Angry people

I was talking to my good friend Michael this weekend and I commented to him that a lot of my friends seem to be angry.

Not angry at me.

But angry.

Leave it to Michael to come up with incredible insight into human nature.

"Oh a LOT of people have inner anger issues," he said.

Wow, "really?" I replied.

I never realized it before.

I thought it was just me....

But it makes sense.

We come into this world full of joy and life comes at us, sometimes changing our wholesome and pure and optimistic view. It can turn some of us bitter and angry. Many of us in fact.

What causes us to go from happy-go-lucky to bitter and angry?

Maybe over a failed relationship. Or two. Or twenty.

Maybe because we weren't born into a wealthy family so we have to bust our ass every day just to feed ourselves and put a roof over our head. Some people have an odd chip on their shoulder about that.

Maybe because we had a bad experience with a boss or co-worker.

Maybe a business deal went south.

Or someone in business stole from us. Or lied to us. Or otherwise treated us badly.

Maybe we we were laid off or fired from a job through no fault of our own.

Maybe we hate our job.

Maybe it's just part of some people's personalities to be angry.

But as I thought about it, I was just amazed at how true Michael's statement is.

And you know the worst part? A lot of these friends of mine may not even realize they are bitter or angry!

I know I haven't been "myself" the past couple years. And I know what that was. I had a horrible experience with a band I represented. I worked my ass off for them and at the end of it all, they screwed me over. So much for rewarding those that help you out and sacrifice life and limb for you.

Still, it does NO good to hang onto this bitterness and anger. Yet, letting is go is a real process. One that can take weeks. Or months. Or in my case, years. And I'm still not 100% there yet. It's a bit like your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend cheating on you - and for no good reason. You were the perfect spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend yet something bad still happened to you. It's a hard lesson to learn that in life, you can be a GOOD person and do everything right and still get hurt by someone. It makes no sense. I guess that is just life and part of life's lessons.

But, you know, as much as I know some of that bitterness and anger in me may never go away, I know that karma takes care of good people and bad people and "what goes around" truly DOES come around.

Somewhere I read that anyone that is angry is covering up for hurt. And I think, if you look closely at anyone in your life that is bitter or angry, that is often the case.

I wish more people were self-aware. Aware that their negative attitude turns people off.

I know changing yourself can be a difficult, if not impossible task.

At least listen to what you say when you're with your friends -- and if you find yourself complaining about things more often than not, you can at least begin the process to heal.

Why I complain

Complaining is bad.

Complaining attracts other complainers.

I shouldn't complain.

However, is it just me?

It seems that most people I know complain.

Is that bad?

It would probably be better to just focus on the good things.

However, it just seems to be such an easy thing to fall back on.

Like eating a pop tart for breakfast instead of fruit.

It's just easier and a bit more fulfilling.

But I don't think I complain because I am unhappy.

Sometimes that may be the case.

However I think I complain often because I'm a perfectionist.

I know it's silly.

Silly to expect life can be perfect.

But I think, somewhere at the root of my complaining, is this desire (or should I say this unrealistic desire) to make everything in my life perfect.

As in:

today would have been perfect, if it weren't for the traffic on the 405
today would have been perfect, if that crazy artist hadn't emailed me
today would have been perfect. if....

I still am trying to complain less because really, what does complaining get you?

Usually negative people complain and complainers are negative people.

And successful people often don't complain - after all would you want to be around YOU all day? A complaining, unhappy person?

Or someone who is happy, upbeat, and that loves life?

Is there "normal" in LA?

Some days I'm really amazed that I've survived in LA this long.

Why?

Because so many people here are crazy.

Not straight jacket crazy.

More like "just not quite right" crazy.

Sure, people are all unique. Different. Everyone has their quirks.

And perhaps "normal" is boring.

I have "normal" relatives. They are all married, with regular jobs, kids or no kids but just normal, everyday folks.

Not in LA.

Almost everyone I know is weird, quirky, odd, "a bit off" or something like that.

Why is it is so hard to find a nice group of "normal" friends?

I don't mean I need a group of friends that are doctors, lawyers, dentists and accountants. On the contrary, I love that I have a diverse group of friends that work in every field from entertainment to accounting.

However, since I seem to meet the most people through the entertainment business, finding a group of normal friends can be challenging.

