The Rock Has A Motto We Should All Live By.

I don't really consider myself a very opinionated person. I mean, I have my opinion just the same as anyone else. The difference between me, and most people, is that I tend to keep that opinion to myself. Which, is a contrary notion considering that I have this blog that is nothing but opinionated. Where I think I differentiate in that point as opposed to others, is you can choose to read this blog or not, and if you don't like it, oh well. If there is a post directly aimed in your direction, skip it over. People aren't forced to read this blog, and frankly, I don't think that most people do. Aside from a select few pledged followers.
Everyone is seemingly bent out of shape over the opinions of others, myself included. We are all consumed in what other people think of us. It affects what we wear, how we act in public, what we eat, all the way down to what music we like. Whether you choose to agree with that or not is entirely up to you. However, it is entirely true. We are all just in different spectrum's of that. I don't really so much care for my appearance, but care about how people view my personality. Where someone else might be the exact opposite. At the end of the day, if you have been through a breakup, you have let someone else (not necessarily opinion, but actions... I guess) determine your behavior. You wont listen to certain music anymore, you won't eat certain foods, and you wont participate in certain activities out of either hate for this person, or otherwise sadness. Someone else has determined something in your life.
I guess the point that I am aiming for here is, why? Why is it that we all have perfect reputations to keep? Why do we let other people determine so much of our lives? I don't really have an answer for that, or a solution. I wish that I did. I think that it would be a much nicer place to dwell if we all just did whatever the hell made us happy.
I think overall what I am getting at, is mind your own damn business. Everyone seems to be jumping up and down about this whole gay marriage thing. While I am not opposed to being involved, my question is, why? People have the odd notion that if they make enough noise, that the federal government is going to give a shit about them. Forgive me if I am being a little facetious, but they probably wont. When have they ever?
Maybe it's just me, but I have stopped caring about things that don't directly effect me in any way. If you are a gay rights activist, awesome. Still don't care. Oh, you are against gay rights? Don't care. Cause I am going to wake up tomorrow, and it is in no way going to directly effect me. So, I just don't care. I think that people are so wound up in thinking that opinions matter to more people than their direct family, and friends. And truth is, they kinda don't. Unless you are a leader of some organization like the Illuminati, people outside of that friends unit, don't really care. If you are just looking for an argument, can you do it places aside from the Internet? I mean, if you are going to fight, go to someones barn and beat the hell out of each other. Settle it like freaking real men. If you have to hide behind your computer screen, you aren't political genius, nor are you a hero of any sort. If you firmly stand by your convictions, get up and do something about it. Something that doesn't involve clogging my news feeds with arguments, and other bullshit.
I mean, maybe this is contradictory, and I am stating my opinion about you stating yours. I just have the firm belief that if you aren't going to go out and do something about it, shut up. If you are gonna do the talk, do the walk. All this, if this gets so many shares, or likes, then it will stop something, or help something else, is nonsense. That would be comparable to saying if you don't share this that you'll burn in hell for all eternity. It's a nice thought, cause there are plenty of people that I hope whole heartedly burn in hell, and there is nothing that I won't do to push that along, it's still ludicrous. Get off the computer, stop arguing your opinion against others VIA the almighty Internet, and go help build something, stand a picket line, or go make a statement in some way. Otherwise, know your role, and shut your mouth.

Be Giant.

