In Defense of Couples Who Profess Their Love on Social Media

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"...it’s not the responsibility of the people in your Facebook feed to stop succeeding...it’s on us as individuals to figure out how to be happy for other people’s happiness and not translate someone else’s success into our own personal failure...it’s not the responsibility of our Facebook friends to live smaller lives. It’s our responsibility to be bigger people."

I read this post a while ago from Hello Giggles about a recent study on how people react to those people we all know who overshare about how much they love their partners. It came to the obvious conclusion that people were adverse to those couples that gush about one another endlessly on social media. The answer there is simple; moderation.

What I really connected with in this article though was about how a lot of people are mad, sad, or upset when other people in their feeds are happy or doing well. It taps into this energy within us that embodies our jealousies, our doubts, our anxieties, and we focus on someone else's chosen way to express their happiness and we get angry that one of our friends is celebrating a success in their life. Shouldn't we be happy for our friends' happiness?

I certainly admit I struggle with this very thing so when I read this article, it definitely hit very close to home for me. In my ongoing quest for ultimate "zen status" where I am at peace with the world and everyone in it, I take this on as my next challenge. I'm going to not get jealous or envious when someone I care about is doing well. I am going to be glad and celebrate the joys of my friends and family, because there is no harm to me if those around me do well. We're all on the same team and we all just want to be loved, to be secure, and to be able to enjoy ourselves while we're on this massive spinning rock called Earth. Lets all make it a more positive, supportive place for us all to be happy and for us all to celebrate that happiness however we see fit.

I hope you are inspired by this simple idea like I was.

Thanks for stopping by.

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 08/08/14

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Good tidings!

Welcome to another week of what I am geeking out about. Check out what is going on in my nerdy life below!

I've followed Dr. Nerdlove's advice blog for the past year or so and have always enjoyed what he puts out there. I think it is highly valuable, important, and needed for men today. I have a personal curiosity and interest in dating as a unique form of communication and his nerdy lens creates a great combination that is right up my alley. I think it would be useful to you all as well, men, women, parents, anybody who has someone in their life who is looking for love. You can either learn for yourself or share some pertinent posts from his blog. He is also working on a new book so be on the look out for that as well!

I was a big fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender show when it was on the air. It was a fun kid's show that had some great messages behind it. Legend of Korra has those same great elements as well as exploring the greater mythology of the show universe and having a great female lead. I've just recently caught up with the current season and this show is a lot of fun to watch. It holds up to the high expectations of its predecessor in its own way, in my opinion. Definitely check it out if you haven't and if you haven't seen the original series, go watch that right now! It is all available on Amazon Prime Instant Video!

Oh, Heroes. You tragic show. This show had so much potential when its first season aired on NBC back in 2006. I was a fan and have found myself stumbling upon old episodes lately out of nostalgia. With the recent news of a reboot, limited series "Heroes Reborn" coming in 2015, you should definitely watch the first season of this show now, if you haven't before. It is great television. The entire series is streaming on both Netflix and Hulu Plus. Watch the other four seasons at your own risk, as the quality just falls precipitously as the show goes on.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I Was Geeking Out About: July 2014

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Hello, good people!

Here is what I was geeking about during the magnificent month of July!

Keep up with all of my geek outs every Friday! There will always be something new to discover, fun to follow, and you'll know what's going on with my life all in one spot.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 08/01/14

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Geek-and-proudHey there!

Welcome to another week in my life of perpetual geek outs. Check out what I've been into lately:

I'm surprised I haven't highlighted Songza here before, but I wanted to give it a shoutout since I have been jamming to various playlists a lot lately due to my new job. I enjoy some soft, easy listening music on in background while I plug into a project. For those who are unaware, Songza is a free music streaming service whose cool, unique feature is having a "concierge" service that serves up music contoured to your current context. Having a lazy Sunday morning? Songza gives you a few different choice playlists for that particular occasion. It is so spot on and awesome that I have been utilizing Songza pretty exclusively as of late. I also discover some great stuff through them too. Definitely give it a try whenever you need something to listen to next.

I just got turned onto this podcast by a friend of mine and I've listened to a few choice episodes from their library so far. I love their casual, fun feel (which is what I always enjoy in podcasts) as well as their classic informative, engaging, NPR sort of vibe. They have a solid slate of episodes so far that should connect with anyone's specific geekdoms, be it space, technology, science, or film. I particularly enjoyed their episode with Richard Linklater about his recent movie, "Boyhood". I'm always about sharing great podcasts with the world so here is one more for you all!

The other day, I had two very diverse things I wanted to get; a new business card holder for my desk and an anniversary gift for my partner. I was able to get these two things in original, awesome forms that I know I couldn't have found anywhere else. I don't explore Etsy nearly enough for stuff and this experience furthered my commitment to change that. Etsy is great since it is a storefront for anyone to post up a shop with their handcrafted goods to sell online. There is everything from jewelry to clothing, trinkets to art. I highly recommend it, especially for the next time you are having difficulty find a gift for someone. You'll find something really cool on Etsy, I guarantee it!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Language of Love & Leadership

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5ll_logoI recently took this quiz at the behest of my partner. It seeks to show you, based on a series of questions, how you prefer to receive love. This can be used for romantic and platonic relationships alike and I have heard about it from both friends and work colleagues so I felt it was about time to check it out. Similar to a previous post of mine on leadership inventories like MBTI and StrengthsQuest, I found relevant connections to student affairs and leadership with this survey. Figuring out one's "love language" allows for an unique insight into how we prefer to receive praise, how we make connections with other people, and how we would prefer to achieve that precarious work/life balance, harmony, etc.

There are five love languages that you get varying point scores for (much like True Colors). The languages are physical touch, acts of service, quality time, receiving gifts, and words of affirmation. After taking the survey, I found my top languages to be quality time and words of affirmation. I found this to be highly accurate for myself. I really appreciate, in all my relationships, the opportunity to spend time with the people who are important to me even if that is just hanging out. I also very much appreciate when people tell me how they feel and even more so how I make them feel. I never really ask for the words of affirmation from people but I enjoy it when I get them.

Taking this survey allowed for me to objectively see what I need to feel loved, appreciated, and valued, at work and in life. Just like the other leadership inventories, it allows for a common language of leadership that can create better teams that are heard, understood, and given what they need to succeed.

Check the quick Love Languages survey here and make sure to have coworkers and partners take it too. It's really helpful!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Why I Love Scott Pilgrim, The Books

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scott_pilgrim_box_set_poster_by_whoisrico-d2zvrh6Last week I shared my love of the Scott Pilgrim movie, this week I want to give a shoutout to to the great books that inspired that great movie. The story, split into six books, covers Scott's trials with Ramona's seven evil exes and his journey toward finally growing up and accepting the failures of his life. The book is drawn in a great "manga" sort of style and the dialogue is great. It is very referential to all the sorts of things I know and love and it has that sort of geeky augmented reality that those of us that play video games for far too long can easily relate to.

The Scott Pilgrim movie, when compared to the books is a sort of loosely adapted cliff notes version of the books, glossing over some of the nuances and tightening the story for what makes for an awesome film that has a great pace and still captures the spirit of the books. I enjoy both in their own ways, and was inspired to read the books after watching the movie. It gave a more fleshed out world to dive into and allowed for all the characters to be featured more and the whole experience was fun, readable, and engaging read.

I have this awesome box set that I got as a gift a few years ago that comes with a cool poster too (pictured above). For anyone who loved the movie or just loves great comics, check out these great books, which are now also being re-released in full color!

Thanks for stopping by!