I've learned - Omer B. Washington

I really liked this work, and was humbled to see how my lifes experience doesnt appear to be very unique, as I have learned most of these lessons as well...

I've learned

• I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
• I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
• I've learned that it takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it.
• I've learned that it's not what you have in your live, but who you have in your life that counts.
• I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes, after that, you'd better know something.
• I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.
• I've learned that it's not what happens to people, it's what they do about it.
• I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
• I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you'll see them.
• I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't.
• I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
• I've learned that there are people, who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.
• I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
• I've learned that true friendship continues to grow even over the longest distance same goes for true love.
• I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
• I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
• I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgive by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
• I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.
• I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
• I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other and just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
• I've learned that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.
• I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
• I've learned that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.
• I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
• I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
• I've learned that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.
• I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.
• I've learned that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.
• I've learned to love and be loved.
• I've learned.
  

-Omer B. Washington

Lithium

Interesting version of Nirvana's epic tune.

My life Is Average

There is this great site where people (mostly teens it seems) post little anecdotes from their day to day lives, some are really cute. The site can be found here.

• At my new school I sat with a group of kids during lunch that asked me "twilight or Harry Potter?" I answered Harry Potter and they scoweled at me and made rude remarks. The next table over put a bag over my head and screamed "GRYFFINDOR" then pulled me to their table. I just found my new best friends.
• Tonight, after a very romantic dinner, my boyfriend and I walked and sat in a grassy area in the middle of this classy shopping center to look at the stars and be mature adults. Instead, I hit him, yelled YOU'RE IT and ran away. We proceeded to have an intense game of tag in our dress clothes. I have found my soulmate.
• Today, my dance partner (who only has my number so he can call/text me if he isn't going to be in class) texted me saying he was bored. After texting each other for half an hour, we now have plans to go to the beach and build a sand castle, then have a sword duel over who rules the castle. I know I chose the right partner.
• Today a customer asked where the condoms were. I told him we didn't sell condoms. On his way out he said, "I'll be back in nine months for diapers." I laughed until I cried.
• Today, in creative writing, we were told to start writing our short stories and by the end of class, share what we have so far. Everyone had really deep stories about love, loss, or important moral values. Mine was about a spoon named Bobby who went on an adventure to help save the Kettle from being burned by the stove. My teacher asked to see me after class. He gave me candy and asked to keep my story.
• Today, I was bored so I called a random number. A girl answered and was silent, then she said "You have reached the Oreo Company. To receive free Oreos, press one. I'm sorry that offer has ended." I then roared into the phone. She then answered with "NO I WILL NOT BATHE YOUR WHALE!" Then hung up. I want to find this girl, and marry her.
• Today, during English, someone made a zombie joke. I reached into my backpack to pull out my "Zombie Survival Guide". Just as I set it on my desk, I looked up to see my teacher pulling the same book from his desk. He looked at me and silently nodded.
• Today, I was backpacking with some friends of mine, and in the middle of nowhere colorado, on a boulder was painted "Turn me over" This was a large boulder, about 6 feet across, after twenty minutes of intense pushing, we finally got the boulder turned over and painted on the bottom it said "Thanks".
• Today, my dog and I were wrestling. He kept trying to lick my face, but I'd push him away every time he got close. Suddenly he stopped and looked out the window with an intense expression on his face, I decided to look too, as soon as I did, he licked my face. I was outsmarted by a dog.
• Today I was sitting on the quad reading. Suddenly, a guy walks past me, without looking at me, and says "duh nuh", like from the Jaws theme. This happened a few more times and then stopped for a little while, so I went back to my reading. Out of nowhere, a guy in a shark suit tackled me to the ground and then ran off. By the time I collected myself and sat up, nobody involved in the affair was in sight. I picked the right college.
• Today, I came home to my mom scowling, my dad smirking, and my little sister grinning. Apparently, my sister got into a fight with a fellow 5th grader, saying that the Beatles pwned the Jonas Brothers. My sister and the girl argued until my sister tackled her while yelling, "I am the walrus! Goo goo g'joob!" I have never before felt like such a positive influence to my siblings.

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Tu veux, tu veux pas?

A friend put me onto this french song, it was originally sung by Brigitte Bardo, the version I like is this strange techno/dance version...sounds odd, but I like playing it when Im busy on the computer, lots of energy...but the original version is very cool as well.

*Editted to add links to the song...Original version by Ms.Bardo, here is the version I was talking about, and I apologize for the dancing girl but its the only one I could find! I like both versions though.

Tu veux, tu veux pas?

Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Tu veux c’est bien
Si tu veux pas tant pis
Si tu veux pas
J’en f’rai pas une maladie
Oui mais voilà réponds-moi
Non ou bien oui
C’est comme ci ou comme ça
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas

Tu veux ou tu veux pas
Toi tu dis noir et après tu dis blanc
C’est noir c’est noir
Oui mais si c’est blanc c’est blanc
C’est noir ou blanc
Mais ce n’est pas noir et blanc
C’est comme ci ou comme ça
Ou tu veux ou tu veux pas

La vie, oui c’est une gymnastique
Et c’est comme la musique
Y a du mauvais et du bon
La vie, pour moi elle est magnifique
Faut pas que tu la compliques
Par tes hésitations
{au Refrain}

La vie, elle peut être très douce
A condition que tu la pousses
Dans la bonne direction
La vie, elle est là elle nous appelle
Avec toi elle sera belle
Si tu viens à la maison

Tu veux ou tu veux pas ? hein !
Quoi ? Ah ! tu dis oui
Ah ! a a a a a a a
Et ben moi j’veux plus !
Ouh ! la la

Barnum Statements

I had a friend who was one of the brightest people I have ever met who read her horoscope everyday, she claimed they were accurate. I suspect she was having some fun at my expense given how bright she was, I can't believe she really put stock in horoscopes.

