(no subject)

[logomancer]

It seems like when something finally goes right in the world for me, something always comes to negate that small little victory.

Positive: I have the internets back, thanks to Adelphia and their willingness to sell me a crippled Internet connection for more than DSL rates.

Negative: I got ousted as SOAP president, thanks mainly to nius deciding, on a whim, that SOAP needed new leadership. No clue why they needed new leadership, just that they do, and the rest of the group agreed with them. Thus, my plan to distinguish myself from everybody else by being President of 3 organizations at once has failed. I am at a loss for what I can do now to make up for it. I can't draw better than kittenchan or rainbowsaber or aburatsubodream. I can't write good fiction. I can't computer geek better than vond or nius or yubbie. So I look for a way to distinguish myself and possibly gain respect among the others in the one place nobody else seems to have staked a claim, and I get it taken away from me because of one man's opinion that someone new needs to do it for a change. I'm not sure what else to do now except toil away in obscurity.

Comments

[tadakimacun.livejournal.com]

As emo as I'm sure you're feeling right now, let me remind you that you still have two organizations to take care of. You now have more free time you can devote to them. It isn't the number of organizations you have authority over; it's how well you exercize that authority and lead the club(s) for which you are a President.

You say you want respect and to be noticed, right? Instead of demanding it and obsessing over what you can't do, why not focus on what you can do? You'd make a good comedian if you were less pessimistic about things. Remember "If I Only Were a Goth" from Technicon? That took nads, not to mention a decent sense of comedic timing.

In short, don't sweat it, and look for ways to distinguish yourself besides a laundry list of clubs. Hang in there and smile- your mistres commands it!

Hugs,
Carly

[tadakimacun.livejournal.com]

And I am appalled at my spelling in that last post. No more commenting before I go to work.

Going to get more caffeine now...

[satal.livejournal.com]

OO, yeah, listen to this one, Andrew. Is better than what I wrote anyway!

~Satal~

[satal.livejournal.com]

I actualy understand, completely. I have long felt the crush of mediocrity. That there is nothing that is mine, that I excell above anyone else, even in my immediate circle. It's a horrible, horrible feeling that (at for me) makes life feel empty and miserable.

With that dark and forboding preface, let me try to make you feel a little better. You ARE distinct because, while you do not excell in these things you have mentioned individually, you perform well in many. Brandy may be able to draw, but she is not a computer geek at all. Nor does she read much, or play games. She does well in one thing because she puts all her positive energy toward it.

I don't know the computer geeks you do, but I have a feeling that they are like most good computer geeks I know -- again, they don't have much awesome about them beyond the geekdom. Yes, the geekdom is enough, but can they sing and dance? Doubtful. Again, maybe you're around the exceptional ones.

You are special to me because you make me laugh and snicker more than any of my other friends. You get my jokes even when no on else does. AND you're pretty. I know, I know, that's not so much a talent, but it IS something going for you, ya know?

What the hell happened with Internet? ::stunned:: No DSL? Crippling? Was ist los?

Oh, and regarding the ousting of a presidency, lemme tell ya a story. When I met Cat she was starting up an anime club at the community college here. That went on for a while, and then two of the members decided to take over. The assholes (and they were that) kicked her out, took over, and generally made a hubbub. Cat was crushed, and things went nasty for a while. She went away, licking her wounds, and they seemingly went off to a grand and glorious future.

Mind you, while Cat was away, the club decayed. Now it is non-existant.

Besides, being president of two clubs is damn awesome. I'm amazed you can juggle school, work, and side activities, and still play with friends. I've never been able to do much more than ONE of those.

Right, blah-blah over and out.

~Satal~

[vt-andros.livejournal.com]

What the hell happened with Internet? ::stunned:: No DSL? Crippling? Was ist los?

The short version: At first, I was qualified to get DSL, but when they actually tested the lines, they discovered that the phone lines in the apartment were too crappy to transmit DSL signal. So I have cable now. I call it crippled because I believe that I can't run my small web server from it because they block that service.

There's more about Verizon's sucky customer service, but that's a rant in itself.

[aburatsubodream.livejournal.com]

She's right, y'know... n.n' I am rather stunted when it comes to computers or gaming - it doesn't really hold more than a passing interest for me. And the reading I do is only of real interest to me, and no one else.

I draw well only because I've been drawing since before I can remember, and it's something that I enjoy and thrill upon - and even I think that I have much further to go, hon. I consider Devilkitten1's work to be much better than my own - she does positioning and form extraordinarily well and with seeming ease, while I still have to work at it.

There's surely something that you love and enjoy that you probably don't even realize is special yet. After all, all up until I was in middle-school, my artwork was something most considered a waste of time and a distraction from what was really important. Look around yourself and take in all details, and look inside as well... what is it that you truly enjoy?

The infamy of a talent is really only secondary to the love it blossoms to begin with. n.n

::Smooch.::

Hmmm ...

[southernsinger.livejournal.com]

You can tell me to shut up if you want. I'm not trying to take sides. This is just my two cents worth, and you can read it or ignore it at your choice and your leisure.

Being the president of three clubs at the same time is stretching yourself a bit thin, Andrew. "Jack of all trades, master at none." Don't try to distinguish yourself by the *quantity* of what you do, but instead, by the *quality* of what you do.

Three clubs, plus school work, plus a job (if you do have one - I don't know) can cause not only time/scheduling problems, but mental and physical health problems as well. Take this from someone who has been there and suffered the consequences of those kinds of actions. It's not fun when your body shuts down on you - LITERALLY - and your heart decides it's going to teach you a lesson.

