Is the idea of man and woman outdated? I mean does it matter what it means to be a "man" or what it means to be a "woman". They are broad categories based on gender, and sex. Wouldn't it make more sense to get rid of them and talk about personality types? For instance instead of a man marrying a woman. Personality A would marry personality B. That way you could get rid of these broad, yet rigid descriptors. We could find more useful categories to place people in. I would imagine that each of the personality types would have both sexes to varying degrees.

For some reason it hit me tonight. I am my father's son. As I sit trying to figure out life at 4am in the morning, I realized that my dad and I are so very similar. We are both people driven, not money driven. It struck me when I was trying to figure out how to make money with AdSense. My dad tried to figure out the same thing when I was younger, except with him it was property management. Basically, a way to make money that allowed for more flexibility and freedom to be with the ones we love. It's not really profound, but it did make me think. It is somewhat of a relief to know we aren't so different. I mean my dad seems so legendary, and I seem so inadequate. I'm exaggerating a little, but not much.

Today was an interesting day. Interesting, and lonely. I had to live with myself today, without any of the distractions I usually have. It wasn't good or bad, but it did have a tinge of despair. Today was my first day in my new apartment. All that's in it right now is light, darkness, and my bed.

This is the first time I have lived away from home since I got back from college over 4 years ago. I'm trying to decide if it's a watershed moment in my life, or if I just think to much. It's probably a bit of both. Living by yourself just seems so economically, socially, and environmentally wasteful.

At some point after I woke up I decided I needed to get out. I couldn't sleep anymore and didn't relish the idea of siting there and staring at a wall for 5 hours. I ended up heading to a Schueler Books in the area. A weird thought occurred to me as I walked silently among the aisles. Even though there was a substantial number of people there, there wasn't very much interaction between any of the disparate groups. It seemed like we were more comfortable conversing with the past than to converse with each other in the present. Obviously this isn't the totality of the scene, but It was an interesting thought.

I didn't end up purchasing anything from the bookstore. The mission of the trip was just to waste some time anyways. Afterwards, I decided to waste some more time at a Walmart nearby. As I wandered through the store I came upon a section of shower fixtures. I absolutely love bathing. It relaxes me like nothing else. I was excited to make my first addition to my new appartment. Which in retrospect seems very underwhelming, but if it can enhance my bathing experience it will be more than worth the $12.00 I spent. I am now the proud owner of a romovable shower head with hose attachment.

I suppose I was also happy with the purchase, because it gave me a sense of control durring a time of change and uncertainty. I can definately see consumerism creeping into my thinking. Buying stuff allows me to be rhetorical. When I purchase things I want them to be of both style and substance. The problem with this is that consumerism provides a false sense of identity. I don't think I am what I buy, but it's tempting to think so.

The reason I moved into this new apartment, hung out at Schueler Books, and bought a new shower head was because I'm working at a new job. I work third shift for Waypoint Telecommunications monitoring fiber optic networks. It is alternately boring and stressful. It does allow me certain freedoms that other jobs wouldn't. For that I am very thankful.

Well that is all I'm going to write about for now. So much has happened in a short period of time, some more "unpacking" is definitely called for, just not right now.

Peace,

Shane

So I turned 27 today. A whole 27 years of being a single straight shooting son of a gun. Sigh, maybe someday someone special will meet me and sweep me off my feet. I suppose I should start getting a little more proactive. It's not that I haven't tried, it's just that I don't want to force myself on anyone. I mean I'm great at building friendships, but in the realm of romantic relationships I just have theorems and postulates. I've been trying to get into this whole internet dating thing, but honestly I don't have a clue. I have no experience interacting with women romantically. I heard that you can take practice dating classes, which I thought was hilarious, but maybe they're onto something. It's probably a little bit less embarrassing than www.cuddleparty.com. I don't want to stigmatize it as embarrassing, but it's definitely different. Different can be good. Different can make you look at things from another perspective, and to critically inquire as to what is going on. In an age where we are more connected than ever why is there such a disconnect. What isn't technology providing. Hugs, apparently.

On a brighter note I'm up to 70 sit-ups a night. In three weeks I will have reached my goal of 100 sit-ups a night. Reconstructing the body is only part of the equation . The next part is to start down a different career path. Currently, I'm part owner of a LAN gaming center. Due to various reasons my partners and I are seeking different options. I always wanted to goto grad school, but didn't want to repeat the fiasco of my undergraduate years. I realize now that I'm an academic at heart. I was never made to make widgets, but to ask questions and find answers. To move forward on this front I've started to buckle down for the GRE. I don't think that my undergraduate transcript is a good representation of who I actually am. Therefore, I have to rely heavily on a standardized test score. Which I'm not so thrilled about. But, before I can change the system I have to get into the system. So I'm going to blast this test out of the water. I will give the audience what they seek.

Peace out,

Shane Empie

Ok, it's time to resurrect my blog from the dead. Actually, it probably more appropriate to think of it as giving life to the inanimate. Either way, I feel that it's time to start a multi-log about things going on in my universe, my world, and my life. It's either the ultimate form of narcissism, or an attempt to shatter my preconceived notions of who I am and what I'm doing here.

Is it possible that a better me means a better you, and a better you means a better me? And a better we can help inform decisions on making a better world for all of us? I hope so.

So begins a new age of deconstruction and reconstruction of Shane Empie. The topics in this blog will be somewhat random like a stream of consciousness. The topics will be plucked from my very thoughts. I will use my experience and interest to inform the decisions of what topics will be covered. However, this doesn't mean that I won't talk about different subjects that others bring to my attention. So please feel free to add to the multi-log in anyway you see fit.

Peace out,

Shane Empie