nickys366.wordpress.com

Most of my blogging will now be done on my photo-a-day site.
This is not the death of my blogger though. I foresee occasionally posting tangents that have nothing to do with photos here. Plus, 2013 (assuming there will be a 2013) will see a return to smileitsanotherday.

Table for One

I remember when having a meal at a restaurant by myself was uncomfortable, even embarrassing. Over time I recognized it as good "me time". More than any other activity, I can focus without really focusing. I get lots of thinking done while my food is being prepared. Then when my meal arrives, I enjoy the food while continuing my musings.

Yesterday I was in a part of San Diego that I don't frequent too often. I was in the area because I had to take care of an errand and was waiting for my appointment time. I had a good hour to wait, so I walked around to see if I could find a place to eat. I saw Rubio's across the street. I started towards the cross walk when I saw a Thai restaurant on the corner I was already on. After a look at the menu outside (and the Zagat Rated sticker on the door), I entered. Immediately I knew it was the right decision.

After I ordered, I looked around the restaurant. The two tables directly in front of me had families that were catching up on the week's events. To the right of me were the fellow solo eaters, all lined up in a row. There was a woman in her early thirties to the left, a middle-aged man on the right, and a woman with short, gray hair in the center, probably in her fifties.

People watching is a great way to pass time.
The two on the ends were checking things on their phone while they waited for their food. I wondered if they were unable to enjoy their meals because they had their minds on the work they needed to accomplish.
The older woman in the middle was reading a book. This didn't seem too interesting to me at first, but then I heard her chuckle to herself. This struck me because I had seen her highlighting* and marking pages with tabs. I had thought the book was something for work or school, and that she too was worrying about a project or a test. But then her laugh made me think that she was reading for fun. Either way, I recognized that she was thoroughly enjoying what she was reading. This made the meal even more enjoyable.



*I don't highlight books too often. One, I think it slows down my already snail's pace reading. Two, I love lending my books to others, and I don't want to taint their experience (which I feel happens to me when I read used books that are marked up). That being said, highlight away! I'm not sure if you can highlight on e-readers (one day I too will post about my take on e-readers), but even if you could, would it feel the same? Would it feel as permanently important to you? I'm not sure about that either.

**Sorry for the tangent

***R.I.P. Borders (1971-2011)

Roller Coaster

2011 is not even half way through, but already the emotional ups and downs have been many. It's strange to think that I'm at the age when situations don't just seem big, they truly are big. The wider your close circle becomes, the more the events in their lives have a profound meaning in your own.

Just over a month ago, the world lost a fun, free-spirited, truly gifted and caring person. Saying goodbye to a friend is never easy. All I can do is think about the good times we had together, and hope that I will never forget the lessons that he taught me.

Probably the greatest lesson taught was to put passion in everything you do.

The excitement felt when someone is accepted into higher (higher) education, is graduating, or is getting married has always been there. But now, I feel it's all magnified. Congratulations to everyone that this applies to.

At the same time, the bad news too, has been magnified. Emotional and physical issues just seem all to common in recent months. Like a mild earthquake, they have shaken the foundations of what I had come to know as life's constants. I can only pray that these aren't previews of a larger quake to come.

You Can Learn Something from a Bookmark

Yesterday at Borders I read a bookmark that said
"You have got to get up every morning with determination if you are going to go to bed with satisfaction."

I hadn't heard that specific adage. Is it really that easy? Can your mood be decided or changed by choice?

I don't have a definite answer. However earlier today I snapped at someone for no particular reason other than I was in an unfavorable disposition. I truly hate when this happens and immediately regret it.

For the past month I have been participating in a daily activity that has caused me to think a lot about myself and my actions. It just so happened that today this activity occurred right after I snapped. It helped me center myself and decide to atone for my actions, and now I feel much better. So maybe the adage is true.



A similar quote I have always liked:
"Begin each day like it was on purpose." - Hitch

Thank You Netflix Streaming

There's always something to watch. I find a season or entire series of a show and watch it whenever I have down time. I pause it if I need to do something, then I come back to it when I need another little break. In any room of the house pretty much. No pressure.

It's to the point where I almost feel burdened by regular TV. Even when I watch something on DVR, meaning I can skip the commercials, I don't have the same relaxed feeling I get when I watch something on streaming. Is it laziness? Perhaps. But maybe it's more because I can't watch the next episode right away if I want to.

It's been weeks, maybe months, since I've flipped through the channels to see what's on. I think it's just that I know pretty much the schedule of programming that I don't want to waste my time. I'll watch the shows I'm devoted to when they have a new episode (e.g. HIMYM), but other than that, it's Netflix all the way.

I Need This

This meaning This blog.

It's needed because it reminds me that no matter what my troubles or concerns are, this blog was there when I was going through worse. And it was there when people I cared about were going through worse. And it shows that things got better.

About an hour ago, I tried to help someone close to me who's having a difficult time.

I said:
"I believe in you
and if things don't turn out the best

just try and put it in perspective
and figure out your next move"

Then just a few minutes before starting this post I came to the realization that my personal adage for a while has been something like that, though I didn't know it:

"Prepare for the worst, but always believe in the best"

And that's when I remembered my blog.

I'm sorry smile. it's another day. I haven't abandoned you. I've just been on a hiatus.

To A Best Friend

Freshman year of college, I received a phone call early in the morning that woke me up. It was from my sister. Through a muffled, sobbing voice she told me of the passing of our grandfather. Since then, whenever I am roused late at night or early in the morning by a call or text, my heart skips a beat.

Thankfully, many nights my worries are dispelled. It usually is a fun text, a friendly reminder about something happening the next day, or a wrong number. Last night my wake up call was not one of these.

All day I have been thinking of the quote in the The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

"...there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft...When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness."

More than a phone was stolen last night. The right to health and wellness was stolen. Sense of security and comfort was stolen. But hopefully one thing given can help: the awareness of being loved.

Feel better soon!