Time is the key.

Even though I have said it before in some form or another, I am quite certain that the key to a happy productive life is found in the ability to effectively manage one's time. Okay, so I may not have said anything like that in the past but I am sure I have said many things related to that idea that basically add to its relevance and potency.

To add a little clarity, I do not think that the time itself is what produces the desirable results but, rather, it is what creates greater opportunity to experience life in the ways one prefers to over the ways one subjects themselves to. It is yet another element of free agency and one's opportunity to express that agency through the basic decision-making process.

I should certainly work harder to become a better manager of time. This is a focus that can only have positive dividends, should I undertake such an endeavor. Everybody, not just me, gains from it in some way or another.

Capturing moments in motion.

It has been quite a while since I have video shot a band playing a gig. It is a definite challenge but an enjoyable one with the right tools. Tonight we were lacking a little bit of those tools but were otherwise fine in the driver's seat throughout the set. I am definitely in the right field.

Lackluster performance.

I have neglected to turn in a homework assignment in one of my classes and it has drastically affected my grade. Even knowing this I am still somewhat reluctant to actually do the assignment, even though I know it could mean that I am corrupting my perfect 4.0 grade point average. I suppose this goes to show that I detest doing work that makes me feel crumby inside. The work itself is quite pure, though, it is really just the fact that I feel I would be somewhat dishonest if I were to do the work as it is intended to be done. This is certainly all my fault, there is definitely no one else to blame, and I think the whole ordeal should be teaching me something important. I suppose I should pay close attention to what is happening over the next couple or so weeks.

Doing the things I love.

Between school/work and the various activities of my regular life I am starting to get more into the creative production efforts I have been seeking for many years. Some of it has to do with music, some of it is specifically audio-related, and some of it is specifically video-related. Heck, I could even be writing and drawing more if I felt the need. It makes life quite a bit more exciting than it usually seems to be.

It is a different kind of feeling, as well. Almost a responsibility that I am not really used to. It means that I have to up my game and produce higher-quality results. And, as I already have high expectations of myself to begin with, I feel quite behind the ball in some of my efforts. I guess that is part of the motivational factor to improve, though, so I do not necessarily think it is a bad thing.

The weather is pretty much awesome lately. I think it may have an effect on the positive feeling in all the other areas of life, too. This is something I generally do not take the time to notice, or even give credence to, when I look at all the various factors of success. I guess I do not like to think that the weather really makes a difference most of the time. I guess I can concede it has at lease some impact... though, I will not make the claim that it is a dramatic factor. Just enough to get a paragraph's worth of mention.

Now, a new, potentially glorious week, is ahead of me. This one will be quite a mix of high-quality activities if all goes according to plan. Oh, lucky me!

Hot summer day throwing things through the air.

I think disc golf(also known as frisbee golf) is a positively entertaining sport. I have not played more and four or so rounds in total but think I have made a fair assessment on the level of fun that it has for me. Today I realized that it is sort of a hybrid between hiking and throwing things. Both are activities that, by themselves, are quite enjoyable. They clearly gain strength in a synergistic fashion here.

I look forward to throwing things through the woods sometime in the near future.

Life after week.

Will still be just as sweet. Or even more sweet, even.

I get to sleep. I get to play. I get to learn and experience.

People make it all worth it... people, which are actually friends... not people.

Brainpower.

Some jobs require very little use of my brain throughout the course of any given shift. I would say a job like that typically requires a little more use of the physical in order to be worth the time you are getting paid... although that is certainly not entirely true. Then, there are some jobs that do not really utilize your brain or your braun in order to make things happen. Those are usually the most boring jobs on the planet. And my new job might be something like that under common circumstances. I did, however, find an unexpected solution to this potential challenge. I suppose I will simply call it superfluous effort on my part.

Today I had a medium-sized task to undertake which I decided to complicate just for the sake of higher quality output. I discovered that it affords me the opportunity to stretch myself in ways I do not necessarily need to but will definitely benefit from doing. If I stay on the course of my plan from today I might actually learn how to do some programming in order to complete the task the way I would like it done. It is a challenge I believe I am up to and I hope I make good on.

Tomorrow's shift should be fun.

New jobs are interesting.

