Worthless and Weak

There are two basic strategies that I am contemplating in dealing with women, specifically in how often I converse with a single one. When conversing through e-mail, this is a actually a very simple problem You merely write to them after they have written to you. You won't write too much, and you won't write too little. If the conversation goes dead for a little bit, you can write once more to try to spark it back up, but if she doesn't reply, thats a perfect signal.

Phones are radically different, but not much of a problem either. It takes a conscience choice to make a phone call, so I don't do it too often.

The problem arises for me with instant messenger. First, let me digress and say that the advantages of IM are gigantic overall (which maybe I'll write a post on some time), but they do pose some problems. The nature of its problems (and its advantages) is that is an inherently passive communication devise.

That is, I'm just online, and there's a list of my buddies who are also online, and I can talk to any of them. To me, its almost like I'm walking down the street and I see the girl. I have to say hi, right? Otherwise, it would be like I was intentionally snubbing her.

But with IM, its a little different. I feel on the one hand that if I see her, I have to say hi to her, its like seeing her on the street. On the other hand, I feel that if say hi to her every time, I will be harassing her, or at the very least (potentially) talking to her more than she wants to talk to me.

Now, there are two basic strategies in dealing with this (and almost all) situations. The first is to over-think it. The draw back of this plan is that I can't possibly think of everything, so it will backfire on me.

The other strategy is to be myself. The major problem with this is that it inevitably leads to strategy number one, as I'm the kind of person who over-thinks things. Also, if really being myself were such a great strategy, I'd already have found true love, because who is better at being me than me?

(as an aside, what people really mean when they say "be your self" is relax and be confident. Which is actually really really good advice in many many situations).

My worry about "being myself" is that I would come on too strong, because I would talk to any hypothetical girl waayyyy too often. So, I tend to "over-think," primarily to act as a shield, basically, from time to time, I do the opposite of what my instinct is, because in the long run I'm going to be following my instinct enough anyway.

Thoughts are, as always, welcome.

Labels: what this blog is really about

Sometimes at work I'm asked really really non-specific questions. For instance, if I know "that report." Umm, my job title is "reporting specialist." I deal with quite a few reports in the course of a day. So you might want to be a little more specific.

Labels: fall, scooters, vacation

There are various things I don't understand.

For instance, I don't really truly understand Keynesian economics. I get some of it, but the whole thing is a little beyond my grasp. Similarly, I really don't understand the theory of Austrian business cycles.

This doesn't really matter, to me at least, because I figure that if one of them is correct and useful, well, it would create useful knowledge (the previous statement is tautological, so it must be true!), and would therefore win out over the other. (for those who understand even less economics than I do, those two theories contradict one another. For those who understand more, you can simply use the previous sentence as a fact that I don't really understand either theory).

Also, I don't understand the many conclusions that people make from quantum mechanics. For instance, the "many-worlds" hypothesis. Or someone once claimed that time started at the moment of the big bang, and that any large enough explosion would create time. This I don't understand.

I figure that its not really that big of a deal that I don't understand it, since it really doesn't matter to me too much, and there are people specializing in those fields, and they understand it a little better than I do.

I understand (at least at a high level) how DNA creates proteins (through RNA and stuff). Furthermore, I can understand how a single protein can in a very small matter change the physical characteristics of a living organism. But I really don't understand how various proteins can combine to create all the characteristics of a complex animal (how on earth could DNA code for a hand?)

But, whether I understand it or not, the DNA in my body still goes about creating its proteins, which in some way define me. Should I understand it any more or any less, it will function no differently.

I don't understand how Fergie and/or the Black Eyed Peas were ever popular. I can understand the popularity of hip-hop, how there are cultural reasons for its emergence, and that it can have a good beat. But not Fergie, I simply don't understand that.

But, well, I don't have to. I'm past the point in my life where I work a job which has a radio on in the background, so I never really have to worry about listening to something that I don't for periods of time longer than one commercial.

And, last but certainly not least (and not last if I was going to make an all=inclusive list of things I don't understand), I don't understand women.

And unlike all the other things I listed, well, I really really really want to.

Or to put it better, I don't understand the signals that I get when I'm in a relationship, or trying to get into a relationship. I just plain don't, at all. They contradict one another. And, at last, when I get a theory to describe relationships and women in them, something comes along to contradict it.

And this maddens me. It maddens me that no only do I not succeed all the time, but that a lot of the time I can't really even tell. It's like I'm playing a game that I want to win. As much as anything I've ever wanted in my life. And I dream about the game. But when I'm playing it, I don't know the rules, and I can't even tell what the score is. (Sure, sometimes I can tell if I'm losing badly, but thats about it). I just blindly try things, and I hope they work out.

Labels: what this blog is really about

I met a girl who, as far as I can tell, I genuinely like being around and talking to, and, as far as I can tell, likes being around and talking to me. She doesn't seem to be playing any games, when she says something, she tends to mean it, she doesn't lie just to see what my reaction would be (why oh why oh why do people do that?)

She's attractive, she's funny, and intelligent, and friendly, considerate, and most of all, fun to be around.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't know her that well.

But the thing is that she just seems different. It doesn't even feel too good to be true. It seems like all my life I've been waiting for somebody who has the maturity of an adult, and I've always thought that such a person is out there, but for whatever reason, I could never find her, until now.

Labels: Dear Lord I really hope I don't regret writing this post

The Olympics are grand and all, but there are several changes that I would make.

First of all, I like the idea of having it every four yeas, instead of every year. The extra waiting makes it a lot more special. however, I would like it better if it were every third year. I don't think it would cheapen the wait very much, and it would make it much more common-place.

Also, I think we should have winter and summer olympics in the same year, instead of alternative two-year periods.

Also, we should have more sports. I know, there's more than you can keep track of, but why not even more? I mean, why not dodgeball? Or golf? Or all those games you played in gym class. Like, who can climb a rope the fastest. I'd watch that. Provided its only on every three years. Also, there should be some sort of way to combine all the medals into one winning nation.

Labels: the games of the 29th modern olympiad

Today was the start of something good?

Labels: fall, scooters, vacation

A lot of people will be saying that Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time. But I disagree. That honor belongs to Zeus.

Labels: the games of the 29th modern olympiad

Men's gymnastics has got to be the silliest event of the Olympics, specifically the pommel horse. The reason I say this is because, unless the damn person falls off, I just plain cannot tell how well people do. They all pretty much do the same thing. When you need somebody to tell you what just happened, its really not the funnest thing in the world. Also, I don't think there has ever been a good commentator for men's gymnastics.

Labels: the games of the 29th modern olympiad

The third annual steak n' cheesy thursday was held today, and I finished with a respectable 19 minute finish. Gotta give it to Carter though, coming off a stomach virus, he managed to finish. Great for him!

Labels: you probably have no idea what this post is about