1.214

It is a half-hour past midnight and I AM PISSED!  And what I'm pissed at is the Tech Services department at work and their arrogance and their lack of responsiveness.  Honestly, I knew that I would reach a tipping point sooner rather than later, but I did not expect it to be this soon.  First, they removed my friend from his post and replaced him with another friend of mine as if to create some schism between the two. Fortunately, my displaced friend can roll with the punches much better than I can and their friendship remains intact (on the surface).  Second, is the manner in which they continue to deny my simple request of adding the new centralized Staff Council Gmail address into our global address book that would allow for simple access to users wishing to contact their representatives.  Third, is an extension of my second issue in that someone apparently did attempt to contact Staff Council, but rather than their message coming to our centralized Gmail account--it went into some group conversation that can only be seen by accessing one's e-mail account through a web browser.  Honestly, the aggravation that they have caused me over the past month is greater than at any point of my time in the system and I am PISSED!

I also hear that they are in the process of further making our work in Circulation more difficult by forcing us to not only log into Evergreen, but into our workstations so that they can track our activity...yeah, excuse me?  But, how does this actually improve the patron experience?  It doesn't, but I would like to hear them attempt to explain how it does because the monitoring of staff computer usage serves no other purpose than to create hostile workplace environment in which staffers become overly paranoid that a slip up could create some sort of issue pertaining to their job security.  Quite frankly, all of this is serving no other purpose than to rile me up and in truth, I'm more than game at this point.  Initially, when all of this came about, I kept my head down attempted to plant the seeds of rebellion quietly, but now; they've lit a fire under my ass and where I originally thought I should just leave this damned system--I must now save it for those that I consider my peers.  The first step is to gather intelligence--I'll lay low, but I'll be subverting them at every opportunity.  The game is afoot!

1.208: #Controversial 3

This might be controversial, but I believe that Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is the second best goalkeeper in the world behind Manuel Neuer.  Forget Iker Casilla, who is past his prime, and Thibaut Courtois, who, despite having John Terry immediately in front of him, is protected by a superb defensive backline, David De Gea is the second best keeper in the world and will be the best keeper in the world much sooner rather than later.  And because this is the case, Manchester United must make every effort to keep him at Old Trafford and out of the clutches of Real Madrid.

Over the past couple of months, there have been rumors being passed about how Manchester United would gladly exchange De Gea and a sizeable amount of cash (£50 million) for Gareth Bale and all I can think is WHY?!  Look, I realize that Bale is a world class talent with ridiculous pace and skill, but De Gea has proven himself time and time again as the savior of the Red Devils with countless saves despite having a porous and unproven backline ahead of him.  In my opinion, speedy wingers come and go, but top-class goalkeepers are few and far in between much less goalkeepers that have carried the weight of a club the size of Manchester United for extended periods of time.

Plus, do Manchester United really need Gareth Bale?  And are Real Madrid actually going to send off a player that they just shattered transfer fee records for just two seasons ago?  It is clear that Manchester United has needs, but it is even clearer that Bale is not one of them.

1.206: Shite Book Review #4

All New X-Men, Volume 2: Here to Stay
Brian Michael Bendis | David Marquez | Stuart Immonen

To be frank, I have enjoyed this particular iteration of the X-Men franchise.  The idea of two (actually, three) X-Men squads, one from the past (the “original” X-Men) and two from the “current” timeline (one led by Storm, Shadowcat and Wolverine, the other by Cyclops, Emma Frost and Magneto), is intriguing and somewhat confusion—I am reading the All-New series, but I have yet to read any of the Uncanny series.  Anyway, in this particular volume, Marvel Girl (or Jean Gray) and the rest of the originals find themselves still coping with their new existence in a world in which the leader of the “rogue” mutant cause is Cyclops and Professor Charles Xavier is dead; killed at the hands of Cyclops.  Anyway, as I read through the book, I’m reminded of a few things as well as learn a couple of new things like: (1) Cyclops, current and original, is still an annoying, arrogant and self-righteous prick, (2) Kitty Pryde is pretty awesome and (3) Jean Gray, despite her angst, is a powerful heroine.  I’ve never really read an “X” book, but I’m thoroughly enjoying this series (as I have already stated) and I’m interested in seeing where this leads.

Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

1.201

In my place of employment, loyalty is not rewarded—it is exploited.

In my place of employment, common sense is not heeded—it is subverted.

