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.