Wise Words in a Sea of Stupidity pt2

"There is always enough time in a day to do everything which truly needs to be done."

I've heard numerous people saying things like: "Oh, if only I had more time in the day . . ." or, "I'm so stressed out! There just aren't enough hours in a day!" This simply isn't true.

One of the most common failures that people (myself foremost) exhibit these days is a striking lack of priority. Personally, I often will find myself stressing out at the last minute, because I either didn't do some assigned reading, waited until the day before a bill was due to give it any thought (by the way - it usually takes 3-5 business days for online payments to post.), or I find myself in the midst of a "deadline sprint." I meet the required deadlines for the most part, but I have to stop and ask myself: "I know there's enough time to get this stuff done without stressing out; why do I put myself through this?"

If you find yourself "pressed for time," I'd recommend keeping a log for a week, writing down EVERYTHING you do. How long to you take to eat/smoke/poop/watch cartoons? After the week is up, take a look at your list. I've found this to be a remarkable way of determining the time-wasters in my schedule, and then eliminate them. (Or at least save them for after I've taken care of the important stuff.)

I'm not preaching. This isn't something I've mastered. It's just advice I've been given, found useful, and am now passing on.

The Wheel Wheels as the Wheel Wills

I acknowledge the fact that the title of this post blaringly declares me to be a nerd, but if you caught the reference, you can't talk. You nerd.

I've decided to undertake a bit of a project on this blog o' mine. I'm beginning a mini-series of posts that will each be derived from some scrap of wisdom I've gleaned along the road that is my life. Here's the lead-in/first post:

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WISE WORDS IN A SEA OF STUPIDITY pt 1
"Listen to good advice - regardless of the source" - anon.


I don't agree with everyone's points of view. That much should be obvious to anyone who has read my older posts. There is however, this principle I try to live by: If someone - ANYONE gives you a piece of sound advice, take it. It is the height of foolishness and arrogance to ignore a sign that says, "Hey, Mack, there's a cliff ahead. You might want to stop before you go careening to your death."

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This one's shorter than I plan for the rest to be, but it more or less sets the stage for the other tidbits I'll have for you. Feel free to comment with your favorite quotes/nuggets of shining brilliance.

Life: It Comes at You Fast. How Are Your Reflexes?

WOW! It's been over a month since I last posted. Oh well. There's little point in me writing a ten-screen post, trying to catch you up on what's happened lately.

That having been said, here's the nutshell version:

-----The best laid plans of mice and men . . .
I don't really want to go into details, because things may change in days to come. Some big plans were being made by my wife and me. I've seen the wrench being jammed into the gears, heard the squeal of twisting metal as the machine that just before ran so smoothly, and smelled my plans smoldering. I'm not yet certain if they caught flame and were burnt to cinders, but they will definitely need some reconditioning before they can once more be put to use. "This is air traffic control to flight NYF. You are not, repeat: NOT cleared for takeoff. Hold position on runway and stand by. Over." "NYF to control: copy that. damnit."

-----Old Yeller got sick, boy.
My "fledgling business." You remember it, right? I had to put her down. My business partner is moving to Hawaii to work with his dad. Three reasons that's a good thing for him: (1) It's freakin' HAWAII!!!! (2) his dad is getting older, and this may be the last chance Jeff has to work with him - something he's always wanted to do, (3) Jeff will be making about four times as much as he is here. A struggling window washing business in Hampton Roads, VA can't really compete.

-----I got two dimes, but I'm afraid if I rub 'em together, they'll disappear like on TV
I'm freakin broke. Having shot my business in the head, I resorted to getting a job at a local independently-owned coffee shop. I'm not making shit for money. I applied this morning for a job cleaning carpets. I was surprised to learn that I can make a TON of money doing this. I start training tomorrow. I'll probably have to leave the coffee shop, which is sad, but I'll be making about 3.5 times as much cleaning carpets vs. making lattes. Again, no competition.

-----The pen is mightier . . . if you have the balls to use one
I'm writing again. I think there may be something to the whole "starving artist" concept. It seems that the world's quirks and excentricities stand out in sharper relief, allowing me inspiration at every turn of my head. Very exciting. I'm working on three books, as well as some poetry that will probably never see the light of day, but poetry's better in the dark anyway.

That's the nutshell. The point: I'm back.