I am ready to make my Alma Mater proud with a new found vim and vigor.
With that brief prologue, the new perspective that I have gained is that the difference between being good and great is never simply a matter of intellect but rather a product of intellect, agility, and most importantly drive.
To be great you have to be smart but not in a conventional sense. Your intelligence must lie not in your ability to learn and regurgitate facts but in your ability to take abstract information, synthesize it and develop thoughts and ideas that are logical, useful, and substantial. Being overly intelligent in the context of the world as a whole, in my opinion, has diminishing marginal utility. There is a minimum intelligence hurdle that I believe all highly successful people must meet but anything after that is gravy and adds less and less value to your situation the smarter you become.
As important as possessing intelligence, agility of the mind is also just as important. The world today is constantly changing and those who are great are able to use their intellect to recognize the changes and be sufficiently agile to strategically realign their position to take advantage of the changing conditions. The classic example would the evolving game strategy for any major sports team. A coach will put a game plan in place based on the information given. The best coaches however do not solely stick to the plan. They watch the game and see what works and what doesn't, all the while changing the game plan to capitalize on the strengths of his/her team or the weaknesses of the opponent. The ability change in the wake of shifting conditions is tantamount to agility.
I would consider my first two variables in my equation to be additive while the third to be multiplicative. Drive and determination is what my mom would say gets you through when nothing is going your way and because of that, those who are great have a healthy supply of it. Drive is intangible and is only present when a person really values and cares about what they are doing. That is what makes drive so special. Drive is solely motivated by the agenda in which you are willing to indisputably stake the reputation of how you lived your life. In my opinoin, everyone has drive. For some, it is quite specific like incresaing quality of education through the development of a national curriculum and for others (like myself) it is probably quite vague like wokring hard and doing well because everything you do, represnts your family. It is just a matter of finding what drives you. Once what drives you has been indentified, aligning your work to achieve your task is the next big challenge. This is what I am struggling with today and as soon as I figure it out, the opportunities are endless but for now...
It is what it is.
Being at Ohio State was the greatest composition of formative experiences in my young life but I could never really figured out why I loved Ohio State so much. For some, its the social aspects, for others, it is the intellectual stimulation and for some, it is the access to a wide range of opportunities. For me, all of those things were a portion of why I love Ohio State but is not THE reason. Until this weekend, I did not know but now I do. At its core, Ohio State is inspirational and that is why I love being there. It was at Ohio State where I first to really feel that with hard work and attention to detail, I could do anything I put my mind to. In a certain degree I took this feeling for granted thinking that it was just a normal part of college and I did not realize that I had lost that passion and fire in the short 6 months since graduation. Stepping back on campus and talking to my friends really reminded me of this. I do not know what makes Ohio State so inspirational to the 50,000+ students and 300,000+ alumni that walk the planet but whatever it is, it spurs greatness. Now that I have been reminded, I am ready to make my Alma Mater proud with a new found vim and vigor.
With that brief prologue, the new perspective that I have gained is that the difference between being good and great is never simply a matter of intellect but rather a product of intellect, agility, and most importantly drive.
To be great you have to be smart but not in a conventional sense. Your intelligence must lie not in your ability to learn and regurgitate facts but in your ability to take abstract information, synthesize it and develop thoughts and ideas that are logical, useful, and substantial. Being overly intelligent in the context of the world as a whole, in my opinion, has diminishing marginal utility. There is a minimum intelligence hurdle that I believe all highly successful people must meet but anything after that is gravy and adds less and less value to your situation the smarter you become.
As important as possessing intelligence, agility of the mind is also just as important. The world today is constantly changing and those who are great are able to use their intellect to recognize the changes and be sufficiently agile to strategically realign their position to take advantage of the changing conditions. The classic example would the evolving game strategy for any major sports team. A coach will put a game plan in place based on the information given. The best coaches however do not solely stick to the plan. They watch the game and see what works and what doesn't, all the while changing the game plan to capitalize on the strengths of his/her team or the weaknesses of the opponent. The ability change in the wake of shifting conditions is tantamount to agility.
