“Are you a WANDERING GENERALALITY, or are you a MEANINGFUL SPECIFIC?” Zig Ziglar—Biscuits, Fleas, and Pump Handles

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, even when we give it our all and do our best, life throws us a curveball.

It’s taken me years to understand that during those times, you show more independence and self-reliance when you allow your friends and family to help you, instead of going it alone.

When you’re self-confident enough to say “I’ve done all I can do, but I have obstacles that I can’t conquer alone,” you show that you are still trying to get the job done, you’re still trying to provide for your family, and that you’re going to see it through, no matter what it takes.

My buddy Garrett and his wife Chris are those types of people. Garrett had some medical problems, and he and Chris are facing some huge medical bills. Garrett used to work with me, and Chris is still employed by the same company I am, so I know how hard these 2 work. I know how independent and capable they are. They see the work through to the end, and get the job done when others have given up.

I can imagine that allowing their friends to put on a Spaghetti Benefit was difficult for them, but they knew it had to be done. They’re going to see it through, and conquer this obstacle. With a little help from their friends, they’ll be stronger for it when it’s over.

I’m attending the benefit dinner, because it’s something I can do to help my friend. To help him get back on his feet and do what needs to be done. I’d love to see you there as well.

The dinner is Saturday, March 13, 2010, from 4p to 6p, at Mr. D’s Bar and Grill. That’s 5622 Grand Avenue, in Duluth, MN.

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I’ve blogged about an awesome export from Texas. Here’s a not-so-awesome export from Texas.

	Open Letter To The Couple In The Photo: I understand that “all the kids are doing it” and “what’s the big deal?”, but here’s what I DON’T understand; when you’re working 20 hours this week at McDonald’s and complaining about how no one will give you the
photo by People Of Walmart	chance, and you know you’re better than this,

and why is life so hard, and how are we going to pay for all of this meth that we keep needing, please try to understand what I’m about to tell you.

You are responsible for the circumstances of your life. You have created the situation you’re in. It’s not society, it’s not the economy, it’s not your parents, it’s not your clergy, it’s not because of your gender, it’s not because of your ethnicity, and it’s not because you live in a small town that you have such a shitty life. The responsibility is yours.

People judge you, and make decisions about you, and interact with you based first on what they see. Your appearance colors their perceptions. And then, good or bad, your actions confirm those initial impressions. I know it’s unfair, and we’re told in kindergarten “to not judge a book by it’s cover”, but we do. We do it every day, and it’s not fair, but we still do it. Deal with it.

The single greatest thing you can do to improve your life is TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHANGING IT. The way to start doing that is to like yourself enough to dress and act like a responsible person in your community. Like someone who truly cares about who they are and where they’re going and what they’re doing.

Clearly, what you’ve got going on there ain’t it. Now go home, put on some clothes, and get to work.

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But…I can’t tell you what it is yet. *sigh*

There’s a lot of work in setting up a Facebook page for this blog, and I want to get it a little bit more spiffy before I debut it. I’ll have it in the next couple of days though. Once it’s done, you can have all TCOW all the time!

TCOW = The Chronicles Of Wulfgarnia

Thanks for being patient with it!

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	A darn fine restaurant, THAT’S what it is! Blackie and I ate at The Texas Roadhouse today, and we had a good time!
photo by dmolsen

We were a bit skeptical at first, as there is a huge barrel of peanuts sitting next to the front door, and a bucket of peanuts on every table. As we have a fatal allergy to peanuts, that usually means we need to run out the door.

But, the air was fairly peanut-dust free, so we thought we’d give it a shot. And I’m glad we did!

I had a half-rack of ribs, and then the fried catfish with a sweet potato.

I was really impressed with the ribs. They were real ribs, as in, from a hog. Most places serve the little 2 inch pseudo-rib-but-mostly-fat kinda things. These were huge, and had plenty of meat on them, with the meat tender enough to fall off the bone.

The catfish was a skosh over-fried; a bit too crunchy. But the cool part was there was a ton of it, and it was cornmeal-dusted, instead of breaded (gluten-free).

The sweet potato was also very big. It could have used a couple more minutes in the oven, but that’s only because I like them soft. It was cooked adequately, just not mushy. I also had the option “loading” the sweet potato with a honey and marshmallow sauce, but I declined. I like the taste natural.

Blackie ate the sirloin tips, a garden salad, and also a sweet potato.

The sirloin tips were done exactly as ordered, and very tender. They were also cut into genuinely bite-sized pieces. Nearly all meat, with very little gristle.

The garden salad was mixed greens, all fresh, and it didn’t have the sitting-in-the-fridge-all-day taste. Also, the ranch dressing was homemade.

Our waitress was Randi, and she was awesome. Ask for her when you go in!