In my place of employment, I have become disillusioned with the blatant bullsh-t that is shoveled down our throats on a daily basis.

I work in a library where our director refuses to “play ball” with our county commissioners, our administration are conniving individuals that carry personal agendas, and our employees are screwed over routinely.

There was a time when I felt that this could be my career and it still may be my carry, but I know that it cannot be here.  It cannot be here until things change and things are not going to change until every collapses in upon itself.

In my short time at the library, I have made some close companions and now, those companions find themselves in the midst of one of the system’s “brilliant” reorganization plans.

Now, to better understand the situation, one must know what has happened within the course of the previous half-year (actually, past seven months).  In May of 2014, the system hired a new Information Technology (IT) director and during his brief tenure, this director found himself at odds with his department staff and attempted to force change by creating a toxic environment in which he mistreated his staff in a number of ways.  But, of all his methods, the one with the longest lasting effect would be the introduction of his interns:  one was a brash and loud woman with a poor social skills (she would be paired with the department’s longest tenured staffer—my companion), another was a stuttering, mentally-impaired individual that was more a charity case than an actual intern (he was paired with the department staffer with which this director had the most issues with), and the final intern was the most competent of the trio (which is not saying much as the other two were quite incompetent) and he was paired with the director.

Anyway, fast forward a few months—let’s say four—to September of 2014 when the incompetent IT director, after a number of miscues and mistakes, is terminated, but prior to his departure; the ignorant bastard decides he should write up my companion THREE times.  Of course, one should give little credence to the actions of a vengeful, vindictive and terminated individual—at least, common sense would dictate that response (but bear in mind my second statement and we will return to this point later).

After the termination of the previous IT director, the three interns were left in limbo:  the female intern was rather sporadic to begin with so her eventual phasing out was easy and non-eventful, the stuttering intern served out the remainder of his “internship” being passed around various individuals within the library to aid in the completion of menial tasks, and the third intern was handed a contract to continue working for the library in a limited basis (one may ask “huh?”, but the department was in the middle of a major network transfer and the department was even more understaffed than usual).

Eventually, the position of IT Director is once again posted and the hiring process begins anew.  During this hiring cycle, it is stated that the system would be much more methodical in its approach and would slow down the hiring process to avoid a repeat of the previous incident.  Also, during this period, the process of transitioning the system onto a new ISP network as well as the installation of a new e-mail service provider were completed under the direction of the “intern” (which was a clear omen of things to come).  Anyway, four individuals threw their names into the ring—three received interviews.  Of the three interviews, one was a black male that I knew or learned nothing about, another was a former employee of PINES and was involved in the implementation of the Evergreen system (this was the one that our previous IT Director—twice removed—recommended), and the third was the “intern”.

Now, I know that I have said this before in previous updates, but I cannot repeat it enough:  common sense would dictate that one does not hire the individual brought into the system by the individual that your system just fired.  There are too many volatile elements in taking such actions, but again, remember the second statement I made in this update.  So, despite statements that they would be more cautious and pragmatic in their hiring approach, the system handed the position to the devil that they knew best they could pay less.  Here’s the thing about the position:  it was advertised with a pay range of $30,000 - $70,000.  Now, I know that $70,000 isn’t much for an IT position, but I would think that it would still be enough to pique the interest of the candidate that helped designed the single most important piece of software in the system (the administration claimed that the candidate’s requested pay rate was too high).  So, because the system, which I am well aware of their financial woes, was too cheap to offer a decent pay rate for a position in a highly competitive field, they hired the intern with no library experience and no graduate-level college degree a position that will at the minimum pay him $10,000+ more than me.

But, this is not about me, this is about my companion who learned this week that he was being transferred into another department and would be receiving a pay rate decrease because the system no longer felt he warranted his pay rate because he spent much of his shift working courier, a position that pays the minimum rate the system pays.  Of course, he was only running courier because (1) the system never hired an individual to replace the courier that left in the summer and (2) they asked him to work that position knowing that his loyalties would not permit him to say no.  Now, the system line for explaining this decision was that it was based on the system’s ever-tightening budget and that reducing his pay would help alleviate the some of the strain, but how does that explain the fact that the person replacing him in IT—my other companion who worked in Reference—will receive a pay increase?  Anyway, that is the system’s official line, but the “unofficial line” revolves around my companion’s inability to learn new skills and fulfill his job responsibilities, which (and the irony is clearly lost on the administration) is the result of the fact that he is filling in for a position that was never replaced or will ever be replaced.  To which I shout:  BULLSH-T!  All of this is suddenly going down as the result of a series of actions that occurred nearly four months ago and has only now been given the legs to go forward.  The system’s new IT director just suddenly realized that my companion was not capable of able to fulfill his responsibilities in IT, really?  And yet, according to my supervisor (via the administration’s “unofficial” line), this is an issue that has been festering since prior to the hiring of incompetent bloke that was hired seven months ago and subsequently terminated four months ago.

