Success Warrior: The Blog That Embraces ADHD

Saturday Video

Ideas

 

So,

I have all kinds of ideas running around my head like 3-year olds on a sugar rush.  Sadly, none of which that would like interest anyone but me but that's completely beside the point.

Like this blog.

Zactly.

One of the criticisms of Utilitarianism (again, like you care but anyway . . .) was that the meaning of life was happiness, or at the very least, the minimization of pain.  Detractors said that this reduced man's life to a similar level as a pig.  According to Utilitarianism, a man who gave in to his base pleasures would be living a moral life.

Mill responded that man was capable of greater happiness than just base pleasures.  Accomplishments, charity, imagination, and such.  The ability to think and reason beyond mere existence opened up new paths to a better quality of happiness.  The detractors stated that a man could still choose to be ignorant and happy looking no further than the bar on the way home from work and the chance to get lucky.  Mill responded that anyone who has truly experienced the higher quality of happiness would never willingly choose the lower path (although circumstance might take a person there).

What do you think?

Is ignorance bliss?  Could you willingly choose ignorance as your way of life?

Stuff I Learned Today

 
So,

Here are some things that I learned today.  John Stuart Mill does not have an "S" at the end of his name, which sounds unusual when it's said (my apologies to anyone with the same last name).

Utilitarianism was a groundbreaking theory of ethics that doesn't really hold water so I'm not entirely sure how groundbreaking that makes it but both are true.  One thing that made it groundbreaking was the fact that Mill broke away from using religion in any form (specifically Christianity) as any basis for morality.  That probably didn't make him too popular but he said that Utilitarianism was so good that Yahweh probably sanctioned it so that made it okay.  That's pretty ballsy and something that I'm going to remember in the future.

Obama might have been born in Americaor he might have created some false document.  What's most surprising about this tidbit of info is that it's still being discussed and Obama is taking part.  Like any kind of proof is going to change the mind of a birther.  Shah!  As if.  It doesn't matter where he was born, he's got the job and he's staying.  Deal with it.

One of the objections to Utilitarianism is that there isn't enough time to think of all the consequences that will arise from decisions so it's a pointless practice.  Let me back up.  Utilitarianism is a "ends justifies the means" kind of thing and so you have to weigh whether a decision will do more good than bad in order to make the right choice.  Mill called the people making this objection idiots because we formulate most ethical decisions well ahead of when we might be called upon to act upon the decision.  Like you'll go to work one day and the boss will piss you off and then you have to sit and ponder all of the pros and cons that would be associated with killing him.  Maybe making a line down the center of a sheet of paper with one side being "Pros" and the other "Cons".  Possibly consulting other people in the office to get their take on it.  Check with the boss to see how many people depend on him.  Does he mow his mom's lawn in the summer?  Kids depend on his paycheck for braces?  Does he volunteer at a homeless shelter?  All of these things could make you lean toward letting him live.

Okay, enough rambling.  I actually have to finish an assignment on Mill dealing with the issue of having enough time to weigh out all the effects of a decision.  While Mill may have been completely dismissive, the objection isn't completely invalid.  It's impossible to know all the ramifications of a decision.  Every decision is a ripple on the pond that travels out in all directions beyond our sight.

For today's question, let's bring it back to the root:

Does the end justify the means?

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Weekend Project

 

So,

I spent all my blogging time doing homework today trying to make up time from being sick.  Now, it's time for me to try to get some rest and with any luck, I won't even have a sore throat tomorrow.

My weekend project is to learn how to use InfoPath.  If anyone has some nifty tips, feel free to pass them on. 

You Want What?

 
So,

I figured out why I was so drained of energy yesterday.  I'm sick.  Not just a little.  I would have stayed home from work but I just don't have enough people so I went in dreading it.  Some Dayquil gel tabs washed down with a XXL Monster were going to have to get me through the day.

I've been working on a major policy for my department and I submitted a draft to someone I trust for quality feedback on the subject.  I got the feedback.  It'll work but it will be outdated in a few years.  We exchanged email a few times and the bottom line is that what he suggested I draft hasn't been done yet, not that either of us has seen.  He's got the theory behind the changes that will be coming in the future but not a model that I could pull from.

Luckily, I have this ability to solidify ideas and I set about to see what I could do with his theory.  I pretty much spent the entire Dayquil-day rewriting a huge chunk of my policy and I resubmitted it before I came home.

I just received his critique of the new policy pulled from his theory of what similar policies will look like in the future.  "Awesome."

Of course, it takes freaks like us to look at a policy and think that it's in any way cool, let alone awesome.  Probably some kind of hybrid geek or something.

Now it's time to end the Dayquil-day and start the Nyquil-night.  I am hoping that I feel better tomorrow, even the slightest bit better because I have a stack of homework that must be completed in the next two days. 

Wish me luck.

Medical Records

 
So,

This was a rough weekend for me and I'm pretty well burned out.  I had an idea for today's blog post but now that I'm sitting here, I think it would take more effort than I have available to give.  So, let's skip ahead to the homework help and call it a day.

One of the questions for this week (and probably the only one that will make it to the blog unless someone knows things about John Stuart Mill) is this:

Ease of access to medical records: good, bad, the dangers?  Your thoughts?

7th Day; 7 Wods

 
Ladies, in Easter's honor - Please welcome Jesus.

Leave your seven words in the comments.

Saturday Video

Everyday Life

 
So,

Today was filled with a bunch of normal things that I kind of stacked up all in one day to get them all out of the way.  Plus, Thursdays are one of my key homework days, which made it a little bit disjointed. 

