Giving In…

Maybe it’s a deal where I’m getting older or maybe I’m getting smarter. I’m sure it’s NOT the latter but I’m just starting to give in to different things.

There are words that bother me. If Narm can love pie charts, I can love words. I don’t like “cancelled” spelled “canceled”. “Cancelled” just looks right but it’s the preferred British way of spelling the word. The preferred American word is “canceled”. Yes, I know it doesn’t look right. I have other words that I like one way even though they may be preferred another way.

Enough about words, how about emotions. I’ve always been quick to be passionate with my response to things, even if it’s not the correct passionate response. I’m learning you can’t just fly off the handle. I guess I thought people were more forgiving and not so sensitive. You have to be careful in e-mails, you have to be careful talking to people. It seems like everyone is so defensive about things. Isn’t this how wars get started?

I’d rather joke, smile and have fun than be poisonous with my words or actions. What brings more to the table and makes everyone feel better? I think you understand that’s a rhetorical question.

I know we all have our own insecurities. I work in television and come in contact (thankfully) with all sorts of people. What I’ve found over and over is that we are all human. Our little minds process things in different ways all in the line of making sure “number one” feels comfortable, safe and maybe even a little better than the next guy.

This is such a special time of the year. We all seem to forget some of those things and let down some of the walls we build up and defend the rest of the year. It’s also a very stressful time. Everyone is running to get things done. It’s a deadline, Christmas is coming and the countdown clock ticks every second, minute, hour and day closer to the holiday. Some people handle deadlines better.

My challenge to you is to give into the Christmas (holiday) spirit and smile instead of looking the other way. Say hello instead of saying nothing. Give instead of receive. Love instead of hate. You could make a difference in another person’s life without even knowing it.

What we do have the ability to do as humans is have an effect on others. Why not make it a good one instead of a bad one. You never know when someone out there will smile at you when you’re having a dirty and rotten day.

Maybe if we all give in a little more, this little place in the universe might just function and spin a little smoother,

(p.s., sometimes I have to admit, I don’t know where my blog posts will end. I didn’t plan for this one to go this direction. Maybe it will brighten up someone’s day or change their way of doing things and make them see things in a different way. If that’s the effect, it was worth my time this afternoon when I should have otherwise been sleeping. Happy Christmas! That’s another post though.)

Just One Of Dem Days

or weeks for that matter…

This week could really be a long one. December is, of course, vacation season at work. That means I’ll be pulling some extra duty to make sure we continue operating business as usual without you knowing it. That means I’ll be going into work into work early and leaving late.

That aside, this week will probably be slow going. I’ve already been warned that this week could be a long one. I’ve been talking to family about Christmas plans. It’s not easy getting all of the family together on the same schedule. I have to go down to Wayne County for my mother’s family. That’s a Christmas Eve event. My immediate family has always celebrated Christmas on the night before (I know it’s commonly known as Christmas Eve). I also have plans on Christmas with family. It’s going to be a busy couple of days and everyone is going to be tired and need a little nap the next day.

I left work a little early this morning. If you’ve been following twitter you saw that I had a major pain in my back (no, not my neck!) and it has been debilitating. Here’s the good news, I have some drugs now that’s controlling the pain and it’s not as bad. This weekend wasn’t fun. Narm twittered he was happy to hear that the pain was subsiding but thought it was a little funny that I threw out a couple of sharp words as the pain hit me. Believe me, it was not fun

On the fun side, I got an iPod Touch that I’m calling iGor (pronounced Igor). I can’t believe what it can do. I do hate having two different device that I’m caring around with me all of the time. I’m learning how to use it. Already, I’m able to justify its purchase. It’s cool and can do so many things.

It’s been a good day with the pain going away and other things in my life seeming to be okay. Time seems to work everything out. For that, I’m thankful…

Crunchtime!

If the holidays aren’t busy enough, as you know, I’m juggling a move from my current apartment to one downtown Cleveland. This weekend brought a welcome delivery, Ayden, into our lives. I’m putting together two “This Is Your Life” videos for my parents, see this post for more details. Now, I’m also putting together a video of Ayden from my visit to the hospital yesterday. I’ve been packing and editing all day today so I decided to sit down and blog a little.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Where did it go so fast? Go Browns!

The Holidays Cometh

When fall started, I didn’t think summer was officially over. It’s still 80+ degrees in Ohio. People are still sitting outside to eat. The Indians are still playing baseball. Summer’s still hanging strong but then it happened…

A trip to Wal-Mart ended summer for me. I was looking for some chairs for my balcony and spotted the nail in summer’s coffin, Christmas decorations. The workers were removing the patio furniture and outdoor decorations and putting the aisles and aisles up of Christmas items. The Halloween costumes have been up for weeks already. That brings me to the so-called holiday at the end of October, Halloween. I don’t know why exactly but I never have liked this day. It’s the whole dressing up thing for me, trying to figure out what to be and everything. My friends’ son loves Halloween, for him, it’s bigger than Christmas. Maybe it’s because I don’t get the candy anymore…


Todd’s listening to: Animal Liberation Orchestra – Girl I Wanna Lay You Down (Live)