Annoying
You know what I find annoying? When people basically complain about their significant other. My thing is, you have a significant other, be happy that you have someone. I've got nothing. And pretty much every date I go on ends on her saying "I'll call you".
And then on the follow up text... She basically says "When I said I would call you, I mean, I don't really want to call you... Like in the movie Mean Girls when she compliments someone, it means, she doesn't actually like it."
And I'm just like... "Oh, okay."
And she's like "It was nice talking to you... And when I say it was nice talking to you... I mean, watch the movie Mean Girls."
So, if someone actually HAS a significant other... They should be very grateful as far as I'm concerned. They should be happy that someone actually has enough interest to let them even be with them!
I just find it annoying that they are anything but happy.
I mean, I would LOVE to even just have a girlfriend... Or even just be seeing someone. I can't even get beyond a first date. I'd love to have anyone just even look in my direction.
I can't even get that.
So, I just hate it when people aren't anything but loving and caring to the person they are with. That other person doesn't have to be with the person. No one has to be with anyone, everyone could just be single... So they choose to be with someone... And that's why anyone who is in a relationship, or married, should consider themselves lucky that the person wanted to be with them.
That's my view. It's a privilege that someone decides to be with someone else not a right.
Otherwise, just be single instead then... Don't be with someone just to be with someone... Be with someone because you feel lucky being with that person.... you feel honored that they want you. Out of ALL the people on this planet, you're the one that they are with! That's amazing when you think about it. That person decided to be with you. Billions of people... And it's YOU they are with.
NO complaining allowed. At all. That's my view on it. Don't take anyone for granted... People choose to be in one another's lives and it should be an honor that the person chose to allow you to be not just an acquaintance, not just a friend, but a significant other. That should be cherished because it's SUPER special.
People can have a lot of friends... But they can only have one significant other in their lives. It should be an honor.
So Many First Dates
I've pretty much just come to accept that there's always only going to be just a first date. I mean, eh, it's fine. The thing is... At least it's good conversation usually, and it's cheap, usually just a cup of coffee, or a drink.
I mean, all of my peers are coughing up mucho money for childcare and wedding costs...
So, if I just go on a date a week and it's always a first date, and she decides not to respond anymore after the first date...
I guess it is what it is.
I really should just go for the Guinness book of world records for first dates. I'm actually fairly certain I've surpassed that record.
I've been on a LOT of first dates.
I used to wonder what it was they weren't interested in or what I could do better... But I suppose it doesn't really matter. I mean, what one person likes, another doesn't. Or what is a preference to one person, isn't to another.
So it doesn't matter really I guess.
At this point I'm not really expecting to meet someone. I just go on dates usually because it's nice to have an hour conversation with someone over a drink.
I've kind of given up on the whole love thing at the point. I feel like whatever it is that women REALLY want in the end, I don't have. Maybe it's my height, or maybe it's just my lack of a CEO position at a big corporation... Who knows... But whatever it is, I don't have it.
So, just keep going on first dates.... and then after the first date... I basically say the same thing...
"I had a great time, I'd love to go on another date, but I'll let it up to you, if you decide you want to do something again, you can contact me, if not, that's okay too, it was nice to meet you."
I'm actually surprised that I don't run into more of these first dates I've been on in real life. You'd think I would cross paths with at least one or two of them every now and then. I never seem to though. Which is kind of weird.
I guess it just proves how many people there are out there! And maybe hope that one day I will eventually cross paths with someone who I will end up marrying? I guess one can hope.
The thing is... You never know who you'll end up marrying until it happens. Plus, the person that I might end up with, she might be in a totally different country right now, or state, or city.
I mean, who knows, she might be married right now for all I know.
I actually went on a date with one woman I was interested in... I REALLY wanted to go on a second date... But she wasn't interested in. Which was weird because she actually bought my tea for me on the date... And then she ended it with "I'll call you later".
She was never going to call later.
I finally texted and she said she wasn't interested.
It was a good 2 hours though that we chatted.
Anyways, she actually lived like a mile away from where I live now, for a few years, married to the other guy that she ended up getting divorced from.
So, I guess it just goes to show, the woman I might eventually end up with, could be nextdoor the whole time.
