When I was a kid, Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) didn’t exist. Children who displayed ADD/ADHD-like symptoms were labeled, “unfocused,” “fidgety,” “hyper,” or in extreme cases “bad” because they couldn’t pay attention. I don’t think I would have been diagnosed with ADHD because I am able to focus when I care to; however, I was so energetic as a child that I refused to take naps. Even in kindergarten, I couldn’t fall asleep during naptime. I would lie there with my eyes open staring at the back of a sleeping classmate thinking the time would pass more quickly if the teacher would just give me a book to read. She never did.

I started pondering this whole ADHD thing after I saw the film Julie and Julia. Here is a woman, Julie Powell, who started a blog, The Julie/Julia Project, devoted to a specific subject—cooking. In fact, she cooked her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking by completing 536 recipes in 365 days. As a result, she received a book deal, followed by a movie, then another book deal, etc. Now Julie Powell is a successful, working writer.

Sensing that Ms. Powell was onto something, I researched the most popular blogs. I’m sure that you have heard of them even if you don’t read them: TMZ, Gizmodo, Perez Hilton, The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, and Mashable. Whether they cover politics, entertainment, celebrity gossip, or computer tips, all of the blogs are focused on one topic. One single subject. I understand the concept of carving out your niche, becoming a subject matter expert, being the person who knows everything about x. The problem is … I would rather know one fact about everything in the world than know everything about only one subject. I guess you could say I am a breadth over depth person.

I am somewhat exaggerating, of course. I can speak at length about more than one topic, but I prefer to expand my knowledge base. I titled my blog, “Seeking happiness, hope, and wisdom” because I want happiness, need hope, and crave wisdom. Writing my thoughts down, discussing a variety of subjects, communicating with others—these things help me grow as a writer, as a woman, and most of all, as a human being. If I limited myself to one topic, I would feel trapped. For example, when Michael Jackson died, I had no intention of writing about him, but a reader asked my opinion so I did. To date, The Case Against Michael Jackson is the most popular post I’ve ever written. If I only wrote about politics or travel—two of my passions—I would not have been forced to examine my feelings about the King of Pop. I am thankful to the reader who challenged me, and I always welcome topics from my audience.

While my blog may not be in Time Magazine’s 25 Best Blogs of 2009, I feel good knowing I have some devoted fans who enjoy my writing. Perhaps I do have ADHD, or maybe I’m a passionate person with a variety of interests. One time I made a list of all the classes I would take if time and money were not issues: poetry, art, ballet, swing dancing, tango, yoga, horseback riding, viticulture. I stopped when I realized that I had more classes than days in the week. Anyway, I will continue seeking happiness, hope, and wisdom, and I hope you will join me in my search. I cannot guarantee our final destination, but I promise our journey will be rich, rewarding, and full of surprises.

AWW — XoXo

* I hate that I used two adverbs consecutively, but they seemed to fit. My apologies to Stephen King.

P.S. In addition to this blog, I have decided to write a short-term blog devoted to a single subject: Exercising My Ass Off in time for my 20-year high school reunion.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS …

5. The return of common courtesy, good manners, and etiquette
As an experiment, I googled “common courtesy”; it garnered 512,000 hits. Then I tried “Britney Spears” for comparison—63.2 million hits. Those numbers accurately depict today’s society. I can remember a time when what Emily Post said mattered; now I’m sure most people under the age of 30 don’t even know who she is. I recall my mother telling me that a woman was allowed to check her makeup in public (i.e., open her compact and tap on some powder), but applying makeup in public was a no-no. When I was a child, I got in trouble for calling the “young” grownups next door by their first names even though they told me to. My mother made me march over to their house and apologize for my bad manners. Most children today, however, don’t know how to behave properly in public let alone the definition of the word etiquette.
Yesterday, I discovered that rudeness is not limited to younger generations. I was at our local liquor store buying a lottery ticket. A man, easily 30 years my senior, appeared to be in line ahead of me. Not wanting to cut, I moved back to allow him his spot. He snarled, “I’m not in that line. I’m in this line,” as he pointed to an area where there was no line. Grumpy bastard. So much for trying to be courteous! I used to dislike it when my students called me “Ma’am” because it made me feel old; now I am just grateful that someone taught them some manners.

