The Psychotic Scrivener

The following post is something my uncle wrote and sent to his loved ones. He lived and worked in London for many years and also traveled the world during his career so this man knows what he’s talking about.

Dear Ones,

You know of my experiences; therefore, few times in my life have I seen such an incident as the Nigerian killers in London. Surreal where they murder a man with a knife and clever, show and record the man giving his opinions and reasons, who hangs about for 20/30 minutes, passers-by attempt to intercede and then finally the police arrive with guns to manage. Religious terrorism expressed and communicated with warnings. Happy was I to see the few English demonstrators raise hell and make some noise. I believe more retaliations will be forthcoming.

Here yesterday, demonstrators against the IRS gathered by tea party groups and who shows up, not police, but one of the new Fed agencies, new vehicles and the lot?! Really?

Then the new form and approach once discovered and investigated: Given national coverage and what do the American people get… “I didn’t do anything wrong, didn’t break any IRS rules or laws, oh, and I plead the 5th”. “I am not going to tell you anything”! Lois Learner. Then the head of the investigating committee… “Ok then your dismissed” Darrel Issa?!!!

No one knows anything but they are still running the bloody country! The politicians as investigators do not have the skills or sense to expose the answers. Why am I not surprised as they cannot manage the roles they hold either. “I don’t know… But we will find them and will be punished”! Eric Holder as head legal beagle sets the stage after Ovomit, so there are the role models.

To inform myself I watched the Reagan 3-part series last night to recall a time and a leader that gave me hope, not Ovomit’s hope but patriotic hope. Hostages, Iran-Contra, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the matters in which these events were planned and executed.

Simply put there were principles and integrity followed then. Certainly no straight lines and lots of dealing, swapping and intrigue, know it well, yet it seems so different. Different purposes and design. Different opinions, lots of disagreements yet where are we now? The warnings of Jefferson, Washington, our forefathers all back blatantly staring me in the face. Reagan reminding us that the power of government is ill-placed with government and here we are right in the muck.

I am a dreamer and was read too many stories with the ending “happily ever after”… Now I fear for my future and that of my children’s.

Best ever,
W

Psst! If you want to make things stick in memory or to make something stand out and not get lost or forgotten then don’t put it in the middle. Why? Well, read on!

There is a psychological concept known as the serial position effect. This was first documented by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, and it describes how the position of an item affects recall. The two main ideas in the serial position effect are the recency effect and the primacy effect.

Primacy Effect

The primacy effect refers to the recall of the first information presented about something better than information presented later. For example, you’re enjoying a show or listening to your instructor or an advertisement. The information given first is more likely to stay with you more than the information given later. But there is something that outdoes the primacy effect and that is the recency effect.

Recency Effect

Take the same example regarding a show, lecture, or ad. People will remember the info that is said last above all else.
So, let’s say as the lecture starts your attention is grabbed by the way the instructor started it out. However, later on it becomes really boring and you lose interest.

Right now the recency effect is winning, so your thoughts aren’t very positive. But a little more time goes by and you hear or see more exciting things into more of the lecture. This matches up well with the things done or said at the beginning. The primacy effect (the 1st thing) and the recency effect (the last thing) are both telling you it’s all good, so in the end you’ll walk away with a positive experience.

So…

The reason this works is that during the 1st (primacy) and last (recency), emotions are at their highest and most concentrated. This is why we remember the beginning and the end of an event, relationship, list of names, news article, etc., etc. more than all the stuff in between.

Related posts: Speak with Authority, If you spot it, you got it!, How to Stand Your Ground in a Stare Down

Most of us have experienced it… I know I have. Someone is trying to intimidate you or impose his or her will on you with direct eye contact by staring you down.

They’re relying on your instinct to avoid confrontation and look away, and when or if you do, you become the ‘loser’ of their so-called game.

Whether you think so or not, you’ve just given up some of your interpersonal power to the other person. Whether it’s a salesman, your boss, a police officer, your spouse, your ex, or someone who just wants to be a bullying ignorant human being… you’re one psychological step behind in this battle of wills. (Just a tiny bit of advice – it may be a smart decision, under certain circumstances, to let the cop feel he or she has control over you.)

Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret of mine. There is a simple trick that will help you avoid or break that uncomfortable and intimidating eye lock without “conceding” the battle.

All you have to do is soften your stare and look slightly above and between the staring person’s eyes. Go ahead, try it on a friend and you’ll see the difference because now there’s no real connection. There’s no longer a feeling of intimidation because there’s no true eye contact going on.

You can now hold your stare a lot more comfortably without giving the would-be menacing and controlling bully the satisfaction of making you break eye contact and looking away from him or her.

Related posts: Shake My Hand… Don’t Tell Me to Talk to Yours!, How to Deal with a Control Freak, Don’t Let the ‘Aggranoying Annoydiots’ get to you!

“I get those fleeting, beautiful moments of inner peace and stillness – and then the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of the day, I’m a human trying to make it through in this world.” ~Ellen DeGeneres

I can relate to this, can you? Life moves very quickly. Days are jam-packed, hours are full, and the work just keeps piling up. Sleep. Wake up. Work. Chores. Kids. Go, go, go. Sleep. Repeat.Sometimes, the stop button is missing in our lives (or at least the pause button).

