Unfettered Blather

January 2009 was supposed to be a fresh start.

We are not off to a great year. I keep thinking that there are many opportunities out there, many chances to succeed, and always areas to grow.

I’m being purposefully vague. I apologize. I haven’t had a chance to reflect, there has just been too much of a push going on right now.

Forecast for Dallas today is freezing rain in the morning, followed by freezing rain in the evening which will taper off into freezing drizzle. Icing possible. (Ya think?) The high is going to be just above freezing, so around 3pm I expect it to be a balmy 35 or so.

My in-laws are complaining about it being 7 degrees where they live. Fine, I’m not the one who chose to live in a frozen wasteland. This is Texas. Two weekends ago I was wandering around downtown Austin in a short sleeve shirt sipping a latte!

UPDATE:
I was wrong! We hit our “high” of 34 at 6am and it’s only going down from there! Wheeee!

2009 arrives with built-in challenges that must be surmounted. The economy is in the crapper, we’re getting a popular but controversial president in office, and the world situation seems determined to suck.

Oddly, I am optimistic about the coming year.

I can’t fix the economy nor can I improve the world. In fact, I have begun to give up on punditry as it no longer suffices for me to vent about world events. I’m still keeping abreast of current events but I don’t see much point about discussing them with anyone other than close friends and family.

I can, however, have a positive impact locally and that is what I am intending to do.

The good news is that my job is relatively secure. Not 100%, but I could say that any year. I feel good about my position and on a professional level I am going to work very aggressively to become a certified Project Management Professional. From a managerial level I want to challenge my team and focus on employee development. With an uncertain economy and an uncertain market I want to make sure my team is flexible enough to do any task we might receive. My goal is to make sure everyone is too valuable to lay off.

On a personal level I’ve already taken some positive steps but want to make sure my focus doesn’t waver. I am determined to get my 8 minute mile back and put away a serious chunk of change. We don’t have any credit cards so we have to pay cash for everything. I want to make sure unexpected car or house repairs don’t leave us hurting. Saving has been difficult but recent finanicial changes have made it possible for me to put some money aside each paycheck and now that we’re past the holidays I can continue to bolster our savings.

From the standpoint of the blog I plan on trying to be more relevant. I’d like to have a larger audience. Before I went into extended hiatus we averaged 1000 unique visitors a day. That’s a pretty good number and gives me about the level of interaction I’d like. More than that feels like work but much less makes this place feel pointless. To that end, I need to do a better job of visiting other blogs. You want more blog traffic, interact with other blog authors. Don’t get wrapped up in yourself. I’ve been too busy to do that but I hate neglecting good people who are just as interested in feedback and interaction as I am. Granted, they might be looking for more quality interaction that I can provide but beggars can’t be choosers.

I’d like to, at some point this year, write for a gaming website. Whether thats Gamers With Jobs, The Escapist (I can dream!), or something similar I don’t really care. I’d just like to continue sharing and discussing my hobby with as many people as possible. That would be my #1 goal as a blogger this year. To become a real writer.

There are plenty of news stories out there that drone endlessly about civilian suffering in the Gaza Strip these days or any time some schmuck gets caught in a crossfire. We never seem to notice anymore that media outlets seem to love civilian casualties because it drives home a supposed human interest element they can milk for sympathy points. Nothing sells like human misery I suppose but that point aside I must admit I honestly could give a damn about the people in Gaza.

Why? Because they continue to bring this fire down upon their own heads.

Still we are treated to this endless sea of whining by the press every time the Israelis launch and airstrike or the US military bombs a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan and Iraq

The term civilian gets tossed around rather carelessly these days because it is a zero responsibility term meant to evoke sympathy. What is a “civilian” exactly? Someone that doesn’t participate in the affairs around them?

I’m not a dumb guy, not a genius mind you but I do adhere to certain concepts. For starters I don’t walk around open fields holding a giant steel pipe in the air during a thunderstorm. I like being alive and I do whatever I can to keep that habit.

Secondly, I don’t live next to or support people waging a guerilla war in my neighborhood and I sure as hell don’t vote for them or attend rallies supporting them

Responsibility is a concept most people talk about but few seem to understand. When I abide or vote for people, I am telling those around me that these people represent my beliefs and goals. When others seek to repay this group for attacks on their civilian population with force, my right to complain about being “caught in the crossfire” is pure bullshit. I am just as guilty as the person launching the rocket or pulling the trigger.

I won’t allow my family to be a victim and if these people truly don’t represent you, resist or leave, both are responsible acts. But not now nor has there even been discussion in of this Gaza about the goals or motives of Hamas. Funny isn’t it? In this country we question our decisions almost too readily, in Gaza there seems to be none at all which begs the question again, how many people truly support Hamas and it’s goals? Check out the video above for an answer. Suddenly the tears of the crocodiles becomes less meaningful.

For those that don’t support Hamas and want a normal life, they are in the wrong place and heaven forbid you don’t play ball. Still, does blaming the people striking back for your misfortune or weakness change a damn thing? Where is the outrage against Hamas for brining the Israeli warplanes down on their heads? For terrorist driving down the streets at night, launching rockets towards Israel, daring them to bring their wrath down on a slumbering neighborhood? Duplicity and inaction are ignored bed partners of responsibility and compliance.

Most are quick to blame Israel of the US for strikes that kill, but nobody seems to shed a tear when you notice the kind of misery you bring upon yourself when you embrace thugs and murderers as your civic leaders and politicians.

I’ll care about “innocent civilians” when I’m shown proof they are actually innocent. The simple fact is, very few people can claim that banner, but a lot of duplicitous civilians sure like to complain when it’s time to pay the piper. I don’t consider myself a civilian because I am a participant in the system and I take responsibility for those actions. I weigh my decisions and if I suffer for them, I’m never going to claim it’s unfair.

I think it’s very likely that this will be my last blog post this year. I may have the Best and Worst of December 2008 up soon seeing as how the gaming moratorium is in effect until after Christmas. Then in January I’ll talk about the top and bottom ten movies, DVD’s, games, and books of 2008. In the meantime I am heading into my un-vacation today. (Off to the in-laws in the middle of nowhere) Unlike my last vacation where I voluntarily abstained from technology by leaving my laptop at home this time I am being forced to abstain because internet connections are so bad up there that I can make no promises that I’ll have access to anything. I will take the computer with me regardless so that I can hide in another room and play Fallout: Tactics which I recently bought from gog.com for $6.

Good luck all and Merry Christmas.