Travelers are wise to be weary of the woods.
Word is they’re haunted,
Or plagued with hoods.
Stories are told of rainbow haired ghosts,
And red nosed spectres
Drifting from pillar to post.
Paint stained faces:
Unnerve some, terrify most.
With balloon animal familiars,
They take the unaware.
Rubber chicken weapons stun the unprepared.
Victims of the woods
Die with grins,
Yet their eyes tell tales of terrible sin.
Convulsing with laughter
And baffled by tricks,
The baggy clothed fiends will have them transfixed,
Before ushering them swiftly
Toward the river Styx.
Run from the clowns bearing six, six, six.
Daniel Chambers
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Little Boy Adventurer
The little boy adventurer descends into the labyrinth beneath his homestead. His steps are slow, and methodical. His nerves flare, but he ignores them; he cannot afford to be frightened.
Somewhere in that unrelenting darkness hides a monster. This creature is notoriously evil, and infamously grotesque. It is known as the destroyer of laughter, the killer of joy, and the devourer of children. He marches towards the essence of nightmares armed with only his father's flashlight and older brother's BB-gun, yet the adventurer remains undaunted.
“Alright Boogeyman,” he barks, reaching the last step. “Playtime is over.”
Daniel Chambers
Somewhere in that unrelenting darkness hides a monster. This creature is notoriously evil, and infamously grotesque. It is known as the destroyer of laughter, the killer of joy, and the devourer of children. He marches towards the essence of nightmares armed with only his father's flashlight and older brother's BB-gun, yet the adventurer remains undaunted.
“Alright Boogeyman,” he barks, reaching the last step. “Playtime is over.”
Daniel Chambers
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Triumvirate of Cheese
In the Land of Cheese, there are three who stand above all other cheesekind as the sharpest, most pungent, and purest of rennent: Cheddar, Monterey, and Blue, like the sides of a triangle, are a strong union.
The trio overcame the fascist Mozzarella revolt, and filled the hole after the annexation of the neutral Swiss.
They survived the crippling Parm epidemic, and held through the battle of Havarti Hill, staving off the armies of the Marble Empire.
And, it has been said that these three titans will continue to reign through to the end of days, until the Great Whizzening.
Daniel Chambers
The trio overcame the fascist Mozzarella revolt, and filled the hole after the annexation of the neutral Swiss.
They survived the crippling Parm epidemic, and held through the battle of Havarti Hill, staving off the armies of the Marble Empire.
And, it has been said that these three titans will continue to reign through to the end of days, until the Great Whizzening.
Daniel Chambers
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The House Blend
Drip, drip, drip goes the coffee. It’s a thick substance, like mud, and it’s just as dark. It’s as black as tar.
It looks revolting, but the smell... The aroma is rich and heavy. It drifts through the air, invading one’s nostrils, pulling them in to have a taste. Oh, the taste: strong, colourful, and intoxicating.
People come from miles around to this coffee shop to try a cup of their famous coffee. And, like any good drug, it brings them back the next day.
If Soylent Green is made from people, I can only imagine what’s in this stuff.
Daniel Chambers
It looks revolting, but the smell... The aroma is rich and heavy. It drifts through the air, invading one’s nostrils, pulling them in to have a taste. Oh, the taste: strong, colourful, and intoxicating.
People come from miles around to this coffee shop to try a cup of their famous coffee. And, like any good drug, it brings them back the next day.
If Soylent Green is made from people, I can only imagine what’s in this stuff.
Daniel Chambers
A Thing Called Life
For centuries, aliens have masqueraded as humans: studying our behaviour and determining our place in the universal hierarchy. It was only a matter of time before we tried it out.
My consciousness has been passed around like a party favour. Now, I have too many memories. I've experienced too much, and I can't take it anymore, man. I've spent one year as a glowing pink blob; two as a bird; and for a while, I experienced life as a tree, a freakin tree!
I can't look at the world the same way, because I’ve seen life from too many angles.
Daniel Chambers
My consciousness has been passed around like a party favour. Now, I have too many memories. I've experienced too much, and I can't take it anymore, man. I've spent one year as a glowing pink blob; two as a bird; and for a while, I experienced life as a tree, a freakin tree!
