Moving Day...
Just moved to huntersville NC on Monday...you gotta love being 25 and single. Chad (mcghee) and I moved all our stuff in about a 1/2 day. I looked a the 3/4 full trailer with all my stuff piled up on it, i thought..hmm...there goes my life...(thanks kenny) Chad's trailer load was a little more full than mine but even still i realized that we are typical 20 somethings. Did you know that the average 20 something has 6 different addresses, 5 different careers, and God only knows how many different cell phone numbers/plans/service providers in that 10 yr. span....? I heard Louie Giglio (passion founder/ 722 speaker) talk about how our generation is characterized by a lack of commitment and unsettledness. Is it true? Most of our parents were already settled in their jobs and were popping us out by the time they turned the ripe ole age of 21. Are we afraid to settle down? Are we afraid being called an adult? I don't think I am...but at the end of the day im 25 and moving again.... Maybe it's a reflection of our society. It seems like now more than ever there is an push towards not committing...leaving our options open....finding the best deal...the best plan....no loayalty....wait till something better comes along and jump ship.... I wonder if we always leave all of our options open then will we really ever attain anything? This is not an attempt to try to throw a blanket statment over all of us 20 somethings...just a few thoughts i had while looking at my 3/4 full trailer...
Bullet hole car stickers...
I know this may sound very random and quirky but hear me out. I absolutely cannot stand seeing a car/truck/suv with those bullet hole stickers on them. In case you don't know what I'm referring to...its a sticker that you pay money for at the store that you put on your vehicle...when its placed on your vehicle its designed to make it look like a bullet hole. Im sure we have all seen them. Most people group them in 3's on a tail gait or back panel...some people even place them in their windows. I don't know what your reaction is when you see these fake bullet ridden vehicles but for me its kinda like looking at those kid magazines at the doctors office and going to the "what's wrong with this picture" page. There is something wrong with this picture and I'll tell you what it is...Apparently the person who would place one of these stickers on his/her vehicle has an infatuation with drive-bys and gun fights. And somewhere in their minds they must think that there is something cool or prestigious about being a victim of such gun fire. What is the motive behind these stickers? Does it make one look tougher? ....."hey check out my ride...It's got bullet holes on it"...Does it make you look meaner?..." Oh you don't want to mess with this...i paid 40 cents for this sticker so i can look like i might be able to do the same thing to your ride." I just don't get it. I can see the west coast choppers sticker or a dave mathews band sticker because at least they represent something tangible....What does the bullet hole sticker represent? An air of hardcoreness? A standard of living? Are we making a statement? What is that statement? ....Don't mess with me cause I'm so hardcore that i can be in situations where my vehicle will receive bullet holes and i don't even care to get them fixed...
Another problem i have with these bullet holes is that we all know that if any of us were to ever actually somehow get a bullet wound on our vehicle then the very first thing we would do is to go get it fixed. The people driving around with these bullet holes would do the same thing. How is that ok? You would pay money to fix a real bullet hole so that your vehicle don't rust and look nasty but you spend more money to buy a sticker that makes it "look" like you have damage to your panel or window or whatever???? But why stop at bullet hole stickers...If we are gonna put fake stuff on our vehicles then why not fake bird crap stickers..."yeah look at me...i got fake bird crap all over my car." " oh you know i park my car under the trees with all the birds in them...That's right...crap all over my car...That's how i roll" ....or how about mud splash stickers...." check out my dirty car...that pave road can't hold me" NO NO NO!!!....this makes no sense because we all know that if we had bird turd or mud on our vehicles we will clean it up as soon as possible. SO WHY WOULD SOMEONE BUY A STICKER THAT LOOKS LIKE A BULLET HOLE AND PUT IT ON THEIR CAR? ...i may have put too much thought into this but i don't' hear anyone else out there calling out this inconsistency.
Cell phone rules!
We all have them but do we know how to properly use them??? Well I have created some rules for cell phone usage. ( jesusjones.blogspot.com suggested that I put these in writing. He has applied them and his life is better now) They are as follows:
1) " Ancy Fancy Pantcy Rule"
If a call is placed and no one answers there is the voice mail option. You are not required to leave a voicemail. However if you choose this option then you must not call back until the recipient has received your voicemail and returned the call. Continuing to call will in no way expedite a return call. It will just show that you have nothing better to do with your time except to keep "blowing up" my phone.
2) "Meaningful Message Rule"
When you choose to leave a message you must make sure that the message is detailed and pointed. A message without a purpose is like a game without rules...Everyone is confused and nobody is having fun. So no more of this, " hey, its me , just wanted to say hey...Ok call me ok...Bye." That is not a good message and I'll tell you why: first of all... Who are you? Who is "me"...Secondly you said you just wanted to say hey but you covered that in your first word so now you are just being redundant...
3) "Sunshine Sailor Rule"
We all have our different schedules and rituals in the morning but by and large everyone is not firing on all cylinders when they wake up. This is where the sunshine sailor rule comes into play. You are not allowed to place cell calls before the sun comes up. It can wait.
4) "Lost in Translation Rule
If you look at your phone and see that you missed a call and also see that there is a voicemail awaiting you in voicemail land then you MUST to listen to the voicemail FIRST, then you may return the call. That voicemail (see rule #2 meaningful message rule) should have all the information that you need. Then when you return that missed call you are caught "up to speed" as to what your conversation should be about. (candice pay attentions to this rule) When you fail to abide by this rule and then proceed to leave a message on the other person's phone you are effectively creating chaos. Why should that person listen to your voicemail...you didn't' listen to theirs...Is your uniformed voicemail more important than the one you didn't even take time to listen to in the first place?
5) "Little Bo Beep Rule"
We are all busy and equally important. There is a good chance that when you are talking on the phone that someone will "beep" in on you. Do not panic. Tell the other person that you have an incoming call or "beep." Now at this point some people have a tendency to lie. Don't' lie. If you say you will be right back then be right back. I doesn't' take more than 10 sec. to let the incoming call know that you are on the other line. The other option is to tell the first person that you have to take this call and that you will call them right back. Don't give in to the temptation to lie here either. Call them back as soon as you get off the phone.
6) " It's Me again Margaret Rule"
I know you think that your voice is unique and that everyone immediately recognizes your voice. We don't. We don't know who you are unless you identify your self. All of us have had that awkward experience of going on forever on the phone with someone who know us (they should , they called for crying out loud) but we don't know them. It could all be alleviated by a simple initial identification. If I wanted to play a guessing game I'd walk up behind you and interlock my fingers over your eyes and say "guess who?" ...minutes are valuable...tell us who you are.
SWEET!
What up...just signed on this deal. Haven't had time to create anything yet but give me time and my page will be full of wit and sarcasm mixed with a pinch of seriousness...
