Lawn Boy

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“I've got a thing for my Lawn Boy.”
-Steve Kozlen

An introduction is in order.

Steve is a guy that I work with at the office. Earlier this year, he bought a house, and was talking about how he was getting all pumped up about painting it, fixing it up, you know, making it his own.

Well, during the course of the conversation, like typical men, we started to discuss lawn equipment. You know, how big is your mower, does it have a hydrostat, etc., etc. (Yeah, I know... we're engineers...)

In the middle of the conversation, when we were all debating about which brand was the best, Steve blurts out, "I have a thing for my Lawn Boy," which made all of the rest of us do a double-take.

Apparently, Lawn Boy is a brand of mower. I was not aware of that at that time.

So Steve gets the glory this week. Congratulations, Steve. I hope your Lawn Boy will keep pullin’ for you for years to come.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!

The Moment

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“Plan for the future but live in the moment.”
-LLIC 2004

Have you ever dwelled on the past?

The answer is probably yes. There is undoubtedly something that you have done that you either very seriously regret or had such a blast with that you constantly think about how good it was.

The same is true for the future. Nobody really knows what's in store for us tomorrow, or the next day, next month, next year, etc. Yet, many people spend their days worrying about what the future has in store for them.

So the question that I have for you is: Why? Why is it that you spend so much time on the way things were? Why is it that we spend so much time on the way things will be? Granted, some people are really bad about it and others maybe recall things once or twice and that's it, but we're all guilty to some degree.

I'm about to give you the secret to being able to go through life without ever having to worry about either the past or the future. Ya'll need to sit down for this... it's profound:

You need to live in the present.

There are dozens of clichés for this. "Carpe diem." "Today is a gift, that is why it is called the present." Etc. Even so, I see so many people running around wondering what's going to happen to them or what has happened to them that nobody pays attention to the here and now.

The fact of the matter is that if you viewed today as the only day you had - that tomorrow was not a guarantee and that the past was irrelevant - you would never have to worry about the past or present again. Think about it. If you lived every single day to its fullest, where you went to bed knowing that you did everything you could with everything that you had, you couldn't regret it. Likewise, how could you fear your future if you knew that you were going to take each day at a time, handling your business, your friends, your family, and your lives with the full attention they deserve; not by spending your time worrying about the past or present.

Most of the people in this group are either in high school or college. Those two institutions are setup to prepare you for the "real world." May I just say that even though preparation for your livelihood is important, enjoying your life now, and participating fully in the things you can participate fully in will ensure that when you enter that real world, you won't regret the one you left.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote

Mad World

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World”
-Gary Jules

You probably recognize the above quote. It is an excerpt from a song. Specifically, it's "Mad World," usually associated with the movie "Donnie Darko." If you haven't heard the song, then you should listen to it really quick. It's awesome.
Link to the song:
http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4&feature=r​elated
Full lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/ly​rics/tearsforfears/madworl​d.html

A week or two ago I heard a kid talk about what was going on in his life. He was depressed. He decided he needed to talk to a group about it, so he did. It was one of those rare glimpses into a person's life. You know, where they just don't hold back and throw it all out there for all to see and hear and absorb. Conversations started. A lot of people discussed a lot of things in their lives that they probably wouldn't say in a typical day.

The biggest comment I heard in the discussion was not how life is precious... it was not "we care about you," or "we'll help you through this" or any of that, although those are all good, kind things that were (and should be) said.

No, the biggest comment that I heard was that it was a shame nobody cares about how anybody feels.

As "Mad World" suggests, we all have a routine that we all stick to religiously, and whoever breaks the routine is made to feel ashamed. It's just so much easier to go through life without asking questions, isn't it? I mean, seriously, if you were to ask somebody how their day was going, and they said anything other than, "Good," you would just be like, "Oh, I'm sorry," and walk off. You wouldn't ask why; you wouldn't know if that was appropriate. Likewise, if they said, "Great," you would just be like, "Awesome," and you wouldn't ask why their day was great. That's just as bad. You've done it dozens of times. So have I.

The fact of the matter is you don't work with co-workers. You don't learn with classmates. You aren't related to loved ones. No, you work with, learn with, and are related to PEOPLE. PEOPLE that have real feelings, real problems, real joys, real needs, real stories. In our busy daily lives, we often forget that the ones surrounding us have a life, too.

I hope that everyone in this group realizes that I am a safe person to talk to about their lives, whatever that discussion may be. I don't judge, I won't condemn, and I just want to be able to share with you the joys and sorrows of life. I want to help when you need help. I want to celebrate when you want to celebrate. I want to be a REAL friend.

I throw that out there because I want you to know that if this crazy guy who runs a Facebook group that fills up your inbox on a late Sunday night cares, then so, too, do other people who surround you.

Please share your lives. You only get one of them, and nobody benefits from running around in this Mad World but never stopping to just simply live.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!

Burning Down the Apartment

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“It is preferable that the fire stay inside the fireplace.”
-Me

I like to put funny quotes on here of crazy and silly things people say when they are being goofy and (occasionally) dumb. Now I admit, everybody does dumb things every great once and a while, and to really be fair, I should quote myself when I do dumb things, too.

So you guys are really in for a treat this week, because my blunder was so comical that I can't help but make fun of my own sorry self.

I have a fireplace. I use it a lot. This weekend, it was cold, and I wanted a fire. So, I made one. The firewood had gotten wet with some rain and snow we had recently, so the fire was pretty pathetic. Being a man, I, of course, decided I needed a bigger fire. (Insert Tim Allen grunt here)

So, logically, I threw more stuff in the fireplace.

“Hmm,” I think. “That's a little better.”
(Fire grows)
“That's a pretty big fire.”
(Fire starts roaring up the chimney)
“I wonder if that fire is too big...?”
(Fire settles)
“Oh my God!!!”

When the firelogs started settling, there were so many of them in there that they felt they were a little too tight and, therefore, decided to depart from their assigned combustion area.

I ran into my kitchen and starting filling cups with water and dumping them on the 2nd fire I now had going in my apartment; namely the one inconveniently placed on my living room floor. The smoke detector started screaming its head off, ashes were flying all over the place, and smoke filled the room. I flung my deck door open so that the smoke could get out, dumped more water on that 2nd fire, and about that time, the fireplace regurgitated a 2nd load. Sigh.

I was able to extinguish both fires with just water and without the police or fire department becoming involved; however, I did have to take the next hour and a half to vacuum everything to get the thin layer of soot off of all my stuff. The carpet also took one for the team, getting a nice singe in 3 places while the tiles in front of the fire place got too hot and became discolored. Looks like I'll owe my landlord a little more than just rent this month.

In any case, nobody was hurt, no fire trucks showed up, and other than carpet, tiles, and my ego, no property was damaged.

So there you go, ladies and gentlemen. As proper penance for quoting all the crazy things you say and do, I must humbly and honestly throw my stupidity out there for all of you to make fun of for a week. Enjoy.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!