Wrong profession?
I should have become a proctologist because it sure seems like I spend most of my life dealing with assholes.
Just sayin’.
Dec 12, 2005
Dec 7, 2005
100,000 Iraqis died because of the war.
About a year ago, a study estimated the number of Iraqi casualties since the war began. It came up with a number – 100,000 dead – that was higher than any other estimate, and was mostly ignored. This week, Alex Blumberg revisits that study to look at the reality behind it. In Act One he reports that not only is the study probably accurate, but it says that most of the deaths were caused by Coalition forces (despite concerted efforts to avoid civilian casualties). In Act Two, we hear U.S. forces trying to cope in the aftermath of some of those deaths.
Prologue. We're a nation at war, but it hardly feels like it. That contrast is especially jarring for people like Hannah Allam, who just returned home to Oklahoma after two years in Baghdad running the Knight-Ridder Newspapers bureau there. Ira talks with Hannah, and Army Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss about what it feels like to come home from a war that nobody's paying much attention to.
Another episode of This American Life - certainly worth a listen. (requires RealAudio)
About a year ago, a study estimated the number of Iraqi casualties since the war began. It came up with a number – 100,000 dead – that was higher than any other estimate, and was mostly ignored. This week, Alex Blumberg revisits that study to look at the reality behind it. In Act One he reports that not only is the study probably accurate, but it says that most of the deaths were caused by Coalition forces (despite concerted efforts to avoid civilian casualties). In Act Two, we hear U.S. forces trying to cope in the aftermath of some of those deaths.
Prologue. We're a nation at war, but it hardly feels like it. That contrast is especially jarring for people like Hannah Allam, who just returned home to Oklahoma after two years in Baghdad running the Knight-Ridder Newspapers bureau there. Ira talks with Hannah, and Army Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss about what it feels like to come home from a war that nobody's paying much attention to.
Another episode of This American Life - certainly worth a listen. (requires RealAudio)
Dec 6, 2005
Appealing to me on so many levels.
I have a link up on the sidebar to Masuimi Max who is a fetish model of some note. The fetish model thing appeals to me although I am much chagrined to admit it. I imagine it goes back to the days of watching those Bettie Paige loops on channel J. Something about the page boy haircuts and the outfits... ah, but I digress.
The point I had wanted to make was that I really like the design of her site a great deal. If you can get by the fetish model thing as content, I have to say it’s really a beautiful site and worth checking out. Whoever worked on the design of the site has a love of those old 50’s movie posters and it shows. Lots of good color and type selection. Take a look but not if semi clad women offend.
Look here.
On another note, as I eventually get around to setting the Flckr account up - maybe I’ll even wind up posting the photos I took of NetMichelle from the session I shot at MoSex.
I have a link up on the sidebar to Masuimi Max who is a fetish model of some note. The fetish model thing appeals to me although I am much chagrined to admit it. I imagine it goes back to the days of watching those Bettie Paige loops on channel J. Something about the page boy haircuts and the outfits... ah, but I digress.
The point I had wanted to make was that I really like the design of her site a great deal. If you can get by the fetish model thing as content, I have to say it’s really a beautiful site and worth checking out. Whoever worked on the design of the site has a love of those old 50’s movie posters and it shows. Lots of good color and type selection. Take a look but not if semi clad women offend.
Look here.
On another note, as I eventually get around to setting the Flckr account up - maybe I’ll even wind up posting the photos I took of NetMichelle from the session I shot at MoSex.
The ball and the wall.
So, I went up to visit the EYOC today - this after the longest break I’ve taken from him in over a decade, a whopping 10 days! Imagine if you will for a second - I haven’t taken that kind of break from the care and feeding of the EYOC in that long a period of time.
After the hell that was Thanksgiving week and being up there 3 times making sure he wasn’t alone on the holiday, I needed a bit of a break myself. There’s just a limit to how much you can go, go, go all the time and being in crisis mode for a period of two months wears on you. So, most of last week was just spent doing maintenance. It sounds so mundane but, very, very necessary.
I kept meaning to get up for a visit but, when all was said and done I figured if anything truly bad was happening I would know. In the interim, things were stable - I imagine it was the calm before the storm, why not take advantage of it.
Without droning on about the visit which was generally uneventful, although I was glad to learn there are other people visiting, the truly unique thing was what happened afterward. Once again it was a reminder of just how necessary it is to always have the camera (and damned if I didn’t and was cursing myself afterward).
The facility where EYOC has been spending his time lies between what could be called bedroom communities and the true rural part of the state. It’s developed to be sure but, there are swaths of woods here and there. One such swath surrounds most of the facility which has a fairly large campus and a good deal of undeveloped land.
So, as I’m walking back to the car, I see a flash of movement along the pavement making it’s way towards the sanctuary of the parked vehicles. As I get closer, I can see just the other side of the fence is a beautiful long haired tabby, big fluffy tail and all looking for all the world perfectly in place in the snow dusted woods. I call to the cat (like I do to all kitties) but, to no avail - like lots of felines it’s a bit wary of strangers and although it stops to see where the call is coming from there isn’t any sign of heeding my call, instead just insuring there isn’t any pursuit.
Well, a cat running away in and of itself isn’t ever really much to talk about. Pretty cat and all that in picturesque surroundings but that’s about it. No, what made this interesting was the youngish doe off to the side out in the same woods not that much farther out from where the kitty was (maybe about 50 feet or so).
