Derek Tacconelli Blog

Focus on What You Have

Today, I woke up as I would any other ordinary work day; I showered, got dressed and was off to work. Upon my arrival, a sudden rush of depression and an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction came over me. I began to think about where I was in my life and career, and how I have not lived up to my own expectations. I pondered and obsessed over how little I have accomplished since my graduation from university in 2008. I was focusing on things I did not have, things I wished I had, and a career I did not want. My pattern of thinking sent me into a spiral of sadness, a feeling I had drifted away from for many months.

My male-instincts to fix the situation soon kicked into gear. I turned to the one person in my life that causes massive chain reactions in my brain and makes bad things melt away like butter in a hot pan; my girlfriend of three glorious years. At lunch, I spoke with her and she made me realize that not everyone is in a place in life where they had imagined or originally dreamt they would be. The conversation caused me re-think my day/week/month and to analyze the aspects of my life that I do have. It opened a door I forgot about; a portal that swung me into a mood of bright optimism. She made me observe details I had been overlooking the past few months and reminded me of the great resources I have. For this I am grateful.

It is convenient and most easy to find certain aspects in life that one does not have to turn against oneself. Negativity never benefits anyone; I find that people who thrive on negativity are only out there to cause harm (Does that really help anyone other than themselves? How selfish). The moment we focus our positive energy to the things that make our lives possible, namely, the people and resources that surround daily life, that we are able to move forward and live to our potentials.

Midnight Sun | Iceland

The imagery in Midnight Sun: Iceland is absolutely stunning. The lighting the Midnight Sun produces is simply amazing! Fun fact: Midnight Sun: Iceland took only 17 to shoot and houses over 38,000 images.

Midnight Sun | Iceland from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo

Insane Office Escape

Justice – Helix: French Electro-House Rock

First, I have to give credit to my great friend, Jason (@JasonKTFO), for showing me this new track by Justice, called Helix. I first fell in love with Justice’s music on the album Cross † and their live album A Cross the Universe. I had the pleasure of seeing them last year on Halloween at the HARD Haunted Mansion. I am elated to hear they will be releasing some new music in the up and coming months.

Life

I just got back from reading Vee’s blog for a bit and forgot how much I used to blog (about real life) before Facebook. It seems as though I have become plastic to the world out there and I realize my sound has become very static as I’ve transformed. I had a Xanga page from 2003 – 2009 (back in the days of Live Journal — the days of early weblogs) and would write EVERYTHING, totally transparent; isn’t that was social media is all about? Since Facebook, it’s like a facade has been put up — I’ve also grown and matured, so many of my day to day occurrences have become less apparent to the outside world. But, back to Facebook; People are so worried about privacy and big brother, which they should be, this is good — the internet has changed in many ways. Google+ seems to bring to the field of social media a sense of control and editability (new word!), and most importantly, privacy of information. This seems paradoxical because Google has control over a lot of information, some would call it a monopoly. Perhaps Facebook and Google have created a dynamic where people are realizing the real power of information that the internet contains; it has really transformed right before our eyes.

This is perhaps why I have embraced social media and am holding on for the ride. I hope to have a positive influence on as many people as I can, but also have an impact on the people that really matter to me. Lately, I have shifted to strengthening the bonds I have with people, rather than meeting as many people as I can. In my days of university I was on a meet and greet frenzy. Parties, classes, and living arrangements all made this possible. But outside of the realm of the college lifestyle, I have come to realize that the saying from Chris Mathews,

“It is not who you know, it is who you get to know,”

really rings true to me now that I have had the time to let that quote marinate. Yet, the last few weeks I have struggled to maintain my relationships. It feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to be social between heavy work schedules and sleep. I have, more often than not, resorted to social media to wet my social appetite. I know it is not the same as real human contact, but it makes it easier to keep up with my friends and their activities. I have been thinking about the notion that social media has the ability to suck you in and alienate you from the rest of the world by showing you what you are missing out on. I raised this question to my friends via Facebook, and they seem to disagree. It is my guess that people who believe in this theory (I found out about it somewhere on Twitter) are the very ones who get sucked in and loath in their own self-alienation. I think that it is what you make of it, and if you believe in it then you are more prone to living it.

Anyways, I wanted to just take the time to get my thoughts out in words because I really haven’t made a meaningful, down-to-earth, from my heart and brain post in a long time. It’s very therapeutic to get my message out there for others to follow, even if you don’t really know me. The last two and a half months have been very hectic for me, and it has showed in the lack of posts here. I really miss seeing my friends in flesh and bones.

Now it’s time to go off and do something productive before I socialize for real. Party time!