Xmas recap and 2009 goals.

Christmas was a blast! Xmas eve I woke up, hung around the house and watched some of The Departed, took a shower then headed off to Mike's house to celebrate Xmas eve at his uncles house. It consisted of a lot of singstar, drinking, food and laughs. It was a good time, at around 700ish we headed back to Mike's house where we exhanged some gifts. Lot's of goodies! I was pooped so I headed home around 930ish.

Christmas morning, woke up took a shower, cleaned up around the house and my room. 1030am people started rolling in. 1145 we all sat down for brunch and had pancakes, eggs, homemade hashbrowns, fruit, muffins, etc. Sooo much food! Afterwards, Mike poped in Singstar and we played some more... it was hilarious seeing my aunts and uncles up there all laughing at themselves. At around 515pm we headed back overto Mikes to open presents from his Mom and Dad, played some games and ate more food... way to much food... ugh...

So I got:
- Jeans, a top
- Scarves
- Book
- New guitar for guitar hero
- holder for my itouch
- guitar hero I and II
- Lots of philosophy products (my fav)
- itunes gift card
- target gift card
- Dooney and Burke wrislet
- Borders gift card
- sex and the city season 6 pt 2
- microphone headset for WoW

And much more - I feel so spoiled ugh!

I have been so busy with family/friend stuff, playing with my toys lol, working extra hours, babysitting that I have not really had to time to report on the festivities. So that's my recap... how was your holiday??

Maria's goals and objectives for 2009
1. I plan on eliminating ALL of my debt - obviously not including my school loans... but my credit card debt. I plan on utilizing each paycheck paying the min on some while paying 3-4x more on the other till that one is done and moving on - so on and so forth while keeping track via excel spreadsheet. I will be updating regularly on my progress.
2. Saving money - since im still finishing up school while working saving is usually not in my vocab. But I have worked it out that I will have $15 thrown into my savings account each paycheck. $15 isnt a lot it's dinner one night or 2 lunches. I just wont go... I can handle $15 dollars and I figured that if I save $15 every week for 52 weeks without touching it I will have saved $780... thats a vacation, thats xmas spending money, that's almost a down payment on a car, that's a nice photography camera... which leads me to my next goal/objective.
3. I want to get into Photography more - I love my little nikon point a shoot but my motivation just isnt there, granted - lame excuse I know - But to go out there and play with lighting, angles, etc I cant get that with a point and shoot. So my plan is to save a good $500-$1000 for a nice camera that is obviously user friendly. This is after I paid off 2-3 of my cards first - I can't justify the buy if I dont get something accomplished. I want to start getting really good, make it my own and maybe do something more with it. I dont know its something I really love and want to invest more time and energy into.
4. Finish school. I am one semester away and one thesis away from getting my Bachelors in Communication for the University of Michigan which is thrilling, exciting and scary all at once. I am ready to be done - going to college for the past 6 years is exhausting!
5. Detox my belongings. I have far too much stuff, books, games, clothes, purses, shoes etc a lot of which I simply don't use anymore. I want to basics. I would like to find a week (obviously if I get into my work full time and save some PTO) to go through EVERYTHING and clean clean clean!
6. Start working out again. Honestly, at one point I was cutting out a nice chunk of carbs from my diet (not a lot but a nice chunk) and working out 3x a week and I was losing weight feeling good - looking good. It just became a part of my day/week and I liked where I was working out which helped because if you just dont feel motivated where you work out you are less likey to go. I really want to get back into swimming - how I love swimming~
7. Spend more time with family and friends. Granted I am usually very good about this, but really make memories - What kind of life is it without friends or family... so making more time.


Well those are some of the things near and dear to my heart that I want to work on getting accomplished this coming year. Again, as usual... will update you all on my progress. What are your plans for 2009? What do you want to get accomplished?

That Christmas Feeling

It always seems to happen to me, year after year. I get so caught up in getting everyone a gift, making sure it's a good one. Am I spending enough? I am spending too little? They always do such a nice things for me, etc etc etc. I get so caught up in the game that corporations and companies WANT you to get caught up in. More more more. Wanting more then you need, having the next best thing even though what you have is perfectly fine! This time of year is so stressful and painful for some because people want want want. For pete sake, a guy died from people's greediness and desire to have to HAVE something. I'm sorry but nothing is ever worth that stress and torture.