Or who knows, she might just live right down the street. Maybe I already know her even and sparks just haven't flown yet.
Life is a little about catching one another's paces. That's why a lot of couples early on break up.
People just go in different directions. Two people could be together and one goes on to do a PHD, and the other just decides not to even go to college at all. Then the PHD student ends up getting really cozy with a classmate... And sparks fly. They break up with their previous relationship and end up with the other person.
It happens all the time.
This is why I kind of have decided not to really put much faith into the dating apps anymore. It's a nice hour or two chat, but I have no hope that I'll actually meet my future significant other on that site.
I feel like I have a better chance if I just keep with social activities. Just keep making friends. I think the key is to make a LOT of friends. Then you get invited to things, like parties, or other weddings... You're more likely to form a close bond with someone else who is single at a wedding... All the single people at weddings kind of gather together, and then they just kind of think, "when is it my turn?"
And then you end up kind of cozying up with other single people and perhaps something happens from that. Maybe not... but I think it's better odds than just meeting someone random.
People like to date friends. They don't like to date random strangers. People like to know there's a connection somehow. Connections prove reputation and decency... Which is a big deal for dating.
That's the problem with dating sites... Like the last date I went on she was like "You're not going to murder me are you?"
That's the whole problem with online dating. There's no trust. You don't know the person.
That's why most relationships don't come out of dating sites. They come out of knowing the person. Mutual friends at a party... Or, the singles table at a wedding...
"How do you know so and so?"
I think eventually I just want to keep doing more things that involve group activities. Running club is good... So that works for now, but I need more group activity things. And it has to be recurring. This is how coworkers date, or classmates.
You see the person over and over again. And then eventually something clicks. Although I have no clue how that click part happens... But somehow it does.
But yeah... The key to relationships is being around the person, on a recurring basis... Then becoming friends first... Then ended up in a relationship.
I know with the summer camp in Maine that I go to every June the way that people end up together is, they spend a LOT of time in close space... And then... They drink alcohol together.
Lots of time spent together often... Plus alcohol.
The time together often is what makes the close bond, but the alcohol is what makes things happen because then people who may not have otherwise kissed... End up making out.
And then it goes on to end up in marriage eventually.
There have been SOOOO many camp marriages, it's crazy.
Spend time with people often, drink.
That's running club. You see the same people every week, you run together... then... You guessed it... You drink.
Coworkers... Happy hours once a week?
See a pattern?
It's because you have to build up the trust first.... Then lower the inhibitions.
Most people don't find anyone attractive the first time they meet.
This is why I'm endlessly going on first dates... I like to give it 3 dates before I call it quits... But that's just me.
Anyways... So, I'll keep with the dates thing from online dating, but I doubt it will ever lead anywhere because the formula for love isn't built into online dating.
There's no trust building. There's no community to vouch for this person.
You just talk a while, then go get booze.
Which is always going to end in failure. Because alcohol without the community and trust... Just ends in both people awkwardly saying good night and then both of them never speaking again.
It's just how it goes. Alcohol can't come until there's trust and friendship and community. THEN you can add alcohol into the mix to get two people who may kind of sort of like one another but haven't yet let it bubble up and say anything, will say something after a couple drinks.
It's just the way of the world and the way so many couples have gotten together.
Don't believe me? Ask pretty much anyone you know who is married. Ask them how they got together.
They knew one another for a while probably... Then went out to a happy hour, or a wedding, or a party, or something where they had a couple of drinks... And then they warmed up to each other.
So, that's what I need to work on... Finding more friends, attending more parties, happy hours with coworkers, and weddings...
Only then will I probably meet her.
Kentucky Plates
So tonight, I went on another first date with someone from OKCupid... I mean, she was cool, I don't think I'm her type, but that's okay. She was nice for sure. We chatted for a while. We went to Barnes and Noble and got tea... And then... There were no seats in the cafe area, so... We walked around and there were no seats ANYWHERE in Barnes and Noble... So THEN... We ended up sitting in the kids area next to the toy train and kids books.
Yep.
That was the ONLY place in the whole store to sit.
