Tuesday, November 1, 2011

On Work...

"No man has made a great success of his life, or a fit preparation for immortality, by doing merely his duty. He must do that—and more. If he puts love into his work, the ‘more’ will be easy." -William George Jordan

College Football Week 9 Review

Michigan handled Purdue easily at their Homecoming, and moved up to #13 in the polls. And, a big upset came out the ACC, as Georgia Tech beat previously unbeaten Clemson. In Games I Care About, I was 7-1. In Big Games I was 2-1. The weekend record was 9-2, which brings the overall record to 66-21.

A White Halloween

I'm sure you've heard about the Nor'easter that hit New England this weekend. In New Hampshire, we got 6" of snow, several trees fell on power lines, and we have been without power since 7:45 Saturday night. Thankfully, since power outages are so common in New Hampshire, we have a generator and haven't totally been living in the dark. The last count I heard was that over 400,000 people in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are still without power. Obviously, that's taken a big hit on my entertainment level.

It seems that the first phrase that kids learn is, "I'm bored." As an adult, I'm still feeling the same way, but the difference is that now, I'm old enough, and smart enough, not to complain about it. Being able to entertain yourself is a sign of maturity, and education. The educated person is smart enough to find things to do to entertain themselves. This might be reading a book, learning a new hobby, or finally getting to work on those chores that have been needing to get done. Granted, reading by flashlight is a little trickier, but can still be done.

Then again, I don't have much room to talk. I still have my iPhone, which keeps me connected to everything. And, there is the generator at home, so we can still have a warm house, and take showers. Last night we even watched a couple of DVD's for entertainment.


Friday, October 28, 2011

Song of the Day

Today's song is All the Above by Maino ft. T Pain.

College Football Week 9 Picks

Unfortunately, I didn't get this written in time to pick the Virginia game last night, but they beat Miama (FL) 28-21. Michigan has homecoming this week, as they host the Purdue Boilermakers, and Georgia and Florida renew their rivarly.

Games I Care About:
Purdue at #18 Michigan > Michigan
Illinois at #19 Penn State > Penn State
Wake Forest at North Carolina > North Carolina
Ole Miss at #23 Auburn > Auburn
Kansas at #24 Texas > Texas
Cal at UCLA > UCLA
Mississippi State at Kentucky > Mississippi State
#5 Clemson at Georgia Tech > Clemson

Big Games:
#11 Michigan State at #14 Nebraska > Nebraska
#9 Oklahoma at #8 Kansas State > Oklahoma
#22 Georgia vs. Florida > Florida

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Song of the Day

Today's song is Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Modern Day Dating

The dating world has clearly changed in the past, even 5 years. Courtship used to be a guy asked a girl on a date, and then they would date, or be "going steady." Over time, terms changed, and people started "going out."  Things were much more simple, and it was a heck of a lot easier to know where you stood your significant other. Now it's so confusing that it's tempting to use Google Maps to navigate your way through the dating world.

A lot of this change has to do with the emergence of Facebook, and other social networking sites. Steps in a relationship online and quickly, if they aren't already, becoming more important than steps in a relationship that are happening together, in person. You know, in real life. To try to help with some of the confusion that now takes place on the road that is dating, here's a list of the 5 different stages of the modern relationship.

1. The Meeting
Obviously, the first thing is you will meet someone. It could be anywhere: at a party, at work, a mutual friend will introduce you, an online dating site, or the bar. Although, I don't think many relationships that start in bars last more than 24 hours. And, according to those Match.com commercial's, 1 in 5 relationships now begin on an online dating site. I'll be honest, I've taken a look at online dating sites, and, no, not everyone on there is creepy or desperate.

2. We're "talking"
Does anyone even know an actual definition for this stage? I don't. I just know it's one of those phrases people use early on. I guess I would call it the phase in between meeting and actually going on a few dates, but many will disagree with me and say it's the stage of going on those early dates. I think most people who use this term, though, just can't admit to themselves that they're stuck in a friends with benefits situation when they really want something more.

3. Dating
This one is a little more obvious. It's the process of going on dates, spending one-on-one time together, to see if there's the interest in a long term relationship. For me, the dating stage is an exclusive stage, but again, I know not everyone agrees with me. At some point, you'll have to have the " are we exclusive?" talk with your partner. To me, the exclusivity is another part of the distinction between "talking" and dating.

4. Relationship
This one is obviously exclusive. Unless you're in one of those "swinger/open relationship" type deals. This is where the terms boyfriend and girlfriend start getting used. Instead of just going out on dates, your partner will now accompany you to family events, and hang outs than include large groups of your friends. You may also have a grocery/laundry buddy now.

5. FBO
"Facebook Official." When you think about it, it's a little sad that an online social network is now the epitome of defining a relationship, but there it is. Heaven forbid, that person you knew in high school, but were really only just a passing aquaintence with anyway, doesn't know that you're now in a relationship. The FBO status can take shape in many forms: a tagged picture together, a profile picture of the two of you, and the big one, the changed relationship status.

Even if you know the steps, which aren't the same for every relationship, knowing which step you're at can be a confusing thing on it's own. The best advice I can give is to talk to your partner about where he or she thinks the relationship is at, and where it is heading. It's always best to be on the same page.