December 4th, 2009 - 7 Comments
Over the last forever, I’ve noticed that most people’s Gmail Inboxes look something like this:
Can I submit that it would work better if it looked like this?
Does your Inbox have a few thousand messages in it? Ever find yourself thinking you’ll respond to an email later, only to forget about it? Read on for a solution to clean things up: (more…)
November 10th, 2009 - 5 Comments
I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote today:
Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.”
- Thomas S. Monson
How true that is. Have you ever noticed, when busy on a project, how easy to stop caring about what friends are saying? You nod your head and laugh at the required times, but you’re gone the whole time. I feel that way pretty often–I’m a task-oriented person. Throughout the day, my thoughts don’t stray far from my “to do” list and my carefully laid-out plans. Ask anyone that’s ever lived with me–I’m so organized, it’s a miracle I can eat Alpha-Bits cereal without having a panic attack.
In an attempt at correcting my course, let me point out the problem with my habit–life doesn’t follow plans. It wasn’t meant to; it’s full of people, and human beings are not programs or machines. Plans are a predictable map of a mechanical future; life is the story that happens instead.
In our unpredictable life, then, we often have to choose between turning the moment over to people or to tasks. When we reflect back over our memories some day, I doubt that our brightest moments will have been filled with busywork. For this reason, I believe that procrastination can be a virtue. At the proper time, it’s a display of enlightened priorities; don’t let the businessmen on Wall Street tell you otherwise. Life, in truth, holds nothing more important than time with loved ones. I think we all want to grow old with a head full of memories, even if that means a few less Washingtons in our wallet.
September 19th, 2009 - 3 Comments
I think I was born half musical instrument–sound fascinates me. Some days I’ll lie on my bed, hitting different notes on my guitar and letting them ring out, just to listen to the sound slowly fade.
I feel more at peace socially when I have a guitar in my hands. I’m often nervous to meet a person or two, but I’m more than happy to sing and play for fifty. I can’t play much more than the basic chords, and I sing about as well as that cousin of yours that “is very brave to try so hard,” so it’s not competency that does it… I’m pretty sure it’s just a disposition from my bloodline. My grandma was a mandolin or something.
Question for you (yes you, reading the blog): Do you find you feel better about life when you’re making music? Or am I really descended from a string instrument? If you don’t feel overly awkward, leave a comment. I promise to give you an approving nod.
Chris, Chad and I playing Demons (by Guster) and Facebook Girl (an original) last Friday
September 11th, 2009 - 3 Comments
While this blog won’t be as thought out as most of mine, it will be quite full of awesome. The school year so far:
Item the first – I bought a scooter! Neato. It’s a Rocketa (latin for “cheap chinese knockoff”), but it was cheap, it’s zippy (150cc), and it gets me where I need to go. Thus far, it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever purchased. Seriously. So stinking fun. Pictures are from the internet, not my camera–I didn’t feel like wearing pants at such an obscure hour of the day, so I’m unable to go shoot photos right now. But this is the kind of scooter I bought:
August 12th, 2009 - 8 Comments
1. In my time here, I’ve decided that Houston is the slightly awkward but entertaining fat guy that you meet in the steamroom. He’s a fun guy to hang around, and easy to get to know. However, you spend the whole time there feeling really really hot and slightly awkward. Who knows the reason–maybe because he’s naked? Not sure how that fits in metaphorically… Either way, you’re ready to go home after a pretty short time. (more…)
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