It's hard, I admit it. It is already difficult enough to go against our selfish nature to do the right thing, but this difficulty is compounded by the fact that so few people in our society are in the practice of actually doing the right thing. We live in such a hedonistic culture that the pleasures of the here and now far outweigh what is even generally accepted as moral standard.
So many people keep the iPod they find on the ground. So many people empty the wallet before returning it. So many people don't tell the girl they won't ever call them again. So many people tell lies just to get other people to give them what they want.
True, over time, society's moral standards do change, but people often claim themselves to be the instruments of this change as an excuse so that they can blatantly ignore the cry of their conscience to stop; instead they scar it so as to make way for future misconduct. If I had given up something that I deeply wanted because it was the right thing to do, many of my peers would call me crazy.
They have.
I call myself principled.
In the end, I have found that there is an internal gratification attained from doing the right thing. There is a knowledge that you stood up against your physical or mental desires for pleasure, or domination, or instant gratification, and made a difficult choice, even in the face of the masses. It is such a freeing feeling.
A healthy psyche is a more important thing to have than a fleeting pleasure.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Insomnia
I have them often, sleepless nights. Not entirely sleepless, but I go to bed with lots on my mind, and restlessly wrestle with them in a half sleeping state wherein all my problems and future plans inhabit a dream world that taunts my failed efforts to slip out of consciousness. It isn't very reinvigorating.
Maybe this is why I take so many naps.
Unfortunately, all of my problems don't merely bore me and put me to sleep after half an hour--they consume my thoughts, feeding mercilessly on them and grow from an annoying little monkey jumping around in a cage with a zoo keeper chasing him, into King Kong climbing up the Empire State Building with all of the national guard trying to kill him. Futile.
(Wow, that was an interesting analogy...but I guess it IS 3:09 am...)
The homework that I haven't done. The people I've made angry. The people that have made me angry. The future that I need to prepare for. The things I want to do. The things I need to do. The things I have done. The things I haven't done. The people I need to talk to. The place in my life that I should be, but am not.
How do I deal with it? Sometimes I don't, and I end up staying awake and watching the light start to creep in through the edges of the blinds. Any other time, a welcome sight, but when there is a full day ahead of me, and a full weekend behind me, it is often difficult to face the frustrations of a new day and week with an already tired mind.
And so I write. I write the words off of my mind and onto a page or screen where they fester for later. Not really dealt with, but put into a stasis for the time being. Not gone or taken care of, just suppressed. But I think I need to stop now. The noise of my typing and the light from my laptop is making my roommate stir. He's way bigger than me, and he gets cranky if he doesn't have a good night's sleep.
Maybe this is why I take so many naps.
Unfortunately, all of my problems don't merely bore me and put me to sleep after half an hour--they consume my thoughts, feeding mercilessly on them and grow from an annoying little monkey jumping around in a cage with a zoo keeper chasing him, into King Kong climbing up the Empire State Building with all of the national guard trying to kill him. Futile.
(Wow, that was an interesting analogy...but I guess it IS 3:09 am...)
The homework that I haven't done. The people I've made angry. The people that have made me angry. The future that I need to prepare for. The things I want to do. The things I need to do. The things I have done. The things I haven't done. The people I need to talk to. The place in my life that I should be, but am not.
How do I deal with it? Sometimes I don't, and I end up staying awake and watching the light start to creep in through the edges of the blinds. Any other time, a welcome sight, but when there is a full day ahead of me, and a full weekend behind me, it is often difficult to face the frustrations of a new day and week with an already tired mind.
And so I write. I write the words off of my mind and onto a page or screen where they fester for later. Not really dealt with, but put into a stasis for the time being. Not gone or taken care of, just suppressed. But I think I need to stop now. The noise of my typing and the light from my laptop is making my roommate stir. He's way bigger than me, and he gets cranky if he doesn't have a good night's sleep.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Not Worth It
My friend introduced me to one of his friends the other day, an exchange student from Germany. She is blonde, smart, speaks excellent English, and she was one of, if not the, most attractive women I have ever met.
