apathy1989

"Greed is good"- A world of selfish acts

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:47:12 GMT

Selfless
-adjective
-having little or no concern for oneself, esp. with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish.

There is a problem with the above word. The problem with selfless acts is that they do not exist. I know what you’re thinking. “That’s crazy. I’ve seen and committed selfless acts my whole life.” Well, not really. You see, for an act to be selfless, the person committing the act must not be motivated by any personal gain, in any form, that is beneficial to them. “Well, I never gained from my selfless acts and neither have so you’re clearly a fool.”

Firstly, screw you. Anyone who dismisses a point of view without listen to the evidence to support it is an idiot. Now that we’ve cleared that up, it’s time to move on to my main point. Motivation is what drives humans. Hunger motivates us to eat, thirst motivates us to drink, hormones drive us to have sex, recognition drives us to work hard etc. This pattern can be applied to most situations in life.

There are two types of motivation that are important for our discussion on selfless acts. They are extrinsic rewards and intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards are external, such as praise or money. Intrinsic rewards, therefore, are internal, such as satisfaction or a sense of accomplishment. We may not realise what is motivating us, but it is always there.

There are no selfless acts due to the fact that any act by a person is motivated by the desire for one of these rewards. All acts can trance there way back to this desire for reward, including seemingly selfless acts. Selfless acts are often driven by intrinsic rewards, such as self-satisfaction. However, this does not mean that extrinsic rewards are completely excluded; as such acts can be, for example, committed for the praise of others.

Of course, such an argument will often provoke the ire of many, claiming that it is unjust to question the motivation of those who sacrifice their time, money and other resources to help others. I disagree. I’m not suggesting that all the good work done is void due to their motivations, nor am I suggesting that such acts should no longer be encouraged. The good results from these actions are important. However, it is necessary that we recognise what motivates the factors that drive these acts, so we can encourage and promote their continuation.
Discussing the factors that drive people to act is a consuming and at times frustrating. So, to better explain my point, I’ve provided two examples. These are the most common claims that are offered against this argument:

1. Aid worker: The international aid worker is the oft cited example against this argument. However, we must wonder why a person devotes their life (or at least part of their life) to helping the less fortunate. Many feel a sense of obligation to help their fellow human beings. So they offer their services, providing their services to others. By doing this they satisfy their need to help others. They feel better about themselves and feel that they have fulfilled their responsibilities to the less fortunate. They have gain from their actions, even if this gain was driven by a need to help others. The fact that others have benefited from their actions is a welcome by product.

2. Religious: Followers of religion are often driven to act in the benefit of others according to the tenets of their faith. They may help others in the name of God rather then for their own benefit. However, they’re acts are also driven by their own self interest. They may act in the name of their God or Gods, or due to their philosophical belief, but this is in order to fulfill the requirements of their religion and as a result be rewarded for their obedience.
These rewards are also intrinsic; self satisfaction knowing that they did the right thing according to their religious beliefs. Just because their rewards are intangible (going to heaven, cleansing the soul, spreading karma etc) does not make the persons desire for them any less real. The only difference between the person who helps a woman across the street to be a good Christian and the person who does it to impress the hot blonde is that the latter will be potentially rewarded in the short term and the physical, while the Christian’s reward is in the afterlife and through pleasing God. This does not mean that their actions are any less worthy.

I hope you enjoyed my critique of human motivation.

Dagger

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:12:16 GMT

I was going to write something, but I've been distracted with this:

http://www.uniquepeek.com/viewpage.php?page_id=522

I must have watched 50 times already.

An open letter to some of the girls I know...

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:30:59 GMT

Disclaimer: Any mention of person or events, alive or dead, is purely coincidental. Accuracy of predictions is based solely on intuition and correct interpretation of facts. Just because I'm good at it doesn't act a guarantee you will be.

An Open letter to -------
Dear ------
I thought I would write this letter to help you out in your current situation and in the countless similar situations you will no doubt incur. That might sound less then encouraging, but precedent is against you. While interesting to watch, I’m a little concerned that you don’t have some key skills to make your life easier. I don’t know where your mother was when she was suppose to be teaching you this stuff, but you really need to learn these things. The first rule you need to learn is that all men are pigs.