Obviously Christmas is the time for peace and family. Being with the ones you love, remembering those who aren't. And depending on your religious beliefs, celebrating the birth of Jesus. It is the season of giving, there are so many people out there, especially in our backyard who are so much less fortunate, people who have loss their jobs due to our national recession are struggling to buy a toy for their kid. It just breaks my heart.

I hope everyone this season takes a step back to reflect what this season is all about and enjoy it. I am so grateful for what I have and those who are in it - you know who you are. I hope everyone remains safe this Holiday Season. Peace.

And the results are...........

I took a Character Strength Survey here but originally posted on this awesome blog it's 240 questions goes by pretty quick - you have to register a username but its free. I took it and here are my top 5 traits... if you know me - would you agree??


Your Top Strength
Humor and playfulness
You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.

Your Second Strength
Fairness, equity, and justice
Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance.

Your Third Strength
Leadership
You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

Your Fourth Strength
Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty
You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group.

Your Fifth Strength
Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness
You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.

Lazy Sundays!

So I am enjoying my Lazy Sunday by sleeping in, reading, watching a couple episodes of girls next door, looking around on the internet, watching an AMAZING documentary called Surfwise that fellow blogger Cup of Jo talked about on her site. My mom and I were both brought to tears by this amzing story. After that played a couple songs on Guitar Hero III. What's next? Finally get around to taking a shower, doing some laundry and maybe more guitar hero. Other than that i'm pretty excited about working Mon and Tues then having two days off for the holidays YAY. I will leave you with two finds today that I want -

This awesome shirt by Print Liberation


AND I am also looking for a new pair of glasses since mine are falling apart - literally. Found these from eyebuydirect.com so im looking at getting these fancy new pair after the holidays... what do you think?

Hope your weekend is going great!

Baby... it's cold outside

This damn storm is such a downer. It took me 2 hours to get into work today!!

Supposed to get more in on Sunday - Boo!

Etsy Find: Mini message cards

Found at the ArtMind Etsy store:

I think it's such a cute idea - makes me mad I didn't come up with it! Love it!

Things ive done/want to do

Found this things you have done vs. things you want to do at Chances Im going to Hell for this Blog

I have done a lot - or maybe it seems that way - enjoy

Those in bold = done
Those in italics = really really wanna do
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis-
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 7
0. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant

Recap of 2008 and hopes for 2009

This year was a good year. I wasn't who I was Jan 1, 2008 so the good news is, that i did a lot of growing. I learned to mellow out on a lot of stuff and not to take other stuff so personally. On the other hand, my patience for others and life in general has not changed at all, but in all honestly - I dont really ever seeing that going away... I guess it's just something about me - it's my thing: Im widely impatient. I am content on being by myself. I adore it actually. I love sitting in my room watching a movie, playing WoW, clicking around on the internet. I also love going shopping on my own, going to the bookstore - whatever. I have always been like this but the enjoyment factor has def. gone up a notch. I have continued to purge toxic friendships, even though it wasn't the easiest thing to do. Some people though just cant come back into my life after making a mistake. I forgive but I don't forget. I can be friendly but I cant be friends.

It was great because I got a new job - and it couldn't have come at a better time. The day I was offered my current job, my old job was cutting my hours from 20 to 8. I just cant live off of that - I have a ton of bills to pay people. Even though it's a little farther away, I am getting paid more, the environment is so much better to work in and the work - how I LOVE the work I do. I am doing what I love with people who really appreciate me. I have already formed so great friendships with my co-workers - even though I am the 2nd youngest in this building.

There are a couple things this year I wish I would have kept up on or started to do... but then again I have to keep a couple things in perspective. I only work part time so saving is a little hard to do. I wish I saved some money this year. What I am going to do is set up my direct deposit where they will dump $15 into my savings account each week - If I dont touch it the whole year - that's $780 saved! That's a vacation or xmas gifts! I wish I was more active. Everything I do is stagnent... work...school...home... I need to make sure I find time to get up and move my ass!

