A Cannoli in Seattle

W things I like

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:30:00 +0000

It seems the past 8 years have left a bad taste for W in many people's mouths. Here's a small stab at attempting to begin the healing process and re-mediate the situation:

water, welcomes, winter, wax in the form of candles, western mountains, wool hats, willingness, wiggling on the dance floor, wine, worn jeans, words, wocka wocka wocka, willy wonka, worthwhile pursuits, working outside, wise-ass jokes, Widmer bros beer, wall painting, waving, W hotel bar, Whiskey in concept only, whistling, Whistler, wearing earrings, wide loads on the highway, watching birds, walking, whales, wide wale corduroy, waves

Things that will never be my Facebook status

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:17:00 +0000

-just won the lottery!
-is headed out to buy illegal drugs
-brought a prostitute home last night
-got waxed in the nether region this morning
-thinks the only way to shed these extra pounds is purging
-tore it up at AA tonight!
-was late to work due to brown bottle flu
-is in massive debt
-got arrested yesterday
-bought cheese shaped like the virgin Mary on eBay
-went to school with half these people and still can't stand them
-just booked a Chernobyl vacation
-would really like to have someone to go to sleep next to
-opted for veneers
-is actually completely bald
-is walking around naked
-wants you more than you know

oggi

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 06:41:00 +0000

unoriginal
now trying to be something
yet being nothing

the day after

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:59:00 +0000

your paranoia -
every click means more readers
you're own enemy

the fine line between hope and insanity

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 05:59:00 +0000

It is, by definition, insanity to repeat the same action and expect a different result. I have seen this debated by some as a false quote attributed to various famous people...however, I personally saw that as the definition in my friend's psychology book when I was in college. So we will proceed with the assumption (and for the sake of this blog entry) for that to be true.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about this idea. In the physical world, it makes complete sense: i.e, if you stab yourself with scissors, it is not going to magically not hurt the 5th time. Nor will you not bleed if cut deeply enough. However, it the world of emotions, I think there is a fine line between insanity and hope.

How can you not repeat what seems to be the same action when it comes to personal interaction? If a kid gets rejected 3 times in a row for asking 3 different girls out, how can he not hope that on the 4th time someone will say yes? Wouldn't this just continue to be a mental beat-down if he didn't think the outcome would change?

Perhaps if there are different people involved, then it is not truly repeating the same action...for while the motions are the same, it is not the exact same action, for you have changed subjects.

That being said, for those of us who have faced mounting rejections, you wonder at what point it will change, or if you are insane for thinking that it might. I'm too optimistic in general to ever give up on anything, but perhaps I need to truly reassess my actions. I feel as though I have reached a George-Costanza-esque pivotal moment: if everything I have done doesn't work, perhaps I should try always doing the opposite of my instincts...

At this point it certainly couldn't hurt to try...

Song of the Day: All My Friends - Counting Crows

melancholy and the infinite sadness

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:34:00 +0000

There are times in life where you are so simultaneously antsy and immobile that there seems nothing to do other than wax poetic to your laptop.

For the sake of order, I feel it necessary to apologize for my lack of posts over the past few months. Intercontinental travel, changing jobs and moving three times in 4 weeks takes a toll...no excuses though, I just haven't taken the time to sit and write. And I need to...since this blog is here for me after all :)

That being said, this is also "National Write a Novel Month" or something like that. Interesting concept, and I forgot it was until the 4th and by then I was already 4 days behind. Woah, this post is already chock full of BS and I haven't even started yet...

WE NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG:

There are times in life where you are so simultaneously antsy and immobile that there seems nothing to do other than wax poetic to your laptop.

I'm sitting here at 10pm and it feels like 3am. This has felt like the longest week ever and not because of work. A good friend of mine died in a scooter accident last week and I have spent a lot of time thinking about (and trying not to think about) everything having to do with it.

What does this mean?!
What am I doing with my life?!
What really matters?!
What do I really want, and am I focused on attaining it?!
Other things with exclamations and questions!?

sometimes it is so hard to laugh in the face of tragedy, and sometimes there is no other choice

one thing is for sure, I am so glad for what I have, and I love my friends and family.