I can't look at the world the same way, because I’ve seen life from too many angles.
Daniel Chambers
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Troll's Bridge
I subscribe to a podcast called, The Drabblecast, which each week they broadcasts a speculative fiction short story. Often at the top of the show they will read a story they call a Drabble, which is a story exactly 100 words in length. I think this is a great writing exercise, so I gave it a try. Here is one of my creations:
The Troll's Bridge
So, you're a colonist heading to the new worlds? Watch out for an expanse of space called the Troll’s Bridge. Big, ugly green aliens lurk out there, preying on passing convoys. They generate magnetic fields that rip our ships from light speed. God only knows how they developed the technology, dumb as they are. Once they attack, it's everyone for themselves.
Me? I've crossed the Bridge many times in the past, so I can guarantee you safe passage. Avoiding capture is easy, if you know how. The trick is to make sure your ship isn't the slowest in the fleet.
Daniel Chambers
The Troll's Bridge
So, you're a colonist heading to the new worlds? Watch out for an expanse of space called the Troll’s Bridge. Big, ugly green aliens lurk out there, preying on passing convoys. They generate magnetic fields that rip our ships from light speed. God only knows how they developed the technology, dumb as they are. Once they attack, it's everyone for themselves.
Me? I've crossed the Bridge many times in the past, so I can guarantee you safe passage. Avoiding capture is easy, if you know how. The trick is to make sure your ship isn't the slowest in the fleet.
Daniel Chambers
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Why Can't We Be Friends Pt. 2
Why must this world be consumed with bitterness? Why do some people have to be so unrelenting in their pursuit of unhappiness? I don't have the answers. Maybe it's human nature to spread sour moods through the population. If you look at the great characters of history, many of those who were world leaders were also assholes.
I work in a coffee shop, and today a lady came in asking for her drink to be made with a certain kind of milk. Many of the things in my workplace have an Italian, or French names in place of the western terms. In this instance, the lady asked for her drink to be made with breve, instead of the usual 2% milk. This would usually be a no-brainer, except English is a second language for the girl whom I was working with. Of course, my colleague didn't know what breve meant. Breve isn't a layman’s term, so I wasn't surprised she didn't understand. However, the customer decided this wasn't acceptable, and started complaining. The unruly lady repeated her order several more times until I had to intervene. What bothered me about this encounter was the fact that the lady never explained what breve meant to my ESL colleague. Breve, for those who don't know, means half and Half Cream. Had the lady simply clarified her order, the whole ordeal would have been avoided. Instead, I had to listen to her complain. Why couldn't this lady be reasonable and help my colleague who doesn't have a solid grasp on the language, especially when the problem word wasn't even English?
The point of this story is to express my distaste for rude individuals. Why some people can't seem to grasp that we're all in this together is beyond me. We only have the one life, so why do some people have to take everything so seriously; we should be trying to have as much fun as we can. If I die tomorrow I don’t want to be in a sour mood when it happens. We are all essentially trapped on this planet, and if we can't all get along it's going to be a long ride.
I work in a coffee shop, and today a lady came in asking for her drink to be made with a certain kind of milk. Many of the things in my workplace have an Italian, or French names in place of the western terms. In this instance, the lady asked for her drink to be made with breve, instead of the usual 2% milk. This would usually be a no-brainer, except English is a second language for the girl whom I was working with. Of course, my colleague didn't know what breve meant. Breve isn't a layman’s term, so I wasn't surprised she didn't understand. However, the customer decided this wasn't acceptable, and started complaining. The unruly lady repeated her order several more times until I had to intervene. What bothered me about this encounter was the fact that the lady never explained what breve meant to my ESL colleague. Breve, for those who don't know, means half and Half Cream. Had the lady simply clarified her order, the whole ordeal would have been avoided. Instead, I had to listen to her complain. Why couldn't this lady be reasonable and help my colleague who doesn't have a solid grasp on the language, especially when the problem word wasn't even English?
