Living in Odessa.

I did it. I survived my first week here.

Yep, that happened. Kind of wish I had a "warm" weather pic from earlier in the week.

Thankfully work stuff has kept me mostly busy with my time here thus far, so I suppose that's a good thing. Since I don't really have a narrative in mind, here's a few take home points from the previous week.

• Wow, this is really West Texas. I won't go as far as to say it's a complete culture shock, but it really is a small oilfield town.
• The weather fluctuations are even more ridiculous here. I spent time in 80 degree one day, and coming into the weekend I've had to scrape off ~1/2 inch thick ice off my car. Crazy.
• I have mixed feelings about the [free] temporary housing I'm staying at here. The (not so healthy) food is completely free, which is dangerous for me given my sometimes unchecked eating habits. My room is "cozy", and would likely feel suffocating if it were any smaller. The internet here is atrocious...I can't even load up simple websites without lag. But it's all free.
• Work is essentially what I expected it to be...so far. The people are generally nice, if not sometimes rough around the edges. Training out in the field is about to ramp up, and I'm anxious to learn more about this job.
• I've been trying to brainstorm what the hell to do around here in my spare time, which might be moot after I start heading out to field locations. It looks like I might be spending most of my time at the gym, movie theaters, and the local Starbucks (free WiFi).

I tried to get the best all-encompassing view of my room as possible...like I said, it's "cozy".

I'm coming back home to Houston for Thanksgiving weekend. Looking forward to food, football, and good times.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. Until next time.

Random Pop Culture Thought of the Day

Josh Baskin, oh my how you've grown.

DISCLAIMER: If you're not familiar with Big, just watch it...and don't read the rest of this blog entry. To me, the movie doesn't feel nearly as dated as it could be since the underlying premise is rather timeless...the allure of growing up before you're ready will always be around.

I know I'm not the only one who's thought this. Isn't it creepy in the end when Susan essentially confirms that she made love to the mental equivalent of a 12-13 year old? I don't care if the body (Tom Hanks) is full grown, that's got to be some kind of pedophilia in some regard. Creepy. I can already picture the upcoming leather couch therapy sessions for that poor woman.

The film does its part to suggest a natural rapport between the two which makes for an organic romance, but what could an accomplished, mature, toy executive gain in the long term from such wide-eyed inexperience? Maybe it's just the cynic in me attempting to unnecessarily apply conventionality to what should otherwise be seen as a lovely, if not fantastical, coming-of-age story. I have been a little moody lately.

P.S. Future update on living in Odessa is in the works.

When I might have been most happy...

"Babe, I [heart] ya lots! Have fun and don't forget me...I want to eat you too!"

Eighth grade. Weird, huh? Let me explain.

Life felt infinitesimally simpler back then. As referenced from the lady killer pic above, I never thought I was attractive or confident enough to worry myself with the idea of a girlfriend...and I had the comfort and shelter of my protective parents for my material needs. Therefore, my simplified goals in life were:

• The pursuit of academic excellence. To a fault. I was consumed by it, and I think my mild OCD was exacerbated by it.
• Competition, namely the type that I knew I could excel in...which, at the time, meant math club.

I was absurdly into math competition. I was a gladiator of Number Sense...timed mental math. It's you versus 80 questions and ten minutes. Like bowling and golf, you determine your own destiny and success, and it's subsequently compared to others. Through good coaching, I discovered a natural knack for it, and I found myself inadvertently gunning for an individual state championship. In 1998, I finally got it. I remember distinctly not being excessively happy, but immensely satisfied. My motivations were driven by an unshakable sense of determinism that carried me day to day, and in the specific context of my two simplified goals, I was in full control of my destiny. It made me happy.

The only trophies I've kept, from state competitions in '97 & '98.

The problem is, I let it be a destination...an end point. I didn't realize back then that the journey also fulfilled me. As I got older, I learned to enjoy other aspects of life and my world became less simplified...my discipline and focus eroded. There were more avenues towards problems than avenues towards happiness.

Defining happiness in the context of that past moment is bittersweet after all these years. There have been both ups and downs since then, and I've lost that sense of determinism. I want it back. I'll have it back.

Distilling TED Talks: Russell Redenbaugh

I found myself particularly drawn to this talk due to his involvement with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which many of you know I'm particularly fond of. The take home point that I've come to draw from this talk was that he didn't allow for (potentially valid) excuses to dominate his thinking...he achieved beyond any notion of expectation by disregarding limitations and chasing what he wanted, and bucking the establishment if necessary. Without sight and the full use of all of his appendages, he managed to beat the Brazilians at their own game. I don't need to tell you how hard that is. It's hard not to hold appreciation and a strong level of respect for his story and the underlying mindset.

It sounds so cliché, but life really is what you make of it. ‎You can say you have excuses keeping you from what you ultimately want, but do you really have any?