Expectations.

Why is New Year's Eve such a big deal?

Good advice.

A wise man once told me, "It doesn't matter. If it still matters in two weeks, then it might just be in important. And if it matters two weeks after that - maybe, just maybe, it's important."

Recommended reading.

Malcolm Gladwell. Blink. The Tipping Point.

I'm finishing up Blink now. The Tipping Point was simply stellar. I'll probably pick up Outliers this weekend, and be done with it by the first weekend of the new year.

It's probably not for everybody, but if you're anything like me, you'll probably get at least a little out of it.

What will you do...

Whenever anyone's relationship comes up, my boss always asks "What happens when you run out of things to talk about?"

I always kind of shrug my shoulders, because what do you say to that?

But occasionally I do try to formulate an answer, at least within my own head. Very recently, I think I figured it out.

Too often people think that having a lot in common, i.e. liking the same things, is a crucial aspect of being in a relationship. And, until recently, I think I agreed.

But I think I've refined the idea a bit. It's not liking the same things that matters as much as liking things, any things, for the same reasons. It's a minor point, but an important one, I think.

Liking the same thing, but for different reasons means you can only get so much discussion out of a certain topic. For example: if one Cubs fan likes going to the game to watch baseball and another likes going because they like getting wasted at Wrigley, their interest only converges on a very basic level. When the baseball fan wants to take baseball, the other person won't be interested. And when the drinker only wants to go drinking, the other person may not be interested.

When you only like the same things, you can only talk about those things. But when you like different things for the same reason, there is nothing you can't talk about.

Microwaves.

I consider myself a fairly tech-savvy person. I mean, I can't build a transistor radio out of drinking straws and paperclips, but the basics I seem to have down.

However, I have never been able to figure out defrost settings on microwaves. It always seems to involve different levels of power, multiplied by the weight, that gives a random power setting for a random amount of time. Additionally, all microwaves tend to periodically stop after a portion of the random time, requiring you to start the defrosting.

How about this manufacturers: have a medium defrost setting that you can set for any time you want. Then...

No, that's it. I don't need power times density times weight divided by the binomial factor of sea level times ambient room temperature or anything like that. I need a low power setting to defrost meat.

Thanks in advance.

Not that outraged.

As per this development:

I really have no problem with the entire idea behind this.

As it stands, if you're driving downtown, you're fucked. Chances are, you're either going to spend half an hour driving around looking for a meter that's somewhat close to your destination, only to settle for something 5 blocks away. And if you're doing anything that takes a long time, you're going to have to venture back to feed your meter.

However, if you don't have the patience to circle repeatedly in search of an elusive meter spot, you're going to hit a garage or pay lot. In which care you're going to be spending far more than any of these increased meter fees will be. Raising the meter fees is punishing, in a way. Yes, if you're willing to drive down, and spend time looking for parking, and eventually find it, then you're going to be paying more to park per hour. However, if you have no problem paying for things like a parking lot, this is going to help. It will keep away people unwilling to pay that price, and allow for less competition for those coveted meter spots.

Furthermore, it encourages the use of public transit. To get downtown, people will have to use public transit more. Thus, there is reduced street congestion for both drivers and pedestrians. Less cars on the road makes mass transit more convenient, as fewer cars on the road means buses can travel faster, and taking the bus feels like less of a burden when it actually moves.

Now, if the city was smart, which it's not, it would use this money to fund more an better mass transit. Thereby increasing the ease of use, and allowing for more people to use it more often. Additionally, increased mass transit is infinitely more usable to tourists. The increased mass transit could help boost tourism, even if slightly, and thereby increase revenue.

Really, it's a pretty good idea, in the grand scheme of things. But implementation is pretty poor. Leasing out to a private company, for a long fucking time, and allocating the funds to dead-end sources (i.e. that have no capability of returning revenue, as mass transit, increased tourism, etc. can), is poor execution of a very smart policy. Overall, I think it will be a net positive for the city, but not nearly as effective as it could be.

Unreal.

We moved Chris Bates yesterday. You don't know who Chris Bates is, but that name will forever be burned into my memory.

