Fragments

I think that life happens in fragments.  Why not writing?  We may want structure and clear rules to attempt to have our life make sense.  The rules of grammar may govern some portions of our stories.

 

But. 

There is beauty in a fragment.  There is a story told in the pauses.  In the half-completed chase.  In the decisions that didn’t make practical sense.

Perhaps spellchecker highlighting in green is a compliment.  What a positive color, right?

So let’s string all of our untidy fragments together and have a real run-on sentence of a life, shall we?

Bafflement of the Sexes

I think that it is great that men and women don’t understand each other.  Wouldn’t it just be boring, otherwise?

Tonight, I’m challenged to think of my sex’s weakness to communicate with each other.  Our inability to openly share our struggles.  Our reluctance to lean on each other for support in hard times.  And it’s a real problem.

In general, women seem to understand this much better than men.  I think guys ask themselves a couple of questions fairly often.  Why I am I so lonely?  Why do I feel that I can only hope for intimacy in a relationship with my girlfriend or wife?

So do we accept the culture?

Or change it?

I say we give it our best shot.

How We Make New Friends

I think that there are a few popular ways to do this.  My way for a while has been to immediately act as if a friendship is already in place.  Do I know someone that you know or do we have a similar interest?  Well, then.  Let’s act as if we’ve been friends for ages.

I’m not sure this is always very effective.

A friend of mine showed me a different way tonight, a way that I think is better.  And here it is.

Don’t fake connection.  Share a personal story, open up about yourself, and then let the other person make the next move.  Don’t force friendship down someone else’s throat.

A lot of people aren’t as friendly as me or as comfortable in strange situations.  They aren’t ready to warm to someone they don’t know well, and probably rightly so.  Gullibility can result in getting taken advantage of.

Maybe there are all kinds of ways to make new friends, and a right approach with certain kinds.  But I think that I need to be careful in the future.  Careful not to let my good intentions get the best of me.

Why Writing is Intimidating

There's a reason why most people don't write books or blogs, or keep journals.

Writing is hard.

Writing is hard because it requires you to lay out all the convoluted mess in your brain and form it into neat, flowing paragraphs. This is why it is abnormal to be a "natural" writer. Most people we would call natural writers began writing at a young age; they too probably struggled thinking their writing was nothing compared to the authors who were giants in their day.

I write, however, because it is hard. While it may not always hold true, many of the things that challenge me the most are the best for me. Where does growth come from anyway--living the easy life lounging on the couch at home? NO. I am no great person by any means, but perhaps I can grow in my understanding through writing.

So I write this as an encouragement to all you "writers" out there. You amaze me. What you may think is naive may intimidate someone else who reads it and is blown away by your depth. Develop your ideas through writing and don't be critical unless someone asks for it.

Writing is hard, but writing is good.

Umbrellas, Sunglasses and the Study of Human Behavior

Umbrellas and sunglasses intrigue me. I believe that there is more that goes on with people wearing sunglasses and carrying umbrellas than you might think. You've seen that guy carrying a huge umbrella just for himself. You know that girl that always wear sunglasses inside. So why do people do these things?

I don't mean to offend anyone; I know people that do these things; I have been tempted to do them myself, so let's continue. First off, people use sunglasses and umbrellas for genuine, authentic reasons. No one wants to get soaked or have to squint all the time. This does not explain, however, wearing sunglasses inside or carrying an umbrella big enough for three people to comfortably fit under.

First, let's hit sunglasses. This seems pretty clear to me (haha, not tinted). I am very expressive with my facial expressions and eyes and many people give away their intentions with their eyes. Like poker players, I believe many people wear sunglasses to make themselves harder to read, so they can better control their interactions with other people. Maybe it's a self-esteem issue or a control issue, but either way I think it is not beneficial. Either learn to control your emotions or deal with other people being more aware of your intentions. Be real.

And then, umbrellas. Nobody likes to carry one of those crappy umbrellas that isn't even rounded. But why use one that is so huge? I am not an umbrella guy, I'll say that straight off; carrying an umbrella all day would almost be as tedious and emasculating as carrying a purse to me. I am tempted to accuse guys who carry long umbrellas of compensating for something, but I think that is unfair. Maybe it's just an American culture thing, we like bigger, it must be better. I say be modest, though, unless you have someone to share your umbrella with. Two-tiered or three-tiered umbrellas are overkill.

So for those walking around campus, beware, you are objects of my study of human behavior.

RossDaddy

_____________________

Could you put a title on your life? Not easily. I feel the same way about titling this blog post. I am after all finally getting started so I can't let something small like that keep me from trekking forward.

Alright, I think I've decided that it is way too difficult to write for others' satisfaction; therefore, this is probably just for my own satisfaction, but I want to remember what I thought, what I believed at this time 10 years from now. I have to lay down some proof, some evidence of where I was because I feel like so much change happens in just a year, just a summer.

Right now I'm sitting in my room a little lost for what to do next. Everything is packed up, but I am not set to move out until tomorrow, so big deal. To the library, the 202, what? Since I can't make up my mind, I will sit right here and reveal my thoughts. Thought 1 "The Who is good listening." haha, that was a little formulaic, better keep it more casual. Who knows, if you have the patience to read on, I might get the hang of this in later posts.

I just feel really satisfied right now, with school, with people, with life. I think I may be finding my niche, my purpose, my passion and that, my friend is pretty awesome. I don't want to live a normal life; I can't just think big, I want to do big. I want to be creative with my life, break some rules, take risks, scare some people (haha).

That's my best for now.
RoSsDaDdY

(The uncapitalized letters say "o sad", weird coincidence, maybe that would be your review of this post, haha, too bad, cuz I give myself a thumbs up for getting it out there)