Author: cheerfulchaotic

Questions for you:
What are your dreams for your life?

What are you doing right now to make those dreams happen?

I have so many… I live my life in the subjunctive voice, the dreams, the maybes, the possible futures, the fantastic unrealities.

The biggest one to change the world for the good of all (hopefully humanity inclusive, but not exclusively so). Hopelessly idealistic (what a strange phrase, why would anyone hope to not be idealistic?), but tres rewarding. I’m accomplishing this in little bits and pieces (aclu volunteering, supporting friends through rough times, blah, blah, blah), but I want to do this in large pieces. I want to support myself by doing it in the long run. To that end, I am working on my education (yay research, yay grad school).

Other dreams include biking across America, becoming fluent in multiple languages (spanish, ASL, and chinese being my top 3 choices in decending order of preference), becoming an expert on human organizational patterns and teaching, finding (a) guy(s) I really connect with, and building a life together. Becoming an expert martial artist. Raising up a little girl, and teaching her how to be an expert martial artist, computer technician, handy w/ tools, etc. Write a novel, preferrably, deep, and involved, expressive of the human condition that is as thought provoking to write as it is to read. Oh yeah, and help colonize mars or the asteroid belt, or something like that.

Are you letting yourself feel happiness right now or do you think you can’t be happy until your dreams come true?

Most likely not all of my dreams will come true, but that’s not what you asked. I feel happiness each time I act in accordance with, or advance towards these goals. Which is probably why they’re my goals =)

The things that make me happy generally fall into one (or more) of a very few somewhat interrelated categories: improving myself (physically, mentally, emotionally), being physically active (climbing, swimming, biking, lifting, etc), interacting/being with people to whom I feel well connected, connecting to people with natures that harmonize with mine, learning something new/exploring a new place, making something for otherns or helping someone else do any of the above. The ‘simple’ pleasures (food, drink, sex, featherbeds, etc) don’t do alot for me in and of themselves. I used to be all about games, (strategy games, Master of Orion 2, Scrabble, rpg’s), but unless they fall under the above, they’re mostly just killing time.

Enh, that’s about it for now. Betchya this is too long for the comment length limitations (I was wrong 😉

Quizes are evil…

A few ideas to start off with: Giving money to charitable causes is a noble activity. Rewarding successful raisers of funds (as in people, not activities) is certainly on the up and up, so long as the rewarding doesn’t consume a significant proportion of the resources raised by the parties being rewarded. In certain reward events, where there would be a high demand for participation, it makes sense to restrict it to parties who have met certain criteria. A sensible organization does this in such a way as to maximize benefit to the cause.

I know that, neglecting transportational expenditures to get me & my bike to & from the start point, I could afford the bike from boston to ptown for significantly less than my entry fee, even without the economies of scale, and the corporate sponsorship that large crowds can draw. Therefore, it’s pretty clear that I’m not asking others to “fund my vacation” (see previously stated con-artist perspective), but to actually help out with a noble cause.

This, of course, doesn’t help with the actual donations, but it does put me in a far better frame of mind for fundraising.

So, the aclu database is about as spiffy as I know how to make it. I mean, the graphical layout sucks, but the fields, and forms, and linkages between forms and all that fun stuff is now copacetic.

And they want me to help out with another one soon. =) It’s nice to be appreciated.

Bleh.

I may have to bail on the bikeathon. It’s expensive to get out there, and the minimum donation to raise would cost me more than the plane ticket at present (I’m extraordinarily bad at fundraising). Plus it’s days off work that are rare and precious to me. <ponder, ponder, ponder>

Finished PatternMaster. Good book. Did some dishes (yay dishwasher). Went skating along the eliza furnace trail with Laura & Nat. Must find regular partners for such workouts who are also entertaining conversationalists. Makes everything so much easier =)

Came back to the office, and have slacked for several hours. =) Might actually want to do my homework and/or study for my spanish quiz tomorrow soon.

Dinner would be good too =)

Later, folks.

I had trouble sleeping for no readily apparent reason. But, then I got up, hitched a ride with kaote and her squeeze to ‘s and ef2p‘s wedding. It was a loooong ride. Much conversation ensued on the way there. We discussed gender roles, stereotyping, leadership, war, military life, sexuality, history, and the social machinations of the group through which I met Elissa.

Eventually, I settled down and made major progress through PatternMaster by Octavia Butler, which I like, and which does do a good job of conveying her recurring themes of oppression, control, independence and hope. It’s a rough mix, but she manages it well.

The wedding was beautiful, the hupa and the contract were beautiful. The mountainous background was stunning, especially as the sun was setting. It was good to see them, and to join them in celebrating their commitment. Also good to see other friends whom I never see (such as meerkat299 and shimmeringjemmy) Dinner was tasty and surprisingly vegan friendly. I ended up sitting with friends, despite some mixup that left me without a seating card (whoops), probably because I RSVPed reaaallly late =) I danced a bit with Barbara, but had a serious headache, so I went out to the car to lay down for a bit. Ended up being more than a bit, but I came back somewhat refreshed.

I met a few interesting people. Ended up hitching a ride home with a friend of Cortney’s, and his family (I was more on their way than I was on kaote’s. Unusual fellow, must chat with at some point.)

Friday and saturday were spent quickly cleaning the apartment (and may I say that regan and I did an amazing job given, all things considered). Prepared dinner for party on Saturday. Failed to prepare in terms of dishes and silverware. Also, inadequate lighting. Bleh.

long and involved

So, I may be trimming people off my friends list soon. And I would like to make two points.

1. Friends is an idiotic thing to call the group. Subscriptions is more accurate.
2. Just because I crossed you off my subscriptions list doesn’t mean I don’t like you, I think you’re boring, or I think you’re a bad person.