In many of these cases I suspect the hold-up is, at its essence, about attention. When one inconveniences several other people, it’s impossible for the victims to not be focussed on the causer. For attention-junkies, good attention is equivalent to bad. They’ll take what they can get. And then keep searching for their next hit. ♦ 12.12.2011

But creating petty social problems also serves another useful side effect in a complicated world: distraction. Pre-occupying oneself with unnecesary fluff means avoiding having to contend with life’s bigger, heavier problems. ♦ 12.12.2011

(The music that plays during this scene where D’Amato leaves a drunk dial message to his ex-wife after coming home from the bar after a tough loss is pretty. It’s called “Peace” by Paul Kelly, the same tune that accompanies Pacino’s semi-famous locker room ‘inches’ speech later in the film.)

Check out the the loose and rough assembly of reclaimed timbers in the day-lit shot. Not finicky or precise, just a few simple casual moves. This is a man’s house.

♦ 10.12.2011

I’ve heard the phrase, “You can’t get enough of what you didn’t really want in the first place” applied to addicts. So upon gratification, do attention-seekers immediately chase their next hit? A hypothesis I do not with to test out at the moment. ♦ 08.12.2011

“A lot of what one achieves comes down to just how many people above one can muster the courage to harrass and bother.”

Harassing and bothering only requires courage if one actually posesses self-awareness or the ability to care about the inconvenience they are causing. Without those annoying self-inflicted obstacles, pursuing what one wants is merely a matter acting directly. Like a dog.

In many cases there is little external reward for sentience. ♦ 08.12.2011

The hover text tells the story: “Our brains have just one scale, and we resize our experience to fit.” The lesson must be to be careful what we choose to obsess about.

Rescaling this observation, the common larger principle is that everything seeks equilibrium. I’d believe that the brain also rescales to adjust to changes in emotional state. Explains why after a year, lotto winners are no happier than before they won. Any change in status will cause temporary joy or pain, but once the brain adapts to current circumstances, all the levels are reset and emotional equilibrium will set in.

What the principle doesn’t explain though is the rare case of a dramatic, sustaining mood elevation of someone who has had great luck in partner selection. Where usually you’d observe new romance cause a temporary mood bump that eventually fades, replaced with drama and reality, I have to admit that there are those special cases where the right choice and a bit of luck cause a sustained elevation in happiness. These people are Nature’s lottery winners. ♦ 04.12.2011