Traveling makes me sick.

Traveling is fun. What I mean to say is that seeing new places, exploring different cultures, and visiting far away family and friends is fun. Flying on an airplane and traversing freeways in a car, however, sometimes makes me sick. Ground transportation isn't so bad, usually it just makes me tired and prevents me from reading vomit free. Air transportation is the worst. Dozens of strangers, if you're particularly unlucky some of them children, are stuffed in a tiny tube of metal with two port-a-potties and a vomit bag for every seat and then hurled through the air just one mistake away from plunging to the earth in a fiery ball of death.But, man, there is nothing like coming home. Home is the best feeling there is, especially when you've just survived a plane ride and brush with death. And for the delicious chocolate icing on the cake that is today, I just discovered that my check for a Star Trek uniform from a cheese-it box was cashed! Which means a glorious Starfleet uniform is on its way to my doorstep as I type. Today was a GREAT day.

The Definition of Success Part I

How do you measure success? I'm not sure if you can accurately "measure" it, but you can use numerous indicators and tests if you want to try. The most common yardsticks of success seem to be career accomplishments and economic security. Although the only one that really matters is one's own personal measurement.

My Sister's Graduation

What gives your life meaning and fulfillment? My measurements of success aren't strongly tied to my career. Not to say I haven't loved my jobs, with one exception, I've LOVED every one of them. It does feel good to work hard at something I enjoy and accomplish goals. But my job is not a goal in itself, it is a means to an end. My most important concerns are, am I happy and have I made a difference? If I can answer yes to these two questions before bed at night, then I count my day as a successful one. If my job can help me with those goals, then it is a good job, if it cannot then it's time to find a new career.How do you see your job? Is it your one true passion, a way to pay the bills, or a means with which you accomplish happiness? And what do you do to feel successful?

What's the difference between work and leisure?

Work and leisure were clearly defined and easy to distinguish not so long ago. But with cell phones, wireless internet and mobile computing keeping us always tethered to the world, our work duties and personae are increasingly merging with our our private, leisure lives. Not only do more people work at home, but it also seems that more people are becoming "amateur entrepreneurs", people who create content or services sometimes for profit, sometimes for fun. Technology has made it easier for everyone to Create.
Is writing a blog work or leisure? Is it possible to create art, whether it's movies or pictures or novels, for leisure? Or is all creation an act of work? I think leisure becomes less necessary as work becomes more fulfilling and fun. So maybe it's alright that the line between work and play is blurring. Has the scourge of cell phones and erosion of private moments left us with some benefits after all? Has the age of information made it easier to follow the advice of Harvey Mackay and "find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life"? Or is this just my own peculiar perception?

Rites of Passage

My sister is graduating from High School in a few days. As I sat in a gymnasium with 300 other proud, bored relatives for an awards ceremony tonight, I began to remember my days in High School. I think my high school experience was not a stereotypical one. Or at least my memories of that time don't seem to ignite the same strong emotions in me as they do in my close friends and family. Most people I know look upon their high school days as either a period of great trauma and pain or as the "glory days" when they were at their peak. Why do those four years of high school inspire so many more memories and emotions than any other four years of life?It must be because high school is a period of much transition. Transition seems to inspire so much conflict and trouble. High school is our first great transition, and apparently it does not go smoothly for many people. Perhaps I don't remember high school as potently because I feel like my life is constantly in transition. In many ways I'm still in high school. I still learn something new almost every day, my future is still wide open and undetermined, and I'll soon be leaving home for new adventures. In that way I hope I never graduate.

Perspective

Perspective is a funny thing. Most of the time our world perspective just sits quietly unnoticed, subtlety influencing most of our thoughts and actions. And then one day, something happens and the way we feel and view the world changes. It's happened to all of us. Sometimes it's fast, like a revelation. Sometimes it's slow, like college. However it comes, perspective change is a great thing, it often breeds creativity, empathy, and gratitude.I find the easiest way to experience a change of perspective is to experience a change of location. When I see a new part of the world, I also see the world in a new way. I'm sure this is why so many people love vacation. It's not just a chance to have fun and take a break from work. It's a chance to see the world from a completely foreign perspective. Don't let your perspective, and your life, grow stale. Go somewhere new, even if its just the next town over, and see the world from their eyes. If you can't travel, then try a new food or listen to a new radio station. Do whatever you can to remind yourself that your view of the world isn't the only view.

Learning from others

I learned how to solve a Rubik's Cube today. I've always had a desire to learn how they work and I recently discovered that my Dad could teach me.
Rubik's Cubes are strange cultural icons. Many see them as tests of IQ or measuring sticks of genius. Like most puzzles they do require logic and a willingness to concentrate. But I see them less as a test of IQ and more as personality test. Do you get frustrated and give up? Do you turn to the internet for help? It seems my wife cares little for solving the cube but she does enjoy the attempt. She seems uninterested in help, I'm not sure if this is because she is stubborn or because she is only interested in a journey of self discovery. My dad and sister on the other hand have turned it into a competition, battling to solve it the fastest. As for me, solving a Rubik's cube was something I wanted to experience and explore. I often try to learn as much as I can from others, rather than re-invent the wheel, so I learned from my father. It's fun and relaxing and leaves me with a sense of accomplishment, and I'll probably continue to practice because every time is a little different. I think puzzles are good for the mind and they might just help you learn a new approach to life.

The Sounds of New Orleans

The distinctive flavor of New Orleans floods the senses as soon as you step onto its streets. N'awlens, as the locals say, certainly has distinctive architecture and unique sights.
But the true soul of New Orleans is in its music and food. In a world where every town in every country has a McDonald's and a Starbucks, and grandma's secret recipes can be downloaded over the internet, it is increasingly rare to discover delicious dishes that haven't been mass produced and exported to the entire world. But the Cajuns of Louisiana have held on to two culinary masterpieces available to locals only: beignets and crawfish. I love them both passionately.Everywhere you go in New Orleans, there are musicians playing on the streets. Musicans of all sorts flood the air with the distintive soul of New Orleans. But musicians are not the only locals on almost every street corner. New Orleans is also home to an aggressive service sector. Tourists flood its streets and many of its locals have also taken to the streets looking to provide services and help, whether they're wanted or not. Never before have I walked into so many fake tourist info booths and rejected so many city tours.New Orleans offers a chance to interact with locals unlike anywhere else. It is not for those who have a weak fortitude or are easily persuaded, as the food, the music and the service sector is strong, constant, and loud. But it is a beautiful and unique city and in my opinion worth the exhaustion and heat.