Like your thoughts.

I thought you were gone.

I started the day reading what Immanuel Kant had to say in Chapter II of Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.  Not the entire chapter, mind you, but just what I could get read before exercise.  Guess what?  The ab workout did not kill me.  I'm not saying that it was easy but I'm still alive.

One of the major goals of the day was to answer yesterday's question of the day:

What happens when reason is perfect and perfectly controls the will?

You make a shitload of money?

You score with the ladies?

Those might be side effects but I don't think either of those are the answer that the instructor is looking for since Kant didn't mention either of them.

After exercise and a little bit of whining (it didn't kill me but it wasn't easy), a quick scan of the news (a 3D porn film beat Avatar's opening revenue in Hong Kong), and finding a spamtastik comment on my blog that included this gem from a company that helps people with their homework: "So my dear WINNER, please ensure you give us a call or email top start working for your good," I hit the showers and then I was off for the next thing.  I took Trey to school on my way to a routine doctor appointment.  It was routine, however we started a discussion about actually getting an MRI look at my ankle.  I told the doctor that I didn't have time for that at the moment but I would keep it in mind. 

My fear is that they are going to say that, in order to actually fix my ankle, they are going to have to do surgery.  I'm just not ready for that.

Then I came home and had a turkey sandwich and read some Kant.

Here's a bit of trivia for you.  Tryptophan and Kant do not mix.  Crikey!  I will never do that again.

Then I took the Hummingbird in to have the oil changed (hence today's pic) and walked a couple of buildings down for a haircut. 

Then, guess what?

I Kant even guess.

Kant you give us a hint?

I did figure out the answer to the question, although I didn't have time to write it up.  Essentially, when perfect reason and perfect control of will meet. you have become a god.  How cool is that?  I have that scheduled for next Tuesday.

Becoming a god?

Wha . . . ?

After figuring out what it takes to become a god, I practiced karate for a couple of hours.  Actually, I didn't get much practice myself because I was teaching other people.  There's a balance there that I really suck at but I'm not going to go into it today.

Next, I was off to pick Trey up from school.  Then we went to the post office so I could sell my soul to my college and where Trey could race me back to the car, nearly getting run over in the process.  His daring paid off because he didn't get run over and he beat me back to the car.

Then we went to the bank to drop off some paperwork.

Back home for our after school snack, or rather his after school snack, my during school snack.

Back to Kant to write up the whole god thing, complete with quotes from the King James bible.  Now the other students probably think I'm a Christian, which is something that I am considering being if my Magic 8-ball turns out to be some kind of hoax.  For now though, it seems to be working out for me but I am thinking about combining the two into one big superstitious clusterfuck.

"Should I persecute gay people because I'm a closet homosexual pretending to be a homophobe?"

<shake, shake, shake>

"All signs point to 'you're a Republican legislator or a Mormon or a Mormon Republican legislator"

Can you fit that many words on the little cube?

"Can I meet you in the it's-my-imagination room?"

While I was doing my whole, "The Great I Am," shenanigan, Tia came home.  When I got done typing up my answer that perfect reason would lead to godhood (again, I ask, do famous philosophers ever go back to read this stuff because dah-ummm), I did a "debriefing" with my wife.  That's what we call it when one of us has had one of those days and since she works with cops (drama queens with guns), she gets to have those days quite often. 

We discussed having dinner and decided it wasn't worth the effort tonight.  We fed Trey because he's a rebel and decided that he wanted dinner.  He's so spoiled!

Then it was off to baseball practice for Trey.  He got to practice in the cold and wind while Tia and I sat in the car and discussed family and marriage therapy (her major), philosophy, and what we wanted to do in the afterlife.

I have decided that I will come back as a guardian angel for atheists.

If anyone needs a guardian angel, it's them.

To protect them from hateful WWJD Christians.

Then it was home where Tia had to take a test and I decided to actually write more than four sentences in this blog. 

Tomorrow is another fun-filled day where it looks like I will be awake for about 23 hours.  Is it bad that I'm already looking forward to getting some sleep tomorrow night?

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Sticking it to the Little Guy

 
No,

I'm not talking about the fact that taxes for the big guy seem to keep dropping (although they are - Maybe if we start an email campaign, we can get our millionaire legislators to raise their own taxes - hahahahahahahahaa).

I'm talking about today's workout.  Shoulders and calves.  Mark, you did look at her calves, right?  It's a different kind of experience (the experience of the workout, not the experience of looking at her calves instead of her ass).  Working the big muscle groups seems to tax my whole body and sap it of all its energy.  Not so with the smaller muscles but they just seem to give up after a certain point.  Where I might be able to dig deep to get one more push-up out, the same doesn't hold true for the shoulder press.  At some point, my shoulders just throw in the towel and the dumbbells are just not going to go up.

Tonight, I'm actually feeling Monday's workout the most.  My back feels like it has knots big enough to hold an aircraft carrier to the pier.  I'm hoping that they will relax when I lay down so that I can get some sleep.  That won't be for a bit though because (and here's a surprise - not) I have homework that I need to get done.  Plus I want to get a jump on tomorrow's homework because I have a schload of appointments that are going to eat up my time. 

Tomorrow's workout is abs and I have devised something that is probably going to kill me.  If you don't see a blog post here tomorrow, you'll know that I've fallen and can't get up.  How fast can I get one of those med-alert necklaces? 

Here's something that is a happy coincidence.  I have always had at least one EMT as a karate student.  Handy, that.

And here's the question of the day:

What happens when reason is perfect and perfectly controls the will?

And, I'm out.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.