This New Years I plan on being pretty laid back. I dont really feel like getting all dolled up and fighting the cold, people, and spending more money then i'd like. I plan on having a P.J. party - Heather said she was in but getting some take out, drinks, staying in our P.J's all night and getting a little buzzed till we fall asleep... too me this sounds way more exciting then a club. I can't help that I am a huge home-body. Another reason I plan on not going out and going crazy is I am also seeing wicked with cousin a couple days after xmas and that alone is going to cost me another $65-70 so really im not going to have any money to play with in the first place. But im ok with that.

This week is pretty exciting I guess as well. I am working 33 hours, I have my last finals and papers due, I am finishing up my xmas shopping, and making christmas cookies with Jenn. A fun week planned ahead indeed. What are your new years plans? What are your hopes and goals for 2009?

YouTube finds

The Auto Industry vs. Congress

I'm not lying here people. I have been reading some other individual's blogs, getting a feel for their situation and I think the general consensus is this: If the government doesn't help out Motor City, the rest of the nation will feel the effects of this as well.

The thing that irritates me, friends is: How is it the government can dish out over $700 billion dollars to Wallstreet where there is so much curroption and greed with no oversight, no paybacks, no trips to congress to be scrutinized or questioned. Just a sign of a form and there you go. But when it comes to the Big 3, it is a big frickin TO DO. The Big 3 are no saints here, we all realize that. There have been countless mistakes such as making cars people have no use for such as non eco-friendly vehicles and gas guzzlers, however, the majority of the issue here is in fact that the economy is in the shitter. No one wants to buy a car when they are having a hard time paying their utility bills. The Big 3 is the middle class and if they can't help the auto industry... that's a big HUGE slap in the face to all middle class americans.

It's OK to give finaincal welfare TO THE RICH but it's not ok to help out the middle class... the middle class that is the face of America. We are, we make up the vast majority of "classes" out there. The government needs to get a hold of themselves, re-evaluate their decision, and help us out. Even if it means having them take over till we are stabalized. If they don't... it's not going to be good people. Say a prayer, light a candle, do whatever it is you can do to send good thoughts out into the universe for help and aide during this very scary and difficult time.

Michael Moore makes some interesting points here:



From a fellow Detroit blogger Sweet-Juniper post on Don't let them Die

"Some of the people saying let them fail about Detroit's automakers are very the same people who had no problem with the $700 billion bailout of the very "industries" responsible for the sudden evaporation of so many billions of dollars in equity and credit. I would like to show them the state of this city and ask them to think about how much worse it (and hundreds of other cities reliant on the auto industry) will get if any of these three employers were suddenly unable to pay their employees or suppliers. This isn't Manhattan. We're not talking about Goldman Sachs associates suddenly not being able to pay the mortgages on their $350,000 parking spaces in Tribeca for the Ferraris they bought with their 2006 bonuses. We are talking about the lifeblood of a region that has already suffered so deeply, and I can't believe how many people are speaking so flippantly about allowing this great American industry to die.

I'm no apologist for the Big Three or their ridiculous missteps and lapses of judgment. But I do care about the regular people who work for these companies and who played no role in those poor decisions. Where is the compassion? Consider the charities that receive donations from both corporations and individuals connected to the auto industry and the people those charities help. Some of the moments when I was most proud of my fellow Americans were when people stepped up in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina or the Asian Tsunami and gave what they could to help fellow human beings who were suffering. Three years after Katrina, New Orleans is starting again to look like New Orleans again.

It hardly looks like Detroit at all anymore."

