1. Be More Deliberate – This is one of those all-encompassing resolutions that really takes the place of everything below, but i wanted to say something general and then work out the specifics.
I’m going to be more deliberate with my words, my actions, my choices, my plans, my present and my future. I am continually caught up in the speed of this world, with my driving, with the way i talk, with the way i spend money, with the way i change my mind, with the things i say in conversations. What i think will help in all facets of my life is that before i open my mouth to say something, i take a breath and think about it. Before i act, i take a deep breath and weigh all the responses and choose the correct one. How often do you find yourself 5 minutes removed from a conversation or altercation and say to yourself, “Shit! I should said that other thing.” or find yourself regretting the way you treated a situation and have to apologize for it? It happens to me more often than i’d like. I’m a passionate person with a quick tongue…sometimes i am antagonistic and confrontational just to keep people on their toes…i’m often impulsive and egotistical in certain situations while dragging my feet, changing my mind and being timid in other situations. This drives me nuts and often leads to uncomfortable situations.
I have a major problem with finishing what i start or following through on promises…while i could make each of those individual resolutions, i think that being deliberate will fix both of those issues. By picking my goals/words/thoughts/aspirations wisely, i can actually follow the things i’ve decided to their conclusion instead of saying that i’m going to do everything, all the time and never finishing any of it.
Being deliberate also means being more honest, more direct and more to the point when i open my mouth. I need to make eye contact and say what i mean. While trying to be polite and gracious in my business, i let people talk over me and push me around in negotiations, i let them have the upper hand and i come off as timid. I don’t need to be a dick or some skeevy salesman, i just need to be more confident and stronger in my conversations.
2. Stop Fucking Around – Donald Trump has never had a drink, never smoked a cigarette, never even had a cup of coffee (so he says). On any given Tuesday morning, i can find myself recovering from a hangover by drinking a Red Bull…not that Donald Trump is my idol or anything, but i think the point here is that he doesn’t waste time or energy or cloud his mind with unimportant influences. He is awake, focused, smart and DELIBERATE completely on his own. Something to be said for that.
3. Get Kelli Published – I told her that i would edit her book and work with her to get it finished. I plan on being deliberate and following through on this.
4. Hike the Highline Trail – A few months ago, i wrote this post about the CDT and how i needed to escape from civilization and abruptly change my entire existence. I still feel like this and i still have a constant craving to disapear for a while. But through a combination of a lack of chutzpa (yiddish for nerve), an obligation to my business partner, family and friends and because i’m working on being more deliberate, i may have been premature with my April 2008 departure date. The plan hasn’t changed, it just occurs to me that i need to do it correctly and deliberately. So, the Highline trail will be good practice. It’s close to my cabin in Wyoming (basecamp), it travels through some of the most beautiful and rugged country in the world and it’s only 40 miles, so it’s doable in a week (10 days with travel). So who wants to go with? We’re doing this minimalistically so the cost shouldn’t be too bad, we’re doing it during the summer so taking time off of work shouldn’t be hard, and my parents will be more than happy to have us at the cabin for a few days. Seriously, Ron, Nole, Kev, Garret, Trevor, everyone, your wives will love it. It isn’t a hard hike, and it’ll blow all of your minds. I’m thinking late July, so put some time aside. RSVP in the comments.
5. Sell my car, buy my truck (doing it deliberately, so i get the right things for the right price)-
Tell me this:
Is better than this:
I think not.
6. Make Free Time for Doing Absolutely Nothing – I have a habit of always needing to be doing something. I always need to be stimulated, either by the people around me, by my television, by my computer, by altering my conciousness, etc. I need to make time that i don’t do anything…almost a meditation. Turn everything off deliberately, find a blank wall or some clouds to stare at and just let my mind do its thing. When i’m driving or walking somewhere or otherwise alone with my mind wandering, my brain buzzes with ideas, thoughts, jokes, concepts, creativity, etc. And i make these grandeur plans to write things down when i get home or to start building a contraption in my garage or to tile the stupid white fireplace in my house, or to work on my book, or to write a blog entry or to make a list of things to do…and then i get home, start cleaning up, making dinner, watching TV, answering e-mail and the next thing i know all those ideas are vanished and i’ve done nothing with them. I need to think, and then act, deliberately.
