I'm a hat, dammit. Always been a hat. Always gonna be a hat.

"It's like .. it's like all my life, everyone has always told me 'you're a shoe. You're a shoe. You're a shoe! You're a shoe!'

And then today I just stopped and I said 'what if I don't wanna be be a shoe? What if I wanna be a ... a purse? Yanno, or or or or a hat?' NO! I don't want you to buy me a hat! I'm saying that I am a hat ... it's a metaphor, Daddy!"

And ... 10 years later, we finally understood that yeah, she really was a hat all along.

"Since I'm Awake Anyways ..."

I see it - over there - empty. Taunting me.

I've just been too busy to rotate out what I *have* read with what I WILL read and what I'm reading now, which is all the books that I bought when I was worried that I'd have too much time and wanted to read.

So - read anything good lately?

Life is too short ...

... to listen to bad music.
(It's my iPod - I'll listen to whatever I want, thankyouverymuch.)

... to drink mediocre spirits.
(If I *am* gonna drink, it's gonna be "the good stuff".)

... to share yourself with someone undeserving.
(No matter how important they believe themselves to be.)

... to worry about things beyond your control.
(Be "concerned" as required, but "worrying" hardly ever changes the outcome.)

... to refrain from dancing when you're moved to do so.
(Even if you're alone in your living room. And ya' scare the cats.)

... to have a job you do not like.
(This is different from DOING a job you do not like.)

... to harbor unresolved anger.
(Rant, wail, rave, and scream your head off but then move on. It's not "forgive and forget" ... it's more like "live and learn".)

... to think you aren't worth loving.
(This kind of thing projects to the rest of the world. Let them decide for themselves.)

... to control yourself so ya' don't snort when you laugh.
(Which ya' don't do every time anyway.)

... to live so "safely" that there's nothing to slyly grin about in the final years.
(It'll make everyone else wonder what the joke is.)

... to eat something just because it's good for you.
(Cinnamon Sizzling Hearts from Jelly Belly. They're not just for dinner anymore.)

... to love or be loved half-heartedly.
(Have the guts to give it all or have the guts to walk away.)

... to not smile when it rains.
(Water makes things new again and helps things - and people - to grow.)

... to be taken for granted.
(This includes taking YOURSELF for granted. Take care of yourself and let others assist.)

... to not take the scenic route.
(You'll be a little late but you'll have more to share - otherwise you're just ... the first to arrive.)

... to not respect yourself.
(If you don't, who should?)

The Strongest Word

A conversation I was a part of on February 9th gave me pause, as my guy uttered what I believe to be the strongest word in pretty much any language. It passed between us barely noticed, until I stopped for a second to give it full credit. And when I did so, he admitted that he really didn't think on it too hard - it was just something he said.

Perhaps you're wondering "hmmmm is it 'can'?" Sometimes it is "can" ... though the word "unable" has power, too.

Is it "yes"? Maybe - 'tho it could also be "no", depending on the question being addressed.

What about "hope"? Contrary to the obvious current political slant, I'd say that's still a non-action word, as is "dream" or "wish". Even "pray", which is for sure an action word, needs more to it than that. They're all good words - heck, they're sometimes great words - but they're not power words.

Maybe one would guess, given the date, that I'm referring to the word "love" but that is a very fragile, very precious word written with a timid hand. "Hate", on the other side of the equation, is written in a thick bold pen but it loses momentum as it rolls over emotionally, like a wave almost.

There are times when "future" is a word with great strength ... and times when "history" and "past" outshine it.

Maybe it is "do" but it can take more strength in certain situations to "not".

"I" is a weak word. Alone, singular, "I" as a word, an an idea, has little consequence, very small importance, and unmeasurable result. In casual Spanish, "I" is seldom used. It is simply understood that the speaker is referring to themselves and their own experiences unless otherwise stated.

And, while we're at it, "you" isn't very strong either. "You" is just as alone and as powerless as "I".

Other candidates may be "drive" or "focus" or "goal" ... "achievement" or "reward" or "successful" but these are momentarily strong words. They'll lose their power over time. While we're at it, "power" and "strong" suffer the same parameters as these others.

"Is". I admit, "is" is a contender. "Is" is mighty strong stuff but, just like "yes" being balanced by "no", at times one could defeat "is" just by following it up with "not".

