As a society, we spend too much time running around, not taking time to treasure the moments that allow us to just enjoy the moment for what it is and not worry about what the next will bring. I urge you, take the time this week to just sit down and enjoy a moment. You’ll thank yourself. Hell, grab a friend, and go get your Buy 1 Get 1 Free deal from Starbucks this weekend on their holiday drinks.

In other news, I learned a couple of things… Evidently the gas gauge in my car is off a bit, and I let it get a bit low. Mental note to self: Quarter of a tank == refill. Car wouldn’t start this morning. Oh well, I’m sure it’s happened to more people than just me.

I also learned of this amazing website… Simply entitled: youparklikeanasshole.com. I’m gonna print out a few of these and see how many I can get away with posting on people’s vehicles. Cause damn… I don’t know about where you live, but up here a lot of red-necks with their F-350s that don’t seem to understand there are white lines that separate parking spots. Who knows, maybe they’ll listen, maybe they’ll get offended, but either way, I’ll feel like I’m doing my Boy Scout “Good deed daily” by letting them know they’re being an asshole.

At any rate, today has been a good day thus far, lets hope for many more in the future. I hope everyone out there is ramping up for a great holiday season, and I’ll definitely be posting more as it goes along. I’ve got a lot on my mind.

Til then.

Monday night, I open my door only to find a “We missed you” card from the post office. It listed for a parcel, and I hadn’t exactly ordered anything, so my mind started running thru the gambit of things it could potentially and logically be. Wrong address? Doubtful, I live in Idaho for petes sake, I mean really now… Package from family? Well a) it’s a bit early in the season for that, and b) it was marked with delivery confirmation, which no one in my family would typically do, so nope, not that. Well what else could it be? I was totally stumped. Oh well I figured, I’ll just go check it tomorrow, and figure it out.

Sure enough, 10:30am and I was down at the Coeur d’Alene Post Office to pick up my mystery package and finally put an end to this confusion. And then I got the biggest shock of all. A friend, a very good friend, who is one of the people I can talk to things about, decided I needed a bit of a pick me up and sent me a care package. I was … to put it mildly … in shock. I don’t typically get such things, and I honestly had no way to know how to react. Irony is, I’ve sent quite a few of them myself, and I’ve often wondered how people take getting such a thing, but it’s never stopped me in the past. Now as I sat there with box in hand, I realised exactly how that felt, and you know what? As I lay here unable to get back to sleep, I now know that simple gesture turned around my faith in humanity.

It’s the little things that make the biggest difference, and as we head forward into the holiday season, I’d like everyone to remember that. It’s not about what we’re expected to do, it’s not about what we’re planning to do, it’s the little things that happen each and every day, the little surprises that happen every once in a blue moon, it’s those things that keep us remembering that this is a life worth living and enjoying to it’s fullest each and every day. If you take nothing else from the ramblings of this red headed wacko, take that with you, please, and share it.

And to that person, I just want to say yet again. Thank you.

In other news, you might have noticed some random topics being published here under the category of Plinky. What is that all about? Well Plinky.com is a little meme idea wherein they give you a topic, and you’re to write about it. A lot of times where there’s silence on this website I either don’t have a good thing to talk about (I love writing, but writers block is a pain), or I’ve been extremely busy. Of late? It’s been writers block, so I’ve really taken to this idea that someone poses a question, and a large number of people write on it. I’m very likely to continue doing this, and so you’ll probably see that category surge forward in posts at a very regular rate.

And finally, I’m so happy to see summer pass. It’s starting into the cold winters here already, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I can’t express how much I love this season, where all the leaves are turning colour, and the outside air is cold and crisp. I entirely plan on taking full advantage of my camera this time to capture some of the beautiful that’s out there, and I’ll be sharing it right here on the website. I hope this message finds everyone well, and enjoying their turn of seasons. And you can be sure, I’ll be writing more soon.

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July, or for my Canadian visitors, a wonderful Canada Day. One of my top favourite holidays, what other day do you get to enjoy the simple act of blowing stuff up?

