« February 2006 | Main | June 2006 »

March 26, 2006

Is it worth it?

How many relationships end up "happily ever after" or even on amicable terms? From my experience, it takes many attempts before something eventually works out.

Recently I've seen a few relationships go sour. The pain these folks are now in seems almost unbearable. Depression and feelings of little self-worth exude themselves while in their presence.

If so few relationships work out, why do people continually seek them out? The risk factor going into them seems so high, the potential for success so low.

In recovery, I've often seen newcomers (people young in their recovery journey) latch onto prospective partners. If even a nibble is bitten off the line, they reel 'em in and hold on for all life's worth. It seems a little unfortunate on a few levels.

One, often times people who suffer from addiction will replace their drugs with a relationship. They become so immersed in it that they cannot see their lives without the other person. It's the same co-dependent relationship they had with their drugs.

Secondly, most folks in early recovery who begin a relationship, relapse. It's a statistic I've seen occur over and over again. Nobody thinks it will happen to them. They think they're different. They might admit that there's a "small chance it doesn't work out" but I'd be fine if that happened because I'm sober now. The troubling thing is that most of these relationships don't work out, and a relapse is never far behind.

Too often, too, a relationship in early recovery will go sour and while they may not officially break up, they may relapse together, at which point the drugs or alcohol become their number one friend and the partner becomes a means to an end.

Even after one has achieved some length of sobriety, seemingly has their live in order, their spiritual path heavily trodden on, and all seems well, relationships can cause great havoc in one's life.

The only method I've seen people survive with relationships is to first love themselves, and then their partners. Aside from all of that other jazz - maintaining a healthy level of spirituality, making good decisions, doing esteemable things, and being of service whenever possible.

Relationships frighten me. I haven't been seriously involved with anyone in a long time. I'm scared for the wreck that may be awaiting, and I'm fearful of becoming vulnerable.

However, it seems to me that the people who succeed in relationships tend to reap the rewards of putting their hearts on the line earlier. Is it worth it to try?

Posted by SparklesMpls at 11:37 AM | Comments (45) | TrackBack

March 14, 2006

Advertising 2.0

Our world is filled with ads. They're everywhere you are. It's nearly impossible to browse the 'net these days without seeing advertisements littering your favorite sites. Magazines are published solely for the purpose of selling ad space (one must wonder about the merit of the editorial content). But with the advent of technologies like TiVo, where one can skip the commercials, and pop-up blockers so you don't even have to view the ads; not to mention government regulations like CAN-SPAM and do-not-call lists, advertisers increasingly have to find new and innovative ways to reach their audience.

Like competition or evolution theory, these forces drive the product to new heights. And I don't mind it one bit.

Download the viral video of the cleaning hunk in windows media or quicktime formats.

Don't forget to visit the site, too - at least do them the favor of counting you as an impression.

Posted by SparklesMpls at 07:43 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

March 08, 2006

The girl who cheered too much

After The Today Show aired a clip of this girl, Jim told me about it.

How amazing, and strange, that she would continue to cheer after she had fractured her spine, sufferred a concusion and bruised her lung! She was back on the show this morning and Katie asked her what she was thinking. She replied with, "When I heard that fight song, I knew that I had to get the crowd riled up, and I didn't want to cause a distraction to the other cheerleaders or the game."

Honey, you were on a stretcher in the middle of the court, with 20 paramedics surrounding you. I don't think you could avoid causing a distraction at that point.

The video can be found on MSN, and photos are below.

But on a more serious note, how genuine do you think the average cheerleader is? They smile all the time, but they're taught to. Does the action of smiling produce genuine feelings of happiness? Or do they begin happy, and convey that with their smile?

Posted by SparklesMpls at 09:03 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack