Wow - CD's still exist!!

Yesterday I did something that I haven't done in literally about 4 or 5 years and that is buying a CD. I debated buying the album on iTunes but decided that I'd like to have a physical copy of the CD. I guess I was feeling a little nostalgic and I really like the band so I wanted to support them. The band in case you're curious is the Offspring and this is their latest album Days go by.

Walking into the HMV was quite surreal because I haven't been in one in a couple years and I was surprised how different it was, there were DVDs (which didn't surprise me) and CDs (duh) but there was so much other stuff. T-shirts, books, and even Angry Birds mugs. Really?

This will probably be the last CD I ever buy (unless someone wants one as a gift). The technology is dead and gone. Apple has made sure that we never need to buy a CD ever again and other than the cover art I totally get it.

Three years of silence!

I was taking a look at all of my sites (I have a couple) reviewing what's there and what to do with everything essentially I was just trying to figure out if I wanted to continue them and I found this site my very first blog. Yes this little personal site is my first foray into blogging and its thrilling and exciting that I'm surprised it hasn't blossomed further. Before anyone comments on the self deprecating nature of my comments this is a sad little blog though it definitely doesn't need to be.

I realized that it's been about three years since I last wrote on here. Wow has a lot changed since I first wrote on this blog and even since I wrote my last post. This site is also over 7 years old which is long; the world was so different when i started it.

Its strange when a simple blog can spur a whole litany of thoughts and musings about what has and what hasn't happened. Three years ago I was a new father just barely getting any sleep with a newborn in the house (well mostly newborn). Now she's running around like a maniac driving us to distraction. I miss having this venting spot... and the reality is I never lost it I just got absorbed in everything else in my life.

I'm not sure what to do with this little site because I want to keep it but I'm not sure what to write; though I'm sure if I started writing again I could definitely come up with things. Its just not really the same site as before. Maybe the idea will be to just start writing?

I don't get a lot of traffic on here (for obvious reasons) and maybe I should take advantage of that and just write what comes to mind? Most of it won't be exciting but at least it will get me writing again.

Random Thoughts and Musings

Many moons ago I started writing on this blog, back in April of 2005 to be exact which makes this blog a little over 4 years old. A lot has happened since I started writing here and a lot has changed. Now don't worry I'm not about to go into a big monolog about what has and what has not happened since then (mostly because that would take me too long to write and frankly I'm being lazy at the moment).

The net result is I am no longer the same person I was when I started writing here and my goals and thoughts are a lot different. One constant is I am still me. I still have goals, I still work, and I still function as part of society. I guess I have undergone a lot of change since I started writing this blog and I think I am slowly starting to get a better grip on who I am and what I want to do.

If you're reading this question a very simple question probably popped into your mind: why the fuck would I care? Well having a good understanding of yourself and where you want to go can mean the difference between being successful and just getting along. I'm still in the latter but less so day by day and year by year.

I've always liked having this site around, mostly because it was my first blog and like the first person you sleep with there is some weird twisted attachement that has formed. I just don't want to get rid of it and I have never pretended that it is anything other than a personal blog so I can vent and rant and just go off on random topics kind of like this one. This site is my own personal soap box unassociated from well pretty much anything else I do.

I am not sure yet what if anything this means for this little blog other than I'm not about to delete it... yet... I have contemplated deleting the posts and starting fresh and linking to everything else I do online. Still up in the air about that. I guess in a strange sort of way I'm just asserting that this is my own little space that no one can get at and its important to have.

Changes and balance

Over the past couple weeks... actually I would even say over the past couple months I have really be noticing change. And I am not speaking about myself but change in general. I drive past places that I have driven past for years and things just look different. Change is probably one of the few constants in life yet we all cling to the things that are static.

I see people who do the same things over and over again living their lives in almost a bubble. They don't care about the world they don't care about anything (at least this is what it seems like). They spend years going to work coming home, watching TV and then doing it all over again. Their lives are spend doing virtually nothing yet all around us change happens.

Unless you live in a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere its hard not to notice changes. The face of the city I live in has changed. There are more buildings around now than there were even 10 years ago. I see all of this change and think about that proverbial person who sits at home night in night out watching TV doing nothing. I don't want to be that person.

At times I feel like I have wasted tons of time doing meaningless things and then at others I see that I have accomplished a fair bit. The reality is probably somewhere in the middle. Could I have done more with my life up until now? Of course I could have but I can also say I've accomplished a few things and enjoyed life and experienced it.

Being very cognizant of change makes me want to accomplish more; there are ideas that pop into my head yet when it comes time to doing something about them the scope of the idea and the effort involved seems like too much and in the end not much gets done. Breaking the ideas down and keeping at them for a while will work but again its making that effort. Its hard finding that balance but then again to really accomplish change should there really be any balance? I'm starting to think that from time to time you need to forgo the balance and take the chance for change.

I think its time to take some of these ideas and make some changes. Keeping everything balanced is fine but if it means you come home and sit down watching the TV night in, night out might not be worth it. The reality of the effort and change doesn't have to be profound. To take an hour out of each day to work on a project might be a lot so for arguments sake say you only spend 30 minutes a day. At the end of the year you'll have spent 182.5 hours working on that project (its the equivalent of almost 5 work weeks). Unless you're trying to build a house that time can really add up to some thing. You can keep the balance to some degree but don't forsake change.

Quiet

I don't remember the last time I sat quietly and did pretty much nothing. For the last half an hour I've been sitting with the baby napping in her swing. The humidifier is going in the background and a train just went by. I haven't had this much quiet in a while. I normally don't notice the fact that the humidifier is going other than to put some water into it.

There is too much hussle and bussle in life its nice to occasionally get a reminder to stop and pause. This type of pause really forces me to realize that a lot of the stresses and seriousness of life is imagined or imposed. How important are all of those emails you spent all day procrastinating about?

I have enjoyed my moment of silence and I'm going to try including them more often in my days.

I'm bored of winter already

Normally you'd never hear me say something like that but I'm getting a tad bored of the cold weather and lots of snow. I know this is something I should be used to but over the past couple winters there has been a lot more snow that normal and I think I'm starting to feel the winter blahs. I've never given it much creedence but this year I'm really looking forward to some warmer weather.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the baby has really kept us at home and not doing much, other than looking after her. Maybe it's something else but I am definitely ready to shed the winter jacket. I still think the snow is pretty and I think I will always like winter but for whatever reason this year I just need a warm break - too bad that's not planned till next winter.

Do you get the winter blahs? What do you do about them?

Happy New Years!!!!!

Happy 2009 everyone I know almost no one comes to this blog anymore but I don't write much so that doesn't surprise me. If you do happen to stumble on this blog or happen to be one of the few people that have keep me on your RSS list I hope you have a great 2009. I'm hoping that this year isn't as fucking crazy as last year for me. 2 Jobs, a new house, and most importantly a baby make for a really busy year. I just want this year to slow down a bit so I can enjoy it.