Who Do I Think I Am??

This one's about the ons and the offs.

THE PROMPT: "My Offline Community and How I Engage With It."

Good evening friends! Interesting prompt today. Listen to me try to deal with it.

I'm fairly engaging with my online community, and that at times can be an understatement. My offline community? Probably not so much. Allow me to break down my thoughts on the differences between the two (somewhat intersecting) circles.

My online community consists primarily of people I haven't seen in years from high school or past jobs, the vibrant and wonderful WDC community, my close friends, and the Madden Superstars On Facebook groups and forum. That's as far as I limit myself online. Ya know, the whole "don't spread yourself too thin" theory. I'm pretty open in those venues, because I'm fairly comfortable with things. I lay shots, and I take shots, and I'm ok with that. Maybe I feel like there's a thin veil of protection behind my laptop's screen, but I can usually defend myself against most situations, plus there's that other option of not being paid attention to if I post something that turns stomachs.

My offline community? It's a little different. It's me and Jess, her family, our friends, and my coworkers (I guess you could add some of the regular customers at work to that list...I'm pretty much open with all of them the same way). I'm quiet to an extent, unless I have something to say. I keep to myself unless I feel comfortable enough opening up about whatever is on my mind or feel like I have something to add to whatever's being discussed. The biggest difference is that I don't just pick up my phone and call people. I don't know why I have such a hard time with that, and it doesn't make sense to me.

That all being said, here's where I come off as a hypocrite...I'm generally a private person, even though I shed a lot of light into my life on this very screen you're reading this on. The circles above that I mentioned? You could almost draw concentric circles around them before you try to overlap them with the bigger circles, in order to gage who I'll feel comfortable talking to about different things.

See, there's certain things I'll only share with certain people. Some people I'm just closer to than others, and that comes in all facets of both off- and online friends. It's a fact of life any of us can attest to (hint: I'm not saying anything groundbreaking here). That's just how it is. Your instincts tell you who you can trust with what, and if people are so inclined, they'll be sure to find out more about you whether you want to know it or not. Everyone has secrets and everyone has a past, and no one has ever been immune from doing things in life they've later come to regret. The only variable in that equation is that you never know how people are going to respond to things that you might think are unsavory in your past. While you may be a fairly good judge of character, you may be surprised to learn about what others think of you that you didn't expect, positively or negatively.

I don't really have a point to this, other than to add that you have to trust your gut with people, and know who you can tell what. Know yourself, know your surroundings, and trust your judgement. Sometimes, you only get one chance for a true impression. It doesn't matter if you're in the breakroom with your coworkers, or you're discussing your Madden team and the game itself, or not agreeing with what someone writes in their blog. Whether you like it or not, there's still a human behind all of that. Respect is still deserved, because you don't know what's happening behind their face.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

To soundtrack this entry, I'm going to go old-school. But not like last night. At least, I don't think so...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaekgRtsTiQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TlBTPITo1I&ob=av2e

VITAL STATS:

Happy 3/14 Pi Day!! You math nerds all get it...3.14, Pi, the numerical signification for something I don't even remember these days. In honor of this day, I will post the most offensive song related to Pi I've ever heard (and probably the most offensive song I've ever posted). So, if you, like, get offensive toward me about my offending video, you'll only have yourseelf to blame. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NIAMTdql_g And the fact that I can get away with posting this means I have the coolest girlfriend in the world. I just wish this clip played the intro of the song, where the lead singer interviews his mom over the phone and asks her to find a word that rhymes with vagina.

Crazy start to this Sabres game...if the pucks were going into the net earlier in the season the way they have tonight, just a couple of times, we wouldn't be fighting for our playoff lives. Then again, hard work around the net and playing the system will lead to getting some breaks and favorable puck bounces.

Word broke yesterday that the Buffalo Bills were actively persuing perhaps the best defensive free agent on the market, Mario Williams. Whatever they're doing, they need to sign him! If he leaves town, forget it. Nice job in keeping him in town so far, but don't let him leave without signing on the dotted line!

Ok, I'm getting out of here for the night. Might creep on some of you in a little bit...gonna see how the game goes. Peace, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjduYvD0-0U