75 Ways To Stay Unhappy Forever

www.marcandangel.com/2010/11/29/75-ways-to-stay-unhappy-forever
1. Dwell on things that happened in the past.
2. Obsess yourself with all the things that might happen in the future.
3. Complain about problems instead of taking the necessary steps to resolve them.
4. Fear change and resist it.
5. Work hard, do your best and then condemn yourself for not achieving perfection.
6. Belittle yourself.
7. Hang out with other people who belittle you.
8. Try to control everything and then worry about the things you can’t control.
9. Lie to yourself and those around you.
10. Keep doing the same thing over and over again.
11. Be lazy and follow the path of least resistance.
12. Hold onto anger. Never forgive anyone.
13. Always be right. Never let anyone else be more right than you.
14. Compare yourself unfavorably to those who you feel are more successful.
15. Let small issues snowball into big problems.
16. Never learn anything new.
17. Never take responsibility for your own actions.
18. Blame everyone around you.
19. Don’t ask for directions and don’t ask questions.
20. Don’t let anyone help you.
21. Quit when the going gets tough.
22. Be suspicious. Trust no one.
23. Get four hours of sleep every night and convince yourself that it’s enough.
24. Never throw anything way. Even if you don’t use it, hold onto it.
25. Say “yes” to everyone. Fill all your time with commitments.
26. Try to be everyone’s friend.
27. Multitask, multitask, multitask! Do everything at once.
28. Never spend any time alone.
29. Don’t help others unless you have to. Do only the things that benefit you directly.
30. Hang out with people who complain about everything.
31. Focus on what you don’t want to happen.
32. Fear the things you don’t fully understand.
33. Always seek external validation before you consider yourself good enough.
34. Take everything and everyone in life seriously.
35. Spend your life working in a career field you aren’t passionate about.
36. Focus on the problems.
37. Think about all the things you don’t have.
38. Read or watch lots of depressing news from broadcast media.
39. Set lofty goals for yourself and never do anything to achieve them.
40. Never exercise.
41. Only eat junk food and fried food.
42. Never check-up on your health.
43. Setup your lifestyle so it revolves around money.
44. Spend more than you earn and rack up lots of financial debt.
45. Don’t say what you mean. Don’t mean what you say.
46. Frown.
47. Never tell anyone how you feel or what you’re thinking.
48. Make sure everything you do impresses someone else.
49. Always put your own needs on the back burner.
50. Get involved in other people problems and make them your own.
51. Make others feel bad about themselves.
52. Watch TV for several hours every day.
53. Gamble often.
54. Stay in the same place. Don’t travel.
55. Don’t play, just work.
56. Let your hobbies go.
57. Let your close relationships go.
58. Never finish what you start.
59. Take everything personally.
60. Do lots of drugs. Drink lots of alcohol.
61. Never say, “I’m sorry.” Never say, “I love you.”
62. Don’t work hard at anything.
63. Always wait until the last minute.
64. Believe that, no matter what, you are entitled to things.
65. Let others make decisions for you.
66. Remember the insults. Forget the compliments.
67. Let it all bottle up inside.
68. Rely on others for everything.
69. Fail to plan.
70. Don’t dream.
71. Don’t think about the future at all.
72. Always disregard other people’s opinions and suggestions.
73. Make promises you can’t keep.
74. Don’t decide on anything, ever.
75. Just keep going and going and going. And never ever stop.

Which side of the fence?

If you ever wondered which side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!

If a Republican doesn't like guns, he doesn’t buy one.
If a Democrat doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a Republican is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat.
If a Democrat is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a Republican is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a Democrat is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a Republican is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A Democrat wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a Republican doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Democrats demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a Republican is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A Democrat non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced.

If a Republican decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A Democrat demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a Republican reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A Democrat will delete it because he's "offended".

Well, I forwarded it.

Henry Smalls

Nick Vujicic and Jessica Cox: Get Inspired!

Where the heck is Dmitri?