I find the logic behind this statement to be rather befuddling because if the issue was primarily my companion’s inability to quickly adapt and learn new job responsibilities, then would it not stand to reason that the most logical response would be to remove his non-job related responsibilities and permit him the opportunity to actually try and learn.  Does this not speak more to the inability of his supervisor rather than him that the supervisor is unable to learn how to work with his limited resources?  Quite frankly, I am running around in circles and banging my head up against a brick wall trying to contemplate why such incompetence is not only permitted but promoted.  And this does not even go into the whole issue of my Reference companion deciding to throw loyalty aside and going along with these actions.

After I learned of this news, I had a long and drawn out “think session” and I came to the conclusion that regardless of how ridiculously naïve it may be to others, I would never screw over someone I considered to be a friend and while friends will come and friends will go; my conscious and loyalty will always remain with me.

1.200: Shite Book Review #3

Now that I have gotten my days corrected.

Batman: The Killing Joke (The Deluxe Edition)
Alan Moore, Brian Bolland

I’m beginning to think that the writing of Alan Moore and I are simply not meant to coexist because (1) I did not care much for Watchmen and (2) I found The Killing Joke to be rather lacking.  Perhaps, the latter could be contributed to the book’s reputation as the definitive Batman/Joker story or the greatest Batman story, period.  Personally, I’m fond of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, but that is another subject all its own.  Look, I understand The Killing Joke’s significance in the Batman mythology, but in my opinion; the story fell short and its ending was less than enjoyable for a person that loathes such blatant ambiguity at the conclusion of stories.  In my opinion, utilizing such an abrupt and vague ending signifies to me that the writer was either too lazy or simply could not be bothered to create a conclusion.

Of course, not all was bad—I did enjoy the “origin” story of the Joker and the artwork was appealing and I finally read the infamous tale that ended Barbara Gordon’s “pre-New 52” tenure as Batgirl and started her character on the path toward Oracle.  But, it is my opinion that The Killing Joke was crushed under the weight of its own hype.  Perhaps, had I read this at an earlier date, I may have actually enjoyed it but we will never know.

Goodreads Rating:  2 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

1.199: #Controversial 2

This might be controversial, but the police officers that continue to protest and revolt against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio should be fired for insubordination and failure to perform their duties.  I read an interesting article recently (linked below) that basically stated that the actions of the protesting members of the NYPD serve as a direct threat to democracy and as yet another example of how law enforcement officers seek the same level of respect afforded to members of the armed services without any of the responsibilities and duties that come with the position.  The article speaks to how law enforcement and their supporters continually fail to understand the rationale of many of the protests that have occurred throughout the country; the rationale that protestors are not against the police, but are against an unfair justice system that permits law enforcement officials to demand adherence to demands and authorities that they themselves fail to adhere to.

In the article, the writer makes an interesting parallel between military and police in that despite personal feelings of disagreement between the individual serviceman and his Commander-in-Chief; one would never see such a blatant act of protest during the course of an official military-related event much less a funeral.  And if one did see such an act, then one could be assured that such actions would never be publicly condoned by any of the protestors’ superiors.  The fact that law enforcement officials continue to view themselves above the very laws they are sworn to uphold is absurd and the belief of their supporters that their actions are always just in spite of evidence to the contrary is borderline delusional.

Look, I am law abiding citizen with a immense amount of respect for the law, but strict adherence to the commands of overzealous law enforcement authorities simply because they wear a badge is just wrong.  I am American and as such, I am afforded certain rights that have been afforded to me by the state and simply because an police officer may feel threatened or may hold preconceived prejudices about me or minorities in general (I am an Asian-American) does not mean my rights get trampled upon and I get shot and they get off because the prosecutor does not have the gall to pursue justice or my character is assassinated by others (i.e. – the media).  And yes, I realize (1) Asian Americans do not stand at the same level of other minority groups because of certain preconceived perceptions and (2) I have sort of trailed away into a wholly different topic.

