20-10 Visions: Don't Let the Aughts go for Naught

A decade of decadence. A span of spam-filled E-mails from Nigeria. A quest for queries that made little difference to the malaise of life. A cadre of crass-filled, celeb-ME! quirky shows that made you vomit, or you ogled them more intently in utter disbelief. A boom-bust cycle for bankers from Bali to Bombay to Boston. A gaggle of whatcha-think-of-this websites where Google reigned surpeme.

Oh yes, the Aughts were a fun-filled, debt-laden, country-screwed-up-on-celebrity time. The Roarin' Twenties Redux?

As 2010 hits you in the face, with the problem of writing the date right, unless you have that all automated in your life, now, we hope again that the New Year brings hope and answers. Normally, it is a time to tighten up, get on swole, and flip da scrip, without blaming others for your flab, drab, and shabby life. (Another facet of the Aughts: language is changin' fast and TTYL, LOL, ROFL, BRB and POS borrowed from the acronym-laden computer field.)

From Lily Allen's The Fear:

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When we think it will all become clear

‘ Cuz I’m being taken over by The Fear

People fear A LOT these days. Governments. Economic Woe. The Loss of Community while being sucked into the rabbit hole of the internet via Google and Facebook. 2012...

Yet, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" to worry about.

The days and decade ahead should be one of fantastic visions filled with some version of what we want to become as people. And how we should figure out and live on the best path to a environmentally friendly, economically-beneficial and everyone-is-included situation? Clean up our act. Spend wisely. Think about future ramifications.

Of course, some will deny any changes need to be made at all, even after some of the more drastic events of the past decade. (Katrina & New Orleans, A Multi-Trillion-dollar banking meltdown, Oil price fluxuations, costly guerrilla wars in the Middle East, and BRIC's rise in economic dominance.)

So what can we do? What should we do to make the aughts lessons leap forward into the teens?

Self-improvement. Ben Franklin had his method for getting the most out of his life. He spent 2 years (approximately) working on these things. (from mysimplerlife.com):

1.TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

If we can do these things half as good as Franklin, we probably will be a much better person to be around. We aught to do better in life.

My personal resolution: Start a Publishing business by forming an LLC. (In process.) It will center around sports and personal stories related to sports endeavors, at first. Hopefully, it will also take advantage of green technologies, like Kindle, instead of printing more books than are really needed. Downloadable files instead of a printed copy. Audio books in the near future. And whatever else seems to work.

For others: Maybe you have a hidden talent or a penchant for certain things or ideas. Utilize them more. Create something. Innovate it. Make America (I am an American) better in the teens. The world has gotten our Capitalistic message loud and clear. And they are doing things elsewhere we seemingly could never dream of. Education is a key too.We need to promote it, fund it and find a way to get those eager youths coming up with amazing technology that will annoy the best of us - and freak out the narrow minded amongst us. No matter. We need those things.

Happy New Year and Decade!!! 2010!!!

Yahoo!!! (Ok, they are so 1990s...)

2009: Is it 2008 Redux?

Two days into a new year, and I think, isn't this just going to be another bad year?

It is of course the hopeful sort that would mockingly say, " Boy, you are quite the pessismist. You might want to get that checked out." But really, the flip of a calendar has never suddenly said, "This is the year!!!" (Ask the Chicago Cubs. They've been flipping calendars since Auld Lang Syne was only 120 years old. (Now it is 221 years old.)

So what is a depressed sort suppose to work on to become the cheery, everything is going to be better, lunatic fringe happy camper? What Resolutions made will make 2009 seem like a point in time where my life surely changed?

1. Get rid of people you don't need. I've been living with 2 people that for some reason have no financial sense. Beyond that, they have 23 cats, no phone, no cable, hot water is by stove and the cars need a fixin'. (3 broke vehicles sit outside my house.) They managed to pick up $2,300 in tips on their delivery route, yet haven't fixed any of these concerns. I made only $450 in tips(approximately) and had most of that go to a car that still ain't right. But my meager pay keeps the home equity paid and the lights on. So I am lost on what to do or say or pretend does not bother. SO--by April 1st, when gas is likely going to rise to around $3.00-$3.50 (no thanks to Israel, Russia, OPEC and George W. Bush), I am taking whatever bus I can to a warm place, Florida, Louisana or Arizona, to start over. It is more than their finances. Over the past 4 years, I have discovered what my role is to them and what I truly mean to them. Not much. Not much at all if you've read my prior blog posts.