It's funny, because ever since I became interested in girls, whenever I see an attractive woman, something in my mind goes "I would put up with whatever crap in her life she has just to be with her." If she was dumb, or rude, or obnoxious, or promiscuous, I thought that I could looks past a few major flaws if her other qualities outweighed them. Perhaps it was my mind's way of convincing myself that my body's desires are justified, and not simply superficial.
"Immature", you say? In some aspects, yes, but bear with me for a moment. Part of being with someone is putting up with all of the flaws and problems that they do have (This doesn't mean you should ignore them, or condone them). A willingness to help them to better themselves, even if it takes time. A willingness to forgive the mistakes they make, and to help them not make them again. Of course, this isn't the case in every relationship. This is the story of how my mind was changed in one night...
There were five of us hanging out at a house having a few drinks when everyone simultaneously decided that they wanted to go to a club. Disclaimer: I am not too fond of clubs--it is an obnoxiously loud room wherein you are constantly being rubbed by extremely intoxicated people who slur out apologies whenever they bump into you (that's a lot of apologies [at least they are polite drunks]), and the mixture of cologne, perfume, sweat, alcohol, and peanut smoke from the fog machines is enough to make anyone get a headache. I decided that I would go anyway and be the DD, just cause I am responsible like that, and I know lots of people don't think that far ahead.
We arrive at the club, and apparently one of the girls we were with had a fake ID that the bouncers caught at the door. (Disclaimer: I do not condone fake ID's or underage drinking) The rest of us were already inside when she got caught. Now, even if I did like clubs, and had just gotten inside, and wanted to furiously dance the night away, if one of my friends had been left outside, I would leave also; it's just rude to go somewhere with someone, then simply abandon them. That is exactly what happened. The German girl and her friend went outside to tell their other friend that they were going to stay at the club and that she should just go home.
Strike 1.
So after a bit of standing around and yelling into each other's ears, I find out that nobody in our group actually likes to dance. I do some more yelling into the German girl's ear, telling her all the aforementioned reasons why I don't clubs, and adding in the fact that she doesn't like to dance, I ask her why she even likes clubs. I don't think she had ever actually thought about it before because I could see her mind working out an excuse. She never came up with one.
Well it turns out that a guy that the German girl is into is at the same club that we are, at the same time we are. (Coincidence or not, I will never know)They end up talking for a couple minutes while the rest of us stand awkwardly around waiting for them to finish. She comes back all smiles and happy and feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside and proceeds to tell us how much she likes this guy. Well, speak of the devil, less than five minutes later, we see him and some other girl making out in the corner. The german girl literally broke down in tears.
I felt bad for her. Not because she had just seen the guy she was into, making out with some other girl in a club, but because I could see in her eyes that she knew she was just making a series of mistakes in her life. No, I didn't merely feel bad for her, I felt pity. Pity not so much in the situation, but in the fact that as soon as she stopped crying a few minutes later, the looked up and the first words out of her mouth were "F*ck it, lets get wasted." and she downed the rest of her drink.
Strike 2.
I felt pity because for some people, there is no hope. There is no way to make their life better, so they just try to forget. The worst part is, they don't really forget. They put off their memories for just a few hours. Nothing has changed. They dull their senses and spend their money, and make more bad choices, to try to convince themselves that their problems are gone. I felt pity for her because for some people, there really isn't anything to live for.
I guess the lesson I learned is that until someone is ready to make mature decisions in their life, there are just some things that shouldn't be put up with. Strike 3 happened later, but isn't worth mentioning in the story. Does part of me wish that I am around when her mind suddenly clicks and she is ready and willing to make the right decisions? Sure, I mean, what guy doesn't like attractive women? But, some women, no matter how beatiful, just aren't worth the hassle until they learn a few things first.
It's funny, because ever since I became interested in girls, whenever I see an attractive woman, something in my mind goes "I would put up with whatever crap in her life she has just to be with her." If she was dumb, or rude, or obnoxious, or promiscuous, I thought that I could looks past a few major flaws if her other qualities outweighed them. Perhaps it was my mind's way of convincing myself that my body's desires are justified, and not simply superficial.
