Gregsta: Private Ay

I don't have anything clever to write in the 3 minutes I have before I need to leave for work. So sad. So sad. On the bright side, I'm going to probably start testing cakes and caterers this weekend. Yippie!!!!!

PreNupt,
Gregsta'

Dum Du Dum Dum

I'm advocating for a new Government program that will, once and for all, take a bite out of the Drug problem.

Anyone who owns a fire arm shall be permitted to shoot and kill one Tweaker a day until such time that all Tweakers have been taken out.

If that isn't a deterrent, I don't know what is.

TiredOfTweakers,
Gregster!

It's... a... MONDAY...

I never get tired of complaining about Monday.

I also never tire of watching Food Network en HD.

Weird? Yes.

EmptyBrainingly,
Gregsta'

210

This marks the 210th post to the Domino Effect since I came back to using the blogger service. I thought it would only make sense to pay homage to the car that was responsible for setting me free:

My 1981 Datsun 210 Station Wagon w/ an A14 4-Cyl Motor, 5 speed transmission, no radio, no power steering, no AC, no anything. Nope, about the only luxury item on this rig was, um, uh... The rearview mirror had a night switch!

Okay, so the picture is of someone else's - mine looked nearly identical, save the cool rims.

Yes, I took my shiny Datsun to the Beach, rural Washington (long story), Downtown, the Burbs - just about anywhere my $5 of gas money would take me (that was nearly a half tank in those days!).

We called her Jolene, after some girl I had a crush on in middle school. The name just kind of stuck. I do miss the ol' jalopy, even if it was about as safe as driving around tin foil.

MemoryLaningly,
Gregsta'

And so it came to be

I was thinking this evening - how wonderful would it be to relive my childhood all over again? Not from the beginning, of course - but rather, from that point in which I realized that the world was a splendid place full of opportunity and fascinating things.

It might help me get past the years of High School and College, which effectively taught me that the world was an awful place where dictators, republicans and terrorists must be fought tooth and nail.

I need a drink after that rumination...

Soberingly,
Gregsta'

Sunday, Lovely Sunday

Here I sit, in my parent's living room after a nice big breakfast with the family.

There's a lively discussion about electrocution going on.

I'm staying out of it. I'm feeling a little more conductive than usual.

Gregsta'

Hoob

The previous post was brought to you by Red Wine. Lots of Red Wine.

This is going to be one of those weekends where I work my ass off on all sort of things. Websites, wedding planning, taxes, bills - you name it, I'm slaving over it.

Gregsta'

I'm having Fun

Bring buzzed off a bottle of wine on Valentines means two things:

2. Item #1 was deleted to protect the innocent!

2.5: Everything that I see on television is REAL!

3. The Usual Suspects made sense. Complete sense. Keyser Soze is Verbal. I had it figured out 15 minutes into the movie. Sorry to anyone who hasn't seen it.

I know, that's 3 items that are out of order.

Gregsta'

Valentines Day: Profit Center

I really hate it when you get older and realize that something you once enjoyed and found whimsical turns out to exist because a big commercial organizations profit from it.

I'm not talking about Christmas (that's another blog you've already read), I'm talking about today: Valentines Day.

It used to be 11 separate religious holidays. It wasn't until 1969 that the Catholic church gave this up. I suspect the festivities amounted to nothing. Could you imagine buying valentines cards 11 times a year?

Through a long and convoluted history, Valentines day traversed into an era where people wrote hand-written messages to their sweethearts to where we are today: Valentines are given out to every school kid from every other school kid, and god forbid you're an adult with a significant other! If you forget flowers and candy, you're sleeping on the couch.

From religious rite to commercial boon. Sounds like a lot of things, doesn't it.

Fortunately, Betsy understands and appreciates that it's a commercialized holiday. No expectations for candy, flowers and jewlery. Nope. Instead, I think we'll camp out on the couch tonight, watch a movie of her picking and make some heart shaped sugar cookies in the oven.

See? That's not so hard. I garuntee that it will be remembered.

Heartingly,
Gregster'

Welcome to the rest of your Week...

Monday. It's the apocalypse that happens once a week.

I like to spend my Sunday's living like everybody dies the next day.

I think I may have gone too far this weekend.

I should give the neighbor their Lawn Gnome back.

ReadingIntoIt,
Gregsta'

Paying for Clean Air

We stopped in last night at the Pilsner Room on Harbor drive here in Portland. It's a great little spot right on the Willamette where you can enjoy a few drinks without smelling like an ash tray when you leave. Yep - it's one of the few non-smoking, full bars in town.

The smoking ban goes into effect at the end of this year, causing all establishments to no longer allow the cancer stick, except horse race tracks and cigar bars. It's a big step, particularly in a state where people, young and old, still think they have a "right" to smoke wherever they want. This one has been fought for several decades now.

