The Right Thing

Sometimes its hard to do the right thing, and that can be for many reasons. The reason tonight is "because I'm not quite sure what the hell just happened." Allow me to explain:

Me, Box, and Kate go to the IHOP now and then to hang out late at night when just about everything else is closed down because the three of us tend to be night owls. We've gone there so many times, in fact, that we're likely considered "regulars" and without even asking the three of us are usually brought our drinks of choice. To say that we visit that restaurant a lot would not be incorrect.

Which reminds me, I need to check in on Foursquare... Ok I'm back.

Anyway, on occasion we see some interesting characters drift in or hover around the place. No one dangerous, mind you, just people who some could be called weird. And tonight we met one of those.

This guy walks up to us with a cane and a bandage around his head. Not a bandanna, mind you, a makeshift bandage. I moved to go past him and get inside, thinking he was just passing through, but he stops in front of Kate and Box and tells his story: He's in his 60's and was looking for a ride to Pelendale Rd. to get to his sister's house and couldn't afford any other way to get there. Furthermore, he'd been ambushed by some people and was not only beaten but also received some serious burns on his body after they threw gas on him and lit him on fire. He then confirmed his claim by lifting up his shirt just a little and revealing that he was indeed injured and in bad shape. He then offered us three dollars to whoever would give him a ride, all the money he had.

Now I may not make the best decisions sometimes, but mama didn't raise no fool. I'm certainly not going to give this guy a ride because that could lead to all sorts of trouble. Its sad that we live in such a world, but its very true. So that was out of the question, obviously. My first thoughts were to find a way to get out of this because lets be honest, it was a weird situation with a messed-up old man wanting to get in my car.

But as he talked (and he did that at GREAT length) I remembered a story I once heard while I was in church (yes, I'm going to get preachy). To make it quick, God tells a man that he's going to call him so the man sits by the phone and waits. A beggar knocks on the man's door asking for food and he angrily turns the beggar away, saying he's busy waiting for God. Another man comes asking for money for a charity and the man once more turns the visitor away, saying he's waiting for God. This goes on until the man gets impatient and calls for God asking "Why didn't you call me?" to which God replies "I did, but you kept turning me away." and the moral being don't be a dick because you might be turning away the creator of everything, so lend a hand when you can.

So I wanted to help this guy, but I didn't want to put myself in danger. Then a stroke of genius hit me; a cab! I could call a cab! So I told the old man (and Kate and Box by proxy) of the idea and all seemed to be in support, so we walked into IHOP and asked Pam, our waitress, (why you need to know that I have no idea) if she had a phone book. She did and we called up the local cab company and found it would be $12 to charter a cab from that IHOP to his destination.

I'm pretty damn strapped for cash, and all I had was $5. It was the only $5 I had left. But it was the right thing to do, so I threw it in. Kate, being awesome, gave a whopping $10, and we told the operator to send a cab. (Box was broke, but I'm sure he would have helped if that wasn't the case.) We waited outside with the guy, who couldn't stop thanking us for our generosity, and very shortly the cab arrived. We gave him the cash and wished him well, and he thanked us one last time and wished blessings on us all before getting into the cab and departing for, hopefully, a safe warm place to sleep for the night.

I hate how I live in a world where I must second-guess myself in situations like these, where I must wonder whether or not me and Kate just lost $15 to a guy who lied to us with some sob story. But I also know that I'd feel guilty if I didn't help because while there are some assholes who will say anything to get that next hit or that next bottle, there are also some people who truly need help and/or get their asses handed to them in an impromptu brawl and only want to get across town so they can be with family and rest. And its damn hard to differentiate the two types, which just adds to the confusion. In the end, I just have to be trusting of my instincts and assume that I'm correct; that I did the right thing.

Wakey Wakey

Its New Year's Eve, a time where people stay up and ring in the new year with celebration and copious amounts of partying. For me, its going to be easy to stay up late because you see, I just woke up.

This requires some explaining: my girlfriend (oh yeah, did I mention I'm off the market? I'll get into that at a later time) has a theory about how people who have the inability to realize just how much potential they have and instead live out their lives in depression and mediocrity are living in a dream-like state. Clearly, not a good dream. But to snap out of that funk and realize there's SO much more, to take stock of your life and realize that it needs an overhaul, that is waking from that dream.

