Depending on how the wind blows...

Decisions, decisions. So many decisions.
Don't you sometimes wish that someone else can decide what your next step in life is supposed to be?

Erm... maybe not. I think I'd grow tired of that very quickly.

I suppose decision-making is harder when you find yourself at a big fork in the road. This isn't apples vs oranges or jeans vs a skirt. The decision I'm faced with will map out the next year of my life. Maybe more.

Some people say it's easy to make a big shift during a recession. It's a chance to leave behind the old and move on to something new. The most daring take gambles at this time and try to create a dramatic shift... in thought, perspective and in actions.

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm one of those daring people.

In just over a week I'll have some news for all of you. Some big news, in fact. Sorry about the suspense, but I don't have anything concrete to tell just yet, and I want to be sure before I say anything.

But if this yo-yo of an experience has taught me anything, it's that I'm more patient than I ever imagined I was.

And that V is right: I do think a lot... so much in fact, that I make my head spin. Head spinning sucks at the best of times (think red wine highs).

I hope that within the next two weeks I'll find myself on a path that will allow me to commit more concretely to what I'm doing.

Think some Joel Olsten will help?

xo
SC

Photo courtesy of FriendsorEnemies

You might call me crazy

I've been talking to my computer a lot. Like, really talking to it.

Every morning when I open my laptop, I say, "Good morning, Macintosh! Tell me you have some interesting news today... please!"
... See? Crazy!

It's become a habit, though. You see, it started a few months ago, when I'd refresh my e-mail account about five times in a sitting, with hopes that if I stared at it long enough, someone would send me... something. Anything.

It began with sources for my stories. I'd pick a day and send out an arsenal of e-mails.

"Hi, I'm S. This is what I'm doing. This is why I'm e-mailing you and this is how you can help. Help! Sincerely, S"

I'd send out about 8-10 of these per sitting.

Then in the days that followed, I'd do the ritual. Open up my inbox and stare. Then, refresh, refresh, refresh! Usually, there would be nothing. Sometimes, there would be the odd message from Facebook... and sometimes, a bill statement (I really should have stuck to paper billing).

This soon ventured off into other aspects. Sources turned into dinner requests, dinner requests turned into internship applications and those turned into... well, nothing.

Which is why I've resorted to talking to Macintosh. Perhaps if I suck up to the machine from the moment I wake up to the time my eyes close before bed... something will give, right?

I figure, maybe it's not an e-mail-only thing. Maybe it's the karma I'm sending out through the wires(less) and clicks. Maybe if I'm nice to the machine, the Man will get back to me.

So until then, I've got nothing to lose, right?

Dear Macintosh,
I love you. Please tell them to e-mail me with some good news!

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Me

xo
SC

Waiting Game

We spend so much of our time waiting! Whether it's waiting for the mail man to deliver a very important package that you have been anticipating (read, waiting) for a very long time... or whether you're in a waiting room, waiting for your turn to be served. If we just walk down the street past stores and services, there are people lined up waiting to be cashed out, or to simply catch a glimpse of something. It is kind of unreal!
I never understood why people would go to stores and stand in line from midnight, just to get a copy of the latest version of Playstation, or even the latest Harry Potter book. But I now realize that this notion of waiting is part of the appeal. Producers realize that we as consumers are part of a huge mob when it comes to these products. "Because Tom, Jon and Jim are waiting... I shall wait too"... and that's the key! If people are waiting for products, then the prices can be hiked and "limited supplies" can be sold, just because producers know that their loyal customers will continue to wait until they get what they're standing in line for... at any cost.

I guess this blog is inspired by me waiting for Canada Post. I'm on standby for the next 4 days or so, because I have to be home to pick up a delivery. I was given a tracking number that doesn't seem to work, so I can't even check to see if this package has reached Timbuktu... let alone my front door. So... without knowing anything, I am waiting.

I also came to this realization last month when I was in a hospital waiting room. People make appointments, then wait to go to them. People get tests done, then wait for the results. Those visiting with loved ones, are made to wait in a room until the appropriate time... and we all know time waits for no one. But humans wait for time.
It is just interesting. It seems that the more technology moves forward, the more we continue to wait. At least back in the old days, people knew they had to wait... for snail mail, for roasts to cook, for walking distances to get from one place to the next...
In this day and age we are programmed to function in a fast paced world, where we expect things quickly and are forced to beat the odds and move three steps ahead of life.
Life waits for no one.

Yet somehow, it seems that the more advanced technology gets, the more we continue to wait for things.

-SC

Waiting Tables, Waiting for Mr. Right, Waiting on the World to Change, Waiting till Sunset, Waiting for the News, Waiting for Clothes to Dry, Waiting for Our Turn...

So We Keep Waiting...