Once they started to sweep the floor, a lot of the peanut dust kicked up, so it was time for us to go.

All in all, very good. The music was fairly loud at times, so it’s not really a place for casual conversation. Also, you know how some places do the birthday thing where all the waitstaff come out and clap and cheer? Well, at Texas Roadhouse, they started with a saddle on a sawhorse, and made you get on it. I had to avert my eyes at that point due to my delicate sensibilities.

I recommend Texas Roadhouse to my friends. I’m definitely going back for the ribs, and the steaks looked mighty fine too. If anyone wants to go with me, just let me know!

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So, I’m testing out my new gluten-free hamburger buns made from tapioca flour.

I put it in a tupperware box, and snuck it into Culvers. When we got our food, I scraped everything off the Culver’s bun, and plopped it onto my own.

Score one for controlling my own food choices!

Tapioca flour hamburger buns taste like poo, by the way.

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Blackie and I visited with our family tonight, and we had a blast! We played Blokus, a very fun game that I’m falling in love with.

Blokus has only 1 rule. Blocks of the same color can only touch at corners, not on flat sides. From this, you get a frustrating array of moves that will take you a long time to master.

The game is simple, and can be taught to children in just a couple of minutes. But the benefits they get out of it are enormous. Spatial relations, geometry, strategy, patience; it has a lot to offer growing minds. It’s not just for kids though, because it’s hard to win!

Blokus is an awesome game for 4 people, and one of my favorites. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking it up.

And when you do, call me over for a game!

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photo by kimubert

I love when I can order something not on the menu, and the restaurant tries to accommodate me!

The wife and I ate at Zen House tonight, but I didn’t want any sushi. So, a little yaki-meshi would hit the spot, thinks I. I’m trying to incorporate more fish into my diet, so I asked for “some type of cooked fish” with my yaki-meshi. They surprised me with cooked yellowtail. Yumm!

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photo by Claire Sambrook

“I like my chocolate the same way I like my men; dark, strong, and expensive.”

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photo by nathangibbs

Sometimes, the regular old “Darn it!” won’t do. Sometimes, you need something a bit stronger than “Arrrgggghhhh!!!”

Sometimes, you need to vocalize a feeling so anguished, so heart-wrenchingly abject, so epically painful, it can only be accomplished on The Dark Side.

Press In Dire Situations

Thanks to Mitch.

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It’s true. You can have your Facebook notifications mailed to you, via GMail, for example. Simply set up an account at Nutshell Mail.

After working your way through the prompts, you’ll be asked for your primary email, and to allow Nutshell Mail to access your Facebook account. Once you’ve approved them, you’ll receive a summary email that shows the last 20 updates from your friends! You can set the number of updates to whatever number you feel comfortable with.

This could come in VERY handy for folks who may not be able to access Facebook at work, if they’re behind a corporate firewall, for instance. *wink*wink*nudge*nudge*

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	I just had a BSOD, and I’m still shaking. Kinda that feeling when you narrowly miss being in a bad car accident, ya know? My life revolves around my computer. Everything I do for work, everything I do for play, all of my friends, all of my recreation, the time I spend with my wife, my music, my photos, etc. It’s all contained in this little aluminum and plastic box sitting on my desk.
photo by John Carleton	Yes, I know. That’s pathetic and sad Wulfgar. If you’re a geek, you understand. If you’re not…well…you wouldn’t understand.

As smart and as pretty as I am, you’d think I’d be running with backups and redundant systems and safety measures. I’m not.

But, as soon as my heart stops fluttering, I’m going to look all of that stuff up and start building. I’ll post updates here as I go.

I’m going to go lay in bed for a bit to calm down.

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Apparently, I’m the only person in the history of Facebook, amongst all 370 million users, that doesn’t play Farmville.

The video is kinda funny though. Enjoy, my overall-wearing friends! And no, I don’t want anyone’s help getting my own Farmville game setup.

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We’ve all had it. We’ve all wondered about it. Yet, no one seems able to tell me how to FIX IT!

This morning when I woke up, there it was. On the left. Just sitting all up in there. The one on the right was a little cloggy, but the left was COMPLETELY CEMENTED SHUT. This was anticipated, as I’ve been sick this whole week. I resigned myself to it, and got out of bed to start my day.

Then, when I wasn’t expecting it, sometime between my gluten-free, lemon angel pie, and the battle between Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku, it happened. SWOOOOOOSH!!! Now it’s the right nostril! Arrggghhh!

Left side, completely unobstructed! You could test a new design for a fighter jet in that newly liberated wind tunnel. We are GO! for 100% air movement!