I know that sounds harsh, but let me explain. Every man is driven by a biological urge to procreate. This is not his fault, but rather an evolutionary drive that has allowed for the continuation of the species. Not being a woman, I would speculate that a majority of women do not have the same urge due mainly to their physiology. Namely, since it takes 9 months for an offspring to be born, women only need to be impregnated once and then care for their genetic continuations (i.e. kids)where as men can impregnate many women in that 9 month period, allowing them a greater chance to secure their genetic future. So no matter what the situation, a man will also seeking sex or, to a lesser extend, sexual release. So what does this mean for all you pretty young girls out there? It means that you have no male friends.

As described in the Ladder theory, men cannot be friends with women they find attractive because they will always be driven to sleep with them. The only time a man won’t want to sleep with their attractive female friends, if given the choice, are:
• If they are gay
• They are currently dating someone they think is better
• They rate you as less attractive then they feel they deserve

Naturally, these rules are not concrete. Not all men will refuse sex with a friend if they are in a relationship or if they don’t think the girl is good enough for them. As stated before, men are pigs. By itself, this information can’t tell you anything. If you base your predictions on these assumptions alone, may be right, but you won’t be able to achieve a level of accuracy above guessing. So what you need to do is to take these general rules about men and use them in the context of your situation.
What moves you: Motivation

Now, this theory is grounded in the motives of men. Motivation is the key to understanding why the actions of others. If you know why someone acts the way they do, it becomes easier to predict what they want and how they plan to get it. For example, person A wants $50 from person B. If person A wants the money for something that they feel is very important, then there motivation to get the money is high. If person B knows this, they now have leverage over person A and can create a situation that is favourable to them.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to discover what motivates people. Motivation can often be disguised or misinterpreted. Using the example above, if Person B believes Person A wants the money for an important reason when he really doesn’t, A may over play his hand and his reputation may suffer because of it. It is important to position yourself in the way that you feel comfortable with in any sort of social engagement like this. The goal of this type of exercise is to predict and reaction to situations while gaining or maintaining the situation you desire.

So now that this is explained, it is time to move on to the practical stuff. The first things you need to accept is the way that others perceive you. This is vital, especially when dealing with potential relationships. If you are thought to be beautiful then you are more likely to be hit on, overtly or subtly, by people then if you were unattractive. This seems like a pretty obvious thing to say, but it is surprising how often people miss this point. Whether it is simply denial, to get attention, faux modesty or insecurity, people often don’t take into account what others think of them. Once you have come to terms with your attractiveness, you will be able to predict the level of attention you will be likely to receive.

Personal experience also plays a role in deciphering the actions of others. Have you seen something like this before? How did it end? Where the people involved in a similar situation to you? What mistakes did they make? What can you learn from that? All these questions can help you determine whether there is anything you can learn from the past and help you avoid some common mistakes. Ever heard the line: “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it”? Think about it.

These things are all acts of observation. Now, as the centre of this social experiment, you will not be able to remain objective about your own situation. Personal feelings, misconceptions, attitudes, prejudices, projected desires and plain ignorance that anything is even happening will influence your observation and critical analysis. It is possible to limit this effect, but it is impossible to remove it entirely. If there is someone whose judgement you trust, use them. A third party will be able to provide an objective analysis of what they observe and help you decide what you want to do. However, also choose someone who has little vested interest in the outcome other then your own personal interest. For instance, don’t as an ex about a person you like. That’s just asking for trouble. It is also important to remember that your new confidant posses all the same human flaws as you and can be swayed in their opinions by a range of things. So remember to take their advice with a grain of salt. If you are lucky enough to have more then one good friend, I would recommend asking for their opinion as well, thus mitigating any biased judgements.

Along those lines, it is always vital to examine the situation from the perspective of the people involved. This has already been touched on in the above paragraphs, but its value can not be underestimated. You must ask yourself how a person will react to a situation or action. Say you get invited over to a guys place to watch the sunset. You may think it sounds innocent enough, but you need to consider how other people will react. Do you think your boyfriend will be thrilled you are spending time alone with another guy? I doubt it.

