I'm pretty good.

Hey, folks. It's a low self-esteem day. Yeah... well, a low self-esteem life, really, but I've been on an extra-downer for the past while. So, I figured the most helpful thing to do would be to sequester myself in my room, alone, staring at the ceiling moodily, but surprisingly that didn't make me feel all that much better. The next option, of course, was to go being all depressive and make life unpleasant for my friends and loved ones, but I don't feel like doing that too much. And I already do it too much. Especially to Nicole. So, where does that leave me? Not on a downer because of anything, really, so I can't fix those problems. But I do have, right here, a nice way to go on about my problems without feeling like I'm bugging people. You all don't need to read this, so I'm free to whine, or if I'm really out of it, whinge about my problems. Or no, not whine; self-deprecation is probably not in my best interests at the moment. Rather, I'm going to do the self-esteem boost thing. Oh, sure, I could just fire it up into a word processor, notebook, or just my own head, but why not here? Gives me something to write about, and let's face it, if I'm going to cobble together reasons why I rock, it makes sense to tell the entire world. So. Further ado? Nah... let's get at it. What follows is one of those unordered lists I'm so fond of, and I'm shooting for, let's say, ten things I hate about you like about myself. Here we go!

• I'm funny. I'm damn funny, actually, and the next time I'm not sure of that, I need to go back to my happy birthday post which still makes me laugh.
• I'm smart. I know standardized tests aren't an accurate measure of intelligence, but a 1500 SAT does not come about by accident.
• I'm a good artist. Well, ducky is cute, at any rate. And the rest of my Fireworks creations. All stuff I can be proud of.
• I'm a good actor. Hell, a great one! I was the lead in the last play! And several more in high school. And several independent parties will agree. I rock onstage.
• I'm good-looking. As best as I can make an unbiased opinion of the guy in the mirror, he's good-looking. Nice eyes. Cute smile. Hair could use some work, but I look good in a hat.
• I'm losing weight. Slowly but surely, my clothes persist in getting larger, and people tell me I look thinner. I've been eating a lot of salad.
• I'm well-liked. A lot of people like me! And they aren't faking it either; I've been confided in, and sought out for fun activities, and given benefits not given to acquaintances or hangers-on.
• I write well. I'm the go-to grammar guy. There's a post-it in the yearbook office labeling me the Grammar God. I turn gibberish into English, and well.
• I write a lot. Really, a lot, here. I don't know how many words total, but a little every day. Dedication to cause beyond what I'd ever expected of myself. I should be proud. I am proud!
• I'm a good person. By any measuring stick, I don't get into fights, I've never thrown a punch in my life. I don't get drunk, curse excessively, or do anything to hurt people on purpose. I try to do right. I usually succeed.

And there we go. I was actually feeling better at, like, three, but I figure that's a nice list to come back to next time I get down. Which shouldn't be too long now. But now I got something to cheer me up. Hooray!