Back in December, I put together a list of 11 Things I Don’t Need, but Really Wanted. It’s been a little over six months since I put that list together, and I’ve managed to get a hold of a few things for myself. Of course, I’m probably a long ways away from getting my appearance on Conan, but that’s really more of a long-term goal.
One I assure you will happen.
In the last half a year, I’ve managed to knock 5 of the 11 things off my list. I got my hands on an Archos 5 500 GB Tablet, and that alone took care of the tablet, external hard drive, and the Kindle Reader. A few weeks ago I actually purchased an E-cigarette and though I’m not dedicating myself to using it to quit the way I should, it’s helped out a great deal in certain situations (most of them revolve around being near a pregnant roommate and not wanting to give her baby any more disadvantages in life than it will already be born with). I haven’t bought an actual weight bench, but instead I picked up a set of Kettlebells. I have to say, the workout is good, but I’m not feeling the joy from doing it that I did from pumping weights.
Over the course of the last six months or so, I’ve also come to appreciate Sam Davidson’s wisdom on recognizing the things you don’t need in your life and getting rid of them. There is a simple bliss in keeping your life simple and complication free. I would say that it goes beyond just having things that you don’t need in your life. I think there are things I actually need to get rid of. I’m never going to be happy or successful with them in my life, and it’s time I started pruning them, as difficult as that is to do.
1) Soda and Booze
I want to start with saying as many thing as I am addicted to, food, the internet, OTC energy pills, I definitely am not an alcoholic. I’ve actually never really been much of a drinker at all. I simply do not enjoy being drunk and am not a fan of the taste of alcohol in general. Couple that with the fact that it actually saps my creativity and renders me perpetually in a state of social retardation, and you’ve got an angry, bitter, dick that is only getting more angry and bitter the less he is able to process the information pouring through his brain constantly.
Soda is the complete opposite of booze. I love drinking soda… Sugar and Caffeine, yay, baby, that’s my bag. The problem is, I stopped drinking soda back in January, and by the end of the month I had lost 20 pounds. As I started adding soda back into my life, even the zero calorie, zero sugar stuff, I stopped loosing weight and eventually started gaining it again. The simple fact of the matter is this: I have a BMI of 45% fat, the high possibility of a genetic heart disorder and diabetes runs through my family like a dog runs through a field of geese. I need to start taking care of myself or I am going to die, young.
2) Horrifying Fear of People
Okay, we all know that everyone is out to get us. It’s the reason that Zombie movies are so awesome. It truly is a world were everyone is literally out to eat your flesh. I’d do well in a zombie world, because I already assume that everyone I meet is likely to turn into a monster at any time and rip me limb from limb. Amazing for surviving in a fictional world of the dead, horrible for trying to build a life in the world we live in.
We live and die by the relationships we build. To succeed in life we need other people to help us along the way, especially if your goal is to succeed in something like writing and blogging, both of which are very personal ways that we connect with people to make it. This is probably the thing I struggle with the most, and I think it’s especially hard for me because I was once fairly gregarious. These days, though, I would rather just be left alone.
At least I’ve gotten far enough that I can carry on a conversation with someone else once they engage me. A couple of years ago, I’d have actively hidden in a dark place to avoid a stranger.
3) Distractions, Distractions, Distractions
I am genuinely considering getting rid of my TV. I love TV, too much. For the first 5 years I lived on my own, I didn’t own a television (technically I still don’t own a television, my roommate does, I just pay for cable). I used to spend those several hours a day writing, drawing, and talking to friends. These days, I spend them staring at nothing, doing nothing, until my brains leak out my ears in a slimy soup.
It’s not just my television, though. I think I need to put something on my computer that will shut out my access to the internet for hours at a time, too.
I need to get back to that place in my life where I could pop in some music, block out the world and go to town. several hours later, I’d have something I was proud of.