When do you know?

For me, this is a very selfish place where thoughts crystallize. It's my equivalent of a cigarette - just a place i go and think for a few minutes every now and then. Sometimes its as If I need a lot of smokes and at other times I've virtually kicked the habit.
I've met a girl. She's lovely. The difficulty is that I habitually look for the bad in a person and then satisfy myself that they don't belong on my 'A' list. ridiculous but true. Clare hasn't pissed me off yet and that surprises me because i'm such a grumpy bastard.
I'm 35 and I have dreams and ideals for the remainder of my life. Surely that's normal (?). With relationships my worry has always been that you are in a relationship and then you meet else who you consider to be better, faster, stronger, fitter....OK I'll stop - you get the idea.
I'd like a little help here. When do you know that its time to park up?
She's beautiful isn't she?

Play the ball

Dating sites. Aren't they queer places? So, I'm on two sites and my profiles are loosely similar. You'll have to look to tell me what you think of course. the odd thing about dating sites is that despite the anonymity its generally guys that fire the 1st emails and generally girls that ignore them - just like 'real' life at the bars...Am I wrong?

I am looking for bites here but I do believe that more guys buy drinks for females than females buy for guys. Is that sexist and if so, which sex is being sexist?
So anyway, the dating profiles. I'm a good guy (no really - I am) but the most sexually suggestive and yet most hidden of my profiles gets the attention. The more 'genuine' one gets very little. What to feel about that I don't know. What I do know however is that a lot of guys are slime balls, send lurid pictures of their genitalia at the first chance, post pictures that do not resemble themselves in the slightest and try to hit on women at the first meeting like its the way to behave. They make my life hard on the dating circuit. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Angel but if I'm not wanted I'll leave the girl alone and deal with the 'rejection' (if it is rejection) like an adult rather than a bruised ego'd brat.
I'm wondering what the story is. The 'nice guy' profile gets nothing. The darker one gets some...They're both very very honest but the darker one is a profile your Mother would suggest you avoid.

A prominent NZ Sports Radio presenter called Brendan Telfer took ill the other day. He's a guy that says some stupid things during talk back radio (in my opinion) but a discussion about him (on air)was worth listening to. It was agreed in a very polite way that Brendan does have some unique views and his method of disagreeing with callers has many wondering if he is alright in the head. However he does have an ability to argue a point but that he always 'plays the ball - not the man'. A sporting analogy but the point made was that he can argue & disagree to the nth degree and then after the discussion go and have a beer with the very same person he has argued vociferously with. I wish I could do that...Sometimes the argument taints the person for me and I wish it didn't. Hmm mm. Thanks for reading.

The DIY Mechanic

Far too many people take themselves seriously I reckon. I do too but do my very best to limit it.

So, 'idiot' here decided to change his brake pads on his truck today and made a right balls up of it. For some unknown damn reason I released the bleed valve and now the frikkin truck won't stop. What a moron. WHAT A MORON!

If you ever feel the need to so the same..

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4213448.html

Oh and its not a one man job if you stuff it up like I did, which is why I'll be asking a friend for their help tomorrow. Duh. I'm smiling! (Bloody idiot).

Gym Etiquette

Nothing is so interesting for me as people. Still images where faces and expressions are unknowingly captured in times of thought are just fantastic. You can tell so much from a face.
Equally as interesting are the faces of people in public; at the airport, walking through the mall, sitting at a cafe or working out at a gym. All are fascinating places to see expressions and imagery and utter nonsense as folk 'reinvent' themselves in real time. I'm smiling by the way.
So, the gym - a place that saves my bacon maybe 4 or 5 days a week. Its the place where I can rid myself of anything that is winding me up..almost.
It's generally guys that suffer dramatic physiological issues at the gym - created by massive mental panics about image. Girls suffer too but their ego's seem to to deal with it better. I'm not sure what happens as a male walks through the gym door but they seem to have difficulty walking properly and in fact need to slow down as if walking on the moon, carrying eggs under their armpits and at all times wear a scowl that would befit a WWE smackdown star. That's even before they grab the dumbbell that is far too heavy and begin wrecking themselves.
Ugh. I smile because I know you understand exactly what I mean. Guys in gyms - what are they like?

Niche Market

I mentioned a couple of posts back that I believe EVERYBODY has insecurities. Nobody is normal and yet some things fall within normality and some things seem to land in the 'queer', 'weirdo' or 'perverted' boxes.

The Internet allows people access to all sorts of stuff. If you have a product that doesn't need to be manufactured or shipped then you can sell it on the internet and your work load is minimal. Sell an image, a story, a video clip. It's a numbers game and I hate it that I'm a sucker for it. Hate it because its such a simple idea, such a flawed business plan and yet in the case of the internet which requires so little work to establish the shop window it can make the site owner thousands...My biggest frustration is that I fall for it and fritter away money to people who don't care about me or anyone else but their bank accounts. Porn is the most obvious culprit. It's so obvious that its hardly even niche - but there is no doubt sex sells (Dammit!). Drugs sell too - whether they be recreational or for performance . They're expensive.