The sort-of-bad news is that the state could reasonably loose a few million in tax revenue. True, those folks who only smoke in bars and never anywhere else (I used to be one, there are plenty of us) will most likely kick the habit entirely. That means all those tax dollars will go into other things - like booze. Let's face it - folks will replace one addiction with another. Don't they tax booze too? That's what I thought.

Bars with large customer bases of smokers will suffer initially. A drop in attendance will hit at first. The dives will close shop one by one until there are just a few well-liked dank watering holes left. Some will be revived by new owners that don't have a nose-candy and video-crack addiction to feed. To get around the smoking bans, some places will charge huge cover charges and simply pay the $2000 fines/month.

The good news is that his is one of those moves that has a great long-term effect. The world is full of opportunity and this may be that opportunity for once-smoky bars to re-invent themselves. Once word gets around that non-smoking is now the norm, folks who were once opposed to hanging out at divey, smoky bars will be out more. Perhaps not in droves, but they will be out.

Sure, there will still be cigar bars and the race track where smoking can take place. It's likely going to be a boon (at least in some respects) for these establishments.

Ahh, I can't wait until I can walk into Vertigo or Putters and actually be able to breathe. No more smelly clothing and jackets that take a week to air out. No more coming home feeling like I smoked a pack of cigarettes.

Breathingly,
Gregsta'

Friday Attack!

Thank God it's Friday.

From e-Week Magazine:
Blogs has unleashed the hordes of citizen journalists. Now everyone has a printing press with which they can speak to the world. Well, while blogging has produced some great new writers and commentators and has opened up discussions between people and companies, it hasn't been quite the sea change envisioned by early hypers. After all, for every one blog that is well-maintained and heavily read, there are probably a hundred more that aren't updated and that no one reads.

Funny how we get ambitious about posting all that we have to say, and then so many just drop the ball entirely and forget or don't care. I suspect that the abandoned blogs are really the "Check, 1-2-3. Yep, it works" people who didn't really actually want to do it in the first place.

This blog isn't much different - I post semi-can't-guarantee-it-regularly, but there are only 2-4 people who even bother to read this. The longer the post, the more I loose readers. I think I'm down to 1 after that last long post on gadget overload (Hi Mom!).

Long weekend ahead. Lots to do.

Gregsta'

Good Point?

I have about 3 different rants I'm typing at the moment. You see, things bug me in stages. Here's how it plays out:

Stage 1: I get all worked up over something.

Stage 2: Once I start writing up my rant to post here for your eyes to see, I begin to realize that my issues are in fact lame. In fact, I regularly ask myself "Do you really think anyone on this hippie infested planet is going to give a rats ass about your complaint?" The answer is usually, "Nope, not so much."

Stage 3: Blog abandoned, time elapses.

Stage 4: Then, as if a planetary alignment had gone all wrong, I all of a sudden become enraged again about the same subject. This time, I know why it pisses me off.

Stage 5: Before you know it, a 3/4 baked blog is out in plain view for all to see.

It takes a really pissed of guy to rant about his own ranting style.

I need to go to an HA* meeting stat.

Pulitzeringly,
Gregsta'
* HA = Hypocrites Anonymous

Perfectly Organized or Gizmo Distracted?

Responsibility for the Older
I remember a time when I was younger and my day was fairly easy to get through - get up, eat something, go to school, eat some more, go home, eat some more, watch TV. Not too complicated. I certainly didn't have any ambition to make it more complicated. The youthfulness I once possessed also dictated that I do as little as possible.

Now, as an adult, I find myself not only managing the aforementioned tasks (replace "school" with "work"), but also everything else in between. You see, rarely as adults are we allowed the mental freedom of a highly regimented school life. Most of us these days have jobs and lives that require us to juggle much more than our previous juvenile existence could ever demand. Nobody is standing around to tell us what to do next. It's normally up to us to figure that part out.

Truth be told, nobody ever taught me how to manage all of this crazy responsibility. I've made some observations over time and read some really good books. That's where my education ends, though. I would argue that how we manage the chaos of adult life is actually part of our unique personality profile. That being the case, much of what follows is "How I think I Organize best" rather than "How you can Organize best."

A Gadget Here, A Gadget There
Let's face it. Today, we've presented with a new gadget, productivity hack or life enrichment promise just about daily. The tech pundits keep us salivating for the next big thing. The 43folders types proudly show off their binder-clip PDA's. Just about everyone has a "secret" to happiness on top of that.

I contend that the more you need a PDA or an organizer, the more overwhelmed you are. Just like every other trait in life, memory and self-discipline are both a human trait that each one of us possesses a unique amount and type of. I contend that while you can use a Palm Pilot to keep you on schedule and jot down little notes, it's not natural or desirable.

