You see, I’m always tired and grouchy and beating myself up for not getting enough done. And our yard is starting to look like an establishing shot on Malcolm in the Middle. Generally speaking, there’s a dark cloud hanging over the Surf Report Compound this summer.
So, I’m going to give up beer for the month of July, and see if it changes anything. I’m also going to try to eat a little better, and get some more exercise and sleep. Nothing too drastic on those last few items, mind you, just a casual effort in that direction.
It’s an experiment, and I’ll take a look at the situation on August 1. If I’m firing on all cylinders, and feeling optimistic and strong, I’ll extend it another month. But if everything’s exactly the same: “Hello, Dogfish Head Brewing Company! I’ve missed you.”
I expect the upcoming weekend to be a slam-dunk, because of the novelty of not partaking of adult beverages on Fridays and Saturdays. How strange and exotic…
By week two, however, it’ll be a challenge. After a ball-mashing week at work the downstairs fridge will be singing sweet lullabies, and it’ll take a lot of strength not to surrender to its call.
But we’ll see how it goes. Stay tuned.
The weather certainly hasn’t helped make this summer any better; it’s been as humid as Rosie O’Donnell’s crotch panel. And I can’t have that.
I understand that the reason autumn (fall) is so spectacular, is partly because it serves as sweet relief after the devil season. Fall probably wouldn’t be quite as fantastic if it didn’t follow all the summer nonsense. But I think I’d be willing to accept a little less autumn oomph in exchange for a more tolerable June through September. Ya know?
Anyway, it ain’t happening. 2010 has been a letdown so far. I’d rate the first half a C minus. Yeah, I know. We’re all healthy (as far as I know), we have a roof over our heads, we’re employed, etc. etc. And in some countries that would put us in the very upperest of the upper crust… blah, blah, blah.
I understand these things, but I’m talking about satisfaction. And as my spiritual adviser Paul Westerberg sometimes says, “Look me in the eyes and tell me, am I satisfied? …I’m unsatisfied.”
I’m reading a really good book, called The War of Art. It talks about how we all encounter resistance from the inside (mostly), as well as the outside. Resistance is the little voices (literal or otherwise) that constantly remind us of the many reasons we shouldn’t take a risk, or pursue a dream.
You know… You’ll embarrass yourself, you’re too old, you’re too young, you’re not smart enough, you don’t have the right connections, you should be devoting your free time to your family, hey Mythbusters just came on!… That sort of thing.
And I know this to be true; resistance thrives inside me. I’ve done a halfway decent job of fighting it off, I think (especially since getting shit-out by Warner Bros.), but need to crank it up another notch. I don’t want to get into too many details (I don’t know who’s reading), but I’m quickly reaching a point where important decisions are going to have to be made.
One path would make me incredibly happy and fulfilled, and the other would pay the bills a little better, but require me to pull back on all this writing stuff. And probably cause me to cry myself to sleep every night. Know what I’m saying?
So, I’m going to try this little experiment and see if it helps me get to the preferred path. Wish me luck, my Surf Report friends.
And tomorrow I’ll try to be a little less… severe. I promise.
See ya then.
Oh, and if you’d like to give the first half of your 2010 a grade, please feel free. And elaborate, as well, if you’re so inclined.
I’ll be back tomorrow.
@ Ed…Stairsteppers are a satanic machine that I believe is a stairway to hell. My top time on a stairstepper = 7 minutes on the lowest setting. And I can do a mile on a treadmill or elliptacle in 13 minutes, but the stairstepper, I cannot do if someone paid me.
By the way, remember when Jeff posted something about expiration dates or something awhile back? Yeah…if the milk smells ‘kinda funny’ DO NOT PUT IT ON CEREAL. Ugh…I was so determined to eat a bowl of cereal this morning before work I put off the slightly strange smell as ‘the plasticy smell from the jug’…but I’ve been paying for it all day. I am retarded.
I’m gonna play Halo now and take my anger out on little kids.
Good night.
That sounded wrong, let me correct myself…I’m going to play Halo 3 on Xbox live and take my anger out on little kids by yelling at them for killing me in a match. I hope that’s better.
Brittney I agree with the stairstepper thing. I’m an elliptical man myself. Did 65 minutes today and 810 calories. I don’t do treadmills because It’s like running and I hate running, and I’m fat and my moobs jiggle and discourage me further.
Careful, you might be taking out your anger on jeff’s kids!
Yeah elliptacles are a lot better and smoother, and are easier on the joints and feet balls I think and they burn more calories…Good job on the 65 minutes! I’ve gotten to about 32 before getting off in anguish..
Haha moobs…not laughing at you, but I’ve never heard moobs…
No worries, laugh away, why do you think I’m on the damn elliptical?
It was rough, but I had a winning reds game to listen to and a losing cards game which put my reds back in first, so all is well.
Okay, just trying to think outside the box here and make it a little easier for Jeff. But if that little button that says “Buy Jeff a beer” is still around, and if anyone clicks on it, I’d be happy to accept those beers (only during the month of July, of course), just to show my STRONG support for this brief attempt at sobriety.
Dave. That’s brilliant. I think you called it fair and square. If Jeff agrees, let’s buy Dave a damn beer or two.
Hmmm. Sounds like quite a few people are hitting the mid-life crisis. It’s okay. You’ll get over it eventually. Then you can figure out that you need to follow your instincts. You are not here to please other people. Because that it impossible. In the words of Ricky Nelson, “But it’s all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please yourself.” Then you can be an old fart and have an excuse to tell the truth.