I am not really a motivational speaker, by any means. But, I just wanted to try my hand at this. So, take it for whatever it's worth.
I have never really had life motto's. I have never really established boundaries, at least verbally for myself. I have always been the kind of guy that will do whatever, and learn from my mistakes. And maybe, that's a good thing. Then again, maybe it isn't. It depends on how you look at things. I think at the end of the day, as long as I actually learn from my mistakes, and don't continue making them, it has all worked out for the best. I kind of like living this way. But, for whatever reason, I have had a burning desire to have something to live by. I need something to trademark, and always say when I am in sticky situations. For the most part, I have stuck to my friends rules. And I think they are great. I will direct you to his blog, as he recently explained all of them. http://bewareofhooks10.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-articles-of-austin-ation.html
But, as for me, I needed something else to live by. In the past couple of weeks, I have been pretty bummed out. Which is pretty apparent, if you have read my poem. But, as things progress, I found myself digging myself into a deeper hole. I was letting my problems, the choices of others, and my attitude toward it all start to kill me. Not, like put a gun to my head, but I could hardly function. And for whatever reason, today I was just done being miserable. I still carry my burden, and the hurt, but I have finally ceased to let it consume me. Which, in essence, brings me to my life motto. Be Giant. I'll admit that this has alot to do with my love for Brian Wilson, Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandoval, and other San Fransisco Giants, That isn't what I intend to portray. When I think of a giant, I think of an 8 foot tall viking, that has a huge beard, and swings an axe that is roughly the size of Shaq. He is dashingly handsome, and is so buff, that it would make even married women quiver. He knows no heartache, and never lets people under his skin. He always has a stiff upper lip, but is also one of the kindest people you will ever meet. When things go bad for him, he chalks it up to learning experience, and moves forward. He doesn't mope, pout, or scream "Woe is me!" When people take advantage of him, or treat him poorly, he doesn't get upset about it, he simply subtracts those people from his life. He is basically everything that I aspire to be. He is a made up role model that doesn't exist. When I think of being giant, I think of being like this guy. Someone who is so entirely bad ass, and someone that everyone likes. But, aside from that, when you decide to Be Giant, it means you are bigger than your problems. You are bigger than the people that hurt you, use you, and otherwise betray you. That's not to imply that you are better than anyone. Cause we are all playing the same field, and are better than no one. What it means is that you aren't going to let people smaller than you, that have vicious intentions, bring you down. Because you are a giant. People that want to bring giants down are usually people who are small. People that wish they could do the things giants do. While everyone has the capacity to be giant, not everyone chooses to do so. The small people in this world are consumed in themselves. They aren't focused on anyone else. And Giants never bring down fellow giants. That's just not in our nature. And the truth of the matter is, small people can only bring you down if you allow them to. It's just the law of physics. You are your only weakness as a giant. And only you can allow yourself to be lowered to where the hounds can chew at you. You are constantly chasing your dreams, as a giant though. And not letting evil people stand between you and where you want to be. You never stoop to peoples level who aren't as giant as you. The sky is never the limit for giants. Cause we can touch the sky. So when you feel like you couldn't get any smaller, remember to Be Giant. Because giants like us, we can't afford to be sad. We can't afford to pout. We can't afford to let things bother us. When we fall from our tower, we dust ourselves off, and make up for lost ground as soon as we can. Laying in the dirt whining about things never cured anything. I think I am more speaking to myself on this matter than anything else. But, I think we could all apply it to our lives. Be Giant.

Poetry, Even Though It's Kinda Gay.

I don't like to think of this piece as poetry. Cause when I think of poets, I think of people that are either whiney little bitches that cut themselves or someone who wears an ascot and lives on Nantucket island and drinks iced tea all day. And I am neither of these things. The fact of the matter is, I wrote this piece as a start to a song that I am working on. And it turned out to be pretty good poetry. So, I will put it on here because of the feedback that I got from my trustees. I hope that you like it, and can relate to it to some degree.

Drown Me

You say you're lost for right now, But we both know I found you.
I tried getting in, but your demons surround you.
They're keeping you "safe" but I wish they would drown you.
Then maybe you'd know what it's like in my shoes.
To push every day, and realize it's no use.

But, at least I've made friends on this deep ocean floor.
They never talk much, but they commiserate more
Than you ever could, like you even knew how.
But we are all drowning, broken hearted for now.

One day I'll swim up to the surface again.
And I'll feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.
But first I must deal with these chains and these weights
That you loaded me up with, and made water my fate.

My lungs are accustomed to the water somehow
Cause I couldn't breathe even with you around.
I'm happier here than I have been in weeks.
Swimming with metal attached to my feet.

I gathered my strength and I swam to the top.
No matter how hard I try, your chains wouldn't drop.
So I decided to live, pulling your weight around.
When I got to the top, I hated what I found.

