Smart Jan 22, 2008
On a regular basis, I hear people talk about "that guy from high school" or "that girl I used to be friends with" and say, "He/she is really smart, but..." followed by some reason why the person doesn't utilize their smartness, such as "but he dropped out of school" or "she liked to smoke pot" or "he's just lazy".  In my opinion, those people aren't smart.  They obviously have some amount of natural intelligence and the ability to learn, but by not utilizing it, I think it disqualifies them from holding the title of "smart".

[On a side note, I'm having quite a bit of trouble writing this post because I don't want to write things that make me sound stupid because that would seem to defeat the purpose of the post.  However, assume that I'm a neutral third party whose smartness is absolute and must remain unchallenged.  This gives me the option of using words like "smartness" and putting punctuation after quotes like "this".]

I think in order to be considered smart, a person needs to have an ability or create an ability, and use it.  I grew up with a kid who was super-smart.  He was in all the smart classes and did well.  He was extremely creative and was able to get incredible results without putting in much effort.  Where is this guy now?  Living down the street from his parents (not that there's anything wrong with that), probably without a college degree (not that there's anything wrong with that), and doing some sort of low-paying manual labor (not that there's anything wrong with that).  My point is not that smartness breeds success, and success is measured by things like proximity to home, college degrees, and non-manual labor.  My point is that smartness, when left un-utilitized, can no longer be considered smartness.  It's wasted smartness, which in effect is stupidity.  So to say a person is smart "but..." something, you're saying the person isn't smart. #psychology
Unfounded (7) Jan 18, 2008
My favorite unfounded comment of all time is from this recent holiday season, comparing Microsoft's Zune to Apple's iPod: 
Cousin:  "The Zune is more advanced."
It's easy to make bold claims without even a thought as to backing them up. #psychology
Say hi to me Jan 18, 2008
The worst part about being the lesser half of a couple is that people treat you like crap. 

Yes, I'm the lesser part of the Wendy-Dave Duo.  Wendy's cooler than me.  People "like her."  She "has proper hygiene."  She "isn't awkward to talk to."  (For the uninitiated, these are references to Tommy Boy.)  And this if fine by me.  It makes my life easier because I don't have to try to be the social one (which I'm not). 

But a problem arises when I show up to events without my better half.  For example, last night I went to a Bible study.  It was cold, dark, and snowing as I stood outside the person's house and waited for them to answer the door.  The door was opened, and the first thing out of the person's mouth was, "Where's Wendy?"  I responded:  "Hey, how's it going?  She's traveling." 

As the lesser half, I know my role:  Clean the bathroom, do the dishes, speak when spoken to.  But for whatever reason, I feel that, as a human being, perhaps I could receive a proper greeting when I show up to your house.  I know you're disappointed to see me and not Wendy, but (1) at least try to hide it, and (2) say hi to me.  I don't ask for much out of life.  I keep quiet most of the time and get out of people's way.  I pay my taxes and help people when they move.  I don't want a pat on the back.  I just want to be acknowledged.  Ya jerk. #psychology
Celebrities and charities Jan 15, 2008
Watching Celebrity Apprentice brought an idea to mind:  There's something wrong with the combination of celebrities and charities.  Ooh ooh!  I know what it is!  Celebrities make buttloads of money, so much so that they can easily match the annual earnings of several large charities.  So watching a bunch of rich (though B- and C-list) celebrities struggle to try to raise money for their favorite charity is just stupid.  Open up your big fat wallets.  Use your millions and millions of dollars to actually make an impact.  Watching Stephen Baldwin hand a **$60,000** check to a cancer foundation was pitiful.  $60,000 was a fraction of the price of one of your cars.  $60,000 was the amount you paid to have sprinklers installed in your front lawn.  Instead of urging and pleading with people to give money to your favorite charities, why don't you do it yourself? #psychology
Changed opinions Jan 3, 2008
Sometimes, my opinion on a certain topic will change because of information introduced by a trusted third party.  For example, I respect my dad's knowledge of money, so if he tells me it's a good idea to do a certain thing with my money, I'll likely follow his advice.  It's the same with my sister and parenting.  She probably wouldn't actually give advice, but my opinion on parenting changes as I watch her with her kids. 

However, sometimes my opinion on a certain topic won't change regardless of information introduced by a trusted third party, largely because my opinion on the topic is stronger than my trust in that person.  For example, my opinion on drunk driving is that you shouldn't even take a chance.  I'm usually more careful than I legally need to be, but I'd rather be careful than lose my license.  So if a person I respect drinks and drives, my opinion on the topic doesn't change.  Instead, my opinion of the person changes. #psychology
Celebrity gossip Jan 1, 2008
Celebrity gossip may very well be the lowest form of human conversation.  There.  I said it. #psychology
Trying new things Dec 18, 2007
I've written about this a few times in the past, but I'll go ahead and say it again:  I'm opposed to trying new things, and this comes as a direct result of past experiences.  Past bad experiences. 