...Sh*t I guess that's two things....

Song of the Day: See You Again by Mylie Cyrus
I love you Crystal - you are, and will continue to be, missed.

is "blendship" a real word?

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:02:00 +0000

The past year has been a very interesting (and somewhat) long one - many lessons learned, many things changed - and when I sit back and look at my life it makes me wonder what patterns I create, and how do I reinforce them?

As someone who is very lucky to know many good people, I wonder - what is it that really makes someone a friend? Not just Sally who you turn to and say hello-how-are-you-today in class, but Sally who you call to get some lunch, Sally who you call in the middle of the night when your boyfriend dumps you, Sally who joins you in your wedding party.

What is it we do that makes that leap? And at any point do things become too one-sided?

Lately I feel as though I am often being taken advantage of as a good friend - but if I am feeling this way often, is it because I am choosing the wrong people to have as friends, or have I become paranoid that the same intense need on my point would not be reciprocated if I needed it?

If I am always putting out what I perceive as fires, is it because I attract people around me with that much drama or is it because I am perpetuating a "fire" by assuming that someone is mad at me? And if I am assuming that someone is mad at me, isn't that still making it about me? Or do I really do that much wrong to people I feel I am close to?

Personal neuroticism and paranoia aside, I had never really felt this way before about people or needing to help them prior to this year. I have always prided myself on making those around me happy and being there when they need me. So why this change now? Have I finally become that self-centered that I don't care? Have I finally gotten enough self-confidence that I know I don't need to bend over backwards all the time and people will still like me? Is this some kind of weird sub-conscious biological response to make me want to just find some ONE person to settle down with the rest of my life - although would I then repeat my patterns with just them? Or am I that jaded that I no longer trust that someone would be there for me?

Maybe I have just become mature enough to know that chasing after someone who is angry doesn't necessarily warrant a different outcome than waiting until later to talk about it. Is not caring about an other's state of being on behalf of your own a transgression on the boundaries of friendship? or is it just part of the natural ebb and flow of these relationships? Or have I become that cold-hearted in my old age?

Perhaps I've just become lazy enough to no longer need immediate resolution of uncomfortable situations. Like the back of a Volkswagen beetle.

Even I can't figure out my deal!

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:04:00 +0000

I am worried I have a raging crush on someone who has a girlfriend. Now, while this may seem inconsequential to some, to me it is actually a really big deal. Nothing will ever happen from it, but it is certainly a new thing for me to actually like someone who I know is already preoccupied.

I rarely delve into this territory and so, to me, it spurs more questions; I don't know the girl - never met her - is that the difference?, how can I possibly like someone who I know it would never work with (or is that why I like them?), do I just find them a distraction - what is a crush anyway?

Either way, it is starting to get onto my conscious a bit. In the few times we have hung out and actually talked with meaning I have found myself flirting with him (ok. to the extent that someone in my position can or does) and have found him mentioning his girlfriend on two separate occasions. While I might not be able to control my feelings I can certainly control my actions, and would never do anything...but it is weird to feel this way especially since someone in a relationship is extreme off-limits for me.

Perhaps just more testing of the boundaries I have created for myself?

Song of the Day: Get Low by Lil Jon

First I need to make up my mind...

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:41:00 +0000

Lately I've been thinking about all the people I've ever known who I've been convinced that they are what I need to be complete; my other half, my better half, what I've been subconsciously looking for as I drift through life.

In each of these cases, something always happens that bursts that bubble - instances of variety and humility and humor and embarrassment that, while entertaining, don't need to be recounted at this time.

What I have been thinking about as of late - is, what if there is a me for me? What if people who I don't consider to be any more than friends think somehow, that I am actually the one to complete their lives? If they are anything like me, they will not ever tell me, not ever let on to it, not ever even say a word. But how am I to know?

Do guys really always need to be the one to make the first move? I have always assumed that no one would ever think of me that way because I have always assumed that it is the guy who should be approaching me when maybe it is less of a chasing issue and more of a mutual approaching of one and other?