The point of this story is to express my distaste for rude individuals. Why some people can't seem to grasp that we're all in this together is beyond me. We only have the one life, so why do some people have to take everything so seriously; we should be trying to have as much fun as we can. If I die tomorrow I don’t want to be in a sour mood when it happens. We are all essentially trapped on this planet, and if we can't all get along it's going to be a long ride.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A Few Thoughts...
Today I have a few thoughts on Iron Man 2…
I enjoyed this film for many of the same reasons I liked its prequel. It’s a fun movie. It is full of action and comedy; it’s a great choice for an early summer blockbuster. However, there was something about the film that bothered me. It was there from beginning to end, and then it left a sour taste in my mouth after I exited the theater.
A major theme in the film was centered on the physical might of the U.S. armed forces, and the promotion of the military industrial complex, which, to me, is like a plague on the U.S.A. My thoughts on the matter are as follows: why, in western society, are we still acting like war mongering is a good thing. Sure, no one wants the world to be torn apart by war. So, maybe a proactive stance on securing world peace is a good idea, but this movie acts like the only way to achieve this end is by producing the biggest guns and the strongest soldiers. I don’t think this is correct approach at all. I think world economic sustainability; the manufacturing of clean and reusable resources; and a stable human population is the way to go. I think if everyone goes around flaunting how sharp their teeth are, eventually someone is going to want to use them. Incidentally, I believe this is the true reason America went to the middle east in the first place, but that is slightly off topic.
Maybe if the US wasn’t the superpower that it is today the world would be a more chaotic place, and then again, maybe another country would be there to take its place at the top of the food chain. The whole thing frustrates me because I know the world would probably still be plagued with war if there wasn’t a major power to keep everyone in check. Yet, at the same time, I hate the fact that to ensure a general sense of world peace there has to be strong country around to act as the Earth’s bouncer. I fear the animal known as man is doomed to continue fighting each other like ants until we reach a new stage in our evolution and shed our violent ways.
Go see Iron Man 2 if you want to watch something light, simple, fun and action packed. Don’t see it if you dislike war.
Daniel Chambers
I enjoyed this film for many of the same reasons I liked its prequel. It’s a fun movie. It is full of action and comedy; it’s a great choice for an early summer blockbuster. However, there was something about the film that bothered me. It was there from beginning to end, and then it left a sour taste in my mouth after I exited the theater.
A major theme in the film was centered on the physical might of the U.S. armed forces, and the promotion of the military industrial complex, which, to me, is like a plague on the U.S.A. My thoughts on the matter are as follows: why, in western society, are we still acting like war mongering is a good thing. Sure, no one wants the world to be torn apart by war. So, maybe a proactive stance on securing world peace is a good idea, but this movie acts like the only way to achieve this end is by producing the biggest guns and the strongest soldiers. I don’t think this is correct approach at all. I think world economic sustainability; the manufacturing of clean and reusable resources; and a stable human population is the way to go. I think if everyone goes around flaunting how sharp their teeth are, eventually someone is going to want to use them. Incidentally, I believe this is the true reason America went to the middle east in the first place, but that is slightly off topic.
Maybe if the US wasn’t the superpower that it is today the world would be a more chaotic place, and then again, maybe another country would be there to take its place at the top of the food chain. The whole thing frustrates me because I know the world would probably still be plagued with war if there wasn’t a major power to keep everyone in check. Yet, at the same time, I hate the fact that to ensure a general sense of world peace there has to be strong country around to act as the Earth’s bouncer. I fear the animal known as man is doomed to continue fighting each other like ants until we reach a new stage in our evolution and shed our violent ways.
Go see Iron Man 2 if you want to watch something light, simple, fun and action packed. Don’t see it if you dislike war.
Daniel Chambers
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Why Can't We Be Friends?
I am an adamant listener of several different podcasts. Some are of science and new technology, others are of new media, and some are even about philosophy and the paranormal. In some of these podcasts they discuss the likelihood of world peace, solving the planet’s energy crisis, and surviving world climate change, and I think, is this even possible. Can the world work together? Can we coexist long enough to save ourselves? I am skeptical. Looking back to our people’s history it is evident that one of our favorite pastimes is fighting. We’ve pretty much done it since day one, and it doesn’t look like we’re about to stop any time soon.
