Minimalism

As of late I’ve started to get the feeling that I need/want less things. It’s a good feeling really.

As Tyler Durden said in the movie “Fight Club”, “The things you own end up owning you”. I don’t want that.

I’m going to start getting rid of things (or give them away) if I have no use for them. Why have 10 spares of something? Why have all this neat stuff just to look at? Why have stuff at all? If it’s not a tool to help me do something, or a thing to sleep in or sit on, or something to help me prepare or store food and water, what do I need it for? It occurs to me that we seem to work to get stuff and then need places to put stuff. Why?

Why are people hoarders? I don’t mean the people that have like hoarders disease or anything either. I mean why do people in general collect things or trinkets or anything? Why do people collect baseball cards, or pocket knives (like me) or anything for that matter?

I have enough pocket knives to last probably five lifetimes. I don’t need but one or maybe two.

This is a good read regarding minimalism. <——-clicky clicky

We all need to give up the pursuit of things.

Idiot, phone book, and a hotel

So, I was staying at a Hampton Inn in Columbus and I got talking to one of the ladies at the front desk after a few days. I had complimented them on how well they had been cleaning my room. With the exception of the Park Hyatt in Chicago this particular Hampton Inn (at Pulsar Pl.) is the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in.

When I told the lady that I really appreciated how well they have been with my room she was shocked and offered me free drinks and snacks. I said, I appreciated it but no thank you. I was then told by her that not many people make compliments, they just complain. She had just recently gotten off of the phone with a man that would not check in unless he could take a phone book to the room. I understand maybe they used to do this in the past, but shit, I’ve not used a phone book in about 10 years. Welcome to 2009 for fuck’s sake. They had like 3 phone books that guests could use in the lobby and then move along. Why the fuck do you need to have a damn phone book to take to your room? Get over yourself. There are more things in life than having to be Mr. Super-Empowered-Jerk-Guy and impose your will (or try to) at a hotel franchise. What a fucking moron!

So for anyone interested the Hampton Inn in Columbus is a great place to stay. Technically I guess it’s in Polaris Place, but none the less. Give it a try.

Random thoughts – revisited…

+ I absolutely love my life, and my family.

+ Even though some days I seem to think I’m getting the short end of the stick, God shows me otherwise.

+ I spent $34.80 today to refuel my car.

+ I think everyone should own and carry a useful pocket knife.

+ I think I may read ‘23 minutes in hell’. Not sure yet.

+ There is a black ‘hair thingy’ on my desk.

+ I need to replace the mouse. The left button is not clicking all the time these days.

+ Some days I wish that the Internet was never invented and we didn’t have cell phones either.

+ I’m a Christian and I get upset when I mess up….especially when I swear.

+ My car has a top speed of 137 MPH, and I have confirmed that.

+ I would like to have more art in my house.

+ I want to learn how to play the piano.

+ I shaved my head today. I do it regularly anyway.

+ It’s now 1:39am EST.

+ Wear your seatbelt!

+ I wonder if anyone ever uses the Scroll Lock key?

Just some thoughts…

Tonight (well actually tomorrow at 14:05 GMT) there is a full moon. You can always tell; at least around here you can. Everybody seems to be on edge, the hospital Emergency Departments get full with crazy stuff, and people behave like huge asses. It never seems to fail. Every time I’m having a crap day or people are being asses I check the moon calendar and find out it’s within a day or two of a full moon, or it’s a full moon on that day. I mean damn. People need to chill back and quit being in a fucking hurry all the time and shit. Fuck me.

Energy drinks. They suck. They cost too much money. They are a fucking scam. They are not good for your heart, or body, and all they do is sugar your ass up and then let you down about 4 hours later. And no…….I’m not a salesman for “5 hour energy” That shit sucks too. How about this, don’t drink goofy shit. Drink some green tea, or have a soda every now and then. Moderation. Done deal.

My 2007 Honda Accord: It kicks ass. I’ve got 38,540 miles on it so far and it’s been flawless. By the time I had 36,000 miles on the 2001 Ford Taurus I had before that it was in the shop about 3 – 4 times already. And not for regular shit. Stupid bullshit that thankfully was covered by my warranty. Plus….the V6 SE model that I have has some good horsepower for a family sedan (240hp). She’s niiiice!

I have about 5 knives that need sharpened. Some are mine, some are knives that people sent me to sharpen. I do it as a hobby but I’m damn good at it. I can get a butter knife to shave hair off your arm, leg or whatever else you want to shave.

Don’t forget………”Rock out with yo Glock out!”.

This is the truth.

The Navy is so badass.

When everything is wrong they still move along.

God Bless the USA.

Support our troops!!!!!! (and I don’t mean just putting a fucking sticker on your car either)

Damn I’m glad to live in this country.

Artwork from Jim Davis

I have a good friend who works in a prison in Pennsylvania. He is a really damn good man and I wanted to post a little something here for him. He’s just started selling prints of his artwork and I think that everyone should go buy one. Seriously. What’s $40 these days for a print of a drawing made completely by hand with either pencil, charcoal, ink by a skilled individual that likes what he’s doing?

