Daily Dose of Entropy

2008-06-20T10:20:00.000-04:00

Summer classes have made me a busy man and thus I have not posted in quite a while. The marketing capstone class is not as bad as I had envisioned but it still keeps me on my toes. Graduation is closing in...only a month and a half of college courses until I get that fancy piece of paper that says I'm a person of "higher learning". Joy.

Even though I haven't graduated yet, after multiple interviews and constant phone calls back and forth I landed a salary position at Humana. Start date is July 7th. Soon my life as a true yuppie will begin. I suppose I'll develop an addiction to coffee and start buying useless trinkets to adorn my apartment that reflect me as a person. The catalog scene in Fight Club comes to mind. The excess disposable income will be a welcome change though. Never in my life have I been blessed with money that I can throw anywhere I want just for my amusement. The only downside to all this is that I'll actually have to do "real" work. Hopefully my life doesn't spiral downward into a constant Office Space scenario.

One of the funniest lines in Office Space: "I'm gonna show her my O-face. Oh, oh, oh! You know what I'm talkin' about."

The Interview

2008-06-03T08:29:00.002-04:00

Nagging thought of the morning: I need some coffee if I'm going to make it through work and my 5:30 - 8:15 capstone class.

I had my interview with Humana yesterday. I'm not a person to join the camp which says that you need to have prepared statements for every possible interview question. In fact, I find this to be fake and somewhat disingenuous. Answering things on the fly can be scary due to the ambiguity of the situation, but I find it to be honest and easier.

The first mistake I made was not dry-cleaning my suit ahead of time like I had planned. I was supposed to go to the dry-cleaner on Saturday morning but due to a lingering hangover due to a trip to 4th street I was unable to complete this quest. Dry-cleaners are not open on Sundays, fyi.

I found my backup suit and managed to make it look presentable and actually tied my own tie on the 2nd attempt without consulting youtube. I never went to church as a child so wearing a tie is a rarity for me. Props to youtube btw, you can find instructional videos on almost any subject.

Driving downtown is somewhat stressful. Not only is it relatively unfamiliar to me, but the traffic is generally terrible and parking is even worse. Once I actually managed to get to the corporate office I found myself intimidated by the swarm of men in fancy suits with luggage and the ornate nature of the building itself.

The first portion of the interview was with 2 managers with the dept. Those went very well and I felt 99% confident that I got the job. But then I interviewed the overall director who looked like he hadn't slept in 3 weeks. He never smiled once and seemed displeased to be there. I have no idea if he thought I was qualified or not because he looked so pissed off. So it goes.

It's starting to rain. Time to publish this sucker.

Le Hodge

Life Goes On

2008-05-28T11:52:00.001-04:00

The post-college realization is starting to seep into my mind and I must admit that it's not as pleasing as I would have liked. I haven't "officially" graduated since I have 3 summer classes left. But I'm a mere 2 months from academic freedom.

Just thinking about the last 4 years of my life is bitter-sweet. I would gladly redo them all over again, but a time-machine is not available it seems. Thousands of memories are recalled in the blink of an eye and flood my senses as if a giant wave crashes upon the shore of the here and now. I've met thousands of people, been to hundreds of houses for parties, stayed up late doing projects that should have been done weeks in advance, loved and lost, burned and been burned, recoiled from opportunities and taken wild chances.

What have I really learned from all these experiences? A general understanding of the business world? Yes. What do I want out of life? Not really. What makes me happy? Somewhat.

I have a nagging feeling that sitting at a desk from 9 to 5 for the rest of my life wouldn't bring much satisfaction. This has already been discussed with Max who will likely start his own international photography magazine and might want to include me as a partner. I suppose that what I truly want is a career that allows me to change the world and to do something that allows me to find inner-peace. As for what that is...we shall find out in good time.

And now for some lyrics that relate oh so well.
--- Favorite lyrics of the day ---
Memories are bittersweet
The good times we can't repeat
Those days are gone and we can never get them back

Now we must move ahead (woah-oh)
Despite our fear and dread (woah-oh)
We're all just wishing we could stop,
but Life goes on

Come of age
Can't hold on
Turn the page
Time rolls on

Wipe your eyes
Yesterday laughs
Tomorrow cries
- "Can't Repeat" - The Offspring

---

Hodge Out

Memorial Weekend Approaches

2008-05-22T10:36:00.001-04:00

A lovely Thursday morning is upon us and here I am sitting in this industrial office. Indiana Jones comes out today, so that's a highlight. I plan on seeing that once I get off work.

Not sure what I'll be doing with my extended weekend. I know that Deale wants to go to a bar (for once) so I'll have to take advantage of that opportunity. Playing wingman for a ghey would be a new experience. Hopefully these gheys have attractive (and heterosexual) female accomplices for my own amusement while Deale flirts away with those man-sluts. It'll make for an interesting time I'm sure.

I have the option of going to Kyle's farm on Saturday but I'm not sure if I want to go. Turnout will be low as always I'm certain. Wasting a Saturday out in BFE to fish and jack around isn't as appealing now as it was when I was under 21 and unable to take part in the Louisville nightlife. Gas is also hella-expensive. Hm...we'll see as the days progress.

Went to the Book and Music Exchange on Bardstown yesterday. A very neat place, with books laying everywhere. It feels like a treasure hunt because the books are only somewhat categorized. For example, I found a book in a box laying next to the mystery section entitled, "Why I Am Not A Christian"...by one of my fav authors Bertrand Russell. Picked that up instantly. Also bought one of Carl Sagan's collections, a notable astronomer and non-believer.

Anyways, I have work to do. Not really...waiting for I can bail out and go to see Dr. Jones. Peace out.

Le Hodge

Derby Madness

2008-05-01T10:30:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again.

That time of year when I'm forced to hang out with my family for a few hours and watch horse races in a sober and somber state. This year I have the option of actually going to the Derby...but that would be madness. The Derby in-field has a reputation for being full of crazies who drink into the point of oblivion. This sounds like the crowd I usually hang out with, but since there will be old redneck drunks I'm sure the crowd will be less savory than I'd like. It's also incredibly expensive. As in, $50 to get in and $5 per beer. That money could be better spent getting me wildly (and much more safely) intoxicated at any local establishment. In fact, I may do so unless a better plan arises.

Cheers from the land of horses,

Le Hodge

Return from hiatus...

