Today was one of those days that just went alllllright. Work was nice and slow but just busy enough to keep my mind buzzing. I found my 
Olympus Digital Recorder that I had thought I had lost forever. I use it to make notes to myself. Like, “remember to feed the cat” because my memory is very badly organized. Lists and notes and recordings are my friend. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the type who will get Alzheimer’s disease, although I think my problem is more one of inattentiveness and disorganization rather than forgetfulness. Still, it does make me wonder. The recorder was in my backpack, which I swear I looked through at least ten times. How in the heck does that happen? I feel like I went through it thoroughly yet when I was digging in it today at work looking for my leatherman to open a bottle, there it was. It is a small thing but not that small! I was glad to find it after two weeks. At least once or twice a day, I thought about how stupid I was for losing it, especially since it was a Christmas present from Jody.
Today I also felt better about work and I had a few good interchanges with people which pumped me up. I get energized by talking to other people. If I go for a while without talking to my coworkers I start thinking they don’t like me or something. I do care a little too much about what other people think. It reminds me of a quotation by Goethe, “A vain man can never be utterly ruthless: he wants to win applause and therefore he accommodates himself to others.”
I also asked for the day off tomorrow since I’d like to actually work on a few pressing things. I feel like I’m busy all the time, but I really can’t tell you what. All I know is I get home around 6:45-7pm normally and then it seems to go by like nothing until it’s time to go to bed. The weeks and months just pour by.
Personal
10
Jun 04
Today was a good day
09
Jun 04
Symbols of the ups and downs
I think a lot about emotional ups and downs. If manic-depression was a high school its mascot could be:
- a cicada
- a phoenix
- a butterfly
- a blooming flower
- the moon
What do you think all these things have in common?
09
Jun 04
Effective mood-altering substances
Sometimes I wonder if emotion is a dangerous thing. Like, does emotional sensitivity make you more fragile? By emotional sensitivity I don’t mean being thoughtful or considerate or anything positive like that. I mean it in the sense of easily affected. If you are susceptible to being easily affected emotionally does that cause everything to get all mixed up. I’ve noticed that when serious things, personal things, happen I can freeze up inside yet when meaninglessly sentimental things happen I can be greatly affected.
It makes me think a lot about the ways in which people try to modulate and manage their moods and emotions. I try to endure sadness because I am sure it will always be there in some fashion from time to time, and I hope to understand what causes it. I do things like read, nap, and listen to music if I’m feeling down. Sometimes I’ll eat something sweet. Other people find that exercising helps or drugs or Prozac or sex or alcohol or you name it. The common aspect seems to be the desire to create a more enjoyable sensation to overwhelm the unpleasant sensations or a desire to avoid or dampen the unpleasant sensation itself. Some people prefer getting all the way down into it, although this seems rather dangerous to me.
08
Jun 04
Trailer Park Girl
Jenny’s website seems to be in an ever so slightly new location. Update your links. I was wondering what the dealio was.
Well, checking through my links I realize that Bellis has moved too. You can tell how close I pay attention.
08
Jun 04
Blogamp working
That thing on the left, near the bottom, where it lists what I’ve been listening to, Blogamp, finally fixed it. Not that YOU would care. I have something I should be working on, so as a result I work on stuff I’ve been putting off rather than work on this thing I really should be doing.
I also noticed that Wikipedia has a new look. Super mignon!
08
Jun 04
Wanted: Trillian Pro Plugin Developer
I will pay someone to implement my Trillian Pro Plugin ideas. Plugins are basically addons to add extra abilities to the application. Usually, they are written by third-parties. I even had a dream I tried to persuade this chubby kid to write Trillian plugins for me. I’m obsessed. Here a few ideas I don’t mind blabbing about:
- Plugin to save chat logs as formatted HTML (colors and all) which can be saved locally and/or uploaded as blog entries
- Plugin to query whois records to look for new domains.
- Plugin to send a message to people when they log into AIM if you are not at the keyboard.
I have more floating around but I can’t remember just what they were at the moment. I need you mysterious programmer, if you’re out there. Send help.
he plugins I am very happy with now:
- Cabriometer (great weather plugin)
- News reader plugin
- Spellcheck for your IM’s
- POP3 Email checker plugin
There are a lot more, but there are so many it’s just best to load the ones you’ll actually use.
07
Jun 04
Feeling Existential
What makes life worth living? Is it better to believe in something imaginary or to not believe in anything? What is the best way to spend your time here? Why? Why do I sit around thinking about things I have no need to know and no means to control? I need to leave the house more often. :)
07
Jun 04
Exorcising fortunes
Scraps of fortunes from fortune cookies have been accumulating in the various folds of my wallet. Today I decided to write them down and get rid of them.
They seem to fall into two categories, admonitions and predictions.
Admonitions:
“You’ll accomplish more if you start now.”
“Promise only what you can deliver.”
“Helping a friend is like helping yourself.”
“You stand in your own light. Make it shine.”
Predictions:
“You have an ambitious nature and may make a name for yourself.”
“You have executive ability.”
“You will make a name for yourself.”
07
Jun 04
Hi, my name is Chris…
…and I am an eBay addict. I even bought a digital postage scale. This is probably a phase that will pass as soon as I unload all my junk. The good news is, it is an obsession that is making me a little money while ridding me of some unnecessary stuff. Here are a few things I’ve learned while researching and through my own experience:
- Start your auctions on the weekend since they will end on the weekend (for 7 day auctions) when most people are using eBay
- Don’t use any of the auction upgrades. They may help, but the costs are prohibitive unless you are selling expensive items. Instead of auction upgrades, add more photos (using your own image hosting) to your descriptions and spend some time writing good descriptions.
- Set your opening fee low, that way you capitalize on the lower listing fees and attract more bids.
- Figure out the shipping costs BEFORE you submit the auction. A few times I’ve either overcharged and had to refund, or undercharged and got stuck with the remaining due postage.
- Accept most forms of payment. It will bring you more bids and may save paypal fees.
- Maintain a good rating. Some people won’t buy from anyone with a less than perfect seller rating.
- Communicate with your buyers even though they can be really time-consuming with their requests.
I’m sure I’m forgetting some stuff, but that’s a good start. Ebay fees suck suck suck, but where else can you sell stuff to so many people?