Heard this on Sirius Altnation and forgot about it for a while. Now, I can't stop listening to it. I love how the lyrics and the melody give me an uncanny burst of happiness. Enjoy:
Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Instant Insanity: Digital Cleanse
I recently ran into an old friend at a graduation party and we discussed a few things. We caught up on our lives, he told me about a good florist my friend could use in her upcoming nuptials, and he also related some gossip to me he had heard first-hand. The party went on and then we parted ways.
I haven't had any opportunities to see him since, but I did send him a facebook message about the florist. No reply. I sent him a text. I left a voicemail. After all of that, a week later, I feel like I did something wrong. I agonized over whether it got back to him that I related the "gossip" to another friend, if he was mad for another reason, or simply ignoring me.
Finally, through all the confusion, another mutual friend tells me I'm insane, and everything is fine. After removing the oxygen mask, I sat down and thought about it.
With my Blackberry I get every message almost instantaneously from my multiple emails, Facebook, and Twitter. I get voice mails, track missed calls, and admittedly, can ignore all of these alerts by claiming the battery died, or the ringer was off, or the technology failed in some way.
But this system of instant gratification--instant messaging and discussion--is it really a good thing? I drove myself crazy because I didn't get an instant response from my friend. At what point is patience no longer virtuous but endangered? Is our society losing its patience, one social networking site at a time?
I don't want to be caught up in the digital, fast-paced world in which we live. I want to slow down and enjoy the ride. A while ago, John Mayer had a similar revelation, on his blog with his One Week Digital Cleanse:
He lays out a few simple, easy to follow guidelines:
While I will have no problem with the gossip sites, Facebook and texting will be difficult. But,
I pledge, Friday, June 11, at 9 a.m., I will start a one week digital cleanse.
Blogging is not against the rules, so, hopefully with a clear mind and free hands, I will be able to blog more. Expect great things.
I haven't had any opportunities to see him since, but I did send him a facebook message about the florist. No reply. I sent him a text. I left a voicemail. After all of that, a week later, I feel like I did something wrong. I agonized over whether it got back to him that I related the "gossip" to another friend, if he was mad for another reason, or simply ignoring me.
Finally, through all the confusion, another mutual friend tells me I'm insane, and everything is fine. After removing the oxygen mask, I sat down and thought about it.
With my Blackberry I get every message almost instantaneously from my multiple emails, Facebook, and Twitter. I get voice mails, track missed calls, and admittedly, can ignore all of these alerts by claiming the battery died, or the ringer was off, or the technology failed in some way.
But this system of instant gratification--instant messaging and discussion--is it really a good thing? I drove myself crazy because I didn't get an instant response from my friend. At what point is patience no longer virtuous but endangered? Is our society losing its patience, one social networking site at a time?
I don't want to be caught up in the digital, fast-paced world in which we live. I want to slow down and enjoy the ride. A while ago, John Mayer had a similar revelation, on his blog with his One Week Digital Cleanse:
Hard drive fragmentation is a great metaphor for - if not a literal manifestation of - what’s happened to our brains over years and years of processing small bursts of information. 2009 took fragmentation to a whole new level given the rise of Twitter and the social acceptance of texting people as a substitute to making phone calls. That’s where the one week digital cleanse comes in. I’ll be defragmenting my mental and psychological hard drive...
He lays out a few simple, easy to follow guidelines:
*email only from laptop or desktop computers
*cell phones can only be used to make calls, and no text messages or e-mails are allowed - if you receive a text, you must reply in voice over the phone. E-mails must be returned from a laptop or desktop computer.
*no use of Twitter or any other social networking site - this includes reading as well as posting.
*no visiting of any entertainment or gossip sites. (No need to detail which ones -
you know what they are.)
While I will have no problem with the gossip sites, Facebook and texting will be difficult. But,
I pledge, Friday, June 11, at 9 a.m., I will start a one week digital cleanse.
