John Hattaway » quick post

All Things That Lead to Yesterday

smokingpen — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:20:41 +0000

Yesterday, as many will recognize was Fathers Day. One of those points on a calendar where, as a dutiful son, I pick up the phone and make a phone call and feel better for having done due diligence. On better years I send cards or attempt to have cacti shipped to Southwestern Colorado; but more often than not, I place a phone call.

Yesterday was also the first time this particular point on the calendar meant something to me. However, on Saturday, I was pretty no into the idea of a holiday, a point, an expense that essentially consists of helpj g Hallmark make their yearly profit goals (sorry Lisa, I know you digthe cards and the place and work in one). The idea of suffering throgh a group of small children yelling father oriented songs at the tops of the lungs and to have doting parents turn and tell me it is singing leads to . . . let’s not go there.

Anyway, a series of events including going back to BYU, meeting Erin in a philosophy class, askin her out as awkwardly as possible, and eventually asking her to marry me followed by her backing out and then asking me to marry her – sans a ring, thank you very much – led up to our having CAMPER a little under a year ago that, in turn, led to me being a father on Fathers Day and I realized something in the mere being yesterday:

It doesn’t matter what you think or feel or believe one second before you become, in the smallest way possible, the object of something like Father’s Day, once the affectation of dad or padre or father or papa is applied and you become responsible for a life that cannot protect itself, feed itself, or subsist without you in some way, you’ve earned the day and as a result it takes on a meaning that is wholy its own.

Yesterday I got to celebrate Father’s Day with my kittle family and the outcome is a deep appreciation for my son, my wife, my parents, and my parents-in-law, all of whom were necessary to make yesterday a reality and a truly special day.

Thank you.

Minor Changes

smokingpen — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:26:54 +0000

I changed the way the RSS feed works. As I am not entirely certain how this works (entirely) I will leave it up to smarter people than me to determine whether or not I did it correctly. Also, I turned on avatars for comments. They are simple designs (mine is, apparently, pink). If you have an avatar you use elsewhere, feel free to create an account and use it. Otherwise, if you are a commenter, it will assign one (or has assigned one) to you already. Beyond that, I made some other backend changes… nothing to worry about. Just letting you all know that I am still aware of, and working on, the website. My schedule is so cafluey that I don’t always know when I will have the time.

The Better Part…

smokingpen — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:08:18 +0000

Sometimes when life starts tossing rotten lemons at you, experience dictates that you turn the other cheek and take the better part of valor by not responding to whatever thing you think you should respond to. One of the hallmarks of an immature person is someone who reacts eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth. Like responses to injury are an Old Testament, Moses thing. It’s a theoretically immature people (collectively) unprepared for the responsibility of a higher covenant. Since this is not a religious post, but a post on maturity, the outcome lends itself to flame wars online.

I won’t point anywhere specifically, but what is interesting to me is that many aspects of the internet are created by individuals who are talented at programming but do not have the emotional capacity to handle criticism, especially competitive criticism heaped on by peers. What makes all of this pertinent is that when you use the internet and you find something you like, chances are it was developed (or at least programmed) by someone who was sub-30, has a lot of talent, and also has very little to know control over emotions and is willing and able to speak up and sabotage other people.

And this is why, on the internet, flame wars are so dangerous. Because you will, more than likely, cause someone to get made who is emotionally immature and who knows more about how the internet works than you. The emotional immature is the actual problem.

John Hattaway | smokingpen | Alicia Grey | Clockwork Princess | Cassandra West

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