Ugh, am I ever going to get it?! Sometimes I think I live in my own head too much.

wanting new clothes but not wanting to be emperor

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:04:00 +0000

They say the possessions you keep and surround yourself with say a lot about you...and if you have the tendency to excessively hold on to things [guilty as charged] that you are actually holding on to your past life and not living in the present. That you will continue to be who you were rather than who you are, and more importantly, who you want to be.

At what point does an object stop being an object and instead become a memory, or a feeling, or a smile, or a wistful dream?

As someone who has been thinking about these things a lot lately, I have recently decided that maybe one of the best things I could do is to really get rid of everything. I mean everything. Granted, this is somewhat of an expensive proposition, and undoubtedly will not come to complete fruition...but for the first time I can remember (and I have moved quite a bit), the idea of getting rid of the majority of my stuff seems very freeing, and makes me very excited.

What is stuff really? There are items of necessity - like clothing. There are items of luxury - like jewelry. There are items of convenience - like sporting equipment. [if you're going to do something repeatedly it makes sense to be prepared]

At what point does it become more convenient to just re-purchase things rather than lug them with you everywhere? And is it really just that price point that matters, or is it the attachment to them on a deeper level that matters more?

I don't think it is possible to pare down possessions for the long haul to just a bag or two...but I know when I lived in Europe for a semester I went with two bags and I seemed to do just fine. Accumulating new things has never been difficult...it is getting rid of those memories that seems to be holding me back from being who I want to be rather than who I was.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Ghandi [I think this is applicable even on a smaller scale to your own life...be the person you want to become]

"Twice you burned your life's work. Once to start a new life, and once just to start a fire" -The Long Winters

Song of the Day: New Girl - the Long Winters

Why fi?

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:35:00 +0000

It's amazing to me how many wireless connections you can find, even in an assumed insular place such as a single-family home.

Now, I am all for ease of access to the internet. I love that I can occasionally find a park that provides internet service, I love free-loading when I'm travelling, and I love that when my connection to my secured network isn't working for some reason I can poach an unsecured connection from my neighbors.

My question is; what is this doing to us, if anything? Is the fact that I am being radiated by wireless networks (3 on full power, 2 on half power) sitting here in my bed having any effect other than computer convenience?

I have studied negative long-tern environmental effects too long not to be somewhat paranoid. Cancer is too prevalent in my family not to be somewhat paranoid.

That being said, I also don't feel strongly enough (yet) to look into the strength of the WiFi waves, or if they are that extremely different from any other waves we are constantly bombarded with...television, AM, FM, cell phones.

It just seems that there has been no second thought to the health ramifications; there has been more chatter lately of the impacts of high cell phone usage but never any mention of long-term Wi-Fi exposure. Maybe it is too new to have the results of any studies. Or maybe it is another form of survival of the fittest; as our environment changes (whether through the natural world or our own changes) only those who have the molecular structure to stay healthy will survive long-term.

Song of the Day: Too much information - Duran Duran

I'm a slacker

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:04:00 +0000

I thought this was appropriate, and true. And all those Karl fans were so concerned about my spreading rumours. At this point I haven't posted in so long I'm pretty sure even my consistent readership of 2 has stopped anticipating posts.

Good news on the "attempting to actually keep up with my blog" front: I'm not travelling for a while so maybe (not to be confused with 'likely') I'll post more

Time to get things done

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:30:00 +0000

sigh. So much to do.
prioritizing my list
needs to happen first

Song of the Day: So Much To Say - DMB

s things I like

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:02:00 +0000

Surfing, Soccer, Sand, Saltwater, Saltwater Taffy, Singing, Swing Dancing, Sundays, Saturdays, SAILING, Serendipity frozen hot chocolate, Serenity NOW, silliness, signatures, sounds, SUNSHINE, smiles, sad songs, sappy songs, songs, sweets, sending mail, stripes, solids, SKIING, snowboarding, snow, spades, steak and eggs, Santa

and Charleston

My momentary self-torture

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:21:00 +0000

Repeat song over
In my head, Chris Isaak sings
stupid catchy tune

Song of the Day: Somebody's Crying - Chris Isaak

The Power of Apathy

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:12:00 +0000

so, after an interesting weekend [interesting in the internal thought kind of way, not at all in the big-exciting-story kind of way] I have decided that I am done responding to people's drama. I don't know if drama is the right term. I am done having people guilt me for completely inconsequential things.