True true

Youtube Find: J** in my pants

HILARIOUS video of the SNL guys with a JT cameo... watch if you want a good laugh

Pictures of recent

A fun survey

-What´s your full name? Maria Angela
-Who are you named after? I dont think I was named after anyone.
-What characteristics should your man/husband have? Responsible, Trustworthy, Hardworking, Interesting, Hilarious, etc
-Do you believe on the love of the first sight?- I believe lust at first sight
-Could you imagine a life without children? of my own? I guess but if I couldnt have any of my own I would adopt.
-Who´s the baby in the family when it comes to getting sick? Hmm either myself or my dad lol sorry dad!
-What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child? I wanted to be a nurse, writer, and a teacher
-What would be the worst thing that could happen to you? Die before I am ready
-What is your profession? Currently, I am an HR and Training Coordinator
-Are you an organized person? I can be but I can fall off the band wagon easily
-If you could go anywhere for vacation where would it be? Santerini Greece, le sigh some day!
-If you could live anywhere, where would you live? I wouldnt mind living somewhere warm for a couple years then coming back to Michigan
-What is your new year resolution for 2009? Stay organized, exercise more, save money
-When are you most likely to lie? when im nervous
-Whats your biggest fear? failure, die before im ready
-Which characteristic do you despise on other people? Cockiness, standoffish, no common sense, liars
-What´s your worst feature? my belly
-If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? My anxiety
-What do you think about Barack Obama? I think he's great
-How do you want to die? When im old and laughing
-Which talent do you wish to have? Craftiness
-What is your most precious possession? A couple pieces of jewelery
-Who are your favorite writers? JD salinger and Tom Wolfe
-What is your favorite book? Catcher in the Rye
-For what do you feel sadness? Those less fortunate then me
-Which living person do you admire? My mom and Dad
-Which living person do you mostly detest? No one really
-What is your favorite quote? I have so many I cant really think of anything top of my head
-What do you do to help the environment? Recycle, dont eat meat

On being an adult and some other updates

It’s hard to think about growing up when you’re right in the middle of doing it. It’s hard to know what you want. Sometimes there are so many voices in your head, it’s difficult to know which of them is yours.
Found here

Isn't that the truth. I was just thinking about that as I was going through some stuff at school/work/bills etc. I was like holy crap, it SUCKS growing up... it sucks because you are right in the middle and you're supposed to be making grown up decisions but then again, are they the right ones? How can I make this work? Why does everything have to be so difficult? etc etc.

The other day, all I wanted was to have my dad come with me to my advisor appointment at school and talk for me if things turned for the worse... which of course it did. Let me explain:

I went to schoolcraft for 3 years after high school, I was able to get a good job working in an office gaining some very valuable experience so I wasnt able to consistently take 15 credit hours like my friends, some semesters 12 others 9. When I transfered over to U of M in fall of 2006 only 50 of my 60 credits trnasfered over putting me behind a semester already. That semester and year that I transfered they had changed all department and ciriculums around but didn't tell our orientation class since there were tweaks going on etc. Anyway I was given the wrong track information for my degree so for a year and a half I was doing the wrong track. I went to an advisor in May and said I had to take a couple of classes and would be ok, I wasnt too far off. Well I went into an advisor again yesterday since all my classes are registered and the fall semester is winding down. I find out that I have taken two classes I dont need to and one class I didnt take at all, on top of that I was 3 credits behind having to take 47 credits of upper level classes. I was devestated. She also said the one class I absolutelty need is only offered in the fall so I would have to wait till fall 2009 to take it. So my advisor advised me to write a petition and ask the departmetn to count one unnecessary class as that other class I need. I feel I have a good case going and I should hear back in the next week or two. Say a little pray that they are understanding toward my case. If all goes well, I will be walking April 2009!

Other then that, there are some great parts to being an adult. I love that I can come and go as I please, that I am free to do what i want with my money, I am able to be stupid and make mistakes and get "grounded" - even though I have to clean up the mess... who cares it's much better then getting the "fish eye" from my mom or the "Im disappointed" speech from my dad... so glad!

I have an AWESOME weekend planned! Tonight I am catching up on all things crazy in my life, bills, laundry, room, car etc. I have a couple netflix movies coming in today so I am sure I will be watching those as well. Saturday I am going to a holiday tea event with boyfriends mom and sister then later on boyfriend, sister and her husband are going to the Greenfield Village Holiday Nights, they have carolers, beer, bonfires, ice skating rinks, and tons of other fun events. On Sunday, Heather, possible boyfriends sister, and I are going to Frankenmuth for some picture taking and shopping. Totally excited about that since I haven't been up there in awhile. Yay! What are you doing this weekend??

I'll leave you with this:


Found here

An update on how horrible I am at life. jk but not really.