"Immature", you say? In some aspects, yes, but bear with me for a moment. Part of being with someone is putting up with all of the flaws and problems that they do have (This doesn't mean you should ignore them, or condone them). A willingness to help them to better themselves, even if it takes time. A willingness to forgive the mistakes they make, and to help them not make them again. Of course, this isn't the case in every relationship. This is the story of how my mind was changed in one night...
There were five of us hanging out at a house having a few drinks when everyone simultaneously decided that they wanted to go to a club. Disclaimer: I am not too fond of clubs--it is an obnoxiously loud room wherein you are constantly being rubbed by extremely intoxicated people who slur out apologies whenever they bump into you (that's a lot of apologies [at least they are polite drunks]), and the mixture of cologne, perfume, sweat, alcohol, and peanut smoke from the fog machines is enough to make anyone get a headache. I decided that I would go anyway and be the DD, just cause I am responsible like that, and I know lots of people don't think that far ahead.
We arrive at the club, and apparently one of the girls we were with had a fake ID that the bouncers caught at the door. (Disclaimer: I do not condone fake ID's or underage drinking) The rest of us were already inside when she got caught. Now, even if I did like clubs, and had just gotten inside, and wanted to furiously dance the night away, if one of my friends had been left outside, I would leave also; it's just rude to go somewhere with someone, then simply abandon them. That is exactly what happened. The German girl and her friend went outside to tell their other friend that they were going to stay at the club and that she should just go home.
Strike 1.
So after a bit of standing around and yelling into each other's ears, I find out that nobody in our group actually likes to dance. I do some more yelling into the German girl's ear, telling her all the aforementioned reasons why I don't clubs, and adding in the fact that she doesn't like to dance, I ask her why she even likes clubs. I don't think she had ever actually thought about it before because I could see her mind working out an excuse. She never came up with one.
Well it turns out that a guy that the German girl is into is at the same club that we are, at the same time we are. (Coincidence or not, I will never know)They end up talking for a couple minutes while the rest of us stand awkwardly around waiting for them to finish. She comes back all smiles and happy and feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside and proceeds to tell us how much she likes this guy. Well, speak of the devil, less than five minutes later, we see him and some other girl making out in the corner. The german girl literally broke down in tears.
I felt bad for her. Not because she had just seen the guy she was into, making out with some other girl in a club, but because I could see in her eyes that she knew she was just making a series of mistakes in her life. No, I didn't merely feel bad for her, I felt pity. Pity not so much in the situation, but in the fact that as soon as she stopped crying a few minutes later, the looked up and the first words out of her mouth were "F*ck it, lets get wasted." and she downed the rest of her drink.
Strike 2.
I felt pity because for some people, there is no hope. There is no way to make their life better, so they just try to forget. The worst part is, they don't really forget. They put off their memories for just a few hours. Nothing has changed. They dull their senses and spend their money, and make more bad choices, to try to convince themselves that their problems are gone. I felt pity for her because for some people, there really isn't anything to live for.
I guess the lesson I learned is that until someone is ready to make mature decisions in their life, there are just some things that shouldn't be put up with. Strike 3 happened later, but isn't worth mentioning in the story. Does part of me wish that I am around when her mind suddenly clicks and she is ready and willing to make the right decisions? Sure, I mean, what guy doesn't like attractive women? But, some women, no matter how beatiful, just aren't worth the hassle until they learn a few things first.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ode to Friends
Sometimes they laugh at your expense. Sometimes they eat all your food. Sometimes they leavee a mess in your living room. Sometimes they borrow money and forget to pay it back. Sometimes they forget to tell you when there is an exciting event going on. Sometimes they don't let you forget that one embarrassing moment. Sometimes they make a new embarrassing moment. Sometimes they don't know when to shut up. Sometimes they make you jealous. Sometimes they get you in trouble. Sometimes they don't feel like friends. Friends are far from perfect, but they are still worth having.