I would consider my first two variables in my equation to be additive while the third to be multiplicative. Drive and determination is what my mom would say gets you through when nothing is going your way and because of that, those who are great have a healthy supply of it. Drive is intangible and is only present when a person really values and cares about what they are doing. That is what makes drive so special. Drive is solely motivated by the agenda in which you are willing to indisputably stake the reputation of how you lived your life. In my opinoin, everyone has drive. For some, it is quite specific like incresaing quality of education through the development of a national curriculum and for others (like myself) it is probably quite vague like wokring hard and doing well because everything you do, represnts your family. It is just a matter of finding what drives you. Once what drives you has been indentified, aligning your work to achieve your task is the next big challenge. This is what I am struggling with today and as soon as I figure it out, the opportunities are endless but for now...
It is what it is.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Want or Need...What is best?
It seems that with every important choice there is always the distinction between what I want to do or what I need to do. I guess to really assess this situation, a discussion of what is a need and what is a want in this context, is in order.
In this context, the action that you need to take is generally the one you know is the best whether it be ethically the best or the most satisfying when considering morality. I like to think of it as the decision that will probably hurt the most and is in line with your value structure. My mother would say it is the answer that you know in your head which makes decisions based on logic and reason and generally devoid of emotion. So, why should a need be distinguished from a want? I will address more later but I think this is so because very rarely they are in agreement. Generally speaking, that are often polar opposites.
A want is what I like to call the heart's response to a situation. Wants are driven by desire. A desire for the thing that might feel is best for you physically but is more than likely only temporary gratification. Unfortunately, basing decisions on pure emotion can get you in serious trouble especially concerning matters of the heart. On many occasions, I find myself wanting to capitalize on what I want rather focusing on what is best. So far, I have been focusing on what is best which is a good thing but it is always a hard thing to do. I have had many friends who say to me, "whats wrong with doing what I want?" My response is generally, doing what you want will probably cause more strife once that feeling of temporary satisfaction goes away. Usually they don't listen and they come back to me a week or so later with the same problem but it has gotten a little more in-depth. These are good "I told you so" moments but when a friend is hurting, it is hard to joke with them about it.
I hope that my need and want descriptions are clear. The real question is why is there very rarely a happy marriage between what we want and what we need to do? As I reflect on my life, I am constantly asking myself this question. Why is it that there is such a divide between our head and our heart yet each delivers a compelling set of justifications which makes the choice almost impossible? I don't really have an answer except to say that from experience going with the head is generally the best course of action. It may hurt but in the end it makes the situation right because you treated it with respect and didn't let you judgment be clouded.
It is what it is.
In this context, the action that you need to take is generally the one you know is the best whether it be ethically the best or the most satisfying when considering morality. I like to think of it as the decision that will probably hurt the most and is in line with your value structure. My mother would say it is the answer that you know in your head which makes decisions based on logic and reason and generally devoid of emotion. So, why should a need be distinguished from a want? I will address more later but I think this is so because very rarely they are in agreement. Generally speaking, that are often polar opposites.
A want is what I like to call the heart's response to a situation. Wants are driven by desire. A desire for the thing that might feel is best for you physically but is more than likely only temporary gratification. Unfortunately, basing decisions on pure emotion can get you in serious trouble especially concerning matters of the heart. On many occasions, I find myself wanting to capitalize on what I want rather focusing on what is best. So far, I have been focusing on what is best which is a good thing but it is always a hard thing to do. I have had many friends who say to me, "whats wrong with doing what I want?" My response is generally, doing what you want will probably cause more strife once that feeling of temporary satisfaction goes away. Usually they don't listen and they come back to me a week or so later with the same problem but it has gotten a little more in-depth. These are good "I told you so" moments but when a friend is hurting, it is hard to joke with them about it.
I hope that my need and want descriptions are clear. The real question is why is there very rarely a happy marriage between what we want and what we need to do? As I reflect on my life, I am constantly asking myself this question. Why is it that there is such a divide between our head and our heart yet each delivers a compelling set of justifications which makes the choice almost impossible? I don't really have an answer except to say that from experience going with the head is generally the best course of action. It may hurt but in the end it makes the situation right because you treated it with respect and didn't let you judgment be clouded.