Along with observing behaviour, it is important to question what people are telling you, especially if what they are saying is illogical in the context. In the above example, there are clues as to the person’s motivation. For instance, why is no one else invited? Why do they want you to stay over? “I forgot to invite everyone else and it was too short notice” Sounds reasonable enough, but think about it logically. Why is it too short notice for everyone else but you? “My friends wouldn’t want to come over” Why, if they are your friends, wouldn’t they want to come over? Do all your friends feel this way? Either they don’t have many friends or they aren’t being honest. It would be surprising if they asked anyone else. Always remain critical.

The things to look out for:
• Increased proximity
• High levels of attention
• Friendly touching (hand on shoulder, hugging, stroking arm, leaning etc)
• Dilated pupils
• Increased eye contact
• Private invites (going to the movies, staying over is a big one)

Like everything in this essay, none of this stuff is concrete. This is because humans all act differently. But if you see these signs, it is a pretty good indication of that person being interested you. Act accordingly.

I hope that you have found this informative and well written. Hopefully, this will lead to further discussion and the development of your logic based human assessment skills. On the next discussion paper, I’ll be talking about the non-existence of selfless acts and may even explain why multiculturalism is flawed. Enjoy.

Dagger

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:33:57 GMT

You know how I said I'd make fun of the hair dressing students at my tafe? Well, now I'm not so sure...

Today I saw some of the tafe students laughing at something. And when I say laughing, I mean LOLing. ROFling, even. So naturally, I had to see what it was.

Turns out hair dressing students kick pigeons for fun.

Discuss

An act of intellectual redemption

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 11:49:57 GMT

Hello

I'm trying to think of things to post about now that I've committed myself to updating this journal on a regular basis. I'm not entirely sure why I've decided to do this but here I am. So, since I don't want to write about my job or tafe, I've decided to write up some "thought experiments" from a book I'm currently reading. Thought experiments are hypothetical situations that allow a person to examine the moral implications of their actions, as well as pose questions about life, reality and our existence. This one is one of my favourites. I'm going to start this new series by questioning the existence of God. Nothing like hitting the ground running:

"And the Lord spake unto the philosopher, "I am the Lord thy God, and I am the source of all that is good. Why does thy secular moral philosopher ignore me?"

And the philosopher spake unto the Lord, "To answer I must first ask you some questions. You command us to do what is good. But is it good because you command it, or do you command it because it is good?"

"Ur", Said the Lord. "It's good because I command it?"
"The wrong answer surely, your mightiness. If it is good because you say so, then you could, should you choose to, command it so that torturing infants was good. But that would be absurd, wouldn't it?"

"Of course" spoke the Lord. "I tested thee and thou hast made me pleased. I command it because it is good"

"You choose what is good because it is good. But that shows quite clearly that goodness does not depend on you at all.So we don't need to study God to study the good."

Source: Euthyphro by Plato 380BCE

I look forward to your calls of blaspheme...

Dagger

"I'd do my chill out activity but I can't find my bat" - Getting to know you at TAFE

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:14:37 GMT

Hello

Despite my initial reaction to all blogs (which is usually laugh at the person writing them while toasting my own brilliance) I have decided to write a new post. As the people who read my last attempts at blogging will tell you, I don't update much. But I have a secret to tell you about writing....

It's hard. Really fucking hard. Especially when you try to be funny.

So after 2 years of neglect, I've finally found a topic safe enough and hopefully funny enough to write about: my first week at TAFE.

How I ended up at TAFE is an interesting story. Well, not so much interesting as frustrating. You see, it all began in year 11, when I signed up to do french. What does french have to do will TAFE, you're probably asking? Well, I'm getting to that. Geez, let a man write. Anyway, french was a failure, so in order to finish the HSC I needed a quick course to do. So after picking up the TAFE course guide, dropping it on the ground and seeing where it opened, I chose Human Resources.

