Happy New Year!

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No, I’m not going to post a list of my resolutions. I’ll simply say that I hope for a year full of love, friendship, and good health.

There was a post on Facebook this morning about a project called 365 Grateful that looked pretty cool. Who doesn’t need daily reminders of how much we have to be thankful for? So, I’m going to do one for today. I fail at long term commitments that require a daily action so who knows how often I’ll do this but below is my first one.

Today, I’m grateful for my nerdy, sweet boy. He stayed up last night to ring in the new year for the first time and we all had a wonderful night filled with pizza, popcorn, and movies. Being a parent can be trying and hard but there are many moments when I’m so filled with love and awe for my son that it’s all worthwhile. He is a wonderful mix of me and my wife and I don’t know what my life would be like without him. For those reasons and so many more, Micah is what I’m grateful for today.

LBP2 on New Year's Day

LBP2 on New Year’s Day

It Wuz on the Interwebz!

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Just like you, I’m sure, I’ve come across things posted on the internet that, with no actual proof at all, have miraculously become fact. The most mind boggling part, for me, is that the majority of folks don’t even bother to question the validity of these “facts.”

I shouldn’t be shocked, really, since so many Americans deal with news and politics in the same way. We heard it on the corporately owned news media outlet, it has to be true! Even more popular than the actual “news” is sharing articles and opinions on social networking sites. Here’s how that tends to work:

  1. See inflammatory headline either for or against your personal opinion.
  2. Read most of the first paragraph of the article because that’s all that you have the attention span for – after all, something new is being posted as you’re wasting time reading the text that will justify the headline and the point you want to make.
  3. Share the article with no comment or something like “Wow!” or “I can’t fucking believe this!” in the hopes of sparking some conversation.
  4. Giggle at the cute cat jumping 5 feet into the air after being frightened by a stuffed animal that’s just been posted by someone you don’t really know but are “friends” with online.

You can shake your head and say, “I’ve never done that” but I’m going to guess that you have. I know I have. Not proud of it but it’s still true.

One thing I do stay away from, and wish others would too, is jumping on the personal attack bandwagon. We see it in the comments sections of YouTube posts, news articles, and social media sites all the damn time. It’s so easy to accuse and harass and be cruel when you don’t have to look someone in the face or actually be accountable. It feels great to be the center of attention when you’re filled with righteous indignation and supposedly carrying the banner for those being wronged. Even if it’s all a bunch of bullshit. But, hey, by the time anyone actually uncovers the truth, the gawkers have moved on to something else to be outraged about.

The only thing I find more repugnant than an internet bully are those who blindly pile on – never questioning or working to solve a problem but happy to get in on the outrage and anger. Yay mob mentality and school yard politics! Ah, interwebz, how we love you for gifting us with the ability to display the very worst in ourselves while being able to hide behind a keyboard and monitor. Our families would be so proud of us if they only knew the hi-jinx we get up to while avoiding doing our jobs or taking care of household chores. Oh, yeah, actually, I’m guessing that if we were required to read most of our internet posts to our parents or grandparents – children or co-workers – we’d be ashamed.

I’m certainly not perfect but I do try to think about those who will be affected by what I post online. I truly don’t like to hurt anyone’s feelings. I know there are people out there who think I’m a massive asshole but, truly, I’m not. I’ve even been able to tone down my road rage by imagining everyone who cuts me off or puts my kid in danger with their insane driving as a co-worker or my mother or my step-father who I will have to see shortly after flipping them off while blasting by in the next lane. It changes my behavior. It’s important, I think, that we stop acting as though the people – real human beings – that we bitch about or harass or accuse online are not affected by hurtful words and lies just as we are. And for the record, I nearly did flip my step-father off because I didn’t recognize the car and he was CRAWLING along in front of me and I couldn’t get around him. So, yeah, it can happen.

I’ve watched several people I know and have grown to like and respect fall victim to anonymous people online who not only attack their work but their lives and their families. All with having not a single bit of knowledge about them. It’s terrible and my heart hurt for those people. They didn’t do anything to provoke these attacks – it was just fun for the poster. I’ve had people post negative things about me on several message boards that contained comments like “well, I didn’t hear the podcast but if you all say they were mean and terrible, I’m not going to bother! How dare they!” And it didn’t matter that most of the posters who did the accusing hadn’t actually listened – someone that they knew did and that person was pissed off so, by God, they were pissed off, too! No need to fact check here, folks, just anger and defensiveness.