They may drop me off at the bus station early in the morning, they may bring me balloons when I'm sick, or they may buy me something that I need. They can be there for my physical body and needs, but more importantly, when I feel lost, when I feel that tangible feeling in my stomach that something isn't right with my soul, I know that my friends are there. When life sucks, when I don't know what I am doing, or where I am going, or how I should feel, they are there to help me. To talk me through it and to support me. That is what friends are really good for.
Its worthless having friends who you simply do activities with. Little bodies walking around just taking up space. Sure, bowling is fun, and hiking, and swimming, and movies, and eating and talking, but friends are more than that. They share life with you, good and bad. When they know you are having a tough time, they are there for you. When they don't know, it's your job to tell them. The friends that really care will feel your pain. They will go out of their way to make your life more bearable. That's what friends are for.
They may drop me off at the bus station early in the morning, they may bring me balloons when I'm sick, or they may buy me something that I need. They can be there for my physical body and needs, but more importantly, when I feel lost, when I feel that tangible feeling in my stomach that something isn't right with my soul, I know that my friends are there. When life sucks, when I don't know what I am doing, or where I am going, or how I should feel, they are there to help me. To talk me through it and to support me. That is what friends are really good for.
Its worthless having friends who you simply do activities with. Little bodies walking around just taking up space. Sure, bowling is fun, and hiking, and swimming, and movies, and eating and talking, but friends are more than that. They share life with you, good and bad. When they know you are having a tough time, they are there for you. When they don't know, it's your job to tell them. The friends that really care will feel your pain. They will go out of their way to make your life more bearable. That's what friends are for.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Making Movies Miserable
I love Movies. I think that this is going to be about movies. Actually, I love all types of stories, but this going to be more about movies in particular. Ok, it's even going to be so much about movies in particular, but about watching movies with people. Ok, not even just watching movies with any random person, but watching them with certain types of people. You know, it's not even so much about these certain types of people, but the things that these certain types of people do. That's right, I finally got it. This is going to be about watching movies with people who ruin movies.
There are a few ways that a movie can be ruined. We will go over these ways in chronological order.
The first way is before you have even sat down to watch the movie. You might not even have the movie in your possession, or even have heard of the movie. You could be talking with friends about movies that you have seen, about which movie you want to watch that night, or you could just be at the store about to rent the movie. Nonetheless, it happens.
"OH!" they say. "So you HAVEN'T seen '[insert the title of the movie]'??!?!" Then they go on to ruin every detail of the movie, describing how wonderful it is, or how much it sucks. They compare it to movies that you know and love, movies that you hate, movies that you have never even heard of, and sometimes types of food. Yes, I had that happen once. You try to cover your ears or quickly change the subject without being rude, but the damage is done once they mention how the main character dies, who the bad guy really is, or how the enemy is vanquished by a peice of shrapnel peircing his neck during the explosion that was caused by the main character in Act IV, Scene 3 (1 hour and 38 minutes, 17 seconds into the movie).
Another way that movies can be ruined is during the showing. You know the people who do this. Actually, I am one of them sometimes; so, yes, I do often make myself angry. These people love the movie that is being watched, and want everyone to know that they have seen this movie before and that they love it. They often say "Oh, this part is awesome!" just before something awesome happens. Or they say, "This is my favorite part." or they say "Pay attention to what the main character or characters are saying or doing right now at this very moment because it is super important in regards to the rest of the plot and what is going to happen, or might happen, but I don't want to ruin the movie for you so just keep watching; I know that you are going to love this..." and you actually end up missing what was said in the movie because that sentence was so long.
Another example of in-movie ruiners, aside from myself. One time, I was watching a movie with a bunch of people. This girl leans over to whisper in my ear the entire plot, because she was so excited about it. I don't know why, but she thought that I had seen it, and went on to explain in great detail, the most mysterious part of the movie. I think she just wanted to have good fellowship with me because she thought we had both seen it, and wanted me to affirm that it was a well-written plot, but it ended up making me hate her a little bit.
