Take a day off. I mean it.

No, I really mean it. Stop whatever it is that you're doing, and plan a day that you can take for yourself. Yes there are deadlines, and yes, you need to make money, but there are few things as precious as perspective.

I decided to take a day off, as you can no doubt tell. I got up early, I biked through Manhattan, and treated myself to a fruit smoothie and some sunshine. Aside from the exercise, what this time gave me was a reminder that the confines of our work and our hobbies can be forgotten for a day. In the long scheme of things, a day of work lost won't bring the world crashing down around your ears. 

On the the contrary, it can do everything to reinforce a mental foundation that has been slipping lately.

I'll be frank: I used to have a terrible work ethic. Awful. I was lazy and unmotivated, and ungrateful for a lot of free time and opportunities afforded to me. And it makes me laugh to think of how many projects I have going now and all of the work that I put into them. But because of that work, I've felt run down and exhausted, as if pursuing my dreams has left me winded and annoyed. 

A continuous pattern of work, where free time is forced into your plans so that there can be some sort of perceived balance between work and play. Goofing off is now another chore to do, an errand to run as I idly whittle away my time before sleep gazing at a computer screen. 

But an impromptu day off throws a wrench into the works. Suddenly, I have a blank day that's free to be painted on with anything I want. Writing, videogames, cleaning, biking, eating, working, anything at all can take up the next 24 hours. And I'm grateful I didn't waste the time away sleeping. 

And if you let yourself, you'll start seeing more of the world that you pass by silently in the mornings on the way to work, and in the evenings as you're hopping off the subway. We've all had that moment where we leave our house and immediately start the walk to work, even if you're doing something completely different that day. And that path has lost its luster to habitual exposure. 

So look up at the tops of the buildings, at the skyscrapers in the distance, and remember that the world is a lot bigger than the walk to work.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting on my bike and exploring some more. I suggest you do the same.  

Recharge: Getting into Good Habits

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With Recharge, I hope to make Mondays a little less taxing by showing that even the worst day of work week can be turned into something refreshing, and that whatever downtime we lost on the weekend can be made up with a little creativity.

I'll share a new hobby of mine. It started with the realization that I missed out on the fan-fiction wagon while I was growing up, and as a result I missed out on some truly amazing and imaginative worlds that spawned from the hearts of their loving fans. Recently, I figured it would be fun to craft my own windows into the worlds that I love. I started with Final Fantasy IX, and now it's become a great way to "exercise" my writing. Come take a look!

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What's in a name?

I don't usually rant, but this one upsets me.

Facebook, I am disappointed in you. Right now, I don't "like" you. But I know that you're trying to fix things, and for that I respect you.

A dear friend of mine was told that she was not allowed use her name as her Facebook name. All because someone reported her. This is absurd, and offensive. This is our space, our bodies, our names. The pages we like, the music we listened to, and the sports we played all helped define who we were, just like our name helps define our identity. We can choose what movies represent our taste, but we can't choose what name represents ourselves? Facebook has decided that it can mandate controls in an environment built to share and connect with the things and people we love.

You don't have my birth certificate, (unless, somehow, you do, which would be another problem altogether), so don't claim to know what my name is or isn't. Don't force your norms onto me, or onto anyone else, for that matter. Asking for legal documentation to prove that my name is legitimate? You're a for-profit website, not a government agency, I don't think you should really require something like this. And even if it wasn't a legal name, what should a nickname matter to you anyway?

Now I know that users have to report people in order for this to be an issue. But why does there have to be a "real name" requirement? If it's not synonymous with your legal name, then what even is it? And why are you believing another person's word over mine? (Listen, I get that $hiperdoodle Maximus III is what you're trying to prevent, but people need to understand that identity is pretty fluid.)

Cyberbullying is definitely a thing, and I understand that a "real name" creates accountability for your actions.If anything, the only thing I can think of in my limited experience would be to have your "real name" expressly visible to Facebook only, so that if there are any reports of cyberbullying, accountability still ends up on the right person.

This is unacceptable. It's my name, Facebook , and you don't get to decide what people get to call me. (Oh and that little parenthetical spot for me to put a nickname? Not cutting it.)

I've continued to read up on this after my initial shock, and I see Facebook working to make this right. And that's good. All I hope is that change will come, and that people will get their names back.