The Scariest Thing in the World to Date...

I love scary movies, do you? I have always been into scary movies and special effects. But what makes a scary movie scary?

I have also recently been taking a "Stress Management" class and a "Health and Fitness" class. I have learned about tons of diseases and psychological disorders that can cripple the mind and body. The leading preventable killer is heart disease and AIDS is the number one killer worldwide. Yet there is another killer that has been silently killing for centuries without any credit given. There is a disease/psychological disorder/condition that is without a doubt, the most dangerous of all the killers combined. It can strike man, woman and child equally, old and young, strong and weak, healthy and unhealthy. It is deadly not in the fact that it can kill you on its own, but the way it affects you can most certainly lead to death of the body, mind and/or spirit. What is this horrific monstrosity you ask? What could possibly wield that kind of power? A power sometimes stronger than the power of God Himself?
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Fear.

There was a movie I saw a long time ago called "Defending Your Life" starring Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep. In the movie, Albert Brooks plays a character that dies and in the afterlife, goes on trial to decide whether he should go back to Earth and try again or go on to what I assumed was heaven. During his trial, he looks back on various times in his life and different choices he made and he is judged not by the mistakes he made or the bad things he did, but on how he let fear affect him.
(Watch it, it's a good movie. At least watch this clip.)
The most powerful killer in the world is Fear. Fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of the unknown, fear of the known, fear of snakes and spiders, fear of the dark, fear of change, fear of monotny, fear of rejection, fear of acceptance, the list goes on and on. Fear can keep you from going to the doctor to assess your health and if a condition goes undetected long enough, no amount of miracle medications or modern advancements in science can help. Fear can keep an otherwise talented person from pursuing his/her dreams because they are to afraid of failing, so they stay in the same shitty job with no opportunity for career advancement and live in constant unhappiness, not being able to find love and ultimately wasting their lives away. Fear can be obvious, like the fear of heights or fear can be subtle, like the fear of commitment. However it affects you, fear can be debilitating. Some ride fear like a stallion and rise to the challenge by conquering it and succeeding in light of it, while some crumble in its towering shadow and simply sulk away to cower in the corner like a child that's scared of the boogeyman and the lights just went out. I have learned a lot, maybe more in the past few weeks than in the first 21 years of my life, but a lot yet and still. Although I have learned a lot of important life lessons recently, one of the most important things I have learned about is fear. everybody is afraid of something. Everybody gets afraid of something at some point in their lives. There are several things that are used to measure success in this lifetime, one of them being how you handled fear. People who live in constant fear never take chances. People who succumb to fear never find themselves risking it all. Well by definition (and cliche'), you only win big when you risk big. Of course that doesn't include the lottery but you get my meaning. Fear can kill you. Too afraid to go to the dentist, lose your teeth. Too afraid to go to the doctor, lose your health. Too afraid to commit, lose your love. Too afraid to fail, you will never succeed.

Losing/Finding My Religion

Well it's a new day and I am surviving.  Nothing has changed, but is some strange way it has.  A week ago I was spiraling down the rabbithole with no idea where my life was headed or what I was going to do with myself, yet today I'm ok.  I'm not ok because time has gone by or because life is better or because I have taken a more positive outlook on life.  I'm ok because I had some pretty random and very unexpected things happen to me and without me even knowing it, they were exactly what I needed.  How is that possible?  How does that happen?  It was as if someone else knew what I was going through, knew all about my specific personality and how I worked and arranged for some completely out-of-the-blue things to happen that would make me feel better.  It was the most accurate definition of "perfect timing" I has ever experienced.  As I think back on it, this wasn't the first time this has ever happened to me.  I can remember times before when I thought I was at the end for one reason or another and something reached down and pulled me back up.  Before, I didn't really notice it as much as I did this time because this time the things that happened were absolutely unexplainable.  There was no reason for the things that happened and never in a million years could I have expected these particular events, but I was touched by each of them in a way I will never forget.

