So I had to go get my driver’s license renewed yesterday. Naturally, I procrastinated and waited until the last minute to go to the DMV. That’s just how I roll, I guess. Anywho, we all know what a dreaded experience the DMV is. I walked in expecting it to be bad, but not this bad.

When you walk in the door, before you can even sit in the seats to wait for someone to help you (at some point in the next few years), you have to go to an information desk and explain what the purpose of your visit is. I wanted to tell the lady that it was just for fun or because I was bored, just to see what she’d say, but the poor woman already looked like she’d had her soul sucked out by that terrible place.

Once I got through the huge information desk line, in which everyone told the attendant their life story in addition to why they were there, I sat down and waited. I had been there about an hour by this point. This was just the beginning, though. I sat in a chair for an hour, waiting as patiently as possible, listening to the most annoying PA system I’ve ever heard call every number but mine. I almost wanted to say “bingo!” when mine finally came up. Once again, not something I think these people would find humorous.

Once I was called up to a window, I stood there and waited while the gentleman on duty talked with a co-worker for about five minutes about such erroneous small things as what company to use to get his backyard fenced in. I kid you not. So once he finally decided to help me, the customer, he had to look at my current driver’s license about ten times to get all the information entered correctly. Either he was completely OCD and unsure of what he wrote, or stalling for reasons unknown to me. But he was ridiculously slow.

After I got through with him and the vision test he tried (and failed) to administer to me (he asked me to read a line and then didn’t know what letters were supposed to be on the line in the first place and had to look for himself), he told me to go sit down at the other end of the building and wait for my name to be called so I could take a knowledge test.

I sat in a chair on the other side, waiting for my name to be called, for about twenty more minutes. This extemely annoying (I don’t get annoyed easliy) boy sat down next to me with his mother. He was somewhere between 13 and 15, and would not stop talking. And loudly. About really strange and publicly-inappropriate hings I won’t even repeat on here. When his mom told him not to talk so loud about what he was discussing, he exclaimed, “I don’t care, mom, I won’t ever see these f***ers again.”

I eagerly walked forward, away from that guy, when my name was called to the testing station. I took the ridiculously easy knowledge exam, consisting of 10 road sign questions so elementary that if someone actually failed the test they should be required to have some serious mental evaluations peformed. Next were 25 “what-would-you-do-in-this-situation” questions. I used the 50:50 and ask the audience buttons on screen for this portion. No, just kidding. But there was a phone at the station. Phone a friend? They were pretty easy.

After I finished, I sat back down. The annoying boy was up at the window being helped, and when he was finished, came and sat back down next to me again, in my new location! I was starting to get a little pissed  off at that point. I tried to occupy myself on my iPhone, but he just sat there staring at the screen and tried to read my text messages.

Next, I got called up to get my picture taken, or so I thought. I sat in the chair to have my mugshot taken, and the attendant told me I actually had to go back on the other side of the room and wait to be helped again, pay a $32 dollar fee for my new license, and then come back and sit down again.

I waited on the other side of the room for the same ignorant man who ignored me the first time to “help” me again. After he finally called me up and took my credit card number (a half hour process), I went to the opposite side of the building again. Sure enough, that kid was there again, this time talking about how screwed up the government is or something like that. I was so sick of his shrill voice  (you could compare it to nails on a chalkboard) by this point, I didn’t know what to do.

Finally, I was called up to have my picture taken, for real this time. I stood to the side while an older gentlemen proceeded to have his picture taken six times, because he didn’t like it. Last time I checked they don’t do re-dos. Look at how many terrible pictures there are. It doesn’t happen (or so I thought). I finally sat down and produced the somewhat strange-looking picture you see above. I’m about to cut  most of my long hair off, so this will be a funny picture to look back on years from now.f

After two more minutes waiting for it to print, I was finally on my way, hours later. It was such sweet freedom walking out of that horrid place. I’d suspect that was a glimpse of what hell must be like: two rows of hard plastic seats, angry people, and an annoying PA system calling numbers all day. Thank the Lord I don’t have to go back and do that again until July, 2016!

So I’m just now posting an update from the beach last week. It was a good week; had lots of fun with Allie, Jen, and her family. The weather was insanely hot, and the smoke from the nearby Hyde County wildfire was ridiculously thick, depending on which way the wind was blowing (either bringing it towards us or pushing it away), but overall it was a great week.

One interesting thing that happened was a huge basking shark washing up on shore the night we got there. It was hundreds of pounds, but apparently only a baby, because the adults can get upwards of thirty feet long. This one was only eight or nine. It was still alive as it came ashore and drew quite a crowd on the beach.

The basking shark is apparently an extremely endangered species and efforts were going to be made to save it. However, a man on the beach, meaning only to end its suffering, slit the shark’s throat with his pocket knife. The Nags Head Beach Patrol and a nearby marine biologist were infuriated, but, unforunately, it was dying anyway. A huge backhoe came the next morning and buried it deep in the sand. Here’s a picture below; more will be uploaded to Flickr later. And, in less than two weeks, I’m headed back for another week!