Some say that to get along the world first must be united under a common goal. Something has to happen to pull the world together, but what? What if, as an example, a UFO landed on the White House Lawn? Unless they landed there with the intention of enslaving the entire planet, I doubt anyone would be able to agree on what to do. I’m sure some people would be interested on studying them, and others would be after their knowledge and secrets. I think any religious fanatic of any are of the world would want to kill them. No, unless they were trying to destroy us, we would still fight each other, and I’m sure their presence would only make things worse. Unfortunately, the diversity and varying levels of education in the world are too great for any of us to get along. However, I think there is a solution: empathy and common ground.
A few weeks ago my sister, my brother, and I hosted a party. It was the kind of party that saw the walls bursting from the volume of the stereo, and the floors drooping from the amount of people standing on it. Yes, it was a raging party, unfortunately at these kinds of parties there tends to be one or more people in the mood to fight. We surely would have seen a couple if it hadn’t been for my outstanding mediating skills. Close to the end of the night a few of my sister’s friends wanted to fight my buddy, Pavel. In fact, they had taken something he had said so badly that they were priming themselves to lead him outside and actually take him on. The funny thing was, the entire time they were talking about fighting him he was trying to apologize and avoid that scenario. All of his words, of course, fell on deaf ears because something about their way of thinking told my sister’s friends that they had to fight. Since then, I’ve been mulling the night over in my mind trying to understand why everyone wanted to do battle so badly, and I think I finally got it. My sister’s friends wanted to fight for the same reason the world will never get along: no one can see eye to eye.
I am a pacifist, and it is not because I’m not that strong of very tough, it’s because I feel I am able to empathize with people. I think, while every individual is unique, there are similar things in each of us. We have the same emotions; we all have the capacity to fear, and hate, and ability to love, and to feel happiness. I think if everyone could only learn to see things from other’s perspectives all this fighting could be avoided. However, until that day the enlightened among us can only sit back and ask, why can’t we be friends?
Next time you feel like you could punch someone out, or tear their head off, or do any other similar act of violence towards them stop and ask yourself, why can’t we be friends? What about this person is so bad that you have to fight them, and is there any way to look past it? And if this person really is that terrible, why are you even wasting your time with them? Surely you could save yourself a headache, and maybe some bruises, if you just walked away. But then again, maybe all this fighting is out of our hands; maybe it is implanted in our genes. Either way, I’m of the opinion that life is too short to fight. What is your opinion?
Daniel Chambers
Some say that to get along the world first must be united under a common goal. Something has to happen to pull the world together, but what? What if, as an example, a UFO landed on the White House Lawn? Unless they landed there with the intention of enslaving the entire planet, I doubt anyone would be able to agree on what to do. I’m sure some people would be interested on studying them, and others would be after their knowledge and secrets. I think any religious fanatic of any are of the world would want to kill them. No, unless they were trying to destroy us, we would still fight each other, and I’m sure their presence would only make things worse. Unfortunately, the diversity and varying levels of education in the world are too great for any of us to get along. However, I think there is a solution: empathy and common ground.
A few weeks ago my sister, my brother, and I hosted a party. It was the kind of party that saw the walls bursting from the volume of the stereo, and the floors drooping from the amount of people standing on it. Yes, it was a raging party, unfortunately at these kinds of parties there tends to be one or more people in the mood to fight. We surely would have seen a couple if it hadn’t been for my outstanding mediating skills. Close to the end of the night a few of my sister’s friends wanted to fight my buddy, Pavel. In fact, they had taken something he had said so badly that they were priming themselves to lead him outside and actually take him on. The funny thing was, the entire time they were talking about fighting him he was trying to apologize and avoid that scenario. All of his words, of course, fell on deaf ears because something about their way of thinking told my sister’s friends that they had to fight. Since then, I’ve been mulling the night over in my mind trying to understand why everyone wanted to do battle so badly, and I think I finally got it. My sister’s friends wanted to fight for the same reason the world will never get along: no one can see eye to eye.
