The art of not stressing.

Well… at least the way I get through.

As I’ve told, I’m a full time college student studying engineering.  Last semester, I had a ton of things going on in my life outside of school that caused me to fall behind and struggle with my education.  While it may have caused a small hiccup in my educational flow, I learned my lesson from it.  I took some time at the beginning of the semester, sat down, and figured out how I’m going to balance all of the necessary things in my life.

I have school, work, my girlfriend, and my social life.  There are a few other things here and there that I need to attend to.  First, I set up my work schedule so that it wouldn’t interfere with my schooling.  I requested Wednesdays off because I want to have one day every week off that I can set aside to do what needs to be, whether it be relaxing or additional school work.

School is my number one priority.  I have a good GPA, and I want to keep it that way.  I don’t think about long term school; I focus on what classes I’m currently in.  With all of that being said, there have been a few times this semester when I felt overloaded with my classes and their assignments.  What I’ve figured out is to get the assignment that is due next done.  After that, I stop doing school work.  When I feel overwhelmed, instead of freaking out and trying to get 6 assignments done in one sitting, I do one really well, and then I take a break.  Sometimes I have to wake up earlier to get something done, and, on occasion, I’ve had to stay up too late to finish a paper up.

Last semester made me realize the importance of the social life.  My favorite things to do is to spend time with my amazing girlfriend, but on the event that she has a prior obligation, I still make it a point to go out and have fun.  You can’t get too swept up in the day to day grind that you forget to experience joys.

Do you have any tips for me about avoiding/counteracting stress?  Do you think I’m bat-shit crazy for taking random, evening-long breaks from school to accomplish a very purposeful nothing?  Do you with you had the testicular fortitude to live the way I do? Do you dislike that I just asked about your (potentially hypothetical) testicles?

The world desperately needs more dancing…

This morning I was standing at the bus stop with my headphones in listening to some feel good music.  When a song I really enjoy came on, I closed my eyes, let it take me over, and I just started dancing. It is such a liberating feeling to just let go of your inhibitions and do something that makes you happy, to completely disregard others’ opinions of you or how you are acting.  When I reopened my eyes, there was a young lady that I had seen before dancing with me.  She had her own ear buds in and was listening to something [most likely] completely different from me and was dancing to her own rhythm.  I see this woman at least 3 times a week on the bus and she always looks angry and unhappy.  This was the first time that I had seen her let her absolutely radiant smile shine.

When my song ended and I stopped dancing, I looked around to see nothing but smiling faces around me.  My small lapse of self-restraint and self-judgement had brightened everyone around me’s morning.  I mistook myself for being alone for just a few minutes, and, as a result, I made acquaintances that will consistently smile at me around campus for the rest of my time here.  The more I think about it, the more profound I realize that is.

A few weeks ago, I was listening to a sermon, and something that was said really impacted me to my core.  Essentially, the pastor stated that the biggest evil frequently occurring in this world is the injustice that we have become scared of our own voice.  He specifically meant spreading the word, but I believe it is much further entrenched in our psyche.  I think we’ve become afraid to act happy.  The world has become more accustomed to people being angry, mean and rude than is has to someone just dancing to themselves.

I would like to take this opportunity to implore everyone that reads this to do something positive today.  Do it right now.  Hold the door until someone says thank you.  When they do, look them earnestly in the eye and thank them.  Take a moment to text message someone who has hurt you in the past, and tell them that the world is more complete with them in it.  Message a random person on Facebook that you rarely, if ever, talk to and tell them how beautiful they are, as a person.

This is urgent:  Don’t let your self-conscious nature prevent you from making yourself, and potentially others around you, happy.  Find your inner-bliss and spread it as far and wide as you can.

What are some of the things that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the self-assurance to do?  Do you think I am correct in my belief that being truly happy has the ability to make others around you happy or do you think I’m just that creepy, crazy guy who dances at the bus stop?

…To prove to dad that I’m no fool…

I’m a 29 year-old, full time college student with a part time job.  So, most of my friends from high school or while I was growing up are now done with college, a few years into their careers, buying houses, and getting married.  I don’t exactly fit in with them all the time…

While I look quite young for my age and can usually pass for someone that is a handful of years out of college, I’m actually usually around 10 years older than the people in my class.  They are living in dorms, eating out all the time, racking up student loans, living and learning the lessons I learned a decade ago.

This doesn’t always bug me.  Most of the time, I just sit in the back and mind my own business.  The only problem is that there are non-lecture classes that force people to interact and display their personality.  Anyone who really knows me knows that I have a significant amount of personality, and, generally speaking, people enjoy my “outrageousness.”  I get the vibe that most of the people in my classes like me, but I have the damnedest time trying to talk to any of them one on one.  Their lives are so much different than mine.

There have been a few occasions in which I’ve become good friends with a few of them, and it’s usually beneficial for both parties.   I am introduced to new music, and I gain a new perspective of life and enjoy learning about current culture and trends. I think it has made me a better person.  On the flip side, I can provide a mature perspective of their life.  I have, on more than one occasion, provided a friend or two with extremely useful and mature advice.  I taught a good friend of mine how to respect herself and how to not let people manipulate her anymore.  She is happier today than she ever has been before. 

