Bryan’s Blog

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I could write a detailed post on etiquette (which is coming) or something else design or music related. Instead, I present to you a LOL that had me laughing out loud, instantly and at length.

I frequently read LOLcats and can highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. This one really caught my eye today (and yes I’m a little behind).

It’s exactly for that reason I put my toothbrush into my linen closet and no longer leave it on the counter. Paranoid? Probably justified.
I also particularly liked this one.

Am I the only suburbanite who thinks the whole concept is incredibly funny and horribly wrong all at the same time?

It’s been a busy week with Holy Week and everything else. I will write more in depth later, but right now I just wanted to include a small quote.

“The hardest thing in this life is to live in it.” — Buffy Summers, “The Gift” (Joss Whedon)

Anyone who has watched the show will understand. For those who haven’t, don’t worry. I happen to enjoy life quite a bit right now, but that statement is still true. There is nothing harder to do in life than get out of bed every morning and breathe, and most of us can do that just fine. Anything else that seems impossible is merely difficult and perhaps highly improbable, but that does not mean we should not try. Give ourselves to everything we do, give 100 per cent. As a Russian figure skating coach character says in The Cutting Edge “Halfway is bullshit.” Or in a bit more geek-speak: “Do or do not. There is no try.”

If we cannot give what we do everything we are, if we cannot have passion, if we cannot believe strongly in life and love and everything else…maybe it’s time to consider something else. If you don’t love your job, find another one. If you don’t have passion for your hobbies, why even bother?

I believe that giving your whole being to something or someone doesn’t mean you have nothing left. We are remarkable creatures and giving your whole self to an idea or belief or person means only that you have more to discover. Every time we fall in love we find that, amazingly, we can love more than we thought. Every time there is an addition to our family that capability to love increases. There is no end to it, and that’s true of everything we are, everything we do. Unfortunately, it’s also true for negative emotions. The more we give in to them, the more they can enter our lives and control us. It is a choice we make, though it can be a very difficult choice. At times it may not even seem like a choice to us, just to those around us. As someone who was ruled by negativity for too long, I can attest that it is challenging to rise above it. But if you have a support network, and truly understanding and loving people, you can overcome negativity and begin to move toward the world of life and giving (instead of hatred and taking).

Have you given yourself to something today?

I’ve now been back from Italy for over a week and I still have not managed to feel accomplished. It’s amazing how easy it is to fall into a negative pattern. I know exactly what needs to be finished, but the energy is lacking. I would imagine having the flu on the front half of the trip didn’t help any. I would still like to be in the swing, though.

Some things are going very well. I’ve reconnected with my friends and family in positive ways. I’ve nearly worked my way through the stack of magazines and correspondence. I even managed finally to consolidate my remote controls (that may not seem like a significant thing, but they were owning my coffee table). I still need two, but the universal remote almost controls everything now.

I just feel like jet lag has affected my abilities in strange ways (for me). I’m not tired, but yet the motivation to accomplish the mundane has been removed. It’s not like I’m living in filth, but I’m not exactly running to the duster, either. My work for my clients continues at its usual level. It’s almost like just the things for myself are lacking.

How do you fight jet lag that isn’t jet lag?

Well I’m back from my trip to Italy. It was a great time and I learned a number of things and had many wonderful experiences. The world premiere of my piece in Rome went well and all the singing sounded amazing. More details to come as I get over jet lag and catch up on everything I’ve missed in the past 10 days.

I am about to embark on the largest journey of my life. I’m off to Italy for 10 days. There’ll be just a bit of silence here while I’m gone on a much-needed vacation and choir tour. See you all when I return. Ciao.