Level Head

I know I'm usually the one telling other people they're crazy, or that they're not thinking straight, but tonight I think I'm one of those people. I feel like I need to just get away from everything with which I currently have any connections. The reason I say I'm crazy is because of the word "feel". I don't feel things when it comes to decision-making. There are pros, cons, trade-offs, etc., but no decision needs emotions. Emotions might make a decision easier to make, or might make the result better or more enjoyable, but you really don't need them.

I try to look at things as cut and dry as possible because I don't need my emotions clouding my judgment. "Do I want to hang out with so-and-so tonight?" My emotions would say yes, because I have no one else to hang out with, and I hate being alone. But common sense says "No, don't hang out with him/her; that person is a douchebag who will do nothing but waste your time and drag you down in every possible aspect of your life." And since I'm all about the long-term, I have to go with common sense in that situation.

I wish I could keep my emotions from getting to me when I'm executing these long-term decisions. I don't need anything telling me that I'll feel sad or lonely when I make a decision, because I already knew that was the case in the first place, and I already took that into account when I made my decision. I know that makes me sound a bit stoic and boring, but it's what's gotten me to where I am today. People don't come to me for advice because I'm as much of an emotional wreck as they are, y'know. I pride myself on having a level head in just about any situation, even when everyone else has lost it emotionally.

And yet, here I am, struggling to fight back emotions that I feel would negatively influence the decisions I want to make in the near future. To what or whom does the level-headed guy turn when he needs level-headed advice?

Opportunity costs

I just noticed that my last blog post says it was posted February 23rd at 2:31 pm. That definitely isn't the case, because I didn't come up the ideas for that one until sometime in March. Maybe that "Gmail Custom Time" joke from a couple of years ago wasn't really a joke...

So it's Saturday mor--well, afternoon now. I spent an hour working on a message board post for my Database Management class, and I still have a homework assignment to do (it's an online class, so technically it's all homework, but I use the term simply to differentiate between the types of assignments I have). The homework assignment is to look for new products or updated services offered by different major companies that support database management. Well, I tried navigating a few of their sites, and besides not offering any of the products originally listed in the homework assignment, they don't give a clear definition of what services their products actually offer.

I took a microeconomics class last year. Besides the fact that the instructor looked like a child molester and wore the exact same polo shirt and pair of sweat pants every class period, the only thing I retained from that class was the concept of opportunity costs. Basically, it's analyzing and valuing the trade-offs in decision-making. Do I blow my money on a Mustang, or save up for a Cayman? If you save your money, the opportunity cost is the Mustang. If you buy the Mustang, the opportunity cost is the larger sum of money that you'd have later on to spend on something else (in my case, a Cayman). Simple, right?

So I calculated my grade in my Database Management class. If I got a perfect grade on my homework (which never happens), I would have a 92.8% in that class. If I skip the homework assignment altogether, my grade will drop to 82.8%. Considering I'm sitting here, typing this blog post and listening to a mix of Hellogoodbye, Punchline, and Motion City Soundtrack, I'll just assume you know which of my options became the opportunity cost.