2008-04-24T12:34:00.000-04:00

Graduation...we're getting closer. It's hard to believe that college is drawing to an end. 4 years...where have they gone? I don't feel much different to be honest. Less optimistic perhaps, since I'm less ignorant of the world around me and I don't have a mystical college experience lying ahead as I did before. What is there to look forward to? I'm assuming that "real" jobs probably suck since they make movies like "Office Space".

I've been revising my resume frequently and sending out a couple applications here and there. Humana actually called me yesterday and left a voicemail about "an opportunity" they wished to discuss with me. I'd actually like to work there, seeing as how they're headquartered here and the job security is decent. This volatile market makes me worry about finding a job straight out of college with limited experience.

I was going to go to Cinci this weekend to go bar hopping but Evan backed out. I suppose I'm better off staying in town to study. That marketing research final is gonna kill me I'm sure.

Hodge Out

Things I've Learned In The Past 2 Weeks

2008-03-26T08:34:00.000-04:00

Here are some random things I've learned in the past 2 weeks now that I'm out living on my own.

1.) Grocery shopping is not much fun...and I have no idea what I'm looking for.
Wandering down the aisles in search of stuff that is both healthy and delicious is a more difficult task than I predicted.

2.) I have no idea how to cook, and I need to learn how to do so.
Soup and yogurt were ok for a while, but those got old quick. I can only eat so much clam chowder before it gets a bit boring. Yesterday I fixed this by cooking eggs and some chicken breasts for the week. Now I need to learn how to make some more advanced dishes to keep up the variety.

3.) A house is never truly clean.
It seems like I'm constantly cleaning and yet the house is always dirty. Having parties on the weekend doesn't help this one bit, and it actually lowers incentive to clean since I know the house will be destroyed by Sunday.

4.) The fact that my Mom always did my laundry and ironed my shirts was under-appreciated.
You don't realize how much time this can consume until no one is there to perform this menial task.

5.) It's not surprising that people become alcoholics when you have a fridge full of beer at all times.
When I open the fridge and there's a ton of beer staring at me, it's quite tempting to grab one rather than get some water or something. If I wasn't on a health kick this might have been a problem.

There are more lessons that I've learned but I'll save them for later.

Hodge Out

Half Conscious

2008-03-18T11:35:00.001-04:00

I'm amazed that I'm even conscious right now. Stayed up far too late celebrating St. Patty's Day. Couple of us went to Shenanigan's and then we played drinking games back at the house. Probably got an hour of sleep or so before I had to get up for work. Can't wait till I can go home and crash hard.

Thought: I need to invest in a hooka sometime this week.

Move-In Status...

2008-03-13T08:21:00.003-04:00

So the massive move-in occurred yesterday. Points for William, Evan and my Dad for helping me move all my pointless life-gear. I still lack a bed though (of all things, sheesh). My box spring is about 3 inches too wide for my Dad's Explorer and for the life of me I could not find a person with a truck and some free time. Better luck today then, eh? So it goes.

I stayed up till around 1 am trying to get my room into a semi-manageable state. I don't think I've forgotten anything important and it'll look fine once I have the time to put everything in its place. Also, need to install my Wi-Fi card so I can get connected to the Internet from home. I can see that people are posting on facebook through my emails but I lack the access at the moment.

No rest for the weary.

- Le Hodge

Packed for glory

2008-03-11T09:28:00.001-04:00

Most of my room is packed and ready to go.

It's exciting to know that new experiences await, and I'm looking forward to having my own place where I can coordinate my plans for world domination. I'll be moving most of my stuff tomorrow...a chore I wish I didn't have to do. Namely breaking down my bed and reassembling it upon arrival. I've been trying to figure out all the stuff I need to buy/things I should take but I know I'll forget a few things. Such is life.

I hope I get some sleep tonight. Had trouble doing so last night since I let my mind wander for far too long. Hopefully this changeup will bring new light to my life.

A new dawn waits.

- Le Hodge

One of those days...

2008-03-07T12:12:00.003-05:00

It's just one of those days. Another winter storm is rolling in to disrupt my usual weekend adventures. My boss even said, "It's gonna be one of those days..." Promptly thereafter I dropped my plate of lasagna that I had been cooking in the microwave, which spills all over the carpet hallway. Damnit to hell. The merch rep whose office is right next to the spill area laughed and said, "I think you're too late for the 5 second rule", which got a chuckle out of me.

In other news, it seems my base of operations is moving to the Bardstown area. Finally. Adam's roomie Zach is leaving for parts unknown so I get to take over his room. It's in prime location for bar hopping and I intend to take full advantage of the location. A bambi walk and a welcoming party are already in the works.

Super Smash bros comes out tomorrow night. Sooo ready. Too bad I don't own a Wii. Maybe I should consider investing in one.

Le Hodge

Let's go where the raptor goes...

2008-03-03T09:20:00.002-05:00

Ah, weekends. You're always so nice when you're around, but you always leave the party too soon.

This weekend consisted of more drinking than usual. Enough that I was hungover both Saturday and Sunday morning, but not so much that I did anything stupid that requires apologies.

Friday I got a text from Adam at like 10 pm saying something to the effect of, "A few friends of mine are coming over for a few drinks if you wanna come over." So I finished my round of Team Fortress 2 and headed over with the thought that this was probably just a couple of dudes sitting around sipping on some bud light.

Not the case.

I get over there and proceed to play a thousand rounds of flipcup with somewhere around a dozen people. We empty the whole damn fridge of beer. We had backup beer and went through all that as well. Proctor showed up late out of the blue and we proceeded to win a couple of games of beer pong when I was in "smashed" mode. We pwn everyone at that game.

Saturday I spent the first half of the day hungover and/or playing more video games. I had no motivation to get anything done to be honest. I still did my gym workout (which is kicking my ass right now). My legs hurt in a way that I haven't felt since freshman year of high school when I played football. As for the latter half of the day, I went to see Semi-Pro with some friends. It was good, but not as good as Anchorman.

I then went over to the Lindsay abode to check up on the guitar hero crew. You guys should really center the game around beer pong/flipcup/drinking games of any sort. But I suppose if everyone likes guitar hero that much then it's ok. After that I went to Josh's for some pre-drinkage. I must say that Josh has the cutest baby beagle I've ever seen.

Then onward to the Electric Cowboy.

That place was packed. A few vodka shots and beers later I'm on the dance floor with assorted females.

