We meet again (1) Aug 27, 2008
My life seems to be an ongoing series of re-meets, i.e. I'm constantly forced to meet people I've already met.  I remember them, but they don't remember me.  I'm apparently not very good at leaving an impression.  In the past month, it's happened at a wedding, a BBQ, and travel for work.  But it always happens the same way.  I make an entrance (also apparently not memorable), greet the various people at the function, and remind them that we met once or twice before, but that it's still nice to meet them again.  The weird thing is that it happens multiple times with the same people.  There's this one friend of a friend that I've met at least four separate times.  Maybe he'll remember me this time.  I would understand if we briefly met one time at a busy function and we didn't even have time to get past the "nice to meet you" part.  That's fine.  I often don't remember people whose hand I've had the pleasure of shaking.  And it would be fine if we met one time in 1993 when I was 11 years old, but since I don't look or act quite the same as I once did, we need to go through the re-meeting process.  But most times, it's the same series of friends-of-friends who simply don't remember me.  I need to come up with some sort of memorable act or line.  I'm sure most people would remember receiving a black eye or hearing the phrase, "Hi-diddly-ho, neighborino!" #psychology
Hug injury (4) Aug 26, 2008
In the past few weeks alone, I've injured at least three people by hugging them.  It happens with short, skinny girls.  I go in for the obligatory friend hug, wrap my arms completely around the person, feel too much space between us, pull the person towards me, and pound them in the face with my shoulder.  It usually hits their chin or their eye socket bone, so there's some nice solid contact involved.  I always feel so bad, not so much because I hurt a person, but because I'm such a socially awkward idiot.  Please, someone, help me. #psychology
Get some wins together Aug 12, 2008
Sometimes work sucks.  And I'm young; I haven't been working for long.  The reason it sucks is because I have to deal with people I don't like (sometimes), and I have to work on projects that don't interest me (sometimes).  It's hard to find the motivation to do something when you're gaining no satisfaction or enjoyment from that something.  So the solution is this:  Figure out what brings you satisfaction, and do that.  Most times, it can be done without quitting jobs or changing scenery.  Sometimes it's as simple as Dunkin Donuts coffee in the morning.  Or completing a personal project, like reading a book or designing a website.  Whatever it is, do the thing that brings satisfaction, get some wins together, and going to work won't be so bad. #psychology
Circular fields (2) Jul 31, 2008
It has just come to my attention that circular fields used for farming are circular because of irrigation systems that rotate around a fixed point (the center of the field).  I thought it had something to do with harvesting being easier when done in one smooth motion, more like a spiral. #psychology
Polymath (2) Jul 29, 2008
A polymath is "a person with encyclopedic, broad, or varied knowledge or skills."  It's ironic that I didn't know that. #psychology
Better than you (2) Jul 16, 2008
One day a few years ago, Wendy and I were at a family function with Wendy's then 8-year-old niece, Sabryna.  Sabryna, like any kid, was playing outside and got something in her hair.  Here's the conversation that transpired: 
Wendy:  Hey Sabryna, you have something in your hair.
Sabryna:  That's ok.  I'm better than you.
The End
That was a life-changing experience for me.  What better comeback is there than "I'm better than you"?  It wasn't so much a comeback as just a general statement.  A fact.  "I like your shirt."  That's ok.  I'm better than you.  "Do you want something to eat?"  Nope.  I'm better than you.  "How was school today?"  Better than you.