I wish everyone the best in 2008. Here’s to a great year.
I subscribe to Sports Illustrated, Esquire and Playboy because i like sports, breasts and terrific writing. This year, Esquire put together a compilation of an interview they do called “What I’ve Learned.” It is candid, honest, and amazing and has brought me to tears, laughter and profundity on the same sentence. Here are some of my favorites, do enjoy.
“I stopped voting when i stopped taking drugs. I believe both of those acts are closely related to delusional behavior.” - George Carlin -
“My second husband commited suicide, and i did suicide jokes. You laugh to get through it. I started thinking about jokes while i walking uptown on 9/11.” – Joan Rivers -
“Wisdom is knowing when to shut the fuck up.” - Adam West -
“My definition of evil is unfriendliness.” – Muhamma Ali -
“Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing. Scratch that…death is not negotiable.” – Carrie Fisher
“Jesus’ words have become so perverted over time — it’s been like a game of telephone.” – Sarah Silverman
“I love bums. Bums in New York are literate bums. Bums in New York could run a grocery chain in Des Moines.” – Larry King -
“We all have many more abilities and internal resources than we know. My advice is that you don’t need to break your neck to find out about them.” – Christoper Reeve -
“If i let it affect everything, it’s gonna own everything. I don’t deny it or pretend it’s not there, but if i don’t allow it to be bigger than it is, then i can do everything else.” – Michael J. Fox -
“Sex should be a template for your day. You need to start slow and end completely.” William Shatner -
“You can fall many times in life, but you’re never a failure as long as you try to get up.” – Evel Knievel -
“If a guy hasn’t got any gamble in him, he isn’t worth a crap. -Evel Knievel -
“If you can’t get out of something, get into it. If you can’t fix it, fuck it.” – Kris Kristofferson -
“No you’re never gonna see that again. On, No! I mean nobody is going to pitch to Barry Bonds in the World Series. You walk him. You don’t walk batters to get to Barry Bongs. But that’s how it was. That was a different era – and era of personal competition. You lived to pitch to Josh Gibson. Why do you think Babe Ruth hit so many homeruns? They weren’t pitching around him. When Walter Johnson was on the mound, he felt it was his job to get him out. This is how i get my kicks – pitching to the best.” – Buck O’Neil, baseball player, Kansas City
“You could never give your mother as much as she gave you.” – Mel Brooks -
“The ideas…that’s a private thing. You muddle around. You drift off and your mouth hangs half open. Sometimes you stare at the wall like you’re in a trance. That’s when the good stuff happens.” – Steve Wynn -
“Majority rule only works if you’re also considering individual rights. Because you can’t have five wolves and one sheep voting on what to have for supper.” – Larry Flynt -
I can’t say i disagree with this guys thoughts, but i think i disagree with his actions/performance art/allegory.
Merry Christmas.
Filed under: WTF
I’m all about positive vibes and personal gratification but this seems a little ridiculous to me: Global Orgasm Day!
The women of the Spears family must be the most fertile people on earth. And the mother’s parenting book (which probably doesn’t have an entire chapter on condom use) is currently on hold. Gee, ya think?
Thanks to Erin for these 2 awesome videos.
The power of music:
I want this set up in the worst way:
This kills me:
Flip Yo Fitted
Today is the 10th anniversary of Chris Farley’s death. In memoriam, i thought this was an appropriate way to remember him:
Ed. Note: For all the Vox authors, i posted this there as well.