The most curious bit was when I went to get a beer and got literally blocked off by some chick who then asked me to dance with her friend (who was obviously shy and blushed).
There are a few things that are wrong with this situation.
1.) If you're going to ask some random guy to dance with your friend, you'd better be somewhat attractive yourself. It's the power of reference. If a hot chick asks me to do something then I'm going to more prone to doing so than if some south-end redneck with a bad attitude asks me.
2.) I loathe the grinding associated with modern dancing. I'll still do it, provided I'm drunk. Conversely, I love to slow-dance, and I'd probably do that with almost anyone who asks me.
3.) You're preventing me from getting a beer by standing in my way. Time is ticking, and I could be dead sober at any moment. Make haste.

Needless to say, I just said "I'm sorry", smiled and walked around her. I felt a little bad, flattered and perplexed at the same time. I should have made some excuse like, "My girlfriend is waiting for me." but I was caught flat on my feet and I'm not a very good liar.

Such is life.

Hodge Out

New Workout Routine

2008-02-27T13:15:00.003-05:00

Starting tomorrow I'm going to attempt a revamped split routine at the gym. Posting here for criticism/advice.

Monday - Shoulders and Triceps
(4 Sets each for every exercise)

Shoulders
Dumbell Front Raise
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Dumbbell Shrugs

Triceps
Lying Tricep Extension
One Arm Cable Extension
One Arm Dumbbell Extension

Tuesday - Back
Close Grip Pull Down
One Arm Dumbbell Row
Bent Over Barbell Row
Wide Grip Pull Down

Thursday - Chest and Biceps

Chest
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Bench Press Incline Dumbbell Flys
Cable Crossovers

Biceps
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Preacher Curl
Standing Hammer Curl

Nader, Gym, Phoenix, etc.

2008-02-25T11:03:00.004-05:00

Just found out that Nader is running for president again. If he hands the Republicans another victory I'm going to be royally pissed off. As long as Obama takes the democratic nomination I think we'll be okay though. He seems like an unstoppable machine right now.

Btw...I went ahead and ordered that phoenix pendant last night. Couldn't resist, it looks too cool.

Gym update:
I've decided that I'm going to make an attempt to intensify my weight-lifting and put less emphasis on cardio. I wish I knew more about lifting, but wandering around the web gives me some idea as to what I need to be doing. Maybe I'll look like Popeye soon.

Not much else to report. Spring break approaches and I'm wondering where I should go to celebrate my continued existence. I thought about NYC but I'd rather just take a road trip to Chicago or Nashville or something of that sort. So it goes.

Hodge Out

Wave of the future

2008-02-22T13:17:00.002-05:00

As the Lady Who Wears Too Much Perfume walks by I've realized that I hate how half the people in this office get to leave work early but I do not. It doesn't help that my managers are workaholics. It's not that I don't like working here, it's actually a great job, but it's discouraging to see others sprint to freedom while I'm stuck here. So it goes.

My to-read list is growing ever-larger but I'm not doing all that much reading. I'm about 2/3 of the way through Barack Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" and I plan on finishing that first. I just ordered "On The Road" on Amazon since Jake kept insisting that it would change my life. I'll probably put that next in queue.

I need to quit ordering things on Amazon but it's not like I have anything else to do at work. Net shopping, riding the wave of the future.

Hodge Out

Phoenix Rising

2008-02-21T08:48:00.001-05:00

6 days in a row at the gym so far.
I'm 16/20 in terms of days I've gone to the gym out of this month.
I suppose it's a good stress reliever.

For some reason I've started looking into jewelry on Amazon. I suppose I noticed a few other people wearing cool rings and such so I felt left out. I just recently ordered this piece, which I wandered upon by happenstance and fits me very well.
http://www.amazon.com/RELIGIONS-Silver-Pewter-PENDANT-Necklace/dp/B00065G23I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=jewelry&qid=1203601268&sr=8-4

I also really want a pendant or a ring involving a phoenix. The themes of freedom and fire sit well with me. They're also just plain awesome. I'm thinking about this one but there are several I'm considering.
http://www.amazon.com/Azurite-Sterling-Silver-Medallion-Necklace/dp/B000RM12OY/ref=pd_sbs_jw?ie=UTF8&qid=1203600883&sr=1-1

Suggestions?

Hodge Out

Another Friday - Office Introductions

2008-02-15T10:41:00.003-05:00

Another Friday and not too much to report. I've decided to introduce a few more characters to you from my office, for no other reason than boredom.

1.) Gay 45 year old guy - I wish you wouldn't look at me with those hungry eyes the way that you do. It reads very plainly and the way that you stare makes me a bit uncomfortable. Nice guy though. Please stop running past my desk to go to the printer. We all know that you can't have that much stuff to print.

2.) The local office wanderer who no one really likes but comes and talks to the guy in the office next to me anyway - You insist on using sports as a way to start a conversation. It has become blaringly obvious that the guy in the office next to me doesn't really like you and has things to do. You wander over every hour or two and look like a lost puppy when he isn't there. Surely there are people to talk to in your office section who don't hate you.

3.) The guy who always smiles and then asks me to do him some kind of favor like scanning some product displays - I don't mind this guy. Actually kind of nice. Would be better if I didn't have to perform any kind of work though.

4.) Chick with glasses who wears way too much perfume - I choke everytime you wander past my desk. It doesn't hit me at first, but once you're about 20 feet behind me I suddenly can't breathe. One spray, maybe two, but not fifteen please. She always has a smile on her face. It can be eerie sometimes, but at least she's kind.

These introductions may seem a bit negative, but most of the people in my office are quite cordial. It's these specific quirks that I remember them by.

Hodge Out

That time again

2008-02-08T15:27:00.000-05:00

It never fails. On Fridays around the 3:30-4 pm range my boss will email me with some kind of urgent task. Why must he always wait till right before closing time to freak me out and squash any hopes of leaving early? Of course, when your Friday evening is at stake you tend to do the assignment with the mental speed and efficiency of an Einstein-like figure. Now I'm waiting in suspense to see if my boss burdens me with another last-minute task before my departure.

Tonight will be beer pong night with Mister Greene and crew. I absolutely love the competition and lack of sobriety associated with the game. There are few other things that give me greater pleasure than winning game after game while downing cup after cup of liquid bread. Perhaps I sound like a lush, but the rush comes more from the winning than the effects of alcohol.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Hodge Out

My own personal Lou Dobbs (Office Version)

2008-02-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

It amazes me how long the woman at the desk about 20 feet behind me can talk on the phone without stopping. It can hardly be anything besides a one-sided conversation, judging by the short pauses between her statements.