Another way that a movie can be ruined during the showing is while someone just walks by. These are the worst types of people. They might not even be watching the movie with you, and they aren't even personally invested in hanging out with you at the moment. Perhaps they had just gotten back from a jog and were heading to the shower, or just getting home from work, or even hanging out with people who aren't you. They walk in the door, take a look at the movie you are watching, say, "Oh, is this '[insert the title of the movie]'? Have you gotten to the part where [insert extremely important part that you havn't gotten to yet]. I just LOVE that part." Then they walk away. That's it. Not even a "Let's hang out after you get to the end of the movie." And they don't even usually stick around for you to show them how dissapointed you are in the fact that they just ruined the movie for you. They just leave.
These aren't even all the ways that a movie can be ruined, but I have to go watch a movie right now, so I am going to end this. No, I'm not kidding. And Yes, I am going to watch it with someone who has seen it before, so I hope I don't end up strangling him mid-sentence if he starts to ruin it for me.
There are a few ways that a movie can be ruined. We will go over these ways in chronological order.
The first way is before you have even sat down to watch the movie. You might not even have the movie in your possession, or even have heard of the movie. You could be talking with friends about movies that you have seen, about which movie you want to watch that night, or you could just be at the store about to rent the movie. Nonetheless, it happens.
"OH!" they say. "So you HAVEN'T seen '[insert the title of the movie]'??!?!" Then they go on to ruin every detail of the movie, describing how wonderful it is, or how much it sucks. They compare it to movies that you know and love, movies that you hate, movies that you have never even heard of, and sometimes types of food. Yes, I had that happen once. You try to cover your ears or quickly change the subject without being rude, but the damage is done once they mention how the main character dies, who the bad guy really is, or how the enemy is vanquished by a peice of shrapnel peircing his neck during the explosion that was caused by the main character in Act IV, Scene 3 (1 hour and 38 minutes, 17 seconds into the movie).
Another way that movies can be ruined is during the showing. You know the people who do this. Actually, I am one of them sometimes; so, yes, I do often make myself angry. These people love the movie that is being watched, and want everyone to know that they have seen this movie before and that they love it. They often say "Oh, this part is awesome!" just before something awesome happens. Or they say, "This is my favorite part." or they say "Pay attention to what the main character or characters are saying or doing right now at this very moment because it is super important in regards to the rest of the plot and what is going to happen, or might happen, but I don't want to ruin the movie for you so just keep watching; I know that you are going to love this..." and you actually end up missing what was said in the movie because that sentence was so long.
Another example of in-movie ruiners, aside from myself. One time, I was watching a movie with a bunch of people. This girl leans over to whisper in my ear the entire plot, because she was so excited about it. I don't know why, but she thought that I had seen it, and went on to explain in great detail, the most mysterious part of the movie. I think she just wanted to have good fellowship with me because she thought we had both seen it, and wanted me to affirm that it was a well-written plot, but it ended up making me hate her a little bit.
Another way that a movie can be ruined during the showing is while someone just walks by. These are the worst types of people. They might not even be watching the movie with you, and they aren't even personally invested in hanging out with you at the moment. Perhaps they had just gotten back from a jog and were heading to the shower, or just getting home from work, or even hanging out with people who aren't you. They walk in the door, take a look at the movie you are watching, say, "Oh, is this '[insert the title of the movie]'? Have you gotten to the part where [insert extremely important part that you havn't gotten to yet]. I just LOVE that part." Then they walk away. That's it. Not even a "Let's hang out after you get to the end of the movie." And they don't even usually stick around for you to show them how dissapointed you are in the fact that they just ruined the movie for you. They just leave.
