The only poem I've ever had published...

So this is a poem I wrote my freshmen year - my first, and perhaps only, REAL piece of poetry. I revisit it every year, change a word or punctuation, rethink the phrasing, etc, etc. Here is the latest version, though I may still tweak it a little before I put it away for next year.

Inevitable

What if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t died?
Hadn’t hidden behind their love-sick pride?
If their families had never had reason to fight?
If they hadn’t each found love one fateful night?

Will I tell what would happen? Why, yes!
They would give new meaning to marital stress!
Their families wouldn’t be brought together by grief -
They’d often wish for death, and its sweet release.

They’d fall out of love as quick as they fell in.
After a while, Juliet would find a better companion.
Romeo would be mad with rage, and like Tybalt, run him through -
Only to have something to do, as he found a friend too.

Juliet would unleash her rage, and hell’s fury turned loose,
Romeo off to the bar; Juliet tying a noose.
Romeo would come home, drunk and stumbling -
Juliet watching him, the rage in her eyes most humbling.

The next morning, a frightful wail would arise,
Capulets and Montagues sharing in a gruesome surprise.
The feuding Romeo and Juliet, now colder than stone -
Juliet tried to end Romeo, and each into death by the other was thrown.

They would have died together, in hate and hot blood,
Juliet’s murderous plan ending with a lifeless thud,
But instead they died together with love, and with tears -
Would that price have been worth those few extra years?

-SociallyInept

My first Day...or rather, 15 hours....without Facebook.

So, yeah, today was day 1 of my 7 day Hiatus of Facebook. And it went pretty smoothly, until I got off work. I came home, plugged in, and hit my myspace quick launch button. Why? Because it is where my Facebook quick launch button used to be. So yes, Facebook is firmly imbedded in my daily routine.

So, to keep my mind off of where my browser really wanted to be, I played with my dog. Then I cooked dinner. Then I went to a friends house and watched Family Guy, then Jeff Dunham, and then House. And somewhere in there, we played Wii bowling and fed the fish in the pond at my weekend job.

All of these things are decent and moderately enjoyable, but I feel I am simply re-inventing the wheel. I'm doing this to re-claim my life - to be more productive and less sedentary. So even though I didn't log onto Facebook today (though I did stare at the log in page for several minutes, testing my will-power to the max) I still think today was a semi-failure of this experiment. Entertaining, more active in the world around me, but still, not quite where I want to be. But with these things in mind, I head for bed, and mentally prepare for day 2.

Bring it on.

-SociallyInept

I love Billy Joel. And Paul Newman. And Peter Lorre.

My name is spelt O-L-D S-O-U-L. Just so you know.

This semester went by in a true flash, and the class I miss the most is a surprise, even to me. It isn't painting. It isn't Drawing II. It isn't History II. It's Film Appreciation. I miss watching things like The Maltese Falcon and Arsenic and Old Lace and Casablanca, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I really miss those movies, and I think I'll probably be making an effort to own each and every one of them in the near future. But until then, here are some clips, courtesy of YouTube, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

From Casablanca



A Tribute to Peter Lorre



Funniest Scene of Arsenic and Old Lace - The first minute is my favorite in the whole movie!



The Last Scene of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid - it gave meaning to the phrase 'going out in a blaze of glory!'



That's all I've got for now. I hope you enjoy these clips, and that they inspire you to give some of the classic movies a try.

With love,

SociallyInept

Tips for Life, 1 Week Facebook Hiatus, and Top Headlines of the Week

Hello all!

First, something I jotted down as I was considering the unfufilled and unhappy life of a few people around me -

Prepare to be wrong – no one is or can be right all of the time.
Invite love and friendship into your life – how fulfilled can a life lived alone really be?
Be honest, always – lies grow and spread, and are more infectious than any cancer.
Laugh as often as possible – it’s the spice of life, and everything can be made better for it.
Live every day to the fullest – we have lost yesterday, and are not promised tomorrow.
Pursue happiness – a life pursuing nothing but money, power, and privilege is hardly a life at all.
Give - A dollar, a smile, a blanket, a sandwich. Give whatever you can, because the person in need may someday be you.

