1.328

I am a man filled with anger and bitterness, but I am also a man that is too lazy to do much about it. Everyday I wake and I wonder if today is the day that I snap and I lose this job. I know that this is post is going to be short, but it’s all I can bear for tonight.

1.327: Bucket List

Last Friday I rode in an El Camino—it was the first time I had ever been in an El Camino and to be frank; it was nothing special.  But, it was something I had never done previously and that occurrence led to the quip that would lead to this post.  Basically, it was a quip about being able to mark “ride in an El Camino” off of my bucket list.  And this got me thinking about whether or not I have an actual bucket list or whether or not I need a bucket list.

First, I have no bucket list—I may have one at some point in my life, but at present; I do not.  (This was the simple inquiry to answer.)  Now, I need to know whether or not I should have a bucket list and after some brief introspection; I concluded that I do not need a bucket list.  Here’s my rationale:  bucket lists while a potential source of inspiration could just as easily be a source of significant regret and I have more than my fair share of regrets already.

Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have goals—I’m simply saying that overtly wishful thinking can become more of negative than a positive.  I believe that I’m a rather pragmatic individual and that objectives can be achieved incrementally by reaching specific benchmarks because it really is more about the journey as opposed to destination.  For me, setting BIG goals is different from creating a bucket list in that goals are based in reality whereas bucket lists are rooted in the infeasible.

Goals can be worked towards by utilizing benchmarks while bucket list items are either accomplished or not accomplished.  One can learn from the increment successes one achieves while working towards the end goal while nothing is really learned when one’s primary choices are succeeded or did not succeed.

Word Count:  315 (+ 741) = 1056 (of 3500)

1.326: Writing Challenge

I know that I have not been consistent in my postings, but I have my reasons—everyone has their reasons—my just happens to be laziness.  Anyways, I am going to try and become a better more consistent writer and to aid in this goal, I am initiating a personal challenge to myself to:  (1) post at least once day for every day this week and (2) to write either 500 words per day or 3500 words total for the week.  Now, I understand that no challenge should be without consequences or rewards, but I have yet to come up with anything as this was really a spur of the moment type of challenge (by the way, I am counting all of these words toward my daily and weekly tally).  Of course, I may or may not come up with something during the course of this week and if I do figure it out, then I will be certain to post it here to serve as some sort of visible benchmark for which I can hold myself accountable.

I suppose the biggest obstacle for me (aside from laziness) is coming up with topics to discuss (though this is more of a one-way lecture rather than an actual discussion because no one visits this site and because I have turned off comments).  Fortunately, I have something from which I can work from—an update that I posted on my Tumblr account recently—and the best part is that it is something familiar to this site (I think I’m going to start referring to this “site” as a “journal” since this is this site’s actual purpose): graphic novel reviews.

Over the past four days, I have had the opportunity to make a small dent to my graphic novels queue by reading the following:  Captain Marvel (2012), Southern Bastards, Batgirl, and Batman.  Let’s get these thoughts out of the way!

Captain Marvel, Volumes 1 and 2 (2012)

I have seen and read a lot about the hype surrounding this series and I finally decided to take the plunge and read it.  First, the artwork takes some serious getting used to because it is far sharper (or perhaps, “jaggier”) and “sloppier” than what I prefer, but as I just alluded to:  one gets used to the style and during the course of reading the two volumes—I accepted it and moved on.  As for the actual story, I did enjoy it though I wish the arc could have finished within Captain Marvel’s own series rather than reaching into the Avengers series.

Southern Bastards, Volume 1

Now, here was something completely unexpected.  This series was recommended to me by a coworker and it did not disappoint (I guess the guy knows what he’s talking about).  I’m not sure if it was the overt bastardization of Southern culture or the grizzled protagonist that allows his big stick do the talking (i.e. – he beats the hell out of a lot of high school football crazed rednecks and gets the hell beat out of him by said stick), but I thoroughly enjoyed this first volume and I cannot wait to see what is coming.

The New 52 Batgirl, Volume 4

It is rather surprising just how much I have come to love the Batgirl character.  Initially, it started with a simple yet modern costume redesign, but that eventually led to actually learning more about the character through her adventures in crime fighting and her journey to regain the confidence that she lost as a result of the events of The Killing Joke.  I enjoyed this volume of the Batgirl series—seeing her cope with the apparent death of her younger brother, James Jr., at her hands as well as dealing with the fact that she is now public enemy number one in the eyes of her father, Commission Jim Gordon just gave more to enjoy about a previously little known about character from a line of books in which I was familiar.  In truth, the Year Zero story arc looks like it was a good one (if they carry on from the final chapter included in this volume) and I look forward to reading it soon.

Now, I did also read the fourth volume of the Batman (non-Detective Comics) series, but I will save my thoughts on that volume for another update later this week. (I can’t go spending all of my writing topics in one post, can I?)

Word Count:  741 (of 3500)

1.312

Much time has passed since my last post and plenty has happened during the past six-plus weeks.  I cannot remember everything that has occurred, but I am able to share some of the major events.

1. I am back on the job market.  No, I have not left my job at the library, but the work environment has become too toxic for me to want to prolong my stay within this particular system.  At present, I have only one application entered—a library position at my alma mater—but I am more mindful of other opportunities that may become available.

2. I have become addicted to Minecraft.  To be frank, I am still clueless about the game, but I find myself spending countless hours playing.  I initially picked up Minecraft as a joke in regards to a comment I made to one of my coworkers about YouTube gaming channels and how I could (and should) create a channel of my own.

Honestly, my pending escape from my toxic work environment and Minecraft are what my life is at present.  Yes, there have been a few excursions I could discuss, but these outings primarily revolved around comics; which is another post to be written.  Also, the decision to begin drafting a post after 11 PM was a poor decision that has led to this abridged edition of the original post I had in mind.