We talked for an hour sitting there. Haha... It was actually just funny guess. I mean, I don't think there will be a second date. But sometimes you just gotta laugh at the things that happen in life. I never would have thought I'd be sitting in the kids area sipping tea on a first date. It was late, we got there around 9 or so, a little before 9, and they closed at 10... so there was no one else in the area. It was totally awkward and weird... And the people who worked there totally gave us the the stink eye.
I guess now I can say I've gone on a first date in the kids section of Barnes and Noble.
Did you know they have a Grump Cat children's book? Yep.
Anyways so I leave the date, and I'm driving home, and I need to get gas, so I go to Wawa...
Then I end up at a light and there's a car, kind of similar to mine but not really, it's a Nissan or something, and the car has Kentucky plates... The driver isn't turning even though the green arrow is up. I'm just like, well they probably are looking on their phone and not sure where they are going.
So eventually they turn, and I turn. They kind of pull ahead of me... I'm just like, I wonder where they are driving to and all that. They're definitely a long way from home!
Well, then a few miles down the road on the next turn, there's a whole bunch of commotion as police cars are blaring their lights going somewhere to some emergency.
Anyway, I pull into the Wawa and get out of my car and start the whole process of getting gas.
Then all of a sudden there's a person asking me if I have something to click her lock. I'm like "What?" and she's like... "I locked my keys in my car, but the window is just open enough that she could stick a coat hanger through and click the lock inside to open the door".
I start looking for something that I might have in my car so she can open her car door.
I look a little, I don't have anything, she goes inside and comes back with something that works perfectly. Then I finish getting gas and I say it's been a weird night, that I just spent an hour in the kids section of Barnes and Nobel on an awkward first date... that wasn't THAT awkward but, it was weird to sit in the kids section, but how it was the only place to sit in the entire bookstore, then how I passed a whole bunch of police... And she was like, "Oh yeah, I saw that".
I then looked at her car and was like... Wait, and then I looked at the license plate and was just like, "You were in front of me like 4 lights back!"
And she was like... Yep.
I was going to chat more and be like where ya headed, since I was curious, but I didn't want to be weird/creepy.
She seemed nice though.
Anyway, so then I basically finished putting gas in my car and went on my way, and she went on hers. Or, I 'm guessing she went on hers. She was getting gas as I drove off.
That's scary though to lock your keys in your car! That must have been the worst feeling ever for her. I was like "It's a good thing you left your window open enough like that!"
She was just like "Yeah..."
I wanted to be more hospitable and be like you know, "Welcome to PA, anything else I can help with?"
It's always nice to know people are helpful when you are far from home. I've broken down a few times, or been in situations and not been close to home... It's the worst.
I kind of just wish that it were easier to trust people. Like, to know that people were there to help you and not take advantage of you.
I wish I could get on some list of "approved strangers".
Like, some app where you can just look people up on it and know they aren't malicious or out to hurt you.
So then someone can be like... "What's your decent person ID number?"
And I'd be like... "1335338892023747540337272048737303039574."
And they would be like... "Okay, let me look you up."
And then I wait.
"Oh yeah, look at that! You're a 5 star rated decent person."
And I'm just like... "Sure am."
And then they are just like... "Well since I know you're not a psycho who's going to kill me now... I actually do need help with something."
And then there ya go.
That's the problem with the world... You never know if someone is actually a decent person, or a psycho killer.
Especially when traveling. I mean, when you know people and you've been friends... You kind of know they are decent... But when someone is a stranger... You never know!
I feel like we need to think of a way to know who is trustworthy. So that way you don't have to worry when you talk to a stranger. You just pull up your good peoples app and then it shows you people nearby who are trusted strangers.
Like, the app tracks GPS distance and so then if you're traveling you pull up the app and it shows you that there's a decent person within a half a mile. So you can just click and message that person and ask for a favor.
Or something.
Well, I hope Kentucky plates gets to where she's going without any further mishaps. I feel like locking your keys in your car at a gas station when you're that far away from home has to be such a scary feeling. Luckily though she was able to click the lock through the small sliver of open window and open her door back up!
Anyways... It was a weird night. Now I'm home, making a late dinner.
