Thursday's Points to Ponder

Thursday is upon us. I must say, this week has flown by, for me anyway.

We've all heard the expression "A dog is a man's best friend." I hate cheesy cliches like that, but that one is so true. As you all know I got Bruce in April. I've posted his picture and many stories about him over the past 6+ months. He's been nothing but a joy in my life. Some of you might be thinking why is this dude getting all sentimental over a dog? Let me just say this, unlike people, a dog does not let you down. Sure Bruce has had his "bad" moments over the last 6+ months where he has had an accident in the house or misbehaved a little, but a dog is loyal. For those of you who have pets, you understand. They don't lie to you, they don't pretend to be someone they aren't, they are appreciative, grateful, and dependable. For that, Bruce gets rewarded with many treats, you've seen his Skippy peanut butter picture in the past, here are his Redi-Whip pictures. Bruce sees a can of Redi-Whip and goes crazy, just like I do when I see a good looking girl with a Redi-Whip can.



Dessert Time in Long Beach 


More C-Mac, Don't be cheap! 

Hope that made everyone smile a bit. Now on to today's "serious" topic.

Technology is great, don't get me wrong, but there's nothing like hearing someone's voice or seeing someone you care about rather than staring at a screen typing an IM or reading an e-mail. Why is it that a good portion of the population makes a habit of hiding behind computer screens to communicate? I am not talking about the blog friends, the people that live far away, or the casual friend, I am talking about the people who claim to really love or care about you. Is it laziness or do they really not care as much as they claim?

I have someone in my life that claims she cares about me, even claims she loves me. I won't mention names. Yet, for the past three weeks or so, I haven't heard much from this person. I got an e-mail explaining to me that she has not called because she does not get a signal (or enough "bars") on her phone in her apartment anymore. I know she does not have a "land" line and that her cell phone is her only phone. I just find it hard to believe that in the course of 3+ weeks, this person has not driven to and from work, to a store, or anywhere else where there were enough "bars" to get a signal and make a call. It shows me where I rank on their importance scale. Granted, I like my e-mail and IM buddies, but I think my relationship with this person is deeper and far beyond e-mails and IM's. But then again, the only time this person ever poured out her feelings to me or told me anything really deep was via e-mail, so maybe my expectations are too high of her. The Sugar V has been telling me for over a year now that I expect everyone to be like me and that my expectations of people are way too high, you know what? He is right once again.

Even in the dating world, what's up with all the texting? Sure for something cute or trivial, texting saves time and long, drawn out conversations, but to make plans or for something substantial, I still believe in hearing someone's voice and having a conversation. It's no wonder why we have so many social misfits walking amongst us, people are so used to hiding behind computer screens and text messages. It's just so impersonal. What's next, Text Sex? People will be too fuckin' lazy to even have phone sex.

The problem with e-mails, texts, and IM's.....no tone of voice, no body language, no expression, just words on a screen that can be taken 10 different ways by the reader. How many times have you typed something that was taken the wrong way by someone because maybe you were being funny or sarcastic or whatever? It creates tension and misunderstandings way too often.

My point, if you care about someone, pick up the phone or make plans to see them, it means a lot more than you will ever know. Although IM, e-mail, and texting is convenient, save those methods for people who are your casual friends. If you care about someone, really care about someone, pick up the phone or stop by and let them know.

"You are only as good as your last outing" is one of my favorite expressions, thanks Kev. How true is that? You can go above and beyond for people for long periods of time, but in many cases you are only as good as your last outing with people. They only remember the last thing you did, not the 1000 things before. It's like when you say or do something they don't necessarily agree with, rather than call you out on it like an adult, debate the issue, resolve it, and move forward with even more respect for each other, they judge and hold a grudge against you and that's it. The million great things you did and demonstrated before that, gets forgotten and your whole being is defined and judged by the one thing that someone did not agree with you on. It's absurd. It's true in the workplace, in relationships, in friendships, everywhere, it is sad.

I will finish this long post by saying, I really do like people. I still look for the good in people and I do whatever I can and beyond for the people I love. But over the years, I've come to realize that people, for the most part, have their own agendas. I've been naive for a long time thinking people have my best interests in mind, most don't. It goes back to what the Sugar V said, and has continued to say over the past year, my expectations of people are way too high. I am hoping he turns out to be wrong in the long run.