Perhaps losing my voice was a lesson.
Perhaps life was trying to tell me that instead of trying to say anything at all, should just listen.
Author: Justin
Songs of Life
There are two songs that are important, that should never be forgotten, and that should help shape a person’s mind and personality.
Basically, no one knows what life has in store. Perhaps there are hardships with one’s career. Perhaps that’s life’s way of telling one to do something else, or perhaps that’s life’s way of shaping one, or challenging one, and pushing one to exceed one’s peers in many ways.
The first one everyone has heard, and it simply reminds us to never lose our optimism:
The second one instructs us very clearly to, no matter how hard or confusing things get, always keep a smile. Always stay strong and maintain a positive attitude, if not for you, then for the public and for the people in your life:
Technological Updates
Whoever visits this site via their mobile phone may have noticed that my site just changed to being mobile responsive. While I typically don’t mix business into toys site, you’ll notice that it’s don’t and other theme items will match those of my business website, as I want to basically perfect the change here so I can transition my website seamlessly in one shot.
I believe it is very important to make it look like I hired help to do or right, rather than guessed at it myself. Truth is, I do almost everything myself.
My website was designed by my design consultant. It was coded by my client, but every word on it was written by me. The design options (non visual) were done by me. Even some of the (cheesy) graphics in the blog were created by me (back on the day, but now I just buy them).
So yes, that’ll explain the changes and even explain why I’m properly double spacing (with the PC blog, one hard line break is automaticallydouble-spaced, but that’s not the case mobiley.
But I’ve gotta go work on Strib stuff and business stuff.
Smile with you later!
Except I have no idea why the image is upside down. That’s why I have gotta as a test environment.
Why Optimism
There’s a reason for why I am always optimistic, and that’s because there is always something good in every event.
Let’s look at tonight’s event:
Initially, it was an idea from my friend to do a Krampus tour of terror through the Holidazzle Village. My friend backed out of the deal, which really left me in limbo. I had no idea how to pivot the event. I was thinking about just continuing the event as intended, but go to more bars, etc.
My event was a scramble. I didn’t have time to plan much, but I knew I wanted to do a pub crawl around 1st Ave. So naturally, I started at Lyon’s Pub.
My meetups are interesting because they are pretty random. Often, I host an event somewhere because I want to try something or a restaurant. But other times, it’s because it tops my list.
Lyon’s Pub tops my list. It’s nothing miraculous, but it’s like Davanni’s. It’s just part of something bigger. Like Davanni’s, it’s part of the Saint Thomas experience. Lyon’s is like that with Deloitte. I just feel at home.
There’s always a good chance I’ll run into someone I know, too. It’s funny, because I’m apparently not the only alum who goes there. I saw Bill, who I just had lunch with on Wednesday. He works for Grant Thornton now. It’s just interesting how small the cities are.
Anyways, my event was a disaster. I had a group of 3 guys and 3 girls at the beginning. I figured it was early, and it’d get better. Well after Lyon’s, the ladies went to the Gay 90’s. The rest of us went to Kieran’s. There, we waited for my friend Allaina.
Once she came, we went to the Imperial Room and Sneaky Pete’s. Eventually, the others dropped off, and she and I decided to venture off on our own.
Allaina has been to a few of my events before, and we talk well.
It’s funny – she is the kind of lady with whom I connect well:
– A little older
– Smart
– Didn’t grow up only in MN
– Open / communicates
– Smiles
– Unique experiences
Anyways, so even though the event was a total wash, some good came of it.
Allaina showed me a couple of places off of Washington. I was also able to talk to her for a little while before I dropped her off at her dt apartment.
I think it was the start of a strong and beautiful friendship.
Season
Laughés with ‘Staches
Today was the Mustache Run. I went to it. I didn’t participate because I need to start training (just got the doctor’s okay to start running again, but I don’t think I’ll do a 5K for a while. I’ll run on my own and build back up. A 5K doesn’t make sense right now).
I did go to cheer on one of my colleagues. I usually know ppl in races. But really, I just wanted pictures of the rad ‘staches.
Apparently my phone auto rotate doesn’t mesh with WordPress.
Enjoy the pictures:
It was fun!
Here’s a New One
When I don’t have time to make posts (okay, always), rather than make this blog totally dead on the water, I think I’ll use it to show you songs and music videos you probably haven’t seen.
Tonight is a very comical one. It’s by David Lee Roth (lead singer of Van Halen).
It’s very unlike Van Halen songs:
Oh yeah, I just watched the video for the first time in years.
It’s a hilarious video, that’s all.
Later!
The Second Half
After a long time, I hope people learn that I don’t say everything just because I like alliteration:
I am perpetually positive and obstinately optimistic.
It’s not just a fun phrase. It is the core of my being.
I hope you understand the obstinate part now.
When I become appethetic to something, I’m neither optimistic or pessimistic because I don’t think about the outcome because I’m appethetic. People can drive me there. That’s where I am.
The Game-Changer
Back in the day, this was in the summer of 2013, I was talking to me friend, Kate. Basically, Kate said that everyone has, at some point in their life, a game changer. The game changer is an experience that wakes up a lot of things and advances a person to a better stage of life.
It was obvious to me that I had such an experience, but Kate explained that a person never keeps the good part of the experience. That a person has the experience, it serves its purpose, and it leaves. Being the optimist that I am, I thought that that wasn’t possible, and that I was going to keep all the good parts, too.
It’s like a tech stock. A person can buy it. If they sell it when it goes up a bit, they have a little profit. But they no longer have it. When it goes up a ton more, they don’t get a computer or anything fun! But they learn an important lesson:
Foron’t sell your eggs before they hatch. Have patience, and allow things to appreciate on their own schedule.
I had such an experience, and while I didn’t end up with a winning stock, my life has improved from the lesson. It matured me in a lot of ways, and I got over a lot of things that were holding me back. It was a catalyst to the good things in life.
I had a list of the things that I’ve accomplished, but it just sounded like I was bragging. Let’s just say, I am psychologically awesome, physically awesome, and professionally awesome.
On the physical part, I have worked out and actually had to spend $800 on new business clothes because my chest and shoulders are so broad. I have muscle definition, too. In order to run, breathe, or just not get sick, I got surgery at the end of October. The surgery is the very last thing I have to do to reverse everything from my accident.
All my friends know, I am perpetual in nature, because I used to bug them. The follow ups and the shout outs are just easy. I used to have too much time on my hands. Plus, I’m a communicative gentleman. Yes, I have to hold my horses before I communicate a lot with a lady.
However, I figured out how to chill better. I don’t communicate all the time. It’s awesome because I tend to get better responses.
Life has been great to have given me such an experience while I was young and for waking me up so I could man up.
Relax
I’ll finally be able to calm down and take a deep breathe. My apologies to anyone who knew me back before I could do so.
To the public eye, I may appear unchanged, but if you take the time to get to know me, you’ll learn how great of a person I am especially now that I can sometimes just step back and take a deep breath.