I lost my job this morning…and I’m STOKED!


♫ Celebrate good times come on! ♫
     Losing a job is sweet when the job isn’t that great…or downright sucks. There’s a key word in that sentence there. Actually, it’s one of my favorite acronyms. J.O.B. - just over broke. Sorry, I don’t mean to start badmouthing jobs here (actually I do, let’s just hope that there aren’t any potential employers reading this), but I had to say that.

     This isn’t to say that there aren’t “good” jobs out there to be obtained, there are, however they are rare. I tend to think that the definition of what a job is prevents it from receiving a high status of awesomeness. Here’s the definition from my Oxford American Dictionary on my computer:

job - noun - a paid position of regular employment

     That’s a good definition to me of what a job is, but it points out what jobs are lacking, and that’s growth potential. I guess this is the primary difference between a career and a job. A career encourages growth and advancement over a length of time. A job in my opinion gives little focus on growth and advancement, concentrating in the present, which creates stagnation in the employee. The job I just lost was much like that, leaving you with a feeling of insignificance and expendability, with little if no chance of growth within the company.

     So instead of feeling much loss or distress from being told I lost my job because I didn’t switch my monitor screen settings the previous work night back from a vertical to a horizontal position (can you tell they wanted me outta there?), I felt relief. I almost felt glad…almost. I did like most of my coworkers, and won’t be able to see them as often now. One of these days though I hope to be fired for a legitimate reason like stealing from the vending machines, peeing under my desk or saying “cha-cha” too many times.

     Isn’t there something grossly wrong with this situation? To feel relief about losing a job instead of regret? Do companies honestly want to create employees that are completely indifferent about the place they spend the majority of their waking time? I suppose it makes the firing process that much easier, but it seems like a lot of companies have their priorities out of whack.

     I remember a few weeks ago being told to stop asking questions about my job/work because I was questioning authority (when in fact I was trying to learn), and was accused of insubordination. It’s hard for me to believe that the desire to learn and improve my performance can be looked upon as being negative. Yet again, I haven’t experienced many dictatorships either, but the rules by which that company governed its employees seem to fit in line with autocracy.

     Luckily for me I have faith in myself. I have faith in myself that I will become employed with a company that appreciates its employees. As long as I know and tell myself that my value to this world exceeds whatever dollar sign the corporate world wants to tag onto it, I’ll be just fine. Hopefully if you’re in the same situation as me right now, you have the same understanding about your worth.

I suggest reading the article: 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job, by Steve Pavlina. It gives some real insight on jobs and work in general.

     Oh, I’m currently giving dance lessons for a fee if anyone of you out there in the dubya dubya dubya needs some help gettin’ jiggy wit it or crunked up or………..you get what I mean. Just hit me up. Peace.

     The badass ninjutsu quartet, known as The Urban Ninjas begin their sword training the only way they know how…

By slicing the hell out of beer cans! This is rare, never-before-seen footage of the underground mercenaries in action…


Stay tuned as more video of the The Urban Ninjas becomes available on AlexLandis.com!

     As the urban ninjas chill at the local Tokyo Joe’s to get their eat on, Rains tests his might against the infamous Wasabi Challenge…

But will he prove victorious?


     Never passing up on a dangerous challenge, ninja Landis takes his own (albeit smaller) taste of the wasabi burn:


     The ninjas remain victorious! Do you dare face the Wasabi Challenge?

     There’s always something rewarding about completing a goal you’ve had for yourself. It doesn’t matter how small or seemingly insignificant, the gratification is there. This web site is one such goal I’ve had for quite some time now, and as I write these first words (even as the web site is still under construction), I feel more accomplished than I have in awhile. I think it’s because I have brought two persons closer, the person I am and the person I am hoping to become.

     Everyone has or should have goals for themselves, things they hope and strive to achieve. They give us a sense of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment. Sometimes I imagine who I’d like to be in the future, and how I’d like my future self to be. Broadly, I see my future self as having a career he loves, happily married, and with great kids. I also want to see myself as an accomplished artist, writer, and designer who is contributing something beneficial to the world. These are a few of my longtime goals, and whether or not I’ll reach them remains to be seen. I won’t stop trying.

     With that said, I want to welcome you to my web site. I hope that you enjoy it. You may be wondering what you can expect to find here. More than anything you’ll find me. This site is a personal outlet of self expression I’m sharing with you, so you’ll find my life, interests, experiences, creativity, and thoughts. The majority of this will be in the form of writing, but also videos, artwork, and whatever other means I can find to express myself to you through this site. In the longer term there will be a store to purchase my designs on clothing, as well as entertainment like games and music.

     So take a look around, check out some of my writing or videos, and let me know what you think. If you like what you see, feel free to register on the site, and you’ll receive updates when I add new stuff.

Take care and thanks for visiting AlexLandis.com!