In a strikingly similar instance, my friend Bob once went to a bar and had the following exchange with the waiter: 
Bob:  Hey, how's it going?
Waiter:  Better than you.
To this day, Bob still brings this up as a major turning point in his life.  How could a waiter say that?  How does he know he's better?  It's angering, dumbfounding, frustrating, and confusing.  Which is why it works so well in so many conversations. #psychology
Three big things Jul 7, 2008
Three ideas that stuck with me for a while: 
  1. Ms. Scholl, not my second grade teacher, but the one in the room next to mine:  "The world is full of entirely too much packaging."  I was in second grade in 1989, but this idea has stuck with me since then, and has gained greater significance just recently.  If you stop and think about it for a second, everything comes in packaging.  And that packaging comes in packaging, which is further packaged, and so on.  Heck, there are people employed full-time in the art of packaging engineering.  And where does all this packaging go?  Landfills, where it will sit for eternity because almost none of it is even remotely biodegradable.  I was recently in the habit of eating frozen meals for lunch, which consist of a plastic tray, covered by a plastic film, all in a cardboard box.  The cleaning guy at work came to empty my trash one day and made a comment about how I produced the most garbage out of all the people in my office area.  I wasn't too concerned at the moment, but the more I thought about it (for the two years since), the more I notice it and am disturbed by it.
  2. My dad:  "A car is the worst investment you'll ever make."  It's true, but there really isn't an option where I live.  Every other major purchase you make will either go up in value or stay the same price.  Only with cars do we dump tons of money into monthly payments, then tons more money on maintenance and repairs, only to be left with next to zero return on investment.  The payoff for investing in a car is the privilege of sitting in traffic.
  3. Mrs. O:  "Leave it as it was."  This was in reference to nature, especially when we humans enter the wilderness for hiking and camping visits.  Don't break any branches or rip out any plants.  And especially don't add anything that wasn't already there (i.e. garbage).  Leave it as it was.  I still follow this advice 15 years later when I'm hiking.
#psychology
Undeserved influence Jul 2, 2008
I don't like people who use their celebrity status (whether pseudo or real) to influence other people's opinions on a completely unrelated topic.  A fine example is Spacedoc, who uses his status as a former astronaut to preach on the evils of cholesterol medication.  Yes, we find out later that he was, in fact, a doctor and so he might have at least an ounce of legitimacy.  But he uses his astronaut status to preach something that has nothing to do with being an astronaut, simply because he knows people will trust him because of his stint as a well-respected pioneer of the unknown.  That's total B.S. #psychology
Tall Jul 2, 2008
I would hate to be extremely tall.  I have a buddy who's 6'8".  He's a monstrosity.  Even the most unobservant person would notice him and say, "Holy crap, this guy's a giant!"  And inevitably, every person who notices his immense height not only needs to mention it ("Wow, you're tall."), they need to know his exact height ("So how tall are you?").  It wouldn't matter if he had three noses, or if he was a brilliant rocket scientist, or if he was a she.  The only thing people notice about him is his height.  That must've gotten old a long time ago. #psychology
Destruction (2) Jun 11, 2008
I can't explain it, but I find the act of destruction to be incredibly fulfilling.  That sounds weird, and it makes me seem like a violent, angry person.  But I'm not.  I just like destroying things, not for the sake of destroying them, but for the feeling of empowerment it gives me.  Empowerment is sort of a sissy word, so I'll explain some more. 

I wrote a while ago about my love for the weed whacker.  So much destructive power in such a small package.  There's just nothing better than obliterating grass and weeds with a spinning plastic string.  It sounds stupid, but I know I'm not the only one.  Maybe it's the gasoline fumes and the smell of exhaust from a 2-stroke engine.  Maybe it's the finger-controlled throttle reminiscent of a gun trigger.  Maybe it's the bits of grass and rock that get kicked up and flung everywhere.  Whatever it is, it's my favorite thing to do around the yard.  I just love destroying things with the weed whacker. 

In another moment of destruction, I cut down a tree last weekend.  Not just because I felt like it or because I hate nature.  It was very dead and likely to fall at any time, with a good chance of hitting my house or a neighbor's.  So I executed a preemptive strike.  I tied some ropes to it to guide it where I wanted it to fall, then I chopped away at the trunk (I don't need no chainsaw ... actually, I wouldn't mind one since it's probably as destructive as 10 weed whackers put together).  When it hit the ground, I almost squealed with delight like a little girl, but I quickly remembered the "manliness" of the situation and merely gave a nod of agreement as a sign of my dominance over that dead piece of wood.  It was one of the best moments of my life. 

I've been doing kickboxing for the past several months, and for lack of a better way of saying it, I absolutely love hitting things.  I didn't get into fights growing up, and I've never really been big on physical violence, but I can't deny that I've developed a love for hitting things.  At its core, I think it's all about destruction.  I'm not angry when I'm punching and kicking things; I don't think about my enemies or that dude who cut me off in traffic.  I just go in and destroy a punching bag.  For something so simple and almost primitive, it surprises even me that so much enjoyment can be had. 

I guess destruction makes me feel powerful.  It makes me feel like I'm in control.  Do I feel powerless and out of control at other times in life?  Not really.  Psychoanalysis has never really produced any legitimate results for me in the past, so I don't know if there's an underlying meaning or motivation behind my love of destruction.  I just know I like destroying things.  Simple as that. #psychology