So lately I’ve noticed I’m posting more because I “have” to post to adhere to Blog 365 than because I want to. The quality of my posts is not what it used to be. I love to write, but some days I don’t want to and will post a sub-par entry. Effective today, I will no longer be participating in Blog 365. It’s been fun, and I definitely could write every day for five years straight and still think of new topics, however, it’s just not feasible. I’m way too busy, have other websites to keep up with that have been neglected, and find myself “obligated” to blog some days rather than wanting to. It shouldn’t be that way.

I’ll still blog most every day. I love writing and sharing my thoughts and opinions. I think this will be a good thing and will allow me to write higher quality posts. Thanks so much for reading! And hey, six months isn’t bad, right? I’ve posted every single day since January 1, 2008!

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” - Bill Cosby

This is the biggest challenge out of everything I’ve written over the past eight days. I always take on way too many projects and try to do way too many things for way too many people. It’s going to end. I can’t say no to anyone when it comes to helping with something, but that’s about to change. It’s driven me nuts.

We all do and say things that don’t match up with how we say we are personality-wise. Some call it being two-faced. Others call it not being authentic. Either way, it’s not the right thing to do. We’ve all talked behind someone else’s back, even if sometimes it’s not intentional. I’m not horrible at it or anything, but it’s definitely something I need to work on. Being authentic means that how you say you act and how you really do act line up. I think I’m about 75% there, I just need to keep working on it.

Life is what you make of it. The old saying that life is 10% what happens and 90% what you do about it is spot on. I’ve always thought of myself as a glass-half-full kind of person, but I need to do better. In order to implement all of the self-improvement plans I’ve blogged about this week, I need to change my ways of thinking. I’ve got to set my sights high and reach for what now looks impossible. A little confidence and positive attitude goes a long way, and combined with prayer, God will reveal in my life exactly what I’m supposed to do and what path I’m supposed to take. Everything that’s meant to be will work out in the end.

Almost four years ago, I purchased the domain name www.downtownshortpump.com. It was a site owned by the developer of the Downtown Short Pump complex with Barnes & Noble and Regal Cinemas. They used it as promotion for their shopping center and etched it into two huge signs at the busiest intersection in Henrico County (West Broad Street and Pouncey Tract Road). They let the name expire. I bought it for eight bucks (you snooze, you lose)! I let the domain name sit idle for a year, then made some attempts at developing it, but never got far.

After three revisions, I’m finally at the point where it looks professional enough to market as a good advertising space. I’m getting well over a thousand hits per day at this point, and have made lots of efforts at collecting data to make the site more comprehensive. Advertising efforts are starting off slow, but I have a plan of attack that will bring me more success, including full-color, glossy brochures. You’ve got to truly believe something can succeed if you want it to. I believe I can achieve success with this business, it’s just going to take some time and hard work.

I’ll keep everyone posted on the progress. As for now, I’m closing in on several major advertising contracts and working up a pitch for future businesses to advertise. I’m very optimistic about the future of the site!

I’ve been stuck in a bubble slash rut for way too long. Why? Simply put, I stay in my comfort zone (as I wrote about already). I’ve been okay with the status quo in terms of friends and not meeting many new people. Sure, it’s all about quality, not quantity, but I could do better in both departments. Plus, I’m done with just being “okay” with how things are. I’m ready for extraordinary, not just mediocre.

I’m not a partier really and don’t go out to those to meet new people usually. But, if you really think about it, people that go to parties to meet new people, especially if it’s the opposite sex, really have a skewed perspective on things. Parties are not “meet and greets.” People are just there to get drunk, do things they regret, and then complain about them to other people the next day. I’m on the receiving end of this all the time, so the silver lining to this is that I know what it’s all about.

Either way, it will be nice to meet some new friends. I have a good core group, but there’s always room for improvement. I’m gonna put myself out there more, in more situations and instances. I’ve also weeded out a lot of friends over the past couple of months who either kept dragging me down with negativity and such, or didn’t line up with what I’m trying to make my life. Sure, it was hard at fi

I’m already diving into this goal. I’ve been reading “The Magic Of Thinking Big” by Dr. David J. Schwartz. This book is a great read and full of ways you can get ahead in life by simply changing your attitude, your mindset, and your behavior.

The main points I’ve pulled out of it thus far have already helped me start changing my thinking for the better. Schwartz points out how you can actually think your way to success by thinking confident, positive thoughts, and that emotions follow motions, meaning you have to think the way you want to be perceived.

I really haven’t ever been into reading, but after renewing my library card, I’ve gotten into it more. I’m planning on reading more motivational books and other books in the near future.

I’ve always considered myself a relatively outgoing person. It could be said about my late grandfather that he “never met a stranger,” meaning he always talked to people when out and about and whatnot, and that trait has been passed on to me. However, we all get into ruts. I’ve developed a bad habit of sticking to what, or who, I know. For far too long, I’ve missed opportunities to meet new people and develop new friendships. Who knows where I could be in my life right now if I had seized those opportunities.

Here’s what I’m gonna do about it. First off, I’m going to start conversations with random people I encounter on a daily basis (haven’t in a while) and see where it goes. I’ve actually made a friend or two in this way in the past. It sounds crazy, but it’s true.

Second, I’m going to conquer my fear of public speaking. I plan to join the Innsbrook chapter of Toastmasters International, an organization that helps you with public speaking in an encouraging, uplifting environment. As I gain confidence through this and conquer my fear, I’ll in turn be better positioned to get out there and tackle other issues I’m writing about this week.