Chairs

About a month ago I got a new office desk chair. Up until today it even had the tags still intact. Finding myself with some free time, I finally removed said tags and had a look… The first tag was pretty generic in describing chair features with an illustration in case you didn’t know where to find the features. Though, the second tag I have included in this post for everyone’s viewing pleasure. I personally like the picture of the chair on fire under the ‘Don’ts’ section as well as the picture of the doctor using a stethoscope on the chair in the ‘Do’s’ section. Should we be worried that information like this is necessary on a chair?

Random Thought

There is already the most interesting man in the world... he does beer commericials and Phil quotes him in his blog.

I on the other hand am one of the most amazing people in the world. Eventually, when I retire, I'm going to offer a scholarship for someone to hang out with me for a year. I mean, seriously, Rhodes scholar? There are like 83 of them a year... If someone really wants a prestigious education in more than just academics, they should apply to be an Andrews scholar... It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Instead of watering down the talent pool, there will only be one, per year. One shot, don't miss your chance.

Who wants to be on the application screening panel?

Hello Summer

What have I been doing for the past month and a half? I don't really know. Playing lots of golf mostly. I wanted to play the 60+ golf courses here in the Portland area, and have gotten to 39 so far. The biggest hiccup is that about 14 of them are private. Oh well. To have played close to 50 golf courses this summer while working is still pretty good, right?

I was supposed to go to Coos Bay for 2 months, but am now probably going to go to Seattle or Anchorage for a stretch if they can't find anything for me to do here. We'll see.

I hope to post something a little longer later... (I always say that though. ;) )

Here we go again...

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”—E.M. Forester

There has been so much that has happened in the past month, past 6 months, past year, past two years, past three years... that leaves my head spinning... Where I was, where I was planning on going, where I am now, where I am currently going.

Before I used to be a master of my emotions rather than letting my emotions get the best of me. Now, I find myself having lots of joy, and also having lots of sadness. Getting upset at weird little stuff, and laughing at even stranger things.

Throughout it all I find myself asking a couple questions:

If you got into trouble and could only call 5 people (non-family) to try and help you out of it, to be there for you, and who would be there for you (either by calling someone else to be there for you, or hopping the next plane, skipping work/class) who would you call? Who can you really count on? I know the people I'd drop everything and have dropped everything for (I have a college transcript to show for it)... would they do the same for me? Is it worth it?

What kind of friendships do I want in my life and what kind of friendships are the most valuable?

It may be true that people come into our lives for reasons, seasons, or lifetimes... but is there any real reason that true friendships shouldn't last a lifetime? I've always thought the most valuable friendships were the ones that go both ways. The ones where both people put forth effort and aren't afraid to communicate. Trouble seems to arise when one person dominates and is not very flexible or accommodating. Trouble can also arise if one person is too accommodating to the point where they stop thinking for themself. I think ultimately the big reasons why a lot of friendships fail or go into the reason/season categories are out of selfishness, self-centeredness, or apathy. One person or both decide that they can't get anything from the other person (fun, knowledge, happy things), the friendship is too emotionally draining to the point where time seems to be wasted versus being well spent, or the lack of caring to the point of not having strong feelings one way or the other.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”—E.M. Forester

Sometimes things just don't work out how we hope or plan... That's another fact of life... The universe doesn't care... Our lives are so miniscule in the grand scheme of things... Take a look outside at the night sky sometime and see all the stars... billions of miles away... shining light that left the stars millions of years ago... Numbers that are unfathomable when measured up against humanity's limitations.  I guess the lesson learned is that sometimes you just have to let go of that rock you're holding onto in the river, stop trying to fight the current, and let life take you to where you're 'really' supposed to be going.

On a lighter note... here's a great music video and song that moved it's way into my top 10 favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY

Delays

There has been a fact of life that I forget from time to time... "Life is not fair."

The funny thing is that we're all expected to play by the same rules, but we all start at different places on the game board. Some people start at Free Parking. Some people start at the Jail. Others start at Income Tax. The lucky few start at Boardwalk. Some people are the top hat. Some people are the dog. Some people are the thimble. Others are the car.

Anyways, everyone has burdens they don't think anyone else will ever understand or care about... the trick is being able to stop and lay them down... and then start up again walking forward without looking back...

Tired

I'm tired...
Tired of trying. Tired of putting myself out there. Tired of always having to to make the first move. Tired of being an afterthought. Tired of saying yes in order to keep getting asked, but tired of saying no to try and hide. Tired of not knowing what I want. Tired of knowing and not being able to obtain. Tired of saving the day. Tired of seeing people move on and forget. Tired of selfish people, self-absorbed people, people who don't care. Tired of waiting. Tired of faith. Tired of lack of faith. Tired of people not understanding or wanting to understand. Tired of advice.
I'm tired...

What's nice...
Being missed. Smiles. Thoughtful listening. Warm cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate. Random phone calls. Warm pie w/ a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Hugs. Laughter. Being needed. Having a purpose. Sunrises. Sunsets. Smooth jazz. Days off.
What's nice...

Valuable Lesson

One of the things I almost always forget:
Often times it's more important to a woman that she wins an argument than actually being right.