I think of her as my own personal Lou Dobbs (Office Version - 2008).

She rants about a range of issues, mostly those that concern the middle class. Talking about everything from immigration to the housing crisis to religion in America. The only bad thing about this is that I no longer like listening to Lou Dobbs complain about the current political system without offering solutions.

She also has the recurring quip that "most people are ignorant". This comes from the woman who is afraid to vote for Obama because his name sounds like "Osama". In fact, she asked while in conversation with a fellow co-worker, "But isn't he, like, Muslim or...? I mean I'm not a racist or anything but..." You get the picture. White, middle-class baby boomer who has supressed most prejudices but still isn't fully open and hip to the progressive era of tolerance and understanding.

Such is life.

Hodge Out

Crunch Time

2008-01-31T11:45:00.000-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me that professors all have their tests on the same week. It's almost enough to make one think that they conspire to bring misery down upon the college populace by forcing them to abandon their weekend plans in favor of close inspections of textbooks.

In my case, I'll have 3 tests (one got moved forward) next week, along with a variety of smaller tasks/group projects. Needless to say, my weekend will not be as fun as the last. The fact that the Superbowl is on Sunday doesn't do much for me either. I believe it's written somewhere that you must be watching the Superbowl with a beer in hand in order to affirm your US citizenship.

My logic book is beckoning me.

Hodge Out

10 O'clock Tom Cruise Crazy

2008-01-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

It amazes me how much work I can get done around 10 o'clock while I'm "working". I just completed what was supposed to be a "group" project in about an hour. I'm sure my group members will be pleased. It was my good fortune to happen upon this co-op experience in the first place.

At the time that I interviewed for this position I wasn't even looking for a job. A few friends said they were going to a career fair on campus and I joined them for my own amusement. Next thing you know I'm talking to a GE HR rep and I'm being told that I should apply for a certain co-op position. Applied, interview, got ze job.

Wish they would give me a little more work so I wasn't so bored at times. You can only wander the internets for so long before you want to weep from media overexposure.

Oh yeah, and I'm copying that random bold-ing style idea from you. You know who you are.

Hodge Out

Flying Spaghetti Monsters

2008-01-23T14:23:00.000-05:00

As an agnostic and humanist I've found it very difficult to find any paraphernalia on the net to show off my ideals. I feel the need to show off my beliefs since everyone seems to be wearing a cross necklace, regardless of their questionable ethics and hypocrisy, which we won't discuss at this time. However, I did find one sight that had an amusing pendant that I'm sure few will even understand.

It's a metal cutout of the Flying Spaghetti Monster...a wiki link has been provided below so you can educate yourselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

In a nutshell it's a parady of common religion today and it concerns the burden of proof in relation to establishing evidence in favor of gods. Just read the wikipedia intro.

Freethinker bling, ftw.

Hodge Out

Let's go where the raptor goes...

2008-01-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

Friday, how I missed you. Oddly enough I haven't heard of any sexy parties or forays to bars as of yet. I wonder how the nights will be spent. Sitting at home on a weekend night never works for me. Watching movies and playing Call of Duty 4 will only take me so far before I get bored and antsy. I'll sit still when I'm old and grey.

Tangent:
I was riding the bus from the stadium to my first class yesterday when I saw one of those semis all tore up by that underpass on Eastern Parkway. During my tenure at Manual and UL I've probably seen half a dozen semis try to go under that thing only to shear off the top of their semi and then cause a major traffic conundrum. Do they not grasp the laws of physics? I wish I had my camera so I could have taken pictures of the damage.

Tangent:
It's amazing how Bad Religion manages to incorporate such an extensive vocabulary into their songs. You would think that it would be impossible to use some of the words they use in songs with any measure of rhythm. This song is stuck in my head ("Beyond Electric Dreams") so I thought I'd share some lyrics.

"Let's go where the raptor goes,
To the mountain in a cosmic glow,
We'll have a genuine terrestrial show, on a mountain - on a mountain
Let's scan the horizon clean for any trace of human schemes
And try to touch upon immortal themes on a mountain - on a mountain"

I hope the weekend treats you all well,
Hodge Out

Miss Gorge

2008-01-16T13:02:00.000-05:00

It amazes me how much Miss Gorge can eat. So much in fact that I've given her that nickname. Were my desk not located next to the fridge (random fridges dot this office complex, probably due to the fact that we build them here) I might not have noticed her eating habits. It is guaranteed that every 90 minutes or so she finds something to satisfy her stomach from said fridge, and from her rotund figure I can say that her stomach is satisfied most of the time.

I have nothing against this lady, she is kind to everyone in the hallway, although I must admit that her hour long personal phonecalls that consist of nothing but bitching are a bit annoying (silenced by my headphones).

More than anything I'm concerned for her well-being. A woman of over 50 years of age should not be consuming such a considerable volume of foods that are not even remotely good for you. If she were eating veggies or 100 calories packs every 90 minutes she might very well weigh a hundred pounds less than she does today.

I'll stop ranting now. With so little going on at work today I had a lot of time to observe my dismal surroundings and the behavior patterns of my fellow workers. Such is "work".

Hodge Out

The Annual January Gym Invasion - Damn Sloths

2008-01-14T13:13:00.000-05:00

When they say it's peak season in terms of gym memberships they are not lying. When you go to the gym >= 4 days out of a week as I was doing you get a feel for who the regulars are. But now that it's January there is a large influx of those with a smidgen of motivation to work off that fat which we'll presume has been building for several months now.

They take up all those machines that I would normally use and force me to wait a few minutes when I'm doing weights, a slight annoyance. I'm eagerly awaiting that time when these people give up and go back to their sloth-erly ways. And considering that a typical gym membership at Urban is 2 years and you can't even buy yourself out of it shows that the gyms make bank off those poor souls. Why shell out $40 or more a month and not use your membership? No financial sense whatsoever. The reason I joined in the first place was to motivate myself with like-minded individuals and the thought of the money I would be throwing away if I didn't get my butt to the gym.

So it goes.

Disclaimer: This is not intended to be a self-centered article where I actually want those aforementioned "sloths" to fail. I wish them success but the realist in me knows that most will fail. It's pure statistics, sadly. This was more of a rambling, which I do frequently.