These aren't even all the ways that a movie can be ruined, but I have to go watch a movie right now, so I am going to end this. No, I'm not kidding. And Yes, I am going to watch it with someone who has seen it before, so I hope I don't end up strangling him mid-sentence if he starts to ruin it for me.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Dogs Are People Too
This is extremely ironic. First, a little back story. I sat down with the idea for this blog; I was going to write about how awesome all dogs were, and how I loved dogs, and how they were amazing. I got three or four paragraphs down, then, extremely drowsy, I went off to my backyard to take a nap in the sun on my picnic table. I was out there for nearly an hour, and the entire time, save for a few seconds here or there, the next door neighbor dogs wouldn't stop barking. And yipping. And howling. And baying. Now, I have nothing against my next door neighbors; their dogs, however, are stupid. They are small annoying little creatures who bark at anything that moves, even their own tails. This blog has turned from a praise of the entire canine family into a smack-talk on certain types of dogs, and uplifting comments about others. And so it begins.
[Most dogs are] Freakin' Awesome.
Not really any other way to describe dogs. I mean, sure--there are the few breeds of dogs that are pretty nasty and will attack and maul you on sight, but for the most part they are legit. I have had a near-maul experience with a dog, but I shall go on to that later--It wasn't really so bad now that I look back on it. There also the small rat-dogs which really can't be considered dogs, but are still really cute.
I don't think I have ever actually been asked if I am a "cat person" or a "dog person" but, if I, hypothetically, were asked this age-old question, I would probably answer "dog person". Now, I really don't see anything wrong with cats. Cats got attitude, and I respect that. I like to pet them and hear them purr, have them sit on my lap and keep me warm, and let them rub their forehead pheromones all over me as they mark me as their territory and warn other cats to stay away from my amazingly awesome petting-appendages. But cats lack something that dogs don't. Cats don't have as much personality as dogs. "WAIT!" you might say, "But how can animals have personalities?!?!?" Trust me, they can. It just feels wrong calling it a "doginality" or a "catinality" or a "cowinality" or even "tyrannosaurusrexanlity", so I'll just refer to it as a personality. I have seen maybe three different types of personalities in cats. Playful, vicious, and lazy. Dogs, however--wow, I can't even begin to describe all of the different personalities that I have seen.
My dog, for instance, is in different moods all the time, so it is kind of hard to pin him on one personality; but, if I were forced to pin him on one personality, I would pin him as personable. He loves to meet new people and play with them and jump around them, and get fed by them, and get petted by them--and at the end of a long day, he will just sit next to me all tuckered out and let me pet him for a while. He likes to be around people because he is social. I love him so much. If someday, when I get married, I love my wife half as much as I love my dog, she will be one lucky girl.
Then there are the protective dogs. When was the last time that you saw a cat walk up to an intruder who was robbing your house and "meow" warningly at him? Yea right, the cat probably wouldn't care as long as the robber didn't steal his tuna. Most dogs would violently throw themselves at any intruder, making as much noise as possible so their master could come out of their room holding a bat and make quick work of the thief.
Ah, yes, now we come to the rat-dogs...erm, lap dogs. OK, honestly, I love small dogs. It is all the vigor and excitement of a big dog, packed into a tiny body that is always quivering with energy, and often times letting loose excrement's due to its massive excitement levels. That is to say, it pees on you when it sees you because it is so happy. My cousins have a Yorkshire Terrier named Toby that they need to put a cloth diaper on whenever they have company because he pees out of excitement. I'm just glad that this pee function was installed on the small dogs and not the big dogs, or the messes would be a lot worse.
Big dogs...I love them too. You can't really play fetch with a lap dog, (Unless you are using it as the ball), and even if the small dogs would willingly attack any intruder to defend its house, I don't think it would do much good. Big dogs I love because you an play with them and rely on them and go running with them, and not worry about them getting tired. Ah yes, and now my near-maul story.
When I was a wee lad of about 12 years, I was playing tag with a friend of mine who was a little bit younger. He happened to have a German Shepherd named Schultz, who was very protective of him. Walk a little bit too close and you could hear a growl growing in the back of his throat. Anyway, my little friend and I were playing tag and he was chasing me. Shultz, being the loyal dog to his master, pounced on me and pinned me down, while biting my knee. Let's not forget that German Shepherds aren't exactly small dogs, let alone to a 12 year old boy. I still have scars from where his teeth bit me as proof. OK, perhaps it is slightly exaggerated, but even so--I still love dogs, even German Shepherds.