Oh, I did pick up a book called "Big Magic". It's by the woman that wrote Eat Pray Love... Apparently it's a really good book. That's what I was told. I was told to read it. I was going to download the digital copy, but that was like 12 bucks... Then I saw it in the store tonight for 8 bucks. The physical copy was 8 bucks when the e-book copy was like 12 or 14 bucks or whatever? So, I bought the physical copy for 8 bucks. I haven't bought a physical book in years. It was fun to buy a real book! It's even hardcover. Crazy, I know.
Maybe I'll read it in a coffee shop. It's kind of cool, to read a real book. I don't know, there's something neat about it. Maybe instead of only doing E-books I'll just buy a real physical book every once in a while. I still don't get why it's so much cheaper for the real book, in hardcover at that, than the digital copy... I'm just excited to read the book though, apparently it's supposed to be really good.
Beet Juice, Beet Juice, Beet Juice
Beet juice... Unlike Beetlejuice, an obnoxious fictional ghost hired to chase the living from a previous owner's abode, I've been trying out adding beet juice to my day. If you say it three times fast, nothing happens, but if you drink it fast? You feel pretty pleasant, despite the strange taste.
I'm always trying out different juices. I still blend up a smoothie every now and then, but I also like to try out juices from the store. The last one I tried was carrot juice. Apparently if you drink too much of it, you'll start to look like an Oompaloompa. That would be strange to explain to everyone!
Beet juice doesn't have that effect and doesn't make you look like a beet.
Anyways, apparently it's just super healthy for you. If you Google the benefits of beet root juice, you get a lot of results.
I found this glass jar of juice in the organic section of my local grocery store. They make both carrot and beet. So, maybe I'll alternate between the two. Buy one and when I finish that buy the other.
I mix it with my morning orange juice so it's more drinkable. Carrot juice isn't bad though, but beet juice is a rough one to drink. It's very "earthy" tasting. Mix it with some orange juice and then use a straw, it's not so bad.
Here's to beet juice benefits! Apparently as well, it can give you more endurance when working out. So, maybe I'll try drinking a little before working out.
The thing about it though is, it's potent. I'm not entirely sure but I THINK it's a diuretic, and also it apparently lowers blood pressure. SO if you have preexisting conditions... Definitely check with the doctor first. I'm only drinking a small amount mixed in my morning OJ, like a half a cup, so I'm not really overloading on the effects.
I like doing new and interesting heathy things... I suppose even if the effect is purely placebo, it still makes me feel like I'm doing something good for my body, and in turn I just feel better in general. Obviously, it's ideal to actually do something actually good for your body. But as well, the whole idea of just feeling like you are doing something then makes your mood better and in turn it can actually make you feel better because you feel good in general, which, there's some science that says your physical health can actually mimic your mental health. How all that works though? I don't know, it beets me.
Run Disney
So one of my friends recently went to run a 5K at Disney World. I was seeing all her photos posted and it looks really cool/fun. She said she goes every year.
I looked up the website and there's a WHOLE BUNCH of runs. They have one called the Heroes run out in Disneyland. I think maybe I might try that one out next year. I have friends in LA, so I could just stay with them and rent a car. Although I might do the whole stay in a hotel nearby type of thing.
It's something I definitely think would be a good time. My one friend said I could tag along to the one at Disney World... Which, I'm not 100 percent opposed to...
But, I think it would be cooler to head back to California! I haven't been in a while, and given that Disneyland is old stomping grounds for my mom and my grandparents and brother and sister... It just has more meaning than Disney World. Although I did go to Disney World once with my mom and on the Disney cruise. But Cali is just in my blood since that's where I was born and grew up as a little kid.
Who knows, I might run a few of them.
Here's the official site for the run I want to do: http://www.rundisney.com/super-heroes-half-marathon/
VHD
So I'm playing around with VHD files at work today. Basically, it came out of looking up 10 gig switching equipment this morning.
So, last night at running club I started chatting with this one guy who helps to run the network down at the Wells Fargo center. He was saying how their main internet pipe and network is a 10 gig hook up.
I was trying to convince my boss that we should connect all our servers to a 10 gig switch and get 10 gig cards on our servers and then the backups would be faster and the file transfers between servers would also be faster... Etc. etc.
Those switches are WAY too much money. I mean, maybe we could swing one, but they are some serious cash.