Now I'm in no way a religious person.  If there was a section on the census for the classification of my mind, I would have checked the "scientific" box, no doubt.  I have always been a man of fact and proof, if you can't prove it, I don't buy it.  Yet there are things that happen all around the world all the time that are clearly documented as havng no explanation.  A man is lost in the desert and just as he reaches the brink of starvation and dehydration, he finds a bottle of cold water and a fresh footlong from subway.  A woman gets hit by a car head on, no seatbelt, no airbag, pregnant and walks out of the car without a scratch.  These things happen everyday and no one can explain how they happen or even how they are possible.  Of course some people do have an explanation, and his name is God.  Do I believe in God?  Well yes, I do.  Not because of having faith, more because of a lack of arrogance that keeps me from believing that we have total control of everything that happens in this world.  But I have to say, in light of recent events, I may have a little faith I didn't know about.  I'm not sure, I haven't been checked. 
Then again, how can there not be something out there somewhere doing something that we don't control?  On top of that, why do we have to be touched personally in order to believe in that something?  I had a discussion on facebook wth a friend the other day about this same subject.  People can believe in aliens, ghosts and magic and not believe in religion.  Movies about the supernatural or science fiction gross millions but religious movies barely make a buzz.  Scientists say that humans must be really concieted to think that with the millions of miles of space, we are the only ones in existence.  Yet some people have no problem believing that with the supposedly small percentage of brain power that we actually use on an average, we can actually understand everything there is to know about our existence in life and everything around us.  Well I have been to church many times and sang in the choir and I can't say that I have total belief in the stories of miracles and the trust that with faith I will be okay, but I my eyes, mind and hear are open to the possibilities.  I think God is watching and maybe He uses Fate, Coincidence and Chance as His tools of choice to make things happen.  Maybe its just one big crap shoot and luck is all we really have, I don't know.  There are times when I think that God gets unfair credit for good things that happen and is taken too easy on for bad things that happen, but sometimes...well sometimes things happen that aren't good or bad, just needed.  When that happens, I can't help but to thank God.

It Is What It Is...What the Hell Does That Mean???

I've heard that saying more and more often in the last few months.  What does that even mean? Is that the new "Its all good"?  I'm talking to a co-worker and I say, "Yea man, I'm tired as hell.  I haven't had a day off in almost 2 months trying to keep these bills paid." and he replies, "Yea well what can you do, it is what it is."  I'm talking to my boss and I say "My table is complaining because their food is taking a long time, what should I tell them?" and he says, "The kitchen is a little busy, I don't know what to tell you, it is what it is."  I'm talking to my daughter about her homework and I say "Why can't you finish your assignments, is there a reason you are so behind in your work?" and she says, "I don't know Dad, it is what it is."  WTF???  It only is what it is because we accept it as such.




 It is what it is, is a cop-out.  Some say it is what it is, others say life is what you make it.  My life sucks but it isn't because it just is, it's because I let it become that way.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm am the most depressed person you'll ever meet but I'm also the most optimistic.  How is that possible you ask?  Well my theory is, the only way to survive when things are absolutely tragic is to believe that things will be better one day.  Some do this with faith, belief in a higher power that has more in store for them or a plan for them.  I can't say that I have that blind faith (sort of a repetitive title since all faith by definition is blind) but if it helps a person see life for more than it is right now and look to a better future then I'm all for it.  I have to believe that things will be better one day and truth be told they will, not because I accept that it is what it is but because I will make what it is into what I want it to be. 

Videocasting - Tutorial on Adobe Flash

http://www.screencast.com/users/Cjordan4123/folders/Default/media/6ed496fc-4c1d-4a69-87c3-c002be6f3ac7

This is a project that i worked on a lot longer than I needed to and had more trouble than I expected to.  For this assignment in my Web 2.0 class, we were supposed to make a simple video using Jing and post it to our blog, but I seemed to have problems at every turn.  Well this is the last version of the tutorial I made on Adobe Flash Animation.  I hope you like it!!

Google Docs - Holiday Craziness

Holiday Craziness

As I start to switch gears from the excitement and chaos that is Thanksgiving and prepare for the nonstop daily mania that is the Christmas season, I reflect on what the real reason is behind these holidays. Between class midterms, the rush of the restaurant business during this season, (We were open on Thanksgiving for the first time!) weekly class assignments, followed by the shopping for Christmas presents and capped off with class Finals its a wonder I can keep my head on straight! In the midst of all this, I think about my kids. Although I seem to go through hell and high water to keep them happy and teach them why we celebrate these holidays and what they really mean, it's hard to teach them how to be greatful of what we have and recognize that there are so many out there who have so much less. I sometimes complain about my job waiting tables. I complain about how I need to work 6-7 days a week sometimes up to 50 hours and never actually get to spend any time with my family. The truth is, I should be happy about the fact that I even have a job. There are people out there that can't find work, that have been recently laid-off or that can't find a job that pays enough to support their familes. I am lucky enough to be able to do that and for as much as I would like to live the life of the rich and successful, I am greatful of the fact that I can take care of my family even though sometimes I'm too busy to actually enjoy the fruits of my labor. I dream that one of these days I can begin my career as a Graphic Designer and put to use all the training I have recieved over the years in school. I dream that one of these days I can start making the money I feel like I deserve and start creating the types of projects that keep my motivated to keep working everyday all the while being paid for the quality of work that I do instead of simply being another drone for Corporate America. Even now as I sit at my computer, I am planning my day tomorrow of window shopping for the best deal on a telescope for my 10yr old daughter, a pretend kitchen for my 2yr old (She loves to cook!) and a vanity table for my 6yr old. Will I have time to work enough to make the money for these gifts from Santa, study for my finals and keep up with the current assignments, decorate the house for Christmas and help put up the tree? Only time will tell but I will do what I can.

