Ok.

There are a lot of people at work who are on the 8th floor (that's where all the wiggy wigs work, to quote a few) who's jobs are a grey fuzzy mess in my head. One of them, Ms. Dana Jenkins, is one of the Administrative board that seems to impress me every time I come in contact with her. I still don't know what her job is, but I like her. I like her a lot. I recently bumped into her at the gym and had the pleasure of introducing her to some friends of mine.

She keeps a blog that is "internal only" and that I'm the lead developer for it, but i like the things she has to say, and the imagery she uploads there too. She's an artist, and she paints water colors. The image in this blog is one from a blog she titled "Heroism, Boldness, Craziness, What Is It I'm Seeing In Vancouver?".

Sean White


Here's an excerpt from the blog:

Almost every athlete, people at the very top of the top of their sport and their personal game, has talked about hard work as the key to their success. I've heard almost nothing about natural talent or good fortune (except in acknowledging the parents they were born to). Some have talked about planning to "peak" at the right time, more have talked about loving what they do, many have focused on performing better than they've ever performed before. As I listened I was so l glad to know that the kids who want to "be" Shaun or Apolo or Yuna Kim have heard that it takes dedication and commitment to achieve something great. But what is that underlying something that makes them do things the rest of us don't and achieve on a level that is rare. Are they bolder than the rest of us or just crazier?

I've also been thinking about everyday boldness. While less nightly-newsworthy, it takes a lot to believe in yourself everyday and to act on your convictions continuously, to step out of the background and be a frequent leader, to be the one who say "I will" rather than laugh at those who step up, to join with those who express optimism and a willingness to try rather than being a part of the pack that views them as the enemy. It's not easy to do this. I have seen people suffer because they've chosen a bold path. They certainly won't win every time but true boldness will find a way to try again. These people do things rather than talk about them. They find inspiration in others and are inspiring often without realizing it. I find them admirable.

I had this to say in response, but I didn't want to post it as a comment since I think the point of the blog is to be uplifting and motivational:

I really liked this blog Ms. Jenkins. It spoke directly to me. Not only do I like to snowboard, but it's been said from time to time that I am a bold person. It's a compliment that I enjoy quite a bit.

I think a lot of people will read this blog and identify with it greatly, but it seems that a very key element of the process isn't presented that has been haunting me lately. Boldness gone bad. Failure. Rejection. Regret. Remorse. The things that follow when boldness doesn't serve you.

I've noticed the emotional outcome of attempts like this cripple some into a life long lull, or force them to shift their perceptions of the world around to protect them selves from more of the same and as a result become less bold. I've seen many great people who live inside their own heads and scoff at the outside world for not understanding or not being ready for the greatness they have to offer. Luckily, liviing that way scares me more than failing, or else I think I'd be in a very different place...

Failure dosen't seem to stop him...


I guess I have more to say on this topic, but it's gone on long enough. Maybe I'll post a part two...

(hey estrip, how's about a little healthy nay saying? I can't resist. This phone looks really nice, but I've been to the brain washing sessions the MS dudes throw and I imagine it went down like this. Ok, um well..., here goes.)

SOMEWHERE IN SEATTLE

...We'll call it Windows Mobile Series Seven. That'll make sense. It'll be awesome, it'll have all the stuff other phones have had for years and um... uh, XBOX live, yeah that's it.

But sir what if the people who buy this phone don't have xbox live?

Well they're stupid that's what

::yeah, yeah, yeah's all around. People are stupid, yeah ::

Um, sir, what about the people who bought the last three versions of windows mobile with the hopes to get xbox live on their mobile device? Are we gonna just abandon those people like the Apple people do?

:: chuckles all around {yeah, the apple people are jerks} more chuckles ::

Um, yeah.

:: total silence {that's a good idea. yeah sometimes you have to do it} shurgs and murmers ::

Well who's gonna wanna buy this phone sir?

Everybody, just watch the video...

lame. discuss.

After (e:Matthew)'s comment I rethought this whole thing and I'm going to officially clarify my position here.