Watching the doe take sudden interest in the small cat and track the cat’s progress through the woods with great interest was something to watch. The movement had caught the doe’s eye and she hesitantly made her way closer, quietly shadowing the cats’ steps through the woods. It was like watching domesticated nature come into contact with wild nature. Nothing earth-shattering, just something that was really fun to watch in the dim afternoon sun of a cold December day.
So, I went up to visit the EYOC today - this after the longest break I’ve taken from him in over a decade, a whopping 10 days! Imagine if you will for a second - I haven’t taken that kind of break from the care and feeding of the EYOC in that long a period of time.
After the hell that was Thanksgiving week and being up there 3 times making sure he wasn’t alone on the holiday, I needed a bit of a break myself. There’s just a limit to how much you can go, go, go all the time and being in crisis mode for a period of two months wears on you. So, most of last week was just spent doing maintenance. It sounds so mundane but, very, very necessary.
I kept meaning to get up for a visit but, when all was said and done I figured if anything truly bad was happening I would know. In the interim, things were stable - I imagine it was the calm before the storm, why not take advantage of it.
Without droning on about the visit which was generally uneventful, although I was glad to learn there are other people visiting, the truly unique thing was what happened afterward. Once again it was a reminder of just how necessary it is to always have the camera (and damned if I didn’t and was cursing myself afterward).
The facility where EYOC has been spending his time lies between what could be called bedroom communities and the true rural part of the state. It’s developed to be sure but, there are swaths of woods here and there. One such swath surrounds most of the facility which has a fairly large campus and a good deal of undeveloped land.
So, as I’m walking back to the car, I see a flash of movement along the pavement making it’s way towards the sanctuary of the parked vehicles. As I get closer, I can see just the other side of the fence is a beautiful long haired tabby, big fluffy tail and all looking for all the world perfectly in place in the snow dusted woods. I call to the cat (like I do to all kitties) but, to no avail - like lots of felines it’s a bit wary of strangers and although it stops to see where the call is coming from there isn’t any sign of heeding my call, instead just insuring there isn’t any pursuit.
Well, a cat running away in and of itself isn’t ever really much to talk about. Pretty cat and all that in picturesque surroundings but that’s about it. No, what made this interesting was the youngish doe off to the side out in the same woods not that much farther out from where the kitty was (maybe about 50 feet or so).
Watching the doe take sudden interest in the small cat and track the cat’s progress through the woods with great interest was something to watch. The movement had caught the doe’s eye and she hesitantly made her way closer, quietly shadowing the cats’ steps through the woods. It was like watching domesticated nature come into contact with wild nature. Nothing earth-shattering, just something that was really fun to watch in the dim afternoon sun of a cold December day.
Dec 5, 2005
Georgie Junior gives James Buchanan a run for his money?!?
Just was reading this rather interesting article and thought I would pass it along...
He was the guy who in 1861 passed on the mess to the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln. Buchanan set the standard, a tough record to beat. But there are serious people who believe that George W. Bush will prove to do that, be worse than Buchanan. I have talked with three significant historians in the past few months who would not say it in public, but who are saying privately that Bush will be remembered as the worst of the presidents.
Just think, three more years to secure that place in history - just lovely!
Just was reading this rather interesting article and thought I would pass it along...
He was the guy who in 1861 passed on the mess to the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln. Buchanan set the standard, a tough record to beat. But there are serious people who believe that George W. Bush will prove to do that, be worse than Buchanan. I have talked with three significant historians in the past few months who would not say it in public, but who are saying privately that Bush will be remembered as the worst of the presidents.
Just think, three more years to secure that place in history - just lovely!
Dec 4, 2005
Fuzzy logic.
I purchased a monitor awhile back:
I’ve got a couple of monitors around the house here - some I’ve had for over a decade if you can believe it and they are still useful. Specifically the ones that come to mind are my old SuperMac monitor and this B/W jobbie I picked up from a client a few years back. I could still use the things if I chose to so I keep them around with the thought one day I will run a small program on them and use the things for video kiosks.
The monitor above is a La Cie Electron Blue IV - 19". I got it at the same time I purchase a Sony G400. I had gotten another Sony monitor for the tower and figured on matching it with a slightly smaller one. The La Cie I obtained was for use with the laptop. I have a docking station for the laptop and I actually find myself using it more than the desktop just because I’ve gotten into the habit. I just slide the laptop into its dock and I have the luxury of having a larger screen along with the laptop’s built in screen.
The laptop was a gift from the ex and it was one of (if not) the best gifts I ever got. In the years since I received it, I’ve gone through a few hard drives (they don’t really talk about wear and tear when they’re selling you on a laptop) but overall I’ve been really happy with the thing. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t have a problem maxing out something to get the most you can out of it especially when it comes to computers. I’ve put memory into the laptop and maxed it out, got external drives hooked up to the thing and even this external monitor.
Well, getting back to the monitor. I will never, I MEAN NEVER buy another La Cie product ever again after the experience I have had with the thing. It has to be about the most finicky monitor I have ever had. Every so often the screen just fuzzes up - there’s no rhyme nor reason to it, it just happens. I’ll be working away and all of a sudden the picture will just go on me.
Here’s the rub though - turn the thing off and then on again, and the picture will clear up... sometimes. Sometimes it will take a few tries, sometimes you just have to leave the thing off for awhile. I wrote the tech support people at LaCie and they wrote back telling me I had something by the monitor that was screwing it up - speakers, a hard drive - something far too close which was causing the magnetic field on the thing to go all screwy.
