A real eye opener-- no pun intended

Today's topic: Personal injuries and the bigger picture

For those out there reading SS this week who don't already know, I was struck with a nasty body injury this week. I want to put you in the drivers seat here and give you the black and white of what actually happened and what went through my mind when it did happen. I play in a fairly competitive baseball league with some of my best friends and we are in our playoffs right now. I was playing third base with two outs in the top of the ninth. I need you to keep in mind that the field we play on has relatively good up-keep but has a deep history of producing some nasty injuries throughout the years. The ball that hit me in the face came off a bat on a play that I would make 90% of the time. After taking an ugly bounce, the ball took a bounce over my glove, and hit me where, what felt like, directly on my eye. For those of you who have had a sports injury, you know that you don't have time to react because many sports involve some sort of high velocity object coming towards your body at some point during the game. And when something goes wrong, you have no control over what happens next. My initial reaction was to try and open my eye (which I couldn't) and I instantly thought the worst in thinking, "I just lost eyesight in my left eye." It's pretty serious stuff people. I know as humans, our initial reaction is concern. Our next initial reaction for most is to gawk at the injury or maybe to smile, giggle or make a smart ass comment...of course, one you know the person is alright. I was bartending this weekend so trust me when I say there isn't an eye joke I haven't heard or a smart ass comment that I haven't received. I'm a good sport about it because that's the kind of person I am. The other thing I realize is that people CAN joke about it because I can still function and even though I have a nasty shiner and 12 stitches above my eyebrow, my injury isn't life threatening and by this time next week, my body will hopefully be back to normal; whatever normal means.

However, there is a much deeper lesson learned from a personal injury like the one I'm currently experiencing. I woke up the next morning and my eye was swollen shut from the impact of the previous night. As my day progressed, I realized how much we take our five senses for granted. You wake up every morning after a night of sleep and expect that both of your eyes will open. Now think about waking up and not being able to open up one eye. Now think about not being able to open up two eyes. Now consider the possibility that you go to sleep one night and you wake up the next morning only to find out that you're blind. Or deaf. Or you can't smell. Or your arms and legs don't work. Yes, it's terrifying. Now consider what you wouldn't be able to do or how much your world closes on you.

Some are blessed and never lose their senses until they are already dead. They wake up and go to bed without the worry about how they are going to function the next day or how they are going to get through their daily routine. They are the lucky ones. Others who aren't so fortunate battle with a routine that limits their possibilities and what they can accomplish. Some never see the glorious natural wonders of the world, the sight of love, fear or happiness. Others never get the chance to smell the roses or be a part of a team that requires body movements. To me, that is a life tragedy and there is nothing funny about a person in a wheelchair, a walking stick or hearing aids. I went on a hike last week with my girlfriend and was in awe of all the magnificent larger than life trees, natural rock caves and enormous limestone structures. At the end of the hike, I thought to myself how lucky I was to soak in the natural world with all my senses. This week, I almost lost some of my eyesight. Yes people, that's how fast life changes.

Now without trying to sound too much like I'm preaching, just remember that life does have curve balls (I'm sorry I couldn't resist a baseball reference). But we choose to take on challenges without hesitation that is usually dependent on our comfort level. However, remember that most are fortunate enough to have that choice and that in itself is something that you must never take for granted. Even though we all lead different lives, there is at least one person somewhere that wishes they were you, young or old. You don't always know it and you might not even ever hear it. But we have all at one point said to ourselves, " I wonder what it's like to be....." or "I wish I could be...." Be blessed that you're happy, healthy and hopefully, still have all your senses because without one of those things, your daily routine wouldn't be pulled off with such ease and grace. Take it from a guy who was recently blind in one of his eyes; life becomes way more difficult. You don't realize what "sucks" until you have an eye opener experience.