Now Human Resources wasn't that bad. The work was easy and my teacher was cool. We spent most of the time on the computers doing whatever we wanted. So naturally I aced the class. It wasn't exactly hard, considering that there were only three people in my class. I can't think of a clever way to say it. My classmates were dumb. Anyway, that pretty much screwed me out of a UAI. So here I am at TAFE, doing a business diploma full time.

Now, I have no problem with TAFE. It's a good atmosphere and usually has good teachers. But every now and again, much like high school actually, you are hit with a wall of idiocy that just leaves you speechless. One such example is the "getting to know you" games.

I'll just stop right there. I'm sure most of you are thinking "oh, what a nice idea. Those games will force this cynical asshole to actually interact with people. He may even be liked by some of them." First of all, fuck you. Secondly, these games have no place in a tertiary level education system. We're there to earn a degree, not to bullshit to strangers about our favourite food. I kind of hoped that TAFE would give us a little more credit, and rely on the people in the class to engage each other. Kindergarten is over, this is big people school now.

Apart from the usual "what's your name and why are you here?" questions, there were also a barage of other stupid questions, such as "what animal would you be?". What kind of animal would I be? I don't know, which animal is bitter. Oyster? I'll be an Oyster. Another gem, "what's you're favourite smell?" My favourite smell? Well, I love the smell of napalm in the morning. Smells like victory (sidenote: I actually considered saying this, but looking around the room I felt it would be lost on them) If I have to sit through 20 hours a week with these people, at least let me ask them interesting questions. Like the guy who said he wants to be a horse so people could "ride him". Let me ask him if he's been tested for diseases. Not only would these help bring the class together, they also provide us with important information. I'm sure VD comes under OH + S law.

One more thing. Some of the legitimate questions asked by the teachers seem a little odd. For instance, one of my teachers asked if we used email. Not that odd a question, if a little obsolete these days. She then preceded to teach us about email safety and, I shit you not, told us that she used to recieve and read thousands of emails a day before someone taught her to simply delete emails from unknown address. I'll just let you go back and re-read that sentence. She had to be told not to read emails from strangers. This is going to be a long fucking course....

Dagger

PS There's always one group you can make fun of limitlessly at anywhere you go. At school it was the nerds, at Natcamps it's Victorians, everywhere it's emos. At TAFE, it's the hair dressing students. If you're lucky, I'll be writing about them really soon....

"Every time I drive a rental car, I don't know what's going on with it, so a lot of times I drive, like, 10 miles with the emergency brake on.....That doesn't say a lot for me, but it really doesn't say a lot for the emergency brake." -- Mitch Hedburg

Dagger's Day Off (unfinished)

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:29:17 GMT

People...

I've decided I would break tradition and write my fourth entry during the day. For those of you playing along at home (or for anyone who cares) all my entries have been made at night, with the last one being written sometime around midnight. But since I'm sick and staying at home anyway, I thought I'd kill sometime with this blog. Anyway, I've got to do something during the downloads...

With that, I've decided to waste your time telling you what I did last time I missed school, which happens to be last wednesday. As you may remember, that was the day of the Athletics carnival. To this day, I have never been to a school athletics carnival and I've only ever been to one swimming carnival. It's a record I am proud of holding, as everyone knows these carnivals are shit anyway. Teachers and house captains encourage (ie threaten) you into competing in events, which kind of defeats the purpose of school spirit. The only thing that made the swimming carnival I went to interesting was taking bets on who would win the races. Of course, everyone had a good idea who to bet for, so few people took me up on my bets. But I still managed to walk away $3 richer. All in all, not a bad day. But let's get on with the story...

This particular carnival day, I had planned to go the movies with my friends. Usually, I would just stay home and order pizza, but I thought I might as well do something. So I arranged with a few people (Johnny, Derek and James Stabback- real party I had planned there) to go to broadway. Of course, like all my plans, it didn't work out as smoothly as I had planned.

The time: 8am. The place: my room. I'm awoken by the shrill ringing of my doorbell (which is broken, but that never stops anyone using). Not caring enough to open the door, I let it ring until my brother answered the door. I already knew who it was. It was Johnny and Ashley.