I have posted in depth on this topic before but it still bears repeating today. Especially since I am now doing a job unlike, though not particularly special, any other job I have had. I think it will be a good change of pace. The consistency will be one of its best features, in my mind.

Some of the work will be familiar to me since I will get to tutor on occasion. This is the part I expect I will enjoy the most. I am not exactly sure what it is about teaching in general but I really dig it quite a bit. Super fun!

Thus, I am a lucky fellow. Now, I just need to pick up some hours at another new job so I can pay all my bills.

Partially employed.

Tomorrow is the first day at my new job. It is only 15 hours a week worth of paid hours but I really can't complain... it is a job, after all, and I am quite glad for it.

Now it is left to me to fill in those remaining hours doing something else. I have a good mind to find another server position since it seems fitting to my schedule and pays reasonably well. It is not very close to my desired career path, so it might not be a very wise choice overall, but I really can not say I am above any particular kind of work, given the current state of the economy. It is the kind of mess I am not very pleased about but will certainly make due somehow.

The gaping holes in life.

Due to my misbegotten attempts at a normal sleeping schedule over the last few or so weeks I have become quite inconsistent in all kinds of areas of life. My journal-keeping habits have faltered a bit, which is kind of a "first" ever since I started keeping a journal in the first place. My eating habits are so lacking I am not sure they could even be called habits at all. I have been severely slacking on my homework, too, which in itself is not unusual... it is the homework that I enjoy doing that I am still slacking on, which is unusual. I will firmly point to the source of all of these issues at hand as the recent, and highly unexpected, loss of my job. Not to make an excuse but to make a point. I am terrible at dealing with dramatic, disappointing change in life.

I figured out, sometime within the last decade or so, that I have very poor skills at coping with stress in life. Growing up I pretty much did not have ANY stress of any significance pretty much ever so I never developed any normal or effective methods to coping with stress. All this means to mean now is that I need to pay better attention to the times in my life when stress can be considered an issue and I need to react better in the future. Preparation for such an occurrence is definitely a better way to go about things.

This all means that I need to start practicing real forms of useful stress relief. I am not actually sure what ways to go about this kind of thing so I guess I will simply have to start digging around in life with this idea in mind. At least a slightly elevated focus on purpose might help.

There must be a direct correlation.

Between the quality of life and the amount of control one has over their own sleeping habits. I guess I have a long way to go as to how I will ever fully describe my thoughts on this topic. I am a little sad I am far too lethargic and mentally sapped to do any of it any justice at the moment. I will probably be mad at myself later, too. Ha.

Looking forward to sleeping in.

I feel like I have used the same title for a different blog post in the past. It is a very true sentiment, anytime that I am lucky enough to experience it, and I think it should make for a very pleasant experience tomorrow. Plus, though today was quite good overall, I have a lot of productive things planned for tomorrow and I expect tomorrow to be above average in its radness. I feel like ending this post very simply.

Boom.

Insanity installed inside.

I guess I am wandering around in "no man's" land when it comes to effective sleeping habits of a living creature. I am not sure the word habits can even be affixed to what it is that I seem to be doing lately. It is nothing but a mess.

I guess I am complaining about it a lot. Maybe that is worth something. Nah... just trying to prove that I have an idea that I am all messed up lately. Maybe I am just looking for excuses for sub-optimal performance. Ya... that is probably at least part of the reason.

So, am I going to do anything about it? Maybe. Not too sure, though. It might take an external force for this one to find a path of progress.

In need of a woman.

I think one of the reasons we all need to have a significant other is to improve our motivation to be something. Today was a bit of a wasted day because I did not really see the benefit of being something instead of being lazy. I really do hate being lazy but I suppose hatred does not actually inspire action on occasion.

The softer side of music.

It is quite interesting how many different ways music can affect a person. And, even though I could easily relate several of my own ideas on the topic, I think it is a bit too broad for me to tackle in this particular entry tonight. It is a fascinating topic nonetheless, however, and I would be well-served to explore it more thoroughly at some point in the future. I do apologize for abstaining from doing so now.

All-nighters are ridiculous.

I skipped my entry last night because I did not go to sleep... until I was driving to school this morning. Luckily, I was smart enough to pull off the road and take a brief nap in a gas station parking lot instead of the gruesomely gory alternative.