Now, if I were a malicious person or had bad intentions, I would think it would make sense and I would be deserving of guilt. But I am finally realizing that there are times when people make a really big deal of nothing and I'm tired of responding to it.

Maybe it is my constant need to make sure those around me are happy that I am actually the one making a bigger deal of it...it might be that it's just their reaction and they are not actually that angry.

Either way, I'm done, and it feels GREAT! I complain about other people having so much drama and how I'm trying to be drama free, but I think that by allowing for these big reactions, or even acknowledging them I am merely feeding into this drama system.

Our own happiness can only come from ourselves and we set the terms of our own reality. So why am I constantly catering to appeasing others when all it is doing is increasing the stress put upon myself? It's their problem, not mine. From empathy to apathy.

We'll see how it goes, but to be completely honest I feel so much better all ready. Maybe because for once I am finally willing to put myself first. And that makes me smile.

Alright world, let's do this!

:)

Song of the Day: Move Along - All American Rejects

I don't care about apathy

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:35:00 +0000

It is interesting to me how when everything is going fine there's not a whole lot to say. Ask someone who's perfectly content with their life how things are going and they will most likely answer with "fine." Ask them what's new and the answer may be a bit of a shock...it might just be "nothing."

Does one always have to have something new going on or have a change in the pattern of their every day life to be happy? I don't think so. I think some people are truly content with the status quo of their lives. Most people don't like things around them to change - it makes them uncomfortable.

So what is it that drives some people to be constantly changing? To associate nothing new with being boring?

Historically, the structure of drama deals with conflict and is either a comedy or a tragedy...perhaps by living devoid of drama people are then able to not deal with the high and low emotions brought about by either comedy or tragedy. But then neither is it an interesting story to tell. People aren't interested in hearing about average.

As with the yin and yang, there needs to be the balance of both or the other will cease to exist. It's all relative; without knowing ugliness you cannot appreciate beauty. Same with tragedy and comedy.

All I know is I would rather be on the roller coaster of life enjoying both the highs and lows than floating down a steady stream that offered no white water challenges.

Song of the Day: Another Day by Paul McCartney (like you didn't see that coming)

Listing isn't just something that happens on a boat

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 07:03:00 +0000

The other day at a friend's house I was reading their book of lists - Milk, Eggs, Vodka. Quite amusing. The past few days I have been doing some major spring cleaning (technically I have until June 21st!) and cleaning both my desk at work and my room at home. I figure I should go with it while I have the motivation; if we average the trending of the last 29 years, the mood should again strike me in about...well...29 years.

So, since I have been digging through papers who age can only be determine through radioactive carbon dating, I have come across some lists of my own with no idea of what they mean. So, in honor of Milk, Eggs, Vodka, here are my own lists (if I was really doing this I would take a photo and upload that. Maybe tomorrow.)

List from work says:

Chris Hahn
-------------
nursing home

what could that possibly mean? I have absolutely no idea who Chris Hahn is...or what he (she?) has to do with a nursing home.

List from home says:

supplies
-------------
-grapes
-spaghetti
-apples
-knee high socks

feel free to use your imaginations on that one...I can't imagine what kind of supplies these were, or what I was attempting to do with them...

This one is too irrelevant to know the connection: today's Song of the Day was inspired from watching Striptease earlier (I had never seen it before) and this has been stuck in my head ever since.

Song of the Day: Little Bird by Annie Lennox

Chill with Will

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Sat, 31 May 2008 08:38:00 +0000

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?
William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's Day?
Thou are ore lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Song of the Day: Wedding Bell Blues - the Fifth Dimension

Sherlock or Basil?