It is what it is.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Home is Where the Heart Is...
I have to first apologize to anyone who actually reads this blog for not writing in about a month. All of this moving and starting a new job has kept me somewhat occupied. Regardless, I should have blogged. Sorry.
Now that is done, let's get down to the topic that has been on my mind.
What really makes your home, your home?
When I first got to college home was St. Louis, MO. That is where I grew, my friends were, my immediate family resided, and was all that I knew. As college progressed, I found myself labeling vists to St. Louis as visiting my parents and labeling returning to Columbus, OH as returning home. Now that I have moved permanently to Midland, MI (at least for the foreseeabl;e future). My apartment is starting to feel more like home. I feel the most ease when I am in my apartment and resting on my loveseat. With all of this transformation, I find myself asking. What really makes your home, your home?
After talking to some of those people who made me feel that Columbus was my home, I came up with a few things that are essential to making any place feel like you are home.
1) Being with people that genuinely care for you - I think that regardless of where you are in life, everyone needs that group of people that will look out for them and support them in everything that they do. These people will also tell you when you are messing up and help you get through. These are also the people that you could call at 3am and know that they won't be upset.
2) Having a place where you feel the most at ease - Everyone has their safe haven. This is the place where they feel free to do what every they want and know that they will not be judged. For me, it is in my apartment. Maybe this is true because I know that it is my space and no one elses. I pay all of the bills, I live alone and I am responsible for everything that happens in that space and because of that, I feel a maximum level of comfort when I am there. For some people, a place of ease may not be the place where they rest their heads. For others it might be church, a community center, a band roon, an athletic field, and the list goes on an on. The one thing that is common is that everyone needs that place. Its a place where you can fully relax and think about your life. Being in my place of ease is so therapeutic. Without it I would go from the calm and casual guy that you know me as to the most stressed out person ever.
3) Having a vested interest in that area - This criteria is really more applicable to when you are labeling a general geographic region as home. For example, Midland, MI is now home for me. It is where I live and work so I have a vested interest in the community that I am in which contributes to the feeling of home. Some people may not like the regions in which they live but I believe that everyone in some way has interest in those places in which they reside. No matter of where you are, people have pride for the areas in which they live. In St. Louis, it was always a big thing to ask people what high school they went to, regardless or age, and no matter of how you personally felt about your school you would always represent for them because that school is apart of what makes you, you. This is exactly what I mean when I say a vested interest in an area. These places are what define your character and because of that, they hold a special palce in your heart and mind regardless of how you feel about the quality of life it provides.
I have heard many people say that home is much more than a geogrpahic location, this i believe to be true. However, I also believe that home must be grounded on some geographical foundation. I have heard people say that home is wherever my family or freidns are. To a certain extent this is true if you are saying this is where they reside or spend the majority of their time. However, the blanket statement of wherever they are is home is proposterous to me. If I am on vacation with my family, the hotel is not home. So by applying this restriction, home must be attahced to some real geographical location. The location that you all home may change from time to time but it is still a location and is part of what home really is.
After reveiwing some of the statements that I made, I ran into the thought that I can fulfill these criteria in multiple locations all at the same time. This is especially true now that my friends from high school and college are moving all across the country but I continue to stay in contact with them. As I was thinking though, home has a distinct combination of all three criteria that is unable to be reproduced in any other location. Because of this, home is home. I can have friends and fmaily in different parts of the world which makes that part special in its own right but its not home. It's not where I long for after a long day of work. It's not what I think to return to after an extended vacation. At the end of the day home is where I want to be and that makes home, home.
It is what it is.
Now that is done, let's get down to the topic that has been on my mind.
What really makes your home, your home?
When I first got to college home was St. Louis, MO. That is where I grew, my friends were, my immediate family resided, and was all that I knew. As college progressed, I found myself labeling vists to St. Louis as visiting my parents and labeling returning to Columbus, OH as returning home. Now that I have moved permanently to Midland, MI (at least for the foreseeabl;e future). My apartment is starting to feel more like home. I feel the most ease when I am in my apartment and resting on my loveseat. With all of this transformation, I find myself asking. What really makes your home, your home?