A Different Type of Wiki

As a class assignment I went searching for wikis involving the topic of my blog.  Since I am a Graphic Designer, I searched and searched for a wiki with the type of content I was looking for but I found that for a Graphic Designer, that specific kind of content wasn't really appealing to me.  I don't know about everyone else but I myself prefer to be visually stimulated when discussing design.  The content I'm mainly looking for is seen not read.  I found this site through another wiki site that gave an editorial on it.  The first site I found was called AboutUs.com.  It had a few wikis that allowed poeple to discuss their various findings and give what they thought about the different sites and resources they have discovered.  One of the sites that were discussed was called Ucreative.com.  As I looked through the site I found that it pretty much fit the definitions of a wiki as I understood it.  Although most people might not consider it a wiki in the traditional sense, these days things have become everything but traditional.  Ucreative.com is I guess less described as a wiki and more like a digital design gallery.  it is interactive in the sense that you can post and edit pretty much any content on the site, but the only real content on the site are the submissions of various artists and designer looking for feedback on their projects.  Anybody can submit projects to the site and make comments about projects that have been submitted by other artists and designers.  It could also be described as a forum where artists and designers can openly discuss new ideas and concepts that other artists and designers can utilize in their work.  The site isn't limited to professionals, it is used by amateur and novice designers and the like.  It is also a great site for beginners who just want to see what kind of designs are out there or even for professionals who want to keep up with the times and what new artists are creating. I would suggest any artist to become a member of Ucreative.com.

My Book Report: Online Communities Handbook: Building Your Business and Brand on the Web

Well I would have loved to do my book report on "Blogging for Dummies" since I have already sort of been through that book, but I was too slow on my decision and several other people already chose it so this was the substitute. Although it wasn't my first choice, I found out that this book was actually quite helpful in giving me a greater understanding of the capabilities of Web 2.0 and online communities. The two authors of the book, Nancy Strauss and Anna Buss, use a winning combination of simple and concise text to define what exactly Web 2.0 is and what an online community is without "dumbing things down" for the average reader or being to elementary for a reader with some previous knowledge of the subject.

The book is broken into two parts with each part consisting of nine chapters, eighteen chapters total. The first part, titled "Online Communities", talks about just that. It defines an online community (a group of people who regularly interact with each other on a website) and tells about the difference between an online community and a wiki or a blog. Although each of these types of websites offer users a way to contribute information to a website, they each offer different avenues in which that information is used. A wiki, for example, is a website that allows many users to collaborate on one project by submitting various entries that are all catalogued together and displayed on that website. This was the first of many things I learned from this book. I had no idea that a wiki was a tyoe of website, I know of wikipedia and how it worked but I didn't know there were other wiki-somethings out there. The first part also talks about social networking and discussion boards and how all of these different forms of online communication can spawn relationships and other business opportunities. There are many ways people can use social networking to advance their business, network with others in their field or even promote their services to an interested audience. There are also a few different places in the book where they tell little stories as side notes to demonstrate a point, like the case study about the results of comparing two German websites. One of the websites was for a newspaper, Spiegel Online and the other was for a social networking site named studiVZ. In the comparison, studiVZ boasted a higher volume of new and unique visitors because of the many more activities available for its users. Actually, there are several case studies throughout the book aimed at better explaining the benefits and pitfalls of the different options available for websites.

As you go through the chapters, the book addressing many issues including developing a website, basic design techniques and ways to use your website to generate revenue. After explaining the ins and outs of online communities, member-to-member interactions, setting up member profiles and what-not, the second part begins to delve into the real world application of these fundamentals that have been explained. It starts with a chapter about a site called Ciao.com, an e-commerce website that has integrated the community element to help further its usability and productivity with its users. The site is mainly for comparing products and services in price and value but the consumer community has become just as integral to the site. The book then follows with more real world examples of websites that utilize the benefits outlined in the book. Some of the websites such as 11870.com and M Power World use both online communities and social networking to attract new members and visitors on a regular basis.

All in all, the examples are plain and simple and the reading is fairly light. The definitions are clear and I found that after I was done with this book, I didn’t need to go back and read sections over again to make sure I got it. I would recommend this book to anyone out there who, like me, is trying to create a business online, promote themselves and their work or just trying to start a following for themselves. The ideas are very easy to follow and the relation of the topics to any situation can be made, meaning no matter who you are or what you are trying to do with the blog or website you are creating, this book can help.