Meet Randy Pausch. He's the 47 year old professor at Carnegie Mellon that was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. He's the guy whose last lecture has been viewed online by well over a million people. He's the guy who was on Oprah this afternoon. You have GOT to watch this lecture.
...is that nobody cares what they are famous for anymore. It's enough just to be famous, even if it's for being an idiot.
What does your birthdate say about you?
The Life Path 7 suggests that you entered this plane with a gift for investigation, analysis, and keen observation. You are a thinker of the first order. You evaluate situations very quickly, and with amazing accuracy. (I'm not sure I'm always that accurate.) As a result, you are thorough and complete in your work, the perfectionist who expects everyone else to meet a high standard of performance, too. (Ok, now THAT is me.)
A Life Path 7 person is a peaceful and affectionate soul. But you guard your connection to people carefully. It's easy for you to detect deception and recognize insincere people, and you avoid them. (My life would have been so much easier up to this point if only that were true. I'm actually a very naive and overly trusting individual.) You aren't one to have a wide circle of friends, but once you accept someone as a friend, it's for life. It's as if you must get to know someone a lot better before you allow the wall surrounding you to be penetrated. Chances are you are a very charming and refined individual with great poise and a quick wit. Nonetheless, there is an exclusiveness about you. You probably aren't a very social person. Your reserve is often taken to be aloofness, but actually, it's not that at all. It is merely a cover up for your basic feeling of insecurity. There's no rush, It takes time for you to warm up to new friends. Clubs and organizations hold little interest for you; you are not a joiner. (Once again, that's me.)
You actually like being alone and away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. In many ways, you would have fit in better in much earlier times when the pace of life was less hectic. You need a good deal of quiet time to be with your own inner thoughts and dreams. You dislike crowds, noise, distractions, and confusion. (Nail on the head. As a child playing pretend, I would often pretend to be either an Indian princess or a prairie wife.)
The overwhelming strength of the number 7 is reflected in the depth of thinking that is shown; you will garner knowledge from practically every source that you find. Intellectual, scientific, and studious, you don't accept a premise until you have dissected the subject and arrived at your own independent conclusion.
This is a very spiritual number and it often denotes a sort of spiritual wisdom that becomes apparent at a fairly early age. A built in inner guide providing a strong sense of intuition may set you up as being a law unto yourself. Whatever spiritual position you take, whether traditional or bizarre, you will cling to it with fervor. Once you have decided an issue, it is almost impossible to get you to revisit the question. Adaptability is not your style, and change for you is a rarity.
You rely heavily on your experiences and your intuition, rather than accepting advice from someone. Your hunches usually prove to be very accurate, and knowing this, you follow the directions they seem to guide.
In the most negative use of the 7 energies, you can become very pessimistic, lackadaisical, quarrelsome, and secretive. (what about sarcastic?) A Life Path 7 individual who is not living life fully and gaining through experiences, is a hard person to live with because of a serious lack of consideration for others. There is such a negative attitude. Indeed, operating on the negative side of the 7 can produce a very selfish and spoiled individual and living with one can be a challenge. This may be why some 7s actually prefer living alone. If you have any of the negative traits they are very difficult to get rid of because you tend to feel that the world really does owe you a living or that in some way you are not being fairly treated.
Fortunately, the negative 7 is not the typical 7, at least not without some mitigating positive traits. This number is one that seems to have some major shifts from highs to lows. Stability in feelings may be elusive for you.
I've been lurking around at Write from Karen this week. She is a very interesting person with a fantastic writing style. Check her out if you have the chance.
Anyway, through Karen's blog, I've found yet another weekly writing prompt. This week's question over at Blog Talkers is:
If you could go back in time, what one piece advice would you give yourself?
I think I'd have to say PAY ATTENTION and TRUST YOUR GUT. Technically, that may be 2 pieces of advice, but I think they relate to each other nicely.
Don't be oblivious to the world around you. Pay attention to the people you surround yourself with. And if something feels "off", address it. Don't just let it go, thinking all the while that you are just reading too much into it. Don't ignore it and hope that it just fixes itself. It won't. It will only fester and become a larger issue. If something doesn't sit well with you, for whatever reason, let it be known. You'll save yourself from all the "I should have..."s and "if only I had..."s and "how could I have let this happen"s that inevitably follow the huge blow ups that you knew deep down were coming.
The topic for this post comes from Create A Connection's Getting to Know You Day:
If you could have a redo moment in your life, would you do it and what would it be? Not changing history drastically-it's all just a what if.
I honestly can't think of anything I would want to do over if I had the chance. Who I am is a culmination of all of my experiences. Changing any little moment of my past would affect who I am now, and I'm pretty okay with the me that I am.
Sure, there are events in my history that I'm not thrilled about, but the lessons learned from finding my way through them were worth it. I've learned the value of a dollar. I've learned the importance of showing gratitude. I've learned to trust my gut. And I'm continually learning new lessons and being reminded of old ones through the events of everyday life, whether those events be good or bad.
So, no. Even if I could have a redo for any moment of my life, I wouldn't take it. The lessons I took from the few moments I would be tempted to fix with a redo were too important for me not to have learned them.
Well, maybe I would go back to that time I ate a half pint of ice cream for breakfast instead of saving it for Hubby...he was slightly miffed about that (and amazed that I hadn't even realized I had eaten that much...that's what happens when you eat out of the carton in front of the computer!).