Buying to be beautiful, buying to fit in

Today's Topic: Product Consumption

I was watching some T.V. today (which next to reading Sunday Sitdowns is the most relaxing thing to do on a Sunday) and for the first time in awhile, I actually really started to analyze the advertisements on the big screen. I remember in my first year of University, I had this Mass Communications course where my professor used to harp on us saying, "Because you're in the media now, you have to analyze everything. Trust no one and question everything." To me, that meant analyzing head to toe every advertisement, every billboard, every magazine, every paper and every commercial; and finding new things to analyze again and again every time you looked at them. The goal of the advertisement is simple. Garner your attention for a few seconds, sell an idea, sell a product, make money, make more powerful advertisements, create an empire. That is really the black and white of every company. It's power. It's how Pepsi, Old Spice, L'óreal, Viagra, and yes, even Gillette razor blades made their mark on we the people. Taking hair off your body with razor blades...is it just me, or does something about that just sound wrong?

First off, I don't want to sound like a broken record talking about consumerism. So this is not what this post is entirely about. I will do my best to provide some insight and perhaps spark a discussion you haven't explored before. The idea behind this post is not to necessarily complain about the world we live in but to look at the pattern we follow and the path we take to a wished upon "better" lifestyle.

Okay, so we are all guilty of consuming. For example, I buy the beer that has the best commercials. If you can make me laugh in 30 seconds or make me say "Man, that is so true." Congratulations, you just made a sale. However, I find it interesting just what products are geared towards which audience.

For the females, its a constant barrage of makeup commercials on television. How to be more beautiful, how to decrease wrinkles, how to cover up your grey hair, how to have shiny hair and how to have longer eyelashes. Oh yes, a commercial tries to convince their audience that every single one of their prospective female buyers is ugly. I think that most women just don't pay attention at first. But watch the same commercial long enough, and tell me, do you actually start to believe it? And not even watch it, but end with a catch line that grabs your full attention like, "because you're worth it." So now its justified? Clever, clever, clever.

For the males, it's always the about the bod. The bow flex, the Viagra, the Gatorade, the Old Spice and the muscle enhancers. Make the ladies gawk at your six pack and go-all-night attitude. Drink the fluids to replace all that energy you spent. Smell great. Feel strong. Are men that in doubt of themselves? Do we really need to be reassured that we are still men and king of the domain? Are we really? Abs are sexy? Smelling like "ocean reef" is sexy? Says who?

Now only being 23, I have a very difficult time understanding just AT WHAT POINT in our existence did people start believing we need ALL OF THIS CRAP? And by crap I mean the pills, the makeup, the body wash INSTEAD of the soap bar, the salad instead of the fries, the longer eyelashes. It's a madhouse. I just envision all of these people in a carnival fun house yelling at the top of their lungs why you need these products and giving you a sales pitch. Does it matter if we are overweight? What if advertisements started saying "People, you are too thin, eat more. Don't exercise. Who cares what you smell like." Would we listen? Would we give in? And perhaps most interesting...would we believe them?

It sickens me that there is no escape unless I jump on a plane and travel to a dessert. Is that why nature is so peaceful, because animals don't judge you? It that why everyone loves the summer and the cottage? The water, the boats, the fish...they don't judge you? It has to be the answer.

I remember that same professor in first year university telling us that we didn't need soap and shampoo. At first everyone was like, "Mark, are you serious? Then everyone would have serious B.O. and that would not be cool! We need soap to smell good." To which he replied: "What if you grew up in a society that never bathed? What if when you turned on the TV or walked out your door, you didn't even know what soap was? What is EVERYONE just had a natural smell? Would you still think, that person has B.O.? Would you know the difference between what soap and body odour smelt like if you never even knew what soap was?" And he was totally right. That's genius. And then it's like, I can't stop buying it though, because I don't want to be that smelly guy. And no one does. Not ever. And that sucks that I can't be a smelly guy because I would save SO MUCH MONEY. And it would be one less thing to worry about. More money in my pocket. The same goes for makeup! Ladies, imagine if you didn't have to buy it or wear it to make yourself feel beautiful. Imagine growing up in a place that didn't have any of that.

That's why I think we, as a western society, have it completely backwards. We are drones to these people that tell us to buy the soap and the makeup and the hair dye and the razor blades (so ridiculously expensive!) and the ETC, ETC, ETC. I think as horrible as the living conditions are in third world countries, they still live in happiness without the consuming fear that we all have. We consume to feel comfortable. They consume to live.