When we first got there, he had to prep us for what we were about to see. He declared his intention of loading up as much as he could in his house, so that no one would know the kinds of things he has. Then, when we had a bit stacked up, we'd move that little bit into the truck, and start again.

So we get to his door, and he says that one person should come in and look around. Get a feel for what it was going to be like. I thought the one person idea was odd, until I walked into his door. Well, I sort of slid in sideways, because it wouldn't open all the way. What I saw was something unlike anything I've seen before. Things were piled up in every direction. On the right was the entrance to the living room.



The living room was completely inaccessible. He said that the living room would have to wait for another day.

The bedroom was worse. I tried to take a picture, but the hallway lacked any natural light, so my shitty camera phone couldn't pick up enough light. It was literally piled, floor to ceiling, across the entire doorway. Of just stuff. Half full boxes of papers and plastic bags. Old McDonald's bags. Empty bottles. Newspapers. A random 3 pack of cheap plastic flashlights.

To the left was the rest of the hallway, which had one of the two pieces of identifiable furniture. A metal shelf, jammed to the brim with more stuff. He said not to touch anything, because it would set off a slide that would cause everything on the shelf to come off. That had happened before, and it took him months to get it back to the way it was supposed to be.

On the right of the hallway, was the bathroom.

You could not get into the bathroom. He said he didn't use this bathroom. The building had a toilet in the basement that he used when he really needed it. Poor Steve. Poor Steve found the collection of bottles that Mr. Bates used when he did not feel like going to the bathroom in the basement. Needless to say, the shower was also inaccessible, so I'm not entirely sure what he did about that. I'm pretty sure he just doesn't shower, but I'm not entirely positive.



Is the dining room. Also inaccessible when we first arrived. For the four hours we were there, we managed to clear out a path through the hallway, and into the dining room. We cleared out about a sixth of the dining room. We almost got to the back door, ran out of time before he got too exhausted.


The odd thing is, he didn't want us to throw any of this out. In fact, just the opposite. We moved 61 boxes and 8 bags yesterday. We threw out 2 trash bags. All he wants us to do is organise his mess. Boxes of old newspaper. Many boxes. I think the old papers I saw were from 1999. Old coupons (oldest 1997 for aluminum foil. Old food (unrefrigerated yogurt that expired in 2007, cake mix, cans of soda that had broken and ruined the box they were in. All of this mess was sorted as best we could, and moved in stages out to the truck.

I think we're just moving it into a storage unit so the exterminator can come in (he has QUITE a few roaches, Steve saw a rat, Bill and Steve both found numerous rodent skeletons), then move all of his stuff back in.

Usually, my boss says "Oh, I've seen worse." I asked him what he thought of Mr. Bates, and he shook his head. "Never before, never again."

The second coming of Wilfred Brimley

While riding on the bus today, an old Indian woman got on. She sat down in the front of the bus, and I was in the middle, near the rear door.

We continued on, and I noticed that something really, really smelled like oatmeal. I mean, REALLY smelled like oatmeal. Like if you were trapped in a phonebooth, and some evil villain was going to try to smother you in oatmeal in some sort of bizarre sadistic fetish of death.

But it wasn't that. It was just some lady on the bus.

I wonder how that happens, where you emanate such a strong aroma like that. Very unusual. Well, it would be if it were anywhere else but the CTA.

Common courtesy.

Last night, during some of my many hours on the road, I figured out what was adding at least fifteen minutes onto most commutes. The law, and common courtesy, states that if you can't make it through the intersection before the light changes, you should not be in it. I.E. (id est, that is) if traffic is backed up all the way to the crosswalk, you shouldn't pull into the intersection as the light is turning yellow. Additionally, if the car in front of you does that, you should not follow.

However, at at least a dozen intersections, I noticed myself and other directions of traffic missing multiple lights in a row because cross-traffic was in the intersection for the entirety of the green light. That, in turn, caused the cars behind us to not move, which caused the cars behind them to not move, etc.

Two or three cars decided that sitting in the intersection sets of a cyclical building of more and more traffic.

I wouldn't be so annoyed by it if it actually did them so good. I can understand trying to make it past a certain point if a freight train is coming, or a bridge is going up, and you won't be able to move for 15 minutes due to external circumstances. But sitting behind the thick white line where you're supposed is not inherently worse than sitting in the middle of the intersection. You're not going to make the next light if traffic is backed up that far. The action did no good, while creating a lot of harm. Stupid.