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:21:00 +0000

I was just in the shower and Baker Street (by Gerry Rafferty) came on. It is such a great, great song that I think is always just kind of known as "that saxophone song" - but for those who have never gotten past the haunting sax melody, here are the words:

Windin' your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head and dead on your feet
Well another crazy day
You'll drink the night away
And forget about everything
This city desert makes you feel so cold.
It's got so many people but it's got no soul
And it's taking you so long
To find out you were wrong
When you thought it had everything

You used to think that it was so easy
You used to say that it was so easy
But you're tryin'
You're tryin' now
Another year and then you'll be happy
Just one more year and then you'll be happy
But you're cryin'
You're cryin' now

Way down the street there's a lad in his place
He opens the door he's got that look on his face
And he asks you where you've been
You tell him who you've seen
And you talk about anything

He's got this dream about buyin' some land
He's gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he'll settle down there's a quiet little town
And forget about everything

But you know he'll always keep movin'
You know he's never gonna stop movin
Cus he's rollin'
He's the rollin' stone

And when you wake up it's a new mornin'
The sun is shinin' it's a new morning
You're goin'
You're goin' home.

Song of the Day: Baker Street - Foo Fighters cover version

ps - to add to the previous post, I would also like to learn new things as part of my daily activity.

If you could do anything, what would you do?

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:43:00 +0000

Tonight I was talking to a friend of mine about her job, which she hates...but she's not sure what else she can do that would still pay as much as she makes now.

Money needs aside, it got me to thinking about what I would REALLY want to do, if I could really do anything. I think that the possibilities are so endless that to just start from scratch and try to think of things is not only difficult, but also somewhat counter-productive because you become limited by your own known parameters and experiences.

So, here's a list of actions I would actually like to do every (well, most) day(s), if I had the choice:

-not have to get up early (i.e. before 9) [says the one with a 7:30am meeting in few hours]
-help people in some capacity
-make the physical world around me better
-do something creative
-talk to different people throughout the day
-organize people in some kind of fashion (like for an event or purpose but not limited to only those)
-connect people/work to other relevant people/work (let's try and cut-down on so much internal wheel re-inventing)
-be outside
-travel occasionally

-[to be fair I dance almost every day, but just for myself - I don't think I would want to make that part of my official list, although it is an action I would want to continue on a daily basis]
-[same with listening or playing/making music]

I think that's a pretty good place to start. Now I just need to figure out what occupations could possibly fit that description. Or maybe it's time for me to make my own. Any suggestions?

If you could list just the actions that would make you happy every day (ok, most days), what would they be? Are you working toward making that a reality?

Song of the Day: Workin' for a Livin' - Huey Lewis and the News

The sun is always rising...for what it's worth

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:27:00 +0000

As I walked down the alley to my house this morning I realized it has been a very long time since I got home as the birds were beginning to chirp their morning greetings.

a haiku for the evening (morning?):

At camp jitterbug
we dance around all night long
and have class all day

...and I wonder why my feet hurt so much...

Song of the Day: Don't Pass My By - the Beatles

Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:00:00 +0000

This evening I was reading Reem Abeidoh's blog on Competitiveness in Social Media and it got me to wondering about the category into which I would fall, and into which category I would WANT to fall.

This makes me wonder what exactly is my endgame? Why do I participate in various forms of Social Media? What is the motivation, and does that motivation produce competitiveness?

I think that at this point I seem to be going backwards through the Social Media ladder. This is completely by choice; as a political candidate I was thrown into the pseudo-public arena [I say pseudo because we know how much the public pays attention to any election other than the presidency - and even that turnout is atrocious] and as such, needed as much exposure as possible. What better way to take advantage of free marketing than through Social Media? If I had really been more on top of it, I would have made sure to use twitter, del.icio.us, digg, etc. and not just the basics like YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc.

I have gone from wanting my image, and message on as many sites and discussions as possible to wanting to be myself without the scrutiny that comes from under the candidate microscope. Even so, there are certain things I will never publish on any form of social media, and to an extent is why I keep this blog anonymous. A candidate is no different at times than any other marketed product, and you want to maintain the integrity and value of the brand. I don't doubt that soon all candidates will have a social media team to maintain their online activity. It is no longer only the neighborhood forum that matters; the heated debate on twitter needs to be addressed as well.

Even so, what if my goal was to have an online expertise that would then translate into an illustrious political career? I would most certainly be maintaining all kinds of Social Media and have a blog that was more focused on political and/or urban space issues.