What I would give to make friends that aren't white trash, angry, have a horribly negative attitude about life, or what not.

You are the company you keep - isn't that what they say?

So is it me?

Or are there just slim pickings in LA these days?

After all, in a city where you need to plunk down a half a million dollars to buy a house way out in the valley, who can afford to live here? Only the super wealthy or the super insane. I guess I know more of the later than the former....

The economy

It seems that everywhere you turn these days, it's all bad news about the economy. Every company is having massive layoffs and many companies here in LA aren't hiring at all.

Everyone says it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Yikes.

And as things get worse, people cut back on everything from netflix to cell phones to eating out. And the cycle gets worse as those cutbacks cause more businesses to slow down, and more layoffs ensue.

It is a scary time for many indeed.

However, I hope you all have your health and appreciate that at least we live in a country where we have enough food to eat. Many people do not. (Of course, many in the US do not - but we are not in that situation, right?)

I still cannot believe we got to this point.

Obama is not a magician. No matter what, the economy is @#$#'d and likely will be for some time. At least through 2009 and into 2010.

Some have said it might be 3-4 years before the economy stabilizes and recovers.

All I know is frickin' Bush. How anyone voted for that idiot is beyond me.

If you voted for you him you're to blame for the situation we're in.

I hope things get better.

Because right now, I am ok.

But many of my friends are not.

And it's hard to see your friend struggling and worrying about their rent and bills.

Again, though, we all have our health and enough food to eat.

Stay positive.

Things will get better.

It's a great time to be an entrepreneur.

And to learn to love ramen!!!

How come the more money someone has, the less I tend to like them?

Sure, this isn't true of everyone, but it seems like a lot of my happy friends don't make the big bucks....and the people I know who have these high paying jobs or high level positions or a lot of money, are generally (not always) assholes?

Hmmm.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

I think a lot of people think money is the be all end all. And don't get me wrong. I value money. A lot. We all need it to pay our rent/mortgages, buy food, pay our bills, take care of our families, etc.

However, in general, I've noticed that to earn a LOT of money you have to work your ass off. And that's fine. I'm a hard worker. A really hard worker.

But the people I know that make a lot of money have to travel a LOT for work. So they are away from their families a lot. That sucks.

Or, the people I know with a lot of money have poor values - they lie, cheat and steal and somehow justify it, think it's ok because they just are greedy and want more money....so as long as they don't break the law, they see no problem with being shady, dishonest, disloyal, etc.

Oh well. I believe you can have both.

Money while maintaining your integrity.

If you're gonna have sex, at least close door....

And put on some music.

Seriously.

I'm happy that people have sex in my building.

Really.

I am.

I just don't want to hear it.

For a while, there was this one girl in my building who would scream so loud, 1/2 the time I thought I should call the police. But after listening for a while, I realized she was ok, not screaming for her life (it's a big city; you can never be too careful).

And over the years, there comes a time when, if you live with a roommate, you're going to hear them, right?

Well, here are some helpful tips.

1. Put on some music - yes, amazingly enough, a little music might cover your screams and moans.
2. Close your door. Yes, I understand the wind might blow it open - that's why you should close it!! And hey, if you are lucky enough to have 2 doors to your room - close BOTH of them!
3. I know you're in a hurry to get laid, but at least have the decency to close the front door to the apartment. Again, it is a city and you never know what pervert or criminal might be walking by!
4. If you're going to be having THAT much sex, you really owe it to yourself to get your own apartment. Or at least go to his place if you're going to make that much noise without giving your roommate warning. Seriously!!

I admit it - I watch a lot of TV...what shows do you watch?

I write this as I watch a Tivo'd episode of 90210.

I blame Tivo for the reason I haven't taken over the world yet or become President.

I have over 100 shows on my Tivo list.

In my defense, I never used to watch this much TV. In fact, I only used to watch "Sex and the City" and "The Bachelor" and a handful of shows...but because of my job, I actually had to start watching TV for work and now, as a result, I watch a lot of TV.

Ha, but in my defense, I multi-task and work or check email or read while I have my shows on. So at least I'm not a total coach potato, sitting and vegging out in from of the TV with a bag of chips.

What shows do you watch?

What do you Tivo?

I guess reality tv is here to stay....but at least people aren't putting leaches down their pants.