Shroud of Gossamer

As people figure me out, I learn more about myself. I have been given two major insights this week, and each time a little light went off in my head. No long deep writeup on this one, just what they are:

  1. Commitment. I feel obligated to go through with things I say i will do. Dave Stromes figured this one out, and caught me with it. I told him I was much too busy to do any theater next year, and it makes me sad because I really want to get back into that. He convinced me to have some fun and try out for Children of Eden, and then explained that I am trapped because if they like me and ask me to call backs, I’ll be obliged to go, and then if I get cast, I can’t turn it down. Whoops. 🙂 Hopefully, I’ll be bad enough that we won’t get that far!
  2. Processes. Adam Herman and I were talking about something and he stopped to tell me that its interesting how I think in terms of processes. I was walking through something computer related, and I said yeah, this would happen, and then this, and then we could do this, and a third thing, and — oh, wait — the fourth thing wouldn’t work, so never mind that idea. It is completely true. I explain things not as isolated events but as sequences. When I don’t like something, it is often not because of the end result but because how it was obtained. I am a stickler for office policies, procedures, having clear rules, putting accurate information online.

I’ll give another example of point 2 and then get back to my audiobook (I’m on the plane from Boston to Dallas, probably should have mentioned that ;-)). How did I meet Josh Brandfon? Well, my answer would be along the lines of “Oh, that’s an interesting story. A few days after I moved in this (sophomore) year, I was walking around looking for wireless access points, and I found one called JoshLink. I followed the signal upstairs, and noticed that one of the people in that suite was listed as Josh Brandfon. I went to the directory and found him and saw his screen name listed. I logged on to AIM over his wireless connection and IMed him to say hi. I told him I was sitting on his stoop. He walked out and was shocked and confused.”

Okay, so the story isn’t that important. Just the fact that I had to go through that whole thing to tell it.

So now you know more about me. Cheers!