Cut People Slack.

Read this interesting piece today...

The "fundamental attribution error" is a psychological phenomenon in which we tend to view other people's actions as reflections of their characters and tend to overlook the power of situation to influence their actions, whereas with ourselves, we recognize the pressures of circumstance. When other people's cell phones ring during a movie, it's because they're inconsiderate boors; if my cell phone rings during a movie, it's because I need to be able to take an emergency call.

I tried to remember not to judge people harshly, especially on the first or second encounter. Their actions might not reveal their enduring character but instead reflect some situation they find themselves in.

The Early Works.

I have opened the vault on this lovely Wednesday to share with you a Jenny B original.

I'll call it the "Early Works". Or more fittingly, I'll reference it by the title I gave it in 4th grade.

"The School's Alien"

The cover to my story:

Yes, I designed/created/glued it.

No, against "popular" speculation, it is not a self-portrait.

Inside cover:

My favorite? That I signed the back of the cover. You just never know when those go missing. Close second - that I divided a four page story into four parts. Genius.

Selected passages:

"We got to go out for recess. The alien was following me the whole time. We went inside. The alien was waiting by the window." (Part I: The School's Alien)

***

"The next morning at school the alien wasn't there. It seemed to have left. I asked if I could go outside and find the ring I dropped, even though I don't wear rings (author's note: this does not apply to VERY LARGE diamonds in case any of my seven readers were considering the gesture). When I got outside there was no sign of the alien. So I went back inside. The teacher asked 'Did you find your ring?' I said 'No'." (this was actually not so much a passage as all of Part II: The Alien Left)

***

"I was so happy that the alien left. When I got to school I smelled something unusual. Then I saw something behing the bushes. It was the alien. I ran into the school as fast as I could. Then I turned around and the alien had his back turned and was doing something. He turned around. He had a bomb in his hand. He threw it on the school." (again, the text is just too rich too condense at this point. I hope you enjoyed all of Part III: The Alien Returns)

***

"The Dream: I sat-up straight. Wow some dream!" (Part IV: (aptly titled) The Dream)

***

Teacher review:

Thank you Mrs. Rozack for the kind words. And for not having me arrested.

There are no words.

Hurry ladies, he won't be single forever.



Area code is 314, FYI.

Ohm.

Last summer I went through a belated quarter-life crisis.

- One of my best friends (and roommates at the time) transfered to San Francisco
- I applied and thought I had a transfer to Chicago
- ...It fell through...
- My company restructured and I re-applied for a job in NYC
- Then moved and began living alone for the first time

In reality, all manageable things. But somehow, when condensed into one month, seemed a bit much.

To cope I turned to this...

...A random man in tight, black shorts.

What? It felt right.


Fine -- yoga.

It's pretty awesome. Trust me.

"Just a warning that on April Fool's Day my natural distrust of others will be ratcheted up to a level bordering on psychosis".

I haven't felt much like writing lately...so much going on with work, life, relationships, living situations. THEN. I received this.

...An invitation for a friend's birthday. Which reminded me how much I L-O-V-E this site, www.someecards.com.

Goodbye productivity.

(Fo, thank you for reminding me I've become delinquent in my posts. I leave you with this, "Even when you're in the background, I'll always tag you in my Facebook photos")

Sleepy sleep.

Dear sleep gods,

Puh-lease let me sleep through the night for once. It's great waking up at 3am and all but I need some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Sincerely,

Me

Starbucks messages.

I'm so introspective these days.

Thank you Starbucks for slapping good 'ole #76 on my cup this morning...


"The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life."
- Anne Morriss