Ash (or Ash, for all you hip people) and Johnny come around to my place every morning to wake me up and get me to walk with them to school. Every morning, we go through the same process. At 7:30, my phone rings. I either ignore it (I'm asleep) or answered it and talk to Ash. After about 10 minutes of bitching ("I'm not walking today" "Aww, come on Andy." "I'm tired, it's cold, I'm not fucking walking." "Aww, come on. please....andy I love you....come on...please.....") I relent and tell them I'll be ready. Then I go back to sleep. In case you didn't notice, I'm not a morning person.

My brother James talks to Ash and Johnny:

Ash and Johnny: Hey hey dude, is andy awake? (I am, but I'm pretending to be asleep, hoping they'd go away. I was wrong)

James: No, he's asleep. It's a carnival day, so he's not walking today. (That's my brother...)

Ash: Can we come in and wake him up?

James: Yeah, sure. (...he's an asshole)

It was after this exchange that I felt Ash's ice cold hand on my back. After a heated exchange, which mainly consisted of me swearing and Ash trying to undress me, they left. I managed to get another 30 minutes of sleep before I got a message saying that Johnny and James Stabback were waiting for me at Hoyts. The thing was, they were over an hour early. And they were telling me to hurry up.

When I arrived at Hoyts, the place was deserted. Thinking I had missed them, I call Derek, who had called me earlier asking me where I was (popular, aren't I?) He said he was in Intensity, which is right next door. I went in, looking around to see if I could find them. What I found was not what I had expected...

At the back of Intensity were Sheyleigh, Hannah, Susan, Denise and Mell. I had walked pass my group, who were hiding in a corner playing the gamecube (understandable...) Thinking someone was playing a joke on me, I cautiously approached. Long story short, it was a joke. God hates me.

So after we met up with everyone, wasted some money at Intenisty, we all decided to go to the movies. Catch was, the girls didn't have any money. So, after arranging a deal where Susan would sit on Johnny's lap and people would take pictures (I did it more for Johhny's benefit. Every now and again you just feel like pimping for a friend.) I offered to pay for the girls tickets. Of course, everyone now wants to go to George st. Which can mean only one thing: Bus ride.

Ok, I think you've had enough. We'll end it here at part 1. Part 2 should be done later today, when I don't feel so shitty. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go throw up....

Dagger

"I went out last night and got back to the hotel at 7:30 in the morning and I went to the desk to leave a wake up call for 7:00 and woman goes to me "Mr White it's past 7."

"No, the next one...You've got another one coming around, don't ya? Why don't you just put me on that on. Hear they're running two a day through New York city" And it turns out I was right. Sure enough, two a day........like clockwork. --Ron White

Works sucks? no shit- the tales of a McCafe employee

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:28:03 GMT

Welcome...

Well, I'm back for my third post. I got good feedback from the pot story and as soon as I have another party, I'm sure I'll have some more stories for you. But for now, I'd like to talk about something that isn't as fun as pot. Yes, the time has come to here me bitch about my job.

Now, before you get all high and mighty, saying I shouldn't bitch because I chose to do it, I'm getting paid etc, let me just clear somethings up for you. Firstly, fuck you for being preachy. Secondly, I work at McCafe, so I have a right to bitch. Yes, I sold my soul to the Macdonalds coporation and this is what I got for it. I feel ripped off.

For those of you who don't know (or are too stupid to realise- trust me, there are plenty), McCafe is an attempt at attracting a more "sophisticated" customer base. Instead attracting Macdonalds tradition niche markets of screaming kids, fat people and junkies with the munchies at 1am, McCafe aims to bring in the cafe latte culture. You know who I'm talking about...yuppies. Unfortunately for us, McCafe just brings in a new breed of dumbass.

A typical day at work might go a little something like this:

Time: 1pm

Me: Hi

Customer: umm....yeah....umm....(studying the menu, really concentrating)...umm....I want...a big mac and a larg-

Me: I'm sorry, we don't have any of those here. We are just the McCafe.

Customer: (looks at me like I just turned it into a McCafe to make them look bad) WHAT? Well, I guess I'll just have to have something else....how about the 3 bacon and egg...

