10-14-2012, 08:05 AM
It seems that the first week or so of a new stage is when I get tired, and after that, I've adjusted somewhat to the physiological demands of the stage, so the tiredness is reduced.
Other than the calm, pacific attitude I've found during Stage 3, I'm noticing a much more social vibe. I'm less motivated, but when I'm out and about, I can socialize with others more comfortably and with greater skill. I'm also finding that my creativity for problem solving has increased. If this is the final stage of clearing out the trash that's been holding me back as a man, and consequently a human being, then increased creativity would be a natural result.
One of the things I've wanted to do was lose some fat that I've gained over the past three years. The method I chose to follow was using sprint intervals to do so, and yesterday, I did my first set. OH MY POOR LUNGS. I'll be doing them again today.
Yesterday I had to get a few things from the mall, one of which being a classy weekender bag. The Fossil outlet store had one that I liked, except for one detail. The first saleslady was young, hugely obese, and I asked if there were any weekenders similar to a briefcase I liked. She dispatched a guy to the back to see what he could find, and started chatting with me about other bags that might be OK. I liked one, but hated the clasp on the front because it was hard to open and close.
Her supervisor came over, who was merely overweight and asked if I was finding what I needed. I explained that Alex was looking for a bag in the back, and Stephanie was suggesting other things. After explaining what I was looking for, she took over and Stephanie went into the back to help Alex. The manager guided me toward her favorite bag, which was available in navy and olive, and then started babbling about how she liked the navy one. We joked about how women can use mens' bags, but vice versa is unacceptable, with her saying that in Japan, you see guys wearing pink pants and carrying purses all the time. "Oh, I'm sure I could get away with it, but I really don't want to. It's just fun to poke at those things while killing time. Plus, Japanese men tend to be rather effeminate." She cracked up!
During this, Stephanie and Alex come out of the stock room with three bags. The olive and navy versions of the one the manager showed me, as well as a third on that had a doctor bag opening. I had Stephanie get me the one I disliked from the front of the store, and started evaluating the three against each other. The manager made a lame joke about keeping the navy one for herself if it were the last one in stock, and the doctor bag being a Mary Poppins bag.
After a few more questions, I chose the olive bag, and Alex handled the cashiering while Stephanie and the manager went away to help other customers in the store. The other cashier, who hadn't been involved in helping me at all, interrupted to ask Alex to sign something for her.
"I'm sorry," she said to me as she handed Alex the slip.
"You're interrupting; it's very rude," I replied, letting my smile come through in my tone. She laughed nervously, blushed a little, and scurried away after Alex had signed her paperwork.
Alex seemed pretty new, and the transaction was taking time, since the credit card machine was waiting for him to do something on the register, and he was fiddling with my bag. The other cashier came back, asking him a question.
"Augh! Twice!" I exclaimed loudly, this time chuckling at my own mock indignation. She chuckled, blushed again, and hurried back to her register after dealing with Alex.
On my way out, we had some more fun teasing Stephanie about using the weekender I disliked as a purse, since she had it hanging off her arm like one. The sad part was that it was about purse-sized for her, since she was so huge.
An interesting detail about this whole story was that none of the women were attractive to me. The register girl was a 5, and the others were below that in my opinion. I didn't care: the fun was in the flirtation without any expectations. Being present in the moment, honing my wit, and, I believe, improving the day of at least three people in addition to myself.
Other than the calm, pacific attitude I've found during Stage 3, I'm noticing a much more social vibe. I'm less motivated, but when I'm out and about, I can socialize with others more comfortably and with greater skill. I'm also finding that my creativity for problem solving has increased. If this is the final stage of clearing out the trash that's been holding me back as a man, and consequently a human being, then increased creativity would be a natural result.
One of the things I've wanted to do was lose some fat that I've gained over the past three years. The method I chose to follow was using sprint intervals to do so, and yesterday, I did my first set. OH MY POOR LUNGS. I'll be doing them again today.
Yesterday I had to get a few things from the mall, one of which being a classy weekender bag. The Fossil outlet store had one that I liked, except for one detail. The first saleslady was young, hugely obese, and I asked if there were any weekenders similar to a briefcase I liked. She dispatched a guy to the back to see what he could find, and started chatting with me about other bags that might be OK. I liked one, but hated the clasp on the front because it was hard to open and close.
Her supervisor came over, who was merely overweight and asked if I was finding what I needed. I explained that Alex was looking for a bag in the back, and Stephanie was suggesting other things. After explaining what I was looking for, she took over and Stephanie went into the back to help Alex. The manager guided me toward her favorite bag, which was available in navy and olive, and then started babbling about how she liked the navy one. We joked about how women can use mens' bags, but vice versa is unacceptable, with her saying that in Japan, you see guys wearing pink pants and carrying purses all the time. "Oh, I'm sure I could get away with it, but I really don't want to. It's just fun to poke at those things while killing time. Plus, Japanese men tend to be rather effeminate." She cracked up!
During this, Stephanie and Alex come out of the stock room with three bags. The olive and navy versions of the one the manager showed me, as well as a third on that had a doctor bag opening. I had Stephanie get me the one I disliked from the front of the store, and started evaluating the three against each other. The manager made a lame joke about keeping the navy one for herself if it were the last one in stock, and the doctor bag being a Mary Poppins bag.
After a few more questions, I chose the olive bag, and Alex handled the cashiering while Stephanie and the manager went away to help other customers in the store. The other cashier, who hadn't been involved in helping me at all, interrupted to ask Alex to sign something for her.
"I'm sorry," she said to me as she handed Alex the slip.
"You're interrupting; it's very rude," I replied, letting my smile come through in my tone. She laughed nervously, blushed a little, and scurried away after Alex had signed her paperwork.
Alex seemed pretty new, and the transaction was taking time, since the credit card machine was waiting for him to do something on the register, and he was fiddling with my bag. The other cashier came back, asking him a question.
"Augh! Twice!" I exclaimed loudly, this time chuckling at my own mock indignation. She chuckled, blushed again, and hurried back to her register after dealing with Alex.
On my way out, we had some more fun teasing Stephanie about using the weekender I disliked as a purse, since she had it hanging off her arm like one. The sad part was that it was about purse-sized for her, since she was so huge.
An interesting detail about this whole story was that none of the women were attractive to me. The register girl was a 5, and the others were below that in my opinion. I didn't care: the fun was in the flirtation without any expectations. Being present in the moment, honing my wit, and, I believe, improving the day of at least three people in addition to myself.
Fear is a liar.
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. -- Ernest Hemingway
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. -- Ernest Hemingway
