For I'm a Jolly Good Fellow (Apparently)

I recently experienced an event in my life that I'm not sure how to handle. For the first time, at least that I can remember, I was the object of a public performance of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". It happened last week at a congratulatory dinner that my boss and some co-workers had for me in honor of a new job that I'm getting ready to start. I hadn't ever given any thought to how I would prepare myself for such an occasion but it all happened so fast that it didn't really matter. One minute I was enjoying a nice dinner with friends and the next I was saddled with this new responsibility that frankly, I never asked for and am not at all sure that I want.

As far as public congratulations songs go, I think "Happy Birthday" is probably the lowest pressure. You can't really argue with that one. If you were born on this day, then this day is your birthday and of course it's your right to be happy on it. That's pretty cut and dried. "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" though...that's a different story. I feel like that song carries a lot of pressure with it. It implies that you are indeed a jolly good fellow. What if you're not really a jolly good fellow? Or what if some people don't agree? I mean, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that in any large group there may be one or two people who may not be on board with publicly proclaiming my virtues to the world? Doesn't that put them in an awkward position? I don't want them to feel like they have to lie. On the other hand, how embarrassing would it be to have somebody who doesn't sing along? You know somebody's going to ask them why they weren't singing.

Marco: "Hey Alf...why didn't you sing along with us?"

Alf: "Shoooot...I'm not singing that song about him. Listen, I know that dude and believe me...he is not a jolly good fellow."

And what is my responsibility going forward? Is there a certain amount of time that I'm expected to remain jolly and good? A week? A month? A year? Is it a rolling 365 days or does it expire at the end of the calendar year? What if I do something that is not in line with the expectations of a jolly good fellow? I'm not perfect after all. Is there a governing body of jolly good fellows that could strip my title from me if I fail to represent them properly? It's just so much pressure. All I really wanted was a piece of cheesecake.

I think this might be why they hate us...

I saw a commercial on TV tonight for a medicine that makes your eyelashes grow longer. It. Makes.Your. Eyelashes.Grow.Longerrrrrrrrrrr stack o ver flow errorrrr...rebooting.... Sorry, my central nervous system shut down for a second there because of how stupid that last sentence was that my brain just made my fingers type. My fingers were so pissed about that too...you have no idea. So just a thought here...science I'm looking at you...maybe let's spend a little less time working on drugs to make our eyelashes longer and maybe a little more time on things like AIDS, Cancer, Autism or maybe a cough syrup that tastes like a BLT sandwich.

[via Minimal]

This is why I don't own a white couch...

Am I who I want to be?

There is a blog that I read once in a while called "Am I Who I Want to Be". It belongs to a friend of a friend who I have never met but I followed a link to her blog once because I was sort of intrigued by the title. I don't know the context in which she is asking the question, but it's a good question just the same isn't it? I suspect that the answer is probably the same for all of us. I'm not sure that I've ever really met anyone who is truly happy with who they are. Maybe these super contented people are out there somewhere, but I've never met them if they are. Maybe I've met people who didn't care enough to bother complaining about their life but I don't think that's the same thing. All of us have something that we want to change. We're too fat or too skinny or too tall or too short. Our noses are too big or too small and are a little bit crooked. We're too shy or we can't shut up. We're too lazy or we're workaholics. There's always something isn't there? Here's the thing though...I don't think perfection is really all that desirable a state. Don Miller has been talking for the past few years on the importance of using your life to tell a good story. I'm sure this means different things to different people, but here's what I know: the stories that resonate with me the most are full of characters that are almost always flawed and deeply conflicted in some way. This is true in film, literature, music and, most frequently, in real life. The quickest way to lose my interest is to tell me a story about somebody that I don't care about. (As an aside, this is why I hate most reality tv so much. With very few exceptions, it's people with no discernible talent living their rich people lives full of manufactured drama. It reminds me of (the criminally underrated) Mike Judge film Idiocracy where America's favorite TV show is just video of a guy getting repeatedly kicked in the groin . And believe me, it's a very short drive from "The Jersey Shore" to "Ouch! My Balls"...but I digress). I guess in the end, maybe it's OK if I'm not who I want to be yet. Maybe the struggle and the pain of getting there is what makes the story worth telling....or listening to. What do you think?

The Problem with Google Buzz

[Via Gizmodo]

A Delicious Cycle