New Blog

Thanks for dropping by.  My new blog is located at ThinkObvious.net.  So go check me out there!

Infinite Tides Is Closing…Sort Of

Last year when I canceled my hosting service and moved Infinite Tides to WordPress.com, I knew it might only be temporary.  At that time, I was seriously thinking about quitting my blog altogether.  So it has come to pass that I will be closing down Infinite Tides at WordPress.com.

Fret not!  I am not finished blogging, not even close!  In the very very very near future, I’ll be opening a brand spanking (if you’re into that sort of thing) new site with a completely new address.  I’m in the process of finding a host and buying a domain name (something obvious I think).

Once I’ve secured a host and domain, I’ll set up a new blog in a slightly less than disheveled fashion (I like clutter!). I’ll post notices both here and on my Facebook wall in case anyone is still interested in reading my rants (in a shiny new location).

Thanks for your reading!

Attention Seekers Anonymous

Hello.  My name is Keith, and I’m an attention whore.  It’s been five minutes since my last status update or tweet seeking the attention I long for.  Obviously I’m not being completely serious.  It’s probably been closer to thirty minutes since I’ve posted something.  I understand that people may perceive me as someone constantly seeking attention (at least online).  What they may not also grasp is that there’s something inside each of us that seeks validation, recognition that we are important to someone else in our lives.  Sure, some of us take it too far with our goofy Facebook avatars, corny status updates, and off-the-wall blog posts, but for the most part, it’s only a small part of our overall personalities that makes us do these things.

I wonder why we do that, why we look so hard at our overall personality, for one trait we think will describe the dominant side (as though there is one) of our being.  I see quiz results on Facebook telling people what color, soda pop, sports team, and vegetable (no offense to the handicapped) they are.  All of us wonder what other people think about us.  It’s human nature to do so.  I frequently find myself not posting status updates and comments to friends’ walls because I don’t want to give the impression (probably too late!) that I’m someone who constantly needs to be the center of attention.  The truth of the matter is that I post a lot, because I’m online and bored a lot.  (I am Keith’s defensiveness.)  In the offline world, I could easily go days without speaking to anyone, especially at work.  I’m not a social butterfly, but I play one on the interwebs.

Our emotions often drive what we are thinking though we would like to believe it’s the other way around.  I don’t recall who first said it, but humans are emotional beings who think, not thinking beings who emote (and use smileys).  If you don’t believe me, just consider what happens when we get upset.  We often say things we don’t mean.  We lash out at people we love.  Our emotions flood our brains, and we stop thinking about the consequences of our words (and maybe even our actions).  Our emotions drive our thoughts about what others think of us, thereby driving our behavior in ways we might not even realize, like how often we post on Facebook or Twitter.

Each of us has just about every personality trait under the sun within us in varying amounts.  It’s rare that one of these traits actually dominates all of the others.  As human beings, we like to pigeon-hole everything.  We subconsciously classify and categorize everything and everyone.  Whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not, our emotions are attached to, or even direct this classification.  It’s why we feel nostalgic about inanimate objects.  Emotions are often attached to memories of just about everything and everyone.

I suppose I’m off the track a bit.  What I’m getting at is this, everyone is/can be/has been in pursuit of attention from someone (maybe it’s your cat’s aloofness that’s pissing you off).  So please don’t judge me too harshly when I spam your Facebook wall or Twitter feed with my witlessisms.  With that said, I need to find a cabin in the woods somewhere that has internet, because with this post, I’m seriously off the wagon.

Little Happiness Things

Sometimes it’s the little things that make me happy.  This morning my productivity level was off the charts.  I made bread, ran the dishwasher, and trimmed my fingernails.  Having nice, tidy, short fingernails makes me happy, because when my nails are short, the keyboard feels perfect on my fingertips.  More importantly, I make fewer typos after trimming them, and I loathe my typos.

Do you have that one little thing that just makes you bubble with a quiet sort of happiness?  Maybe your thing is eating a marshmallow cereal with blueberries.  Oh wait, that’s another one of mine.  Any way, do that little happiness thing and smile with the knowledge that you have that one thing you can count on to make you feel good.  While you’re at it (or shortly thereafter), why not share that little happiness thing with your friends.  Chances are good that they will smile too.