So, I move everything as far as I can from the damn monitor.
No change.
I now have the thing over on a corner of the desk as physically far as possible from anything which might cause interference but it still craps out. I’m just about to toss the thing in the garbage although part of me just wants to take a hammer to it to vent my frustration before I throw the damn thing out. I’ve got a few smaller Sony monitors around I’m not currently using and even though the screen size is a bit smaller I’m at wits end.
Never will I buy another La Cie piece of crap again.
I purchased a monitor awhile back:
I’ve got a couple of monitors around the house here - some I’ve had for over a decade if you can believe it and they are still useful. Specifically the ones that come to mind are my old SuperMac monitor and this B/W jobbie I picked up from a client a few years back. I could still use the things if I chose to so I keep them around with the thought one day I will run a small program on them and use the things for video kiosks.
The monitor above is a La Cie Electron Blue IV - 19". I got it at the same time I purchase a Sony G400. I had gotten another Sony monitor for the tower and figured on matching it with a slightly smaller one. The La Cie I obtained was for use with the laptop. I have a docking station for the laptop and I actually find myself using it more than the desktop just because I’ve gotten into the habit. I just slide the laptop into its dock and I have the luxury of having a larger screen along with the laptop’s built in screen.
The laptop was a gift from the ex and it was one of (if not) the best gifts I ever got. In the years since I received it, I’ve gone through a few hard drives (they don’t really talk about wear and tear when they’re selling you on a laptop) but overall I’ve been really happy with the thing. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t have a problem maxing out something to get the most you can out of it especially when it comes to computers. I’ve put memory into the laptop and maxed it out, got external drives hooked up to the thing and even this external monitor.
Well, getting back to the monitor. I will never, I MEAN NEVER buy another La Cie product ever again after the experience I have had with the thing. It has to be about the most finicky monitor I have ever had. Every so often the screen just fuzzes up - there’s no rhyme nor reason to it, it just happens. I’ll be working away and all of a sudden the picture will just go on me.
Here’s the rub though - turn the thing off and then on again, and the picture will clear up... sometimes. Sometimes it will take a few tries, sometimes you just have to leave the thing off for awhile. I wrote the tech support people at LaCie and they wrote back telling me I had something by the monitor that was screwing it up - speakers, a hard drive - something far too close which was causing the magnetic field on the thing to go all screwy.
So, I move everything as far as I can from the damn monitor.
No change.
I now have the thing over on a corner of the desk as physically far as possible from anything which might cause interference but it still craps out. I’m just about to toss the thing in the garbage although part of me just wants to take a hammer to it to vent my frustration before I throw the damn thing out. I’ve got a few smaller Sony monitors around I’m not currently using and even though the screen size is a bit smaller I’m at wits end.
Never will I buy another La Cie piece of crap again.
The embarrassment of riches.
This year, the off-season has bought all kinds of stunning news in the land of baseball. The Mets are in the process of making “statements” once again and those statements take the form of the team closing the door on one era by saying goodbye to Mike Piazza and opening the door on another as they keep logging one successful pursuit after the next whether it be through trade (Carlos Delgado) or free agent signing (Billy Wagner).
I won’t belabor the subject as I know there are those out there whose eyes gloss over at the mere mention of baseball, inducing a catatonic state in some. As a Met fan though, I have to admit being treated to a sort of gleeful anticipation of the coming year with all the recent news.
I was listening to WFAN the other day and there were quite the few indignant Yankee fans calling in to express their displeasure and lack of regard for the Mets in general and their fans in particular. I can’t find it in me to cry crocodile tears for Yankee fans, being lorded over for that five year span after ’95 dispelled any sympathy I might have felt for Yankee fans as they’ve bemoaned the lack of a world championship since they faced my beloved Mets in 2000.
Yes, I admit it. I enjoyed watching them (Yankee fans) suffer through the heartbreak of losing to Arizona one year, Florida another and then suffering the mother of all collapses against Boston just a short year ago. There was the sadistic thrill which comes from watching any bully get their comeuppance and Yankee fans had decidedly taken on the role of bullies after the string of back to back championships they enjoyed.
So, for the first time in a long time a baseball season looms with both teams in New York on a level of parity and it looks like it will be an interesting season indeed. Nothing on paper in November and December can truly predict what will happen between the lines between March and October of the following year but things certainly look a lot more interesting than they did in years past.
Got me thinking about season plans again and the last time I did - my Mets wound up in the series in just a few short years.
This year, the off-season has bought all kinds of stunning news in the land of baseball. The Mets are in the process of making “statements” once again and those statements take the form of the team closing the door on one era by saying goodbye to Mike Piazza and opening the door on another as they keep logging one successful pursuit after the next whether it be through trade (Carlos Delgado) or free agent signing (Billy Wagner).
I won’t belabor the subject as I know there are those out there whose eyes gloss over at the mere mention of baseball, inducing a catatonic state in some. As a Met fan though, I have to admit being treated to a sort of gleeful anticipation of the coming year with all the recent news.
I was listening to WFAN the other day and there were quite the few indignant Yankee fans calling in to express their displeasure and lack of regard for the Mets in general and their fans in particular. I can’t find it in me to cry crocodile tears for Yankee fans, being lorded over for that five year span after ’95 dispelled any sympathy I might have felt for Yankee fans as they’ve bemoaned the lack of a world championship since they faced my beloved Mets in 2000.