Children typically go through several different phases as far as desired occupations go. And I was no different. The first career path I can remember wanting to follow was that of a teacher. I was forever lining up my dolls and stuffed animals and lecturing them on this, that, or the other. I had a notebook that I made into a roll/grade book. I would take attendance and collect "homework." I was such a little nerdling that I actually did the homework that my "students" would turn in to me, then I would grade it and hand it back!
There was a very brief time when I wanted to be a singer. My little kindergarten friends and I were quite the performers. We had assigned seats on our bus, and the two girls I sat with and I had this whole dance routine worked out to Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now. We kept the high schoolers behind us thoroughly entertained. I could still do the entire song with all our moves...maybe we'll break that out for a reunion (or not).
For a while all I wanted to be when I grew up was sixteen. I wanted to drive and date and be in high school and wear makeup and go to concerts and just be the coolest sixteen year old in the world forever! Oddly enough, I hate driving, did very little dating, went through high school rather ambivalent toward the whole thing, rarely bother with makeup, and can count the number of concerts I've been to in my life on one hand (if by concerts you don't include choral performances - and the coolest sixteen year olds in the world rarely do).
In high school I decided I really liked science, so I thought I'd like to be a doctor. I actually enjoyed anatomy labs, in part because of the demented minds with which I shared the class. An image that will forever be etched in my memory is that of our senior class president parading around the lab with a cat's head on a stick. Sick, I know. And not really related to my desire to be a doctor. But the most vivid memory I have of high school science.
By the end of my senior year of high school, I had decided that what I really wanted to be was a housewife and mommy, but since my mom was dead-set on me having a degree to fall back on in the event of an emergency, I chose nursing as my intended college major. What I really wanted to do with that was work in the hospital nurseries, rocking babies all day long. My second semester of college chemistry changed my mind about nursing. The medical profession would have been a lot easier to shoot for if it hadn't been for all the science.
That's when I went back to my first love - teaching. I spent one semester as an education major (though I never officially declared that one) before I realized just how much busy work the education department put on their students. It was time to re-evaluate my goals (again).
Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I dont' really enjoy children of all ages. The older they get, the more annoyed I tend to get with them. So preschool seemed like a pretty good place for me to stop. I settled on the child and family studies degree, changing my mind 3 times over whether to go the extra step and get the teaching licensure (I ended up deciding that I really did not want to deal with the education department if at all possible, so I opted for not). And that's how I got where I am today.
But honest and truly, when I grow up I wanna be a little old granny sitting on the front porch swing with Hubby yelling "No!" and "Stop that!" to the grandkids in the yard.
No one falls in love by choice; it is by CHANCE.
No one stays in love by chance; it is by WORK.
And no one falls out of love by chance; it is by CHOICE.
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That was part of a forward I got from my mom today, and I really liked the sentiment.
Sometimes I feel like an old ratty doormat. I seriously have to check in the mirror to make sure I don't have WELCOME stamped on my forehead. And it's all because I'm dependable. And I'm dependable because I have perfectionist tendencies (although you would never know it judging from the current state of my house). I would love to just throw my hands up in the air and say "Screw it! I don't care!" and walk away. The problem is, I do care. And that's why I'm the doormat. Have a project that needs to be done, but you don't want to deal with it? Toss it my way. I'll seethe quietly, resenting doing your job for you, but you know I'll do it anyway because it is something that needs to be done. Feel like playing hookey from work just for the hell of it? Go ahead! Don't worry about your responsibilities - the doormat is always there to take care of everything. Can't afford to play hookey? No problem! Come on in and just sit around staring at the clock! I'll take up the slack!
I think maybe I let my housework go as a rebellion of sorts from being "the dependable one." I don't feel like I can just let things go undone at work. But at home, by George, I can. And I do. And as much as I would like to believe that being able to say no to something feels good, in reality I'm just surrounded by clutter that creates a claustrophobic depression. The issue is that I'm not saying no to the things I should, the things I really want to say no to.
Disclaimer: I do not know who wrote this originally. It wasn't me.
Excerpts from a Dog's Daily Diary:
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:00 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
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Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary:
Day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded! The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe....... For now...
frost on the windshield
*EDIT - Update*
2/1/07 - Woke up this morning to a piddly little smattering of snow on the ground. Seriously. This was it.
Crazy Beautiful Stranger has a great post up about the rules that cats live by. It's all true. I've witnessed these behaviors in my own little furballs.
Sarah has learned a lot about Autumn that she never knew before - it's not all colorful leaves and pumpkin pies.
Bob and Sheri (the morning radio show I listen to while getting ready for work) provided a chance to share all that useless trivial knowledge you've stored up over the years this morning. Did you know that the male barnacle has the largest genitals, in proportion to body size, of any other planet?
Here's proof of what a classy state I live in. Honestly, people.
Evidently South Dakota's requirements for county commissioner do not include being alive.
Somebody lit a fire under this guy's butt (I couldn't resist)
If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.
~ Ludwig Wittgenstein
It sounds impossible...or at least freakish. But it is, in fact, (technically) possible to lick your own eye.
Coming together is a beginning;
staying together is progress;
working together is success.
~Anonymous~
The smell of rain is one of those smells that triggers the happy hormones in my brain.
I learned this afternoon, however, that the smell of rain does not have the same effect on me when I am walking home from work and have only made it halfway.
Ya learn something new every day.
