I'm not sure if...

it's because I caught up with one of many friends I haven't kept up with over lunch, or because I finally got a chance to do some tech work instead of sit in meetings at work, or because I got to witness one of my friends proposing to another friend over the weekend, or because I cleaned my house on Easter, or because I stared at the ring on my finger and remembered why I wore it, or because I watched as my cat fell asleep and dreamed instead of working last night, or because I randomly heard from a friend who I haven't talked to in years on IM today, or because I decided to put the top down on my car halfway through my drive home today, or because I started to actually remember what it was like to really be passionate about work again, or because of a million other mini-moments in the last few days...

but things seemed different today. The world revealed itself in a new way, that left me wanting more - not worrying about the little nuances life provided, but instead appreciating the little experiences that came up day to day. Doing whatever I can for the people I love, and enjoying every minute of it. Just being grateful and happy about the moments I have :)

I'm not sure why.

Science!

Hahaha - just beautiful :)

On human nature

I challenge you to look at this video and not smile :)
Very cool idea, and certainly leaves me more optimistic about human nature :)

I am without words

I simply can't describe how sad this makes me.

Taking it for granted

Taking a five minute break between a million meetings, writing documents, looking at technology and writing code, I stumbled through the stacks of articles on cnn, falling onto this one about parenting. As grim and specific as the tone is, it's an interesting reminder about how easy it is to follow the status quo, all the while not realizing the great things you come across in life. It's not always something as specific as a marriage or a friendship, I think. Those are just the easiest to see. An excerpt:

But it's too little, too fleeting. We spend so much of our lives passing each other on the way somewhere. ... What's gone is the pure selfishness that brought us together. Something that belonged only to us, that was unique to us and part of us, has gotten lost.

But isn't this what happens in life -- that what I remember was a time, not a thing, and we can no more recapture those versions of ourselves than we can travel to ancient Rome? That a normal part of becoming an adult, of raising a family together, is leaving behind treasured swaths of the love affair that got us here -- the mindless lust, the inside jokes, the laughter? Perhaps. But even so, selfish though it may be, I miss my wife.

Maybe it's the optimist in me that pokes his head out at just the right time, but I think he's wrong. It's not just the normal course of life and being an adult, appreciating the people / beauty around you that brings you joy (in this case his wife). I just think as more and more things come up that try and distract us, it forces us to work harder to focus on those things that bring you happiness. Difficult is not the same as inevitable.

Gorgeous

Having a crazy busy or stressful day? Take a minute and thirty four seconds and check out this video - very cool.

To directly contradict my last post

As I often do sadly, but I found myself at a nice wine bar last night, chatting with the bartender (who recently moved to Dallas for the mountain biking - go figure), talking about how much he enjoys it there, finding myself wanting to fill out an application to work part time in the evenings there. How interesting it would be to learn about wines, and be able to people watch all the kinds of people coming through day to day. The friends coming for a relaxing glass of wine, the people on a first date, the lone person who just needed a drink. I imagine it would be fascinating everyday.

But of course, even considering signing up for yet another responsibility when I'm already struggling to take care of the responsibilities I have now would be preposterous. That certainly doesn't keep me from thinking about it, though. Hmm...

Well, one thing's for sure:

No matter how hard you try, you can't do it all. So what's the best way to decide how to spend your time? Looking at the next couple years and all the things I want to do, I wish I knew how to pick out what bubbles to the top.

Family is absolutely priceless

... in its hilarity. No matter how much time passes, there's this familiarity of ridiculousness that pervades. I say this because after an insane day of work, I'm aimlessly wandering a giant Indian food store, while my sister (who drove in from Austin, got lost and called me 6 times while I was at work) takes pictures of spices, my mother and father (who drove in from Houston last night and spent the day solving problems around my house), the former of which is reading a paper aloud, the latter of which is buying a stack of crackers he used to eat as a child. It reminds me of how comfortable people can be when around family. Now, that's not always a good thing, because often we get a touch too comfortable and can get upset with each other quickly. The phrase "we only hurt th.. Oops, I've been spotted - now they're curios why I'm poking away at a little computer. Gtg!

Yes!

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