Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
I was going for “I am Legend”. My new found addiction with BluRay discs, and convincing people they look better (no… really.. they do. Honest. They won the format war… c’mon people!) led me to think of that snappy title. But that would have been a little bit on the … egotistical side? Ego. Meh.
In fairness to the MPAA (thievin’ bastids) and to the fact that I’d rather soak time on my PS3 with such environmentally sound activities as launching rockets into vans on Grand Theft Auto IV, and played wicked haht bass on “I Think I’m Paranoid” on medium Rock Band (the orange button still burns me), I digress (when DON’T I?).
I think I can honestly say I’m at equilibrium. At least for now. Never mind the fact that many events are currently happening that can shove this perfect balance completely one way or the other. But, for now, and this current moment I’m there, and I’m very excited about it.
The biggest debate of whether equilibrium itself equates to happiness is a whole other story. It’s sort of a strange combination of, what’s that yin and yang business called again? Ah yes. Texas.
I think life presents itself with a menagerie (I don’t think I’ve ever used that word on this here blog, but work with me here) of balancing acts. Observe:
- Good vs evil (duh)
- Smart vs dumb
- Teacher vs student
- Truth vs lies
- Underdog vs favorite
- David vs Goliath
- David Archuleta vs David Cook (I was a Cook fan. And for years, I hated American Idol. Screw you, Archuleta!!! Oh wait)
- Thoughtful vs neglectful
- Future vs past (no matter how much we try, we can never let it go)
- Rocky vs that Russian dude (mega kudos to the commeter who names him)
- happy vs sad
- dignified vs swarthy
- hopeful vs hopeless (this one really has deep meaning for me)
- The 1980 US hockey team vs USSR (because I believe in miracles)
- anxiety vs calm
But in the end, everyone’s got their own equilibrium point. The point where things feel normal. The point where, nothing can upset you.. too much. What’s yours?
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Saturday, May 24th, 2008
The human attention span is short. Multi-tasking, computers, the Internet, marathon after marathon of Real World / Road Rules, Road World, Real Rules, Gauntlet, challenge, yadda yadda yadda, have made the modern human memory very fickle. In fact, so much so that I’ve forgotten the last sentence I’ve just written. And rather than start a “hoe-down” Ashlee Simpson style, I’ll re-read the first sentence and come back to my point.
Human memory. When I think about how I’m best able to remember things, it’s rarely out without associating it with a picture. You could say I have a photographic memory, as I’m sure a lot of you do as well, but it makes me really treasure those images that are stuck in my head. Places, and dates are linked with indelible images of where I was, who I was with, or what I was doing. And, this, I think is why my blog has been to this point, mostly of images of things, and moments, that fact make order out of the randomness that is human memory, and life as a whole.
But, let’s step back - what makes up a memory? And why do some last longer than others? And how can we value them? I think it’s really quite special when the unexpected happens, whether it’s good or bad, as it creates an option for you to learn about yourself, and how your history (family, life, experience) has taught you to deal with things. “Good” randomness can be termed as “opportunity”. “Bad” randomness can be termed as “crisis”. But, either way, the resultant actions you take often leave those type of indelible marks in your mind, since they seem to provide the catalyst for a series of events that you can’t always predict. It’s often at the point where the understood and tangible goes off the scale into the completely unpredictable that people make the best memories for themselves and others. It’s truly the change between scripted television and “f-it, we’re doing it live“.
The preface of a story often offers some insight into the value of memories. “It was really great when…” usually starts a tale of dealing with the unexpected, and the results that came from that. “It was really bad when…” often speaks of the emotional pain that came from an event, or having to go above and beyond yourself to figure out solutions to problems you’ve never seen before. Overcoming adversity. Rejoicing in success.
But my favorite memories are the collective ones you make by doing things together. With someone else. Somehow that’s always made them the most valuable - the being there, the belonging, the sharing, the working-it through. Because these memories always go beyond you. Out of these type of experiences, everyone takes their own piece of the pie, their own value, and that in itself multiples the value of the memory itself.
So, as so many things in my life now evolve, I think, above all, social media provides an avenue to share these memories that has never really existed before. It provides opportunities to create new collective memories. Barriers go away. Distance disappears, and you’re just left with people. And, I think, this, is what makes social media so important.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
