Let the Pain Go

Nathaniel: "You're not even grateful, are you?"

David: "Grateful? For the worst f*cking experience of my life."

Nathaniel: "You hang onto your pain like it means something, like it's worth something. Well, let me tell you, it's not worth sh*t. Let it go...(looks up to the sky) Infinite possibilities and all he can do is whine."

David: "Well what am I supposed to do?"

Nathaniel: "What do you think? You can do anything you lucky bastard, you're alive! What's a little pain compared to that?"

David: "It can't be that simple."

Nathaniel: "What if it is?"

- Six Feet Under. HBO television series Season 4 finale.

Courage to Stay

"Have the courage to stay with your own opinion."

- David Caruso (collected by Deb Austin Brown in Growing Character)

Live for Being Creative

"Finally, we should live for being creative. What do I mean by creative? I mean trying to change this universe in which we find ourselves placed—trying to add good things to it, if possible. The universe, in the state in which we find it when we wake up to consciousness, is obviously imperfect and unsatisfactory."

- Arnold Toynbee. Seek Love, Creation, and Understanding in Constructing a Life Philosophy: Opposing Viewpoints, 2002. Excerpted from Surviving the Future, 1971.

Writing Falls Short

"The word is only a representation of the meaning; even at its best, writing almost always falls short of full meaning."

- Stephen King. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribiner: New York, 2000. pg 118

2009 Rap Up

This first What!?! Wednesday needs to be Skillz take on the year that just wrapped up. Hence the 2009 rap up.

Enjoy!


"We mourn this year
I got to say
every other day
someone passed away
...

It was a very sad year
to say the least
so to everybody we lost
rest in peace

Ya boy Skillz
and I did it again
Welcoming y'all to 2010!"

- Skillz "2010 Rap Up"

Comics, Eyesight, and Life Philosophies

I found this video by way of Twitter and I really wanted to share it here with you on Tube Tuesday. Here is a description of this amazing video, In this unmissable look at the magic of comics, Scott McCloud bends the presentation format into a cartoon-like experience, where colorful diversions whiz through childhood fascinations and imagined futures that our eyes can hear and touch. Scott McCloud also shares with us a life philosophy that follows these four tenets, 1) Learn From Everyone 2) Follow No One 3) Watch for Patterns 4) Work like Hell Anyway, I hope you take the time to watch this video. I highly recommend reading his amazing book Understanding Comics as well. Enjoy!

Keep Pecking Away

"How many times does a woodpecker peck at the bark of a tree while he is looking for food?

1 time?

10 times?

100 times?

The answer is: Until he gets the job done!

- from Deb Austin Brown's great book Growing Character.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Let's Start off this New Year and New Decade with a positive attitude. Let's work hard to accomplish everything that we want this year.

* photo credit. http://mayo.personcounty.net/Bird%20Folder/bird%20%20page%20woodpeckers.htm