Thank You

Thank you, stuff

I like material possessions. They're fun! Sometimes they contain movies or stories. Sometimes they're comfortable to recline in or let me drive around in. Sometimes they provide me with easy access to the internet. Occasionally, they're pornographic. I realize that material possessions have gotten a bad rap over the years, with philosophers of all stripes getting down on them. And I guess there's a chance that owning all this stuff is bad for my soul. But on the other hand, if I didn't have material possessions, what would I point to and say "I own that"?

I'm willing to admit that I probably don't need all this stuff. But what happens if I start getting rid of things, and then it turns out the first thing I discard is something that really is vital? I think it's better not to take the chance.

Thank you, Diarist.net Awards

You see that purple logo over there on the right and up a bit? It means I'm a finalist for a Diarist.Net award this quarter. Actually, I have two entries that are up for awards, but I didn't think I could get away with putting the image up there twice. I've never been nominated for one of these awards before, and I'm quite happy about it. I mean, I'm not happy that this is the first -- just forget it. You know what I mean.

I was nominated for a comedic entry and an "account of a public or news event" entry. I don't know if I'll win, because my fellow nominees are very talented. Frankly, I'm just happy to be a finalist. That hasn't stopped me from doing the math, though: If I have a one-in-three chance on winning each one, that means I have a slightly over 50% chance of winning at least one. The odds would be 4/9 on me winning nothing, 4/9 on me winning exactly one, and 1/9 would be the Exacta, where I win both of them. I think I'm using "Exacta" correctly there.

Anyway, this is something I'm happy about.

Thank you, water

I think it's safe to say at this point that I'm no longer a Coke drinker. I've been off the caffeine for over six months, and I'm sleeping a lot better. And I owe it all to water. Well, and to the fact that I wanted to enjoy sleeping instead of waking up all twitchy. But mostly water. It turns out that if you drink enough water, you don't have any time to drink Coke, because you're too busy walking to the bathroom every twenty minutes.

Also, by replacing Coke (which is basically sugar water) with regular, non-sugar water, I lost ten pounds without even trying. So there's that.

Thank you

Seriously, thanks for reading my site. I really appreciate all the nice comments I've gotten. And if you hate me, thanks for keeping it to yourself. It's easier to maintain my delusions when people are willing to let me pretend. As a counter-example, I did this thing on Wednesday where I mentioned that I had no Thanksgiving plans. And then a lot of people invited me over to their homes. Sure, a lot of them were safely hundreds of miles away, but it was still a nice gesture. But it made it harder for me to maintain my "nobody cares about me" thing.

So, yeah. Thank you, reader!