4. For politicians to stop being politicians
I believe our forefathers would be disgusted by our two-party, partisan political system; it is an utter disaster. At what point did politicians forget that they worked for the people who elected them? They spent taxpayers’ dollars—our money—as if we had an endless supply. Oh wait … we do … as long as China keeps lending it to us. (Guess greenbacks grow on trees over there.) I love the movie Bulworth starring Warren Beatty because he plays a politician who decides to start telling the raw truth about both political parties. He raps …
“I’m a Senator.
I gotta raise $10,000 a day every day I’m in Washington.
I ain’t getting it in South Central.
I’m gettin’ it in Beverly Hills.
So I’m votin’ from them in the Senate the way they want me too …
and-and-and I’m sending them my bills.”

Of course, Bulworth is assassinated because no one likes a politician who tells the people the way things really are. Once upon a time, I entertained the idea of running for Burbank City Council, but then I realized I am the female Bulworth. I couldn’t lie to the people who placed their trust in me to make their community a better place. Here’s my truth:
“You want better schools and you want higher scores,
Well guess what parents, you need to get involved more.
Our Burbank teachers can only do so much—
Stop spoiling your kids, pay attention, get in touch.
They don’t need cell phones or tons of clothes,
School isn’t childcare as you should know—
Help our teachers, your children, and yourselves, too
Stop blaming the schools for the mistakes that you do!”

3. An empty email inbox.
Make that four empty inboxes since I currently use and check four email accounts daily. (That’s down from six so I have made some progress.) I still have three other “active” accounts: USC, AOL, and Gmail; they are forwarded, ignored, and used for research purposes respectively. In order to reduce the amount of email that I receive, I finally unsubscribed to daily emails such as Word-a-Day, weekly emails such as Early to Rise, and monthly emails from all retailers. Some people don’t understand why I haven’t signed up for Twitter or established a LinkedIn account yet. There’s an easy explanation—I cannot handle another thing to do or to check every day.
I remember when I didn’t even own a computer. I recall having only one email account for years. When did life become so electronically busy? Sometimes, I just want to become an ostrich, stick my head in the sand, and disappear from the planet for a while. I definitely see a day when I will withdraw from society because I can’t imagine spending my twilight years with my eyes glued to the glow of my laptop in an effort to keep up with my online identity. Forget the fact that hours on the computer is the one of the major causes of my migraines (hence the reading glasses—oh joy); I need the touch, smell, sound, and sight of real people. But I digress. For now, less email will do.

2. A president who doesn’t suffer from ADD and a desperate need to please everyone. (Or for Barack Obama to stop trying to be a hero who believes he must simultaneously solve all of the world’s problems.)
Recent studies have shown that people who are heavy multi-taskers, like our president, cannot give items their full attention; therefore, their brains suffer as a result. Communication professor Clifford I. Nass stated, “They’re suckers for irrelevancy. Everything distracts them.” One could argue that if their mental function is impaired then their job performance suffers as well. According to recent polls from a variety of sources, President Obama’s approval rating has slipped to 47 – 49 percent. Considering he entered office less than a year ago with a 68 percent job approval (only one president out of the last eight—Eisenhower—had numbers that high), the drop is significant.