I know this post or this blog isn't going to change the world. I know that. I just want to put into perspective the life that we lead and if WE as a species on this earth made the right decisions by telling people they needed all this crap to survive and feel good. Consuming is not a disease, it's a habit. An idea that we bought into. An idea to feel like we are the best. Honestly, how far ahead did we get? Are we just that in love with ourselves?

Many of these questions are rhetorical because I don't know if there is a right answer. But some of them are a matter of opinion. Do we consume the wrong things to feel good? I just wonder if this whole idea of buying into the product game is considered the right thing for all of us.

That's all for this week folks. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go take shower. I don't want to smell tomorrow. Thank goodness for that new "dove for men."

The best and the brightest

Today's Topic: Intelligence

I read an article last week in the Toronto Star that blew my mind (no pun intended). It had a profile on the top student at every different district in the Toronto High School Board and their average. The lowest, TOP student in all the district's was a student who achieved a 97% overall average in eight subjects. For what it's worth and if you don't believe me you can read a profile on of the students here who had a 100% overall average:
http://www.thestar.com/article/834981--ace-earns-perfect-report-card-how-did-she-do-it

Imagine. A 100% overall average. Now to achieve this is incredible. The article I read answered all your questions that you have brewing on on your mind. How did they do it? Do they have anything else in their life? How many hours of homework did they do a night? To me, the answers were surprising.

They all had very different answers on why and how they did it. Some did it for their own motivation, some did it because their parents gave them absolute freedom, and one girl did it because they wanted to prove their brother wrong. To make sense of it, they all had extracurricular activities outside of school. Some volunteered, some had a good time with friends on the weekend, some were on school reach and some were in gifted programs to FURTHER challenge themselves. I thought it was interesting however that none of them played sports or at least they never mentioned sports as their favorite past time. Maybe that's why I only graduated grade 12 with an overall average of 83%. I guess once you play sports, your average sinks a bit because you simply just don't have the energy or enough hours in a day. I also thought it was interesting that one boy's least favorite subject was french because that was his "lowest" average from his eight courses...a 96%. Smart ass.

And trust me people, these kids were not working around the clock or killing themselves to get these grades. Three to four hours a night was all it took. Some also worked a lot on weekends hitting the books. And they did it because they just loved knowledge. School is their addiction. That's what it comes down to.

I think it's safe to say that not only was I baffled by these grades but was puzzled at the same time. Okay, I understand how you could get a 100% in say math or chemistry because there is a right and wrong answer and your graded on the knowledge of a right or wrong equation. But I struggled with how they could get a perfect score in English simple because of essays, big projects and interpretation of literature. Those must have been some damn fine essays. Either that or all of their English teachers didn't want to be that teacher that held their average down by only giving them a 90%.

I just think it's amazing how someone can dedicate themselves to such work. One teacher said it best to me when she told our class at the start of the semester that "You all start out with 100% in this class. And what you choose to do with that 100% is up to you." Good point Ms. Irvine.

So like all my other blog topics, how does society fit into this topic? Well, society awards gifted people in general. If you're smart, every wants to help you and everyone wants to recruit you. And I bet a lot of workplaces are pressured to hire students like this. The first things that these kids will get is money. Society likes to award money to the smartest. Doctors, engineers, chemists, NASA employees...they all make a handsome salary. And post secondary institutions are on the smart money boat as well, paying ridiculous amounts of cash for the best and the brightest. Family even makes a case. Good grades could mean a good allowance; a bribe if you will. Bribe your kids to be smart...is that good parenting? Who does it help more?


I wonder for these kids at what point pressure sets in. When I was growing up and trying to get good grades, I felt there was always a certain point where the pressure was on to perform. There was a time and a place for everything smart and I took care of business when I had to. But I was no where near perfect. For me, being perfect was being happy with myself. Whenever I got into an argument with my parents over my grades, I just told them that I put effort into the stuff that interested me and my grades reflected that. I hated Math, so that's why I got a 65. I loved writing so that's why my English mark was an 88.