The sun burned my skin, to the point that it blistered.
As fresh air fills my lungs, I know I didn't miss it.
I look all around, And I realize now,
Knowing life at the top, I think I'd rather drown.

So, take that for what it is. Call me depressed, And I will tell you that you're right. I hope you find joy in my pain. Smooches!

If People Watching Were A Profession, I Would Be A Professional.

If you ruin hats by flipping the brim up, you are one of two things. A) A dumbass. or B) A dumbass. Seriously, whoever thought that it was a good idea to do that, is woefully wrong. It's easily one of the stupidest things I have seen people sport in public. I realize that people are now embroidering words and gang signs on the undersides of hats, but that doesn't make it any more acceptable. People also write things on the inside of a zipper, but that doesn't mean we leave our pants unzipped. You could think of it more as a little treat for you to notice. And maybe whoever takes your pants, and/or hat off. Most days, I have to question if people look in the mirror before they leave the house. I am confident that there is no possible way that they could look at themselves and think, Yeah. This looks good. This is what I am going to wear on my own free will. I am confident that if you did not get dressed in the dark, you would not have worn what you did. I think that this is where I beat the system. Everyone scoffed at me all winter for wearing shorts non stop. Which I don't even care. I am just way more comfortable in shorts than in pants. Sue me. But, on any given day, you could see me, and I will be wearing the same thing. Not, the same clothes. I take care of my personal hygiene issues. But, you wouldn't look at me and think, damn, Jake really didn't bother getting ready today. Because I wear whats comfortable every day. Whether I am feeling lazy, or like a million dollars, I will be wearing a band shirt, shorts, a hat, and the same pair of Nike's I always do. And I do it so often, that I don't even have any other clothes that are uncomfortable. Well, I do have one pair of pants. But, meh. I have worn those once this year. I am not saying everyone should wear what I do, cause I have basically patented it. What I am saying, is that people should honestly think about how they dress before entering a public setting. I think on top of that, people should really reconsider their actions in public as well. I am a professional people watcher. There are times when I will just gladly sit and watch people. Everyone is so weird. Myself included. But, more especially in a long class. I have a history class that is an hour and fifteen minutes. And some of the kookiest shit goes on. The other day, there was a girl that had a huge box of Cheese-its during class. And amid snacking away, she was also lining them up on her desk. I don't know if there were letters on them and she was playing scrabble with herself, all I know is, it was the oddest damn thing I have witnessed in a classroom. Not only that, she was on the very front row. I almost walked up and slapped her upside her head and asked what she was thinking, but I knew the answer. She is weird and wasn't thinking at all. In the same class, I was sitting behind someone who was writing a diary entry during class. Here's the thing, I am all about privacy, but if you do private things in public, it gives me full right to observe. So what did I do? I read over her shoulder, of course. She was writing about someone breaking up and other stuff. She had bad handwriting and was writing in cursive so I just filled in some blanks on my own. Something about a dinosaur stealing Lucy's pizza, and then she chased it to Preston's apartment and found him in bed with the pope. I don't know, this girl must be pretty depraved. I am not the kind of guy that goes in and reads your personal thoughts and feelings if your journal is by your bedside or whatever, but cm'on. You're in class. You aren't fooling anyone. No one takes history notes in a hardback book that says diary. Well, I shouldn't say no one, but, I would say most people. I would not by any means say that I am the measuring stick for normal, and people should mimic my actions if they don't want to be perceived as weird. But, I at least have the decency to have some sort of public manners. You inbreds.

Long Live The King.

I know that to most old people, I am young. But, to most young people, I am old. To me, I am just me. I am only in my twenties, and am hardly old. But, in my own right, I feel older than I ever have. Which, is an idiom in and of itself. I am older now than I was before my nap 10 minutes ago. I think I have just pondered a lot on getting older recently. Partly because the day of my birth was just last week, and partly because I feel like maybe... mentally I am getting older. I wouldn't say that I am a genius now, although that is not too far off. I just feel like in a lot of ways, I am older in my brain. I think there is a very sound difference between getting older physically, and getting older mentally. I guess one would call in maturing. I have no conception that I am far more mature than most people my age, because I will level with you, I can still get down to dirty jokes. And not even just sexual jokes, I'm talking fart jokes, wiener jokes and so on. That stuff is comedy gold when played correctly in the right venue. I have heard so many times that no matter how old men are, They are all twelve years old when corralled together. That is probably one of the truest things I have ever heard. However, I think everyone acts like they are twelve at times. Not just men. In any case, I always hesitate to use the word mature. In my mind, when I think of someone mature, I think of someone who is pretty boring. Someone who works at some fancy law firm, who carries a briefcase to work, and always wears soft off color collared shirts, and some low key patterned tie, who is always clean shaved, and has a real sexy comb over. This guy has a nice BMW and paid for it in cash. The man is never late on his bills, and has outstanding credit. His nice suburban housewife makes five-star meals every night, and they go to the gym together in matching workout suits. His house is really nice, and he has everything he wants. Including HBO subscription, and not just the three free months of it where he records as many movies as he possibly can on his DVR. LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE! This guy sounds like he has a nice life, but on the inside, he is probably dead. He only listens to jazz music, and the most excitement in his life, is a new episode of Bones, or any other chilling murder mystery he and his perfect wife watch together. While I am in no way saying this would be a bad life, I am just saying that this is someone who in my mind is mature. I would venture to say that there are probably 95% of people who will never be like this. I also don't know that anyone would really want to be that way. But at the same time, no one wants to be called immature. When I think of an immature person, I think of someone who lives with their parents at 32, plays consistent Playstation, and hasn't had a job in years. He got his girlfriend pregnant in high school, and lost track of both of them. He has never had to pay bills, and his Ford Fiesta has seen better days. I could go on and on, but I think you get it. The point is, nobody really wants to be called mature, or immature. One implying that you have no fun, the other that you are entirely irresponsible. I think that is the difference in people growing up. While it is very true that we all mature at different rates, I think all of us want to remain young at heart. The difference is, a lot of people remain young in their heads. We all have to be responsible adults at some point in our lives. We are all going to have to stop screwing around and jumping innocent girls/boys ships for a night. We are all gonna have to start working a job that actually pays enough money to cover  house and car payment, insurance, food, and everything else involved. We aren't always going to be able to play Xbox live during the hours of the day we are supposed to be in school. And at the end of the day, who would want to do that anyway? At the same time, we aren't all going to have to give up our love for metal music, we aren't going to have to stop watching fun movies, and going on some kind of risky adventure. I think that there is a medium between the two. And that is where the true "maturity" lies. If you can honestly think that you would never want to settle down, get married, have kids, and start a life, you're a liar. Whether or not that is in 6 months or ten years, is entirely irrelevant. One day, we will all grow up. Some just sooner than others. So, as your birthdays come and go, you may be getting older physically and mentally, but you can always stay young at heart. I'm just glad we celebrate birthdays, and not conception days. Cause that has an entirely different connotation. A really uncomfortable one.

Fears.