I am a pacifist, and it is not because I’m not that strong of very tough, it’s because I feel I am able to empathize with people. I think, while every individual is unique, there are similar things in each of us. We have the same emotions; we all have the capacity to fear, and hate, and ability to love, and to feel happiness. I think if everyone could only learn to see things from other’s perspectives all this fighting could be avoided. However, until that day the enlightened among us can only sit back and ask, why can’t we be friends?
Next time you feel like you could punch someone out, or tear their head off, or do any other similar act of violence towards them stop and ask yourself, why can’t we be friends? What about this person is so bad that you have to fight them, and is there any way to look past it? And if this person really is that terrible, why are you even wasting your time with them? Surely you could save yourself a headache, and maybe some bruises, if you just walked away. But then again, maybe all this fighting is out of our hands; maybe it is implanted in our genes. Either way, I’m of the opinion that life is too short to fight. What is your opinion?
Daniel Chambers
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Few Thoughts...
Today I have a few thoughts on The Simpsons...
Oh The Simpsons, what can I say about you that hasn't already been said. This show has affected so many people over the years. It has paved the way for countless other shows and mediums to push the boundaries of what is considered politically correct. It helped shape an entire generation of kids into the cynical and skeptical young adults we see today. Despite all of its accolades, I mean it when I say, this show is stale as shit! It has been on the air for too long. In comedy, a joke can't be told too many times because after a while it loses its edge and stops being funny. Fox Network: stop making your show because it is no longer funny. In today’s modern entertainment world something like the Simpsons can no longer stand against the likes of Family Guy, South Park, or even its sister show, Futurama. I think the only reason it is still around is because over the years The Simpsons has developed into a mountainous brand that is so engrained in popular culture that nothing will ever move it. This doesn't mean that it shouldn’t be moved. I believe the show should have ended with the movie, and that the movie should have been made at least five years ago.
Fox Network, over the years I have enjoyed much of your Americanized programming, but by dragging this show on, season after season, you are ruining a staple of my young life. Stop it!
Daniel Chambers
Oh The Simpsons, what can I say about you that hasn't already been said. This show has affected so many people over the years. It has paved the way for countless other shows and mediums to push the boundaries of what is considered politically correct. It helped shape an entire generation of kids into the cynical and skeptical young adults we see today. Despite all of its accolades, I mean it when I say, this show is stale as shit! It has been on the air for too long. In comedy, a joke can't be told too many times because after a while it loses its edge and stops being funny. Fox Network: stop making your show because it is no longer funny. In today’s modern entertainment world something like the Simpsons can no longer stand against the likes of Family Guy, South Park, or even its sister show, Futurama. I think the only reason it is still around is because over the years The Simpsons has developed into a mountainous brand that is so engrained in popular culture that nothing will ever move it. This doesn't mean that it shouldn’t be moved. I believe the show should have ended with the movie, and that the movie should have been made at least five years ago.
Fox Network, over the years I have enjoyed much of your Americanized programming, but by dragging this show on, season after season, you are ruining a staple of my young life. Stop it!
Daniel Chambers
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Great Expectations
In writing this blog, it was my hope that people would actually read it. At this point I haven't advertised my blog anywhere, but I have told some of my friends it exits. However, I don't think they're actually readint it. None of them have given me any feedback, so I take that no one is interested in what I am doing here. This did hurt me a little, but I am over it. I could resent them, but I hate cesspool of bitterness I would have to bath in to feel that way. I realized that while I am very interested in the things I write, not everybody will be. I would hope that the people close to me would be interested in something creative I put out there, but if they are not I can't let that bother me.
Writing, like all art, is a medium of self expression. If one is going to create they have to do it for themselves, and that is why I started this blog. I started it so I would have an outlet for my thoughts on life, the universe, and everything. Sure, the prose is written for others, but I did it for myself. I like what I have done here, and I am not going to stop even though, for all I know, no one has read this blog. I hope my friends and family will eventually see this, but I'm not going to tear my hair out over it. If they do, it will be on their own time, and for their own reasons, not because I urged them to. You can't chase after a bird trying to feed it; you have to wait patiently for it to come to you, otherwise that bird will fly away.