Hodge Out

Basketball Is Our Religion

2008-01-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty much over that cold now. I feel a bit tired from the fight but my cough has disappeared and I'm very much awake and ready to party.

Rant: It always sickens me when the front page of the CNN website hosts a story about some missing girl or tragic death of a white person. Being of the white variety of humans myself some may think this odd, but I think there are more pressing matters than the loss of a single human being. Surely hundreds of people are being killed or some major political struggle is at hand that deserves media coverage. This is an issue I plan on bitching about today.

Classes have begun but I think I'm lucky considering the limited selection of professors I had to choose from. I have a crazy Indian professor that I've had before (and knew to be terrible) for my market research course. He rants about trivial issues as a means to strike terror into his students and thus elevate our level of attention. The other 4 professors appear to be easy-going and recognize that their courses stand in the way of us and our diplomas. Luckily, the professor in my late thursday night class is a big basketball fan and has already said he will cut a few sessions short so we can watch the games.
Basketball is the common religion of the Kentucky populace.

Hodge Out

Daily Visitors

2008-01-09T14:17:00.000-05:00

Everyday at the office I see the same people performing their daily routines. I thought I might list them for no particular reason.

9 am - The mexican janitor comes by the hall and goes room to room. Almost every person greets her and they have a polite conversation, although the talk is always light and simple due to her lack of vocabulary. Sometimes she sings mexican folk songs in the hallway, although never very loudly.

2 pm - A lady (I have yet to procure her name) goes door to door with a dish of candy. Evidently she uses free candy as an excuse to gossip with her office neighbors. Nice.

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm - The secretary about 20 feet away from my desk begins her daily personal calls to whomever will listen. She's one of those women who complain constantly and abuse the company phone bill. At the moment she has half a dozen personal dramas that I'm aware of. If I try hard enough and put my earphones on I can block out her whining.

All throughout the day - Guy from 2 offices down goes and picks up some pages from the printer. How many separate trips does one really need to take in order to get the required papers? Back and forth, back and forth...you're either trying to do some cardio to get your heart rate up or you're unable to multitask. Really I just don't like you buzzing my desk in your haste and sending my papers all over the place. I think I'll start calling you "Maverick".

Time to go to class,
Hodge Out

"Oh, so tired of being sick..."

2008-01-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

Realized that I was sick on Sunday night but I feel 100x better today than yesterday. The lack of hot flashes helps quite a bit.

Classes have begun anew and this semester looks to be a little more difficult than previous ones. I expected as much seeing as how I only have a few classes left to take before I get my degree. Hopefully I'll grab the motivation to finish without falling on my face.

Started watching the "Lost" series since Josh and Kyle seem to enjoy it. Not nearly as good as Heroes, BSG or The Office but it's slightly captivating. Also, downloading "Dexter" due to a recommendation by Claire.

The New Hampshire primary is today, w00t w00t. We'll see if Obama crushes Hillary once again. Barack, ftw!

Hodge Out

Down with the sickness...

2008-01-07T09:49:00.001-05:00

I think I got the cold that's going around. I knew it was coming yesterday, I spent most of the day in bed watching "Lost". Not a good day to be sick since school is starting.

Symptoms: Pounding headache, overall weak feeling, hot flashes, coughing, etc.

Last night I kept waking up due to hot flashes. I'm falling asleep in my chair at work right now...not sure how long I'll be able to hold up through my classes.

So it goes.

Hodge Out

Office Intrigue

2008-01-04T12:15:00.000-05:00

'Tis funny to watch the drama of the people in this near-endless hall of offices. The hall itself stretches a good 1/8 of a mile long and hosts dozens of (what I assume) are well-paid merchandising and pricing managers.

A continuous battle rages as merchandising teams try to sell as much as they can and make calls to managers "in the field" to do so. Pricing managers (whom I work for) are concerned with bottom-line profit and are always trying to raise or keep pricing the same. The war lies in the desires of "merchies" to sell more (by lowering prices) and the efforts of pricing managers to keep the prices elevated. Merchies and pricing managers smile in each other's presence, but as soon as the merchies get back to their own offices I can hear a litany of curses and profanity. I'm certain that few of them know that I work for the pricing team or else they wouldn't be be using such language.

Amusing, to be sure.

I can't wait till I have my own office to use as a dumping ground for curses against my fellow colleagues.

Cheers,
Le Hodge

Obamanama

2008-01-03T09:11:00.000-05:00

Took another political test today. I'm closest to Obama, go figure.

http://www.electoralcompass.com/

A new year, a new dawn

2008-01-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

New Years went as one could expect, going from party to party and taking vodka shots in the company of friends. Started off at Ryan's for some low-key chatter and moved on to Collin/Hassan's to bring in the New Year with beer pong and the like. Ended up at Nikolai's for some Grey Goose and then a trip to Steak 'n Shake at 4 am. I would hate to be working on New Years at 4 am, I feel for those guys.

Lesson learned:
- 90% of dark liquors taste terrible, even those trumpeted by rappers. Evan and I both bought some cognac, with the idea that at least one of them would taste ok. Wrong. I was very unimpressed by Hennessy, which by all advertised means should taste like the nectar of the gods. So it goes. I'll just stick to Disaronno for sipping purposes I suppose.

New Years Resolution:
- I resolve to find a resolution. I don't think I've ever had a "serious" resolution, or at least one that I could possible keep. Why start now?

Tangent:
I need to stop going into book stores. I end up buying books that I don't make time to read and they end up on my table or in my bookshelf.
I'm currently attempting to read a few books at the moment:
"Audacity of Hope" - Barack Obama
"Knife of Dreams" - Robert Jordan
"I Am America" - Stephen Colbert
"Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson" - TJ

Current Addiction:
"Call of Duty 4" - The online achievements make this game very addictive. The only things I don't like are the lack of microphone usage and squad play. Everyone does their own thing rather than coordinating their efforts like with the Battlefield and Day of Defeat series.

Everyone is back at the office today. I wish they would sit down and stop wishing each other a happy new year. Get back to work slaves. Speaking of which, I need to do something productive.

