Atychiphobia

When you read the title of this post, I wonder how many of you knew what the word meant.

Honestly, I had never heard of that type of phobia prior to doing research for this posting.

The word comes from two Greek terms; atyches - "unfortunate" and phobos - "fear".
It's the fear of making mistakes; literally, an unfortunate fear.

I found myself asking the questions this week, "Why are we so very afraid to make mistakes?"

Your friendly neighborhood blogger learns by doing things the hard way. I make mistakes; daily. Most of the time I learn from said mistakes. Sometimes not. Part of the reason that I make mistakes is a need to complete a given task. I need to check that box on my list and move on the to the next assignment. Sometimes this leaves little room for quality. 
I've done that very thing on this blog; just throw something together at the last minute because the post was due on Monday. Sad.

I suppose that it's a bit of a defense mechanism for some people. I am always early to appointments because my beloved mother was habitually late. Thus I hated the feeling of walking into class after Mom had dropped me off and everyone looking at me. Staring, actually.

Moral of the story, don't be afraid to make mistakes, because you're going to make them regardless.

As I'm typing this, I'm also wondering if I should be more afraid, or least more careful, to keep from making mistakes......Hmmmmmmm

The Best Spreadsheet Ever!

So, those of you that know me, know how I love spreadsheets (not), and statistics (not).
Well, I have found quite possibly the greatest spreadsheet ever created.

Some random, unnamed dude created a spreadsheet to chart all the times he asked his wife for sex, and the answers that were given when she declined the invitation. Because let's be honest, what says romance, intimacy, and love more than charting your beloved's love-making habits? Right?

Grow Up; Not Old

Responsibility sucks.

I could seriously stop right here with this post,  but I think my readers expect a bit more from me.

I had some time to,reflect on my life this week, and I came to realize that it's half over.  If I love longer than nearly anyone else in my family. That's a very sobering thought. In addition, it made me think about enjoying life more and not getting so caught up on the day-to-day grind that is being a Grown Up.

I believe that most people who truly know Me would say that I've lived a pretty life up to this point. But I want more out of life. Ideally, I want to win the lottery and go completely off the grid. You will know how I win by the fact that you will never hear from me again. No bills, no job, no taxes.....just life. And a shit load of money. (Who said money can't buy happiness?)

I know people who work for the sheer enjoyment of it. For the thrill of the hunt, if you're in sales, to help your fellow man if you're in the healthcare field.

Please understand that I am NOT one of those virtuous people.
I work because (1) society dictates that I work, (2) I have bills to pay, and (3) I like to have money to do stuff.

Its really pretty simple. I work because I must. Now there have been businesses for which I was previously employed that were very enjoyable. I had a blast!! I love it when I close a big sale, bit much like winning the Super Bowl, the enjoyment is often short-lived. 

This is because our world has a very short memory. Your achievements have a shelf life of approximately 1 day......maybe 2.

So I say enjoy your life. Love the people who care about you; forget the haters and backbiters who don't care about you. Smile. Run. Play. Act silly. 

Live......

Jack Nicholson Advice

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

Washington state is the newest member of the gonja bus.

The state became only the 2nd in the nation to sell recreational marijuana, Colorado being the 1st. I say smoke 'em if you got 'em!!!

Here's the thing.....the need for a state's tax revenue generated by the sale of weed will, eventually, far outweigh each state's moral "obligation" to protect its citizens from the ravenous effects of the drug.

It's reported that Colorado already has collected more than $24 million in marijuana taxes and fees as residents and tourists buy pot at state-licensed stores. Washington state expects to collect $190 million over the next four years, according to government projections.

Cha-ching!!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

At a time when most time when most states in this great Nation are struggling, and making drastic cuts in their budgets, why not add a guaranteed revenue source? Like.....ummmm.......pot?

It's a can't-miss, steady stream of revenue for the state(s) that elect to allow its good business people to sell it. Guaranteed because people are already getting high anyway. Why not tax that stuff and let it be legal. "They're going to do it anyway."
Supplies in the initial days of the multiple stores opening will be tight. Prices in Washington are expected to be around $300 per ounce of high grade smoke.

Which lead me to think; where to potheads get an extra $300? Aren't they unemployed, Rastafarians who sit around in their Mom's basement and eat pizza all day? Oh wait; lawyers, doctors, dentists, construction workers etc all smoke weed. Ask you doctor when you're in for your next physical how often he or she blazes up. You might be surprised by the answer.
I could give you the names of 4 physicians that I know of that smoke 3 times per week; at least. 

Check out this photo below and imagine of there were stocks for pot.....

I'm just sayin'.......

As I type this, I am sitting in a local burger franchise; having recently consumed what can only be described as a tender, juicy bag of trans fatty goodness.

Having eaten this bag o’fat, I began to think about the cost associated with healthy eating, and further, how that cost is directly associated to the obesity epidemic in ‘Merica.

I paid just under $6 for my entire meal; double cheeseburger, fries and drink. What could I eat for $6 that’s “healthy”? Yes, I could have gotten the chicken wrap, which has far fewer calories and trans fats. Yes, I could have gone down the road and had a salad for close to the same amount. But in reality, we are a nation and a people of convenience, first and foremost. We do not like to wait. We have been trained by the almighty microwave that things can be done faster than our parents had. So we venture out to the Red Roof Restaurant and eat until we cannot walk straight. But the meal was in our hands relatively quickly, and it was relatively inexpensive.

We obviously do not consider the consequences of our choices with regard to food. And we DO LOVE FOOD in this country. Comfort food to be more precise. Biscuits and gravy, fried chicken, fired anything really…..

The very chemical processes in our brains have begun to change; science has shown us this much. The damage that we continue to do to our bodies, for the sake of saving a dollar, and rather than preparing home-cooked meals is staggering. At the same time, it’s usually cheaper to eat at a fast food joint rather go to the grocery store and then prepare a meal at home. I’m not certain what the cost issue is here, but it would seem that “fake” food would cost more than something that comes out of the ground or off of a tree naturally. Hmmmmm

I’m certainly not smart enough to know what the imminent answer is, but there’s got to be a better way to take care of ourselves. I suppose it’s parallel to the car industry. An automobile that costs $5000 to make sells for $35,000. Why? Because WE continue to pay that price. If we were to stop paying that price, the price would come down. Supply and demand people. Same thing with groceries. Not that we can simply stop buying from the local food store, but maybe if we began to grow our own gardens like our grandparents did, then the overall cost of things would come down.

Oh wait; that would require work. Never mind…..