Small Doses of Good

I was talking with a good friend about TV shows we watched growing up. And being who I am, the conversation lead to several other tangent thought processes in my head. The first is the realization that growing up I didn't have any real male role models. All the men that inspired me and taught me what it is to be a good man and a good person were all fictional. I learned a great many things from men like Star Trek: The Next Generation's Captain Jean Luc Picard, MacGyver, and Quantum Leap's Sam Beckett. 

One of the things I learned from Sam Beckett is that you can do an unimaginable amount of good in small doses and those doses ripple out and cause even more good. You may not see those ripples, or the effects they have, but that good is out there. And, it's out there because of you.

Re-evaluating Where I Stand With Myself

Ever since I understood what psychological issues were and that I had a great many, I knew that my demons were smarter than me. They know exactly what to whisper in my head to crack and collapse any feelings of light, warmth or love in me. And they have been working in my head long before I knew they were there and knew enough to combat them in any meaningful way. Every once in awhile, I come across a long standing source of pain. And recent events in my life have uncovered one.

I have been going through a lot recently. The events themselves don't really need to be discussed here, but they have prompted me to re-evaluate a great many widely held ideas. You know, clear out all the unimportant clutter in my head and really get down to the core ideals that I really take to heart. Without all the complications that corrupt and corrode those ideals. Given the time of year, a lot of these thoughts have to do with romantic ideals.

Top 5... Favorite Movie Directors

The problem with having friends who are movie buffs is when I get questions like, "Who are your top 5 favorite movie directors?" The question itself doesn't really pose a problem per se. No, the problem comes from my obsessive nature not being able to let go of the question until I answer it. No matter WHAT it is that I am doing.

The other concern is that there are many ways to analyze movie directors. But rather than go down the rabbit hole of which director has better shot composition or is a better visual storyteller, I decided to look at it by what "favorite" means. For me, favorite means movies I enjoyed and would re-watch as opposed to technically superior movies.  So, while there are directors outside my list that have made fantastic, and critically acclaimed movies, these directors have made the movies that have connected with me.

The Return of An Obsession...

Awhile back, I signed up for this service called Loot Crate. For a monthly fee, Loot Crate sends you a bunch of stuff related to geek culture for a specific topic. Two years ago, I received (for the first time since I signed up) a novel. I have to admit, I looked at the cover and then just put it aside for a couple months. Then one day, I was bored and decided to give the book a shot. What followed was one of the most enjoyable reads of my life.

Magic On YouTube

I love performing magic. I got bit with the bug when I was a little kid watching a show called Square One TV where they had a segment called Backstage with Blackstone. Harry Blackstone Jr, a very well respected magician, would perform a trick and then teach how it was done demonstrating some mathematics principle. In the intervening years, I kept an interest in magic. I will admit, life took some major turns and performing magic was placed on the back burner for a long time. But my interest never fully went away.

The Friend Zone Re-Imagined

Today, I read an article that brought into question something that I hadn't really considered in a long time: the idea of the friend zone. Before you start rolling your eyes, let me explain. This isn't one of my "woe is me" rants about my bad luck with women. This is about the whole idea of "the friend zone" itself. Apparently, I've been out of touch because the article I read presented the idea that "the friend zone" as a misogynistic idea. I've linked to the article so you can read it yourself, but here's a quote:

Love Songs for Valentine's Day 2017

Six years ago, I tried to go against my cynical and practical nature and be more positive about this time of year. For some unknown reason (heart ache, pain, rejection, loneliness, etc..), it didn't stick. After a few hours, I reverted back to my old slightly critical views on romantic love, and relationships. To be completely honest, I will admit that I am someone who tends to lean more towards the negative side of things. After all, if you're always expecting bad stuff, when the bad stuff comes you're ready and if good stuff comes you are pleasantly surprised. It's not MY fault that there have been fewer surprises than bad stuff. That's just how the cookie crumbles.