Just a coincidence says I. No big deal, says I. I’ll just sit here quietly and ride it out. What happened next? You guessed it! As Padme is telling Anakin that Luke and Leia are on the way, SWOOOOOOSH!!! It switched sides again! OMG! WTF!

After that, we were off to the races! Right side, left side, right side, left side. It’s like a tennis match in my nasal cavities! Seriously, is there a gnome with a paint brush sitting in there, tormenting me on purpose?

Medication, I thought! That’s what I need. My dealer at work turned me on to the Dayquil, so I popped a couple of those. They didn’t change anything, but now I feel a bit less scurvy-ish (I bought the Vitamin C enhanced version).

So, now I’m sitting here, worn out from keeping track of which side we’re currently on, and wondering just how the frack did we evolve something THIS ridiculous. What purpose did it serve to our caveperson ancestors? How did THIS particular bodily function prevent us from being eaten by sabretooth tigers?

Anyway, that’s my Saturday. How’s yours?

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photo by katiesgirls

I’ve been asking myself this question since I was a kid.

All my life, since I was a early teenager, I’ve tried to answer this question. It’s on my mind  constantly, like eating. No matter what jobs or experiences or successes I’ve had, I haven’t yet found the answer. Nothing seems to be good enough. And that’s the most frustrating thing of all; after 40 years of dragging my ass across the face of this planet, I’m still no closer to my answer.

I have TONS of stuff that I WANT to do.

I’ve experimented with LOTS of ideas. I’ve come up with literally a hundred ideas for things that I like to do. I’ve taken Myers-Briggs. I’ve written my mission statement. I’ve written and re-written my life’s purpose until I cried (a famous way of discovering your “passion”). I’ve explored my 7 spiritual chakras. I’ve talked myself into the 4 Agreements. I’ve attracted my career with The Secret. I’ve read blogs and articles by the thousands. I’ve worked my way through “Discover Your Life’s Purpose”, “Do What You Are, The Money Will Follow” and “What Color Is Your Parachute?” programs. I’ve been Over The Top with Ziglar, and practiced The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People with Covey. I’ve gone on walkabout. I’ve drank myself silly in attempts to force “creative thinking”. I’ve starved myself to force hallucinations. I’ve sat on the couch and played video games for weeks at a time, waiting for destiny to call my name, and my ship to come in.

Each of these methods are fabulous, and did produce results. But not the results I was looking for.

the ideas I’ve come up with seemed silly or unworkable for one reason or another.

That one is fun, but I can’t see myself doing it for a living. This one would be great, but I can’t get paid for it. I’d love to do this, but it would embarrass my wife and friends. I’ll get caught and go to jail if I get good at THAT. No one in their right minds would hire me for this. I’m too old to start over doing that. I don’t have a college degree, so I can’t do this one. I’d never survive the 8 years of college to get that degree.

I finally realized that the ideas aren’t unworkable, I am.

A lot of these ideas could have worked, or will work, or might work. With motivation and persistence, I could get most of them to happen. The problem is with me, not with the ideas. Why can’t I just be happy with what I’ve got?

None of the ideas seems like THE ONE. I continue to believe that once I finally find the truth, the thing that works perfectly for me, the life’s purpose I was meant to do, everything will fall into place. I’ll be hit with a lightning bolt of clarity, and shout out “This is it! This is what my life is about!” Now that I’ve typed it out, it sounds like I’ve been watching too many movies.

The research that I’ve done on passion and life’s purpose and destiny tells me that it never happens like that. Nearly every time, you intend to do something, end up doing something else, and realize one day that you actually found your bliss a long time ago.

how do I accept myself enough to believe in one of these ideas?

I’m still working on that. I think the secret is that I just need to get off my ass and pick something. Work it until I figure out that it’s not the one, and then switch to something else. My biggest fear in using that method is that I’ll waste the next 40 years trying on hats that look great, but don’t quite fit just right.

I guess I’d better get busy.

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It turns out, I AM a Wandering Generality, so it’s time for me to firm this blog up a bit, and become a Meaningful Specific. I’m smart, and very good looking, so there’s no reason why I can’t be very successful with my blog.

I’ve written about Google Wave, my charity mustache, interesting things I’ve seen in my day, Family Preparedness, Wulfgar’s Super Secret Oatmeal Recipe, Excel, Stories From My Yoot, and my 8 Favorite Tooters.

This is the part where YOU come in. And I need everyone’s help, all 6 of you. LOL!

Which of those posts did you like? Which of those subjects do you want to hear more about? Are there topics I haven’t covered, but you’re just dying to hear my opinion on?

PLEASE, tell me your answers in the comments to this post. Post anonymously if you want to. No subject or suggestion is too silly. Even if you’re not a subscriber, chime in anyway!

I’ll collect the answers, and then start moving in that direction.

Please help me!

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