1. Post photos of yourself with hot people to attract new hot “friends”.
2. Accept friend requests by random people only if they’re hot.
3. Never accept a friend request by an ugly person. Never.
4. Use your status updates to show how fabulous/fun/witty you are.
5. Ditto for the “About Me” section.
6. Immediately untag all unflattering photos of yourself.
7. Add a faux vintage look to all photos you post.
8. Never send a friend request within 24 hours of meeting someone. Never. It looks too needy.
9. Constantly remind people how “busy” you are. You’ll look more important and come across as less available.
10. Never post more than 1 status update per day. (see above)

Creating your own prison

How do you know if when you have too much stuff? Easy. When your stuff prevents you from doing something you want to do. Anytime your stuff is a reason for not doing.

An Alternative

An alternative is to simplify so you spend more time doing things you enjoy and less time managing and worrying about material possessions. Living a simple life is extremely freeing. Simplicity is flexibility. Simplicity is freedom. Too many material possessions eat a lot of energy, time, and money.

Don’t allow your life to be driven by the stuff you own. Choose doing over having.

The Aussiebum Daddy – Found wearing a completely age inappropriate swimsuit. SEXY or some other similarly ridiculous phrase is often plastered across the (sagging) ass.

Sexy Spanish Men

The Nudest – Far too comfortable with being nude, which makes everyone else around him/her uncomfortable. Oddly enough, the people that are overweight are almost always the most comfortable being nude.

The Nudest

Steroid Sam – Gay Barcelona is dominated by them. Traveling in tribes, they’re often easily identified by the back acne.

Steroid Sam

The Promos – Found handing out fliers for the latest “not to miss” party. In an effort to get attention, they’re either 1) ridiculously sexy (often gogo’s) or 2) plain ridiculous, although not necessarily in a bad way (think tranny in high heels on the beach)

The Promos

Mr. & Mrs. Confused – Typically middle aged, these tourists have no idea how they ended up on a gay beach. They sit and gawk because they find it too interesting to leave.

The Confused Family

Vendors – They walk along the beach shouting their mantra, “Coca-Cola, Cervesa, Beer, Agua Fria”. Occasionally, they’ll also try to sell you a samosas, fresh coconut or hashish.

Barcelona Beach Vendor

The ‘Masseuse” – “Masaje, masaje!” Five euros will buy you 15 minutes of the most unhygienic massage you’ll have in your entire life. Guaranteed. 10 euro more will buy you a “Masaje total”.

Barcelona Masseuse

The pick-pockets – They’ll all over, so carefully watch your belongings. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

I returned from my gap year in August of 2007 and started working at Tribune on January 2008. My first several months of corporate life were extremely difficult. There is a certain mindset and set of behaviors that make one excel in the corporate work setting, and I forgot them over the course of my 1+ year sabbatical from the cubical farm. The adjustment period was extremely difficult and I was struggling to produce results. Within a few months, I became reacclimated and started to feel comfortable and produce solid work.

Forgetting how to relax

Letting loose and relaxing used to be much easier for me. I feel more burdened with a compulsive desire to analyze everything. I complete work related tasks every day and I still have an anxious feeling that nothing is getting done and that I’m somehow wasting time.

Finding the balance

I did not want to become another victim of the corporate world any more than I want to become a burnt out party-boy. One of my goals of my 3 month transition has been to cultivate that “carefree” side of my personality while still cultivating the “corporate” Chris.

My hope for my own life & career is that people can look at me and say “Chris is a really hard worker, but he’s a balanced guy who has fun and doesn’t take himself too seriously.”

According to some recent research, “If you have too few “friends” on Facebook, people might think you’re a loser. Too many and people might think you’re a social slut.”

A recipe for anxiety?

What assumptions, if any, do you make of people that have 500+ friends on Facebook/LinkedIn? I have “only” 329 Facebook friends and already find it extremely difficult stay on top of the avalanche of status updates, photos, links and invitations. In fact, I’ve stopped trying. I no longer allow myself to get stressed out when I can’t. I no long feel like I’m missing part of the “conversation”.

Mobile Hell

When is the last time that you examined your surroundings, stared into space, or let your mind wander? We now live in a world where most people are ‘always on’, always connected, wherever they go. Unfortunately, disconnecting yourself from technology often means total disconnection since almost everyone else is “always on”.

My Solution

I’ve started scheduling “online” time. During this predefined block of time, I can do whatever I need to online. Whenever I run out of time, I’m done – I turn off the wireless internet. Also, my mobile phone in Spain does not have internet. This has effectively cut off my compulsive desire to check facebook, twitter and email while away from my main computer. In doing so, I’ve freed up a significant  time while allowing me to get more work completed. (Side note: I’m  still uncertain if I’ll get a phone without internet when I arrive in Sydney)

The biggest slut of all?

The irony is that I’m on facebook, twitter, and linkedin, along with email and this blog. Knowing I’m on 3 when there are over 50 soical media websites makes me feel a little less like a social media slut. Just a little.