The Long Road

11/30/2003 Archived Entry: "Guest Column #4"

Guest Column by some anonymous person who wishes to remain so by keeping his/her identity secret to stay hidden from all those who might know him/her.

Got something to say? Email me and I'll put it up next Sunday.

Go on, read

X:"want To Go Do This Right Now?"

Me:"no, I'm Too Busy"

X:"what Do You Mean You're Too Busy? You Go Out To Bars Every Week, And Watch Tv All These Tv Shows!"

Well I Wanted To Do That. And I'd Alloted Time To Do It. I Don't Care To Do What You're Suggesting Right Now, Cause I Planned To Work Now. And I Don't Like How You Point Out How I Make Some Things A High Priority, And Other Times School Is The Higher Priority

I'm The One That Decides What's A Priority For Me. My Priorities Are Different Than Yours. It's Life. Cause We're Not The Same Person!

You Want To Play Lots Of Video Games And Get Very Little Sleep, That's Your Choice. You're Entitled To Do It. I Don't Complain About It, Or Tell You You Should Be Doing Other Things. So You Shouldn't Fault Me For Saying I Don't Have The Time To Watch Some Videos You Uploaded To Me, Or For Not Going Out When You Want To Go Out. I'm Doing Other Stuff Then. Like Working, Most Likely.

I Relax On My Own Time, And Go Out When I Feel I Can Spare The Time. Going Out To Bars With Other Groups Of Friends Is A Priority For Me. Hence, Work Gets Scheduled Around It So I Can Afford A Night Off To Go. Hanging Out With People Other Than Those I Live With Is A Priority For Me, And Meeting Up With Them At Bars Is Where I Get To Do That Most Often. If I Don't Make Time For This, I'd Never Get The Oppourtunity To Meet New People, Which Would Be Pretty Sad.

I Allow Myself To Watch Certain TV Shows Because They Take Up Quantized Amounts Of Time. I Don't Play Video Games Much Because I Don't Want To Become Addicted To One And Possibly Lose Enormous Amounts Of Time Getting Caught Up In The Story And Trying To Beat The Game. I Know I Have Poor Self Control When It Comes To Video Games, So I Try To Avoid Them During School Terms. Case In Point: Person Y Became Addicted To Game Z, And He Can't Put It Down Now! Anyway, So When I Say I'm Too Busy To Do Something, It Means That. It Doesn't Get High Enough On My Priorities At The Time To Outweigh Doing School Work. That's What Too Busy Means To Me.

Replies: 11 comments

Reading that left quite a remarkable nauseating effect.

Posted by Dave @ 11/30/2003 09:53 PM EST

YOU KNOW, THEY SAY ITS DIFFICULT TO READ SOMETHING WHEN ITS CAPITALIZED. AFTER READING YOUR ENTRY, I Guess It Also Applies When You Capitalize The First Letter Of Every Damn Single Word.

Be nice, spare us the squinting.

Posted by dAN @ 11/30/2003 10:38 PM EST

Just to add...I thought this was a weird entry...went from me thinking that this was an unknown girl talking about her a problem with her boyfriend...to, why is this dude posting about his "simple" issue with his friend...(no longer thinking its a female-male relationship thing)

No offense to the party involved...;)

Posted by dAN @ 11/30/2003 10:50 PM EST

It should be easy to find out who the mystery poster is. Just look for a worn/broken shift key ;)

Posted by Hyperion @ 11/30/2003 11:50 PM EST

Wow. That was almost as difficult to read as the scrambled "Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy..." entry. I'm now glad that all my teachers and my aunt always corrected my punctuation and capitalization! :)

Posted by Andrea @ 12/01/2003 02:21 AM EST

Heh, I know who it is, and partly BECAUSE of the strange capitalization.