In life, you have to put some things on different pedestals than others. Have great expectations for yourself, but know that everyone else is worrying about their own things. Try to not let that get you down.
Daniel Chambers
Writing, like all art, is a medium of self expression. If one is going to create they have to do it for themselves, and that is why I started this blog. I started it so I would have an outlet for my thoughts on life, the universe, and everything. Sure, the prose is written for others, but I did it for myself. I like what I have done here, and I am not going to stop even though, for all I know, no one has read this blog. I hope my friends and family will eventually see this, but I'm not going to tear my hair out over it. If they do, it will be on their own time, and for their own reasons, not because I urged them to. You can't chase after a bird trying to feed it; you have to wait patiently for it to come to you, otherwise that bird will fly away.
In life, you have to put some things on different pedestals than others. Have great expectations for yourself, but know that everyone else is worrying about their own things. Try to not let that get you down.
Daniel Chambers
Thursday, April 15, 2010
A Few Thoughts...
Today, I have a few thoughts on comics.
I recently finished reading the second volume in what I hope to be a long running series of graphic novels called Locke and Key. I can easily say that after speeding through both volumes, this title is one of my favorites.
It is an independent comic, and a fairly new one at that, so the characters are fresh and the story line is unique. It was released in single issues, but I read it as a collected novelized book. I find this format to be stronger when dealing with an over arching storyline. I like an entire plot to be contained within a single binding of a paperback, or hardcover. I think this is the direction comics should go in. There will always be a super fan who is willing to buy the single-issue book every week. Unfortunately, the general public will most likely not go that far. It is hard for someone to jump into a story with a single chapter, and then have to wait a week, or longer, for the next one. This goes double for the major titles: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, The X-Men, among others. Despite the fact these characters have penetrated the mainstream of popular culture, the casual fan doesn't want to take the time and effort to jump into the maze of continuity that drags behind each of them. I think focusing more energy on the trade paperbacks could solve this. People want a self-contained story line, and that is found in graphic novels, and collected series of the short, single issue comic books. Speaking as a casual fan, I have a stack of single issues and a stack of graphic novels/trades, and I care far more for the novels and trades than those twenty page teasers. That’s what those single issues are: just one piece of a bigger puzzle. Nobody wants to start a puzzle with missing peices.
Anyway, I like my stack of trade paperbacks more for the same reason I care more about an entire novel than a short story, or chapter; it's the same reason I care more about an entire television series than a single episode; and it's the same reason I care more about an entire album than a single song. Sure, I still have my favorite song, episode, and chapter, but I want the entire cake, not just one piece.
Read Locke and Key, it is an exciting and dynamic story!
Daniel Chambers
I recently finished reading the second volume in what I hope to be a long running series of graphic novels called Locke and Key. I can easily say that after speeding through both volumes, this title is one of my favorites.
It is an independent comic, and a fairly new one at that, so the characters are fresh and the story line is unique. It was released in single issues, but I read it as a collected novelized book. I find this format to be stronger when dealing with an over arching storyline. I like an entire plot to be contained within a single binding of a paperback, or hardcover. I think this is the direction comics should go in. There will always be a super fan who is willing to buy the single-issue book every week. Unfortunately, the general public will most likely not go that far. It is hard for someone to jump into a story with a single chapter, and then have to wait a week, or longer, for the next one. This goes double for the major titles: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, The X-Men, among others. Despite the fact these characters have penetrated the mainstream of popular culture, the casual fan doesn't want to take the time and effort to jump into the maze of continuity that drags behind each of them. I think focusing more energy on the trade paperbacks could solve this. People want a self-contained story line, and that is found in graphic novels, and collected series of the short, single issue comic books. Speaking as a casual fan, I have a stack of single issues and a stack of graphic novels/trades, and I care far more for the novels and trades than those twenty page teasers. That’s what those single issues are: just one piece of a bigger puzzle. Nobody wants to start a puzzle with missing peices.
