Random late night thoughts/advice

One thing I haven't done here on a while is just some form of random writing. Usually what I do has a purpose to it. Tonight, not so much. You see, every once in a while I have a day when my mind is swarming with dozens of ideas and thoughts at the same time, and I can't sleep until they're quelled. Granted, this problem used to be solved with a Walkman or an iPod, but I lost both of them in my divorce, so it's not a viable option. What is a viable option is blogging about it, so here we go:

Writer's Note: I will be doing more of these in the future, so if you don't like them, feel free to skip them. I won't get offended. However, if you think I'm doing to much of them at any one point or another, feel free to tell me. Though it's a personal blog (and will probably become a site of its own in the future), I know that people visit it, and I'd like people to keep visiting it.

- The foolishness of unrequited love

I'm a man who has the unfortunate mix of qualities that I call "nice guy syndrome." Essentially, if you're not five foot nine and thinner than a tooth pick, and possess the following qualities:

1. Intellect

2. Sense of Humor

3. Generally sweet toward the gender you're interested in

4. Seen as a teddy bear by aforementioned gender

then you have fallen into the "nice guy" category. This means that you are outright doomed for most people you find attractive to immediately jump toward the usual "You're nice, but I could never date you." response. Is it baffling? Yes. Is it frustrating? Heck yes. However, let me tell you right now that you will save a lot if you simply walk away from the situation there, and find something new to think about. Nine times out of ten, when you're given that response you cannot sway the opinion of the person giving it to you, so don't try. What's happening there is that there's a certain quality or belief that you possess that keeps you from being in a relationship with that person, and beyond that it's either something you can't change (like height, build, etc) or a belief/character trait that you shouldn't change. Don't keep falling for that person. Walk on, and find something new. You'll get to keep a good friendship, and have the opportunity to meet someone new as well. Best of both worlds!!!!

- There's nothing wrong with having a "type"

Let me explain further. A former member of my old dorm told me that having a "type" of person that you are generally attracted to was foolish, because you could be giving yourself false expectations, or judging someone on their looks. I respectfully disagree. Everyone has their "type" of person they're into. In fact, some "types" are incredibly popular these days. I know a lot of girls that are attracted to guys that are tall, but complete twigs. It's just how they are. Personally, I'm attracted to girls who are thin, but have long legs. It's just a personal preference. However, I think that if you focus too much on finding a "type" at points, you will miss out on some cool people. Though that specific type of body type, or even specific type of personality trait may always grab your attention, I will say that it's silly to look for that alone. For example: I'm more attracted to women who perplex me. Girls who have me asking questions drive me nuts, but in a good way. I think that mental stimulation is great in a relationship, because conversations keep coming, and I'm a conversationalist. So, it's healthy to have preferences, but don't let them become a be-all end-all sort of thing to a relationship you may get into.

-Don't make everything a measuring contest

This one is more for the guys than the girls. I'm the type of person that you would describe as accident prone, and having bad luck. Feel free to toss in an Obi-Wan Kenobi quote, but I'm telling you right now that my luck sucks. It's like I have a neon sign that people other than me can see that says "Piss this guy off" flashing above my head. It seems that everyone likes to do something to make me mad, for some reason. Case in point, my best friend knows that I loathe online multiplayer, but makes me play against him anyway so he'll shut up. He knows I hate it, but does it anyway. Anyway, on to the "measuring contest." The one thing that annoys me most about other dudes is whenever they try to turn everything into a form of measurement for their johnson. Here's an example: a well known game blogger got pissed at me once for saying that he wasn't a person with ethics. His response was "I bet I have more ethics than you." What the f#@& does that even mean?! Ethics are not measured. You either have them or you don't. You don't see two pregnant women arguing over who is more pregnant, do you?! I'm not the type of person with anything to prove, so trying to measure yourself up to me usually ends up with me punching you. Don't turn things into measuring contests, because one day you're going to find yourself in a situation akin to jumping in a shark tank with Jaws inside, and you're wearing a sweater made out of raw steak.

- "Generic" is not synonymous with "bad"

I had a discussion about this with PushingUpRoses the other day. Aside from the fact that we remarked on how completely spoiled modern day gamers are, we also talked about something in media being generic. My question is this: How on earth did something being generic start to coincide with a lack of quality? Generic is not a word that has anything to do with quality, quite literally. It essentially means that the item is a catch-all. In the world of gaming, you'd call it a "design by committee" game. However, it doesn't mean that the game stinks. Turok: Evolution had more genuinely new ideas than Halo did, but the latter game is leagues better. Another good example would be comparing Scott Pilgrim vs the World to The Expendables. Scott's movie had much more going for it than Stallone's film, but Stallone's film was much more entertaining. When it comes down to it, there's nothing wrong with something not adding much. In fact, you could even make the argument that there is nothing new under the sun. Don't let a lack of new ideas stop you from enjoying an explosion or two. If you're a dude, and you like to blow stuff up while flexing your muscles, revel in it! It's what makes being a guy great. If you're a girl and you like blowing stuff up and it turns you on, revel in it! Then call me, because I'm free most nights.

Well, I think my mind is well drained, now. I've got other stuff planned for the week, and I've got quite a bit done. I wasn't sure if I would get my Greg Hastings review done on Monday, but there it is. So, what have I got planned? Well, all I've left to do with the Half-Life vid is to record the last bit of audio. With the Dead Space review, I plan on having it finished by Saturday, and I'll probably script it before then. After that, I'll be getting Silent Hill 2 in sometime this week, and I also plan on having Cynic's Corner Quickies for Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow this month, so it's going to be busy. Stick around.

-Micah C.