Such a Geek...

There are times when things can be so stressful or hectic that we forget what it is that can truly makes us happy. Those are the moments that we can have that will make all other moments just fade away. I had one of those moments last week. No doubt about the fact that I have personally had a challenging past few weeks in where I had to look at my life and really ask what do I believe in.

I am struggling with many aspects of my life that have to do with failure. I am not afraid to fail per say. I told a student last week that Michael Jordan was cut from his High School basketball team, imagine if he decided to give up? So taking that into obvious consideration, I needed to look past many of the things that have got me down and continue to move forward. Of course, doing that is easier said than done. It was getting to the point in which I was pondering the possibility of depression. Even saying that now is kind of awkward because it seems so unlike me. So, I decided to go ahead and do what any geek like me would do and go see the midnight showing of THOR.

Now, while that sounds like some really nerdy shit, understand that there has always been a reason for why I was so into comic books most of my life. I needed to get way from my real life. Reading comics as a child really built my vocabulary as well as indulged my imagination. The world always seemed perfect when superheroes were in it. It spoke to me when Spiderman was having more woman issues that I was having. I got to me when Hawkgirl finally admits her love for Hawkman before they are both killed.

My point here is that real life is so overwhelming disappointing some times that escaping in books or movies can be the only way to go. I am not saying all this because I want people to feel pity because as I write this, I realize that I will be fine. I just need to be able to allow myself to escape to another place. It has been quite awhile since I picked up a comic book and a long time since I have seen a real good movie, so I was looking forward to seeing the midnight showing of THOR.

Midnight showings are in a class of its own. You have to be able to find one or two people willing to go with you. They have have the passion to actually see the movie because people who complain after midnight just become that much more annoying. If this is a superhero movie, than you need to stay until all the credits roll and if you are not sure if you should stay...then stay anyway. The best part about all this was that THOR was good. Some people may not have thought so but it did the one thing that it needed to do and that was entertain me.

When I was done and I walked to my car and I felt so exhilarated. The movie help me realize that I was not slipping into a depression and perhaps I was just in a funk that I needed to get out of. Perhaps I have been working to hard and taking my losses harder than I need to. We all get knocked down, it just a matter of how fast we get back up. I am just glad the geek part of me was there to rescue.

A Practical Joke.

I have to admit that it does not happen often but they got me good today. So good, that I need to document this occasion for the simple fact that a small war has been started in my office. I am ok with that because I think that I am the funny man of the office. The one that will not only make you laugh but will make you see the other side of an issue that you did not see. The devil's advocate and a bit of a jester. I keep in real and I keep it light as well because we can work in a stressful environment.

Today was set to be a day that was potentially stressful. It was the last day of class and graduation is just around the corner which means that planning for the next two weeks has become paramount. It was raining this morning and I was rushing to get in like I normally do. I walk into my office suite and say my hellos to my student employee and my assistant. I open my office door, put down my laptop bag, and take off my coat. The first thing I do is turn on my computer and start reading email. Then it happens, I hear this beep.

It sounded like one of those short beeps when you leave something in the microwave and it makes a noise to remind you that your food is still there. I look over to my right and I am like....what the hell was that? I know that I did not have any electronic stuff laying around. I check the general area where I heard it and I see nothing. I sit back on my chair just looking in that general area. At first, I am thinking that this has got to be me or quite simply...maybe one of my students left something in my office and the battery is dying. This is not a far fetched thing. So I take my laptop out just make sure that is not me.

I get distracted by work and I get into it and another beep happens. This time it was different. I am now looking up and to my right. I know that the light above me has had electrical issues in the past. It has flickered and gone out, but they fixed it more than once. Although that light was fixed awhile ago, I am thinking this has got to be it. It wasn't that big of a deal at the time but it was becoming a small distraction. I make this joke that perhaps this is a bomb and it just my time to go.

This kept on for a little bit. My assistant and my student heard it so I know that it was not me. I had to get coffee and do some running around so it was forgotten for the time being...until I came back only to hear it again. A co-worker of mine comes into my office to discuss something and I tell him to sit down in hopes that he would hear it and help me identify what this is. In the effort to not use real names I will just day his name is DAVE. He sits down and we talk and then it happens again. Of course I ask him. "Did you here that?" He is tells me that he did and we are both looking around. I tell him that I think it is the light and perhaps we need to call Physical Plant so they can see what is going on.