Personal satisfaction is the key to intelligence. Don't you think it's amazing that people are so similar yet everyone has their own interest at what makes their clock tick. And I think that two people never put the exact same effort into the exact same work at the exact same time everyday for their whole life.

And for the People out their still reading, throw away every stereotype of what you consider to be a smart person because these kids all had a different colour of skin, a different ethnicity and they were male and female. What does a perfect or near perfect average student look like to you? Did you sit beside one of the bus or subway and not be any the wiser? All valid questions that everyone has their own opinion on. Here's mine: it doesn't matter what they look like.

Our North American society has set up a grading system. We are all judging each other and let's face it, it feels great being perfect at something in life. And it doesn't even have to be school. Making a perfect piece of toast, the perfect park job, the perfect kiss, picking out the perfect piece of clothing...we have all felt it. But how many wish they could be "perfect" all the time?

Society calls intelligence various things. Smart, super smart, A genius, a wiz kid, a smarty pants, gifted, incredibly gifted...I could go on and on. To all those students in the Toronto Star article that inspired this week's Sunday Sitdown, your dedication to school is nothing short of exceptional. My hat goes off to all of them, but that doesn't mean I'm not still perplexed and how they did it.

Just remember, I think it's very important to keep one thing in mind and I want everyone to really think about this one this week: All intelligence is based on matter of opinion.

Blackout

Today's Topic: A "What If?" Scenario

I was sitting at home the other night, completely annoyed that the power had gone out. Apparently, I wasn't the only one calling Hydro One. The lady on the other end noted that 4700 other homes in the area were out. When I was sitting at home, in the dark, with no appliances buzzing, no radio going or not a even a dead cell phone to charge, it occurred to me that our society has no safety net whatsoever and cannot survive in the modern day world that we have built without electricity. On the contrary, it's something that we can't live without.

So the question comes up, are all of these third world countries further ahead? By not relying on electricity, some would say yes. But, electricity creates the hot water we crave so much. And that hot water also insures that we don't get diseases like malaria. I'm really on the fence with this one. I hate that I have to rely on hydro and have no other option and what a wonderful monopoly Hydro One has set up. I also love that Hydro has a debt retirement charge...a 12 dollar a month charge for mismanagement in the company many years before I started paying my own hydro bill.

With Hollywood always seeming to produce "end of the world" movies, I thought I would take a stab at a "What If?" scenario today, detailing our days following a massive electrical threat. South Park took a stab at this one with their season 12 episode "Over Logging" where they detailed a scenario involving a worldwide shutdown without Internet. It was brilliant.

Imagine if you will a permanent black out. No more light switch. No more fridge, no stove, no heater, etc etc etc. And it would happen on the hottest day of the year. So forget about your air conditioning. Well, break out that canned food at the back of your pantry! But wait, do you have an electric can opener or manual? I'm okay, I have a manual. But hurry and get to the grocery store or Wal Mart because they will be SOLD OUT. While you're at the grocery store, you better stock up and make sure to bring cash because remember; debit and credit are powered by the good folks at hydro one. Next on the to do list is filling up with gas. Expect a long line because that is going to be the next thing on short supply.

Okay, so I'm giving it about three weeks before massive chaos ensues. The generators that you were running only go for so long on the same take of diesel fuel. And its going to be tough to extract any for awhile. Food instantly becomes a massive demand. Tomatoes cost $12. Lettuce costs $15. Grapes are $7. Peaches are $14. Cookies....now those will be at least $25 for a long time. Yes I'm guessing a bit, but would it really be that unrealistic?

I think you have to ask yourself though if this ever happened, would you survive? Are you trapped in a lifestyle where you rely on one device all the time. People make their cell phone their life. Take that away, and most are back in the stone age. Take away your routine and you will realize how much we act like robots. Light on, light off. Click remote on, click remote off. Don't forget that this electrical power, this strong grasp... it controls what you are reading right now, this screen that you're looking at, it controls you. It's an almighty power that is making your hands and eyes sore.

