Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog #45: Early Sunsets, Metal Pile Mayhem, Food Coma, etc.

 

1. It always makes me feel like I’m up to no good when sitting in my car in a beach parking lot after dark. Maybe because plenty of times I used to be up to no good. At this time of year though with the sunset at about 4:20(nice), it is possible to sit in a dark secluded beach parking lot at 5pm. That’s still a good chunk of daylight when in the summer. Yet there I am sitting in the parking lot wondering if I should move on before the cops come and yell. Part of me still feels like I’m 18.

2. There was a momentarily fun flashback this week in an unexpected way. I needed to finally throw away an old mini-fridge that had been sitting in a storage area where I live for years. Ripping the door off of it to be allowed to throw it away at the local dump was fun. When I got there to toss it I had flashbacks as I had to put the fridge body in one area. The door and any insides needed to be thrown into the neighboring metal pile. Way back in the 90s several friends and I used to frequent the metal pile. We lived nearby plus it was in a different area of the dump. We used to sneak through the woods and then perform acts of mayhem like whipping rocks into the televisions. You know, teenage boy crap. No, I didn’t try to smash any TVs this time but the memories did flood back.

Memories of mayhem.

3. It’s a bit disheartening when I share thoughts and problems in my life. Rather than friends and family being understanding and supportive it ends up being a pissing match. It seems to always be one of those ‘Oh you think that’s bad, well here’s what’s going on in my life.’ I typically end up as everyone’s sounding board but when it’s time for me to vent there’s no one to listen. I hate being so closed off as I feel now but it’s like why reach out when it seems like nobody is willing to give, only take. I am learning not to expect what you give in return.

4. A random question I needed to find an answer to was: Where do seagulls sleep? The reason why? I was at the beach shooting the sunset and the parking lot was packed with dozens of gulls hanging out. Even right after the sun went down they were like little white dots all over the pavement. Then seemingly out of nowhere, they all were gone. I figured after dark they all go to a more secluded spot and sleep while a few stand guard. That’s kind of true as I found in my research. I just found it interesting that the beach went from seagull party to empty in a snap. As my Uncle Steve would say, they all did their ‘Irish goodbyes.’ That just means leaving quietly before anyone notices.

5. It’s amazing and a bit overwhelming to stop and think about how different your life would be had you made different choices. For me, I can think off the top of my head of at least a dozen pivotal moments in my life where if I’d gone left instead of right my life would look so different. These choices could be certain people, jobs, or things that were said. Also, not all of these choices necessarily would have made my life better. Some of them I think would have led to other multiple choice questions. It’s kind of like standing on a road and the road splinters off, and again, and again, until it’s like a huge spiderweb.

So many different roads.

6. A change of scenery can really lead to a change of mind. I always find that going to the college library to write and work on content is a far more rewarding experience than doing it at home. I don’t know if it’s because I associate the library with my time there as a student so I know when I’m in the library it’s work time? Maybe I feel I need to step my game up when surrounded by people there trying to better themselves? Whatever it is I do enjoy it and need to make it more of a part of my habit like it was years ago.

7. For 15 years since my Nana died I had owned several of her belongings because I wanted things to remember her. I have her old crossword puzzle pen, her old gigantic television, and the stand it came on that my Uncle Eric had to saw parts of the sides off of so the TV would fit. I also had her microwave. Finally this week I decided to upgrade and get a new microwave. There were loads of Black Friday deals so I got a good price. I went to Best Buy in the Cape Cod Mall. The funny thing was that the microwave was too small to need help bringing it out to my car but too big for it to be a simple task. I ended up heaving it up onto my shoulder and walking out like that, keeping one hand free to show the employee at the front my receipt so they didn’t think I was just stealing microwaves.

8. I don’t know what is more crowded. Is it the local stores on Black Friday? Or is it the local gym on Black Friday filled with people feeling guilty about how much food they ate on Thanksgiving? I’d think you’d be safer being at the crowded gym where you can only get a dumbbell dropped on your foot. In a crowded store, you might get stabbed by some crazy parent who wants the last doll on a shelf. I’ll stick to online shopping thank you.

9. Fun fact, it takes roughly 20-30 minutes of eating before your brain recognizes it’s full. Another fun fact, on Thanksgiving I did not heed this warning from my mother. When I say it was the most painful type of being full I’d ever experienced I am not lying. It felt like I had a cinder block lodged in my ribs and stomach. It was almost comical how terrible I felt, more so after I started feeling better a few hours later. I had to stand outside on my mom’s deck for a while trying to stay upright until my body could start digesting. Believe me, all of the food my mom made was amazing. That’s the main reason I was stuffed like a beached whale.

