You decide!

Have you ever found yourself being able to clearly see the solution to other peoples problems... but not your own. It's as if you can cut right through all of the guesswork when it comes to a difficult decision for someone else. Yet, you find that when you are confronted with a problem that you have a direct relationship too, your judgment becomes cloudy.

Why do we second-guess ourselves?

The answer may be our emotions. When you look at an issue that you're not directly involved in, you have no emotional attachment to it. It's easier to come to a solution because it's not going to cause you any discomfort or pain. That's why judges are supposed to be fair and impartial. To remove their personal feelings and abide strictly by the law. It's too help them make tough choices.

So are we afraid of becoming uncomfortable or inflicting pain when we make personal choices? Sure to some extent that must be part of it. Fear must also play into it as well. Fear that our choices will not turn out the way we hope or plan. Fear that we are making a mistake. Fear of causing pain to the ones we care for. Fear of inflicting pain on ourselves.

Is this why very successful people are often times called ruthless? Is it because they have mastered the ability to remove emotion from their choices? That could be part of it. Perhaps they have simple made so many difficult choices that the process has become mechanical to them. They have experienced both the positive and negative impacts that difficult decisions create. So, would that mean the more decisions you make the easier they become? Is this where wisdom comes from? I guess that would depend on your definition of wisdom.

That's why it's important to enlist the aid of others when you are facing a tough choice in life. Will it make the decision easier? No. But, what it will do is allow us to feel more comfortable with the choices we must make. Knowing the mind of the people directly involved never hurts. Talk over tough choices with those it will affect. This includes younger children. Never forget the choices you make as their parent / guardian affect their lives too. Get their thoughts and opinions. Give credence to their worries and fears, even if your point of view is different. More often than not people come up with different answers to the same problem. Only by trying to pool together the largest amount of possible answers to a problem do we truly see the possible solutions that exist.

Remember, solutions are hardly ever black and white, they usually come in many shades of grey.

Did I make the right choice when I started to take the time to write these thoughts down in a blog?

You decide!

Photograph provided by:http://www.freefoto.com/download/41-11-18?ffid=41-11-18

A question to you.

How do you define freedom?

Is it the ability to do or say as you please?

Is it whether or not you can travel without restriction?

Own a weapon?

Pick your own profession?

Live where you want?

Buy the car you want?

Have a relationship with whomever you are interested in?

Read whatever you like, no matter who it might offend?

Inspire others without fear of retribution?

Write openly?

Care?

Sure, it's at least all these things, and yet so much more at the same time. The truth about freedom is you really can't define it, at least I know I can't.

The only way to truly grasp the edges of what freedom means is by understanding how it can be taken away from you. Because, whether you like it or not, freedom is not guaranteed.

So what do you do to ensure your own freedom?

Off with his head!

So if you have been keeping an eye on the news recently you may have noticed that Air Force One was flown over the New York area. Needless to say it caused quite the uproar. People running in the streets, panic & multiple calls to 911 about a plane falling out of the sky.

The reason for the Air Force to make a low pass over the most airplane phobic area in the country? Well, a photo shoot of course. Duh, makes perfect sense doesn't it. I mean what better way to restore confidence in the population of New York than by allowing a large plane to reenact the most terrifying day of their lives. I wonder how many New Yorkers contacted their psychologist after this to let them know. "Hey, I think I'm over that whole fear of planes now." I wouldn't think too many.

So of course now everyone is up in arms at the insensitive nature of this act of stupidity. People are calling for the swift removal of whomever's head was responsible for giving the O.K. And yet again we fall into a predictable pattern of behavior. Someone makes a mistake and then the public looks for them to loose their job. Five words people "It was a screw up!". That's right someone made a stupid mistake. It's happens all the time. Most people make at least a few mistakes during their day. Now, to be fair these mistakes do not usually set off a panic in a major population center. However, they are still mistakes. So, is it fair for someone to lose their jobs, livelihoods or even end their careers over a mistake? I mean realistically no one was injured. I'm sure they are not going to do it again. Along with the most important part, it way not done out of malice. That's right no evil intent. To me that's an important factor.

So what is the right way to handle this?

A beating?
No! Too 70's.

Lock them in a public stockade?
No! Too middle ages.

Burn them?
No! Too Salem witch hunt.

What then? What can we do to ensure this will never happen again?

Well gee, how about we make whoever is responsible make a public apology and promise not to do it again.... Holy cow! that might just work. Why didn't we think of this before.

Everyone in this country needs to stop looking for blood over spilled milk.

Yes, people have been traumatized.
No, they do not deserve to be financially compensated.
Yes, people made mistakes in even considering this a wise choice.
No, they should not lose their jobs over it.
Yes, you do see a pattern forming.
No, I will not apologize for it.