Holy shit, grow the fuck up people. Yeah, I know I’m going to catch hell for it but, please, grow up and think for yourselves. And then be nice to someone just for the hell of it. Because, you know what? It’ll make you feel a whole lot better than ripping someone to shreds. It’s the fucking holiday season! Be nice to each other for a fucking minute!

Ok, thanks for reading my ranting. I’m grabbing a beer, my wife, and going to bed.

Ten Things About Me

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Cherry Delight & Willie

Cherry Delight & Willie

I’ve seen some posts around where folks are sharing lists of things about themselves that very few people know. That got me thinking about what people know about me. I’m pretty much an open book, really. I will rarely withhold information about myself if I’m asked a direct question or if I feel comfortable and safe in a conversation. I tend to let all sorts of things slip about myself on the podcast because it feels like a private conversation with a dear friend. I can forget about the other people that may listen later.

In honor of my friends who have shared things about themselves through their posts, here are ten things about me that you may not know. I imagine there are a handful of people who may know all of these things.

  1. I’m a survivor of sexual abuse.
  2. I’m very self-aware. I almost always know why I do things and why I feel the way I do.
  3. I think my wife’s feet are very sexy. I also have a thing for sexy, high heeled shoes and boots. On other women, not on me.
  4. I prefer to be alone or with others in silence than just about any other scenario. But I am not someone who ever wants to be single. I love being in a relationship but I’m so thankful that my wife can also be silent for hours at a time.
  5. I’m bisexual.
  6. I hate being late. I think this comes from our family being late to everything, all the time, and the embarrassment of walking in well after events have begun and having others look at us scornfully. Except I am late for work almost every day. For some reason, that doesn’t bother me a bit. I think it’s because I’m there before anyone else so there’s no one to give me a shitty look.
  7. I was a cutter as a teen and had no idea it was a thing until I saw an episode of ER many years later. I felt an incredible sense of relief that it wasn’t just me.
  8. I’m elevator phobic. All my worst nightmares have to do with falling or wildly swinging elevators. I will bolt from an elevator if I feel that there are too many people on it and take the stairs whenever possible.
  9. I’m very uncomfortable talking with or being touched by people I don’t know very well. I fail massively at small talk and tend to avoid people or walk away as soon as possible when cornered. Crowds are very hard to handle.
  10. I’m insecure about nearly everything. Insecure and afraid of disappointing others. I think this is where some of my control issues come from.

So there you go. Feel free to share something about yourself, too. Now I’m off to do some laundry and have a glass of wine. Yay for clean clothes!

Mostly Successful at Not Failing at Everything

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I just took a peek at my October Challenge and have failed at nearly all the items. But, to be honest, I’m still feeling pretty good about where I am, so there’s that.

While I didn’t sign up for any classes at the Y, I DID pick up the schedules and information so that I can pick a class. I’m still succeeding in not having any fast food for 25 out of the 31 days. I stuck to the non-drinking parameters until the 24th when I had a glass of wine. And I’m ok with it because I’m being more mindful of what I’m consuming.

I didn’t make 10 blog posts but I’ve posted some here and some on the reblog site and the Cocktail Hour site, so I’m betting that I’m close to 10 posts. But they’re still not “blog posts” so I’m not going to claim them. There are other things that I did and didn’t do but I almost always fail at long term (yes, for me, a month is long term) challenges. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m really good for two weeks at a time.

I’m doing very well with my Rocksmith 60 Day Challenge. It’s been 5 days and, while I’m not rocking the house, I can tell that I’ve made some progress. I’m still super motivated and enjoying playing every day. I may still not play in front of people when the 60 days are over – beside my wife and son – but I’ll be a better private player, just the same.

I’ll think on doing a 30 Day Challenge dealie for November.

Rocksmith 60 Day Challenge – Day One

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I wanted to document my starting point for the Rocksmith 60 Day Challenge, so here it is. The only part that you may find entertaining is Dusty wanting to play during the song. This is mostly for me but since this site is mostly for me, it seemed the perfect place to put it.

Yes, our basement is cluttered right now. So many hobbies, so little time to or organize…