I try to live by these ideas,and my life is more fulfilled and purposeful for it.

~~~

Facebook. What a gargantuan time-sucking void I have been pulled into. Honesty boxes, Farm town, instant chat, flair, etc, etc, have all conspired against me to leave me pathetically checking my page a dozen times a day, and for what? What purpose really lies in have a digital farm? A few witty flair? A half-assed conversation with someone who could very easily call? A few silly quizes who's answers have no affect on your life? What is it all for? How mych of my life am I wasting with it?

With all these questions, I have decided to take a step back. For 1 full week, I will not access my Facebook page - I will live by phone and e-mail for digital contact. If it goes well, the next thing I phase out will be my Myspace page, which I use only to contact my cousin and play Bloodlines. My eventual goal is to phase out all unneeded internet usage, except for e-mails, basic facebook use to contact friends and family easily, and research for school. No more myspace, no more dating sites, no more online gaming. I can't let the internet suck my life away, do this 1 week hiatus is my first blow against it. I will start tomorrow, and will be documenting how it goes, to help others that may be inspired to do the same.

~~~

Top headlines of this week:



First and foremost, the monorail crash at Disney world! The kid that died was my age and a university intern. And guess what? I applied for that job. I feel so badly for that guys family, and in the same breath, I am so happy I didn't pursue getting that internship further.

Another story that shows the lows to which American Society has come to - A trial is about start because of a Texas 'Fight Club,' where the caretakers of the disabled and developmentally challenged forced them to fight each other. This is completely disgusting, and I hope those responsible are punished to the fullest extent of the law!

This is just cool - Obama promised it, and here it is - the 'Craigslist' for Volunteering - this is a website that lists volunteering opportunities around the country - gotta love it! And you better bet, when Color Texarkana comes around next year, I'm totally gonna use this!

Whelp, that's all I've got for now, but I've been writing something out - I'll prolly post it later. Have a good one!

-SociallyInept

Sitting In Books-A-Million and other Randomness

It's loud. Even with ear-buds and good music, it's loud in here. Coffee shops and/or book stores are not what they once were. At some point in recent history, the Bookstore was something akin to a library - soft conversations, the whispers of turning pages, the random and barely audible cough or sniffle. Now, however, these places are the home of annoying ring-tones, overly-loud conversation, raucous laughter, gabby baristas, dizzily fast typing, and a million (haha) other little things that combine to make a symphony of head-ache inducing noises. Oh, and did I forget the blender? The commercially sized, 6 gallon blender who's motor can apparently rival that of a Jumbo Jet taking off? I mean, wow. Not that it's all bad. It beats the hell out of my home - where the TV is always on Reality TV (aka moronic dribble) and never under a decibel level also rivaling and Jumbo Jet taking off, and where the cigarette smoke never fails to give me vicious head-aches and uncontrollable sneezing to boot. Any public place, whether it be bar, coffee shop, library, over-crowded bus station, traffic jam, etc, etc, is better than that. Trust me.

I know I mentioned good music during some part of that lovely rant, so let me expound on that - I am a Pandora fan. As is www.Pandora.com. It is an awesome website, powered by the 'Music Genome Project.' You start a 'station' based on a song, group, or type of music that you like, and as it plays songs, you give that song a thumbs up or thumbs down. It adds song similar to those you like, and eliminates songs similar to songs you don't like. The longer you listen to the station, the more it narrows down exactly what you want to hear. And let me tell you, it hits the nail on the head every time! Through a station based on 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz, Pandora introduced me to Jack Johnson, Tyrone Wells, Eric Hutchinson, Eagle Eye Cherry, and many other artists I was not aware of and am now a big fan of. It's free, it's streaming, and it's commercial free. What have you got to lose? Go check it out!

That's it for today. Back to my over-priced coffee and relentless picture editing.