So, if you don't like what I am saying I guess you can call for my public beating followed by locking me in a stockade and burning me alive.

Today's Rant:Complete

Photo provide by: http://www.freefoto.com/preview/20-34-2?ffid=20-34-2

The horror

You feel a sense of dread, you look around for the source of danger. Even as you search, your stomach jumps into your chest. Your breathing becomes labored and the first beads of sweat form on your brow. Now, for the first time you see what is haunting your thoughts. Your heart speeds up, beginning to pound like a jackhammer against your ribs. The blood in your legs runs cold and your feet turn to lead. You look left, you look right, but there is no clear escape... You try to scream but your throat slams shut, for all your effort you can only manage a barely audible croak... They're everywhere, down each aisle, at the doors, in the checkout lane. Hold it together!!! For the love of all things holy, HOLD IT TOGETHER!!!!


You keep telling yourself "This is just a bad dream; I'll wake up any minute and be safe at home." But it's not a nightmare, its worse, it’s an average day of shopping at your local large scale retailer and you are surrounded by.....


Hugemart Zombies. AAaaaAAaaHHHhhHH!!!!!!!!


That's right the dreaded, glassy-eyed discount seeking undead. Each of these zombies shambles along the aisles, pushing squeaky wheeled shopping carts. They pick things up, examine them, and put them back. It's almost as if they understand what these things they examine are for.


But alas, poor souls, they are now brain dead and have no understanding of what they are doing. Nothing ever actually goes into the carts. More often then not the zombie will seam to forget they even have a cart, leaving it in the middle of the aisle as they wander off in search of some unknown item. Or, they stand side by side with another zombie, effectively blocking the only transversable floor space between the shelves. They stand there as if fixed to the spot, moaning unintelligibly to one another for what seams like hours.


Last on this incomplete list of the zombies you may run into is the most dreaded of all. The zombie with screaming younger zombies. You have probably seen this type before the ones that the older zombie is completely ignoring the young zombie in the shopping cart. These young zombies seam to be trying to discover the exact decibel level that will liquefy your brain. At the same time they are doing their impromptu sonic scream to the devil they are also trying to perfect their half gainer dive out of the front of the shopping cart. Eventually the elder zombie will grunt out some type of warning. It almost sounds as if they might be saying "Don't make me take you to the bathroom" or "I'm going to tell your dad how bad you where". Of course since you do not speak zombie you can't be sure.


What you do fully understand is that if you don't get the hell out of this store within the next 5 minutes you’re going to have a homicidal fit. So before you stop by the sporting goods department and walk off with a 9 iron to start your depopulation of the current undead residents, take note. The judicial system still frowns on most people when they try to use the “I swear I was just killing zombies” defense. Chalk it up to the large scale disbelief in the living dead…


"Okay." you say "So, I can't destroy every one of these zombie's. What can I do?"

The obvious answer you seek is to shop elsewhere. That's right for a little inconvenience you can avoid all the unpleasantness that comes from spending the time in a store overrun with the brain seeking former living. Not only that but you really do help support your local economy by doing so. So do your part and try and help out the little guy. You know just because he does not stock 300 brands of toilet paper, he still is providing a service to the community.


"But, the local Hugemart has driven all the local retailers out of business!" you cry in dismay.

Not much you can do about that. So if you are forced to cross the threshold into unliving hell then do so prepared. Try and go during off hours. You know, the time you might normally be in bed dreaming of sugar plums. What the hell is a sugar plum anyway? Oh well, back to the point. Go at night if the store is open that late. Yeah, you have to deal with navigating around stock that is usually lying around the floor and lack of staff to try and actually check you out. But hey, at least a majority of the zombies are at home.This also goes for going early in the morning during the normal work week.


The last way to try and deal with avoiding these Hugemart zombies is to shop online. Yep, avoid the lair all together. This of course leads to other problems, like availability, identity theft, shipping, etc…

If none of these solutions works for you then I guess you just have to deal with it. I’ll leave you to deal with the Hugemart zombies. Me, I think I’ll shop online. Oh, one last bit of advice, don’t go for the 9 Iron, pick up the Driver….


Today’s Rant: Complete

Oh, you swine!

So, it's a new day, full of hopes, dreams, aspirations... and fears of catching a deadly virus the likes of which the world has never seen....

Great, just what I needed!

Once again I find myself facing an ever changing dilemma of choices. But, now comes along a whole new player to throw a wrench into the workings, Swine Flu! That's right. Swine Flu. This new kid on the block is a bully, and he's coming to steal your lunch money.