Yes, I admit it. I enjoyed watching them (Yankee fans) suffer through the heartbreak of losing to Arizona one year, Florida another and then suffering the mother of all collapses against Boston just a short year ago. There was the sadistic thrill which comes from watching any bully get their comeuppance and Yankee fans had decidedly taken on the role of bullies after the string of back to back championships they enjoyed.
So, for the first time in a long time a baseball season looms with both teams in New York on a level of parity and it looks like it will be an interesting season indeed. Nothing on paper in November and December can truly predict what will happen between the lines between March and October of the following year but things certainly look a lot more interesting than they did in years past.
Got me thinking about season plans again and the last time I did - my Mets wound up in the series in just a few short years.
Keys to the future.
Today, I found my keys.
It sounds like such an insignificant thing, I found my keys, a so what eliciting kind of moment. What makes it significant though, is the fact that I lost selfsame keys over a year ago. It may be hard to imagine something like that happening to someone but, in essence it sums up a lot about my life.
I find there is always an inordinate mental chatter, a buzz level of things passing in and around the periphery of my attention resulting in a level of confusion which while not enormous is something which needs to be worked around at times. I suffered some really severe head trauma back when I was in my late teens and until this moment I never thought of a connection between the two but, I imagine there could be one there. I’m one of those people that can be all set to go out somewhere and then find myself caught up in the maelstrom of trying to find misplaced keys.
And... it’s not funny.
No, it’s a big hassle and there’s this sense of desperation that sets in as I turn everything upside down in an attempt to find whatever it is that has been misplaced. This is an all together too regular occurence.
But, today was a victory of sorts - I found the keys that had been lost for over a year!
Hurray!
Over the last several weeks, as I have found myself caught up in the storm of what has been going on with the EYOC, at the same time I have been attempting to clear a lot fo the clutter from my own life. It’s not a small task. I don’t buy into the scorched Earth policy of throwing everything away - no, I have to sort through everything. Waste not, want not and all of that. Find a new home or a new use for something - or maybe just find a proper place to put something in.
It’s a very big job.
So, much of my time is spent in solitude digging through various piles and sorting, sorting, sorting away. Each day brings the discovery of another treasure or another piece of the past long since forgotten. Sometimes, I have wondered whether or not I am too obsessed with the past. In that list from the other day, the last thing was a question about regrets and I think of having far too many to keep track of. Funny thing is, as I get older the past although it grows in volume becomes less and less significant in importance - weird life physics at work once again.
Today, I found my keys.
It sounds like such an insignificant thing, I found my keys, a so what eliciting kind of moment. What makes it significant though, is the fact that I lost selfsame keys over a year ago. It may be hard to imagine something like that happening to someone but, in essence it sums up a lot about my life.
I find there is always an inordinate mental chatter, a buzz level of things passing in and around the periphery of my attention resulting in a level of confusion which while not enormous is something which needs to be worked around at times. I suffered some really severe head trauma back when I was in my late teens and until this moment I never thought of a connection between the two but, I imagine there could be one there. I’m one of those people that can be all set to go out somewhere and then find myself caught up in the maelstrom of trying to find misplaced keys.
And... it’s not funny.
No, it’s a big hassle and there’s this sense of desperation that sets in as I turn everything upside down in an attempt to find whatever it is that has been misplaced. This is an all together too regular occurence.
But, today was a victory of sorts - I found the keys that had been lost for over a year!
Hurray!
Over the last several weeks, as I have found myself caught up in the storm of what has been going on with the EYOC, at the same time I have been attempting to clear a lot fo the clutter from my own life. It’s not a small task. I don’t buy into the scorched Earth policy of throwing everything away - no, I have to sort through everything. Waste not, want not and all of that. Find a new home or a new use for something - or maybe just find a proper place to put something in.
It’s a very big job.
So, much of my time is spent in solitude digging through various piles and sorting, sorting, sorting away. Each day brings the discovery of another treasure or another piece of the past long since forgotten. Sometimes, I have wondered whether or not I am too obsessed with the past. In that list from the other day, the last thing was a question about regrets and I think of having far too many to keep track of. Funny thing is, as I get older the past although it grows in volume becomes less and less significant in importance - weird life physics at work once again.
Nov 29, 2005
I can’t resist.
Saw this somewhere and swiped it. Reminded me of that twelve days of Christmas thingy and even though I feel a little old for it you still have to be willing to have some fun.
10 firsts:
— first boyfriend/girlfriend: Heather - just remember a little red headed girl.
— first best friend: JP.
— first screen name: Motherbox.
— first kiss: (I'm thinking we’re talking romantic kiss here) - this is sad because I remember the girl clearly, remember the place vaguely but am not positive about her name - Carmen, I think.
— first piercings: Still trying to make up my mind about that one - whether to get pierced somewhere or not.
— first crush: Ooohhh, Elena Squeo.
— first music: I Want You Back - J5, Love of Money - O-Jays - first 45s I can remember owning.
— first car: ’68 Dodge Dart, cream colored, four door, handed down from my grandmother to my father to me.
— first stuffed animal: honestly can’t remember.
9 lasts:
— last cigarette: another one I would have to beg off on - it’s been a long time.
— last alchoholic beverage: some after dinner port on Thanksgiving before that it was awhile.