We as human beings must reconcile human limitations against the demands of modern life. For most of us, remembering all but just a few most important details requires the services of a man-made instrument. There are very few who can naturally remember everything. I believe this is largely due to the fact that we are expected to manage, track and procure an unnatural number of tasks every day. We chase the dream of prosperity in hopes of some form of wealth, and as a result, we sacrifice that which is primal to our nature.

While I could probably write a whole novel on the cause/effect relationship between technology and unnecessary complexity of our lives, I think it can be summed up nicely. For example - each time you add a new gadget, you are in fact adding a new responsibility in your life. You must protect it, interface with it, recharge it, learn it's quirks and keep it synchronized with it's host. Now, this set of responsibilities may not apply to all your gadgets, but it should cover the important bases. Now you have new complexities that you previously didn't have. Some who have grown up with said gadgets in their hands should have no trouble adapting, but consider the impact to their lives. Just because you know how to manage a gadget, doesn't mean it's a good use of your time. Furthermore, after awhile, you're managing so many gadgets, your dance card is completely full.

Filler' Up!
Is all this technology and gadgetry just a bunch of distractions and time fillers, or is it truly beneficial? It's easy to contend that that will be different for each individual. Perhaps the best analogy that has been passed to me over the years is this: Your life is a jar. In it, you have a few very large marbles. The jar appears to be full. These large marbles represent the important things in life - family, friends, home, etc. Then, miraculously, you can pour in smaller marbles into the crevices between the big marbles. Now it's looking really full. These smaller marbles represent the less important things in our lives - TV, driving, shopping, etc. Then, with even a bit more amazement, you can pour in sand - and this in fact, fills every last gap in the jar. This represents the noise in our lives - traffic, nay-sayers, fear of the unkown, etc. The point of all this is this: There's alway room for something unimportant in our lives.

That being said, consider that your reading the blog of a 29-year-old computer geek. I would consider that sand in my jar. For you, it might be one of those medium size marbles (if so - you are my latest best friend!) Is it worth it? Now, I'm not suggesting directly that you shouldn't read my blog. But, I would suggest that you consider what else you could, or more importantly, could NOT be doing.

Here's a suggestion to ponder - rather than filling your life in with "sand", try to remove some of that sand (particularly the really fine-grain stuff) and see what happens. It may make you start to question your value system, and maybe just perhaps, how you consume and interface with the world.

Relaxing is Mandatory for the Complex Life
When was the last time you sat back and really relaxed? I don't mean sitting on the couch, watching TV or playing a video game. I mean really detach from the world and just vegetate. Perhaps you read a slow-paced book or doodle in your notepad. The point is to not solve any problems, force any new learning or create any stress or discomfort. Relaxing is really the art of letting go for a period of time.

If you live a life run by reminders, meetings and task lists - you must relax regularly! If you go on year after year, toiling away at work, you'll eventually become so miserable and ill that you'll burn out entirely. I think we can all agree this isn't particularly desirable.

Let's step back for just a moment though. What if we were to decide that we didn't need to chase wealth or fulfill our gadget wielding lusty desires? What if in fact we said - Hey, I want to simplify my life and enjoy it! Now there's a novel and admirable concept if you ask me. There are those out there who might contend that hard work isn't necessary to become wealthy. True, but in it's place is a lot of luck. I've watched several of my friends and colleagues over the years chase the proverbial carrot. It's not to say that it's a waste of time to do so, but you have to be willing to risk all. Unless you're a member of the Fortunate Few Club (the one where everyone of the members lucked out on their first business venture and became wealthy quickly,) you'll be spending a lot of time and energy to earn that paycheck. Relaxing is your self reward for a job well done.

Bringing it all together
By now, you've probably wondered why this blog posting has gone on for so long. I can say that I've been writing it for weeks now, so don't worry - I'm not the prodigy that can bust this sort of thing out in 20 minutes. I'm a regular human being like you. I enjoy spending time away from work, distractions and imposed responsibilities. I rather prefer to have my life balanced. Take this diatribe of sorts and do with it what you will. I'm not suggesting the Gregster'-way is the right way. Ponder instead the points here:

1. As an adult you have more responsibility than you did as a kid.
2. Consider your memory and self-discipline capacity. Keep to it if possible.
3. What's really important in your life? What's small marbles? What's sand?
4. Your gadgets require some TLC. Do you have the time and is it worth it?
5. Relax and detach. Regularly. Repeat.

Productively,
Gregsta'

Spewith Forthith

I'm at a loss for words today. Tired from working my ass off all week. Trying to convince my better half to go drinking at our favorite bar, Vertigo at 43rd and Hawthorne.

Considering all the material put forth this week, one would think I've got lots more to spew.

Nope. Not at the moment. It comes and goes.

Gregsta'