As 2024 comes to a close, one can say with certainty that this was an eventful year.  In my last post of the year, I want to share a couple of thoughts that have been on my mind.  First, I think that we should reduce how often we use the word “normal”.  For example, normal is often used when talking about “normal work hours” from 9 am- 5 pm.  But there are many people who do not work those hours, including myself.  Many people work from the middle of the afternoon until around 10 or 11 pm, known as second shift.  More people than you think also work in the middle of the night.  It is quite common to find someone that works hours other than 9-5 pm, and it is a little unfair to say that all of them work an abnormal shift.  My suggestion is for people to describe their work shift as the day shift, the afternoon shift, or the evening shift, or to simply say the times that they work.

People also use the word normal when they are scolding their child for making weird noises.  They will say “act like a normal person” to which I ask what IS normal?  Perhaps a definition of a “normal” person is someone who is quiet, acts calmly and is polite around others.  But there are many people who are fun to be around and who are also gregarious and loud.  Are they not normal?  In fact, I would argue that no one is normal.  We as human beings are unique and have distinct characteristics that make each person who they are.  So, the next time a parent wants their kid to stop roaring like a bear for example, they can just say “please be quiet” or “let’s not disturb the people that are around us”.  The word normal can have a negative judgmental meaning in many circumstances, so I think we should say the word “conventional” more often.  For example, “I eat a pepper in an unconventional manner”, or “that’s a conventional way of doing things”.

My second thought is that people should reduce the unsolicited advice that they give to others.  There have been numerous times when I will gripe about a situation, where what I want in the circumstance is for the other person to commiserate with me, to say “yeah, that sucks”, or “I remember when this happened to me”.  Instead, they will give me advice and even though it is usually well intended, I do not want to hear about how I can improve the situation.  It makes me feel worse at times, like I am a lesser person for not thinking of what they suggested beforehand, and unsolicited advice can, like the word “Normal”, be judgmental.  If someone wants advice, they will explicitly ask for it, otherwise you should just be there and say that you understand.  That is usually what I want to hear when I complain, and I bet that is what most people want to hear.

            Finally, before this year ends in less than 24 hours, I have an announcement to make.  I am going to be changing the name of my blog.  Several writers have pen names that they use when they write books or other pieces, and several well-known actors use names that are not their birthnames¹.  Stephen King published several books under the name Richard Bachman, and the writer Nick Catoggio, who writes at the conservative anti-trump website The Dispatch, wrote a blog for years under the name “allahpundit”.  I have had many nicknames over the years, from Snackman, bmoney, to Gangster T.  But my all-time favorite nickname is what my 10^th grade English teacher called me: Grodence Paquado.  It is original and brilliant.  So in the spirit of pen names, the blog will now be called Grodence Paquado, with the website being www.grodencepaquado.com.  My posts going forward will titled for example: “Grodence’s thoughts”, or “Great People in the world, a Grodence Paquado project”.  It will take a few days to make the change, but I will send an alert out when if officially happens.

            I look forward to producing more content in the new year under my pen name.

1. Vin Diesel’s real name is Mark Sinclair ↩︎