There are so few people in school that can fully relate with me, and it causes me to get a bit lonely at times.  If you’re currently in college, take the time to get to know the old people in class.  They more than likely have more to teach you than you will learn in the classroom you are sharing.

Any of you cool people in college?  Do you have any older individuals in class with you?  Are YOU the older person?  Do you relate?  Think I’m crazy?  Think I’m creepy for being friends with people 10  years younger than me?  Actually, don’t answer that last one.

Have a great day.

 

 

Learn to freakin’ drive!

Let’s have a chat about logic. So few people take the time to really, truly think about what they’re doing as they go through their days. Today’s topic is “Rules while cruising a 3-lane highway.”

Keep in mind while reading this that I’m a very nice and personable guy… When I’m NOT behind the wheel of a vehicle.

I. Purpose of each lane (from right to left).

The far right hand lane is logically for merging on and off of the highway. On occasion, drivers aren’t fully up to cruising speed when they’re forced by the civil engineers who designed the on-ramp to merge. This is, in my opinion, the purpose for this lane. It SHOULD be a stress-free lane to allow people to adjust their speeds to meet the requirements of traffic flow.

The middle lane is the easy one. If you aren’t doing anything fancy, this is where you should be. This is where you simply cruise. If it’s the middle of the night and nobody else is on the road, this is where you should be relaxingly cruising.

The all-important left lane. This lane serves one simple purpose: passing people that are going slower than you would prefer. We’ll talk more about this when I get into full-rant mode.

II. Flow of traffic

I understand that the speed limits were calculated based on intricate formulas to maximize speed while minimizing dangers. With that said, if everyone around you is moving 80 mph (~130 kph), and you’re cruising at 60 mph (~96.5 kph), YOU ARE DRIVING DANGEROUSLY. Keep up with the general flow of traffic. PLEASE! Remember: Cops can’t pull EVERYONE over.

II. Commonly viewed mistakes

People driving in the left hand lane to text. I understand that you driving in the left hand lane makes it easier to ignore your surroundings while you control the 3 ton vehicle that is moving at 80 mph so you can respond with an ‘LOL’ to your text message.

OLD PEOPLE. I understand that you got fired during the Great Depression, but just because you’ve been walking the earth since the American Revolutionary War doesn’t give you the right to get over in the far left lane (because you can still barely see that yellow line) and impede the progress of dozens of well-bodied, non-blind people. Please just take back roads.

Speaking of taking back roads, if you’re towing something that prevents you from driving at a normal speed, take back roads. Don’t be that guy (or girl) that’s going 50 mph in a 65 mph speed limit area with everyone around you doing 80 mph.

What bothers you on the road? Was I overly offensive and insensitive to the geriatric? Do you agree or disagree with my common sense rules of the road? Please leave your input below. I would greatly appreciate it.

My rantings on this past V-day

This past year has been incredibly tumultuous, and I’ve learned more about love and perseverance than I thought there was to know. He’s a few of the things I picked up on:

1) There really is a time to quit. Not everything is recoverable, and a lot of the time it has nothing to do with effort. Perhaps the start of your journey wasn’t undergone correctly or perhaps it really wasn’t the correct journey in the first place.

2) You really do have to love yourself. I cannot stress this enough. Without taking the time to truly understand and appreciate your needs and what you can genuinely provide to another person, you will never love yourself enough to wholly be loved by another.

3)When you find that niche that is meant to encompass you, you know it, and there is nobody that can convince you otherwise. There is no mistaking the happiness that can be felt when everything lines up and things work the way intended… even if it wasn’t your intention.

I hope that everyone has a Happy Valentine’s Day, and I hope everyone takes the time to let everyone know how much you love and care for them.

The way learning causes us to intellectually interact.

I used to go through all my days taking for full granted all of the things that make my life easier.  Since re-starting school as an adult (and for the first time being fully serious about it), I’ve started looking at every little thing around me and analyzing how it works.  This really helps me appreciate the ingenuity that had to have gone into creating these efficient things that 99% people blatantly ignore constantly.

My current physics class has really helped my curiosity and thirst for knowledge and understanding blossom into a an unquenchable desire.  As soon as I see something that I perplexes me in the slightest, I feel the need to immediately take the time and effort to figure it out.  If in the end, I cannot figure it out myself, I turn to my long-time and loyal friend: Google.

What I really want is for everyone to take a look at everything around them at what they don’t appreciate.  From the compression chambers that slow down doors from closing too fast to hot water heaters.

An initial “HEY! LOOK AT ME!” post.

I’m just a seemingly average guy that, just like everyone else, feels like they’re meant for something more.  I’m 29 and going through a divorce that is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.  Since splitting, I’ve found someone who I truly believe is my soul-mate (I almost wrote sole-mate.  HA!), and, as painfully cliché it is, she completes me.  She seems to believe that I, on occasion, have witty and amusing things to say.  So, with her support, I have decided to start a blog.  I hope that you enjoy getting to know me, and I know that I will take a ridiculous amount of enjoyment in judging you based on your grammatical errors in your comments on my blog.  Have a great day.