Loss

I often wonder why we view loss as something negative. Something that once brought us comfort, familiarity, and happiness is gone and we feel that there is an eternal void inside of us that can never be filled.

We lose family, friends, jobs, belongings, and intangible things such as sense of self, sanity, security. Recently I've been experiencing a loss of employment (over and over and over again!), and it's caused a bit of a domino effect. You lose your job, you lose your sense of security, and then you may even start to lose your sense of self-worth. Amazing how the casdade effect works, huh?

Oftentimes when we lose something it's best to focus on why we lost it in the first place and why that loss was/is so hard to bear. And then we must figure out how to replace that lost the best we can, reconstructing our house as it were.

It's not easy, of course, but what in life is?

And I think that's exactly what it boils down to: life. So many ups and down in such a seemingly short amount of time. But it really is the experiences that make us who we are. We can either take the situation as it is, or we can transmute it, rise to the occasion.

Sappy, I know, but a little sappiness is necessary every now and then.

I've lost three jobs since I've moved here to Denver. Embarassing, yes, but it is what it is. All three jobs were "pay the bills and keep a roof over your head and food in your belly" type deals, so the blow wasn't that low. If I had been fired from a job that I was actually passionate about, then I would have taken it much harder. Not that I'm not scratching at my head wondering what the hell I'm going to do, but I've found a measure of comfort that they weren't jobs that I was fond of in the first place.

Loss forces us to realize just how strong we really are, loss forces us to find out who we are and who we aren't. I'm trying to apply the same aspect in my book series (a little self-publicity there). What happens when you find out you can't be who you wanted to be, you aren't the person you thought you were? What next?

So...

What next?

Recycle It!

As far as I'm concerned, nearly everything in the entertainment industry is a rehash of a done deal.

A majority of the movies in the past few years have been remakes of remakes, a plot idea that's already been done before or the movie is based off of a book. A majority of the time the movie doesn't do the original work justice. It's lacking something, doesn't have the same impact as the original or was clearly intended to "WOW" the audience with explosions, special effects and maybe one or two decent one-liners.

I just finished watching the live action "G.I. Joe" movie and I wasn't impressed at all. Again, Hollywood relies more on flashy special effects, buff bods, and nice sets to fill seats. It amazes me that the movie made as much money as it did because the script was AWFUL! So cliched! And the exact same thing could be said about the latest Wolverine movie.

I know that people have to realize that a script is what makes the movie at the end of the day. Previews that rely mainly on images are pretty much previews for bad movies.

It saddens me, but at the same time it's a bit of a benefit to me as an aspiring screenwriter. What I'm hearing is that I can write a shitty, half-assed script and still get paid. Even though this is something that's become apparent, it's something that I refuse to do. Why go for a 5 when you are more than capable of a 20?

And the same thing can be said of books. It's something I've noticed especially in the dark fantasy genre. Tough-as-nails female bounty hunters trying to solve a "grisly string of supernatural murders" all while dealing with an out of town ex that turns out to be the murderer. And don't get me started on Twilight. It staggers me that the books are as popular as they are and that the movies have done so well. Guess there really is no accounting for taste.

Til next time.

Super

So my book series is about superpowers and the confused and conflicted people that they belong to.

Who among us hasn't wished at one time or another that we could do something out of the ordinary, something that no one has done before and something that simply isn't possible. Whether it be winning the lottery three times in a row, driving around the world, or flying without the aid of a plane.

What is it about superhuman abilities that draws us to them? Is it the allure of the fantastic or is it simply something that we want to so do see what it would be like? What if one day we woke up to discover that we could set fires by concentrating or make invisible force fields? Would we become bored with our powers or would we figure out new ways to utilize them?

I think it would be interesting to see what the world would be like if we all did have minor superpowers. Yet I also shudder to think what the world would be like if some people were given destructive superpowers. But then again, who's to decide what is destructive and what is harmless?

Already too many questions about this are popping up in my head, so maybe there's a reason we're merely human. But then again there have been reports of the world's first mutants. I believe Lance Armstrong is one of them. I think I remember reading something about his lungs and muscles being stronger and build differently than those of a normal human. Look at all that the man has done! But then again, he does only have one testical, so I guess it's an even trade.

Hmm, so maybe we already have minor superpowers, we just have to realize what they are.

Okay, my head is starting to hurt. I'm done with this post.

P.S. If I could have any superpower, I would either have Susan Storm's or Vixen's. Ooo, or maybe Zatana's!

"I don't know why they call these want ads. I don't want any of these jobs."

The above title is something I have said many a time before.

Job hunting is just that, a hunt. You have to prepare for your prey, make yourself ready, dress correctly, carry the right ammunition or it's your ass, and you have to arrive at the hunting grounds at just the right time in order to get what you want.

I really don't get why people don't come to me to work for them.

I know you feel this way too, dear reader.

So I've been waiting tables for about three years and I've been in the food business in some way or another for as long as I've started working at the fresh and impressionable age of 16.

But I feel that it's time for a change, I think I've done as much as I can do and have gone as far as I can go in the serving industry. I don't know if I'm well suited for office work, but I'm willing to try. As long as my mind is constantly stimulated and I'm not bored at work, I think I'll be fine. When it comes to waiting tables you're either not busy, kinda busy, or busy as hell.

The economy isn't as stellar as we'd like for it to be, and people are getting depressed and frustrated about not being able to find work. I understand that money has become quite integral to the human existence, but I don't think that we should put so much into something that should only be part of our lives, not all of it.

But then again, this is coming from a single, twenty-five year old man. I'm sure those of us who are married with children and numerous payments see the world differently. The thing that keeps me going and keeps my head up is the knowledge that everything is going to be ok eventually.

Failure and rejection are a bitch, no one can attest to this fact more than me! But I've learned that it's best to keep going after Company A says no, or Company B says that they just don't have any positions available. More than that, it also helps to ask yourself if there was anything you can improve on when it comes to interviewing or presenting yourself to a potential employer.

Ok, this is turning into a sappy rah-rah speech. But I do hope that I have encouraged you if you needed encouragement and/or that I have entertained you if you needed entertainment.

Stay golden!

Behind the Curtain

Oh, no! Another blog for you to skimp over!

Yes, it's true. Who doesn't have a blog, words, ideas, and observations to share?

My name is O'Brian and I've been a resident of planet Earth for 24 years now (25 in June) and I've been a resident of Denver for about a year. I moved here from Alabama. I was tired of feeling my soul die each and every day I opened my eyes and realized that I wasn't dreaming. I was tired of feeling like every day was on rewind. I was tired of being tired.

But enough complaining.

This is a blog for me and anyone else that would like to read about the ins and outs of my life as well as the ins and outs of my mind.

Not really a big fan of spilling my guts. As my creative writing teacher used to say, "Don't tell us, show us!"

Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, good things are coming through!