Chihuahuas do suck though. They are extremely aggressive for their size and bark at anything. There are certain types of dogs that I just wish would never have been bred. Honestly, what is the purpose of having a dog that is loud and annoying? They aren't even cute either. My neighbor's dogs are beagles, and I have learned to hate them too.
I can't say for sure if I will own pets when I have my own family, but if I were to have them, I would definitely have 2 dogs. (and a parrot, but that's another story) I think I would go with a German Shepherd, and a Yorkshire Terrier. I would be able to hang out with my big dog and play fetch with him, and throw the Frisbee and run around, and also have him protect my family when I am feeling lazy. And the Yorkshire Terrier would just sit on my lap while I watch movies. Wearing a diaper of course.
[Most dogs are] Freakin' Awesome.
Not really any other way to describe dogs. I mean, sure--there are the few breeds of dogs that are pretty nasty and will attack and maul you on sight, but for the most part they are legit. I have had a near-maul experience with a dog, but I shall go on to that later--It wasn't really so bad now that I look back on it. There also the small rat-dogs which really can't be considered dogs, but are still really cute.
I don't think I have ever actually been asked if I am a "cat person" or a "dog person" but, if I, hypothetically, were asked this age-old question, I would probably answer "dog person". Now, I really don't see anything wrong with cats. Cats got attitude, and I respect that. I like to pet them and hear them purr, have them sit on my lap and keep me warm, and let them rub their forehead pheromones all over me as they mark me as their territory and warn other cats to stay away from my amazingly awesome petting-appendages. But cats lack something that dogs don't. Cats don't have as much personality as dogs. "WAIT!" you might say, "But how can animals have personalities?!?!?" Trust me, they can. It just feels wrong calling it a "doginality" or a "catinality" or a "cowinality" or even "tyrannosaurusrexanlity", so I'll just refer to it as a personality. I have seen maybe three different types of personalities in cats. Playful, vicious, and lazy. Dogs, however--wow, I can't even begin to describe all of the different personalities that I have seen.
My dog, for instance, is in different moods all the time, so it is kind of hard to pin him on one personality; but, if I were forced to pin him on one personality, I would pin him as personable. He loves to meet new people and play with them and jump around them, and get fed by them, and get petted by them--and at the end of a long day, he will just sit next to me all tuckered out and let me pet him for a while. He likes to be around people because he is social. I love him so much. If someday, when I get married, I love my wife half as much as I love my dog, she will be one lucky girl.
Then there are the protective dogs. When was the last time that you saw a cat walk up to an intruder who was robbing your house and "meow" warningly at him? Yea right, the cat probably wouldn't care as long as the robber didn't steal his tuna. Most dogs would violently throw themselves at any intruder, making as much noise as possible so their master could come out of their room holding a bat and make quick work of the thief.
Ah, yes, now we come to the rat-dogs...erm, lap dogs. OK, honestly, I love small dogs. It is all the vigor and excitement of a big dog, packed into a tiny body that is always quivering with energy, and often times letting loose excrement's due to its massive excitement levels. That is to say, it pees on you when it sees you because it is so happy. My cousins have a Yorkshire Terrier named Toby that they need to put a cloth diaper on whenever they have company because he pees out of excitement. I'm just glad that this pee function was installed on the small dogs and not the big dogs, or the messes would be a lot worse.
Big dogs...I love them too. You can't really play fetch with a lap dog, (Unless you are using it as the ball), and even if the small dogs would willingly attack any intruder to defend its house, I don't think it would do much good. Big dogs I love because you an play with them and rely on them and go running with them, and not worry about them getting tired. Ah yes, and now my near-maul story.
