SO, my friends and I were in Vegas. We were sitting in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at when a... I guess you could call her a security guard. She was without a gun, pepper-spray or cuffs and looked like a wind or perhaps her crack-head boyfriend could snap her in two with a slight shove (she was very skinny; malnourished, some might say). She did, however have a smock that read security. So... yeah, sure, she was security. Why not. I felt secure. Sure.
NOT THE POINT. The point is: she came over to us, patrons of the hotel, and told us to sit up and that we couldn't sleep in the lobby. Actually, first she asked if we were guests. "Yes we are," I replied. Then she told us we couldn't sleep int he lobby. We. Were. Not. Sleeping. In. The. Fucking. Lobby. Periods. Are. Being. Abused. To. Emphasize. Point. We were slumped, yes, but not sleeping. No slumping. Fair enough. Had she said no slumping... Whatever. So we said sorry and sat up and kept talking. Then she returned. One of us (can't remember who), had once again slumped, I guess, though I remember no one dropping more than maybe a solid inch in their seat. Again, "Hey," the bedraggled skag prodded, "You can't sleep in the lobby." Mind you, behind two of us there was a slovenly sack of a man full on snoring. Oh well. Whatareyagonnado?
This person was dead set on asserting her authority in some way. There was nary a soul in the hotel, it being the Life is Beautiful fest weekend and folks were getting their "drug-induced-dance-high-holy-crap-I'm-pregnant-wtf-happened" on, so I totally understand needing to look busy. No big deal. Doing her job, however useless. Who she thought she would stop from any true with her lonesome is beyond me, but that, again, is not the point.
The point is that she reminded me of something very important: Everyone needs to feel in control.
It's a simple thing that I always forget until I'm reminded. We all need control, one way or another. It's why some people have the jobs they have, or the hobbies and it's why so many people love to clean or love to do...anything their own way. Follower, leader, it doesn't really matter one way or the other, folks need to feel like their fate is in their own hands at least once or twice.
It's incredibly important if you're planning on being successful in anything, especially so if you're planning on reaching any point of great success (fame, wealth, or just being debt free etc). I deal with depression like a vast majority of Americans. I'm not sure it's clinical. No clue. Don't care. Not the point. What I do know is the power of momentum and how it's influenced by my feeling of control over my own situation. If I feel like I haven't done anything, haven't accomplished anything, I don't get a thing done. It's even hard to brainstorm when I haven't done anything that day or especially if it's been a humdrum week.
Control over a task can lead to completing said task, which has every chance of snowballing and creating momentum. Control + Task Completion (can)= Momentum. It's like a cyclical version of Yoda explaining the dark side. Control leads to success, success leads to momentum, momentum leads to control etc.
I do simple things, snowflakes really, to snowball my momentum. Doing dishes, laundry, blogging and so forth. Household tasks and the day to day, schedules and the like, make it very easy to move into more important things. Most everyone knows this. I sort of just forget it damn-near all the time. A reminder never hurts.
My personal favorite way to gain control is to give it up. Most people don't actively do this. Ever felt a relaxing calm wash over you when you just follow when you're on vacation? Or when you get a really good leader on a project? How bout something really simple like picking what the group eats that night? Displaying ultimate authority is the willingness in giving it away. A concept that I really love. Showing trust, allowing others to prove themselves grants you power in turn, grants you control. It's a fun experiment if you've never tried it. I highly recommend it.
All in all, the key to success is control. Big or small, you need to feel like you are still behind the wheel. Yes, it's okay and maybe even a good idea to give up control for a moment and let someone drive for a little bit. It lets you relax and take stock before getting back in the captains chair. Start small if you need and build it up. Whatever you need to do to feel strong, make sure that you do it.
Thanks, Plaza Security! I appreciate the life reminder. I hope you are having a good life.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Dirty, Nerdy Developers
Boy do I have a boner for in-jokes. I'll back up. The prompt for this post came while I was playing Shadow of Mordor.
It's a great game, whether or not you love/like/likelike the LOTR universe. It is also pretty much Assassin's Creed and a number of other franchises smashed together into a hybrid baby of very successful proportions. It is. Don't say otherwise. It's AC with more magic and that's fine by me.
Back to the point. I love in-jokes (having an afore mentioned fictional nerd erection when they are found in games). They (in-jokes) are proof that the developers give a damn beyond their paycheck. It is an easy argument that can be made that they obviously love their job or they would put their coding skills to use elsewhere. However, I love what I do and have done plenty of shit side jobs I hated to make a buck. In-jokes, easter eggs, those sorts of things, they prove a true caring for the craft/medium. So I go on...
In Shadow of Mordor, there is the Nemesis System. It's mighty fine. Could have been done a little better, but that's not the topic of this post nor is it anything more than opinion. For a more full explanation of it go here: http://www.ign.com/wikis/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor/The_Nemesis_System
You have the possibility to get any one of several god-knows-how-many names/titles for your enemies. Most are threatening, powerful, grotesque, maybe even majestic! My nemesis was named Kuga-Luga (koo-GAH-loo-GAH) The Heart Eater. Not bad! And he was a dick! He'd almost kill me every time I found him (and he was never alone), and I could never land the killing blow! He was tenacious, vicious and crafty. And it felt good, nay, RIGHT when I finally separated his head from his body during the final push on the Black Hand's keep. Other names included Thrak of the Wastes (who carried a flaming sword), the canonical Ratbag the Coward (voiced by the amazing and omnipresent Phil Lamar), even Golm the Hotheaded was something of a badass (he had a brazer on his freaking head and was immune, even robust to everything). But there was one uruk, one super orc that stood above the rest with a name so perfect, so... Screw it, his name was Dûsh the Sickly.