How I felt on Thanksgiving.

10. The places might change, and the guest list might change, but the feelings of thankfulness and gratefulness don’t change for me. The older I get I appreciate even more having those times to get together with family and friends. Thanksgiving is of course a day of food as you could tell from the entry above. However, I’d take just hanging with family and friends with no food over eating until I can’t move by myself. Of course, a mix of both is always good as well.

Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog: #29: Running or Robbery?, Camcorder Fails, Stuffing Dreams, etc.

1. I saw a woman running one afternoon this week. She was definitely a unique runner. She was dressed appropriately, with a t-shirt, shorts, and even some K-tape around her right knee. Okay so far. Then I noticed she was wearing a neck brace, and also carrying a brown paper bag in her right arm. Was she running? Or running away from a place that she just robbed?

2. Is it just me, or is the process of streaming starting to look an awful lot like cable television? With cable, you’ve got certain shows and movies on certain networks. On streaming it is getting more like that. This means that just like you do with cable you need more channels/platforms to see all you want to see. It’s like entertainment companies found another way to keep the ‘cord cutters’ paying through the nose.

3. There are numerous times I feel like I made a wish to be a writer on a Monkey’s Paw. In short, a Monkey's Paw refers to making a wish where it comes true but with some unforeseen circumstances. For me, my portfolio as a writer on its own is pretty good. Pretty good meaning I accomplish just enough to keep me chasing this dream, but not enough for me to fulfill the dream. Not saying I’m thinking of giving up, more that I am aware of the chase I’ve been on oh these last many years.

Me, wishing to be a successful writer/content creator.

4. I’ve been brainstorming the idea of turning this blog into a shorter video podcast. I finally broke down and bought a vlogging camcorder. I figured that would be a good place to start. The problem? Nearly all of these vlogging camcorders look identical yet have different accessories. I ended up ordering one I thought was close enough to what I wanted. However either I clicked on the wrong product or Amazon just said ‘They all look the same he won’t know,’ and sent me a different one. It didn’t have a microphone or battery charger. Plus when I checked my order this particular camera had a 2-star average review, the one I wanted was a 4.6 average. It has already been sent back.

5. I notice that every time I type in ‘food coma’ into my phone it wants to correct to ‘good coma.’ I guess if there is a such thing as a good coma it would be one caused by eating too much delicious food.

Food coma, good coma, it's all the same.

6. Waiting on UPS to pick up a package to return is very similar to the old days of waiting for the cable guy to show up. ‘Oh sure we’ll be there today between 7a and 5p better make sure you clear your schedule because we’ll knock quietly once and then run back to the truck.’ I was afraid to even go downstairs to check the laundry for too long just in case those 30 seconds were when the driver pulled up.

7. At the grocery store I was walking down an aisle and there were 3 teenage boys buying soda. One of them turned to me and told me how much he liked my shirt. I was wearing a plain black t-shirt so I thought he was being a smart ass which was fine I was a kid once too. Only when I passed by them again did I see he was also wearing a plain black T-shirt. There was no big ‘bro out’ but I did give him a nod of approval which is just as good.

8. Sad that this had to be said but to those who work in ICU at the hospital try to be nice to the people coming to visit their sick/injured loved ones. I get that it must be a tough job but nobody goes to ICU for a fun day. Yelling at me and my cousin while we chatted briefly in the entranceway was not called for. She and I were comparing notes about her very sick father (my uncle) and were essentially trading shifts of sitting with him. I wanted badly to say something to this rude woman but it wouldn’t have helped anything so I just left without saying anything.

9. I have to ask why do they not make Stove Top stuffing microwave cups? Rice A Roni has them, and Velveeta Shells and Cheese has them. It makes sense to do Stove Top next. Granted it’s not hard to make stuffing by just heating water but that’s beside the point. Also, I think if they did come out with a microwave Stove Top I’d balloon out like a whale with cups of stuffing, rice, and mac and cheese surrounding my easy chair.

10. I have been practicing French using Duolingo for probably a little over 2 months. I took French for 4 years in school and wondered how much of the language might come back. I can say honestly that reading, repeating, and writing French has all come back to where I feel pretty smart. However, actually speaking it is different. Not like I have any reason to speak French in my daily life but when I’m out I try to imagine conversations in my head and it’s tough. Does anyone out there who speaks, or is trying to learn, a second language have the same issue?