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When I was in university, I earned the nickname Smiley. I tended to smile a lot -- most of the time, in fact -- because I was pleased with the state of my life and what was going on in it. I'd been accepted to University of Toronto, after all, and to one of the most difficult programs. I was discovering people who shared my interests, and I was ( Read more... )

( Would you spend $20 on this lamp? )

I was in a fairly serious blue funk for a while. I was certain that a large contributor was the clutterheap that was my apartment; when I first moved in here, we had 2 hours to get all my belongings from the truck to a pile in my floor, and then I stashed it away as quickly as I could so I could get on with my life. But that was 4½ years ago, I ( Read more... )

There is a difference between accepting yourself for who you are, and dwelling on your failures and flaws ( Read more... )

My friend and commiserator in manners of being single males sent me this link on the "ladder theory" of relationships between men and women. On the whole, I find it chauvanistic and bitter, despite the author's responses to such criticisms. But there are a few things that I can't disagree with, particularly given recent events and soul-searching ( Read more... )

Seven hours on the road in one day gives you a lot of time alone with your thoughts.

( “You’re too nice!” )

Every day has its ups and downs. It's easy for us to remember the person who was rude to us, the elevator we just missed, the stone in our shoe that bugged us all day, the person behind you in the theatre who just wouldn't shut up... Good things happen to us too, if we only stop focusing on the negative long enough to notice ( Read more... )

A former co-worker sent me a link to an article about how to lose your fear of being fired. It's a good article, and it has some good points. It didn't affect me as much as I'm sure it would affect most people, since I'm not particularly afraid of being fired from my current job, but it's still a good read ( Read more... )