Writing Prompt #7

Do you think it is ever a good idea to end a friendship? Why or why not?

I think there are two sides to this question.

It is a good idea because there are solid reasons to end a friendship. One good reason would be betrayal or serious infraction. While you can forgive, the friendship would never be the same after a tough situation. Sometimes people drift apart. That happens too. Some friendships were never strong to begin with. Those drift apart too. I personally do not keep friendships that are damaging or toxic in any way. This is just not a healthy relationship to have. As an adult I am getting pretty good at identifying them. The same rule applies in my romantic relationships as friendships sometimes develop into this. 

It is a bad idea to end a friendship over something silly. If the other person walks away, its on them. Romantic relationships are the worst reason to stop being friends with someone. Sure, your attention is spread thinner but true friends find time for each other. In other words do not fight over guys or gals. The bad reasons are subjective because I might think something is silly but someone else might have a different view on that. For example, I might think of a candle as a candle and blow it out. no big deal but someone else might think that its disrespectful to the host of the party. This is not only, subjective but also has a cultural significance. I agree to disagree in these cases.

I can't change the people around me but I can choose who I bestow with the honor of being called my friend. At the end of the day, taking offense is a what really ends friendship. Forgiveness is not easy but it is a step in the right direction. 

-Melody

The Laughing Emoji

Today’s society practically lives online. You may run into 1 or 2 people that despise all things social media. Then your face looks shocked like the painting, The Scream, or like the emoji with the oval mouth. Either way online interactions practically rule world, especially for younger generations. In these interactions we often react in a variety of ways. Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms. Their developers came to a realization that we respond to things with more than just a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. So they decided to add additional reactions. They range from smiles to angry but the one that bothers me the most is the laughing Ha-ha reaction.

Here’s a little context for you. People have laughed at me and mocked me my whole life. Personally I don’t laugh when something is not funny. To me, it is immature to laugh when the topic is not funny or even meant to be funny. Jokes and anecdotes are funny. A comment/statement on Facebook is not always funny. Sometimes it is just stating a fact or having a discussion.

Sometimes people put the laughing emoji to laugh at you for saying something they perceive as stupid. Facebook has opened the door for bullies to make fun without saying anything. When I see a laughing emoji as a reaction to one of my comments, I am immediately bought back to the high school cafeteria where people giggle over the smallest thing. What are we? Kids? I am pretty sure that most of the interactions I have online are with adults over the age of 25. By this age most people don’t randomly giggle over things. A more mature reaction would be thumbs-up or a smile and move on. Why make people feel bad about posting something. I can’t count the number of times that I have deleted my own comments online because I felt so bad about what I wrote even though there was nothing inherently wrong with it. Sometimes I know it’s best to take back my words and just not continue the conversation. I have learned over the years that its best to avoid conflict and pick your battles if at all possible.

My main point is that before your react to something, you should think about how that person might feel. I catch myself in this often and try to make sure that I react respectfully.

Happy New Year!!! С Новым Годом!!

Happy New Year everyone!

С Новым Годом to all my Russian friends!

2017 is over! A new year often means a new beginning!  Well the number 8 in Hebrew numerology means just that. I'm hoping that this year will be a new start for me.

Currently I am jobless for the first time in two years. The last time this happened it was the beginning of 2016 and I had just totalled my car and needed to find a job and fast. So I took a job as a security guard. Fast forward to 2017 Exactly one year to the day I started as a security guard, I quit and went to work for a large financial corporation. I absolutely loved it. Sadly it was not to last. 9 months later, September 1st I got a call that they were letting me go. I was in a state of shock. For two weeks I did not have a job so my moms friend referred me to someone (they will remain nameless). I worked for that person for 3 months and quit because, long story short, I could not please him. So I remained jobless for the next month.

This past month I realized that I needed a break from all the craziness in my life. I spend time with my family and we even got a new kitten for Christmas. His name is Rico. So as you can probably guess, I have had my hands full. I forgot how destructive cats can be. Anyways, all of that aside, I am going a little crazy. Call it cabin fever or whatever, but I need to find a job and quick. I hate sitting around. Unproductivity is what truly makes me unhappy. Another thing I figured out is that I keep letting what people say get to me. This is so unhealthy. In 2018 I resolve to stop that. I need to be like a duck in water. let the water roll off me (maybe my new meditation should be called "be one with the duck").

So, I just found out that the party I was supposed to go to got cancelled due to house system failures. So I felt really bad for a few hours and then learned about what happened to the house and immediately understood that it's not about me. I have a really bad habit of jumping to conclusion that someone does not like me or is mad at me and therefore does not want me around. This is simply not true. Another thing I need to work on in 2018.