2. Try to lose 'da attitude' with others. It's hard to overlook what you hate in yourself. That is what attitude is essentially. We project on to others what the hate about themselves. Often, I am not consciously looking to come across as overly sarcastic and witty. (At least by my failed reckoning.) But it is easy to see the worst in people for me. (See #1.) For the reason of being in a small town I never ever liked, around people that never ever accepted me from day one (and the chip that grew because of that) and the desire to escape this at all costs, I grew to be a person less likely to see the goodness in people. Because nothing, not friendship or an intimacy, ever evolved in my entire time in Northwest Indiana. There in lies my attitude problem: no real family or friends that are worth more than the gum on your shoe.

3. See opportunity and take it. Too often, I haven't made the best of the lifelines offered. (Not that they have been some fabulous place, or exotic journey missed, but I do regret the opportunities foregone to play it safe. Like working for GM (yeah, I know, they are heading for bankruptcy) about 11 years ago. What would have been? Would living in Michigan introduced me to the right woman or career contact that I would have alter the course of my life forever? (I decided against it to stay close to my mother - alas, a poor choice.)

Opportunities have to be seen and taken. Risk is the only way to reward. I have nothing to lose. I lost freedom, integrity, a career and rarely see a day that I don't regret for doing little to proceed. (Even blogging has become a chore. It's so 2000-2001-2002-2003-2004-2005.)

I put off editing and finishing correctly a baseball book because I feel it would be rejected. And that the time, money (needed to send it off in a proper format) and energy (that goes into a 700-900 page project) will not produce any significant result. (Like generate an income or establish a new identity.) So, I get lazy instead. And use the other reasons as an excuse to quit working.

Self-doubt will always kill opportunity. In my life, people have doubted me enough that I also just used their doubts as my doubts too. It's a cycle, like every year is.

4. Make a plan and stick to it. The hardest plan to follow is the one without wiggle room. But the plan should be focused on process, not results. Work out, but don't expect weight losss. Stop drinking soda, or eating cake, or other fattening stuff, but don't get worried about the pounds. Eat better, but don't look for the results to be evident in 2-3 months. It's a process.

Not focusing on results seems to contradict the prior stance on seeking opportunity. But if the journey is suppose to be fun, why are we so worried about the destination? Why are we into the constant struggle for self-improvement yet making it into so terribly like a job? Because we feel the need for penance? We owe ourselves a good life, but not at the expense of trying to please some sadistic need to flog ourselves for not being a size 2 or unable to run 5 miles or speak fluent Chinese (a task I have yet to take up) or going to Church every Sunday.

The plan should be fairly open, but with tenants to follow as close as possible. Working on one particular thing at a time is likely the best. Benjamin Franklin, probably the smartest man of his century (not without flaws though) had these grand ideas on self-improvement (from mysimplerlife.com):
1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Humility was the one thing Franklin often said he lacked. (Who can blame a man that was so involved in numerous adventures, projects and essential outcomes in the 18th century as to be known the world over for things like a stove, or library lending or electricity.)

His results though came over a period of two years. Two years. A man as creative and talented as he took two years and still was not happy with everything. Imagine how long we need to take to become half as involved.

To avoid another 2008, 2007 or a past year of wasted opportunity, it would be best to actually accomplish one thing in this new year. Or at least focus on a process to fixing one part of my life.

Here's to you doing that for all the times you did not.

NO New Years' Haitus: So I've been off the internet farm for a while

For those that try to make it a point to stop by Hooverville, that place where I live with the tin cans, cardboard and porn mags for insulation, I duly wish you a pleasant New Year. 2007: Glad to have known you, but not too glad.

To those that I haven't been going to their blogs, again, my deepest regrets. I have been "guy, interrupted" by the holidays. I had to figure out a way to print on my Lexmark X75 that does not cost a fortune. (Burns through cartridges like Lindsay Lohan goes through GPS ankle bracelets.)

The Lexmark X75: As Homer Simpson says, "Stupid printer!"

Aside from that, the files are too big to send to anyone via email. The server times out. Or the size exceeds the attachment limit, etc. I zipped them. Split them in two. Now it looks like I'll send out 4 or 5 emails just to get it to some people that won't want to resemble them back together again. (Sorta defeats the purpose.)

So, unless I get it published, no one will ever see it. (Which is fine, I suppose. The tree in the forest analogy works for my life.)

But that's enough bitching and moaning for one post.

I wish all of you a pleasant, hangover-free, New Year. I hope you wind up in the arms of someone you care for deeply. Make Love. Not War. Tune in. But Don't Drop Out...(Yet.) Stay focused on your dreams and don't let the realities piss you off. Keep an eye on your day to day tasks, but don't them rule you into doing the same old bump and grind. Have some laughter at George Bush's expense. Try something new - but do things you have always done well for your best sanity.

That's all for now. Keep it FRESH TO DEATH!!!