Peace and Love,

SociallyInept

Going Beyond Self-Improvement

Everyone these days is all about self-improvement - losing weight, getting healthy, learning new skills, becoming a better parent, student, etc, etc. But lets look beyond ourselves for a moment, shall we? The world beyond our range of experience can be a terrible place, full of hunger, disease, misery, and death. And it is completely within our range to improve the lives of those who cannot help themselves. There are a million and one ways we can help our society, our country, and the world. But how often do we take it upon ourselves to do so? You're probably thinking "Now hold on, i donate money in those little jars at the super-market. And I buy free-trade coffee. And I'm aware of all the problems in the world, thank you very much!" And for those steps you may be taking towards being a more responsible human being of the little green and blue planet called Earth, I salute you. But believe it or not, you can do more. You should do more. We all should. But everyone has different time restraints, financial situations, energy levels, and limitations in general, so it's important for each person to find those things they CAN do, within their own special circumstances. For that, I offer a few web-site which have some very good tips and advice, as well as some specific Organizations and efforts which I feel strongly about and would love to see more support for.

~~~

US News.com Top 50 Ways to Improve your Life in 2009


100 Ways to Make A Difference in Your Community

An Amazing List of Groups and Organizations that Make a Difference

Leigh Steinberg's 'Saving the Environment' Tips

A Global Service Blog that will give you hope for the world

And last but certainly not least, and blog of a good friend of mine named Mark Arnoldy, who took the initiative to dedicate his life to those in need, and I couldn't be more proud or envious of his bravery in doing so. His cause is a noble one - read all about it here.

That's it for today - If you know of more links I should add to this list please leave me a comment!

Peace and Love,

SociallyInept

Behavioral Problems on a Silver Platter, Anyone?

Today was the first day of kid’s art classes at work, which will be going on for 6 out of the 10 days these 2 weeks. Today was pretty decent, especially the first class, 6-9 yr olds. They were a lot of fun, very active and energetic, and really into the art. The only 2 I had any problems with was one child who talked constantly, and loudly – especially if I was giving any attention to any other student. The other was a petulant little girl that had her head down half the time, didn’t want to work, didn’t care about it, really. After snack time, she livened up, got involved, and got chatty. We were joking about something, and when I turned away to answer a question, she slapped me on the upper arm, hard. Mind you, this is a seven or eight year old, and I believe that hitting is NEVER okay. So I quickly told her that hitting was not acceptable. She just smiled at me, like it was a joke. After that, we proceeded to have a pretty good time, finishing class. That is, until it was pick-up time. The parents startin rollin in, and the kids start rollin out. This little girl’s mom asked me how it went, and I told her okay, but that I had to get onto her child for striking me. And she said, and I QUOTE:

“And that’s a problem?” With attitude galore. I was completely astounded, to say the least. I stared at her, jaw agape I’m sure, and tried to figure out what to say. Finally, I stuttered:

“Ummm…yes, it is a problem. That isn’t allowed.”

She answered: “We love-tap at home all the time.” With even more attitude.

I composed the most adult answer I could, took a breath, and told her “Well, this is not your home, this is a classroom, and that is not appropriate behavior.”

She left in a huff, and I was left dumbfounded. How can anyone be THAT ignorant? We wonder why mental and behavioral problems in our youth have become a rampant plague, but here you go - The cause of the problem: super-shitty parenting. A LOT of people have no idea how to raise children – pregnancies aren’t planned, parents don’t prepare themselves. It’s just like ‘Oops, I’m pregnant. Lets get a bigger TV, and we’re good to go.”

What. The. Fuck.

I have already decided, ten years in advance: I will home-school my children. You want to know why? Because children raised by bad parents can seriously corrupt children raised by good parents. And since you can’t hand-pick what kids will be in class with yours, I’m seriously scared to send my future kids into the public school system. I know I’ll never be able to afford or want to send them to a stuffy private school, so I opt for home-schooling. With lots of group activities to develop social skills of course. However, no cable TV will be in our home, and no non-learning or fitness based gaming systems. I refused to corrupt my children’s minds, or mine, with all the media and entertainment (if you can call it that) garbage, I feel really bad for this little girl with the insane mother. This is the kind of woman who’s child gets sent home with a note from the teacher, and who calls the teacher bitching instead of disciplining their child for poor behavior. Parents like these are sending our country to the shit-heap at warp speed. Almost makes you want to move to Europe, take up a new career and primary language, and forget all about this place. But roots run deep, so I guess I’ll keep doing my part to improve my society, and hope for the best while I’m at it.

Until next time avid readers (ha!),

SociallyInept