Yes, thousands would die. Life would be in ruins. But as long as the light switch still flicks on, all will be calm. So please, the next time you hear about an alternate way to power up the television, at least perk your ears up and dig your head out of the sand. Without trying to sound too much like we need to "save the world", remember that this electrical power is a gift. Your cozy life that you have wouldn't be able to go without it.

Turn it up a little louder

Today's Topic: Your Mind and Music

There's just something that turns your mind on when you hear your favourite song or the latest trending hit on the radio, your ipod, a dance club or what I consider the best: a live concert.

This was my concert weekend of the summer: Lynyrd Skynyrd on Friday night, Three Doors Down on Saturday night and finally, The Goo Goo Dolls tonight. I like to think I cross the music genres much the same as I cross the movie genres. I will listen to anything that has a good beat, great instruments or just simple lyrics. Rock, Alternative, Contemporary, Country, Rap, R & B, Jazz, Indie, Oldies, or even Classical, Yup, I pretty much listen to them all. If I put my ipod on shuffle, I could being jamming along to Jay-Z or Frank Sinatra.

The Lynyrd concert absolutely blew me away. They were incredibly spectacular. I can honestly say that Simple Man has to be one of the best songs ever recorded. And when I heard it live, it gave me goosebumps.

I know most have experienced that feeling....when you're at a concert, you nod your head, you tap your foot, you sway or maybe just clap your hands. The music gets inside you and it takes control of your body. Every movement, every beat of every second. You can't resist it or deny it. To me, it's that rockstar inside of all of us. To not be judged, to sing it loud, to rock out on the air guitar...if you love music, there really is no greater feeling. Over the years, I have witnessed a lot of great musicians do their thing. Mind you, their job. They have the responsibility of contributing to society with the gift of music. The one common denominator that connects the world. And it been proven time and again. Live 8, Young Artists for Haiti, The Hurricane Katrina Benefit and so many others before them.

Bob Marley once believed that music could actually cure all human suffering and hatred amongst us. He was so strong in this theory that he died leaving only a legacy of people who at some point, tried to connect with what he was trying to say. One love, one heart. We all come from the same blood. I think Mr. Marley was really onto something.

I was having a really hectic time about two weeks ago. With so much on my plate and the temperature outside exceeding 35 degrees plus humidity, I needed to de-stress. I took about a 45 min rad trip because I had to pick up a package for work. And in my air conditioned vehicle, I flipped through the Sirius Satellite radio channels to find something that would help me find that comfort zone. And all at once coming through the speakers, there was one of Beethoven's symphonies. It was one of those times when I was so hot and frustrated that I didn't even want to sing along or nod my head. Now I have never been a big listener of Beethoven but I listened to his second symphony for almost 45 mins. And then is struck me, how brilliant the strings were. For a man to compose such mind numbing music, such rare beauty. And he was deaf. He didn't hear the music he shared with the world. He just wrote it. He lacked what we believe to be the single most important part of creating music. And somehow, it made sense to him. Somehow without even listening to a single sound, he was able to create masterpieces and open the door to revolutionize the sounds of music into what we label today as an industry.

Yes, the mind just sometimes knows too much. Think of every song you have listened to in your life, and what that means to you. Every lyric, every beat, every single detail of a song. Music has the ability to lift us up, release the anger, the hate, the love and any other human emotion that you attach or connect to with sound. And it's something that almost everyone has the ability to enjoy at some point in their life.

Whether you create it, listen to it, sing it, shout it and just enjoy it, know that music changes with the times. There will always be a newer song and you'll never outgrow those songs that make you who you are. After all, the art of music allows us to express ourselves and someone, musicians speak to us through their words. They put it perfect harmony what we all feel. And at some point, even Kanye West, Jay-Z, Ke$ha, Kenny Chesney or Tim McGraw will be found on the "classics" channel. I just hope you can realize that music ages with you. It simply is, what it is.