Anyways, here is the link to the article I’ve been referring to:  http://thefederalist.com/2014/12/31/the-nypds-revolt-is-a-direct-threat-to-democracy/.  It should be noted that this particular article is rather striking in the fact that it is written by an individual that I would normally have no desire to be linked to due to our normally opposing political viewpoints, but it is an interesting that despite political difference some injustices are beyond partisan lines.

1.194

Today was the first day of my “leisure calendar” experiment and it went good.  I was able to follow the schedule without any major issues and because I was able to follow the schedule, I was able to watch an anime that has been sitting in my queue for some time, Kuroko’s Basketball, and I was able to catch up with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before the series premiere of Agent Carter tomorrow evening.  Perhaps, the only problem with the calendar is that I left no one for YouTube videos or iPhone games.  Of course, this is only the first day of this experiment to incorporate as many of my leisurely pleasures into my daily routine; tomorrow is a completely different story.

At work, nothing of any significance occurred, which is good.  There is still some tension between myself and my problematic coworker, but I’m a professional and I can separate personal tensions from professional relations (sometimes).  In truth, today was the sort of day one hopes for at the library—no complaining patrons (aside from the over-dramatic patron that wanted to fax something), no calls to emergency services, and no other coworkers crossing me in a negative matter.  I can only hope that this trend continues for the remainder of the work week though I doubt it because it will only be our full-time staffers tomorrow.

Anyway, I know that this seems a bit off pace from the usual offerings of late, but we simply have to remember that at the end of the day; this site is merely a personal journal.

1.193: Shite Book Reviews #2

Daredevil, Volume 4
Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Michael Allred

Some time had elapsed between the readings of Volumes 3 and 4, but I had enough of a recollection of the previous volume to understand the happenings of this volume.  To be frank, it is often difficult to follow up an adventure involving Dr. Doom and the Avengers with a story involving a “C-List” villain (as described by Daredevil) and the falling out of his friendship with longtime friend and partner, Foggy Nelson.  Perhaps, this is a critical turning point for a major change in the Daredevil story, but it didn’t quite strike me as being as important as it may or may not be.

In truth, I did manage to learn a few more things about a character that, for the most part, I knew little about aside from his guest appearances in the Spider-man animated series of the 90s and the terrible feature-length film starring Ben Affleck.  And that right there was enough for this volume to garner an additional star in my rating of the book.  Hopefully, the book picks up the pace in the next couple of volumes because I have enjoyed most of this run by Mark Waid.

Goodreads Rating:  3 Stars (Out of 5 Stars)

1.192: #Controversial 1

Originally, I wanted to call this new feature, “This Might Be Controversial…”, but it was a bit too long for the side bar so I decided to go with #Controversial because the “in” thing to do with most anything is to hashtag it.

Anyway, the idea is that I write about a controversial topic of my choosing and well, that’s it.  It may be uninformed and may cause the loss of brain cells, but I’m going to speak (or more accurately, write) from the gut and leave it out there for me to regret later.

In case you were wondering, this idea came about a few months back as I was listening to a program on NPR.  In the program, an individual was telling a story about a writing course she taught and how in order to promote discourse the class created a game in which a student would state the phrase “This might be controversial but…” and then proceed to discuss a possibly unpopular opinion.

I thought it was a cool idea and here I am today with the first installment of #Controversial.

This might be controversial, but I believe that guns do kill people and they kill whole shitload of them.  Should people be permitted to possess firearms?  Sure, if they are planning to go into the wood and use that gun to bring home food.  But, if their intention for the firearm is “protection”, then my response is no.  A gun has no other use than to kill and unless you are planning kill for the sake of feasting upon the flesh of a lesser beast, then you should not have a gun.  Guns kill--they make it easier to kill and they make it easier to get killed.  But, the reality is that guns are readily available and already in the possessions of millions of individuals throughout this country and nothing will change that fact.  What can change is the ease with which individuals can ascertain a firearm.  It should be incredibly difficult to purchase an instrument of death and yet, it is not.  On any day in America, I could step into a gun shop and purchase a firearm and ammunition and all that would be expected of me is the completion of some menial paperwork and brief screening period in order to assure that I am not a convict.  Or, if I am a convict, I could attend one of the many fine firearms trade shows that take place in my area and purchase a firearm from one of the many purveyors of death without the screening.  It is these sorts of loopholes that make our current gun control legislation next to useless.