I can kind of deal with jerks if they're at least getting ahead. But stupid jerks who gain nothing and hurt others in the process is just maddening.

Not this very second.

But, I want to jump out of a plane, soon.

With a chute, in case that wasn't obvious.

A pain.

I've been vehicularly impaired since August. Which really isn't that big of a deal. I haven't had a car for the vast majority of my adult life.

However, before, I also had grocery emporiums within a short walking distance. Now, though, it's 2.6 miles to the nearest decent store. I walked it last week, backpack filled the brim with food, and it was a hell of a walk.

In the summer, it's not really that bad. I can make it to the store, shop, and make it back in about an hour via bike. I decided to go to the store after work. Even though it was more 'on the way' than coming from home, it still took me about 2 hours.

Walkscore gives my neighborhood an 82/100: link. But I disagree with the grocery store options. Overpriced, shitty selection, and it's hard to ask questions, as I don't speak Spanish.

Surprising, but not.

This literally makes me feel sick.



I guess we need to not only have a large military for a deterrent against Russia or China, but both of them, as well as the next thirteen countries, all at the same time.

Track 5.

I think when it comes to regrets, there's two kinds of people in the world:

Those who regret the things they've done.
Those who regret the things they haven't done.

I definitely fall into category number two. When I think of all the things I haven't done, I can't help but wonder what might have been.

What number are you?

Reduced functionality.

I fell down some stairs (13 to be exact) yesterday while at work. My ability to do anything has been reduced, and I am hating winter more and more.

Apparently.

Not even lawyers can trust a lawyer.

I am a shill.

You'd think, having grown up in Chicago, and spending essentially my whole life in the midwest, I'd know a little about staying warm in the winter. But in reality, mostly I've just complained about it.

It wasn't until this year that I really started working out way to stay warm in our 5 month winter.

I think I mostly figured it out. Layers. It seems really simple, when you think about it, but I didn't layer quite like I do now. A flannelish lower layer of pants beneath my pants have helped a lot. As did a t-shirt below a thermal shirt.

But I was still cold. The core body would be fine, but my peripherals would still be freezing cold. Feet, hands, face.

Socks. I had previously just been layering 2 pairs of regular socks, and it was better than a single pair, obviously, but still not terribly warm. I got some SmartWool hiking socks (extra cushion), and my feet have actually been hot as I've been walking in the cold. They're pretty damn good with moisture (either snow, rain, or sweat), so even if your feet do get wet, they don't stay soaked and freezing all long. These are pricey socks, but I love the hell out of them.

Gloves. I'd always used gloves, but the clumsiness associated with them always annoyed me. This are extremely thin, and surprisingly warm for how thin they are. Dexterity is pretty high, as I can text while wearing them. If you're going to be digging with your hands in snow, they won't be enough. But for normal walking around, they're pretty sweet.

Face. Yep. I look like I'm going to rob someone. But my face is warm.
This is my general use non-robbery hat. It keeps your head warm, and if you start to sweat from being inside, it keeps the moisture off your head. Very nice.

Yes, I am a shill. But seriously, these three things have made my life significantly better when working outside.

Just one, it'll be fine.

I'm a former smoker. I was never a pack-a-day or more kind of smoker, but 5-7 a day, or so. I smoked regularly from 15-19. Quit when I was 19, and started smoking again when I was about 20. Kept smoking til about 23. Quit. Started again later that year, and quit again later that year.

Quitting and starting again is always an odd thing. It's "just one, because I'm stressed." Or because I'm drunk, and I'll have a few, and wake up with a pack.

It's something I struggle with on a near daily basis. About half the guys I work with smoke, so there is constantly second hand smoke in the air. I don't know what it is, but I've always liked the smell of 2hsmoke. And every time I smell it, I can't help but want just one drag. To feel my lungs fill with that single drag, and to feel the nicotine flow through me. Relaxing, calming, fulfilling. (Yes, I am aware nicotine is a stimulant.)