So minutes later, PHIL (we are not mentioning real names <..sarcasm font..> ) walks in and I explain the situation. This man is not very understanding. I am making jokes that perhaps it is big brother watching and the battery in the camera is dying. So as we are talking, it beeps again. I asked Phil if he heard it and he says NO! He was too busy talking to hear it, which I believe because lord knows he loves to hear himself chattering. Dave says he heard it. So I ask Phil to sit down so we can talk about whatever until it beeps again. I told him that it seems to go off every 5-6 minutes. He comments that if the interval shortens that I should run (ha ha -_- ).

It beeps once again and Phil tells me he heard it! But that he thinks it is my computer or laptop. Perhaps I need to clean my office up including all the electronic chords because it sounds like something is feeding back. I am looking at him and say "no." At this point, I am thinking this man is useless. He has no clue what the hell he is talking about. I give him a sarcastic agreement so he can leave. Phil humors me and checks the light and promises someone to look at it later.

At this point, I am thinking this is crap. I have work to do and I will have to figure this out. I leave my office in order to check on an event. I need to pass along some information to one of our students. So I get back to my office 10 minutes later and I am busy...and it beeps again. This time it is different. A short beep a little louder and definitely not coming from the light. It sounded like it came from the back of one of my file cabinets. I quickly move shit out the way and I see this:

What the fuck is this????? As you can see I took a picture of it. I certainly was not touching it. What if it is something like a bomb? Oh hell no! I go to Dave and I show him this very picture. I ask him if he has seen anything like it...

...and he starts laughing! O_O Dave tells me that he cannot believe I found it. Then he proceeds to tell me that he went in my office and placed it there this morning! The entire office busts out laughing! They were all in it. They all knew. Dave tells me that he would change the beeps every time I left the office. He tells me that he told Phil to play along. After I tell him that I hated him, he tells me that is called "the annoy a tron". His wife bought it on ThinkGeek.com. So in effect, he got me...but this does mean war...

Clearly I tweeted all this...

Judging Others

It has been a long month. I cannot begin to share how much I have had to go for each poem I posted last month. Everything I wrote was either about someone or something that has effected me over the last year. I told myself that I was not going force the writing of 30 poems unless I felt it. I was only able to come up with 21 and I am ok with that. I have shared so much of myself this passed month that is it almost difficult to go back to normal blog writing, but I feel that after a month I do have a few things to say.

I have come across some interesting things over the last month that has just struck a nerve with me. I have written about so many things since I started this blog, but I have barely touched the subject of judgmental people. This goes far beyond people who love to hate on others. This has to do with the fact that there are people in the world that feel the need to judge others on their actions. There is s distinct difference between  whether you think someone is wrong or and judging them for said actions. We can never walk in someone else's shoes.

There is that saying, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, well the reason for that is because we are all human. I also noticed that those who judge the most are the ones who have made some of the biggest mistakes in their lives and usually refuse to acknowledge this or they just lie to themselves in general. The ability to judge someone suggests that one may feel they are better than someone else.

Often times, I will have people tell me about their problems and usually they ask me not to judge them. I almost have to laugh every time because I have said this more often than not: after everything I have done, I am in no position to judge anyone. I understand that mistakes are made. I understand that we have the tendency to follow our hearts with no regard of reason. I understand that it is so hard to let go of things. Why in the world would I judge anyone when I have made the same mistakes? It makes no sense to me, but I have seen people do this.

I have seen people judge me. I have seen people judge their friends. It is something that all of us have this capacity to do. We think that we have a higher moral code than others but who determines what that higher ground is? Do not get me wrong, I don't pretend to be this person that likes everyone because I do not. But, I base my likes and dislikes on their character. I don't think that we are all born to get along with everyone, but we are born with the ability to respect a person for who they are and not judge them for who we think they are.

This is a big deal to me because I know that there are people who shape their view of the world on other people's judgments. Some people will act a certain way to avoid judgmental opinions of their friends. Others will just adjust their lives due to fear of what people may say and sure maybe they just do not want to hear what others have to say, but at the end of the day, most people care about what other's think.

We live in society in which, if you are rich and famous, who get that fine microscope turned on you because everyone wants to know your business. We do this to each other on a smaller scale, but it is so very similar. It should not matter if someone is dating a person we like or not especially if we cannot get our own shit together. Most of us do not go to Law school and practice it in order to ware a robe that allows us to push a gavel and judge other for their crimes against society.

People judge others because they feel that if they were in the same situation they would do something different. The fact of the matter is, we would never know. If it is a matter of the heart, we can never know. We can only try to understand the hardships of that our friends and family go through. Judging people only makes you, the judge, look petty and immature and when it comes around to your turn to go through a hardship, just hope the eyes of judgmental do not fall on you.