You got a friend in me

Today's Topic: Toys and Imagination

I went and saw the third installment of Toy Story today and I would have to say it has been the best one so far. When Pixar first created the original Toy Story back in the late 1990's, audiences worldwide flocked to see the film, and it became an overwhelming success. Woody, Buzz, Slink, Mr. Potato Head and the rest of the toys were brought to life by the genius work of creative artists who haven't forgot what it's like to be a kid.

These movies would have to be my favourite animation works ever made. I realized that like many of the Pixar movies, these instant classics aren't just for kids. The movie has such magic to it because every single person in that audience can relate to a story about toys. Growing up, I would spend hours upon hours building the most random Lego creations, only to smash them all in a matter of minutes after the Lego townspeople were invaded by evil Lego Pirates or worse; including space aliens or Jurassic Park Dinosaurs (yes, I mixed toy genres.)

But it was all part of the imagination process. And somewhere along the line, most of us all grow up and grow out of our toys and our imagination shrinks into a tiny strand of our daily lives. I wish it was still okay to play with all of my old Ninja Turtles, their van, the blimp and my all time favourite, the turtle-copter. But just like in Toy Story, like the main character Andy, I grew up and went to college and left all my toys in the box downstairs, only to forgot about them and let my imagination shrink.

My girlfriend works at a daycare, so for her, some of the scenes in the movie were priceless (especially when you see day care kids throwing their toys and slobbering over every piece of plastic they find.) It's funny because it's real life. And a part of me is jealous that every day, she gets to watch kids create a world where they control the destiny of so many toys. She gets to step back in the moment, and remember what it's like to be a kid, playing with all of your friends and making a world of toys the only world you understand.

And as I grew older, my imagination and love for toys faded. There would be the odd time where I would look back on childhood memories, and take out my old toys when no one was watching or judging me. And we were all the same, making sure no one heard us playing and making up voices for inanimate figurines and making our carpet in our rooms a jungle or a bed of hot lava. Toys become an escape from the busy routine we set ourselves up for.

Near the end of the movie, a moment happens when Andy reminds us all of the purpose his toys served in his life. And he passes on the magic of the toys for yesterday and steps into a new chapter of his life. Just like in the movie, we all have a moment when we decide where our toys head to, and only hope that some child or group of imagination wild children share in the magic of exploring worlds unknown.

It would be next to impossible to explore the realm of imagination because the mind is an incredible thing. What soothes it, what satisfies it, what makes it real or fake and how we find our comfort. But your imagination is something you should never lose. We are reminded of it through our children of the world, through our dreams, our toys and of course, our beloved people at Pixar who never forget what it's like to be a kid.

Maybe it's just me, but I think at some point we all wonder what it would be like if our toys could speak. And that itself is part of the imagination process. What would they say? What would they want? But for now, the toys get put away, the lights turn off, the lid of the toy box closes or the door is shut. And maybe, just maybe, one of these times I will be able to turn on the light fast enough, open the lid in a split second, or open the door just in time to watch my favourite toys come to life. Even if it's only for a second.

Does money make you happy? Or stressed?

Today's Topic: Money

When it comes right down to it, all it is, is coloured paper.

But it is the absolute common denominator in life. And if you haven't realized that yet, wake up.

Those who have an abundance of it spend it and those who don't have enough of it spend it anyway. Society makes it seem that all life's ambitions and dreams take money. And you never stop spending it, saving it, borrowing it, lending it or losing it. See, that's the great thing about money. It comes into your life everyday. And you don't have to spend it to have some sort of interaction with it. You could drive by advertisement with a message to spend money. You could hear a conversation where that one buddy that you have it always asking to borrow "like 2 bucks" or "20 bucks" (And that has actually been proven that those are the two most common amounts of money people ask for when they want to borrow it from someone they know)

Everything takes money. To create this effect, let's do a simulation. I am going to go through a list of a very average day and in brackets, the money you would spend (or did spend in previous days) to get through your day. When I start the simulation, I find it rather ironic that you spend money on an alarm clock because if you don't spend money on an alarm clock, you might not wake up on time, THUS, losing your job that makes you money. Anyway here it is. My typical day:

I wake up in the morning (alarm goes off: $50.00 for an i-pod dock) and I get up to brush my teeth (toothpaste and toothbrush: $6.00) When I went to purchase my latest toothbrush, I went for the manual because the automatic toothbrush was out of my price range. And I realized that I'm not too lazy to move my arm in a horizontal motion. I wash my mouth out with the cool minty Listerine (mouthwash: $5.99) and next up is my wardrobe. Because I work construction, it doesn't have to be super high matinence at work (socks, boxers: $15.00, t-shirt and jeans: approx $60.00) Luckily, it's the summer time so I don't have to spend that extra money on the sweater. So I have now been up for ten minutes and I have already spent $136.99. Yes, you read that right. I'm not a big breakfast guy (unless it's the weekend) so it's usually a banana and granola bar (fruit and bar: $3.00) I grab my keys to my vehicle (truck's approx resale value: $10,000) put on my boots ($89.99) and I'm out the door. Luckily, I don't need gas today (company provides: no charge) so I show up to work with my hardhat and gloves (company provides: no charge)

...At this point I could bore you with logistics (but I won't) because technically I didn't buy the machinery that I operate...meaning I am not spending my money.

Time for lunch! A good ole sandwich (bread, lettuce, cheese, meat: averages around $10 to eat. All those ingredients usually makes me a week's worth so $2.00 a day) followed by a drink ($2.00) and other snacks ($5.00). My lunch keeps cool in a nice blue cooler ($15.00) and a variety of containers ($8.00).

So then I come home, make a meat-vegetable-potato meal ($15.00) with my pots and pans ($40.00) and use my brand new cutlery ($60.00) with a glass of milk (glass and milk: $4.00) and watch some TV (bell satellite TV: $85.00) but I get to watch the movie network and realize that the extra $21 a month on my bill is so worth it because I have never actually seen The Hangover until now. And it looks even better on a 42 inch plasma ($800.00).

From here on out, it hard to figure in the cost of a bed with bed sheets, pillows, etc etc. Or if I fall asleep on my couch I purchased a while back. For very simple math, let's just say $1000 was spent in order to sleep.

And now I brush my teeth again and take a rinse of mouthwash ($11.99) and it's lights out.

Many of you may not have read that all, but to total up your days spending in order to get you THROUGH the very plain and modest and most average of days, I hope you are sitting down because to do all this, I just spent $2275.97. I didn't include the price of the truck. And yes I realize you don't spend $1000 a day to sleep or $800 a night to watch t.v. BUT, I did at some point and that means I spent that money at some point to have some sort of comfort level.

But over $2000 a day. Just to live up to a standard lifestyle. And I realize everyone's situation is different because you may not have to buy all of your food or you might commute instead of drive but you you become so routine to life that you forget that it costs a lot of money just to brush your teeth. Or shave. And how deluxe do you take your shower? How much do you spend on soap or shampoo in a day? A week? A year? A lifetime? Wouldn't it be amazing to see your life's calculator? And just watch all those numbers go up one after the other?

Do you know what the saddest and most depressing of all of this is? How much money is spent on people who die. Funeral costs, a casket or a container for ashes, the headstone, etc etc etc. You spend your whole life trying to make money to get ahead and then when you die, you go broke covering the cost to be put six feet under. But it's the right thing to do. In NO WAY, am I trying to be rude, politically incorrect or heartless. I'm just saying, doesn't it just seem to be even just a tad ridiculous? So I'll complain and then someday, I'll do it anyway. I'll spend all that money just to be put in the ground for eternity.

I dare you to take a piece of coloured paper that we call money and deface it in some way. But that's illegal right? What about burning it? We've all heard that it's illegal to burn money. So if I walked up to a cop with a lighter and just set a $20 bill on fire right in front of his face, he would have to arrest me? Because it's illegal? WOW. I am going to try that.

So whether you spend it, save it, borrow it, lend it, invest it or burn it, realize that at the end of the day, it's just paper. And realize that it does control you but you have the power to manipulate it however you want. And boy, does that feel good.