Hodge Out

New Years Eve Tribulations

2007-12-31T09:05:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again where people reflect upon the year and drink extraneous amounts of alcohol promptly before, during and after making ill-advised decisions. Theoretically this should be my favorite holiday, seeing as how it's the one day of the year when nearly everyone is partying in some form and alcohol is involved. The past two were not so much fun. Two years ago I got too drunk, too quickly. Last year I was dead sober and ended up taking care of people. So...this year I plan to be somewhere between the two extremes.

The problem with picking a New Years destination is that there are a myriad of parties to attend but only so much time to spend. There are more than half a dozen parties that I've been invited to, but once I drink I'm stuck in one place (don't drink and drive kids, you'll die). I'm still not sure where I'll end up going tonight but I do know that Evan and I will be alcohol-shopping after I leave the dead zone (work).

Maybe I'll find someone to kiss at midnight. Someone that isn't a man, a dog or an 800 pound sumo-wrestler. I'm not an optimist, but I'm too damn stubborn to be a cynic.

Hodge Out

Walking Naked Down The Corridor

2007-12-26T08:58:00.001-05:00

So...my boss said last week that no one would be at the office today and I should take off (my vacation time permitting). When he said that I didn't believe that the entire building would be abandoned. As in, there's absolutely no one in the hallway and I could walk naked down the hall without fear. As it stands I'm considering a nap, although the idea of being caught makes me shiver a bit. I've already checked all my usual procrastination sites but now I'm bored and sleepy, a deadly combination. What should our hero do? Take a nap or play some flash games till around 3 pm? Only time will tell.

Hodge Out

Loot and Booty

2007-12-26T08:02:00.000-05:00

Christmas (for my family) can generally be summed up in 3 words: food, family and loot. Religion really isn't in the equation. No one in my family is all that religious except for my dear Baptist grandmother. She was the stereotypical grandma who gave me a book at high school graduation entitled, "Bible Quotations for College Students" at which point I gave a fake smile and thanked her. My father (like his father before him) never spoke of religion and I believe them both to be agnostics or possibly deists. This is getting beyond the point...Christmas...yeah...

Beyond the usual chatter and consumption, I generally receive quite an impressive array of loot. This year's list goes as follows:
- 320 gb external hard drive - Needed for the ridiculous amount of music/videos/photos and whatever else I have stored these days.
- Canon SD1000 camera - I love these little SD series cameras. The odds are 3/5 that I'll drop this camera in the next month, it's a slick mofo.
- "The Office" calendar
- Disaronno with a glass set - my Mother wishes for me to become either an alcoholic or a full-blooded Catholic
- "I Am America And So Can You" - Stephen Colbert
- Various shirts and gift cards/cash

I really didn't "need" or "want" much this year. With my new job I've been able to buy all the tech trinkets that I had desired up till now. Meaning the $1000 computer (worthwhile) and the DSLR camera that I really shouldn't have bought considering how little I use it.

The only thing I didn't get was a big 'ole smooch and some brandy. With New Years coming up I'm sure lady luck will swing my way eventually.

Hodge Out

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T17:39:00.000-05:00

So bored right now. Just watched "The Last Legion" and I'm almost done with "Blade Runner". Not much else to do since most places are closed. Oh yeah, and never watch The Last Legion because it's quite terrible. That's usually what you get when you let the child actor have too many poorly-written lines.

Beyond that I've been playing some computer games and waiting for the annual Christmas Eve dinner with my family.

Hope you all are enjoying the holidays.

Hodge Out

Abandoned

2007-12-21T09:35:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to wonder why I'm even "working" today. The halls are desolate, only a few people bothered to show up to today. I'm sure no one is getting anything done, I have yet to do anything productive besides calling IT to try and get one of our Access macros to work. Played a few rounds of chess, oh yeah, I'm decent again. Running out of websites to visit though, which means boredom will ensue shortly.

I did decide to finish my music video power hour last night. It was kind of silly to have a half-completed video project so I threw in some of my recently downloaded vids and I must say that I think this will be better than the last few power hours I've created. I tried to mix up the genres a bit, although country was shunned per personal prejudices. I put in some MC Hammer so the masses could enjoy some "Hammer Time", hah.

I believe Dave is having a little shindig at his abode tonight.
Trips to bars will occur I'm certain.
I wonder what we're truly looking for as we wander from bar to bar...

Semper Fi,
Carry on,
Le Hodge

Burn

2007-12-20T15:40:00.000-05:00

I got my 400 disc cd holder yesterday in the mail. It's huge but my dvd collection is growing at an exponential rate. I actually need to go buy blank dvds because I burned through that 50 pack I had sitting on my desk. Insane.

Forget Christmas, New Years approaches. I wonder where I'll be...I'm 21 now so I have more "opportunities". Can't remember the last time I had a truly awesome New Years, the last 2 were both miserable for various reasons. At the start of 2006 I drank far too much and in 2007 I drank too little because of those I had to babysit due to their drunkenness. Perhaps this year will be different?

The weekend approaches and everyone should be in town right about now. That means reunions and the like. I always enjoy seeing old friends, but I miss the times of old and that leaves an unsavory aftertaste. To be God would be to control time.

Hodge Out

Guns or Butter

2007-12-19T09:20:00.000-05:00

I think that watching all these zombie movies is driving me to feel a need for a gun of some kind. You know, in case zombies/aliens/the chinese invade I'll be needing some kind of firearm to protect myself. It could also be fun to shoot targets every now and again. Maybe a Beretta or some kind of rifle? On the other side of the coin, I could use such money for a laptop instead. Hm...

Went to BW3s last night with Bert and Derek. UK is playing like absolute shit this year. Hopefully Gillespie can whip into a decent team next year. It's painful to even watch them play.

It's kind of ridiculous how Christmas has become such an impulsvie glorification of rampant consumerism. Even as a non-Christian I am forced to buy gifts since not doing so would be unacceptable considering that I will be receiving gifts. I support the idea of showing generosity and love but I think this idea should be carried throughout the year. Perhaps Christians think that by being generous during this period every year they can atone for their sins and stingy nature?

I swear if Huckabee wins the election I might lose any faith I had left in the American public. Separation of church and state? What's that?

Hodge Out

It's nice to be alive on 9 hours of sleep

2007-12-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

I went to bed at around 7:30 last night and watched tv till 9 when I fell asleep. Adjusting to the weekly sleep schedule after a weekend of partying is difficult for me, but right now I feel vividly awake due to much-needed rest.

