Perception

Here's one that's been on my mind and driving me insane lately because, though I'm sure I'm not, it seems I'm the only person who gets it. I think most people will agree with this, but nobody thinks to practice it; Everybody's perception is different.

It's hard to put this one into words, so you'll have to bear with me, and the best examples, or at least the most relevant, I can think of are personal... so you'll have to bear with that as well. Put most simply; What something means to you is not necessarily what it means to anybody else.

Just because something seems amazing to you, doesn't mean others will agree, and just because something seems insignificant to you, it doesn't mean others will agree. That's the part I'd assume most people would agree upon, but here's where it gets tricky.

I devote my life to cheering others up and making sure my friends are happy, in doing that I've learned that how *I* feel about their situation, or their problems, is irrelevant, because it's hurting *them* and that's what's important. My parents, this is the first example, have never told me they're proud of me in any way, shape, or form, despite my doing my damned hardest to prove myself to them. They believe they *have* shown it, and I told them that their methods don't work... the example I made to Mom the other night is that it's like writing a message in brail and giving it to me to read. Technically the message is there but there's no way in hell I'll be able to interpret it and that's the important bit, that *I* understand it.

Another one, that seems to come up often, is when I'm feeling low because my parents and I are constantly fighting, and I turn to one of my friends. To them my situation is insignificant and *that* is what they act on... they don't see that to me it means *everything*, they simply perceive it as my being selfishly whiney. So in stead of trying to cheer me up, my friends give me lectures about how I'm an emo and how I should be happy with my life because I have this, or that, or some other thing.

Once again, what should be important is how the person stuck in the situation perceives the situation, and not how *you* perceive it. As a broader example, that everybody should be able to recognize, let's talk gifts, or in this case, Christmas gifts. It will be a bit after X-Mas (money is tight for me and the offer *just* arose) but I plan on building Dad a computer that can compete with my own. I know he'll hardly ever use it, and I know it will be, for the better part, a waste of good computer parts that I would rather have *but* I know that to Dad it will mean everything because he's been wanting a computer that can do what mine does.

I find it funny that often when I turn to somebody with my problems, I end up getting a list of their problems and a lecture on how much worse off they have it. In the end it seems I'm doing what I normally do and cheering them up because I recognize how they perceive their problems and I do what I can to help.

I'm sorry if I come off as a bit arrogant, or whiney in this article as this issue has come up several times in the past two weeks for me and I'm finally doing my best to put it all into words. I simply ask of all six of my readers that if you ever find yourself talking to a depressed friend over an issue you find blatantly stupid and insignificant, remember; it's this insignificant issue that has brought your *friend* to tears... so just how insignificant can it be?

-Wraith

Generic Blurb

Sorry my posting has kinda hit the wall... Work has been ridiculously busy, or rather, I go to work then sit on my ass for five hours, get home and do random chores for my parents, then maybe grab five minutes to fix the newest random failure on my computer.

So a quick sampler of my life over the past week or so?

Work; People expect us (the clerks) to know *everything*, like right down to ridiculous shit like; 'Well why isn't Nintendo sending more Wii's to stores?!', and they ask it honestly expecting us to know, or, because the Kodak "self-serve" photo booths crashed, it's somehow *our* fault that equipment we don't even touch isn't working. I know you can't expect the customer to know what all your job entails, but we've all been some kind of clerk (or minimum wage employee) at some point in our lives... you'd think people would show a bit of empathy.

Home; Do something nice for Mom, have it somehow degrade into an argument, give up, go try and fix *insert broken electronic I own here*.

Social Life; Hahahahahahahahahaha... next

Sleep; Haven't been sleeping well... Nightly nightmares for a week straight.

I'm excited about my new job, and like the people I'm working with... but it's driving me insane how I somehow managed to go from way too much free time to absolutely none. I'm not even working that many hours, yet, but it seems I get almost no time to myself anymore. Oh well, welcome to the real world I suppose.

I'll get more political on a later date, not really feeling it tonight,
-Wraith

Yet another update lack excuse

Hey all, if you're wondering why I've been AWAL the past few days it's because I got a new job and have been busy training. On top of that it seems when I get home I've got tonnes to do around the house.

Today, for example, I had to situate myself between the wall and a shelf/cabinet in an area with enough room for a powerbar (sitting flat on the floor... that was about the width I had to work with) leaning over the back of the shelfinet trying to change component cables in the dark. I had to disconnect the satellite from the surround sound and directly into the HD TV (which was located on a fireplace... I had to work above me in a blind spot to figure it out) *then* I had to figure out how to plug my xbox 360 where the satellite was.

It was a surprising amount of effort, but Mom and Dad hated having the satellite run surround sound (don't ask me why) and Dad thought he'd have to buy an extra cable... the xbox bit was my taking advantage of the now open cable slots.

Anywho, might have some interesting stories based off my job to share... You'd be surprised how rude people can be to Electronics/Photo clerks,
-Wraith

Legal to kill it, illegal to keep it; The injured Hawk

An interesting piece of bureaucracy happened today... Mom and Dad were at their various appointments early this morning as I struggled to fall asleep (didn't catch a wink all night). Anywho, I was on the cusp of sleep when from down the stairs there arose such a clatter.

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter (and that, folks, is why I need a life) as Mom and Dad were bringing in groceries I was told to go check the cat carrier in the van. Inside there was an injured red tailed hawk. We made a few calls and found out the nearest hawk specialized clinic was a good hour away, we climbed into the van and off we went to try and save the poor thing's life.

Well after nearly breaking Dad's GPS (and it malfunctioning twice), then nearly running out of gas, we finally find the place... only to be told he's a young red tailed hawk and his wing is likely broken. If it is they're going to put him to sleep. Mom asked if there was any way they could keep him, and look after him, if his wing was broken, as opposed to putting him to sleep.

Ready for the answer you already know from the title? It's totally illegal to keep a red tailed hawk without a near impossible to acquire special license *but* it's perfectly legal for them to euthanize him. That's right. It's easier, legally, for animal clinics to *kill* endangered animals than it is for them to keep them. Does that strike nobody as wrong?

I can understand putting creatures out of their misery but I think it's unfair to not give them a fighting chance first. Shadow, my cat, was chosen to be the 'poster-cat' for a humane society that doesn't euthanize, but that's a story for another day...

Right now I'm tired and I have work in the morning, so I'm gonna get a drink and catch some sleep,

-Wraith