Now, one would think with the multiple instances of mass gun-related deaths on our school campuses and in the workplace would serve as a wake up call to take action to limit access to these devices of death, but that is not the case thanks to terroristic organizations like the National Rifle Association that believe owning a fucking gun is more important than the lives of innocent children.  The same organization that parades around with a logo similar to the seals of our armed services as though they were some sort of civilian militia.  This organization who frightens lawmakers with threats of smear campaigns aimed toward removing them from office if they choose to go against their whims.  This organization that uses illogical, straw man arguments to confuse and mislead average citizens into valuing a couple of chunks of metal that serve no other purpose than to cause grave harm.  It is because of disgusting organizations like the NRA that we continue to hear countless stories of needless, easy death because they can spin a good tale about how for some messed up reasoning we are entitled to guns.

Owning a gun is not a right, but being able to live freely without fear that some overzealous idiot with a short-temper or one too many drinks will shoot me to death is one. Sadly, they have convinced lawmakers and many civilians otherwise and for what reason at this point other than stroke their egos knowing that in this regard they control the discourse.  Sure, there are many ways to die and be killed, but guns make it much easier to do it and thus guns kill people.

1.191: More Goals for 2015

After I posted my update concerning my goals for 2015, I found myself coming up with a number of other “smaller” goals that I wouldn’t mean accomplishing this year.  Of course, none of these are of any major significance and most are rather unquantifiable, but they’re goals to strive for in 2015.

Watch More Soccer

Last year, I know my soccer viewing diminished significantly.  I watched as much of the World Cup as I could, but not much else.  I couldn’t afford a MLS Live subscription so I was unable to watch many Sporting Kansas City matches and I often found myself watching little more than Manchester United fixtures at the club level. But, this year, I want to watch more matches and diversify my league and competition viewing.  I don’t want to be an expert, but I at least want to know what the people on my Twitter feed are discussing.

Watch Less Professional Wrestling Sports Entertainment

And by less, I mean far less—I’m thinking about no sports entertainment at all.  Look, I still have a soft spot in my heart for muscle-bound men in tights throwing fake punches at one another and scantily-clad women shoving their derrieres in one another’s faces, but I’m tired of seeing the same thing over and over and over again.  Truthfully, the final straw came on the last WWE Raw of 2014 when John Cena reinstated “The Authority”.  Honestly, I’m tired of Triple H, I’m sick of Stephanie McMahon, and I’m wary of this constant carousel of performers from when I was in high school. Anyways, I’m going to take a year away from sports entertainment and hope that come 2016, things will be different though I doubt it.

Watch More Anime

On my Twitter profile, I include the phrase “anime otaku” in my description, but I honestly have not watched an anime since (probably) before Anime Weekend Atlanta.  I need to get back in the mix, catch up with my queue and see what’s new in Japanese animation.

Reduce Carbonated Drink Intake

To be honest, I know that I’m going to fail hard at this because just today I have had one can of Coke Zero, one small Strawberry Fanta and about to polish off a bottle of Coke Zero.  I’ll be frank and say that I may never drop soda from the list of items I ingest, but I could should make an effort to reduce how much I ingest.  Perhaps, a single can a day or maybe one bottle (16.9 fl. oz.) a day?

Enter All of My Coke Rewards Codes

I have got Coke bottle caps everywhere and at some point, I just need to either enter them for points or throw them away because they are just taking up space.  My Coke Rewards (MCR) permits only 100 points per week (or 33 bottle cap codes), but I’m certain that I don’t have over 1700 bottle caps lying around or do I?  Anyway, if I enter the max each week, then I could come away with 5200 MCR points and earn another “free” trip to Six Flags.  But, more importantly to me and my mother, they’ll finally be out of our way.

Organize My Schedule to Accommodate Goals

If I want to be successful, then I need to organize my schedule and put in my day planner designated times for all of my desired activities. I like to organize—it is sticking to my plan that’s the problem.

Anyway, I’m certain that this is it for goals for the brand new year.  Hopefully, I will be able to achieve most of them and, perhaps, my quality of life will improve because of them (though I’m sure my health my deteriorate with all of the inactive anime and soccer viewing).