New Years Eve morning I went to church. I was late but I made it just in time. I had to sit in the back. My friends were not there so I left right after to go home and set up for my lifestream. This is the first time I have ever tried something like this. The internet disconnected 3 times. Turns out that my network adapter was connected to the power settings. so it would be put to sleep every hour. I just fixed that this morning just before I sat down to write this post. Over-all it was an interesting experience. I learned a lot about OBS settings and how to make sure my microphone does not echo. I ended up chucking my microphone and just using the microphone in my laptop. I also connected my second monitor. The next thing I need to sit down and learn is GIMP. I need to make thumbnails for my videos. Another thing I need to do in 2018.

After the stream, I settled down in the basement and set the table and had myself a peaceful New Years party at home. It was pretty awesome. This is what I needed. After the new year struck I plugged in a movie and laid back with some tea and sweets. This time last year I spend New Years in a cold drafty guard house at a Coca Cola Plant. The bright side to all of this situation is that I was not on the roads where there could have been a bunch of drunk drivers and I did not have to spend a drop of gas to go to my party.

Every storm cloud has a silver lining and the sunshine after a storm makes a rainbow.

Happy New Year,

Melody

Update and Writing Prompt #6

Sorry its been a while.  I have been busy. I ended up losing my job the day after Thanksgiving. I have been looking for a job but its the holidays and no one is hiring. I have been through multiple depression episodes but I am currently doing alright.

Without further ado....Let's get back into the swing of things.

What kinds of books do you enjoy reading? Write a letter to the librarian asking him or her to get more of the types of books you love for the library. (Since I am no longer in school, I used the director of my local library.)

--Email Style Begin--

Dear Dr. Morley of Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, 

I really enjoy coming to the library to check out books and to study in general. The kinds of books I like most are Mystery-Thriller.  While you have an adult section, it is quite small. I would love to see more of that genre. Dan Brown just came out with a new book. There are a few more authors I would love to see also. I have attached a short list.

Thank you, 

Melody

--Email Style End--

I would love to elaborate more on this one. I have many favorite authors and genres but most books can now be digitally downloaded into an e-reader. The library is best used as a study hall rather than anything else. Also small children may enjoy the library because it has a large childrens section. Even then, so many kids are in the digital age these days. Very few pick up a physical book. I think that my generation of people that were raised in the 90s are the last generation to really love physical books like Novels. These days the only books I have seen gifted to people are about a specific topic, like wine or a hobby-specific topic like knitting or stones. The vast majority of people can get any information they want from the internet.

Melody

How I Found My Favorite Video Game

My online friend Ryan Cooper asked me to write about a topic that we both have in common. Videogames. Ryan wanted to know how I found my favorite videogame Creativerse.

I had just gotten a Steam account in October of 2015. Then I downloaded some of the free games. I played when I could for the first 4 of 5 months. Summer of 2016, I went looking for Minecraft type games (I am not a fan of Minecraft and I could not get it to work). All of my searches came up with games that cost money. On Steam, there were two free games that looked promising.

Unturned and Creativerse. I downloaded Unturned in January of 2016. At first it was really fun, but then something awful happened. Over the summer I began making a base high up in the sky. I even got an admin to help me out. One day I was putting away supplies and three players began looting the server. They somehow found my base, built a ladder up to where I was and surrounded me. One of them threw a grenade at my feet and it blew up the floor below me, sending me to my death. I did alert the server owners but it was too alte to spend time gathering more material. So I left that game for a while. I do go in every now and then to mess around in the singe player server but the zombies are way over-powered. I get bored when I die over and over.

Four Months later I downloaded Creativerse. I immediately fell in love with it. The grind was not too bad and there was always something to explore. The grassy overworld with multiple biomes, caves in the stalagtite layer, the firely lava zone, and finally the dreaded corruption zone. Don't be fooled by the beautiful purple hue of the lowest zone. A dangerous Thing lives down there. All in all, there are many items to unlock and some you find by exploring or special events. With every update there is always something new to keep you excited and interested. There is a Pro DLC (which costs money) and an in-game store where you can purchase coins to spend on various bundles. For every major holiday there are events and new items and blocks to aquire. Right now there is a Halloween event where you have to battle for candy that you give to the Halloween Miru in exchange for beautiful chests that contain various Halloween items. This years theme is Day of the Dead. I absolutely love it!

I need to go get ready for the next event!

-Melody