Horoscopes like most personality profiles are nothing more than Barnum statements. Which are statements of subjective validation in which a person finds personal meaning although the statements themselves apply to many people. This effect was named after nonother than P. T. Barnum, who of course said "There is a sucker born every minute".

Examples of typical Barnum statements are:

• You have a great need for other people to like and admire you
• At times you have serious doubts whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.
• You tend to be too self critical
• You’re an independent and creative thinker
• You do not accept what others tell you to believe
• Some of your goals seem to be a little unrealistic

The list goes on and on and on.

These types of statements apply to most everyone and of course people see themselves within such statements. Barnum statements are used by psychics and astrologers of all creeds to great success, mostly because people want to believe in such rubbish.

Literally astrology can be defined as the system of beliefs in which knowledge of the relative positions of celestial bodies is used to interpret, predict and organize information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters.

The astrological charts which modern astrologers use are based upon Ptolemaic tables, which is funny, because Ptolemy left out one of the original signs of the Zodiac which the Babylonians orginally included in their charts when they created this bullshit 4300 years ago...the other really funny thing about these tables, is that they are still used today...if the stars really did have magical effects on our lives, the predictors would still be wrong as their charts have not been updated to reflect the 5 days difference between where stars actually are versus where the charts say they are....oh and for those people who love their newspaper/website horoscope you might be shocked to know these are now created by software which uses random Barnum statements.

Megan Fox - The New Angelina?

I was hanging out with the girls at the spa, when the topic of Megan Fox came up, and one woman commented how everyone thought Megan Fox was the new Angelina Jolie...I normally could give a fuck about such things...but this is so stupid even I need to comment.

Lets compare the two...

Angelina Jolie won a best actress oscar in 2000 and was nominated for another in 2009, shes won 3 Golden Globes, and Megan Fox has...well not...

Angelina Jolie has appeared in over 30 films, several critically acclaimed...Megan Fox was in Transformers.

Megan Fox dated Justin Green...this should pretty much say all that there is. Oh ya, Angelina Jolie hangs out with Brad Pitt...

Angelina also does a little charity work with the UN as a special ambassador...while Megan Fox I hear has seen a globe once.

And really, lets be honest, woman 30+ are way sexier and appealing than 20 somethings...in all cases...

Dreams

All people dream, but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

-D.H.Lawrence

Regrets

My son often brings up hard subjects, he asked me the other day if I had any regrets. Pretty hard question coming from a 7 year old!

I think over the last 3 years I have a couple of pretty major regrets, that are related. I regret wasting so much of my life behind the computer. I think its fair to say I developed a pretty bad video game addiction which sucked away years of my life. I of course had a great justification for my addiction, 'escapism'...getting away from lifes very real and very large stresses. Of course, hiding from lifes problems makes the problems worse not better.

I think the allure of game addiction is strong, and in the end it does nothing but damage ones life and relationships. I have blown up thousands of internet spaceships, conquered hundreds of dungeons...and....so fucking what?! All of those victories and losses mean nothing...I can say all of that time was truly wasted, I have not one thing to show for all of the time I spent wasting away behind the computer, not one.

The other real regret I have is that I have been so passive in my life. I have spent years waiting around for life to happen to me rather than working towards the life I want.

I am the king of self justification, always blaming other peoples actions or inactions for me not working towards the life I want. I know alot of people do the same, blaming their own actions or more correctly inactions on what others do or dont do, its always someone elses fault!!! Frankly its bullshit...if you want something out of life, you need to go after it and work on it...

Music

Remember when bands put out great albums? Like the guys pictures above who put out album after album of awesome tunes. Perhaps Im just getting old, but where are the new epic albums? I hear a new song and think thats's pretty good, then I check out the album and find it has one or two good songs and the rest...well meh!

Its both fun and sad to sit around and chat music with people of my generation, listening to some of those old great bands. I wonder if I am just missing the point with new artists...but I do like specific songs, just not whole albums...well mostly not even 1/2 an album.

I guess I am really showing my age by even calling it an album!! Talking music is still one of my absolulte favorite things.

Brake Lights

I grew up in the far north in Canada, with the closest town 90 minutes away. We often found ourselves driving on the old mountain road alone, not seeing another car for the entire trip. Late at night when driving, it was always sort of a relief seeing brake lights of a car ahead, knowing that we weren't the only ones out there.

I was driving home late one night last week, and the roads were very quiet, ahead of me I could see the brake lights of another car in the distance. For a brief second a wave of comfort fell over me...I had the same feeling which I had as a child seeing brake lights in the distance. It was a very nice feeling, that safety one feels in childhood...it was a flicker then gone...it put me in a good mood...the speeding ticket I had gotten earlier in the evening entirely forgotten.

The feelings of childhood are so special...its a shame we don't see it until we are so much older.

Raven Hair

Raven haired beauty
Bright blue eyes, I cannot meet her gaze
Asking hard questions

Play ground at night, posing for a picture
She won't smile
Ever so serious
It turns out better this way
A bottle of wine
Morning caught us unaware

Old wounds still bleed
Trust again?
Those blue eyes make it hard to resist
Her perfume on my clothes
here I go
again...