After talking to some of those people who made me feel that Columbus was my home, I came up with a few things that are essential to making any place feel like you are home.
1) Being with people that genuinely care for you - I think that regardless of where you are in life, everyone needs that group of people that will look out for them and support them in everything that they do. These people will also tell you when you are messing up and help you get through. These are also the people that you could call at 3am and know that they won't be upset.
2) Having a place where you feel the most at ease - Everyone has their safe haven. This is the place where they feel free to do what every they want and know that they will not be judged. For me, it is in my apartment. Maybe this is true because I know that it is my space and no one elses. I pay all of the bills, I live alone and I am responsible for everything that happens in that space and because of that, I feel a maximum level of comfort when I am there. For some people, a place of ease may not be the place where they rest their heads. For others it might be church, a community center, a band roon, an athletic field, and the list goes on an on. The one thing that is common is that everyone needs that place. Its a place where you can fully relax and think about your life. Being in my place of ease is so therapeutic. Without it I would go from the calm and casual guy that you know me as to the most stressed out person ever.
3) Having a vested interest in that area - This criteria is really more applicable to when you are labeling a general geographic region as home. For example, Midland, MI is now home for me. It is where I live and work so I have a vested interest in the community that I am in which contributes to the feeling of home. Some people may not like the regions in which they live but I believe that everyone in some way has interest in those places in which they reside. No matter of where you are, people have pride for the areas in which they live. In St. Louis, it was always a big thing to ask people what high school they went to, regardless or age, and no matter of how you personally felt about your school you would always represent for them because that school is apart of what makes you, you. This is exactly what I mean when I say a vested interest in an area. These places are what define your character and because of that, they hold a special palce in your heart and mind regardless of how you feel about the quality of life it provides.
I have heard many people say that home is much more than a geogrpahic location, this i believe to be true. However, I also believe that home must be grounded on some geographical foundation. I have heard people say that home is wherever my family or freidns are. To a certain extent this is true if you are saying this is where they reside or spend the majority of their time. However, the blanket statement of wherever they are is home is proposterous to me. If I am on vacation with my family, the hotel is not home. So by applying this restriction, home must be attahced to some real geographical location. The location that you all home may change from time to time but it is still a location and is part of what home really is.
After reveiwing some of the statements that I made, I ran into the thought that I can fulfill these criteria in multiple locations all at the same time. This is especially true now that my friends from high school and college are moving all across the country but I continue to stay in contact with them. As I was thinking though, home has a distinct combination of all three criteria that is unable to be reproduced in any other location. Because of this, home is home. I can have friends and fmaily in different parts of the world which makes that part special in its own right but its not home. It's not where I long for after a long day of work. It's not what I think to return to after an extended vacation. At the end of the day home is where I want to be and that makes home, home.
It is what it is.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Friends. How many of us have them?
One thing that I have realized that is it very difficult for a man and woman to be close friends. There is always the possibility the one is wanting to be more than friends or one thinks the other wants to. Regardless of if it is true or not, these realities make a close friendship with a member of the opposite sex very challenging.
I've been thinking a lot about this and I have realized that the things that make a close friendship what it is are very similar to the things that make a relationship what it is minus the physicality.
* One caveat. For the rest of this post, unless otherwise specified, the term relationship should be understood to be like a boyfriend/girlfriend type of relationship.
1. A close friend is someone who you can trust with your most guarded secrets and you look to for advice. That friend is the person you turn to when you are backed up against the wall and you can't figure a way out. In my opinion, a relationship should be the same way. You should be able to trust the person that you are with in that sense with the things that are closest to your heart.
2. A close friend is someone who you will say and do anything that you feel that is in their best interest regardless of how it may make them feel about you at the time. If you cannot trust a friend to be completely honest with you, then who can you trust? This is not saying that you should tell your friends everything about you. This just means that when soliciting advice, a close friend has the obligation to tell the truth without a censor. The truth can hurt but in my experience the consequences of not knowing the truth hurts more in the end. A relationship is a little different depending on the stage and/or seriousness of the relationship. However, being that I am 22 years old, I am at the stage of my life where I consider relationships to be serious commitments and could have life-long implications. Speaking from that point, a relationship should be the same way. That person is on that you depend because at the end of the day, that is the person that you decided to share you life with in a way different then any other person that you are engaged with.