All I really do by forgoing sleep for a night(or two) is jack up my brain and screw up my living schedule. All bad things. I need to figure out how to gain self-control of this kind of thing. Really.

Commitment to creativity.

I often get a little down on myself at the end of each day, when I take the brief moment or two to scrawl out a generally underwhelming entry, and I ponder to myself some of the reasons for my deficiency. I often internally give the excuse that because I write on such a frequent basis that I generally have less energy to give overall since the quantity somehow eclipses the probability of quality... but, I am beginning to think I have been mistaken in this thinking.

It all comes down to a commitment. I am not sure if it needs to be external but it needs to be real for sure. I wonder why I have so much trouble doing homework, reading books, caring about my outward appearance, or making important personal changes in my life. I wince in exasperation when I consider my general inability to regulate my sleeping habits with any proficiency. And, yes again, it all comes down to commitment.

Recognition of my faults and devotion to correct behavior is a start but it is merely just that... a start. Commitment pushes into the uncomfortable, lackluster, sometimes painful experience of unachieved goals and extends forward into successful navigation of the challenges at hand. Simply put: commitment takes practice, too.

And a really good memory does not hurt... most of the time.

Consistency and permanence.

I am glad that I am not expected to be perfectly consistent at anything other than being myself. And I hope that I am clear about the idea that I am always seeking positive change in my life. This, therefore, should increase the expectation that as I behave in a way that would be considered "being myself" I would be ever changing, improving more and more as I reach into the future version of me.

I am also glad that I can expect perfect consistency of the world in certain ways and it is not a small list to which I am referring. These are things I often discover in life, many on a daily basis, which often help me understand the way things work in a semi-meaningful way. The predictability of human nature, the expected reactions to delicious foods, and the feeling of a certain day of the week are a few examples of this.

Today was quite pleasant, if nothing out of the ordinary, in a way I do appreciate. It set the tone for a pleasant week and I look forward to the interesting and unexpected events which will also find their way into my life. If I am good about it, I will be able to present a piece of the action here in my blog from time to time.

100-degree weather is powerful!

But not too powerful to detract from an awesome family reunion at the park! To be fair, it was mostly a sitting-and-relaxing sort of occasion anyway. But socializing is nearly always a pleasant activity for me so the weather is really more of an odd conversational bonus point.

Sometimes we learn about our environment. Sometimes we learn about politics or professional sporting events. Sometimes we simply learn each others names, only to be quickly forgotten among the thickening pile of recently learned-and-forgotten names. I am thankful for such opportunities.

Connecting to my unknown family.

Today began the first family reunion that I have attended which extends beyond the down-line of my own parents. This family reunion is basically adding his step-brother's down-line and late wife's maiden family as well. It is an interesting and richly diverse group of people. All of them are very nice, even!

In a way this is very interesting purely as an exploration of who I am actually connected to in this world, especially in ways that I could never have known otherwise. Though, it is also inspiring as a way of seeing how the world handles the folks that I would be in the different situations than my own. Solid, deep goodness is definitely prevalent and I am quite glad to be counted among them, even if more as a fringe benefactor.

Tomorrow I will get a bit more time to engage with my fine family relations before I have to return to my life largely apart from them. It already makes me look forward to the next time we are afforded the opportunity to reconnect in such a way again.

Looking forward to work again.

I enjoy the break from things every once in a while, but the momentum you lose, and the inertia it generates, is a subtly difficult thing to escape sometimes. It is through the influence of others that I usually find the clearest motivation to rejoin the living, working world.

2-Year Anniversary.

As of today I have been living where I live for exactly two years. It has been a tremendously good two years I have to say. And what do I have to show for it? I am not exactly sure... but life is certainly represented in the age of my body and mind.

Now... I need to sleep. Tomorrow is the beginning of the next year and I would like it to start with my new job activities!

The day between.

During this term of school Tuesdays will always feel like a bit of a gap more than a real day, I suspect. This is how it felt today, anyway, and I think this is what I have been projecting in my mind even before today happened as well. I wonder if such an expectation is a potentially adverse sort of thing or not. I can not say for sure at the moment.

I did have some fun ideas about a movie I think would be fun to create. A romantic comedy, strangely enough, which seems like it could have lots of potential. I do not normally think along those lines when I am in my creative mode of thinking but I suppose it is not that far from my thoughts at any given time anyway.