When I was a wee lad of about 12 years, I was playing tag with a friend of mine who was a little bit younger. He happened to have a German Shepherd named Schultz, who was very protective of him. Walk a little bit too close and you could hear a growl growing in the back of his throat. Anyway, my little friend and I were playing tag and he was chasing me. Shultz, being the loyal dog to his master, pounced on me and pinned me down, while biting my knee. Let's not forget that German Shepherds aren't exactly small dogs, let alone to a 12 year old boy. I still have scars from where his teeth bit me as proof. OK, perhaps it is slightly exaggerated, but even so--I still love dogs, even German Shepherds.
Chihuahuas do suck though. They are extremely aggressive for their size and bark at anything. There are certain types of dogs that I just wish would never have been bred. Honestly, what is the purpose of having a dog that is loud and annoying? They aren't even cute either. My neighbor's dogs are beagles, and I have learned to hate them too.
I can't say for sure if I will own pets when I have my own family, but if I were to have them, I would definitely have 2 dogs. (and a parrot, but that's another story) I think I would go with a German Shepherd, and a Yorkshire Terrier. I would be able to hang out with my big dog and play fetch with him, and throw the Frisbee and run around, and also have him protect my family when I am feeling lazy. And the Yorkshire Terrier would just sit on my lap while I watch movies. Wearing a diaper of course.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Jealousy
People do crazy things when they are jealous. They do things that they would never do when not under the influence of jealousy. Jealousy can be healthy, but unhealthy also depending on the true motive. Jealousy is healthy in the sense that it is a validation for yourself. It shows that you care enough about something that you are angry when it is taken away from you, or you don't think that you get what you are deserving.
Last Christmas, one of my good friends that I have known for nearly ten years gave my little brother an iPod touch as a present. True, it was used, but other than a small section of the screen that doesn't work, it was an excellent gift. I didn't care. Not the slightest tinge of anger or jealousy as I saw how happy my little brother was over this nice present. I have seen many people recieve magnificent gifts over my life, but for some reason, I just don't care. This isn't to say that I don't enjoy nice things, or recieving gifts from people, but there is almost a complacency that I feel when I see expensive things that people have. They just don't mean anything to me.
It is something that I am proud of, the fact that I am not overly materialistic. I do, however, still get jealous. Very jealous. Not over items of worth, but over people, and situations and abilities. These are the things that hold value in my eyes.
I get jealous when I see someone else invited to a place that I wasn't. I get jealous when I see that someone else gets the inside joke that I don't. I get jealous when someone else was let in on a secret that I wasn't. I get jealous when someone knows something that I don't. I get jealous when someone elses joke is lauged at, but mine isn't. I get jealous when someone else gets a compliment when I don't. I get jealous when I see someone do something that I can't.
I get jealous when I am forgotten and someone else isn't.
Jealousy makes you know what you really care about; things, abilities, situations, a person. If you are jealous about it, then it holds some worth in your life. If you don't get jealous, you don't care.
Last Christmas, one of my good friends that I have known for nearly ten years gave my little brother an iPod touch as a present. True, it was used, but other than a small section of the screen that doesn't work, it was an excellent gift. I didn't care. Not the slightest tinge of anger or jealousy as I saw how happy my little brother was over this nice present. I have seen many people recieve magnificent gifts over my life, but for some reason, I just don't care. This isn't to say that I don't enjoy nice things, or recieving gifts from people, but there is almost a complacency that I feel when I see expensive things that people have. They just don't mean anything to me.
It is something that I am proud of, the fact that I am not overly materialistic. I do, however, still get jealous. Very jealous. Not over items of worth, but over people, and situations and abilities. These are the things that hold value in my eyes.
I get jealous when I see someone else invited to a place that I wasn't. I get jealous when I see that someone else gets the inside joke that I don't. I get jealous when someone else was let in on a secret that I wasn't. I get jealous when someone knows something that I don't. I get jealous when someone elses joke is lauged at, but mine isn't. I get jealous when someone else gets a compliment when I don't. I get jealous when I see someone do something that I can't.
I get jealous when I am forgotten and someone else isn't.
Jealousy makes you know what you really care about; things, abilities, situations, a person. If you are jealous about it, then it holds some worth in your life. If you don't get jealous, you don't care.
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