The topic of food comes to mind.  I had some Indian friends in college.  They would say, "Hey white boy, try this weird food with a foreign name, made of ingredients we can't remember."  I'd try it.  And gag.  If I can't identify what kingdom of food I'm eating, things can't turn out well.  And they didn't.  I did this a few times, each time telling myself to stop trying Indian food as it was always a disappointment (my apologies to Indian people and Indian-food-sympathizers worldwide; if it works for you, go for it). 

The same thing would happen with [insert nationality] food.  Some friends would say, "Hey let's go to that Thai place."  We went.  It was awful.  It was the same with Korean food (what exactly is a dumpling anyway?).  It's not that these were the worst experiences of my life, but I can say with a pretty high degree of finality that I have no desire to eat any foods from any of these countries again.  That goes for most other countries as well.  Why would I take the risk of being disappointed for the small chance that I'll be absolutely blown away by something new?  Reward/risk = very small number. 

I think it has something to do with the difference between yearning for experience and being satisfied.  Some people feel the need to be experienced, and there's nothing wrong with that.  They try new things, and even if they don't like them, at the new things were tried.  Experiences are notches in the belt, adding wisdom and information to the rest of life's situations.  Plus, they provide excellent fodder for conversation. 

Other people are perfectly ok with the status quo.  They're satisfied.  In fact, they're so satisfied, they actually don't want a new experience to come in and disrupt things.  This is a little naive and close-minded.  But it is what it is.  These people won't be changed by pointing out their shortfalls. 

Obviously, I'm the latter.  I've tried enough new things to know that I don't like trying new things.  Even if there's a potential for some sort of immeasurable yet non-zero gain, it's just not worth it for me.  This probably has something to do with being extremely negative and how the chemicals in my brain cause me to remember negative experiences more vividly and for longer than positive experiences, thereby instilling in me an intense dislike for things that cause negative experiences, i.e. trying new things.  But whatever.  That's too deep for a Tuesday morning. 

In conclusion, if I'm consistently disappointed by trying new things, how could the solution possibly be to try more new things (as some people suggest, "You just haven't tried the right new things.")?  As someone famous once said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. #psychology
Source of happiness (3) Dec 17, 2007
I'm doubtful of people who claim that [fill in the blank] has finally made them happy.  I was just talking to a guy a few weeks ago who said he's finally happy now that he has a girlfriend.  It made me cringe. 

If you're basing your happiness on something that's absolutely guaranteed to change, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.  Things like relationships are guaranteed to change.  People change.  Feelings change.  Circumstances change.  It's not to say you can't be happy with your mate throughout your entire lifetime, but it's naive to say, "After a few months of dating I've come to the conclusion that I'm finally happy because I have a girlfriend." 

The main reason it made me cringe was because I can already imagine the conversation I'll have with this guy in six months.  It'll either be
  1. "She broke up with me." *cry* *moan*
  2. "As soon as I have a place to myself, I'll finally be happy."
Begin endless loop. #psychology
B-person Dec 10, 2007
I'm definitely a B-person. 
"A B-person - as opposed to an A-person - [is] genetically pre-disposed to operate better and to be more alert later in the day."
i.e. I'm not a morning person. #psychology
My things (4) Dec 4, 2007
I treat my possessions well.  I'm known for it.  I wash and vacuum my car.  I don't drop or scratch my cell phone or camera.  My computer screen doesn't have any finger smudges. 

I'm usually berated for this.  Well actually, I'm berated for forcing other people to follow my rules.  I fail to see this as a problem.  If you use my computer, I don't want your grubby fingers on my monitor.  If you're in my car, I don't want your food and garbage all over the place.  I unfortunately spend a lot of money to have nice things, and my goal is to keep my things looking and working well as long as possible.  I bought my car in 2004 and it looks and drives 90% as good as it did when I first got it.  My friend bought his car a few months later and it looks like he just drove it through a dust storm with the windows down.  I know a person who's dropped her Blackberry on the ground so many times, the thing has actually changed shape.  I, on the other hand, kept my phone is such good condition that I was able to sell it on eBay after two years of regular use. 

My point is this:  When you use or borrow my stuff, treat it like it's my stuff, not your stuff.  You may be accustomed to dropped your things and breaking your USB ports, but I'm not.  If you don't like my rules, get your own stuff. #psychology