— last kiss: being Italian - it could be a family member sometime over the holidays. Romantic kiss - that’s another one I can’t specifically remember - less time than it’s been since the last cigarette but still too long nonetheless.
— last movie seen: SW Episode 3 on DVD at home - in a theater... History of Violence (so-so).
— last phone call: to my cuz
— last cd played: Tanye West - the new one.
— last bubble bath: another one I have to beg off on.
— last time you cried: recently, life has been stressful.
— last date: too long - over a year now at least.
8 have you evers:
— dated one of your best friends: no, I can’t say I have.
— skinny dipped: no, but I wouldn’t be against it.
— kissed somebody and regretted it: yeah.
— fallen in love: several times.
— lost someone you loved: oh, yes.
— been depressed: lost count of that number.
— woken up and not known where you were: this has happened on more than one occasion. Usually it’s been a momentary thing though.
7 places you've been to:
Rome
St. Martin
London
Montreal
Los Angeles
Tulsa
Key West
6 things you've done today:
Surfed.
Visited the old neighborhood.
Had lunch at Bellas.
Went to a couple of banks.
Filed some paperwork.
Fed the cat.
5 favorite things in NO order:
Beautiful nude women. (hey, I’m still a guy and I’m not dead yet!)
Comics.
Being around people I love.
Summertime.
Baseball.
4 people you can tell [almost] anything to:
Sarah (not the one people are thinking of)
Guy
Don
Kevin
3 wishes:
To have a house in southern Italy.
To finish all my projects.
To have a some kids.
2 things you want to do before you die:
Visit Japan (and learn Japanese in the process)
Publish.
1 thing you regret: There’s lots of things but, you can’t live in the past.
Saw this somewhere and swiped it. Reminded me of that twelve days of Christmas thingy and even though I feel a little old for it you still have to be willing to have some fun.
10 firsts:
— first boyfriend/girlfriend: Heather - just remember a little red headed girl.
— first best friend: JP.
— first screen name: Motherbox.
— first kiss: (I'm thinking we’re talking romantic kiss here) - this is sad because I remember the girl clearly, remember the place vaguely but am not positive about her name - Carmen, I think.
— first piercings: Still trying to make up my mind about that one - whether to get pierced somewhere or not.
— first crush: Ooohhh, Elena Squeo.
— first music: I Want You Back - J5, Love of Money - O-Jays - first 45s I can remember owning.
— first car: ’68 Dodge Dart, cream colored, four door, handed down from my grandmother to my father to me.
— first stuffed animal: honestly can’t remember.
9 lasts:
— last cigarette: another one I would have to beg off on - it’s been a long time.
— last alchoholic beverage: some after dinner port on Thanksgiving before that it was awhile.
— last kiss: being Italian - it could be a family member sometime over the holidays. Romantic kiss - that’s another one I can’t specifically remember - less time than it’s been since the last cigarette but still too long nonetheless.
— last movie seen: SW Episode 3 on DVD at home - in a theater... History of Violence (so-so).
— last phone call: to my cuz
— last cd played: Tanye West - the new one.
— last bubble bath: another one I have to beg off on.
— last time you cried: recently, life has been stressful.
— last date: too long - over a year now at least.
8 have you evers:
— dated one of your best friends: no, I can’t say I have.
— skinny dipped: no, but I wouldn’t be against it.
— kissed somebody and regretted it: yeah.
— fallen in love: several times.
— lost someone you loved: oh, yes.
— been depressed: lost count of that number.
— woken up and not known where you were: this has happened on more than one occasion. Usually it’s been a momentary thing though.
7 places you've been to:
Rome
St. Martin
London
Montreal
Los Angeles
Tulsa
Key West
6 things you've done today:
Surfed.
Visited the old neighborhood.
Had lunch at Bellas.
Went to a couple of banks.
Filed some paperwork.
Fed the cat.
5 favorite things in NO order:
Beautiful nude women. (hey, I’m still a guy and I’m not dead yet!)
Comics.
Being around people I love.
Summertime.
Baseball.
4 people you can tell [almost] anything to:
Sarah (not the one people are thinking of)
Guy
Don
Kevin
3 wishes:
To have a house in southern Italy.
To finish all my projects.
To have a some kids.
2 things you want to do before you die:
Visit Japan (and learn Japanese in the process)
Publish.
1 thing you regret: There’s lots of things but, you can’t live in the past.
Nov 28, 2005
My shameful secret.
Lesson 10: There's No Room for Drama on a Deadline
Team Kevin, or Nora more specifically, crashed and burned over the “missing” pattern piece. Nora spent an inordinate amount of time searching and fretting. Consequently, her team was handicapped because she was absent. In the time that was spent searching for the missing pattern, placing blame, and being hysterical, any number of solutions could have been achieved, including making a replacement pattern piece. Furthermore, construction of the design could have been simply fudged by working with what was on hand and using fabric to drape in the missing section. It was not essential that the pattern piece be found or that retribution be sought for a speculative thief. What was essential is that the design be finished in time for the runway judging.
Yes, I absolutely find myself absolutely enthralled by Project Runway! It’s embarrassing but, true!
Watching it, reminds me of the days when I was in art school - I don’t remember people being as cutthroat but, I do remember a bit of drama. Being an illustration major, I can’t say I spent much time at the midtown campus of my alma mater where the show is shot. The closest thing I got to the fashion department was taking a fashion illustration with a then unknown Steven Meisel who gave me an “A” of all things - but, I think there was something more to that “A” than drawing ability.