The guy has talent and I am proud to have one of his drawings (of a Bobcat) hanging in my living room.

I’m not posting here about this because he needs “help”. The man has skills and I wanna get the word out.

So, go talk to my buddy Jim Davis and buy something. I’m sure he has something that you like. If not, wait a week or so, he’s got more to put up.

Check it out here: http://jimdrawings.vpweb.com/

Great guy, great artwork, great job he’s doing for the community at that prison. It’s a tough ass job too. That’s putting it lightly.

Jim, God Bless you brother!

Random thoughts…

+ I’m thankful I have a job.

+ My eyes are closes as I type this.

+ I’m tired.

+ I have a Stanley measuring tape on my desk beside me.

+ I have a fully serrated Spyderco Endura 4 in my pocket.

+ Yep, that’s a hard drive spindle.

+ Dust, papers, and a spoon all exist on my desk.

+ I worked a 12.5 hour shift last night.

+ Tomorrow will be a good day.

+ The older I get the more I know to keep my mouth shut.

+ Women are right a whole bunch!

+ Google says it would take me about 9 hours to walk to work.

+ I like using plus signs as bullet points.

Cell phones, and texting

Everywhere I go I see it. Someone on a cell phone. Kids walking down the street side by side texting someone else. Today I saw a kid riding a bike with a backpack on and trying to hold onto the handlebars with one hand as he pedaled up hill and talked on a cell phone with his other hand.

Why are the kids walking side by side not talking to each other? Why are they texting someone else. How about pick the fucking phone up and talk to them instead of back and forth texting?

I heard some lady once say that she wishes there was a way to talk into the phone and have it converted to text so she wouldn’t have to use the little keys to type text messages. How about this…..here’s a solution. Talk into the phone with another person on the other end then you don’t have to text. For fucks sake people.

This shit is getting ridiculous. I realize that texting comes in handy sometimes but use fucking common sense. If you’re too dumb to realize you shouldn’t text while driving then I hope you drive off the road into a ditch. Maybe then you’ll learn……if you’re not dead.

People act like if they lose their phone or their crack-berry that fucking life as they know it is over.

Here’s an idea: Throw the fucking thing out the window, or off the back porch, or into a bunch of wet concrete and let it go. The world is too connected and it’s going to hurt us in the future.

Google Chrome OS

Well, I knew it would happen sooner or later……Google coming out with an OS. With how bad Windows Vista is and the current state of things in the world, and just the United States economy, I guarantee you that tons of people are going to be running the Google OS when it comes out in 2010.

I’m running Windows 7 Ultimate RC and it’s pretty good. It’s not “great” however like you would expect after a flub like Windows Vista.

I think the general public (myself included) is tired of Microsoft and Apple. Not so much Apple but competition is always good. The folks at Microsoft have sat on their ass for so long that they no longer innovate. As much as I don’t like how Google data mines everything, they sure do innovate.

Microsoft just doesn’t get it anymore. Plus, Steve Ballmer was about the worst thing to ever happen to Microsoft. He just sucks. He’s a cocky jerk-off that behaves like a hyper 14 year old kid. Dork.

Yeah Google Chrome OS is going to be based on Linux but who cares? I don’t. The thing is, if there was any one company that could take Linux and build it from the Kernel up and make the code nice and tight yet without all the BS…that company would be Google. Heck Microsoft hired a bunch of Linux people and what did they do? Nothing.

I would bet a paycheck on the fact that the Google OS will be very slim, nice and tidy. It will boot up in about 10 or 15 seconds at worst, and it will just work. It will not need regular updates like Microsoft does and it will not need all the bloatware that is required on a Windows desktop to keep it free from viruses and malware.

Google makes stuff that “just works”. I mean just look here: http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

I can tell you there there is no way that I will pay to upgrade or buy any Microsoft OS if I can get Google OS for free. Ubuntu Linux and Fedora (by Redhat) are very close right now at being easy to use and also user friendly. Now that Google has their hand in the Linux cookie jar, Microsoft is done. This is the beginning of the end for Microsoft. Google is already talking with big OEM’s to get the Google OS preloaded on certain machines.

Read more here: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html

This is gonna rock!

Quit buying stuff made in China!

For crying out loud people, quit buying stuff made in China. I mean fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

Every fucking thing I pick up at every store says “Made in China” on the fucking tag. Fuck I couldn’t even buy toothpicks that were NOT made in China here locally in Ohio. What the fuck? This is pissing me off to no end. And why is it happening? Because we let China export a shitload of stuff into our Country while the USA doesn’t export shit back. I’ll pay an extra $5 or $10 for an American made toy for my kid. I’m tired of my wife bringing home a toy for our kid only to have it break the first day. I then look and see “Made in China” and have to glue it back together. I’m about ready to put all the broken shit in a pile and ship it back to China. What a bunch of bullshit.

On top of that how about how China treats animals? Just search YouTube for China Animal Cruelty and you’ll see what I mean. It’s total bullshit. People in China have no moral or ethical values it seems. They see people as a fucking thing, like a plate or a bowl or a car bumper.

Fuck am I pissed about this shit.