So here is my unsolicited, non-partisan advice, Mr. President. Try focusing on one thing at a time. You cannot fix everything all at once, and anyone who expects you to spent too much time listening to your campaign speeches last year. I have nothing against “Hope” and “Change” but you are one man, and your first name isn’t Super. You must learn to prioritize like the rest of us. Now if you consulted me, my top three concerns are the economy, the war, and the healthcare debacle. Americans need jobs and we need to know that our troops and our country are safe before you convince us to go into another trillion dollars in debt. I may not agree with all of your decisions (okay, most of your decisions), but one thing is certain—the results of your “multi-tasking” politics are showing. The Tea Party movement is increasing in numbers, Sarah Palin already sold a million copies of her book, and Fox News is not only finishing this year as the top-rated cable news network (no surprise since it has enjoyed this rank for the past eight years), but it is also experiencing its best ratings ever in the network’s 13-year history. F-O-C-U-S = Focus, Mr. President.

And the #1 thing I want for Christmas is …
the perfect job!
If you can make this one happen Santa, I promise to tell everyone that you are real—including my younger brother. I told him the “truth” about you when he was five years old, and it made him cry. It turned out okay; our mother made me go back and lie to him. I consider that moment one of my first as well as one of my finest acting performances. Anyway, here’s the criterion for my perfect job:

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could all list everything we wanted in a perfect job and on Christmas morning there would be an offer in our stocking? I recently found a position that meets most of the above requirements but since it is in academia, I probably won’t hear anything for months. I do have to thank A.B. for allowing me to use him as a reference. As Santa knows, personal relationships are everything.

AWW — XoXo

P.S. I apologize for not posting a blog for so long. My normal goal is one post per week. I’ve been ill with pneumonia ever since I participated in Thrill the World on October 24. Being sick for this long has kicked my ass!

10. The e-card goes to your spam folder, and you never see it so you think someone forgot your birthday.
9. The e-card’s hyperlink doesn’t work, or it expires too soon so you cannot share the e-card with others.
8. The e-card arrives via cell phone, but the sender doesn’t realize that your phone cannot read multimedia messages.
7. The extraordinary flash animation of the e-card crashes your computer.
6. The e-card delivers a virus to your computer.
5. The virus that hitched a ride with your e-card crashes your computer.
4. Sending an e-card doesn’t show how hip and cool you are; it just reflects your laziness.
3. An e-card indicates that the recipient is not that important to you because shopping for the perfect greeting card, writing a personal message, putting on a stamp, and mailing the card take a little more time.
2. An electronic “signature” is impersonal; a handwritten signature is irreplaceable.

And the #1 reason e-cards suck … (for me especially)

When I am 70 years old and sifting through my memory box, I won’t be able to touch your e-card, open it up, and laugh all over again at your charming wit. I won’t be able to trace your signature and tear up because you are no longer living. I will still have memories of you, but it is the tangible object—the greeting card—that unlocks them for me.

AWW — XoXo

P.S. Don’t misunderstand me. I always appreciate birthday greetings (e.g., phone calls, emails)—just no e-cards, please.

• When Windows downloads an update that conflicts with Word 2007 and Vista (happens ALL the time), I know how to fix it, and no—system restore is not always the ideal option!
• When I wanted to recover all of my past AOL emails for archive purposes (so I could finally cancel AOL), I found the ePreserver program that saved them for me.
• When Outlook started failing on my husband’s computer, I worked on it for days until I found the conflict between the software and our DSL provider.
• And when I cannot find the answer, I ask for help from a knowledgeable source.

While my ability to build furniture is slightly impaired, I find doing things myself helps me learn. This rant stems from teaching a new generation of people under the age of 30 who appear to have no idea how to do things themselves. For example, I have students who cannot:

• Format line spacing in MS Word
• Tell the difference between fonts or font sizes
• Create a title page for a final project
• Attach documents to emails

The most troubling thing is that it never occurs to these young people to:

• Look up MS Word issues under the Help feature
• Research the problem on the Internet
• Call tech support, which is provided free of charge
• Ask someone who actually knows the answer for help

Instead, they make excuses and expect that their ignorance will be forgiven—despite a strict rubric that clearly states the expectations of assignment. Their refusal to learn only hurts them, but I’m not sure if it is entirely their fault. During their childhood, this “Millennial” generation (born after 1981) received gold stars for attendance and effort. All they had to do was show up and try their best—actual results didn’t matter. As for doing things themselves—forget about it. We, the Baby Boomers and Generation X adults who created the Millennials, did everything for them from tying their shoes, to doing their homework and even perpetuating the myth that winning doesn’t matter.