I tried to watch "Resident Evil: Extinction" but I must say that it's one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. I love zombie movies and I enjoyed the previous 2 movies in the saga when few others did but this movie was so bad that I turned it off. That's right, I turned it off about 40 minutes in and put a different movie in the dvd player. What went wrong during production?

Also downloaded "Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children". Was this released straight to dvd in the US or not even that? I knew that a Final Fantasy movie came out several years ago but this one is different. It has some of the typical awkward english translations at times from the brief browsing I did, but the visuals were impressive. I'll probably watch it soon.

I've downloaded so many movies that my computer is working overtime to convert the files into the proper format and burn them to dvds. I won't rest till they're all done, at which point I have several projects to work on.
Media projects: (By priority)
- DL's website - On pain of death.
- Power hour - It's halfway done and now I have a decent amount of new music videos to choose from.
- Audio mixing - I have the programs and a few ideas but I haven't spent the time to sit down and get started.

I'm about halfway done with Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. Which means I need to buy a copy of Thomas Jefferson's autobiography so I have something to read at work.

Hey yaaaaa...
Hodge Out

Downloading Spree

2007-12-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

With my newfound stable internet connection I have downloaded more movies than I could actually watch this week. I can't remember a third of what I downloaded but the list includes:
- 1408
- Resident Evil: Extinction
- Heroes: Season 2
- Live Free or Die Hard
- Final Fantasy
- Blades of Glory
- Balls of Fury
- The Golden Compass
- Blade Runner

Additional music additions (suggested by Marco):
- Massive Attack
- Daft Punk
- The Chemical Brothers
- Various top 20 techno collections

I'm such a master pirate.

Sidenote: I think I'm going to upgrade Flanagan's to my #1 bar in Louisville for the time being. I've had a lot better experiences there in comparison to Molly's. The beer selection also impresses me quite a bit. I made a little progress on my beer card but I still have a ridiculous amount to go.

Hodge Out

Torrentz, FTW

2007-12-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

American Gladiators is coming back?!? What will it be like without the mullets and 80's attire? I used to worship this show when I was little.
http://www.nbc.com/American_Gladiators/bios/

Good news: Yesterday my Dad bought a new modem for our house. We had the incredibly annoying problem of losing our internet connection whenever we tried to torrent anything. Now I can download at >600 kb/s and the connection never dies. I downloaded 3 or 4 audio editing softwares in about 2 hours (Adobe Audition, Sony Forge, etc). Also downloading some audio "starter packs" which I assume will help me on my quest to start mixing a little bit. I was also near completion on an "Internet power hour" which is a compilation of all the viral net videos that you see every once in a while on the news. I'm guessing Star Wars Kid and the like are on there. Can't wait to watch it.

Hodge Out

"Our opinions are not in our power..."

2007-12-13T13:02:00.000-05:00

I might try to do some music editing/remixing at some point this week/weekend. Just asked Marco for some resource suggestions...I suppose I'll just google and torrent the needed files when I get home. Listening to thesixtyone at work makes me want to give it a try.

I was reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin during lunch and came across an interesting statement he wrote when discussing his son who joined the Loyalists during the American Revolution, "We are men, all subject to errors. Our opinions are not in our power, they are form'd and govern'd much by circumstances that are often as inexplicable as they are irresistable." This could be applied to any number of issues including religion and political stances. I'm quite impressed with Franklin's wit, but I was unaware that he tried very hard to keep the peace between America and Britain for so long, right up to ~1775. That is, until Britain insulted the Americans a couple of times and burned and pillaged a few small towns.

I'm going to try my best to do some photography this weekend as well. If I get some good shots I'll post them as needed.

Hodge Out

Father-Son Duos, FTW

2007-12-12T10:26:00.000-05:00

I've been able to play Day of Defeat with my Dad on several occassions now, including last night. It's kinda funny in a way. Bonding over an online WWII first-person-shooter is a trademark of the newest generation. There's nothing like covering your Dad with machine gun fire and killing Nazis while he runs up to capture a flag. The use of the mic makes it even more interesting, because I can be like, "Dad, there's two up in the church tower." And then we can do the father-son duo to clear it. We're so 1337. I bought him a DOD shirt off Cafepress, I'm sure he'll like it considering how much he plays that game.

Sidenote: I ate Wick's pizza last night for dinner, I'll be eating Wick's leftovers for lunch, and I intend on going to Wick's tonight for all-you-can-eat-for-$10 night. It's a good thing I never get tired of pizza.

Hodge Out

Finally, a decent music source...until it gets squashed

2007-12-11T08:42:00.000-05:00

Once again I was browsing Lifehacker this morning and stumbled upon an excellent source of new music. More importantly, my office hasn't blocked the site...yet. They seem to hate streaming music, but this site is new. (http://www.thesixtyone.com) I'm sure they'll find it if it gets popular enough. In any case, it has several genres of music and you can "bump" music if you like it. Lots of non-mainstream content of up-and-coming artists. The cool thing is, if you bump it (and bet points) while it's new and more people bump it then you get points and level-ups. Dunno what you can do with these points at this point but it's a neat idea. You would like this site DL/Marco, lots of electronica and mixes.

Beyond that, today is the last day of the semester. I have to turn in my management operations take-home final (which is only 85% done right now) and then I'm relatively free (besides work). I've decided to collect all my philosophical ramblings that I made in class when bored as well as past blog entries in a binder. Maybe I'll be famous one day (like Benjamin Franklin, who wrote a ton of letters as I now know) and someone will actually want to have an idea of what I was thinking at the time. More likely, I'll look back in a few years and observe the evolution of my own mind as I got older.

Projects for winter break:
- Design a website
- Make my next music video power hour
- Downlaod as many videos as possible and make a bigger pirate collection
- Play lots and lots of Halflife 2 mods. That means you Day of Defeat.
- Do a winter nature photography shoot

Time to flee. There's work to be done. Le sigh.
Hodge Out

My Own Domain

2007-12-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

So I just read an article on lifehacker and I didn't realize how cheap it can be to buy your own domain name. Like, $5.99 cheap for a .com site. This brings up two questions:

1) What would I put on a website if I had one?
2) What domain name would I buy?

Content...I could host some files like pictures, videos and such for when I'm not at home. But beyond that I'm not sure what kind of content I'd be able to provide. It could be my primary blogging site and so forth...ideas?

As for the domain name, I'm thinking about switching screen names again. Something to do with "entropy" perhaps? I love that word.

