Life, and its cruel sense of humor.

Life does seem to have a life and a mind of its own. It's almost as if life is its own entity. The part thats not so great about 'life' and it having a mind of its own is that it seems to have a cruel sense of humor. Sure, you could attribute this to yourself and you having an effect on the events that happen in your life, but it's almost ironic how and when those events will occur.

Today I was washing windows. Every time I wash windows the morning sky starts out clean and clear. There may be only one or two clouds in the sky, but over all it looks as if its going to be a nice sunny day. My thinking that is was going to be a nice sunny day for nothing, because I came near to the end of the job and to my surprise(I just expect this to happen now) there were dark clouds in the sky above my head as if to say, "ha you fell for it again". Then on the way home from the job it starts to rain, but its not going to pour from heaven so that it doesn't leave spots on windows. What it does is sprinkles for two minutes, just enough rain to have dirty windows.

What's a person to do with this kind of humor, nothing. You wash your car because the weather man says that there isn't the slightest chance of rain in the next week. Wrong. The weather mans in with 'life' and the minute you get done washing your car you have a twelve hour count down until it rains. Of course its not going to pour, all its going to do is sprinkle for five minutes when you're asleep and blow lots of dust around so you can keep people in business that own car washes.

How about this scenario, you don't want to spill anything on your clothes while you eat because you have plans later and can't go home. What happens. What happens is a nice drop of red ketchup lands on your white pants out of your hamburger in which you swear that the hamburger didn't even have any ketchup on it. Maybe you think that you can not possibly have your day go worse than it already has because you lost your keys, backed over your cat, and a bird dropped a surprise on you out of the sky. Then while your thinking of these events you're pulled over and given a nice ticket for speeding in a construction zone that you never saw in the first place.

Of course I could just be blowing everything I said way out of proportion and this kinda stuff never happens. Well it does, and if I'm the only one that it seems to happen to than 'life' truly does have a cruel sense of humor. So I live and learn and try to get used to jokes that no one else finds funny but 'life'. How do I cope with 'life', I laugh. Even if it's fake. I hope you enjoy today, because I have. Aaron

I'm Bored

What is it about civilization today and the need for us to be entertained. Did we loose all creativity and the only 'fun' things to do are watching a movie, playing a video game, or going to an amusement park. I, as I believe many people have, fall into the category of believing that they need to be entertained.

Do I feel like I need to be entertained because I am lazy, or I don't find going outside very fun. No. I do enjoy the outdoors, and I would rather do other activities during the day other than watch a movie. I almost feel like I wasted three hours of my life after watching certain movies.

So next time you hear someone says the words I'm bored, try and remember that the easiest way to solve it by quick bought entertainment isn't necessarily the best. Being bored isn't a bad thing, and it doesn't always need to be filled with entertainment. Learning and work can do as much to fill that boredom as entertainment can. When the eternal words ring through your ears that I'm bored, remember that it may not be boredom at all just a mind needing activity.

I Think Therefore I Am . . . What?

It was Rene Descartes that said "I think therefore I am", but what is it that I am or you are. It is what you think, and what you think chooses how hard a task is to accomplish. Do you give up or fight? Your decision to accept or reject something is based on what you think of it. I meet many people that choose not to look into something because they believe it will be to hard to accomplish or learn. If I thought that everything new that I came in contact with was going to be a long drawn out learning experience just to accomplish the simplest thing, than I surely wouldn't learn much. I would stay with what I currently knew and would not bother with new information.

When I hear about something new or someone tells me that they can do something I can't, than what do I do? Do I not even look into it because it has words that sound complicated like quantum physics. No. That would be absurd. Knowledge seems to be the only power that one can keep and use. Burt force will only last so long, but gaining knowledge to counter that force will surly victor. Next time you're told of something new and before you decide that it's to complicated to learn or understand apply Occam's Razor. Look for the simplest answer or reason for what you have learned. If you have to think to learn why not think of a simple answer to the question. Otherwise next time you are confronted with something new you might think to much therefore you are not. Have a great day, Aaron.