So far cases of swine flu have popped up in Mexico, New York, California, Kansas, Ohio, Texas, New Zealand, and Canada. These geographical locations are several thousands of miles apart, as anyone with a basic understanding of geography can attest.

So, what is the point I am trying to make with all this? Well, it's rather simple really. Influenza spreads from person to person fast. That's right boys and girls, we are facing a fast moving virus that we have no natural defenses too. Just in case your not sure, this is the part that should make you feel very uncomfortable.

Not only that, but, it is also killing off the one sector of the population that usually has a higher survival rate to influenza than others. The 20 to 40 year old range. Boy, sure am glad I'm 37....oh, wait a minute...Crap!

So far there is not much good information being disseminated about the flu, but you can bet that over the next few days and weeks that will change. So, what can we do? Run...Flee...Preserve Life! If in time this becomes a pandemic then those become real options. But for now your best bet is to remain calm. That's right, breath in deep and relax.

Just don't take a deep breath by anybody that is coughing uncontrollably!

But seriously surf on over and take a look at the Center for Disease Control website.

http://http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm

It's a great place to get some good general info on the subject.

Or, you could join the small group of conspiracy whack jobs that have already begun to post Internet pages on this flu. Most of these conspiracy sites are making accusations that this flu is related to three vials of equine encephalitis that went missing from an army biomedical research lab.

Of course there are some obvious holes in these plots...Such as the vials contained equine encephalitis. That alone holds two clues that make this highly unlikely to be behind the recent flu.

#1. Equine (Horse) Yes, it's a horse disease. and

#2. Encephalitis. Not Influenza. But hey, it's a conspiracy right. So why should the type of disease match.

Of course the equine encephalitis can cause flu like symptoms in human beings where 1 out of 100 persons subjected to that disease can die. The problem with that is the fact that the only way to transmit the disease from horses to people is through mosquitoes.

So, I guess we need to be on the lookout for terrorist mosquitoes carrying a stolen equine encephalitis virus that the government is masking as a swine influenza outbreak.

Well, if you believe that then just put your aluminum foil hats back on and block out the governments evil transmissions. The people outside the matrix will be contacting you shortly because you are the only person that can save us.

Today's Rant: Complete

In the begining...

Okay, for pretty much no reason at all I find myself writing a blog. Why? I don't really know to tell you the truth. Perhaps it's some sort of self induced therapy in order to rant at my perceived worldly injustices. Or maybe I just have too much stored in the old grey matter and it needs to get out. Either way it's not planned so pretty much anything could happen....or nothing for that matter.

Not really knowing the implications of what I am doing I am going to plead ignorance at how I should or shouldn't proceed. Of course since I am releasing this out to the general public I expect someone to eventually stumble across this and maybe...Gasp...even read it. This of course can result in one of several things. Three come to mind off hand.


#1. Nothing. yep that's right no response what so ever. Hey it's like your writing in your own personal journal that nobody cares about. It just happens to be on the Internet and available for all to see. Okay, I can live with that.
#2. A small group of people will see and respond to the erratic writings posted. Perhaps they will think they are helping some poor lunatic deal with the onset of dementia. Thank you for your empathy at this trying time in the slow decay of my mental facilities.
#3. People will genuinely enjoy what I have to say and might even respond positively.

So what odds do I lay on these? Let's see, okay I would have to say 90% for number 1, 9% for number 2 and a resounding 1% chance for number 3. Sorry for seaming so glum, but hey it's kind of a life style after so many years of being an Optipessimist. Whats that? - well read on.

You see I am not an optimist, in fact I find I have a strong desire to beat these people with a bag of doorknobs. They are always saying things like "Hey, look at the bright side!" and "Wow, look how large my check is." These people fall into the same group as Walmart Zombie's*. They may have been people you use to know and love, but now, you really should just put them down.

I am not a Pessimist either. These people are so doom and gloom all the time that they even invented a social class to organize them into....Emo's. They tend to make general statements such as "What's the point of doing anything ever! I mean I'm just gonna die some horrible way at a young age and nobody will come to even spit on my grave." I swear it makes me want to say "Hey, look at the bright side!" err...wait, forget that.

Nope, I'm special. And not that kinda special where you get money from the government or they have a separate set of games for you. Not, that anything is wrong with those kinda special people, so don't even start with the venom laced responses. No, I mean I'm an Optipessimist.

What's an Optipessimist you ask? well that's simple it's someone who is positive that something bad is going to happen. I fall into this category. You might be one too. Maybe you have always been one. Maybe you are surrounded by us? Who knows. So if you just found out what category you fall under congratulations... just don't go outside and get hit by a truck!

*To be discussed in more detail on another day.

Today's Rant: Complete.