The thing is, at least on this blog, that is not my point. The point is making me feel somewhat obligated to my invisible loyal readers (Do you exist?! Thank you!!) to keep writing, even when I don't want to. There is a phase in any activity where you don't want to continue; but the only way to transcend to the next level is to bust through these mental block times. Without the invisible eyes of the potential reader, I would have hardly posted half as many posts as I have already. And that's not saying a whole lot. :)

Reem's blog has actually made me reassess in some ways what it is I am trying to accomplish. It makes me think that ideally - to really network and use social media to its fullest potential - you need to have a focus and clarity on your message regardless of exactly which form of media you are using. Since I am currently in the search/creation of my next message to the world, it would make sense for me to take a few steps down on that Social Media pyramid.

Song of the Day: The Way I Am - Eminem

One in Ten

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Tue, 20 May 2008 05:46:00 +0000

Time never ceases to amaze me. The last post I made was ten days ago and yet it seems like it has been eons since I sat down and typed on my laptop (I don't count making moves on scrabulous as typing). As Einstein would suppose, time moves differently dependent upon whether the person experiencing the time is moving or stationary.

While I'm not quite sure how that translates to my past week and a half in the mathematic way, I certainly know that time often feel relative. I've been travelling, house/cat-sitting, bike commuting etc. and it seems as though all my time is spent on the move. Please note I have excluded my time spent at my desk from work into this very scientific calculation. I need to make a graph for graphjam.

Since I am house-sitting during bike-to-work month, I'm really making a conscious effort to bike even though I have been further away from downtown than I would be from my house...while I will inevitably (and hopefully) be in better shape by the end of the month, my commute has shifted from mindless music-listening, out-of-the-window-staring, thought-wandering bus riding to pedal-pedal-pedal-I-can-(huff-huff-breathe-breathe)-make-it-(pant-pant-breathe-breathe)-up-this-(wheeze-wheeze-breathe-breathe)-hill.

So, while perhaps I have embodied more of the 'living in the moment' zen so many seek, I haven't quite had the same sub-conscious down-time. While I would love for this excuse to be the reason I haven't been writing that much, I don't know if that's really the case.

For anything in life, you either do it or you don't. So, if you want something to be done, you just need to get off your ass, over yourself, and just do it.

I have a friend who gets up every morning at 5am (5AM!!!!) to write. Now that is a dedication and commitment that is truly impressive, and I think really shows where her priorities are for herself. At the end of the day, it's what we gives our priorities to that dictates the life we lead.

I will bend over backwards to save pennies and PTO to be able to travel as I want; if there is something else I want to successfully accomplish I need to be as willing to sacrifice and re-arrange other things to give that new item priority. If I can bring lunch every day knowing my saved money will contribute to my Hawaiian vacation, why can't I walk away from the television knowing that hour could be better spent writing lengthy stream-of-consciousness diatribes? (you may disagree with the 'better spent' sentiment)

No matter what it is you are trying to pursue, you can only accomplish it by not just thinking about it and dreaming about it but by actually doing it; until you are ready to willingly make that dream your priority in your every-day life, it will continue to merely remain a dream.

Song of the Day: Monkey Wrench - the Foo Fighters

making lemonade

noreply@blogger.com (Seattle Cannoli) — Sat, 10 May 2008 04:19:00 +0000

It seems that more than writing about actual topics I seem to write about writing. I have had so many things I have wanted to say about a variety of topics - my friend's death, my brother's graduation, the surreal feeling of returning to places you know so well but seem so different the longer you are away...

So why can't I take the leap to actually write what I'm thinking? Why is it that I can seem to have an entire essay monologue in my head and the instant I get in front of a screen it is no longer there to be transcribed?

The point of this exercise was for me to start writing more, and the more I push the writing times into "when I have time" the more difficult it is to actually write.

If I'm going to make writing a real priority I'm going to have to start giving it priority time. Rather than "if I have time" it should be "I'm going to write now"

The apprehension behind this is, of course, the fear of becoming one of those blog-obsessed people who feel they can't discuss something because it was already posted on their blog or are wary to discuss the topic of a future post.

Overall though, I think the new ability for us blogger folks to post at a specified time will help; although only time will tell if that will work out...

Song of the Day: No Time - The Guess Who