In Search of Clint Eastwood (Wednesday Comic)

I thought that once a week I would do something a little different. I will look at all the digital pictures I have taken, or maybe take some new ones and create a comic strip of three pictures. Today's comic is of us going to Jackson Hole Wyoming and searching for Clint Eastwood (You always have to look for someone famous on vacation).

On realizing that if you're going to do anything you might as well do it right, we started our journey off in a wagon train looking for the famous western star.

Hearing a rumor that 'Clint Eastwood' actually stood by this pole and waited in line for the bus, we decided that this may be the closest thing we get to actually being in the presence of someone famous.
After a good hour and fifteen minutes our journey came to an end. We found the man we had been looking for all day! Mr. Clint Eastwood. We were all the happier when we found out that he would actually let us take a picture with him. My parents said that this man was George Straight, but what do they know anyway.

Something for nothing

Getting something for nothing never happens. Either the person that gave it to you lost or gained something, or you lose or gain something. In advertising getting something for nothing seems to be what entices people to buy a product. Companies will use advertising gimmicks of buy this item now and get it free (later)! The idea of getting something for free is ideal. It works so well because of either our general laziness, or the thought that we know a good deal when we see one. These thoughts pull us into their advertising and we buy it, whatever 'it' may be.

I received two rebate checks in the mail yesterday. I gave into the get something for nothing gimmick. Only after cutting upc's, filling out forms, and coping my information three time in print did I realize that if they put me throw enough crap maybe I would give up. Never. In the marketing circus they have us trained to perform a few tricks to get a reward. The company is the animal trainer and you are the animal. In order to get the product for free you must jump through this hoop and then that hoop, get through all the hoops in a certain amount of time, and make sure you pick up any upc's along that way. Only those with the will power and patience to complete all of the insane requirements receive what should have been rightfully theirs all along. Mark my words! Never again, will I fall for these stupid tricks . . . . unless it says free. :)

Winning isn't everything, or is it

I recently finished the book of Enders Game that was written by Orson Scott Card. Enders game was an amazing book. It was one of the best, if not the best fiction book I have ever read. In the book, Ender plays battle games constantly, and he never loses. He does this by having an objective, and then completing it.

What I thought of when I read this book is that by winning, you can actually lose. In a society that is driven by competition and winning, everything we do seems to have some form of classification on who wins and who loses. Luckily if you know the game and how to play it you can out smart the player and the game. You become the winner even if you're the declared loser. It's knowing how your cards work, and then playing them at the right time. It's possible to do this in just about anything, and especially in work. One example is if two people have to accomplish a certain amount of work, and their job is not finished until the work is completed. Why not create a game to compete to see who finishes first. You race the other person, and all along you're planning on letting him win. The work gets done, you finish, and it's a win/win situation. He feels like he beat you, and yet you finished your goals and he got the work done.

As a society we thrive on competition and always trying to beat the other person, company, or nation. Why not change the rules to be used to your benefit. Is it cheating if the other person agrees to it. If you let him win the spoken goal, he is declared the winner, but you actually won. Your objective wasn't to do the most work, but to finish your beginning objective. Is the winner the person that finishes the games objective, or is the winner the person that plays the game how he wants. Winning is a matter of perspective. The true winner is the person that 'plays' the game.

My Day

1. Woke up early (yeah right).
2. Tried to convince myself that yard work is beneficial, and not a self torture method.
3. Ate breakfast (at noon).
4. Thought about exercising, but realized it's not for me.
5. Wandered around the house for a good hour trying to figure out what sounded good to eat for lunch.
6. Ate Lunch (at four) which was closer to a brunch, but more like a linner (between lunch and dinner).
7. Decided to wash my car.
8. Watched it rain for a good minute.
9. Went to ask for a refund at the car wash, but was told this kinda thing happens all the time.
10. Decided that Murphy can take his law and shove it!