I've used the word once in this post already. It probably slipped right past you, as it nearly did me.

In my humble opinion, 'tho I have highlighted 26 different possibilities for "strongest word", there is a shining, bright, crisp and extremely obvious winner.




The word is "us".





Happy Valentines Day.


To us.

I Just Wanna Stop - And Thank You, Baby.

In my time on this planet, I've heard a version of a specific intent by (probably) well-meaning but (completely) ill-prepared people. Not singular - as in "one person" ... but "people" - plural. When one person lets you down, you question their character. When more than one person does the same thing, you begin to think you're asking too much. Or, at least, I did.

I heard that intent expressed again not long ago and, though there was a touch of "yeah right" skepticism in my head, I ignored it.



And wouldn't ya' know it, it wasn't ever about me in the first place.


... but you brightened up all my days, with a love so sweet in so many ways,
I want to stop - and thank you, Baby. I just want to stop - and thank you, Baby!!

A Steve Sandwich

To quote Bono "this is just for me" .

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Steve Martin

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

It's Time To Play The Music, It's Time To Light The Lights

There is, apparently, yet another "list 25 things about yourself" poll thing floating around on the web. The first few of these quizzes/questions/lists/requests one gets are fairly entertaining and humorous. After that, around the 47th time you see the same list coming your way, it can begin to feel too much like homework. So I will not be reading, forwarding, creating, or otherwise participating in such a list.

No - instead - I submit the following: This Is What We Call The Muppet Quiz


And I encourage you to get in touch with your inner fuzzy self.

"My remote doesn't work - can you help?"

My friend Kat at "Insert Pithy Title Here" recently blogged about a minor brain hiccup she experienced. In an show of solidarity (and as I stumble to her side in my own Dunce hat), here is a "duh" moment I had over the weekend:

The economy is in the toilet (this is not the "duh moment) and I've been watching how various segments of the country - and county, for that matter - are reacting. People that have always been charitable with their wallets are instead giving their time or cleaning out their closets while others are shopping sales only. Folks whose employment status has been impacted are looking outside their career paths and embracing the idea of getting a job - any job - to just get by. And there are the extremely ambitious few creating their own luck by starting to launch their dream.

Which is what I thought when I saw a small white pickup truck with the words "AAA Battery Delivery and Installation" written on a sign in their window as they drove down the road. Here was an individual with a specific dream using the economy to create their own luck.

And my next thought was "what kind of moron needs to CALL someone to deliver and install AAA batteries?"

Catch-phrase Bingo

Ok - idea being generated so have patience ...

The background assumptions:
In the environment where you work, there are other adult-type people. These people are not necessarily your dearest friends and family. They each bring their own personalities, vocal inflections, quirks, etc. which is what makes the environment unique. Depending on the business (and on your line of work in said "business"), there are certain phrases that are used. Some of them, over time, can get under your skin.

The Game:
This is "catch-phrase bingo". Ya' create a sheet of words and phrases that you and 4 friends at work LOTHE hearing, and you write them out in a random grid pattern that's 5 boxes wide and 5 boxes long. When the grid is filled with 25 super-annoying words/phrases, the names of you and your friends are written across the top of the grid. (Maybe ya' all draw numbers to determine the order ... or it's done alphabetically ... it doesn't matter).

The Play:
Throughout the working day, as soon as you hear any of the the 5 words or phrases under your name, you email the others, and the corresponding word or phrase is marked off. To keep things interesting, you MUST first mark all of your boxes. Once you have done that, the rest of the boxes are yours to report.

The Win:
There will be one last box - one annoying word or phrase that no one hears for days - or possibly weeks. The name at the top of where that box falls is the official coffee break provider for the other players, who have officially won the game. (I always like games with more than one winner.) When the morning coffee run occurs, the tab gets paid by the individual who has been lucky enough to NOT hear 5 annoying words/phrases.

The End:
The game concludes when that last word or phrase is heard. At that point, a new board is created and ... ya' get the idea.

Since this can't really be played between remote office locations, I'll just add that my words/phrases would be "outsourcing", "paradigm", "it is what it is", "eco-build", and, this one is for my guy, "ping".