Giving up beer sounds a bit drastic. Have you considered chopping off one foot and seeing if a month with 50% fewer shoelaces improves your mood?
Whoever said, “Just do whatever you love and the money will follow” is a goddamn liar. I give 2010 a solid B, mostly because I don’t have ball cancer.
It’s 0700 in the great Pacific Northwest, and I’ve spent the night reading about Ed Sanders, Tuli Kupferberg, Ken Weaver and the other classically trained crazies who, from 1964 – 1970 and beyond formed The Fugs. While reading about the good old days, it occurred to me that the first verse of Wide Wide River off The Fugs 1968 release It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest, might be appropriate for this post. So here it is. If it reminds you of your job, welcome to the fuckin’ club.
Wide, Wide River – The Fugs
River of shit, river of shit
Flow on, flow on, river of shit
Right from my toes
On up to my nose
Flow on on, flow on, river of shit
I’ve been swimming in this river of shit
More than 20 years and I’m gettin’ tired of it
Don’t like swimming, hope it’ll soon run dry
Got to keep swimming, ‘cuz I don’t want to die
.
jtb
“Just do whatever you love and the money will follow”……. I have heard that so many times. Bullshit. I wish it were that easy.
Jeff: In response to a previous comment…
Hey, I’ll be happy to give you a fucking life tip, whatever the hell that is… Don’t give up reading. It’s the way out. It creates curiosity. It makes our brains dance. It illuminates the world of possibilities. It lights the paths of those who’ve come this way before. I’d take it a little easy on the self-help books, but that’s just me. Stop reading when you wish to stop growing. I’m not talking about PAS. I’m talking about nurturing the three part mammalian brain we are fortunate to have. Keep hope alive for sure, but keeping curiousity alive is essential for those in our species who wish to make art as well as money.
That is my rant. Sleepytime has arrived as another grey morning smothers the great Pacific Northwest. At this time.
Courage,
jtb
You’re never too old to learn
Let a sleepin’ dog lie
Don’t take no wooden nickels
bikerchick, I totally agree with you.
What if you love to paint but you suck at it? You have to face the facts of what are you GOOD at that you love?
Makes the whole thing a little more real. I have many things I love to do, but have come to the brutal realization that I’ll never make a living doing what I love. I’m stuck in the place we all seem to be in, doing what I need to so I can support my family but craving a creative outlet.
This year is a D so far. Just started our new fiscal year at work (who came up with that crap) and of course our budget is slashed, not allowed to hire any more people, but are expected to get the same amount of work done. Same old story as last year – just means I’m going to work harder for less and less money.
Is it me or is this week dragging on and on like it is actually about a decade long? Oh well, only about 1058.5 days left until quitting time on Friday.
Greetings from Taos….I’ve checked around and Dennis Weaver is still dead. For those of you familiar with the “Taos Hum”…I’ve not heard it so far. However I have experienced an intense “Taos Buzz” the past two nights.
“A decision not to decide could be a good desision. Dunno. I can’t decide.”……from the “Undecided Philosipher”. People couldn’t decide if he was on to something…or totally full of shit.
Isn’t Taos one of those hippy places where all the so-called ‘artists’ hang out?
Come to think of it tho a ‘Taos Hum’ sounds pretty good right now. (See what I did there?)
I’ve yet to find a well paying job of sitting on the sofa watching Speed, Discovery and The Hitler (History) Channel while drinking beer and eating cheese-nips. Unfortunately most of us have to do stuff we don’t want to do, to make the money we need to do the things we actually *do* want to do, but don’t have the time to do because we’re busy working.
Limey-That pretty well sums it up for most of us. I’m sure people who happen to work at something they love would look at that statement and tell you to go fuck yourself, that’s loser talk.
And you forgot to yell 69th!!
And while I’m thinking about, Cubs fans can go fuck themselves for the next four days, or forever, your choice!
Limey…I’ve heard that a guy sitting on a sofa, watching Friday Night Boxing and drinkig beer, invented “Cheese Nips”. He had no idea he was actually involved in the “Reasearch and Developement” stage of a worldwide staple. His broyher invented “Beer Nuts”.
Jeff, your grade for the year would drastically improve if you just joined your pal Duff on Clooney’s freaking yacht, which is where she is right now:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20398271,00.html
Totes jellus, I am.
I give my year a solid B- so far. If it weren’t for some health problems, it would be a B+.
@jtb –
Big Fugs fan here as well, although my fave Fugs track is the one with the West Virginia connection – “I Feel Like Homemade Shit,” (referencing WWVA radio in Wheeling) live track from their classic “Golden Filth” LP. I once had all the Fugs (and Ed Sanders) output on vinyl, including a near mint original Village Fugs LP, and bought all the European reissues, but now don’t have a single track – need to get a few of them for the ipod…
A friend of mine from NY got Tuli to autograph a reprint of an old Fugs flier for me – her dad lived near him and she used to run into him all the time when visiting – I still treasure it even though he’s a filthy, stinking hippie idjit.
Although, I do still have a copy of Shockabilly’s incredible “Vietnam” CD which featured Kupferburg in a big way, but that doesn’t really count…
I gotta say my week just became an A. I woke up to my boss telling me not to come in till next week because we are slow. So I bumped my trip up a day and am currently drinking. Go America!
Britney, I’d like to apologize for calling you crazy a few days ago. After I read “I’m gonna play Halo now and take my anger out on little kids”, I realized I do the same thing so if you are crazy I must be as well. Is there anything more cathartic than yelling at 12 year olds while playing a first person shooter?