Dûsh the Sickly. Pronounced, yes, douche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douche) the mother-fucking sickly.
I know I'm not the only person to find this guy. He has gone by at least another name I googled: Dûsh of the Stench. No joke. Proof:
I'm guessing that my guy (the sickly) either came from or became "of the stench" at some point. At least, he would have had I not chopped his friggin' head off in less than a blink. He was such a pushover. I was saddened, too! I wanted to save this guy for my personal army! I wanted to make him a chieftain! Imagine, Chieftain Dûsh, the mightiest of the ranks, sitting atop his crooked throne and raining down... punishment? I guess? Sickness? Baking soda and water with a pleasant floral scent? On his enemies?
What made this even better was the fact that each and every uruk elite is herald by a very refined and semi-sinister announcer. It felt like hearing Andy Serkis announce my every enemy. Oh Dûsh, the hours (honest to god hours) of laughter you've given me. You will be missed. I also had a drink in his honor. Again, not kidding.
The developers had of been laughing. They had to! I mean... come on! Anyhow, whether or not you made it this far, here's a little link for your trouble. If you're interested in easter eggs, video games have some great ones. I'll do a post on them as a whole some other time.
EASTER EGGS: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-video-game-easter-eggs-ever-2014-7?op=1
For now, remember Dûsh as I remember him: as a light of joy that shone, though briefly, on my time in Mordor. Thank you... Sweet lord! Your name was Douche! Best! Best damned thing ever. (note: the author of this post is not, in fact, a 12 year old boy. He is a man in his 29th year with refined tastes for things such as whiskey, the arts and has the humor of a teenager at best... Douche sure is a funny word...)
Back to the point. I love in-jokes (having an afore mentioned fictional nerd erection when they are found in games). They (in-jokes) are proof that the developers give a damn beyond their paycheck. It is an easy argument that can be made that they obviously love their job or they would put their coding skills to use elsewhere. However, I love what I do and have done plenty of shit side jobs I hated to make a buck. In-jokes, easter eggs, those sorts of things, they prove a true caring for the craft/medium. So I go on...
In Shadow of Mordor, there is the Nemesis System. It's mighty fine. Could have been done a little better, but that's not the topic of this post nor is it anything more than opinion. For a more full explanation of it go here: http://www.ign.com/wikis/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor/The_Nemesis_System
You have the possibility to get any one of several god-knows-how-many names/titles for your enemies. Most are threatening, powerful, grotesque, maybe even majestic! My nemesis was named Kuga-Luga (koo-GAH-loo-GAH) The Heart Eater. Not bad! And he was a dick! He'd almost kill me every time I found him (and he was never alone), and I could never land the killing blow! He was tenacious, vicious and crafty. And it felt good, nay, RIGHT when I finally separated his head from his body during the final push on the Black Hand's keep. Other names included Thrak of the Wastes (who carried a flaming sword), the canonical Ratbag the Coward (voiced by the amazing and omnipresent Phil Lamar), even Golm the Hotheaded was something of a badass (he had a brazer on his freaking head and was immune, even robust to everything). But there was one uruk, one super orc that stood above the rest with a name so perfect, so... Screw it, his name was Dûsh the Sickly.
Dûsh the Sickly. Pronounced, yes, douche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douche) the mother-fucking sickly.
I know I'm not the only person to find this guy. He has gone by at least another name I googled: Dûsh of the Stench. No joke. Proof:
I'm guessing that my guy (the sickly) either came from or became "of the stench" at some point. At least, he would have had I not chopped his friggin' head off in less than a blink. He was such a pushover. I was saddened, too! I wanted to save this guy for my personal army! I wanted to make him a chieftain! Imagine, Chieftain Dûsh, the mightiest of the ranks, sitting atop his crooked throne and raining down... punishment? I guess? Sickness? Baking soda and water with a pleasant floral scent? On his enemies?
What made this even better was the fact that each and every uruk elite is herald by a very refined and semi-sinister announcer. It felt like hearing Andy Serkis announce my every enemy. Oh Dûsh, the hours (honest to god hours) of laughter you've given me. You will be missed. I also had a drink in his honor. Again, not kidding.
The developers had of been laughing. They had to! I mean... come on! Anyhow, whether or not you made it this far, here's a little link for your trouble. If you're interested in easter eggs, video games have some great ones. I'll do a post on them as a whole some other time.
EASTER EGGS: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-video-game-easter-eggs-ever-2014-7?op=1
For now, remember Dûsh as I remember him: as a light of joy that shone, though briefly, on my time in Mordor. Thank you... Sweet lord! Your name was Douche! Best! Best damned thing ever. (note: the author of this post is not, in fact, a 12 year old boy. He is a man in his 29th year with refined tastes for things such as whiskey, the arts and has the humor of a teenager at best... Douche sure is a funny word...)
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