A Changing Of The Guards

totally schooled




















tonight

Hey, Allow Me To.. Oops

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Yes, Please

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12 Workplace Depression Busters

In his classic, "The Prophet," Kahlil Gibran writes: "Always you have been told that work is a curse... But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth's furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born."

Unfortunately Kahlil's words don't jibe with a new Australian study that found almost one in six cases of depression among working people caused by job stress, that nearly one in five (17 percent) working women suffering from depression attribute their condition to job stress and more than one in eight (13 percent) working men do the same. In the last decade, the number of American workers that say job stress is a major problem in their lives has doubled. In fact, the US Department of Health reported that 70 percent of physical and mental complaints at work are related to stress.

What do we do? Bring our Kleenex to work and hope we don't get caught crying, or give our notice with no other job in reach? Thankfully, we have a few steps between these two extremes. Here are 12 techniques that have helped me manage the workplace blues.

Don't Quit Yet
Let me just say this first. Chances are higher that you will feel worse if you quit than if you keep on showing up to a job that you hate. Why? If you're not working, you will have even more time to think about how much you hated your job. On top of the acute anxiety you feel when you think about how you are going to pay off your next phone, electric, and mortgage bill without the regular paycheck being deposited automatically into your bank account. And then there's the isolation of having no one to talk to during the day, because... one small detail... everyone else you know is probably working. So just sit tight until you read through, say, ten of these tips before you gladly give your notice, okay?

Learn Some Calming Techniques
You know what's cool about most relaxation techniques? You can do them while you are listening to your boss give you your next assignment. Let's say, as he is telling you that he hired a nice woman half your age that you now report to, that you suddenly feel lots of tight pressure in your shoulders--naturally, because you have the desire to slug him. You relax your shoulders in a way that relieves some of that tension and tells your body that slugging him isn't an option (right now, anyway).

Then, as you walk back to your desk, where the kid right out of college hands you five assignments due by the end of the day, you can take ten deep breaths: counting to four as you inhale and to four again as you exhale. If you are allowed to listen to music or white noise at work (or if you work from your home, as I do), you might want to invest in a CD of ocean waves. Whenever I listen to mine, I take a few seconds to visualize myself on the sandy beach of Siesta Key, Florida, hunting for sea shells, a short moment to catch my sanity.

Turn Your Things Off
I'm not talking about your sex drive, although if you're depressed, chances are that that's off, too. I mean your BlackBerry or iPhone, or at least the "ding" noise alerting you to every new ("URGENT!") e-mail that you don't think drives you crazy but does. Trust me. When you turn it off for an afternoon, a day—or even commit to a weekend without it!--you will see that it is responsible for a sizable chunk of your madness.

It's ironic that very technological advances that were supposed to free us end up imprisoning us to our work, argues integrative doctor Roberta Lee in her astute book The Superstress Solution. In her introduction, she cites a recent survey commissioned by Support.com: 40 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds said they couldn't cope without their cell phone, yet the same students reported less stress and had lower heart rates and blood pressure when they stopped using them for three days.

You need not join the monastery. Just try turning the thing off for a few evenings and see how you feel.

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Kitty Owned

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Conan / Leno

All right I've had enough. Jay Leno & Conan O'Brien are both equally average. Enough said.

Just another media rant.

That's all..

Must Be Florida

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Cute

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Beware Of Hole Kitties

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Harley Owned

The funniest thing happened last night. The dogs were both laying on separate articles of clothing which were on the couch not far from my chair, where I was sitting playing Madden. I had just paused my game to go to the restroom, so the house was completely quiet. From the bathroom 20 feet away, and through a closed door, I could hear our youngest, Harley (an 11-lb. mini-dachshund), whining. He's naturally a talker - he whines all the time, and makes other monkey-like talking noises. He also loves to bury himself beneath whatever he can find, be it a blanket, his little bed, a towel, or really anything.

Anyway amongst the whining, I heard what I presumed was him jumping from the couch to the floor. When I finished my business, and went back in there to inspect what he was whining about, this is what I found:


































































Click to enlarge

He had burrowed himself into one of the arms of my wife's jacket.

Hilarity ensued..

But Can They Really?

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Incredible Haiti Photos

Please click to enlarge

There's many more here (+6 days)

and here too (+48 hours)

and here too (+24 hours)

Courtesy of The Big Picture at Boston dot com.

Sigh

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Improvisation: No Beer Bong

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I'm not sure what's more impressive.. drinking four at once, or holding four at once!

Canopy Living: The Ultimate Tree House

There’s the tree house your Dad built for you in the backyard, and then there’s the tree house Robert Harvey Oshatz built in the forests of Portland, Oregon. Designed in 1997 and completed in 2004, the Wilkinson Residence is in perfect harmony with its surroundings. Built on a steep sloping lot, the living space resides amongst the forest canopy, making your morning coffee most enjoyable. With more curves than Lombard Street, the Wilkinson Residence is a property you have to see to believe.

Project Details
- Project Name: Wilkinson Residence
- Site Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
- Architect: Robert Harvey Oshatz
- Project Type: Residential
- Client: Roy Wilkinson
- Site Area: 2200 square meters (23,680 sq. ft)
- Built-up Area: 480 square meters (5,162 sq. ft)
- Designed in 1997, construction completed in 2004

Description from the architect: Robert Harvey Oshatz
A lover of music, the client wanted a house that not only became part of the natural landscape but also addressed the flow of music. This house evades the mechanics of the camera; it is difficult to capture the way the interior space flows seamlessly through to the exterior. One must actually stroll through the house to grasp its complexities and its connection to the exterior. One example is a natural wood ceiling, floating on curved laminated wood beams, passing through a generous glass wall which wraps around the main living room.

And of course a few more awesome pictures:










































Continue to the rest..

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This Won't End Well

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What a Ham

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The Baptist Cowboy

A cowboy, who is visiting Wyoming from Texas, walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Miller High Life. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.

The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time."

The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona, the other is in Colorado. When we all left our home in Texas, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."

The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there.

The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.

One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss."

The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then an enlightened look dawns in his eyes and he laughs.

"Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains, "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking."

"Hasn't affected my brothers though."

Thanks Rick!

Somebody Check My Brain

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Nothing To See Here

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That's Gotta Hurt

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Obviously there's no sign in the opposite direction!

15 Interesting Facts About Dreams

Dreaming is one of the most mysterious and interesting experiences in our lives.

During the Roman Era, some dreams were even submitted to the Roman Senate for analysis and dream interpretation. They were thought to be messages from the gods. Dream interpreters even accompanied military leaders into battles and campaigns!

In addition to this, it is also known, that many artists have received their creative ideas from their dreams.

But what do we actually know about dreams?

Here are 13 interesting facts about dreams – enjoy, and what’s most important, don’t forget to share your dream stories in the comment section!

1. You Forget 90% of Your Dreams














Within 5 minutes of waking, half of your dream is forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone.


2. Blind People also Dream
















People who became blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion.


3. Everybody Dreams

















Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder). If you think, you are not dreaming, you just forget your dreams.

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Classless

First Alabama.. now Minnesota.

Doesn't anyone comprehend the concept of taking a knee anymore? You're the Vikings, and you're up 27-3 with 2 minutes to go in the game. It's 4th & 3, and you're at the opponents' 11 yard line. Your opponent is out of timeouts. What do you do??

Just sayin' ..

Ohh, Now I Get It

Click to see "The Scream" Expanded

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Move On Along

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Ahh The Benefits

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Plan Ahead

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