Compared To Generic

Photo by Isabella Fischer

It can be tough. You try to get your money’s worth. You have to make decisions, and yet, the decisions, the options, they’re increasing daily.

There’s a generic option of every thing. There’s Avatar: The Last Air Bender and there’s the generic Highschool of the Dead. With the first one, you may laugh, you may find edge-of-your-seat action, you may wish you had your own sky bison, and you know you’re going to be entertained. The second option has the potential to turn you into the living dead.

Some choices aren’t so easy as that last example. If you need to save some money, you might choose the lower quality, knock-off brand of chili and cheese corn chips instead of the Chili-Cheese Fritos on the next shelf. You might save a couple of dollars. You might have the lingering aftertaste of ferrous fungus for a day or two. What matters is that you made the choice that was good for you.

In a similar vein, what do you do when you look straight at the generic tarts right before you see the Pop Tarts, and the generic ones cost one dollar less? On the one hand, you know you won’t be wishing for more flavor. On the other hand, you saved a dollar so you could buy twice as many. Twice as many flavorless tarts. In this case, it all depends on how desperately you want to save that dollar.

Another top-of-the-line versus generic comparison is that of gospel singer Lauren Daigle and her pop music sound-alike Adele. Adele is good. Her music will temporarily fill a void. Listening to Lauren Daigle though, you might wonder where she’s been all your life. Her sublime melodies will fill the hole in your soul in such a way you’ll never know the hole was even there.

Musical comparisons are extremely abundant so here’s another for your rumination. Consider the generic blues sound of The Black Keys for a moment. Now consider the amazing, unstoppable blues sound of Blackwater Fever. Suddenly The Black Keys look like unfrosted, flavorless tarts, don’t they?

Now we’re getting into the dramatic differences. Beware of this next comparison. Beware doing your own research on the subject. Some people don’t even like the Transformers, so they’ll say, “Well, how could Transformers be the higher quality choice?” Trust me, if you had ever seen a movie as bad as Transmorphers, you would agree the choice should be easy. You could probably find the generic, knock-off brand of this comparison for less than nothing, but, in this case, the price reflects its worth. So be extra cautious, this generic could be like the first one mentioned in this post and leave you brainless.

Adrenalin Junkies

Are you ready for a communal experiment?

Are there moments in your day when you’re loud? Are there moments in your day when you’re quiet? What changes your volume? Is it who you’re with? Is it location or time-of-day? Do you feel like happenings are urgent? Do you rush about as well? Does your volume determine your speed, or vice versa?

Sound is supposedly connected with adrenalin. Did you know?

Adrenalin is the boost you feel when you’re frightened or otherwise excited. By raising your blood pressure, adrenalin gives you that feeling. The natural substance, adrenalin, is produced by adrenal glands which are “next to the kidneys”. Ad-renal is Latin for “next to the kidneys”. Epi-nephros is Greek for “next to the kidneys”. You’ve probably heard of epinephrin if you know anyone who is allergic to something. If you know anyone who has an epi-pen around for emergencies, then you’ve heard of epinephrin. It is the same exact chemical compound as adrenalin. Your body can produce it, or your pharmacist can produce it. You can carry it around in your guts, or you can carry it around in your pocket.

Some folks carry an epi-pen in case of a heart attack. Some folks carry one for allergic reactions.

Other people carry adrenalin junkies around in their pocket, waiting for a fight, ready to throw them at any threat that comes along.

Still other people ARE the adrenalin junkie in their own pocket, ready to jump out and thrill ride on whatever presents itself.

Did you know you can stimulate your own adrenalin production by screaming? It’s true. You can get that adrenalin fix by thrusting sound violently from your lungs and larynx. Get up and do it. I dare you.

In the days of John Lennon, they called it a “primal scream”. Now there’s a band named Primal Scream.

Does Primal Scream do any primal screaming? Are the members of that band adrenalin junkies? If you listen to Primal Scream, do you get a boost of adrenalin? If you listen to Primal Scream, does it cure allergic reactions?

Let’s find out together.

The Importance of Reading

Every sometime comes to my view a person using a Nook or a Kindle, you know, those crazy tablets designed specifically for reading books from Barnes and Noble or Amazon. Not often, but every once in a while I see people using those. And though it’s not my preferred method of reading, I still admire those who enjoy that way of consuming words.

Truly, I admire anyone who reads. The written word, the wise have said, will keep men out of incarceration and free those who are already there.

Whether those words are found in paper books or digital, they have the potential to make the world a better place. The reader’s world and the world they influence.

