NaBloPoMo Day 18 Post 15 - This Is Short

Matt's leaving HOK. To him I say BLEH!

Now I have no cube mate.

I have an SEI meeting.

I watched a scary movie.

Word...
babysit: To pay little or no attention to your alcoholic beverage, letting it sit idle while you pretend to nurse it.

In Use: Hey, you gettin' paid to babysit that beer?

NaBloPoMo Day Ten Post Eight - Principles

First things first...if you are one of those people that reads things and then goes off and tells my mom, stop reading now. The poor woman doesn't need to worry about me more than she does already.

Ever since this whole attempted mugging of coworker Jim, I've been getting some flak about the time I leave work and my method of transportation. I feel the need to defend myself a bit, as if I'm being mugged, but rather of my principles than tangible items. It goes along with the ideology of terrorism such that if we change the ways we live to hide from terror, terrorists indeed defeat us. If I choose to change my life and the things I value, then I've been mugged (though no one gains anything)!

I choose to use public transit for a few reasons with the first being downright selfish! I don't like to drive. Other reasons consist of the lower cost, less mileage on my auto, perhaps better for the environment, lessened ease of traffic and downtown parking, etc. I refuse to change my principles for a scumbag.

As for the time I leave work, I guess I don't know what to say. I've been leaving earlier, but with winter here, it's dark regardless of the time I leave. Sometimes I NEED to stay late, sometimes I WANT to stay late (work-aholic? perhaps so), sometimes I am GUILTED into staying late. In any case, I'll try to leave when others do. It's the only change I feel good about making pertaining to all this flak.

With that said, I leave you to your word...
hug it out: To hug in order to help get over anger or sadness.

Scary Things

First let me say hello to a new follower, Eric Ketzer. Steph speaks highly of you and your music; nice to informally meet you. I see by way of Facebook that Steph has been busy uploading YouTube videos of your performance recently! I have yet to see them, but I will!

Next I want to mention that I watched a National Geographic Explorer episode last night about feet that were washing up on British Columbia's shores. I would recommend looking it up and watching it if possible, very intriguing!! If you can't find the show, maybe try looking it up online and reading about it.

A few quick updates...
Mom is having surgery on the 5th, nothing major.
On the 5th I am flying to Oakland, CA for a meeting in Berkeley, CA. I will return on the 7th.
Two coworkers and I were leaving downtown yesterday night at about 9:00 pm; one of us was assaulted in an attempted mugging in the Kiener East garage. Please be careful. Call for an escort if needed!
Yesterday a coworker thought he might be having a stroke; today a coworker fainted...I've become acutely aware of who to contact in case of an emergency!

Now..onto what I want to write about today...

Three Things That Scare Me [inspired by @Eammon, read here]

Painted Faces and Masks
If you read my blog regularly you may already know of this fear from the blog Painted-Face-A-Phobia. I believe it stems from the movie Fortress. Having not seen the film in some time I can only tell you that it is a movie about a small school in the Australian outback that is taken hostage by a group of masked men. Creepy. Perhaps it's not simply the masking of one's face, but I also feel as though I can't trust someone without their non-verbal language to accompany what they say...facial expressions say a lot!

The Monsters Under My Bed
Go on and laugh. But let's be realistic, name a person that has never awaken in the middle of the night with a racing heart...wanting, no NEEDING, to run to safety but knowing that as soon as you put your foot on the ground someone or thing will reach out from under the bed and grab you! The difference between me and you is that I never grew out of that fear. I still wake up terrified from some nightmare, needing to perhaps get some water or use the toilet, but too afraid to put my feet on the ground. It's so irrational that it annoys me, and yet still I am afraid!

The Dark
Perhaps it's my fear of not knowing, or not seeing, or not being able to prepare...but the dark frightens me. I have a night light next to my bed. I try not to be caught alone in the dark. When I know I'll be home alone I make sure to prepare everything ahead of time so that I can avoid the dark basement, the dark yard, or a dark house. Too much Scooby Doo as a child? Probably!