1.190: Shite Book Reviews #1

March, Book One
John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

It took some time for me to finish this book, but not because of its size (it’s quite short) or because the subject matter was uninteresting (far from it).  Rather, it took time because (1) life happens and (2) I’m a procrastinator.  Anyway, March is a biographical graphic novel about the life of Civil Rights icon Congressman John Lewis.  For those of unfamiliar with Congressman Lewis, he is the last remaining person to give an address at the famed March on Washington in 1963, but there is much more to Congressman Lewis aside from that distinguished distinction.  Even now, Congressman Lewis remains a prominent figure in the ongoing struggle for racial equality in America and his words are genuinely heralded as he was an individual that prominently participated in the Civil Right Movement of the 1960s alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

But, this is not a poorly written biography of a great man instead it is a poorly written review of the biographical graphic novel he authored alongside two other respectable individuals.  The book takes place on January 20, 2009, the date of the Inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama—America’s first black president, and it reads as though the congressman is sharing his life’s story with two visiting children.  In his recollection, he shares with the children the hardships of his childhood and struggles he faced in simply gaining an education in poor, rural Alabama.  He shares his dreams of being a preacher and his motivations for becoming involved in the movement for social justice.  And in truth, his story is a remarkable story—one that should be read, especially, with the upcoming 50^th Anniversary of the Selma march and the recent release of the film, Selma.

Perhaps, my only issue with the book is with its visual aesthetics (petty, I know), but it was not visually appealing and sometimes it was just too cluttered and messy.  I know my own tastes and the artwork did not fall within them, but it is not so much a distraction that I was unable to enjoy the story being told; it simply meant that I would not be able to give it a perfect five-star rating on Goodreads.

By the way, in case you were wondering, since the majority of the books I read are from the library meaning I can’t ask the question of whether or not it was worth the price of purchase; I will be rating books in this series with the ratings I give the books on Goodreads.

Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars (Out of 5)

1.189: Goals for 2015

It was only a matter of time before I finally sat down and drafted a list of goals for the New Year.  Last year, I attempted some rather ambitious goals (and nearly all failed).  This year, I’m going to keep my goals short, specific and reasonable—no vague or unrealistic goals this year.  Anyways, let’s get started:

Goal #1:  Read 52 Books

Last year, I set a goal of 24 books and I demolished that figure by rediscovering my love for graphic novels and including audio books.  And yes, those mediums count because graphic novels are books and when your commute takes nearly an hour both ways; audio books are a fantastic way to past the time.  Anyways, I’m aiming for a book a week and I’m still going to include graphic novels and audio books so bite me!

Goal #2:  Attend Dragon Con AND AWA

As I mentioned in my previous update, Dragon Con is set.  Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) is not.  Dragon Con is a wonderful event that I’ll get to share with some of my close companions, but it is also extremely expensive and with both conventions held within a month of one another; I know that it is going to be incredibly difficult on my budget.  AWA has become such a significant part of my life and since I began volunteering at the event two conventions ago, I feel as though there is still much more to give.  AWA is my event, my escape and my solace and to think that after so many years of attending and/or helping out that I may not be able to attend makes me sad.  So, I am going to try my best to make it to both events and that means saving money and tightening my budget even further than before.  It won’t be easy, but it is possible and this is something I really want.

Goal #3:  Be More Active Online

No, I don’t mean over-sharing on social media, but I do mean posting regularly (if not daily) on here, on my Tumblr, on Twitter, on Instagram and maybe, even on Facebook though I am not really interested in sharing my life with the people on there.  Not every post has to be poignant social commentary, but it needs to be meaningful to me regardless of how unintelligible and incoherent it may read.  Like I said before, I’m hoping to introduce some regular “columns” on J+30 and I’m still working on understanding Tumblr, but I hope this will motivate me to be more active in my ongoing battle to stave off oblivion.

Anyways, that’s it!  No resolutions about weight loss though I could stand to lose some, no goals about getting out of debt because that is not happening within a year and I am more likely to go further into it before I get out of it, and no promises about being a better person; I just want to be me—whatever that is—and I don’t want to be some fake individual that tries to get on with people that I know I could never get along with.  My life is my own and I’m the only that’s going to take care of it and as long as I do my best to take care of me; the rest should fall in line.  So, here’s to 2015 and whatever it brings my way and to anyone that actually reads this:  DFTBA.