I have been a horrible blogger, I know. But it doesn't even compare to how I horrible i've been in life the past couple weeks. My room, purse, and car especially my car are in shambles. My room because I have all this laundry to do, the small amount I did manage to get done is folded on the floor compliments to my mom and nana, I have a bunch of school work, unopened mail, books, etc laying around everywhere not to mention the christmas gifts I am starting to buy, the closet is a mess and my desk is horrendous which is probably why a awful spider decided to crawl across it the other day... *gag* my purse because I haven't balanced my checkbook in months, I have about 20 recepits, tons of unpaid bills, highlighters, pens, and makeup all rouge - no home, I haven't updated my calendar so my appointments, important reminders etc are locked in my head... not such a good idea if you ask me.

And my car, my poor baby. I was involved in a minor accident last Tuesday... I am ok, the other person ok, my car - not ok. I mean it works. It drives, lights work, blinkers work no weird smells or noises just looks like I picked it up from a junk yard. I obviously was upset, really upset actually at myself. Granted it was slippery and sleek but I instances like this I really do need to give myself even more leg room for when people slam on their brakes... *ahem* So I am all messed up, prior to car accident my neck was killing me, it was tight, hard to move etc. since then my neck has gotten better but now my lower back i.e tailbone area is in pain now. I have gone to the chiropractor to work on it, she says we'll have to play it by ear (taking xrays) and says that even though my bad neck pain is gone, my neck is still real tight and tender (which it is) so i'll have to continue to go to work that out. It just seems when it rains it pours.

To add to the list of how horrible i've been at life is I am seriously getting that awful senioritis itch about a semester too early. I know I have complained up the wazoo about how horrible this semester is but honestly, it has been. I am getting good grades dont get me wrong but my motivation has been in the range of little to non-existent which is probably why I am having anxiety attacks almost everyday thinking about all this end of the semester bull-shit. Reading "My Beautiful Laundret", 2 finals, book report, 2 page paper on critical media studies, 6 page research paper, rewrites, and of course anything else I can't think of - which is very likely.

So what is the game plan?

* Catch up on all laundry and pack up any clothes I don't wear anymore (seriously my closet is overflowing with crap I just dont wear anymore.)
* Dedicate this Friday (since I dont have much going on) to catching up on all homework since the rest of my weekend is booked.
* Clean out my car and take it over to my Uncles to see if he can pound out the dents to allow me to open and close the hood.
* Clean out my purse, file away all recepits, balance my checkbook, find a home for all rouge items.
* Vacuum and dust room, get rid of any and all paperwork that I dont need, organize desk drawers so they are actually usable
* Organize x-mas gifts downstairs and star wrapping, planning on keeping up with it this year
* Get things situated with charitable contribution at work. e.g. getting gifts, volunteer time etc.

So there you have, my game-plan so far. I feel lost when I dont have one, when I dont have a plan, it's like my mind is like "no plan? no motivation." so this is my first attempt to get shit done. Wish me luck. I'll leave you with a good quote I found.

Why you should be anti-social

Everything important in your life, the correct decisions, the perfect work, the life-changing realizations, they all come when you are alone. Being antisocial provides you with the time for these.

1. Genius is antisocial
This does not mean that by being antisocial you automatically adopt the status of genius, but it does mean that if you, by some slim chance are, in fact, a genius, you will have no patience for average and below-average humanity. You will see it as annoying and distracting like a high-schooler being forced to endure a day in pre-school. You will seek to isolate yourself and work. Again, the choice to isolate yourself and work does not necessarily indicate genius, just a slightly higher possibility of it. Very slightly. Writing, painting, working on complex math problems, all solitary work for the most part. Genius needs room to concentrate.

2. Less drama
Which is not to say no drama. If you are human and you live around humans you will have drama. It does not matter if you mind your own business and keep to yourself, trust me, the cunts and assholes will find you. Being genuinely antisocial ensures that you will run into this less, which is not to say, never. Be ready for it, but going under the radar means that you probably won’t have to dig more than one shallow grave per decade.