Me: I'm sorry, the bacon and egg is unavailable. It's part of the breakfast menu and is only available until 10:30am

Customer: (trying to justify their stupidity, after giving me a look like I just ran over their cat) Oh, well it should say that. That's false advertising. It doesn't say that anywhere.

Me: Yes ma'am/sir (it is listed in 3 different locations, one of which is right on the counter) Is there anything else you would like?

Customer:umm.....ehhh......(studying the menu as if it's changed in the last 10 minutes)......um....I'll just have.....you know what, nevermind....I'm going somewhere else. This place is terrible and you should be fired.

Thanks, I hope I am. Now, can I have the 10 minutes of my life you wasted back?

It's not just the customers that make me dread going to work (although they are a big part of it) it's also the jobs they make us do. Cleaning tables, doing dishes, serving people, dealing with complaints. I make $7.95 an hour, the standard rate of pay for Macdonalds employees who are 16 years old. After I get taxed (roughly 50% because I'm waiting on a TFN) I get paid a grand total of $4 dollars an hour. I work anywhere from 4 1/2 to 8 hours every shift, so that's about $18-$32 per shift (not counting time-and-a-half on sundays, but this is negated by the fact I a) have to get up at 6:30am on a sunday and b) prevents me from having much of a life on saturdays). The only closure I get from working at this shitty job (apart from my low pay) is the occasional free food and making fun of the customers. This may come as a shock to you people, but we're not your friends. It's all an act. (Note: this includes any girl working at the register who smiled at you. She's not flirting. She's doing her job.)

I think I'll end this unusually long entry here, as you all know by now how shit my job is. But, for those of you who are still sceptical, I'll leave you with a transcript of one particular customer, late one friday night...

Me: Hi

Customer: Hi....um....can I get the vege pesto deli choice roll and....(the rest is unimportant)

Me: vege pesto? sure thats .....

(money is exchanged and they take their seat. We have a table number system, so they get their meal brought out to them. After opening the vege pesto, the woman returns)

Customer: Excuse me, but I have a problem with this.

Me: (ahh, fuck. Now what?) yes ma'am, what seems to be the problem?

Customer: yes, you see this roll (she shows me the unfolded roll. All I see is lettuce, tomato, onions, mushrooms and cheese....as far as I can tell, their is nothing wrong with it)

Me: yes, what is the problem with it?

Customer: Well, there are too many vegetables on it. I thought there would be more on it...

Me: *.........*(are you fucking kidding me?) well, that is what you ordered, it's a vege pesto

Customer: yes, but I thought there would be more on it...it says pesto, but there are only vegetables

Me:yees, the pesto in the very pesto refers to the sauce we use.

Customer: well, this is not what I wanted

Me: (my mind is still trying to comprehend what this woman wants) well.......I can either give you a refund or replace it with another deli choice.

Customer: (appears very annoyed) yes, well, that's what I want. this isn't what I thought I was ordering. I want another one.

Me: (I had had enough of this by now, and being an asshole, passed the whole thing to my manager) well, my manager will have to deal with that......

I don't get paid enough for this shit.

To all the brothers and sisters still working, stay strong. You can quit some day and when you do, it's going to be sweet, especially if you quit the way I'm planning to....

Dagger

"There's no such thing as soy milk. It's soy juice. But they couldn't sell soy juice, so they called it soy juice. Because when you say soy juice, you actually start to gag." -- Lewis Black

Update: I am now in charge of training two new people at my work. The first guy is a neighbour of a friend of mine. That's right, so I'm not allowed to bag him out, despite the fact he is terrible at his job. But that doesn't stop everyone else at my job bagging him out. The second guy was from my high school. He is in the year below me, but happens to be 6 foot something, which means he towers over pretty much everyone in the store. He has one of those names that's just two letters. JP or something. I don't know, I just call him "newbie". Now, you're probably asking "so, you've got two new people? doesn't that make your job harder?" well, it does but you miss the beauty of it. I can now get them to do the jobs I hate, like serving the idiot customers. From 4 until 8 weekdays, I am their God.....