Still, the show is just fascinating and fun. They had some kind of marathon on this weekend and I’ll be darned if I didn’t have the thing on in the background for much of the day - oh, the shame!
Lesson 10: There's No Room for Drama on a Deadline
Team Kevin, or Nora more specifically, crashed and burned over the “missing” pattern piece. Nora spent an inordinate amount of time searching and fretting. Consequently, her team was handicapped because she was absent. In the time that was spent searching for the missing pattern, placing blame, and being hysterical, any number of solutions could have been achieved, including making a replacement pattern piece. Furthermore, construction of the design could have been simply fudged by working with what was on hand and using fabric to drape in the missing section. It was not essential that the pattern piece be found or that retribution be sought for a speculative thief. What was essential is that the design be finished in time for the runway judging.
Yes, I absolutely find myself absolutely enthralled by Project Runway! It’s embarrassing but, true!
Watching it, reminds me of the days when I was in art school - I don’t remember people being as cutthroat but, I do remember a bit of drama. Being an illustration major, I can’t say I spent much time at the midtown campus of my alma mater where the show is shot. The closest thing I got to the fashion department was taking a fashion illustration with a then unknown Steven Meisel who gave me an “A” of all things - but, I think there was something more to that “A” than drawing ability.
Still, the show is just fascinating and fun. They had some kind of marathon on this weekend and I’ll be darned if I didn’t have the thing on in the background for much of the day - oh, the shame!
Divine hand.
So, the last week seems as if it was three weeks, just so much got crammed in to the days just prior to and around the holiday there was some kind of weird Hawkin’s time phenomena going on. Really, raking the yard (last Monday) feels like it was a month ago.
Sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning a tree fell on the side of the house. I don’t mean the tree fell on the house, just a tree that sits along one side of the house came down. Maybe I better qualify that, a portion of a tree came down. As long as it didn’t actually hit the house, there wouldn’t really be much of a problem but, the tree in question is one of several that sits right at the edge of the lot which just so happens to adjoin the neighbors’ driveway.
They have two cars which are usually parked right up alongside that tree too.
One of the cars is a brand new replacement for the Saburu which got totaled in an accident over the summer. Mysteriously, the car was absent most of the weekend. Needless to say, this caused a small amount of concern on my part - I like these neighbors, they are nice people and believe me having lived here for many years having nice neighbors can be something of a crapshoot so, I didn’t want anything to foul the nice détente we have going on.
The car was gone for a few days over the long holiday weekend, my hope was that my neighbors had taken a trip for the weekend as opposed to bringing the car to the body shop. I was hoping providence had made an appearance and any property of the neighbor’s had been spared from the falling foliage.
Tonight when I got home, I spied both cars in the driveway and thought before anything I ought to at least check and see if everything was alright. As fate would have it, the top of the tree fell missing everything (albeit narrowly) so, there wasn’t anything to worry about.
I try to be a good neighbor and part of that means not getting into others business so outside of the cursory hello and passing pleasantry there isn’t much interaction between me and the neighbors. Again, they’re nice people so why foul it - familiarity breeds contempt and all that.
They weren’t aware of the EYOC’s extended stay in the hospital so while I was over there and when they asked after him I had to update them on the situation. Like I said, they’re nice people and asked if I needed anything (which I politely begged off) but I appreciated the sentiment.
I got inside and set about getting settled in, not more than five minutes could have passed before I heard a knock at the door downstairs. There was one of the neighbor’s kids with a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, I started to say no, but then though what a nice gesture and took the plate from the youngster.
It’s nice to have good neighbors.
So, the last week seems as if it was three weeks, just so much got crammed in to the days just prior to and around the holiday there was some kind of weird Hawkin’s time phenomena going on. Really, raking the yard (last Monday) feels like it was a month ago.
Sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning a tree fell on the side of the house. I don’t mean the tree fell on the house, just a tree that sits along one side of the house came down. Maybe I better qualify that, a portion of a tree came down. As long as it didn’t actually hit the house, there wouldn’t really be much of a problem but, the tree in question is one of several that sits right at the edge of the lot which just so happens to adjoin the neighbors’ driveway.
They have two cars which are usually parked right up alongside that tree too.
One of the cars is a brand new replacement for the Saburu which got totaled in an accident over the summer. Mysteriously, the car was absent most of the weekend. Needless to say, this caused a small amount of concern on my part - I like these neighbors, they are nice people and believe me having lived here for many years having nice neighbors can be something of a crapshoot so, I didn’t want anything to foul the nice détente we have going on.
The car was gone for a few days over the long holiday weekend, my hope was that my neighbors had taken a trip for the weekend as opposed to bringing the car to the body shop. I was hoping providence had made an appearance and any property of the neighbor’s had been spared from the falling foliage.
Tonight when I got home, I spied both cars in the driveway and thought before anything I ought to at least check and see if everything was alright. As fate would have it, the top of the tree fell missing everything (albeit narrowly) so, there wasn’t anything to worry about.
I try to be a good neighbor and part of that means not getting into others business so outside of the cursory hello and passing pleasantry there isn’t much interaction between me and the neighbors. Again, they’re nice people so why foul it - familiarity breeds contempt and all that.
They weren’t aware of the EYOC’s extended stay in the hospital so while I was over there and when they asked after him I had to update them on the situation. Like I said, they’re nice people and asked if I needed anything (which I politely begged off) but I appreciated the sentiment.