Well, so he says that he doesn't think the exchange backups will take anyway across a network because they need a local attached drive.
I do some Googling and find out that you can mount a VHD file hosted on your network and have it appear locally. Tried it out on my own machine, and now I'm using it to do my own backup. We'll see how well it works. So far it's pretty snazzy!
The thing I like about it is, on my backup drives, I previously had my files just on the drive... So, I moved all the files from the drive, into the VHD drive, and cleared the drive.
Now, on my external drives I just have 1 VHD file.
Why is this cool? Because now my backup is different. Instead of backing up the same files to 3 drives, I back up the files to 1 VHD drive, and then just copy the VHD file to the other 2 drives. I'm a bit weird and like 3 backups.
Anyway, so... The transfer seems faster just coping the one file. The other advantage to this is that I can just add the date of the copy to the end of the file, and the copy another one, and another one, and another one.
If I want to "go back in time", I can just find the VHD from the date I want, and mount it, and browse away!
The other advantage to it is that if I want to use one of my backup drives to temporarily store files, It's a lot easier to copy a folder real quick from a machine I'm working on, and know which is someone else files, and which are mine.
We'll see what else I get out of it, or how well it works. I feel like VHD drives are the way to go.
I'm about to do that with my own work PC. I'm going to make a virtual file of my current PC, then copy the virtual file over to my new PC and mount it. Then continue to work in the virtual PC while I migrate to the new PC. I'm considering not putting things on the base OS though. I might setup a second guest OS and just work entirely in virtual guest OSes.
The advantage to all of this is, that since I'm putting a layer between myself and the base OS, I'm not tied to the hardware. I can just shut down the virtual machine, move it to a new PC and start it back up.
That way if someone needs to use my PC because it has some specific video card or whatever, they can just take it, and I'll put my VHD pc on a new box and be back up and running almost instantly.
Ideally, I wouldn't mind just running my PC on a server and remotely connecting to the PC using a thin client box.
I mean who knows, it may not work that well, we'll see. I think it's fun to test it out though and see how well it works!
It's always fun to do new things or try new things out and see. Either it will be fantastic, or it will flop. The VHD thing so far is definitely working as far as my backups go. I've already created the VHD, copied my files to the virtual mounted drive, and now I'm copying the virtual mount backup VHD file to my two other external hard drives. So far so good!
Halloween
Tonight was Halloween. I basically stayed in, handed out candy, made dinner, and setup my new snow blower.
The issue with the sidewalk yesterday seems to have been resolved mostly. I'm not quite sure if they are completely finished yet. I'm being told they will replace the sidewalk that was removed. If not, I'll just have to do it. But I'm going to wait it out.
One of my cushions seems to have blown away in the wind from my lawn chairs outside, but I can always buy a new one at Lowe's. Lowe's seems to be my store lately.
Anyway, so now I have a snow blower. I will now be ready for when the first flakes start flying.
It was always the part I really hated about snow storms. I mean, I like a snow storms... I just don't much care for the part after it falls where you have to dig out.
Now, that's a breeze! Haha. So, now I can sit back on a snow day after a half hour of snow blowing... and enjoy the day. Previously I would go out and shovel a little, take breaks... And then I'd be sore the next day. Those days are gone.
And since the snow blower is the same line as my lawn mower, and all my other tools, it's all the same battery. So in a heavier storm, I can keep going even after the first or even second battery dies without having to wait for them to charge back up!
Anyway, so now I have lots of candy left over from the trick or treating... There were a handful of kids but not too many.
I'd rather have extra than have run out though!
Anyways, so tomorrow I'm gonna check out the open mic I couldn't find last week. Then Thursday is running club.
I'll have a beer probably at each one.
It's funny because I haven't actually had a beer since Thursday. I don't know, I guess I just didn't feel like drinking.
I currently have pumpkin beer in my fridge, it's an untouched 6 pack. I'm pumpkin-ed out I think though.
Anyway... My next thing is that I really want a drum set again. I used to have one a long time ago and I really want that. I've been working on a few songs but haven't gotten far. Just have been busy. The good news is though things kind of slow down with the colder weather, so I can work more on music. ANNNND now that I don't have to worry about shoveling I can work on music on snow days too.
So there ya go!