On to me? Well, I’m working at simplifying my life again, clearing out the clutter, and getting back to basics. I’ve put some serious research into this, and I fear my amazon.com wish list has grown (and will continue to grow) at a rather insane rate. I’m not looking for a lot of things, I’m looking for a few nice things, but the wish list gives me a place to decide “hrm, do I want to go this route or that route?” A couple of things I’m focusing on:

1. Kitchen supplies — I’m really looking at going mostly cast iron. Getting rid of the insane excess I own, and paring down to a couple nice pots and pans. Multitaskers of the world unite. Alton Brown would be pleased.
2. Furniture — I’ve come to realize that most, if not all, of my furniture is very old and worn out. Replacing this is one of the biggest things on the list, but also the most complicated. Admittedly the area I could use the most help in figuring out a good set that would fit my retrofit. Ideas? Suggestions? Comment section or contact me! I’d love to hear what others are doing.
3. Clothing — Much like my furniture, I haven’t done a proper clothing shop in I honestly don’t know how long. So I’m getting rid of the old and worn (for the most part), and getting the new and comfortable.
4. Electronics — Yes, I’m a complete geek. I’ve now got a 40″ Sony TV, a new Panasonic Blu-Ray player, and a Miele Vacuum. That said, I’m not done… Technology was designed to make our lives easier and more enjoyable, and while the former part of that may be scientifically proven wrong, the latter half can indeed be true. What’s life if you’re not willing to have some fun right?

So I’m making things simple, I’m cleaning things up, and I’m getting back to basics. I like this idea, it’s refreshing, and while it’s a lot of work now, the result is entirely worth it to me. If you’ve wondered what I’ve been up to of late, this would be the answer. Well, that and working my 4 10s each week, as well as crowbaring some overtime in here and there to help. Oh, and playing some WoW, heroic Lich King dead, woot!

This is me, signing off for now, enjoy your day!

_{Credits to header image for this post to: Eustaquio Santimano}

Secondly my websites, peoii.com is still going to remain my official blog, but my other domains (most of which I’m certain not as many know about) are going to undergo some re-defining as to their purpose.

Peoii.com — My main blog, where content shall remain unfiltered. If I need to rant something off, this is where it’ll happen. More frequently, this I promise to myself. I need that outlet in order to resolve things, so here’s where it shall be.

Anpobal.com — I’m working towards a more healthy me, so I’m going to start publishing dishes I’m trying, recipes I’m creating, and a specific focus on the newer healthier me tips that might help others.

JamieHarrell.com — Yes, I actually own it, and now it’s just a quick portal for myself that I made. It’ll continue in that same light, but I want to completely modernize the appearance and jazz it up. Suggestions are completely welcome to this end!

Photos — I’m going to set up a photo blog for myself, I just need to narrow down which platform I want to use. There are quite a few options, and unlike services like Flickr, I really want that security to know that my photos remain mine. Plus, I pay for web space, why should I pay them too?

Facebook — My “a sides” as it were, not fully formed thoughts, just ramblings/etc. More private audience, and if you haven’t befriended me there, by all means send me an invite. It’s filtered, but only just.

Twitter — My twitter account is likely going to be subject to simply a placeholder whereby my activities on all my websites will be syndicated.

To that end, it’s quite a task, centralizing everything and making it flow properly from site to site. Likely you’ll see massive changes on all fronts, but in the end, it’s the goal I’m after anyway.

There are many more changes in the works, but these are the beginning stones to me. I’m anxious to see what this may provide, and how it may change me. It’s been needed for a while, and I’m writing it here as a commitment to myself to get it done. Here’s to the beginning.

1. I have a vision, I know exactly what I want to see from the site, and I know how to accomplish that. Ironically, a lot of things I want are part of the new default theme coming with WordPress 3.0. So I’m going to hold out for that, and modify the theme accordingly.
2. I won a digital camera… something I’ve wanted for a long while, and that’s going to allow me to get the vision I want for the website done properly.

I’m personally very anxious to play around with the camera, and I just got the UPS tracking information for it today. So yea… look for new stuff coming soon!