Anyway, I like my stack of trade paperbacks more for the same reason I care more about an entire novel than a short story, or chapter; it's the same reason I care more about an entire television series than a single episode; and it's the same reason I care more about an entire album than a single song. Sure, I still have my favorite song, episode, and chapter, but I want the entire cake, not just one piece.
Read Locke and Key, it is an exciting and dynamic story!
Daniel Chambers
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Own Your Space
Last weekend I was out with some friends, and in a moment of stark intoxication I had a brilliant thought. A motto of encouragement for life slipped into my mind. I’ve been using it at work, school, and anywhere else I feel the need for some extra motivation. I use it to boost my confidence in times it is shaken. In the past week, whenever I have been up against the brick wall called life I say, “Dan, own your space”.
The mantra came into being as we started our night with a few drinks. A friend of mine mentioned he was under pressure at work. He doesn’t get enough sleep, and it shows in his work ethic, so his boss thinks of him as a slacker. We told him to take responsibility for his actions, and own his job. We spent the remainder of the evening walking through the night discussing the finer points of life as our drunkenly skewed minds perceived it. Here and there I dropped comments about owning life. I started telling my friends to own their jokes when they said a bad one. “Own your insults,” I would say in the midst of friendly banter. Eventually, we stopped walking to play Hacky Sack in a park, and I told them to own their actions; go for that extra juggle. “Own your life!” is the slogan that eventually shot from my lips. That was it! The dam was broken, and this new idea flooded out. “You are the only ones occupying that space in this moment in time, so it is up to you to own it!” I announced to my friends, as we were ending our night. “No one else will, and no one else should. It is your space so you can’t let anyone tell you what to do, and because it is your space, it is your responsibility to make it worth while. If you don’t give everything you have in life, then you’re a waste of space. But, if you try hard; if you take responsibility for your actions; and if you face your fear, and overcome your problems, you will be an owner of your space.” I’ve been using this everywhere, and it has been working.
My brother has bought into the hype of my new slogan as well. However, when I look at him, I see that he has already been using it for some time. Maybe he was the inspiration for this idea of mine, or maybe I was just drunk. It is important to note that occasionally in times of inebriation the filter between what I think and say is turned off, and I tend to blurt out unique things. Still, my brother owns it! When he was a kid, my brother had a dream. He wanted to be a professional athlete. Now, in his late twenties, he is not a Beckham, a Crosby, or a Nash, but he is still an owner of his space. He is a lifelong player of soccer. I can tell that when he plays he is like an artist; he paints a picture on the field like a painter does on a canvas. He may not be famous, and he may not be a world class athlete, but when my brother plays, he does so with confidence. On the soccer field, he owns his space, and I can see that he transfers that to all other aspects of his life. I find that admirable.
You are the only one occupying that space at this moment in time, so it is up to you to own it.
Own your space!
Daniel Chambers
Thursday, April 1, 2010
You Can't Sweat The Small Stuff
Recently, I wrote an essay about the nature of my relationship with three of my closest friends. Since then, I’ve been thinking of how I interact with everyone else in my life: my sister, my brother, my mom and dad. For the most part, we all get along, but there are times we don’t. Sometimes we bicker, and argue, like puppies fighting over a bone. This is especially true of the relationship I have with my dad.
In the last few weeks he has been home on disability, and for me, that is a few weeks too long. It is his obsessive habits that have me pulling my hair out in groves. I have had enough of him constantly pestering me about cleaning this, or tidying that. One night in particular, I had a few friends over to watch a pay-per-view fight. One stipulation of having everybody over was that I had to clean up after they all went home. That was fine with me. However, given the nature of the night, and how much I ended up drinking, I decided any clean up was best left for the morning. We did organize our mess so it didn’t look as though a war had been fought in our living room, but this was not enough for my dad. In his mind, I should have cleaned the entire kitchen at two in the morning, even though I was quite drunk. The next day, we had a yelling match that left me fuming for the remainder of the afternoon.