So what's this mean for me? It means I'm shaking things up a bit! I'm learning to get it through my head that I'm important and I deserve a better life than what I'm living right now. Also, I'm finally getting it through my head that now truly is the best time to get some serious work done on myself in practically every way.

With that, here are my resolutions for 2011

-Lose as much weight as possible. I'll be very strict on this.
-Exercise every week. Also strict.
-Finish the first draft of my novel.
-Start the D&D campaign setting I've been thinking about for ages but have yet to write.
-Get Less Than Super ready to start shooting by summer.
-If I get Disability, get into physical therapy and better my health and quality of life.
-Get out of the house and go do something at least three times a week.
-Spend every Saturday cleaning my room, bathroom, and car. This will be easier than it sounds since weekly cleanings will keep clutter and messes to a minimum.
-Do a thorough dusting of my room once a month.
-Get a job when I'm physically able to.

A daunting list, but nothing on it is terribly difficult. The first two will be tough, I admit, but I'll be damned if I'm going to keep going this way. I deserve better, and no one or nothing will stand in my way anymore.

After all, how can they? They're still dozing.

An Old and New Concern

That other journal entry I mentioned in the previous post? Still can't get to the photos. So in the meantime...

I see antiques and collectibles from the past, things made with remarkable craftsmanship and quality, items built to last long, maybe even longer than their owners, and I wonder about the stuff being built today. Mass-produced stuff made of materials that are built to last maybe until the next version of the same thing comes out a few years later. We focus on the cheaper stuff; cheap materials, cheap labor, cheap packaging, cheap cheap CHEAP.

The reason why I wonder is because I'm concerned about a future scenario, one where my kids or grandkids see things that were built in my lifetime before they were born and think to themselves not "what a beautiful antique" but "what a piece of broken-down garbage". Such a future sounds quite bleak, at least from a cultural standpoint.

Perhaps I'm wrong. I hope I am. Maybe I'm just not seeing where all of the uniquely-forged items are, or maybe I don't know of the companies that want handmade quality that'll make you a one-time customer because you never need to replace it.

But you know, perhaps that obscurity is what will make the future antiques that much more appreciated.

Holy Crap!

Whoops, kinda forgot about this.

Uh... my bad?

I've got a journal entry in mind, but it requires visual aids and I can't get to the photos right now. As soon as I can, though, I'll post something nice and beefy.

The Sleep Challenge

The events of this week are enough to fill an entry of their own, and they shall do that. However, before I do anything else, I must make this post.

Those of you who have read my previous blog may be aware that I like to challenge myself in ways that will help me grow. And as this is all about rebuilding myself, I figured that a challenge like this one would be most appropriate. And what challenge is that?

THE SLEEP CHALLENGE

Simply put, for the next month I will be in bed with my laptop off and trying to sleep by 2:00am. I figure this should be simple enough, as most of my friends tend to be asleep already by then so I shouldn't really have any excuse to be up any later than that. With this I hope to establish a reliable and set sleeping schedule which will help me both physically and mentally, both of which certainly need a bit of work.

I will not punish myself too hard, as this will be a difficult task, but I must find a way to reward myself. Any ideas?

374.4

The number you see above is my current weight in pounds, measured two days ago using my new scale. Believe it or not, this is not the heaviest I've been, though its not far off.

So why am I telling you this? I simply want it made known to those who read this, so you can see how far I've come when that number is far, far smaller.

Muscle Murder 5000

So this weekend I'll be doing something I've never done before; act in front of a camera.

Eric Vega, a friend and colleague of mine, decided to start filming shorts for YouTube a while back and has been using actors from CSUS in his work, and not long ago decided to hold a very open audition for future projects. How open? Well, if you e-mailed him with your info and he knew who you were, you were more or less in. So I sent off a message and he replied by telling me that he would definitely use me in the future, which I've been looking forward to since. It seems that time has come with "Muscle Murder 5000", a sketch he's written and will be shooting this Saturday. I won't spoil anything, but I'll definitely post it here as soon as its online.

I admit, I'm a little nervous about this. Not only have I never acted in front of a camera before, but this is the first time I've acted at all since my back injury became as serious as it is. I'm forced to wonder if my back will hold out ok, but I must remain optimistic. Besides, who knows what doors this may open for me?