It seems like that to-do list only includes what must get accomplished by lunchtime, the end of today, or the end of the week. That little thing called our ‘peace of mind’ is often put at the bottom of our lists or not at all. But this actually needs to be at the top of our lists so we can function (instead of freaking out) everywhere else in our lives.

Lately I’ve been remembering how things used to be two or three decades ago and how much simpler life seemed to be. Even though all these new technological advances we have now like email, texting, smart phones, the Internet, etc., enable us to be more productive, maybe we just all need to refocus the continuous go, go, go mindset and just stop, breathe in, and relax. Take some time in the moment to reflect back on the simple things more often.

I love hearing and remembering stories of ‘the old days’. Times when TV only offered a few channels, Atari was the state-of-the-art video game, and when we used rotary phones with that stretchy, spiraled cord. And computers? Yeah right… I either hand wrote my English papers or pecked my fingers away on a typewriter.

Life was a lot different then, but it also was… peaceful, fun, and not as complicated. I get a smile on my face whenever I take my mind back to warm summer nights sitting on one of my bedroom window sills, window open, just listening to the crickets and watching the lightning bugs twinkle like tiny little stars, riding my bike all over the place, and times I just sat on my bed listening to records instead of sitting in front of a computer with several opened tabs, email messages, posts, tweets, and You Tube. The biggest stress each morning then was what I was going to wear to school and whether or not that cute guy would say hi to me.

I wouldn’t want to go back to those less high-tech days necessarily, but I do wish I could live in those simplistic mind set days again intermixed with today’s times. I’m not saying I think things should be easier, just kept simpler. I do like to work, be productive, and keep busy. I really do. It’s very important, plus it keeps me on track and it sets a good example for my kids.

However, I need peace in my life too: peace of mind, peace and quiet, and inner peace… everyone does. So by just taking a step back from it all can bring tranquility, serenity, and time to myself (and you too). A chance to take a ‘time out’ from life and just be.

“The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being that places harmony in one’s life.” ~Peace Pilgrim

What would you do if you’re driving to a place you’ve never been to and after some time you realize that where you’re at isn’t where you should be? Would you keep driving forward hoping for the best? Or would you turn around and go back and get on the right track?

It’s the same with life. Sometimes if we keep moving forward, we could end up going in the wrong direction. So… Choose to reverse it!!!

Someone sent this to me and trust me, you need to read this!!!

After reading these 10 crucial tips, forward this post to everyone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in. Here are some actions you can take in an emergency situation…

1. The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, DO IT!

2. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM! Toss it away from you…. Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back taillights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.

DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE!

If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF! I repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF!

Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your air bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

- Be aware: look around you. Look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

- If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

- Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY! (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN! Preferably in a zigzag pattern!

8. As women are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! This may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another safety point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her,”Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door!”

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, “We already have a unit on the way. Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door!”

He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes, thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.

10. Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUTSIDE TO INVESTIGATE!

These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then they attack.

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors! Please pass this on!

I’ve always loved the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). I remember listening to their songs on my old record player and 8-track tape player. “Hold on Tight to Your Dreams” was one of my favorite songs they did. To this day when this song comes on (I have it in my playlist of songs) either when I’m driving or out taking a run, it instantly boosts my mood and reminds me to ‘hold on tight to my dreams’.

Have a listen yourself. I promise you’ll smile.

How do you like to stand out in a crowd? I’ve always found that inconsiderate people stand out in a crowd, just as considerate people do. But of course, being considerate is such a better way to get noticed if you ask me.

The world we live is definitely crazy, busy, and stressful. Honestly I think a lot of inconsiderate people don’t realize that they are being insensitive and rude at times. It could be that they are just trying to get through their day and aren’t actually trying to be inconsiderate, they’re just caught up in their own world, oblivious to others around them. But some are, and that’s so sad.

Take a moment and think about these:

* How it’s so easy to be considerate of others’ feelings.
* How it makes you feel so awesome when someone is considerate of your feelings.
* How amazing it makes you feel when you bring sunshine, consideration, and kindness to someone’s day.

Life is all about perspective. It’s how we choose to see the world.

Bad things happen to good people all the time and at times life not only seems unfair, sometimes it really isn’t fair at all. We can’t always control what happens. But our mental outlook when looking into the future and when making the decisions for today are very important.

The WAY we face challenges and obstacles ARE within our control.

If we use all of our experiences and learn from each of them, it will not only help our lives, but also the lives of others around us. Learning to go with the flow, cope, and then adapt when life is tough will make us much stronger. Moving ahead with positivity and determination with things we can control will keep us moving ahead in the right direction.

Always remember to…

Appreciate the little things.
Make the most of what you’ve got.
Help others to have a positive outlook.
This is what life is all about.

I came across this picture on my Facebook feed and felt it really made a good point. Instantly wanted to use it in a blog post. But as I read all of the comments It struck me that these comments are from people all over, so instead of hearing just my side of this, I am posting the actual comments made about it. I’m just going to use first and last initial in lieu of the full names.

So apparently the color of one’s skin can get one elected AND protect him against prosecution! ~TG

Close and secure our boarder it can be done. If your not afraid of a corrupt 3 rd world piece of crap country that demands our money then crud and has debt forgiven every 3 years. Then cry again and we give amnesty to all the law breakers. ~RH

So, readers, what do you think? Please comment your thoughts on this, continuing the conversation. : )