3. A close friend is someone that cares for you so deeply that if conflict exists between the two, then it will cause that person's life to be all out of sorts until the situation is resolved. Have you ever been in an argument that was so intense that it messed up your day, week, or month? That is what I am talking about. Emotions that run so deep that once the balance in thrown off, everything else in your life is also thrown off. I think this happens because a close friend knows you so well that they know what buttons to push to send you reeling. In arguments, people say things that are not warranted and can be harsh and because of that arguments with friends are dangerous. Knowledge is definitely power in this sense.
So...what can you do? It is silly to think that men and women should not be close friends, even though that their are very popular sayings that overwhelmingly contrary. Part of me feels that the only way to deal with what could become an issue later is to address it every so often. I was watching Miracle with a very good friend yesterday and Coach Herb Brooks said to his players that you do not defend the Soviets, you attack them. It is like saying that the best defense is a good offense. Anyways, away from sports references and back to the issue at hand. Wouldn't that be a awkward conversation though?
Man: Hey whats up
Woman: Nothing Much
Man: I have to tell you something
Woman: What?
Man: Well, I think you should know that I really care about you as a friend but I do not have romantic feelings for you
Woman: Well, I don't have them for you either.
Man: That's good then
Woman: I agree
Man: Let's go see a movie or something
Could you imagine if people had regular conversations like this, just to make sure that nothing had changed and everyone was still friends? What would come of this? There would probably be a lot less fights between friends but I think that this approach is to practical and methodical to be part of a real friendship. Friends are the ones whom you can be silly around, say ridiculous things to and with, and act a fool without the fear of being serious judged or ridiculed. Having friendships like this are therapeutic. The world is too serious for you not to have someone who you can let loose in front of.
Ahh well, it is what it is.
I've been thinking a lot about this and I have realized that the things that make a close friendship what it is are very similar to the things that make a relationship what it is minus the physicality.
* One caveat. For the rest of this post, unless otherwise specified, the term relationship should be understood to be like a boyfriend/girlfriend type of relationship.
1. A close friend is someone who you can trust with your most guarded secrets and you look to for advice. That friend is the person you turn to when you are backed up against the wall and you can't figure a way out. In my opinion, a relationship should be the same way. You should be able to trust the person that you are with in that sense with the things that are closest to your heart.
2. A close friend is someone who you will say and do anything that you feel that is in their best interest regardless of how it may make them feel about you at the time. If you cannot trust a friend to be completely honest with you, then who can you trust? This is not saying that you should tell your friends everything about you. This just means that when soliciting advice, a close friend has the obligation to tell the truth without a censor. The truth can hurt but in my experience the consequences of not knowing the truth hurts more in the end. A relationship is a little different depending on the stage and/or seriousness of the relationship. However, being that I am 22 years old, I am at the stage of my life where I consider relationships to be serious commitments and could have life-long implications. Speaking from that point, a relationship should be the same way. That person is on that you depend because at the end of the day, that is the person that you decided to share you life with in a way different then any other person that you are engaged with.
3. A close friend is someone that cares for you so deeply that if conflict exists between the two, then it will cause that person's life to be all out of sorts until the situation is resolved. Have you ever been in an argument that was so intense that it messed up your day, week, or month? That is what I am talking about. Emotions that run so deep that once the balance in thrown off, everything else in your life is also thrown off. I think this happens because a close friend knows you so well that they know what buttons to push to send you reeling. In arguments, people say things that are not warranted and can be harsh and because of that arguments with friends are dangerous. Knowledge is definitely power in this sense.
So...what can you do? It is silly to think that men and women should not be close friends, even though that their are very popular sayings that overwhelmingly contrary. Part of me feels that the only way to deal with what could become an issue later is to address it every so often. I was watching Miracle with a very good friend yesterday and Coach Herb Brooks said to his players that you do not defend the Soviets, you attack them. It is like saying that the best defense is a good offense. Anyways, away from sports references and back to the issue at hand. Wouldn't that be a awkward conversation though?