Too bad I'm such an asshole

Post Script: It's a shame I didn't keep writing about my work because it's given me a lot of interesting stories. Friends have come and gone, I've meet doctors, nurses, cross dressers, hot uni students and now my ex works there. So many memories in two years. I'll probably never leave.

Funny stories about my friends

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:25:07 GMT

Greetings, travellers of the information superhighway

After the blaring success of my first post, I thought it was time to write another. Of course, heeding the advice of my fan, I have decided to write about something this time, instead of just ranting about shit like I did the last time. So, with further ado, I shall begin my second blog entry on something we all know and love: stoners.

Yes, stoners are what makes the world go round. Whether they are lighting up at a party or just wandering the streets, stoners are a highlight to our lives. While I personally have never done drugs, I have no problems with my friends huffing away on some magic grass. In fact, it makes them more interesting.

I was at a party on friday, talking to my friends and generally acting cool. My girlfriend was off somewhere, annoyed at me for some smart ass comment I had made earlier. I would make up with her later (p.s "I did") but for the moment I was just hanging out with two of my friends, kicking it up. Suddenly, my friend R----, asked if I wanted to get high. R---- had bought some grass at school that day and wanted to try it out. I declined, because I'm responisble and didn't feel like losing control of my mind, as I would need it later that night. My other friend, L----, a clean cut, monotonic, tall son of a bitch, readily agreed, much to my surprise. He's is a funny guy. Luckily, he's even funnier stoned.

So they left to the back of the shed, where all the pot smoking is done. About 10 minutes later, they returned. R----, the veteran of the two, had huge bags under his eyes, which were bloodshot. Now R---- is moody and aggressive enough when he's sober, which is what makes him fun to be around. You never know what shit he's going to say or which social group he's going to insult. It's the same when he's stoned, he just doesn't realise what he says. Below is a sample of the types of conversations we had at the party:

R: Oi!

Me: Hey, R----, what's happening?

R: Fuck you!

Me: Alright man, see you later

(R walks off, comes back 10 minutes later and the process repeats again)

Now, with L--- it's different. He is usually quiet and reserved, only saying something when it benefits the conversation. And that gift of comic timing goes over when he's stoned too. That night he said some of the most random things but his sense of timing made them funny. One conversation with him was particularly good. I was having a conversation with him and another girl about what it's like being stoned:

Girl: Yeah, when I was stoned I could smell colours. Can you smell colours?

L: Yeah man, I can smell colours....

Me: Can you smell blue?

L: (agitated) I don't wanna smell blue.....I wanna smell red

Who says pot messes with your mind?

So that's my story. I should have more soon, as there is another party on the long weekend. While there won't be drinking or pot at this party, I'm sure my alcoholic, drug crazed friends are resourceful (ie desperate) enough to find away. And all I can say is:

I salute you!

Until next time, remember to share. Pot is nature's way for you to make friends

Dagger

"I wasn't always a pot smoker. For years...Arj Barker was HIGH ON LIFE!!!!.........
but eventually I built up a tolerance." -- Arj Barker

Shit happens

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 11:21:00 GMT

I've decided that if I'm going to have a livejournal (purely to read others) then I should at least offer something. So, I've copied some stuff (some edited to make more sense) I wrote a loong time ago on here, so more people can read it. It's really old stuff, but it good.

Here is the first:

Title: Welcome to livejournal, or another example of my comformity

Well, I never thought it would happen, but I finally started a blog.

Yes, I know, but this was never a conscience choice. Hell, it wasn't even my idea. Like many of the major decisions in my life, I was convinced (i.e forced) by people. As most people know (or should get the gyst of, from this) is that I can neither think of what I will use this for and that I can't spell. I'm not promising that anything I write here will be interesting or funny but since I'm not the one wasting my time reading this, it's not really my problem, now is it?

So enjoy the time wasting potential of the internet as we delve into my space, a new excuse I have not to do homework. And you thought the internet was just for porn

Dagger

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:40:59 GMT

Finally, a place to express myself as a real person, now you can see the true me....

Yeah fucking right

My life isn't sad enough to actually have a livejournal. I only did this so I could get access to everyone else's. Nothing more entertaining then getting inside someones head.

Peace out