Most of the people on this site are not the target audience for this device. This device is the personification of what makes apple great. It's a computer for people who don't want a computer, and don't want to be left behind by being a person without one. This thing toasterizes computers for everyone completely (there's no moving parts!).

But i'm not reneging my position. For a person like me this is a really lame device because i have everything that this device is in something else, so I was correct in calling it what I did, lame. An iPod G4 to a an iPod G3 user is cool, but a iPod to a new iPod user is life changing. I thought about what my mom's next computer should be and my dial mysteriously stopped here.

I can either get my mom a new PC that will cause crazy issues all day long and confuse and upset her and my phone will ring like clockwork every 3 moths when it needs reformatting, or spend an extra $500 bucks and never get a call again. In fact this is even better than a macbook or mac desktop because it'll save her from all the other confusing mumbo jumbo of having a computer that she never uses any friggin way. Her Internet bill will drop to $30 a month (that's 1/2 what Adelphia's charging people) and she'll never call me up to tell anything besides family dish.

This thing has a chance, and as much as I hate to admit it this time and (e:Jim) is prolly right.

i'm not an apple fan boy. I use their stuff when I love it, and when I love it I love it so hard it breaks my heart not to have it. As soon as a (e:Matthew)'s sister or (e:Enknot)'s mom gets one; LOVE. Pure nasty sloppy wet flicking noise making wake the neighbors PDA style love.

Now if they could only set it up so that you never need to use your computer to use it it'll be a show stopper. On top of it all the reason why they're putting out this uber lame version is because their easing you into the more complicated yet still quite simple version of the device that will take you past the last mile and compete with Google head on. In fact this device is the only thing that I can see that might have a chance right now.

When it has front and back camera and blue tooth (if it doesn't already) for head set you won't need the phone company to be a phone company anymore. Hell, Apple wan't going to take Google on first or without an army of stubborn paying customers behind them.

Yeah my mom's due for a new compy soon, and depending on how things go in the next few months if I have anything to do with getting her one, it'll be one of these things. (If only so I can bash it first hand *snort*)

Funny how close they were. I guess the newton finally lives.

OK New category. Conjecture. It's where I drop some deep dark secret of my thinking that is probably just wrong to say out loud, but I can do what I want since I've prefaced it with a clause like "oh, I know you may be offended by this, but it's just conjecture so lighten up, I don't really think this way or at least not all the time, but whatever..." I digress let's get going,

I have a theory.

It's that extremely attractive people typically attract the most shallow of individuals, while their deeper more aptly suited suitors lurk in dark corners waiting to for a chance they'll never take, and everyone looses.

The marginally attractive people get to date the most since they're not so fugly that they don't have confidence and/or folks won't revile touching them.

And the supa homely get to have really weird sex everytime they have sex, cause really why would someone have sex with the fugly person unless they wanted to do something crazy that no one else would do.

I think that super hawt people are sometimes not as sweet as we imagine they are in our heads. Sweet ass, no shake. Huge member, no endurance. Nice face, bad breath. Happens. No one ever thinks of it when they see this kinda stuff:

HAWT


but she really needs a mint.

Worse, since hawt people are soo hawt, they're typically kinda dull. They've never had to try. Everything kidna falls into their lap. Which is where the dumb blond things comes from. Makes sense though. Why bother knowing anthing else if everything you want can be aquired by being ...you. Leaves those smart hawt people out in the cold.

Lastly, interesting hawt people have a love hate relationship with their hawtness. Only brazen idots and other dumb hawt people ever wanna be with them. It's sad, but often true. I'm guilty. I can't approach a supa hawt lady seriously. Supa smart ones scare me off too, but I want them. i want them all.

Ok, ok ok ok ok I'm ranting. I'm gonna stop now. Tell me what you think. Ever pass on a hawt person that you had a chance with? Ever get ignored by a timid person cause your milkshake brought too many boys to the yard? Ooh, better yet. Do this and report. Go "jokingly" ask a person who's too hawt for you out and see what happens. I'll do it to and report back, this could be fun.