Man: Hey whats up
Woman: Nothing Much
Man: I have to tell you something
Woman: What?
Man: Well, I think you should know that I really care about you as a friend but I do not have romantic feelings for you
Woman: Well, I don't have them for you either.
Man: That's good then
Woman: I agree
Man: Let's go see a movie or something
Could you imagine if people had regular conversations like this, just to make sure that nothing had changed and everyone was still friends? What would come of this? There would probably be a lot less fights between friends but I think that this approach is to practical and methodical to be part of a real friendship. Friends are the ones whom you can be silly around, say ridiculous things to and with, and act a fool without the fear of being serious judged or ridiculed. Having friendships like this are therapeutic. The world is too serious for you not to have someone who you can let loose in front of.
Ahh well, it is what it is.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
New Beginnings
Hello to all of those that might actually read this blog. From here on out, I hope you enjoy the content that I post and even if you don't, I really don't care much. It is my blog and I do what I want. Seriously though, thanks for visiting.
So, starting this blog is part of the plan of creating the post-college Patrick Alan West. I have told a few people some of my plans like not wearing an earing anymore or wearing glasses all the time (once i get a new pair) and their response was "why do you wanna change your image?" My answer to that question is really, why not? I am transitioning to a new period in my life and because of that, a careful inspection of the things that I do is warranted.
Right Now here is part of creating the new me
1. Stop wearing the earing (I can't wear it at work and it adds no value so why bother)
2. Eat healthy
3. Exercise regularly
4. Learn to play golf
5. Wear glasses
6. Watch the news (or read the newspaper) everyday
7. Reflect on my thoughts and write them down (this is the purpose of the blog)
8. Find a volunteer opportunity that I enjoy in Midland
9. Become more involved at church
10. Make intentional efforts to stay in touch with my college friends
11. Ask for things more often
This is the list so far but I am sure that it will be edited as I get into my job and get used to being around Midland. For those of you reading this and that know me, I am going to need your help. Please make sure that I am staying on track and if you have any suggestions of things that I might enjoy and would enrich my experience, let me know.
For those who go to Ohio State, you have probably heard about Chalk the Walk for commencement week. In my chalking, I wrote, "College last for 4 years but memories last a lifetime..." In my reflection about what makes me, me versus what are things I need to improve on in my life, I have found it hard to sift through the years of habits and doing what others do to really determine who I really am. Being separated from all that I know and love (besides my car) will probably give me some clarity into the issue at hand.
For now, I am off to enjoy my first visit to Ohio State as an alumnus.
So, starting this blog is part of the plan of creating the post-college Patrick Alan West. I have told a few people some of my plans like not wearing an earing anymore or wearing glasses all the time (once i get a new pair) and their response was "why do you wanna change your image?" My answer to that question is really, why not? I am transitioning to a new period in my life and because of that, a careful inspection of the things that I do is warranted.
Right Now here is part of creating the new me
1. Stop wearing the earing (I can't wear it at work and it adds no value so why bother)
2. Eat healthy
3. Exercise regularly
4. Learn to play golf
5. Wear glasses
6. Watch the news (or read the newspaper) everyday
7. Reflect on my thoughts and write them down (this is the purpose of the blog)
8. Find a volunteer opportunity that I enjoy in Midland
9. Become more involved at church
10. Make intentional efforts to stay in touch with my college friends
11. Ask for things more often
This is the list so far but I am sure that it will be edited as I get into my job and get used to being around Midland. For those of you reading this and that know me, I am going to need your help. Please make sure that I am staying on track and if you have any suggestions of things that I might enjoy and would enrich my experience, let me know.
For those who go to Ohio State, you have probably heard about Chalk the Walk for commencement week. In my chalking, I wrote, "College last for 4 years but memories last a lifetime..." In my reflection about what makes me, me versus what are things I need to improve on in my life, I have found it hard to sift through the years of habits and doing what others do to really determine who I really am. Being separated from all that I know and love (besides my car) will probably give me some clarity into the issue at hand.
For now, I am off to enjoy my first visit to Ohio State as an alumnus.
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