I got inside and set about getting settled in, not more than five minutes could have passed before I heard a knock at the door downstairs. There was one of the neighbor’s kids with a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, I started to say no, but then though what a nice gesture and took the plate from the youngster.
It’s nice to have good neighbors.
Nov 22, 2005
Blow me.
There is this really interesting thing which happens each fall in the ’burbs; the leaves turn as the weather gets cold and suddenly the neighborhood is abuzz with the clarion call of the leaf blower.
This year, I’ve been a bit preoccupied with the EYOC drama still unfolding. In years past, I would have to listen to the sporadic nagging about the shape of the yard and the threats by the EYOC to do something about it - visions of elder cruelty immediately sprung to mind, or contrasting that, a clear picture of a prone, over exerted senior who had succumbed to coronary thrombosis.
Life has been a lot quieter lately so, I let the leaves just fall waiting for that moment when the trees around the house had shot their wad and stood bare skeletons in contrast to their summer glory.
We hadn’t quite reached that point yet and weekend before last I went out and did one side of the house and the front yard. This past Monday I spent pretty much the entire day doing the back yard and the other side as well as giving a second going over to the areas I had already addressed.
This year though, I opted for “old school” leaf removal.
I just got out the big fan rake and slowly set about making the yard a kinder, gentler place. Saturday before last the temperature was practically balmy and when I was up really early I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the nice touch the day had by getting out the shoulder strapped machine and cutting the beautiful calm with the high pitched, incessant whine of the blower.
Thing is, it took just about the same time it would’ve taken with the blower. It was a bit of exercise (something I could sorely do with) but, there was something quite nice about it (using the rake). Monday, even though the skies were overcast for the most part, the weather was temperate and the rather large pile of leaves which resulted from my efforts took on a different and more satisfying feel for having used the rake.
Both days I was out there though, at some point while raking, I heard the drone start up and cringed.
I thought about all those times I had used the blower myself and how I would be forced to just crank up the thing again and again to try and move some small, troublesome leaf which was lodged in its place - so much waste for such little reward.
Thinking back, I can remember a time when you’d just rake all the leaves into a pile and set them to a smoldering blaze - there was something so very charming about that smell, the burning leaves. It was a fall smell, a smell you’d only whiff during one particular moment during the course of the year, something which let you know where you were in the calendar, it was nice and warm and always it contrasted with the light bite of cold in the air as winter got closer...
They’ve stopped people from burning leaves these days because of pollution. It seems all those burning leaves were just horrible for the air quality and they just mucked up the atmosphere something fierce so, that wonderful smell is a rarity now. Funny thing is though, everyone has one of those damn leaf blowers and most of them run on gas and spit out the most horrendous fumes - nice mixture of gas and oil which runs the things will do that - put out malodorous fumes that is. So, instead of the smell of burning leaves, we’ve got leaf blowers and lots of smelly gas/oil fumes when fall rolls around.
Yep, got to love progress sometimes - two steps forward, one step back.
There is this really interesting thing which happens each fall in the ’burbs; the leaves turn as the weather gets cold and suddenly the neighborhood is abuzz with the clarion call of the leaf blower.
This year, I’ve been a bit preoccupied with the EYOC drama still unfolding. In years past, I would have to listen to the sporadic nagging about the shape of the yard and the threats by the EYOC to do something about it - visions of elder cruelty immediately sprung to mind, or contrasting that, a clear picture of a prone, over exerted senior who had succumbed to coronary thrombosis.
Life has been a lot quieter lately so, I let the leaves just fall waiting for that moment when the trees around the house had shot their wad and stood bare skeletons in contrast to their summer glory.
We hadn’t quite reached that point yet and weekend before last I went out and did one side of the house and the front yard. This past Monday I spent pretty much the entire day doing the back yard and the other side as well as giving a second going over to the areas I had already addressed.
This year though, I opted for “old school” leaf removal.
I just got out the big fan rake and slowly set about making the yard a kinder, gentler place. Saturday before last the temperature was practically balmy and when I was up really early I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the nice touch the day had by getting out the shoulder strapped machine and cutting the beautiful calm with the high pitched, incessant whine of the blower.
Thing is, it took just about the same time it would’ve taken with the blower. It was a bit of exercise (something I could sorely do with) but, there was something quite nice about it (using the rake). Monday, even though the skies were overcast for the most part, the weather was temperate and the rather large pile of leaves which resulted from my efforts took on a different and more satisfying feel for having used the rake.
Both days I was out there though, at some point while raking, I heard the drone start up and cringed.
I thought about all those times I had used the blower myself and how I would be forced to just crank up the thing again and again to try and move some small, troublesome leaf which was lodged in its place - so much waste for such little reward.
Thinking back, I can remember a time when you’d just rake all the leaves into a pile and set them to a smoldering blaze - there was something so very charming about that smell, the burning leaves. It was a fall smell, a smell you’d only whiff during one particular moment during the course of the year, something which let you know where you were in the calendar, it was nice and warm and always it contrasted with the light bite of cold in the air as winter got closer...
They’ve stopped people from burning leaves these days because of pollution. It seems all those burning leaves were just horrible for the air quality and they just mucked up the atmosphere something fierce so, that wonderful smell is a rarity now. Funny thing is though, everyone has one of those damn leaf blowers and most of them run on gas and spit out the most horrendous fumes - nice mixture of gas and oil which runs the things will do that - put out malodorous fumes that is. So, instead of the smell of burning leaves, we’ve got leaf blowers and lots of smelly gas/oil fumes when fall rolls around.