Don't get me wrong. I much prefer to not smoke. To not spend the money, to not kill myself, to be able to run, and to not smell like stale cigarettes all the time. But I still can't help but want the occasional cigarette. Or just one drag, it'll be fine.

Republicans.

Oppose a bailout of automakers.

And McConnell says the government shouldn't intervene in some industries and not others.

Yet, they support the building of $143 million dollar jets, so as to not cost the country jobs

The chairmen and ranking Republicans on both the House and Senate defense appropriations subcommittees recently wrote to Mr. Gates to voice their support for the F-22, cautioning that “the last thing our nation needs is to terminate jobs in this time of such economic uncertainty.”

Why is it that the jobs of building planes that have never been used in combat are more important than the ones building cars that people use every day? Although the Big 3 have seemingly poor business models, these newer cars are a lot more fuel efficient than a number of 10-15 year old cars on the road right now. Additionally, they'd break down a lot less often, and would save people money in towing, repairs, and other maintenance. Why don't we direct some assets to subsidize purchase of some of the current overstock of cars, remove less efficient cars from the road, and put some money into the pockets of automakers this way? Thus, the money is given to the car companies, people have new and better cars, and the money the automakers have can still be used to improve efficiency, while removing undersold product from their balance sheets?

I don't particularly like the idea of bailing out shitty companies, but I also don't like the idea of 3 million+ jobs being lost while defense contractors continue to line their pockets.

Growing up.

I often hear statements from my friends that go something like "Yeah, but he's something like a real adult..."

I don't know where this came from, but I think people who are of my (our) age feel something like we're not quite real adults yet. That there's this small subset of people who are in their early to mid twenties who are adults, and then there's the rest of us who are just masquerading as such, and eventually we'll either grow up or be found out.

I wonder what it is that makes us feel not quite like adults. Is it us, or is it the way we were raised, or the way society treats us, or something else altogether?

Really, I'd like some opinions on this.

Initial thought.

My first thought on this whole Blago thing is: Did he really think he was powerful enough not to get caught up eventually?

There's one man in the state of Illinois who might have been able to pull it off. His name starts with a D, and ends with an -aley.

Hint: It ain't Rod.

Shaving cream.

Different kinds of cheap perfume all come in different packages, but all have the same, stale smell. In reality, it's not the perfumes; it's the women who wear them. Their clothes were once tight, but have been stretched out because they've been slept in too many times. They've been wearing make-up for so long that it does nothing more than accentuate the deep lines that criss-cross their faces. Friendly women, to be sure. But maybe that's because they've been drinking, no matter the time of day.

I used to meet these women in every kind of place. The department store, the grocery store, various restaurants. "TOM!" they'd shriek. Rarely were they in front of me, and I couldn't see who had made such a piercing noise. I'd hear their call from down an aisle to the side of me, or walking up quickly behind me, heels clicking loudly. I was never positive who was coming over to say hello until that same acrid smell caused my nose to wrinkle.

It wasn't until I was much older that I realised why they always seemed to be coming up from behind me: my father was trying to steer around them. It was with a surprising calmness that he'd remember that he desperately needed shaving cream, or that this store carried the socks he liked, and wanted to take a look at them. And we'd turn around; the decision between Gilette and Barbasol became agonising.

But then came the shriek, and the smell, and the familiar clicking of the heels of a stranger, and I'd be meeting Rita, or Jo Anne. "Oh, you look just like your father! So CUTE!" They'd shoot me a half-withered, half-beaming smile, and extend a hand ornamented with gaudy jewelry and bright but chipped nail polish.

"This is my son. Justin." Always those words, with a dead silence at the end. I think those were the only times I'd ever heard my dad sound unsure of himself.

Maybe it was once they realised who I was, or maybe it was the tone of my father's voice, but they always excused themselves immediately after that. "We're old friends." And she'd bend down and look at me, purposely pushing my father to the peripheral. "I haven't seen him in ages. I just wanted to say hi. You're a very handsome boy." They'd rush off with a basket full of groceries, and a bottle of wine leaning on the edge of the basket. My dad would grab his usual can of Gilette, and we'd continue down the aisle as if it hadn't happened at all.

I am really glad I don't live in Kentucky. This is just one of the reasons.

