Sadness

I think we've all had at least one moment in our lives where we've wished that sadness did not exist. There's not much worse then feeling worse. Even as bad as our own sadness can be, sometimes watching others suffer can be even more terrible. It goes without saying that sadness is no fun.

Why must sadness exist? Why can't we be happy (or at the very least, content) all the time?

Happiness is the best, but why? When we are at our most happy, all seems right with the world. We smile. We laugh. Happiness is special, because we do not have it all the time. When we do, we celebrate it. We throw parties. We spend time with friends. We tell the world. All this, because happiness does not always exist for us. 

As unlikable as it may be, we need sadness for happiness. Each can exist only with the other. Even our saddest moments, the ones where we feel as if nothing we ever be good again, even these moments are important and necessary. You feel joy because something good has happened to you, not something bad. Emotions are built on contrast. 

I still wish that no one ever had to be sad ever. However, at the same time, I know that I need my sadness more than I want to admit, especially when I am sad. Whether happy or sad, we never want to admit the importance of the other. 

Right now I am sad. You may be sad too. When I'm sad, I often think a lot. I hope that this reflection has helped you to do some thinking too. I seriously doubt that this reflection will make your sadness go away, but hopefully it has given you something. 

Good luck.

Profile Pictures and Paris

Lately I've seen a number of posts on Facebook about profile pictures. To clarify, not posts of people changing their profile pictures, but rather posts regarding that topic. While Facebook posts about Facebook are nothing new, the topic deals with the tragedy in Paris. I've seen some discussion on the matter, so now I feel that I should share my thoughts.

First and foremost, I believe that I should speak a bit about Paris. It goes without saying that what happened last Friday was a terrible tragedy. No one should have to experience what the people of France did. I felt compelled to write something for this blog that evening, but I did't know what to say. My thoughts and prayer have and continue to be with the people of Paris.

Moving on to the main topic, anyone who has been on Facebook the past few days, has surely taken notice of the French flag profile filter that Facebook has added recently. As myself and many of my Facebook friends altered their profile pictures in the wake of the tragedy, I noticed a vocal minority of people who made the decision not to follow in the footsteps of their peers. Each took the time to explain why they left their profile picture alone. I did not see a single person who took the time to explain exactly why they changed their profile picture. Now I'd like to take a moment to explain why I changed mine.

As sad as it may be, tragedy is an everyday occurrence in our world. There is never a day where everyone on Earth is completely happy. Everyday someone has bad luck. Everyday someone is lonely. Everyday someone loses a loved one. Everyday someone is killed. It is a harsh reality, but a true one none the less. Despite all of this, in a way we have all become numb to the everyday tragedy of the world. We have become used to it. It is everyday. If we were to linger on all of these everyday tragedies, happiness would become a rarity. As such, we don't linger on these things. We acknowledge that they are saddening and terrible, but we don't let them stick with us. We don't want them to stick with us.

When I first heard of the attacks in Paris, I did what I always do with tragedy. I felt sad briefly, and then brushed it off and continued my day. At the time, I didn't quite realize what had happened. As the day went on, I became more aware of the attacks. Slowly, I began to realize the events that had transpired. By the end of the night, I had turned the TV to CNN, listening to the report, listening to the stories. Yet despite all of this, I still felt distant. I couldn't see it with my own eyes. The world around me did't seem changed. I didn't feel it. I wanted to care more, but there was nothing I could do. In a way, Paris seemed like an everyday tragedy.

If you want a simple and brutally honest reason why I changed my profile picture, I can give it to you in one word: impulse. I saw the button and I tapped. It was a way to support Paris and an opportunity I jumped at. The longer answer is a bit more complex. Why did I change my profile picture? To provoke thought. Despite my mental acknowledgement of the severity of the Paris attacks, my emotional acknowledgement was weak. Forcing myself to feel more sad for the people of Paris is something that I'm not quite sure is possible. At the very least, I can prevent these attacks from becoming an everyday tragedy in my mind. I use Facebook everyday. Everyday I look at my own profile picture more than anyone else's. It is a window into some of the happiest times in my life. Placing the image of the French flag above my own, forces me to think of Paris when I think of myself. Not just Paris, but everyday tragedies everywhere. Think and pray. Even if I can't force myself to feel sadder for Paris, the least I can do is not to forget them along with all of the world's everyday tragedies. A profile picture is meant to identify a person to others. For Paris, it helps me to identify with others.

It does not matter who changes their profile picture or not. To change a profile picture is not to say one supports France in the same way as not changing a profile picture is not to say that one deplores France. My story is mine. I am not trying to force anyone to follow in my footsteps. Some may see my profile picture and think and pray just like I do. If you can connect with my story then that's great, if not, no problem. No matter what you choose, at the very least, keep the everyday tragedies of the world in your thoughts and prayers.

My profile picture will only last for a week, but I hope that my thoughts will last longer.