Posted by Romer @ 12/03/2003 09:27 PM EST

(i’m now going to jump to the conclusion that I am person x - because well... i think i know who the author is and that they are referring to me as person x)

yes, it's all about priorities. when i ask if someone (ie the author) wants to do something, they’re free to not want to do it. they’re welcome to their own opinion. i recognize that different people have different preferences/views/opinions and that’s great. that’s life and it’s one of the cool things about it, that everyone can think so differently all on their own.

however if someone tells me that they cannot do something because they’re too busy and I see that they’re not, yes, I will point it out to them. why? because they’re lying. it just bugs me to no end to hear people complain about how they’re so busy they have time for nothing else, and then i'll turn around and see them doing various leisure activities. see? see that, right there? that's you having time for something else. that's you, you who was sooo busy, taking that break you said you were too busy to take.

the fact that they're taking a break is not a problem. in fact, i recognize that one needs to take a break of whatever length he or she can afford in order to stay happy and sane. it's just when people make things out to seem as though there is no time for such things and then do them anyway that i become... bothered.

the author wanted to watch tv or go out with other people? that's fine. i see that they have allotted time to do that. it is a priority for them. yes. so you planned to do work now and these things later? fine, but don't lie and give some other reason for what you're doing, tell me the truth. tell me that you just don't want to do suggested activity c and/or that you've got other things you'd rather do. it's the truth and if it's your preference, then that's fine.

so, to comment on the specific words of the author: you don't care for me pointing out that you make some things a higher priority than others? then this comment on your post must really bother you. i apologize for that but if you get to rant your side, so do i. in addition, if my pointing out of this fact bothers you, why not just tell me?

yes, i recognize that you choose what your own priorities are. in pointing out that you do other things in your free time, i was illustrating this very fact.

likewise, my choices are my own. though i would argue that i play a lot of video games and get very little sleep, if i did so, it would be my choice. as for you complaining about it, i'm not sure why you would. as for telling me how to live my life, i also do not know why you would. i already have plenty of mothers. you say i fault you for saying you don't have the time to watch videos i upload to you? heck no. i totally recognize that you have other priorities. and that's what it keeps coming back to. your priorities lie elsewhere. if you don't want to watch them or play demos i upload to you, no problem. in my mind, it is your loss because they're funny, interesting or fun. but you know, i recognize that it may not be your bag, baby. as for not wanting to go out, that's cool, too. i'm not sure why you seem to think it isn't. i try and encourage people to express opinions because i know it's important to do what you want when you can. i have never faulted you for having an opinion. i have merely pointed out when you fail to express that opinion and instead say you don't have time for any leisure activities.

yes, you do relax on your own time and in your own way. it is choice based on your specific priorities. you schedule things around other things to fit your schedule. yep, that's the way it's done. i never said there was anything wrong with this. my issue is that you speak of not having time. but it is because you do not make the time for things, that aren't a priority (yes, i'm sounding like a scratched cd that keeps repeating). simply stating that some things aren't important to you would be fine but in conversation you try and make it seem as though you simply do not have the time for things, which is simply not the case.

at the end of your entry, you say that when you say you're too busy for something it means that. then you say it doesn't get high enough priority to override school things. however, the two aren't really the same and that's the thing. you have the free time, outside of school, to do something. you just choose to do something else instead. why not just say that. instead of saying you're too busy with school to do it, say there are other things you'd rather do with your free time. it would be clearer and more truthful.

Posted by some anonymous person (ii) @ 12/03/2003 10:39 PM EST

thai, now that the person has found out about this, do you think you could change it all back to normal? like, i don't think it need disguising anymore, and i had trouble reading the intial post thing :)

Posted by shawnathan @ 12/03/2003 10:56 PM EST

I think we need a wrap-up to this by Dr. Tran...whether he take the style of Dr. Phil or Jerry Springer...;)!

Posted by dAN @ 12/03/2003 10:57 PM EST

ha ha, a good wrap-up would be good. come on thai!

Posted by shawnathan @ 12/04/2003 01:05 AM EST

*ahem*

While I understand that it can be frustrating to be told "I'm too busy with school work" by someone who is watching TV, the overall context of the words should be taken into consideration. The person may not be busy right then and there but is overall too busy to undertake some new form of entertainment, which is very understandable.

However, voicing these concerns in a "public" forum might not have been the best solution to the issue at hand. Anonimity has been preserved in any case so there is no harm done.

I hope we all come out of this as stronger people and with a better understanding of one another. Until next time, take care of yourselves and of each other.

Posted by Rayne @ 12/04/2003 05:32 AM EST