Entropy - "Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society"

If it rhymes then all the better. I need to ask Deale about web design and hosting, I'm sure he knows more about it than I do at this point. There are a couple sites that host web files for free I'm sure.

Musing as always,
Hodge Out

A Greater Burden

2007-12-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

Now that the other co-op is gone I find it ironic that my Overlords have decided to throw every assignment possible in my general direction. I almost think that they're trying to overload me just to test me. At least I don't have time to be bored.

Finance final today after work. Guess who procrastinated and didn't study all that much? That would be me. I'm probably not going to do all that well in that class but I find it rather boring material. I think I'm starting to burn out on this college deal. Come July I'll be ready for an extended break from such matters. Graduation, FTW.

Current music addiction:
Thrice - The "Vheissu" album. It was underappreciated until I actually took the time to listen to every song. The contrast of soft and metal-thrasing melodies is well-done.

I really need to stop looking for online deals at Amazon and eBay. I have no idea what I'll be getting for Christmas and thus it wouldn't be wise to keep buying things. I've been trying to get a Super Nintendo and an N64 just so I can play the games of old. I intend on assembling a console collection, even though it might make more financial sense to just get an emulator online.

No more time to waste.

Hodge Out

Onward, upward and the spiral downward

2007-12-07T10:31:00.001-05:00

Site was updated as I promised. Made a neato photoshop design of the blog title. Playing with photo effects is fun to do, you feel like an artist because you never really know how it's going to turn out.

Today's To-Dos:
- Gym after work.
- Finish my co-op evaluation so I get course credit. Otherwise I just wasted 6 hours of credits.
- Look over Deale's site. I saved it somewhere...I'll have to find it when I get home.
- Find something to do tonight.

It's the other co-op's last day of work. I'm getting all kinds of shit shoveled my way. Last minute task transfers and the like. At least we're getting taken out to lunch by the bosses that be.

I was wondering about the state of religious preferences in America this morning and I decided to look up some charts. Interesting stuff. You can view the charts using the link below. It doesn't show up well in the blog.

By statistics it shows that America is becoming a nation of increasingly non-religious folk. Non-religious populations rose from 8% to around 15% between 1990 and 2001. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States)
I wonder if America will ever become the secular masterpiece that some of it's Founding Fathers envisioned.

Hodge Out

Crashing...we're going down

2007-12-06T12:47:00.000-05:00

The sugar has done all it can and now I'm crashing. Sitting here mindlessly wandering the net till I can go home in about 10 minutes. Really out of it, I'll have the luxury of a nap when I get home.

I redesigned the template a little bit for this site and I'll probably make a banner. Let me know what you all think...trying to make it easy to read. I adjusted the settings so anyone can post comments now. I know several of you are too lazy to sign up for an account and I don't blame you.

Ethical wondering of the moment:
Is it really "wrong" to "steal" music via downloading? I'm guilty is this and do it regularly but I don't feel bad about it. I think it's the notion that the people who are mad about people downloading are deemed as rich and they don't need the additional music sales. One thing is for sure, they aren't going to be able to charge $20 for a cd loaded with crap. They really need to figure out how to reach consumers instead of suing every college kid and hoping that fear will drive people away from downloading.

Hodge Out

Only caffeine can save you now...

2007-12-06T08:17:00.000-05:00

So I went out last night as predicted. Brendan's was actually a nice little Irish bar with a decent dance floor. Nothing spectacular but there was good company. Emily ended up getting trashed as is expected for your 21st birthday. The funny part is that she had been going to the bar frequently using her fake ID.

I had a few Woodchucks...did a few jigs...didn't leave till much later than I would have liked but I was enjoying myself. Going to work on 2 hours of sleep is weird. I feel half-asleep and half-awake for a somewhat surreal effect. As long as I keep guzzling down this orange juice I'll be ok for a bit. And I get to leave at 1 today, I vote for a nap.

As for what I do at work, that really isn't all that important right now. I do feel like providing you all a list of the websites that I go to on a constant basis during the workday in order to ease my boredom.

www.lifehacker.com - Usually a list of links and interesting tech-related articles that will teach you something or offer "hacks" for normal everyday life.
www.fark.com - Witty submitter headlines + Actual news articles = Fun for hours.
www.arstechnica.com - Tech related articles
Yahoo Fantasy League - I'm in 3rd place in NFL fantasy league, w00t!
Livejournal - Blogging, etc.
School email
www.cnn.com
www.newegg.com - I can't resist looking for tech deals even when I'm broke

My boss is coming. I must flee into the night.

Hodge Out

New Beginnings

2007-12-05T17:35:00.000-05:00

I have no idea why I would start another blog but the design looks neat and I may use this account for a purpose. Maybe a place to start posting videos/pics? I don't really know at this point. So it goes.

I've actually been busy at work today, very unlike the usual pace. The other co-op is departing GE on Friday so I'm getting his entire workload. Joy. I never realized how many tasks he was actually responsible for, but I'll make do, especially considering I was actually bored with my job before this. Now I get to track an endless array of price repositions and such.

Tonight I'll be going out to a chica's 21st birthday party across town. I'm sure I'll hate myself at 6 am when I have to go to work. Such is life, and I need not remind you that we only live once. In fact, that has become one of my mantras or codes to live by. It has become obvious that we can die at any moment, and that most of us do not take as many chances as we should. Even so, I tend to be fairly reserved in social situations and I'll never be the guy that go infiltrate a flock of girls and pick up numbers. I read somewhere that you're more likely to meet the person you marry through your profession or school anyway. So it goes.

It seems as if I become more pessimistic the longer I am out of a relationship. My mind wanders and I try to figure out why this is the case. What do we get out of a relationship the makes us complacent? If I were to reference Maslow I would say it's the feelings of worth, social acceptance and sex that contribute to our overall mental health. I feel that Maslow was missing something though, seeing as how humans don't jump at the chance to get into a relationship with any person that comes along the way. It's not like I haven't had a shot with a certain number of people, but if a person only seems like an "option" then I find that this person probably isn't the one you're looking for (Queue Ben Kenobi voice). It's when you feel a "need" or an unpassing desire to date someone that such roads should be taken. Or perhaps we should take a lot of chances since our life-partner may not be apparent? The questions are endless.

I'd better stop before I exhaust an entire week's worth of content. If enough people read this I may continue. Perhaps this will be a place for my ramblings...

Hodge Out