3. You gain insight
You cannot ever be rid of people entirely. I know this, I have tried. Hell, even Howard Hughes, the modern prophet of anti-socialism still had to deal with his lawyers. People, however, will be reduced to bite-sized chunks. You will be able to analyze them as you take your breaks from analyzing more important things. Spend enough time thinking about enough data and you come to some pretty interesting conclusions. The fact is that most people reveal far more than is immediately obvious in the course of a casual conversation, you just have to put it under a microscope, which means it needs isolated, and you need private time look at it.

4. Relationships require effort
Usually of the non-rewarding kind. Relationships with chicks involve doing things that serve no practical purpose whatsoever, as gestures. Chicks love gestures. You take this much effort it means that you love me this much. The idea that there is no correlation between love and effort for a man never occurs to them. I think this all started with that old Percy Sledge song “When a Man Loves a Woman” in which the singer tells all the things men will do for women they love. It was BS made to sell records. Effort is what men put out when there is a tangible reward at the end of the job. Like sex. The gestures are all about sex, not to show affection. Those flowers are not merely because I know you like flowers and I want to make you happy, they are because I know you like flowers and I want to fuck you.

5. Conversation-padding
A 2-hour conversation usually only consists of about 10-20 minutes of actual worthwhile information sharing. The rest is padded out with small-talk, awkward pauses while somebody thinks of something to say, and boring droning that blends into the background for the listener. Long conversations usually only happen when both people are stuck in one place together and want the satisfaction of “having shared” at the end of their sentence, meaning that they want a conversation for the sake of having one, not because it actually makes sense to communicate. This results in a lot of your life being wasted talking to people and needless stress as you share meaningless nonsense.

6. Low expectations
Nobody expects you to be the life of the party, nobody comes knocking on your door at 3am looking for a shoulder to cry on. This means you don’t get invited to tedious functions and you get to avoid the truly thankless job of being a free therapist to your friends and acquaintances. Being antisocial means that people see you as a closed door, one that they might as well pretend is not there. This might sound like a bad thing, but it is not. We have been taught that happiness depends on being social, but there is no happiness, just the pretense of it. Why waste time looking for something that does not exist?

7. You get balls
What it is is that you don’t care what people think of you. It may bug you that some piece of trash out there has the balls to insult you (different from taking offense at the insult itself), but then you know they are a piece of trash and you get over it. Being insulted by someone you have no respect for is very different from being insulted by somebody who matters, who you at some point thought highly of. I will give you an example: your neighbor’s chihuahua barks at you from his owner’s front porch, does it offend you that this dog does not like you, or are you just irritated by the bark and annoyed that it does not know how small and contemptible it is? For the antisocial person everybody but a very select few (with whom you have limited contact) are chihuahuas. Fuck ‘em.

8. You don’t miss out on a whole lot
Most people have little to offer aside from the psychological comfort of being around another human being. They are not fun or interesting to anybody, least of all for the people who settle for them. In all but a few instances you could lose a relationship and feel very little, but even when you do, it’s pretty much always survivable. You lose that comfort from being around a particular person, but that’s more about adjusting to change than anything else. The point is that people are not all that important, not all that interesting, not all that fun, not all that essential. You would be making a better use of your time doing a crossword puzzle or learning a few words in a foreign language than hanging out with them.

9. Comforting self-deception
If you are just an antisocial moron, then it’s probably a good idea to isolate yourself so that you can tell yourself that you are, in fact a genius and that nobody recognizes what you are because they are all so stupid. Self-aggrandizing delusion needs isolation in order to reach it’s full annoying potential. It’s annoying to everybody else, but rewards the bearer with a tremendous sense of martyrdom which, in many cases, is the only reason they have to not commit suicide.

10. It helps you deal with loneliness
The most sociable, chatty, clingy, blowhards out there, the ones who try to spend as little time alone as possible, for them being alone is the same thing as being lonely. For the antisocial loneliness is very different from the sensation of being alone, they are two distinctly separate feelings. The anti-social can feel loneliness, but it’s rare. You treasure the moments with no distractions, no background movement, no responsibilities beyond what you have in front of you. That is largely, I suspect, a learned reaction to being alone a lot, but it’s good since everybody has to be alone at some point and it’s best to see it as a gift rather than a burden.