Of particular concern is a 2006 clause requiring the Office of Homeland Security to post a plaque that says the safety and security of the state "cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon almighty God" and to stress that fact through training and educational materials.

Would that be considered irony that it is through education that religion keeps people safe?

On the way home.

On the way home today, I started thinking about how long I've been in Chicago. Even the years I was at college, I was always coming back to Chicago. My breaks revolved around times I came back, or the shock of spending the summer in Normal.

Every so often, I still have to step back for a second from the shock of thinking "Whoa, I'm 25." The more I think about it, part of it is "Whoa, I'm 25, and I'm still here..." I have not traveled as much as I'd have liked, and I did not move as far away as I should have when I went to college.


I love Chicago. Not everything about it, but even some of the things I don't like about it do give me a sense of pride in an odd way (example: machine politics, it's daunting size). But, I'm starting to think that it might be time to spend more time away from the city. And during those times away from the city will not just be vacations, but mini-auditions in what it feels to be somewhere else.

Not that I plan on moving away soon, but the lure of 'elsewhere,' and 'somewhere new' is drawing on me more and more.

Winter forecasting.

I've found that in winter, judging the day by the high temperature is pretty much irrelevant. The high temp for the day is usually between 11-3. Not a very long window to be planning your attire for. Really, if you're going to be doing any walking, or waiting for public transit, or anything like that, the low is the much more important number.

I left the house this morning, and it was 9. The high was in the 30s, but if only 4 hours of the day are anywhere near that number, then it doesn't really do us any good.

Unless of course the high is in the single digits, in which case you're fucked no matter what.

Friendship.

Is there a proper way to end a friendship, or do you just pretty much ignore someone, and let it take care of itself?

I swear.

People who inherit large sums of money are terrible at everything.

Fucking farmers.

As I was hitting the snooze this morning, I couldn't help but think about how much harder it is to wake up in the end-of-fall, winter, early-spring than it is to wake up during spring, summer, and early fall. When my alarm goes off then, as soon as my eyes open I feel like I'm rushing out of bed, and that I'm already behind schedule.

From 1973-1975, the US had daylight savings time year round, in an effort to save energy during the Oil Embargo. As far as I can tell, it was pretty popular on the whole, not just in terms of energy savings. Yet, the opposition was pretty high from states who relied more heavily on agriculture. Much like red states versus blue states, it's rural areas of the country holding the rest of us in tradition, whereas the future policies of the country are born in the cities.

Maybe one day, we can live in DST permanence, and we can recognise that we are no longer a rural country (and stop voting Republican), but until then, we're left with darkness half the year, and Sarah Palin is seen as a viable national political candidate.

Winter is here.

Why is it that during the first sign of inclement weather, people act like they've never seen snow before, let alone driven in it?

Loveline.

When I was in high school, Q101 used to play Loveline at nights. It was essentially a call-in show for teens and people in their early 20s about sex and relationship problems they were having. I don't know why, but I listened to it quite often when falling asleep, or doing my homework after work.

Thinking back on most of the content I remember from the show, most of the people who called in were completely clueless about some very basic info about sex. I mean, very basic info. Such as what a condom does in terms of preventing pregancy/STDs. (You mean, you can still get an STD if he pulls out?)

It makes me worry not only about my peers who are having sex irresponsibly, but also about the next generation(s). Are they this ignorant about basic facts? Or has the increased prevalence of early sexual encounters lead to a greater knowledge of these facts that my own generation seemed relatively ignorant about?

One hopes our country's teenagers in fact know more than we did, but I don't know if that's very realistic.

Why I write.

I'm bad at talking.

Not that I say inappropriate things, or don't know how to pronounce the words I use, or speak outside of my element. Because I don't do any of things. I just am not good at verbal syntax. I can either use the right vocabulary, or have clear syntax, but I seem incapable of doing both at the same time.

I think it's the biggest reason why I'm so inclined to email, e-chat, text message, etc. as opposed to talking on the phone. It gives me an extra four seconds or so to organise what I'm trying to say, and words seem to make more sense coming to my fingertips than they do my tongue.

It's something that I've been working on. Rambling. Talking without having a real reason (a trait I don't particularly care for in others), just to get the practice in.

Hopefully it works.