A couple of my running buddies posed this question to me recently. And they have a reason: after all I explained to just a couple of people why I slowed down my blogging and postponed my racing. After an email exchange with one of our most devoted running comrades - Kirk Fortini - he published a quick summary on SoCal Trail Headz club website. I would not be able to put it all better than he did so I won't even try. Here is what he wrote:

"Confirmed Dmitri Sighting"

Relax, guys, this one isn't a Spotlight. I must admit, however, that I did send a few little questions to our long-missing trail comrade and I thought it might be fun to feature the guy. Mr. Chechuy has been too long departed from our fellowship, after all.

Recently, I was indeed very fortunate to get a reply, though not on the order of a response to Spotlight questions. Nevertheless, he of the innovative water-crossing technique was a delight to hear from. Ever the modest man, he informed me straight away, "I am by all means less remarkable than you might think."

For those of you unfamiliar with he of whom I speak (write? type?), Dmitri of the vowel-deficient first name was last seen pacing some loser who failed at SD100 last year. There was, at first, some speculation that he was victimized by his runner for caffeinated gels, but that was just gossip that had to make the rounds. In reality, he still counts the time "running through the night at SD100" as "one of the most vivid and enjoyable experiences of my entire running career." It must have been the picture of his runner starting to melt down with closing airways and shaking with hypothermia. I could be wrong, it might have been the swearing.

But, since then, there has been no more racing for our intrepid friend of Russian extraction. There are 2 reasons:

1. Work - Though he tends to be a little elusive about his actual paid endeavor (OK, he just doesn't say what the hell it is), he admits that his employer is not directly affected by crisis (sounds like Russian Special Forces, if you ask me). Some open positions have been frozen, unfortunately, and he has had to log a lot of extra hours to get the work done. (See what I mean? SpecOps all the way.) He even says, very clandestinely I might add, that "pressure built up tremendously from about April 2008." (God, people, how much more obvious can it be?)

2. Martial Arts - Although he dropped out as a karate student some time ago, it was a decision he has regretted ever since he made it. (Hmm, maybe he's not SpecOps, after all. Maybe Bolshoi Ballet?) So after spending time with that oxygen thief at SD100, he reapplied himself to training in the martial arts last June. The end result is that he's been engaged in that, and it has eaten up what little free time he used to spend running.

The decision has its bitter/ sweet components. It was sweet because, "it was one of my almost-lifelong aspirations." Bitter, or sour, because "I miss trails, races, and all the running friends."

We miss you, Dmitri. But, I'm sure that I spoke for all those who have had the privilege of meeting you, we wish you well in whatever path you follow.

Now, when can I come over for some of that cabbage soup that you were telling me about?

From Los Pinos: into the clouds

Help child soldiers

Tagged

I had been tagged by Olga Varlamova in this post.

Here are the rules:
1) Write your own six word memoir
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links
5) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

I was puzzled for most of the weekend trying to come up with something original and funny, but meaningful at the same time.

I was puzzled for most of the weekend trying to come up with something original and funny, but meaningful at the same time. I did not manage to nail all three goals together and ended up with something that did not match my first two criteria. How original is it if the first half of it was stolen from a bumper sticker of iMichelle's car, and the second reminds memoir of Bad Ben? But how creative can you be if all you've got are just 6 words?

Anyways, here we go:
“Life is short, don't waste it!”



What I was trying to say is much better reflected in Kim's blog in here:

I will tag Jeff, Greg, Steph, Eric and Lambert.
Sorry, guys, but it is your turn now :)

Cross-training techniques

Riders on the Storm

It was wet and drizzling a little when we went with Irina for a run at 5:20 this morning. The drizzle turned into a rain, and the rain into a shower. By the end of the first mile it was raining cats and dogs, except that two of us were the only two species that were nuts enough to go out for a run this morning. We were wet to the bones, and people driving to work had a pretty curious and puzzled look on their faces when we were crossing streets in front of them. I do not recall being as wet as I was when we came home. But all in all it was a lot of fun and something we will remember for quite a while :)

Way to go, Gary!

