New Weekend Plans

My weekend plans changed pretty quick this week. A good friend of mine lost his father on Wednesday morning to cancer. It all happened so quick. It's been only a month and a half since they discovered it and now he is gone. I know life is fragile and our whole lives can be turned upside down in an instant, but it is one thing to know it and another to see it happen.

It has been difficult to relate to, I've never had anything quite like this happen to me before. The most difficult part of all this for me has been to watch my friend go through all this and feel like there is nothing I can do to help and no way I can truly relate to what he must be going through. I suppose just being there is enough, or at the very least a start. It seems like there are never the right words to say, so I find myself saying very little, maybe that is best anyway.

Dealing with death is never an easy road, but is good to know that I'll have friends to stand by me when I have to deal with it next.

How To Dissuade Yourself From Becoming A Blogger

For those of you who blog, you should check this out. The title pretty much says it all: How To Dissuade Yourself from Becoming a Blogger

I thought about all of these before I started this blog. If it wasn't for the insistence of an old high school friend, I probably wouldn't have. I guess you can blame him for this whole mess that is my blog.

I'd like to comment on a few of the points from this how-to.

Criticism #1- If you create a blog, it will be as boring as 5 randomly chosen blogs.

Response - Most blogs aren't for random people. They are for people that person knows. Yes, it is boring to read about John Doe's latest problems with his untrained dog, but if you know the person you want to stay up to date on their life and thoughts. Blogs help.

Criticism #2 - Your 1 voice makes no difference.

Response - If you are trying to start a revolution, that may be true. Don't rely on a single blog to start large political unrest.

Criticism #3 - Write into WordPad for a few weeks, see if you hate it.

Response - The reason this doesn't get old is because people read it. People give feedback, people care, or at least pretend to care. Blogs aren't writing for the sake of writing. They are writing for the sake of communicating.

Criticism #4 - Wouldn't you rather do other stuff with your time?

Response - Sure I would! I'd also rather do other stuff than cleaning the toilet, but likewise this serves a purpose. It keeps me connected to people I may not otherwise be able to keep in contact with or update on a semi-regular basis. Most of the people I know who visit the site don't post replies.

Now, I'm aware this article was written partially in jest and is more a joke at the blogger culture than anything, but I've heard these same arguments from some of my friends who think it is nuts that I maintain a blog. I'm sure you bloggers out there have heard the same.

For you bloggers, do you blog for different reasons? For you non bloggers, is this why you don't?

Smells Like 27

Monday I turned 27. It happens to be my favorite number. There are a few things about 27 that have interested me for quite a while. First of course would be the presence of 27 in the work of the great Weird Al Yankovic. For a complete (or at least as complete as you will find) list of his 27 references, please see The 27 List.

Additionally, you may have heard of what is called The 27 Club. The 27 Club is a group of young musicians who's quick rise to fame ultimately ended in their death at age 27. The four members typically referenced are Jimmy Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain. Lucky for me I'm not a rich rock star.

I have a feeling 27 will be a good year for me. Its my lucky number after all. I'm determined to find my destiny this year. I'll keep you posted and let you know when "it" happens, whatever "it" may be. (If you couldn't tell, that was a bit tongue in cheek)

Other interesting facts about 27:

• There are 27 books in the New Testament.
• The current number of Amendments to the United States Constitution.
• The number of outs in a regulation Professional baseball game. (Correction: there are 54, my bad)
• It is a perfect cube, that is 3³ = 27.
• The number of completed, numbered piano concertos by Mozart.