A friend of mine in Charleston, South Carolina is an orthodontist and one of his ortho friends recently shared a letter from a solider in Iraq, Adam Snyder, who was a former patient. I thought he said some things from a point of view very few of us consider:
All,
Things are going very well here. We actually find ourselves bored some days, because enemy activity has been low. This is a good thing, though not much fun. It seems the new policies of reconciliation, working with local Iraqi leaders and empowering them to tackle the problems, is really paying off. The bottom line is that a “victory” is in site. Unfortunately, “victory” is two-fold. One, the nation must be secure from external enemies: foreign fighters from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, etc. This is the part we are doing well at. The second part is creating a self-sufficient Iraqi government. This is the part we seem to be failing quite exceptionally at. At every level of government, corruption is at a heinous level. I’m not sure what the answer is, but it will take a strong leader with an iron fist to stamp out this mess. The U.S. often forces the Iraqis to treat problems with a western mindset. Example: your Oil Ministry is corrupt. The Iraqi answer may be to execute the Oil Minister and his key allies, while imprisoning the rest. We do not allow that, and instead force the Iraqi government to move key officials, and issue them “stern” warnings, which does nothing.One thing we must admit: Saddam ran a pretty tight ship. Things might not have been ultra-efficient, but things got done. The majority of the problems in Iraq now are our, the U.S. government’s, fault. It is utterly ridiculous to see so many Senators and Representatives on the national news condemning the leaders of Iraq for their ineptitude. Where they really should point that finger is at themselves and their colleagues. I would be curious to see the results of a basic quiz given to Congress. Name Iraq and all of its neighbors. Explain the difference between Sunni and Shia. Explain the formation of the nation of Iraq. Explain how Al Qaeda came to power.
I imagine these gentlemen would not attack Iraq with such zeal if the American public knew how little Congress knew about the matters they decide on. Yes, I am talking way above my pay grade, but the absurdity of our upper echelons of government is to an intolerable level, and I feel it is my job as an American citizen and a leader of its soldiers to educate the population, whose rights I purportedly protect. The approach of the election brings an opportunity to make change, both good and bad. Republican or Democratic, I don’t care. It just takes an educated, experienced, moral person, who can be honest with themselves and their constituents. I know, I ask the impossible. I think it is appalling how few men of Congress, especially the Presidential candidates, have any military service, especially when the Iraq War and the War on Terror is the biggest focal point.
I’ll get off my soap box.
You all continue to be very supportive and I thank you. We’ve gotten a good supply of power tools, food, hygiene products, and letters. My soldiers are quite amazed!
Attached are some lighter pictures. We’ve started playing Dodgeball on Wednesday nights and we have some ridiculous outfits. Also, my buddy, CPT Mike Sykes and I, took a couple pictures for our Christmas cards we’ll be sending out soon.
God bless.
Adam
This e-mail was sent on December 1st…on December 5th, Capt. Snyder and 2 of his soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb.
I think i remember seeing old newsreel footage of stuff like this from the 1940s, only i couldn’t understand what they were saying because THE NARRATION WAS IN GERMAN!!
If you want to salute the Superintendent in this video for taking a stand against this abomination, you have to do it like this:
I went to bed at 10 last night, meaning i didn’t have the requisite amount of cocktails last night to necessitate a decent quickie. So here’s what i came up with:
First off, let’s all take a moment to remember Pearl Harbor today. Most of our grandparents were alive for this and it truly was a shock to them and our country. It was the ONLY time in modern American history that we were attacked militarily (9-11 wasn’t a military attack) and is also perhaps the last time we fought a war because our enemy literally wanted to kill us and destroy our country. In my mind, WWII was the last “valid” war the U.S. fought in. Everything since then has been a police action in aid to an ally or something completely contrived. If it wasn’t for our grandparents fighting those battles, we may be speaking German today…and during Hanukkah this week, i also recognize that there would be far fewer of my ancestors around if we hadn’t been involved.
On a completely unrelated note:
You always hear these “patriots” say that America is the greatest country on earth. And since most of the country judges how great we are by the friggin television, i would argue that we have ceded our “greatest” title to Japan. American TV = Howie Mandell, germaphobe. Japanese TV = awesome.