Why I Love Tweetbot

One of my favorite columns to write for in Gadfly was "Gadfly Recommends." In this section of the magazine, a group of writers would each recommend something that they recommend to readers. For the "Gadfly Recommends" I wrote about an app called Tweetbot. It's been a few years since then and in that time Tweetbot has grown and changed. I still use Tweetbot on a regular basis. Now that I have this fancy little blog, I figured now would be a good time to revisit and expand upon my original recommendation.

First of all, what it Tweetbot? Tweetbot is a Twitter client developed by a small company known as Tapbots. It is an app that allows users to use Twitter. While Twitter provides their own means of using Twitter, Tweetbot offers its open approach to using the service that, in my opinion, is far better than Twitter's official means. Tweetbot is available only on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

By biggest problem with Twitter these days is that they are trying very hard to turn themselves into Facebook. (Look no further than their recent switch of "Favorites" to "Likes".) Personally, I have always appreciated Facebook and Twitter for their differences. What I love about Twitter is its simplicity. All of the posts are always there, always in chronological order. I still don't fully understand how Facebook decides what goes where in the timeline. I like to read (or at least look at) each and every post. Thing is, Twitter makes this hard to do. The timeline always starts with the most recent, but that's not ideal for me. I want to continue exactly where I left off. Additionally I want to be able to use Twitter on many different devices and pick up from the same place on each one. Tweetbot lets me do both of these. The app remembers your place every time and keeps it in sync across all devices. This is a really simple feature, but it makes using Twitter much easier and simpler. As an added bonus, Tweetbot keeps ads out of the picture,

Another thing I like is the wide variety of settings that Tweetbot offers. Twitter's official fare leaves you at their mercy in terms of design. Tweetbot is another story. Want a darker look? Done. Round icons not your thing? No problem. Want easy access to your tweet stats? Consider it done. The large variety of options lets me use Twitter how I want it, which is key.

A smaller bit about Tweetbot that I really like, is more something that they don't do. I stopped using the official Twitter app when Twitter started to take away features. Suddenly I couldn't see what client a user had posted a tweet with. Maps for location based tweets disappeared. Instagram photos were no longer supported natively in app. Tweetbot on the other had never removed these features. They're still there and I still use them today. Small things like this are some of my favorite parts of Tweetbot. 

Finally, Tweetbot is built to take advantage of the devices it runs on. A clear example of this can be found in the iPhone 6S's 3D Touch feature. In Tweetbot, everything in the timeline can be previewed using this feature. Tapbots were not only quick to add this feature but also made sure it was well implemented too. Even when I did have a bug with it on the first day it launched, Tapbots had a fix out within hours. (Their customer service is top notch as well.) All versions of the app are built to take advantage of the platform they run on as well. (The Mac version will be adding full screen and split screen support very soon.) Tweetbot makes the most of the hardware, which makes it feel like a great value.

Paying to get an app to use Twitter sounds pretty stupid in theory. After all, why not use the free apps Twitter provides? Tweetbot takes the things I love about Twitter (the things Twitter themselves shies away from) and makes them even better. To those who use Twitter, I can't recommend it enough. It is the best app I have ever purchased. (Mac) (iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch)

My Trip to Disneyland

Over the summer I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit the Disneyland Resort in California. As someone who has been a Disney fan my entire life, the opportunity to finally visit America's oldest and newest Disney Parks has been something I have been waiting for my entire life. Today I'm going to talk about my visit to "The Happiest Place on Earth" and my various thoughts on the experience. Brace yourselves, I like to talk.

Walt Disney has always been a man I've admired. From his stellar storytelling, world changing accomplishments, and commitment to technological improvement, he continues to be a source of inspiration and admiration. Disneyland has always had one thing that any other Disney Park will never have, Walt Disney's presence. Disneyland was the only park that Walt saw from conception to operation. As a fan of Walt Disney, I have seen plenty of pictures and videos of the man himself both discussing his park and visiting it. To actually stand where he stood and walked where he walked is something that is incredibly meaningful to me. To walk around the park and remember stories of Walt shaping the park is to step into history. It is as if Walt could just be around the corner, just walking about as he often did. Tributes to him can also be found in the park. The one that I love the most is the firehouse on Main Street. Above the firehouse is an apartment which Walt would use if he wanted a place to stay in his park. The apartment itself is inaccessible to guests as it is preserved exactly as it was when Walt last visited. However, in the window of the apartment, facing Main Street, a lamp is always kept lit, signifying Walt's presence in the park. This symbol really helps to signify to me the connection between the man and his park.

Not only is Disneyland the original Disney Park, but is also the original home of many legendary Disney attractions. Part of the thrill of Disneyland for me, is to experience these classic attractions in their original form. Take the Haunted Mansion for example. Many people have ridden this legendary and famous ride, often at Walt Disney World. For years, this was the only way that I had experienced it. Riding it in Disneyland however is something different. It isn't just the Haunted Mansion, its THE Haunted Mansion. There are Haunted Mansions around the world, but none of them have the historical significance that this one does. Even if the ride itself is largely the same, there's something magical about being at the original. A comparison would be the Mona Lisa. Everyone knows what it is like. Everyone has seen it. But seeing the original has a special sort of historical significance that draws people from all around. Disneyland is like that for me. 

