Aphorisisms & the Hesitant, Timid Writer

I have always loved Nietzsche’s writings, but not until I started this Blog did I truly recognize the complexity of his work; to convey philosophy through aphorisms. It is, for some reason, so easy to talk about an idea out loud with passion and to do it while another person is right there sitting with you provoking you to push the story forward. Maybe it is easier because you are able to wiggle through the holes in the statements you make or because you are less critical of yourself when you know your mistakes will be lost in time and not in black and white to later be scrutinized by a passerby — the cost is that any of your good substance will be lost in the shuffle.

I am struggling with becoming any level of what can be called a writer and my greatest hurdle is talking through a written medium. Not burdening myself with the need to explain every point that comes up that has some relevant story behind it or to be too verbose, to somehow incorporate my passions and stream of conscious into written form, to have an open dialog within the writing (maybe add a character to debate with) and to not be so critical of posting anything no matter how dumb it may feel.

This I suppose is the next chapter to my first Blog post “My First Blog & the Dreaded Blank Page” and hopefully this broadcast admittance to my fears, hurdles, and lack of skill will once again be an evolution in writing for me.

Fun sites to waste time

Out of the thousands of junk emails and sites I hear about on a weekly basis, here are some of the ones that actually left an impression on me one way or another. (Not in any particular order)

xkcd
xkcd

xkcd.com

A site of short shorts. These comic strips are based on, as they put it,  “romance, sarcasm, math, and language”. My friend Anuja turned me onto this lil’ doozy.

DontEvenReply
DontEvenReply

dontevenreply.com

Isaac turned me onto this one.  At first I wasn’t too impressed by the site as I read a few to myself. For some reason I ended up readng a couple good ones out loud to my mom and I couldn’t finish reading a post without laughing. This site may be a bit of an acquired taste. I would describe it as a mix between Ali G and spam mail. The author chooses to describe the site more simply as “E-mails from an asshole.”

SomeEcards
SomeEcards

someecards.com

An introduction to this site was made by an ex-girlfriend so I find visiting it to be a bit bitter sweet at times, but it really is a great way to communicate some of the more blunt and edgy sentiments to people you know that you won’t find at Hallmark.

FailBlog
FailBlog

failblog.org

This blog is sort of an institution, lots of followers and plenty of updates and pics. The blog chronicles mankind’s stupidity from everyday pictures of signs that lack proof reading to videos that can only be described as “a fail”.

Awkard
Awkard

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Peek into the word of the “others”. Somehow these families took some shots of themselves that in their mind were cute and fun but the rest of us can’t help but recoil as we browse through these awkward purposeful family moments.

PeopleofWalMart
PeopleofWalMart

http://peopleofwalmart.com/

The name says it all. Tagged by store location here is an assortment of local yokels visiting their adored Walmart. Dressed to the nine’s these moments caught on camera are priceless, and I mean devoid of all that could be deemed as valuable in anyway.

Just get up and travel the world already!

Chris Guillebeau, blogger for chrisguillebeau.com, confronts those asked why they don’t just quit their job and travel around the world. It’s blunt, frank and fun. Sure it may sound crazy, but maybe – just maybe – it isn’t. I sure hope one day I have the balls or tenacity to just get up and go!

Here are some rebutels he addresses:

“I don’t have money to travel.”
“The rest of the world is dangerous.”
“I like staying at home.”
I’ll do this kind of stuff when I retire (or at some other distant point in the future).

And some question you may have to ask yourself:

1) Am I satisfied with my work? Does it meet my needs and fulfill my desires?
2) Think back to the times you have left your home country. What did you learn on those trips? Do you think you have more to learn?
3) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would that be? (Don’t think about reasons why you can’t go there.)
4) What are your financial priorities?

You can read the full break down here:
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/why-you-should-quit-your-job-and-travel-around-the-world/