At the risk of sounding idealistic, the child who learns how to read will lead a healthier life than the child who doesn’t learn how to read. Also, any person who learns to read critically will have a definite advantage over anyone who does not.

Take, for example, an opinion such as: “The downside of a Nook is that you can’t take it to the beach. What if you get it wet?” Can you criticize it?

Hmm. Sure. But, how about, have you ever gotten a paper book wet? They don’t handle very well after the wetting.

So perhaps the person with the quoted opinion above was thinking of taking their favorite book to the beach, but they assumed the digital method was inferior. Granted, if you took your Nook and got it wet, you might be destroying more than one book, but even that argument falls short with offsite storage, a.k.a. “the cloud”. Only the Nook itself would be damaged. The words and books would still be readable.

Could anyone even make that argument if they couldn’t read up on how a Nook works?

One more part of the argument a person might make is that a Nook, currently, costs about 100 bucks. Getting the Nook wet would be more costly. Have you seen the prices of some books lately? It depends on what you read, right?

What do you like to read anyway?

Is it science fiction? Is it romance? Do you gravitate toward mysteries? Do you like horror, autobiographies, or humor?

Regardless of what category you prefer, I admire you for reading at all. Whether you like Nooks or Kindles, beach books or beach tablets, mystery-romance or memoir-horror, it’s my opinion that you’re the reason the world is still spinning. Keep reading.

Never stop reading.

Level Up

It’s not only about trudging onward. Life is about motivation and rewards. If you’ve done something amazing lately, shout about it.

Say, “Level UP,” loud enough everyone can hear you.

It doesn’t matter if they ask you how long since your last dose of medication. It doesn’t matter if they think you’re nuts. What matters most here is that you hear yourself. You need the internal validation most of all. The internal validation will create internal motivation.

Once you master motivating yourself, you’ll be on to the next level faster than a razor over Sinead O’Connor’s head.

Of course motivation is not the only thing to think about here. Rewards are important too. Let’s say you completed day 61 of a 60 day Keto diet. Reward yourself with a can of nuts.

Or, as another example, I just finished setting up a web page for people to share their favorite, most profound questions of life (see the previous post). I said, “Level UP!” and rewarded myself with a super lazy day off.

The day off, so you know, was followed by a day of work. (There’s the motivation kicking in.)

The point is not a simple, “You can do this.” It’s also, “You can ROCK at this!”

Ponderous Project

Having always been curious how other people’s minds work, I’ve set up a method for studying them a little closer. On this web site is a submission page titled Question Submission Form. There you will find a way to tell me the most hypnotic question you have ever known. What I get out of this is a simple way for me to study the minds of others. The process is not one-sided, though. There is possibly something in it for YOU. For those who submit the most captivating, most curious, most cerebral questions, there is the possibility of being a part of an upcoming Ponderous collection which will be titled Ponderous You.

For example, if a person named Djonny DeSoto was to submit a question such as: “Where did my sock go after I put it in the laundry drying machine?” and, if that question was deemed worthy, then he could expect to see the question on a page in the upcoming Ponderous You looking like this:

Where did my sock go after I put it in the laundry drying machine? ~Djonny DeSoto

If this interests you, and you have questions rolling around in your head which you think could benefit the world, then click here to submit a question.

By the way, there is no formal topic for the questions you may submit. There are some guidelines though which may help you know what sort of question will be more likely to get printed.

  1. No profanity. If you’re unsure what constitutes profanity, you might refer to George Carlin’s “7 words you can’t say on television”. Though his list was collected from the television studios of the previous century, those words still relate to quality publications. Racist, misogynistic, or otherwise degrading words and phrases will not be accepted.
  2. Questions should be universal, or close to, so they can be understood by everyone on Earth and most everyone off Earth. Avoid exclusive ideas, or complicated prose.
  3. Philosophical ideas will be graded more highly. The original Ponderous was highly existential in its tone and so that is what is wanted for Ponderous You.
  4. Avoid “Yes or No” questions. Some dead-end questions of this type will be allowed if their subject matter is profound and thought-provoking. Most will be discarded.
  5. Avoid “Pajama Party” questions along the line of, “What’s your favorite color?” or “What would you do if you caught someone lying to you?” These sorts of questions may generate a variety of answers, but they don’t usually promote long hours of deep thought.
  6. Ideal questions are those which can be followed by another question.
  7. Simpler phrases or succinct wording is preferred.
  8. Spelling and punctuation will not be graded, however, they will be corrected by the editor.