Aside from the historical significance of seeing the original attractions firsthand, many have different variations from their counterparts. Going back to the Haunted Mansion for example, the ride recently added back the legendary Hatbox Ghost figure, which currently can only be seen there. Some attractions have larger differences, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, which is far superior to the Walt Disney World version, features a longer ride, bigger drops, and better scenes. Perhaps the biggest difference for me is Space Mountain itself. I have always enjoyed the ride on visits to Walt Disney World, but it has never been something that I've felt like I want to ride over and over again. Disneyland is different. I could ride Space Mountain all day there. I attribute this to two factors. First, better ride vehicles. I have always found WDW's version to have very cramped seating that was never very comfortable. DL is very different, the cars are bigger with lots of leg room and feel perfectly comfortable. They also have rows of two instead of the one person per row cars of WDW. The second and more important factor is the music. WDW's version just sort of plays some music in the background, no big deal. DL has special on ride audio and features a complete soundtrack that is synced up with the ride. The music is great and gives a very fun, energetic feel to the ride. I came off the ride impressed and wanting more. 

Another of Disneyland's strong points is its unique attractions. Rides that don't exist anywhere else. For me, the most prominent of these was Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. My favorite kind of film/television merchandise has always been the stuff that looks exactly like it did onscreen (Example: The Back to the Future: Part II USA Today Papers). Cars Land represents this concept taken to the ultimate level. It is Radiator Springs. Full size, photo accurate. It represents complete immersion into the world of Cars. Say what you like about the Cars films, this is impressive. The centerpiece of Cars Land is Radiator Springs Racers, a Test Track like ride in the world of Cars. As impressive as the land itself is, this ride really brings the characters to life. The first time that Mater rolls around to greet you is a stunning experience. This ride is incredible. Perhaps the more incredible thing is that this ride has plenty more than one truly amazing moments. Another spectacular ride found only at Disneyland is the Indiana Jones Adventure. Those who have ridden Walt Disney World's Dinosaur have an idea of what this ride is like, as Dinosaur uses the exact same ride system and layout as Indiana Jones. What Dinosaur doesn't have is the man himself. Indiana Jones Adventure feel like the movies: big, adventurous, and fun. There's a fantastic moment in the ride where you turn a corner into a massive temple room. As John Williams's score plays, you see another ride vehicle drive over a treacherous bridge as pillars of fire flare in the background. It is a sight to behold. All of this, only at Disneyland.

While it may be small compared to Disney Park standards these days, the Disneyland Resort is fantastic none the less. I had been anticipating my trip my entire life and I was not disappointed. Before my visit I was a bit worried that I would find myself underwhelmed compared to my many trips to Walt Disney World. Now I find myself slightly worried that I may find my next trip to Walt Disney World underwhelming. (Then again, Star Wars Land.) To any Disney fan, visit Disneyland. Walt's park is just as wonderful as intended it.

Gah! What Are You Doing Here?

Well hello again internet. Yes, it's me, David. I know how much you were begging to hear from me again. Now let's get down to business.

Way back in the distant year of 2012 a I found myself in an exciting situation. An image that I had Photoshopped together had found its way into St. Louis University High School's cultural/literary/anything magazine, Gadfly. While my work was very basic, it found its way onto the magazine's back cover, giving it a high level of exposure. Best of all, sitting within the contributors list was my own name. My first big breakthrough into the world of Gadfly. I knew that my next foray into the world of Gad had to be a big one, not merely a lone image, but an entire article. My topic of choice came late October, The Walt Disney Company had purchased Lucasfilm. As a lover of both, I took it upon myself to write an article explaining my excitement at the news, offering my own reasons why Disney was the perfect home for Star Wars and company. I submitted my work, and sure enough, it found its way into the magazine. Soon after, I became an editor. 

It has been quite a long time since my first article in Gadfly came out, and I wrote many more for the magazine in my time at SLUH. It was no secret that Gadfly was my pride and joy. Yet, as much as I love Gadfly and took ownership in it, I always knew that there would be a day that I would have to pass it on to the next generation. In my final article for the magazine "The Gad and I", I spoke on how much Gadfly meant to me in my time at SLUH, and how it helped me to truly love the school. 

So, all that is well and good, but what does it have to do with this blog? Although I don't work on Gadfly regularly anymore, the enjoyment of writing that working on magazine inspired in me is still very much alive. Gadfly encouraged me to start writing and now I don't want to stop. This blog represents a new outlet for me. Although it probably won't see as much exposure as the magazine, it still offers me a way to get my work out there. (BTW, if you Gadfly chaps of the present ever need some filler content, you're always welcome to my work. Just make sure to attribute it to me and all.)

I'm going to be writing on a very irregular basis (Sort of like the magazine! Ha ha! Sigh.), so content will appear whenever I have something to write about. Topics will basically be whatever interests me, so if you like hearing me blab, then you'll love this. I do hope that you (yes YOU dear reader) can find something interesting here or at the very least just shrug and say "meh." (At least that's some emotion.) So that's that internet. Hope you like my words.