So Much Drama in the LBC…

When your friend is having relationship drama, it’s incredibly easy to see, identify and offer advice.

But the fundamental truth is that even when that person hears you, agrees with you, and plans to follow your advice… they completely change their tune when they’re alone with the person they have drama with.

That’s because for you, the signs are obvious. There’s clearly something wrong. To them, a change that resulted in the current dramatic conditions were so gradual, the current conditions merely became normal.

And people fear change. It’s easier to deal with the same stuff you’ve been dealing with than instigate change. What seems like chaos and drama to you is actually a comfort zone for them. Even though it’s blatantly obvious to those around you that you shouldn’t be comfortable in that situation.

So they deal with it. It’s amazing I never reached this conclusion before. But the big question is, the next time I have drama, am I going to remember this?

Lundi Gras Stream of Conciousness

First off, my superstition will probably become neurotic behavior now. We won again, giving us wins over the top two teams in the conference this weekend, thanks in no part to me wearing the same wardrobe ensemble for both games. Looks like my packing for next weekend is incredibly easy, since we’re in must-win mode from here on out.

My condolances to all of you reading this at work. You see, in New Orleans, we get these two days off to enjoy drunken debauchery before Lent. I’m not sure why, and quite frankly, I don’t care. The fact is, I’m sleeping in and going to a massive city-wide party this afternoon instead of sitting behind my desk and having meetings. Lather, Rinse, Repeat Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, I leave town. How about a half-day work week? Sometimes being me doesn’t suck so bad.

Why is everyone making a big deal about how the government bailed out banks like Citi, but Citi has a multi-million corporate sponsorship deal with the Mets new stadium?
What about all the other bank-sponsored sports venues? Or Ford Field, General Motors Place; or American Airlines Center, AA Arena, United Center, Delta Center, Southwest Arena. etc, etc.
Or the billions Ford and GM spend on racing every year?

Oscars: Funny how Benjamin Button wins all kinds of awards when it’s the exact same plot as Forest Gump. Funny how Heath Ledger won for Dark Knight and Jack Nicholson didn’t get crap for Batman. Amazing how you become a genius the second you die. Musicals are really bad and stupid.

Nice job by Arizona State fans storming the floor when they are ranked #14 in the country and beat an unranked Arizona team. Wake is off the hook for worst-court-storming this season.

I really have this urge to spread crappy 80s lyrics to everyone. I think I’m just going to start posting random songs on the facebook walls of people for no reason.

Superstition vs Neurotic Behavior

So my team won its last game. I was wearing a blue shirt with green tie because I couldn’t remember the last time I wore that and we’d be losing lately.

We beat the conference leader. So now, I’m thinking “wearing again Saturday.”

I’m not a superstitious person. I’m more “aware of trends” than thinking the shirt will bring us good luck. It’s more “we lost in this, and won in that, so let’s go with that.”

Neurotic behavior would be burning any shirt that I’m wearing in a loss. Or not being able to function if I don’t wear a shirt we won in.

I don’t base my wardrobe necessarily on what happened, but it’s my nature to notice trends (heck, it’s my job. We’re 12-2 when three or more players reach double-figure scoring in a game, and 3-10 when they don’t. Why wouldn’t I know that we’re 2-0 when I accidentally bring the volleyball gray sweatpants instead of my basketball gray sweatpants on the road?)

I haven’t discarded the basketball sweats because we need to win. I’m just saying, can’t hurt if I wear the volleyballs.

Some people can’t do common things like drive the easiest way to work, because there are train tracks. And if they got caught behind a train and then won the game, they’d have to stop and wait for the train every day.

That’s neurotic behavior.

I know my shirt isn’t going to influence the game Saturday. But four more hours of the blue shirt and green tie can’t hurt, can it?

Well-Rounded, Timely Structure

Everyone has nuances in their life that are slightly neurotic: most of us hang our clothes facing the same way. Some people have more severe ones than others. One of mine is that I never set my morning alarm on a round number. It’s always something funky. I’m not sure why, that’s just how I’ve always done it.

My associate is the opposite, she always sets hers at something ending in 5 or 0. I thought that was typical of her. Just as my habit is typical of me: When I need to be somewhere at 9, I’m usually a couple minutes early after setting my alarm for, let’s say 8:21. Whereas most people set their alarm for a round number assuming that their 17-minute commute is “about 15 minutes” and it takes them 20 minutes to get ready.

Then it hit me: my associate is pretty responsible, well more organized and structured in her life than I am. Maybe the random ‘flying by the seat of my pants’ behind on everything chaos I’m experiencing can be tied to that.

So I decided to bring about change in my life by trying to step outside the comfort zone and set my alarm for a number ending in 5 or 0.

I decided that since I didn’t need to get coffee before a 9 am meeting, I didn’t need an extra four minutes and could sleep in until 8:25.

So far today’s been a good day. No stress, worked ahead on a couple things, etc. Of course, it’s been stress free because I dominated yesterday and got ahead on a ton of stuff, and have no meetings, no deadlines and no stupidity come up yet, so I can’t really chalk that one up to the 5.

Especially considering that this morning, I suddenly work up worried that I had overslept, and when I looked at my clock it was 8:21.