I did that back in the early 90s, and my doctor told me I'm lucky to be here today. I was working two jobs; the president of a Starfleet chapter; and being a single parent, with all that entails, at the same time. One day at my day job, I began to feel rather weak, my pulse began to race, and I felt like I had just run a marathon - cold sweats and all. Next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor with my supervisor over me, telling me to lie still and that the medical staff was on the way.

Sit back and take stock of what you can do well, just like Carly said. Sometimes, "toiling away in obscurity" can get you noticed more than all the things you could do "in the spotlight". Breathe. Breathe again. Look at what you have instead of what you don't have.

[acid-rose.livejournal.com]

stop trying to be better than everyone and just.. be.

[vt-andros.livejournal.com]

I'm not trying to be better than anyone else. I just want to be special.

[vond.livejournal.com]

You missed the point. What makes you special is who you are, not what you do.

[zannyvix.livejournal.com]

You *are* special. You are uniquely you. Everyone has their own gifts and flaws. Rather than focusing on everyone else's abilities, concentrate on your own. What do *YOU* do well? What do you enjoy doing? Make your own distinguishing features, and stop worrying so much about everyone else. Any changes in your life are going to have to come from within. Rather than freaking out whenever you encounter an obsticle, regroup and move on. Life is a learning experience for all of us. You have to begin judging yourself by your *own* criteria rather than what you think people may think of you.

I spent most of my childhood and teenage years unable to relate to my peers because I was the weird kid, the freak no one wanted to be friends with. My dad died when I was in jr high, and just gave them another reason to ostracize me. And you know what? It sucked ass. I had no friends, I didn't get invited to parties, I had to eat lunch alone... and one day, I decided it just wasn't worth worrying about. *I* liked me. So what if no one else did. Taking that step kept me from becoming bitter about it. I don't give a damn what people think of me. If they like me and what I do, great; if not, they can fuck off. I began concentrating on what I enjoyed doing rather than what was popular. I learned how to draw, and I'm *still* learning things. What I've discovered in my own path is there will always be someone better than you, and things rarely go the way you've planned. Instead of worrying about it or having a pity party, put that energy into something constructive. If you can only see the negative in things, you will only EVER see negativity. Let it go. Grow up a little. Look for the positive no matter what the situation may be. Keep going the way you have, and you're liable to give yourself a coronary.

So relax, take a deep breath, do something you enjoy, and let it pass. Be special just because you are YOU. That's plenty.

[acid-rose.livejournal.com]

you are special and you don't need any status to be that way. you're a good friend, a kind man, and someone i consider very special to me. and that's all that should matter. special is a relative term.

[narquelion.livejournal.com]

I know as much as anyone that software often is about having to be the best. It makes us think strangely sometimes. It's a failing in them not (just) in us. I know that doesn't help....

[wheeerdball.livejournal.com]

Wow. That sucks. Don't they have annual elections for that kind of thing?

And I wouldn't necessarily agree with those who would take this presidency from you because of the other two. For one, the duty of the president of Spiel can be done simultaneously as the duties as president for other clubs, so the stretching thin remark doesn't seem too relevant. All I know is that you were a hell of a president for Spiel so I can not imagine why anyone on Earth would want to oust you from that position for any club.

I would also mention that it is my experience with humans that although it was nius who spoke up, I doubt nius was the only one acting. I don't really know nius, but this sounds a lot like the political thing with sga and the govenor. Expect back-room conversations to be going on. ALSO, like the political thing, expect back-room motivations to be going on. If that is the case, do not go ballistic immediately. Although it is wrong and cowardly not to explain the situation to your face, the reasons may yet be legit. Listen to them calmly and strategically. Under no circumstances would I recommend turning this into a fight, it looks like you've already lost and think how the overlap will affect your ability to govern the other clubs.

Finally, I would agree that the trick to being special and memorable lies with quality, not quantity. I will always remember you as a quality member of Spiel, and have no memory of any of the other clubs, even the time we shared looking into technicon. That will always be true because of who you are, regardless of the presidency thing.

But if you are determined to use the presidency to an end, here is my advice: If you actually went through with your idea for handing out flyers to boost attendence in Spiel, you would be the first to take on such a campain for the club. And I promise you that going into uncharted territory succesfully (and even still if not succesful) will make a much larger impression than going into charted territory multiple times simultaneously (even if doing it so many times simultaneously is a new thing).

So reinvest yourself in the clubs who still listen to you and you will be noticed better than you were before when you were president of all three if you just follow through with your ideas of improvement and advancement. Sometimes all these ideas need to be enacted (like the flyers) is a little self-motivation (you would need the club's help to hand them out, but they would be much more likely to help if they saw the effect from some posters that were hung up on billboards - which you wouldn't need the club's help for).

[rbandrews]

Who says you can't "computer geek" better than Vond or Ed or Ron? Those three are all admins, not programmers.

Anyway, go do something well. Being in charge of three clubs after everyone else who wanted them graduated isn't that impressive anyway, especially for those three clubs (which are all pretty informal things anyway).

If you really want to have an impact on Spiel, don't try to get more people into it. Most people wouldn't fit in very well anyway, and the ones who do won't have a problem finding you as long as you keep going to the showcase. Instead, focus on a problem that you guys have now, which is that there aren't many gigantic game collections there any more. What if there were a database of what games people want to play, so that when someone in the club is shopping for a new game, they can look first at the ones that other people in the club are interested in? That's a thing that would actually be useful in Spiel, and involves coding, potentially in a more interesting language than you'll learn about at Tech.