It's niche market stuff. It's fantasy and people pay for it. Damn you people for praying on MY fantasy, leading me on that you have something I can have forever.... It ONLY costs maybe $10 a pop, maybe $100, maybe more - it depends on the market and the buyer. Of course nobody is twisting arms after all. Criminals target niche markets. I hope that makes you feel better Mr or Mrs Seller. Actually I wish I was you..or had what you have to sell.

Join the deep sea underwater Ironing club today!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niche_marketing

In sickness and in health?

Driving down Durham Street on Saturday I saw on my left a lovely looking young bride accompanied by what looked to me like three equally good looking young bridesmaids. "Another silly fucker" I uttered to myself as I drove past. It was like a reflex reaction to what I saw, an automatic 'without thought' response and it shocked me to the point of justification. Why did I say that!? Come ON James, be fair?

With my opinions I generally question myself as if somebody else was challenging any view I have, try to look at things from another angle...I do it to affirm my view or in rare cases, modify it.

Marriage. It doesn't make any sense to me at all. It's a bookies dream because there are so many variables and so much you cannot know and yet it is the single most important commitment people make to each other. So, I'd be happy to take bets on most marriages. They may last but isn't that possibly due to a fear? Codependency maybe? I mean people locked into relationships can't bare to be alone right? How many marriages are happy ones? In New Zealand last year about 20,000 people got married. About 10,000 divorced. Doesn't seem like people are too committed to marriage at all to me.

'Where there is no trust there is no love' must be one of the truest statements. If you trust somebody, why do you have to sign a damn register to prove it? How many people do you know that stuffed a relationship because one party was 'hiding' something from the other - be it an affair, alcoholism, S&M fetish or something else? Well...It's not uncommon - just ask Hugh Grant. So, that means that in relationships people aren't (always) honest. I'd go further. People aren't reliable. Then again if you are happy with the one you are with, aren't checked by paranoia because of what may or may not be then 'great!', no no i mean 'You lucky lucky bastard'...But you don't need to risk making a dick of yourself in front of 100 people do you? No. You've got the one, the boy or girl that does it for you so go and enjoy yourselves and best of luck to you..

If you meet the one and you truly know it's forever, I'm happy for you. Who are you proving it to if you get married you idiot?

If you want to play the slot machines then that's your choice. People change, people get old and people aren't always honest. That's just 3 variables. Put your coin in the marriage machine and your chances of the jackpot are worse than your chance of winning the lottery. There are so many variables you will need a computer to know how many. It's people you see?: They're ridiculously complex things. I used to play the chance game as a school teacher. A $20 note was up for grabs and the all the kids had to do was pick 4 numbers 0-9 in the same order as me. I never lost.

How many of you would put $1000 bet on a coin toss? See - you're not so silly after all. OK, now talk me through the logic of marriage? Er...

Here's another slant to it: Cage a wild animal and it will try to get out right?.... I've said enough. Love her / him but don't be a fool. If you are to be a fool, I truly hope you do hit the Jackpot (really). I don't rate your chances* but I hope those dice keep rolling a six for you.

*I believe in probability. It's smart to work out your chance of success before you stake your future on it.

Who's normal anyway?

I'm getting addicted to this place. Its brilliant. I guess it allows people to jot down their wacky thoughts, well that's what it is for me just now anyway. Everyone has insecurities - even the most rock solid individual has their little issues and truly? I refuse to believe otherwise.

I'm single and I'm also admittedly a dreamer. At 34 I'm worried that a little cynicism is clouding my sunshine and the clowning kid that was is not seen so often any more. Maybe the clown was a cover anyway....Probably.

I'd like to fix things a little. The ironic thing is that I'm not unhappy. I have cash in my pocket, a place of my own, allegedly a brain in my head and I have possibly too much time to myself.

Being a fussy bugger is a good thing but for me its a real pain in the arse. Normal guys like normal girls. I don't. That means I'm either a bloody peculiar guy or I like unusual girls... Which I guess either way you look at it means I'm peculiar. The other slant of course is that it could mean I'm honest or that every other man on the planet is scared about their true 'desires'. My desires I guess are not that 'weird' - thank goodness.

For some unknown reason I think muscular girls are incredibly appealing. No idea why. I just realised as a kid that your normal 'super model' didn't do it for me. I look after myself OK but not to extremes. I don't take drugs but am guilty of the occasional binge drinking session. I don't eat too much rubbish but can inhale a block of chocolate or wolf down fish n chips from time to time. Being in shape is important to me and it is what I look for in any potential partner. Why the hell I find female body builders so appealing is a loss to me but its the way it is. Needle in haystack? Er...Yes. Not sure how I'm wired exactly. My ego is in check. The idea of a female partner who can bench press more than I can doesn't worry me at all. Actually I think its great. Before you finalise your judgements though..I'm not a 100% submissive guy, I'm not a skinny 'was beaten up by girls at school' guy and I'm not gay. I just like pumped up girls. The girl in the picture? Yep, that works. Yeah I know!!! 0800 Braindoctor? Ha..It's just the way it is...