Blogging is not against the rules, so, hopefully with a clear mind and free hands, I will be able to blog more. Expect great things.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Margaret & Clint's Wedding
May 29th, 2010 After days of overcast, cool temps, and even rain, the sun peeked out and warmed up McArthur for the big day. With the fabulous rehearsal dinner the
night before [Margaret's family cooking some delicious Chinese food], I was looking forward to the late afternoon ceremony and reception. Knowing my cousin, I was interested to see what he and Margaret had planned. By the time 4 o'clock rolled
around, people were still arriving and we [my family] were sitting in the front row with the sun beating down on us. My Aunt Lisa had a bottle of sunscreen and was thinking about offering it to others while she fought for the seat next to me with her daughter, Mary Kate [10 years old]. "Why don't you go sell your sunscreen?" M.K. whined. My Uncle and cousins were the valet parkers, as the wedding was up on a hill of the Albaugh Ranch. When the wedding finally commenced, I was disappointed with the lack of a wedding dance [c'mon, it would be pretty fantastic to witness one!], but loved the elegant entrance of Clint, my Aunt Elena, Uncle Steve, and the rest of the wedding party [including my cousin Trina, getting married in August in the same place]. Margaret's entrance was pretty awesome though, riding up in a vintage La Salle [pictured below], and being led down the altar by her wonderful mother, Gene.
night before [Margaret's family cooking some delicious Chinese food], I was looking forward to the late afternoon ceremony and reception. Knowing my cousin, I was interested to see what he and Margaret had planned. By the time 4 o'clock rolled
around, people were still arriving and we [my family] were sitting in the front row with the sun beating down on us. My Aunt Lisa had a bottle of sunscreen and was thinking about offering it to others while she fought for the seat next to me with her daughter, Mary Kate [10 years old]. "Why don't you go sell your sunscreen?" M.K. whined. My Uncle and cousins were the valet parkers, as the wedding was up on a hill of the Albaugh Ranch. When the wedding finally commenced, I was disappointed with the lack of a wedding dance [c'mon, it would be pretty fantastic to witness one!], but loved the elegant entrance of Clint, my Aunt Elena, Uncle Steve, and the rest of the wedding party [including my cousin Trina, getting married in August in the same place]. Margaret's entrance was pretty awesome though, riding up in a vintage La Salle [pictured below], and being led down the altar by her wonderful mother, Gene.
The ceremony was presided over by Margaret's high school basketball coach and was classic [minus any religious affiliation] to the dot. Their vows were what I would expect from them; personal, humorous, and full of love and respect for each other.
Their first kiss as a married couple. *cue "Love Story" by Taylor Swift*. Because my cousin is pilot in the Air Force, he got an Arch of Sabers:
Traditionally the bride and groom walk through the arch of swords. That passage
is meant to ensure the couple's safe transition into their new life together.
The guys on the end threw their swords down and demanded a kiss for them to pass. It took not one, or two, but three kisses for them to let Margaret and Clint down the aisle.
While the 300 or so guests hit up the receiving line, I discovered the sangria and the photobooth! There were two booths and a table of costumes and props for the guests to take pictures and put some in the wedding guest book. It spit out a page with 3 pictures on each side and "Margaret and Clint Albaugh [line] 5.29.10". Mary Kate and I visited the photobooth many times.
The guestbook turned out so cute. One of the more memorable messages [and the writer will remain anonymous, you know who you are]: "Costumes can come in handy".
When the dinner had been eaten, the toasts had been made, it was time for the first dance. After that came...well, what do you get when you mix a well stocked D.J., a dozen or so military men, a beautiful woman, and a keg truck of beer?
This:
which is of course a nod to this:
Overall, the wedding was beautiful, went off without a hitch (to my knowledge) and allowed me to see a lot of my friends and family that I hadn't seen in a while. It was really just part one, since Trina is getting married in August, same place, only bigger! I'm a bridesmaid in that wedding, and I can't wait to celebrate my cousin's big day, on her birthday!
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