I don't think I have actually checked under my bed for things hiding since... Well, ever. I am always afraid of what might be under there. I think it's better to lay in my bed and not move, even my eyeballs, in hopes that they will just forget that I am there. Whereas, if I took the time to check, there is an outside chance that there is something under there waiting to devour my face. I liked the thought as a kid that as long as I was under my blanket, every single part of me, I was safe. I would occasionally have to pull the covers back and gasp for fresh air, but, that was only when I was going to pass out for lack of oxygen, or I could taste my own breath. Now that I am older, I don't really find it necessary to hide under the covers. I just keep inanimate objects that could be used as weapons close to my bed. While I don't think that there are monsters under my bed, I am just afraid of burglars and maybe the devil coming into my room. I have no idea what thieves would steal. Maybe my newly stocked stash of min Cadbury eggs. But, I have little things of value for them to steal. It's just more trouble than it's worth. It's not even when I am laying in bed that's the most terrifying. Cause I wake up when someone even looks at my bedroom door and thinks of opening it. It's more of the walk after I get up to chug some milk back to my room. I think it would be humiliating to die in this instance. I would really not want to die with bed head, and in my underwear. I just imagine dying and getting to the other side, and having to re-tell how you died. So there I am with these war heroes telling stories about how they jumped on grenades, and took bullets for friends and stuff, and my story in that I wasn't paying attention and fell down the stairs like a dumb ass at 4 am in my underwear. I didn't have life alert, and I died of broken hips. At 22. I feel like I would have to sit in the corner with all the kids who committed suicide after being dumped by a high school girlfriend. It would be entirely shameful. I think aside from this fear, I grew up in a family where scaring the hell out of each other was recreational, and fun. I am afraid of the unknown cause my brother could be hiding in some corner with a mask and knife. So, I always peek around corners at night, and make sure to turn they light on and survey the room lit, before I make my run for my room. It's pretty silly, I know. But, I think like the dark, we are all just afraid of the unknown. I am not afraid of the dark. I love the dark, because that means sleep. I am afraid of what might be in the dark. Whether that's my brother, Satan in some scandalous outfit waiting to take me straight way to hell, or some burglar in a trench coat and nothing else. Some people would probably scoff at this. But, it is just a way describe all of us. Its not what you can see that you are afraid of, it's what you can't. There is no way of telling the future, unfortunately. Cause that would make everyone's lives easier, but way more boring. The only thing we can do is address the situation at hand, and make the best decision possible, and deal with whatever outcomes later. There is no time machine that we can go backwards or forwards in. Cause I would probably fix alot of things, and have prepared better for others. I am not normally a motivational speaker of any kind. This blog is designed purely for entertainment purposes. But, I have had alot of this on my mind recently, and it has consumed me. My absolute fear for the future, outweighs my fear of the dark by about a billion pounds. Because I can eventually make it to bed, wake up, and be done with the dark. There is no way to outright face the fear of the future. It's crippling at times. But, If you spend your life worrying about what's next, you'll never be able to enjoy what's here. So, maybe it's time to stop worrying about what happened in the past, and what may happen in the future, and face what's happening now.

The Only Difference Between Romance And Stupid, Is Nothing.

"The only people who call romantic gestures stupid, are people who don't have romance in their lives." -Harrison. While I agree with this point, I don't think that there is enough said about why romantic gestures can be perceived as stupid. Because in all honesty, I think that the line between romantic and stupid is incredibly blurred, and almost non-existent. The difference between the two is that if you do something in the name of romance, all is well and entirely excusable. However, if you do something out of sheer ignorance or stupidity, you are in fact, a stupid person. What I don't understand is, why the difference? In a overview look at this, lets take some examples into perspective. There is a man who really likes a restaurant that is 2 hours away. So, one evening he decides to go alone to this restaurant, spend his time, and money just to go to eat. While you may not classify this as an act of stupidity, you may think that is is somewhat ludicrous of him to do. 2 hours for food? Really? But, if he takes a love interest that he has to this restaurant he favors so well, it is no longer an act of stupidity, but an act of romance. What a nice guy, eh? Same act, different reaction. This other guy gets his paycheck and spends the entirety of it on an Xbox, giant TV, and video games. I personally don't think that this is stupid, but someone might think that is a rash decision of him. He spent all of his paycheck on something stupid, and all in one day. This same guy gets his next paycheck, and spends it on taking a love interest to dinner, buys her flowers, chocolates, takes her shopping, and ends up altogether penniless. What a chivalrous young man. (and a poor money manager) The fact of the matter is, regardless of if a woman is involved or not, stupidity is stupidity. If you make rash decisions either for a woman or yourself, you aren't getting out of it scotch free. You've still made a stupid decision. And I will admit it, we all do dumb things out of pure interest in another. Myself absolutely included. I understand the payback of doing something for someone else, as opposed to doing something for yourself. However, I am also aware that I often do things that are either rash, stupid, made on a whim, or often times obsessive. The difference between you and I is, I actually accept the fact that I am embracing stupidity when I do these things. I don't consider myself a stupid person for doing these things, or other people that do things out of romance stupid. I am just saying we all do alot of stupid things in the name of romance, and title it romance instead of stupid. Only stupid people are stupid. Which happens to be alot of people. I feel like I have overused the word Romance and Stupid far too much in this blog. You romantic stupids.