Just in case someone has not see it yet, they made a video with an interview with Gary Hilliard:

Gary keeps recovering and his personal goal for 2008 is to do the Badwater again!

Endurance Planet

I came across a cool web site today: EndurancePlanet.com.
They have a bunch of podcasts (mostly interviews) with endurance athletes about their Ironman's and Ultra-marathons.

Bad Ben publishes his podcasts there too:
Bad Ben's Chronicles - Race T-Shirt Etiquette
Bad Ben's Chronicles - Beauty That Hurts
Bad Ben's Chronicles - Acute Gravitational Influx

Here is an interview with David Goggins, a Navy Seal from SoCal for whom the Badwater became the first race longer than a half-marathon, and who nevertheless came to the finish 3rd there! Can you imagine that?!
One Tough Dude - The David Goggins Story

Apocalyptica

Nothing paces me better when I am running uphill :-)

Rock climbing

Lisa Rands:


Dan Osman:


These rock-climbing clips completely blew my mind away :-)

Grass Painting

I have had a very unique first-time-in-my-life experience this morning: I saw people painting the grass lawn under our office windows.

Yup, the lawn turned a little bit yellowish and they are painting it green using a sort of a multi-tube spray on wheels.

I just found it ridiculously funny. I never heard about anyone doing something like that since I read Alice in Wonderland when cards had to repaint white roses into red :-)

Gary Hilliard

On Sunday August 19, our Race Director (from the Mt. Disappointment race) Gary Hilliard, was involved in a motorcycle accident. He is currently recovering at County/USC Hospital in Los Angeles. While his injuries were very serious, doctors have expressed optimism for his recovery. For more details please check Gary's Blog.

This is very sad and disheartening. I really hope Gary will get well soon!

Back on Track

Yesterday's night I had my first run since the Mt. Disappointment. Although my legs are still sore I can run again and even enjoy it.

Where: Sienna trail
Distance: 3 Miles
Music: Iron Horse's tribute to Metallica
Time: 0:28:50
Average pace: 9:37 (it totally felt like 7:30 or 7:)

X-MEN & standing out in the crowd

We watched X-MEN III today. Cool special effects, but no happy end after all :-)

There was one thing that resonated with me though in this movie. It might sound slightly funny but I found a lot in common between why folks enjoy movies like X-MEN, and why folks run marathons.

All movies about people’s super-natural powers like X-MEN or Batman or Spiderman or Superman are based on the same human weakness. Most of us want deep inside to be special, to stand out in the crowd, which is totally natural taking into consideration today’s highly-competitive environment.
There are a lot of different ways to stand out in the crowd. It might be by means of being the first and the best in something. It might be through being different from others. Or striving to be different not being able to be the first.
Here what folks buy in the movies about people with super-natural powers:
There is an ordinary guy – a student or a clerk – usually shy and in ugly glasses to emphasize his mediocrity. Just like one of us.
And all of a sudden – even for himself – he starts to speak foreign languages or show miracles of martial arts or telekinesis. He becomes mysterious and unique. And preferably – just like in X-MEN or Spiderman movies – it happens without years of every-day heavy trainings and asperity. Not the rocky road of Cinderella-man or Rocky Balboa – this is far less exciting and alluring – too much sweat.
For us – for grownup’s – such dreams might be hidden and less evident. But who did not have them when a teenager?

When it comes to martial arts, or a marathon running, or mountain biking, or … (the list might be quite long), the roots are often the same: to be unique, to stand out in the crowd, to be different and better than people around.
It is like, although I will never be able to compete with professional athletes capable to run all 26 miles at around 5:30 pace, I will be one of few people around capable to do it, or at least will be capable to do it better than many of them.
That is our motivation is more than just a sense of achievement, but rather standing out in the crowd – sometimes even more inwardly (in my mind) than in front of other people…