Happiness is a sunset template.

I was going to talk about how long it had been since I had had a proper conversation with a friend online, and use that as a nifty segway to complain about the deeper nature of facebook's rendering of all things shallow. (Un)fortunately my friend Michelle signed on and began a really cozy conversation. This totally ruined my motivation for complaining by giving me exactly what I wanted and making me feel all happy.

So instead I'll say a couple of things about Alex Day. This guy is one of the Vloggers I've stumbled into via the funniest Australian in the world, Frezned, on Youtube. Alex is a 20ish Londoner who is a veteran of the whole creating and editing of video in an entertaining manner. I've found myself feeling very envious of the lifestyle and popularity he's obtained by being a naturally friendly, funny person and broadcasting it online. What a damn good idea.

In his videos he occasionally points out humble little ideas which I really want to try. One example is the 21-day bracelet. It's a simple beaded and elasticated armlet which, perhaps obviously, you keep on one of your arms. The idea is to keep it on for 21 days and then remove it; but if you complain about anything, then you have to switch the arm it is on and restart the count at zero. 21 days is the length of time the creators of this notion believed that a character trait took to be conditioned out of an individual, I guess. It makes sense. If a person is able to go three weeks without complaining once, then it seems likely they'll be much more positive afterwards.

I'm on the look out for little self-disciplining lifestyle changes like this, and it's something I might try. First though, I'm going to follow one of his other suggestions and write a list of 5(ish) things I want to tomorrow. Then I'll wake up and bloody well do them. (The whole thing brings to mind one of my regular day dreams: The imaginery situation where I could make myself forget certain things, so i'd bump into notes left by my past self urging me to better myself in ways he was too lazy to do at the time.)

What a pleasant start :).

(I realise that my description of facebook making things shallow as part of a deep plan might sound odd, but I'm pretty sure it makes sense...)