Why did I get so mad? Was it over my dad’s obsessive need to keep everything clean, or was there something more? I know that sometimes when dealing with my dad I get the same twitch of frustration I experience when troubleshooting a windows program. The difference between the computer and my dad: I doubt I would start yelling at the computer. I don't think it is worth it to get all worked up over a trivial thing like an error message, so why am I getting so overwhelmed by a simple argument with my dad? There are things about my dad I love. There are things about him I admire and am proud of, but the rest I put up with because he’s family. Soon, I will be moving in with a few friends, and what if they don’t accept my messy habits? What if they have the compulsion to ensnare my life in the same iron fist of cleanliness belonging to my dad?
My dad and my future roommates are people; they are able to change, learn and grow. Perhaps, if I argued with my dad enough times, he would become easier going. Maybe he wouldn’t care about the small pile of cans, or the two left over pizza boxes. I am sure these things will always bug my dad. I am sure that all of my messy habits twist into him like a rouge screw, so we are bound to argue again. I suppose we could both work at our annoying habits and find a middle ground, but what is the point? I don’t think it is the fact that my dad wants to keep everything clean that bugs me; it is his strict approach that does it. My dad is authoritative, where I am liberal; my dad is practical, while I am a dreamer; my dad’s life is like a one way street, but mine has lanes for all of life’s avenues. For these reasons, I think we will always argue over trivial things like a mess. I am able to live with it because he is my dad, but what of everyone else?
I can only trudge on through life with a strong face. There will always be that person who speaks slightly too loud, or leaves a big mess all the time, or insists that all messes must be cleaned up immediately. All we can do is live with them. Try to fix the foibles in your life, and try to guide people away from theirs, but don't lose control over something so inconsequential...
You can't sweat the small stuff.
Daniel Chambers
In the last few weeks he has been home on disability, and for me, that is a few weeks too long. It is his obsessive habits that have me pulling my hair out in groves. I have had enough of him constantly pestering me about cleaning this, or tidying that. One night in particular, I had a few friends over to watch a pay-per-view fight. One stipulation of having everybody over was that I had to clean up after they all went home. That was fine with me. However, given the nature of the night, and how much I ended up drinking, I decided any clean up was best left for the morning. We did organize our mess so it didn’t look as though a war had been fought in our living room, but this was not enough for my dad. In his mind, I should have cleaned the entire kitchen at two in the morning, even though I was quite drunk. The next day, we had a yelling match that left me fuming for the remainder of the afternoon.
Why did I get so mad? Was it over my dad’s obsessive need to keep everything clean, or was there something more? I know that sometimes when dealing with my dad I get the same twitch of frustration I experience when troubleshooting a windows program. The difference between the computer and my dad: I doubt I would start yelling at the computer. I don't think it is worth it to get all worked up over a trivial thing like an error message, so why am I getting so overwhelmed by a simple argument with my dad? There are things about my dad I love. There are things about him I admire and am proud of, but the rest I put up with because he’s family. Soon, I will be moving in with a few friends, and what if they don’t accept my messy habits? What if they have the compulsion to ensnare my life in the same iron fist of cleanliness belonging to my dad?
My dad and my future roommates are people; they are able to change, learn and grow. Perhaps, if I argued with my dad enough times, he would become easier going. Maybe he wouldn’t care about the small pile of cans, or the two left over pizza boxes. I am sure these things will always bug my dad. I am sure that all of my messy habits twist into him like a rouge screw, so we are bound to argue again. I suppose we could both work at our annoying habits and find a middle ground, but what is the point? I don’t think it is the fact that my dad wants to keep everything clean that bugs me; it is his strict approach that does it. My dad is authoritative, where I am liberal; my dad is practical, while I am a dreamer; my dad’s life is like a one way street, but mine has lanes for all of life’s avenues. For these reasons, I think we will always argue over trivial things like a mess. I am able to live with it because he is my dad, but what of everyone else?
I can only trudge on through life with a strong face. There will always be that person who speaks slightly too loud, or leaves a big mess all the time, or insists that all messes must be cleaned up immediately. All we can do is live with them. Try to fix the foibles in your life, and try to guide people away from theirs, but don't lose control over something so inconsequential...
You can't sweat the small stuff.
Daniel Chambers
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