According to Strauss and Howe’s fascinating book Generations, American generations engage in a four-part cycle, which essentially means the Millenials will produce a generation vastly different from their own. However, there was one anomaly in the cycle during the Civil War, a “secular crisis.” What if our current economic recession (an event the book predicted based on history) creates another non-DIY generation? Not only would I quit teaching, but I also believe another ignorant, lazy, whiny group of “Gold Stars” who have never been permitted to fail would be an utter disaster for our country.

After all, “Mistakes show us what we need to learn.” (Peter McWilliams)

AWW — XoXo

It would be easy to classify The Reader as just another war film or even an ad for literacy, but as I ruminated over its theme, I realized that it’s not that simple. The film reminds us that someone, usually the person you would least expect, can have a profound impact on our lives. As we walk toward the future, we carry our pasts with us, but usually our memories are buried in our minds, not visible for others to see. However, when those pieces of personal history pop into our present lives—reminding us of who we were then and who we are now—emotions cyclone like a tornado causing us to relive the joys, sorrows, fears, pains, and regrets that we never thought would surface again.

This epidemic of our pasts haunting us has become more prevalent due to online social networks like Facebook and MySpace, which reconnect us with childhood friends, high school pals, college roommates, and previous lovers. We have to ask ourselves: Do we want to be our history’s “friend”? And if we do, why and what does that mean exactly? Are we recapturing our youth? Reliving fond memories? Reflecting on what we did or didn’t do?

Relationships end for a reason, but the Internet has guaranteed that if we desire, we can perpetuate our past connections well into our future. The question then becomes—should we?

AWW — XoXo

P.S. A self-proclaimed overly nostalgic, sentimental person, I am a huge fan of Facebook.

I need to ask you a favor. If you read my blog, can you please “register”? (See right-hand side of the screen.) That way I can track how many people actually care to peruse (I love that word!) my thoughts. You will only receive an email when I post on the blog, and I will not share your information with anyone. Plus, only registered users are allowed to comment on the posts, and I would love to see an exchange of ideas between many intelligent, diverse people. (Have I flattered your egos enough yet?)

Whether you agree or disagree with me, knowing that people read my blog encourages my writing in a way you wouldn’t believe. So if you like what you read, please register. Thank you in advance because I know you will honor my request. Hehe.

AWW — XoXo

Don’t misunderstand me, I am grateful for the accessibility of information and the speed at which we can acquire it these days. However, I often reminisce about a simpler time when I began my day with a cup of coffee and a conversation; now I flip my laptop open and check one of my six email addresses before I even sip some caffeine. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. SIX! Now call me crazy, but for someone who remembers never having email (much less a computer) less than a decade ago, I am overwhelmed by the amount of time I spend reading my email. I used to have only four email addresses until two new jobs added two more and those emails I have to read every day (my paycheck depends on it!)

I want to go on strike from reading email, but I don’t see how that’s possible short of leaving society altogether. I do think I can wean myself off two email addresses by the end of January … one is my USC account, which I no longer need yet it still has 75 emails in it (obviously not important ones). I also want to cut my ties with AOL even though it was my first. Now leaving AOL may seem simple for the rest of the population, but my AOL account is tied to my sister (Adsissy stands for “Adrienne’s Sissy”), and it holds a record of my life over the last eight years. For someone who writes nonfiction, an email archive is a treasure trove of information. If I no longer have an AOL account, I won’t be able to read my old emails.

Maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to keep reading …

AWW — XoXo