Yep, got to love progress sometimes - two steps forward, one step back.
Nov 19, 2005
Superman trailer.
Brian emailed me the link to the Quicktime Superman trailer for the forthcoming Singer film. Looks pretty good, although my first thought is that it’s another retelling - updated no doubt. Thing is they couldn’t improve on the score or Brando’s take on Kal El. See for yourself, click here.
Brian emailed me the link to the Quicktime Superman trailer for the forthcoming Singer film. Looks pretty good, although my first thought is that it’s another retelling - updated no doubt. Thing is they couldn’t improve on the score or Brando’s take on Kal El. See for yourself, click here.
Nov 18, 2005
Nov 17, 2005
I didn’t know it was today...
• Tired of huddling outside, smoking in the cold?
• Tired of burning away money on cigarettes?
If you’re a smoker it’s never too late to make the decision to quit today.
The Great American Smokeout.
• Tired of huddling outside, smoking in the cold?
• Tired of burning away money on cigarettes?
If you’re a smoker it’s never too late to make the decision to quit today.
The Great American Smokeout.
Nov 16, 2005
Nov 15, 2005
A question:
So, you have a person, someone who intends to blow themselves up. A person who is willing to take their own life at the expense of others. The purpose being to extract the highest possible cost they can, meaning to inflict as much pain and suffering on the largest number of people they can. Deliberately putting pieces of metal into an explosive device so there is the additional result of non lethal shrapnel injuring those not already injured by the blast. Planning on staggering the timing of multiple explosions so as to not only injure innocents but, also the people who dedicate their lives to aiding others.
How do you punish someone like this?
When we discover a bomb before it goes off, we take it out somewhere where it will do little damage and we detonate it so it will not do any harm. It will never get a chance to hurt someone again. We don’t take the bomb and keep it somewhere, leaving it armed and dangerous because it would be foolish and we know one day it might in fact detonate hurting innocent people.
So, when someone decides to give themselves over to becoming a human bomb, a bomb directed by the intelligence and malice a person has to offer should we do any different? I keep seeing these instances of suicide bombers (or homicide bomber depending on your spin delivery source) and I can’t help but think when they capture one of these idiots before they have a chance to do what they are intending to do, well they should take them out somewhere and blow them up.
Better still, film that... and broadcast it.
You’re probably thinking about how harsh that is right about now, aren’t you?
But, think about it this way, if you show the world what a violent, painful and abrupt act it is to blow oneself up - if you make sure people can see what a horrible way to die it is - maybe the next time some group of terrorists, some ideologs try to recruit some idiot to do this, it will be all the more difficult for them to manage it. The instinct of self-preservation will set in, the fear of pain we all have will prevent someone from being so easily convinced they are doing something noble to further their cause.
No, they are doing something which is a violent, senseless act and even if they are not successful in their endeavor, they will suffer the ignominy of dying in a horrible painful fashion nonetheless.
Just something to think about regarding this person:
“We went into the hotel. He [my husband] took a corner and I took another. There was a wedding in the hotel. There were women and children. My husband executed the attack.”
“I tried to detonate and it failed. People fled running and I left running with them.”
...Mr Muasher said the bomb strapped to the man was packed with the powerful explosive RDX and ball bearings, and was designed to kill as many people as possible. “It is clear from the way she was dressed and the explosive belts with ball bearings that they wanted to target innocent civilians, and also wanted to inflict the biggest number of casualties and victims.”
There’s been a further news story, attempting to reason out the behavior by pointing out that the women had three brothers and a brother-in-law killed in the fighting in Iraq. Of course the blame being laid at the hands of US forces but, the rub of all this is there wasn’t much in the way of Americans as casualties as a result of this act - no, they just managed to kill mainly Jordanian and Palestinians. Got to appreciate the logic in that (not).
So, you have a person, someone who intends to blow themselves up. A person who is willing to take their own life at the expense of others. The purpose being to extract the highest possible cost they can, meaning to inflict as much pain and suffering on the largest number of people they can. Deliberately putting pieces of metal into an explosive device so there is the additional result of non lethal shrapnel injuring those not already injured by the blast. Planning on staggering the timing of multiple explosions so as to not only injure innocents but, also the people who dedicate their lives to aiding others.
How do you punish someone like this?
When we discover a bomb before it goes off, we take it out somewhere where it will do little damage and we detonate it so it will not do any harm. It will never get a chance to hurt someone again. We don’t take the bomb and keep it somewhere, leaving it armed and dangerous because it would be foolish and we know one day it might in fact detonate hurting innocent people.
So, when someone decides to give themselves over to becoming a human bomb, a bomb directed by the intelligence and malice a person has to offer should we do any different? I keep seeing these instances of suicide bombers (or homicide bomber depending on your spin delivery source) and I can’t help but think when they capture one of these idiots before they have a chance to do what they are intending to do, well they should take them out somewhere and blow them up.
Better still, film that... and broadcast it.
You’re probably thinking about how harsh that is right about now, aren’t you?
But, think about it this way, if you show the world what a violent, painful and abrupt act it is to blow oneself up - if you make sure people can see what a horrible way to die it is - maybe the next time some group of terrorists, some ideologs try to recruit some idiot to do this, it will be all the more difficult for them to manage it. The instinct of self-preservation will set in, the fear of pain we all have will prevent someone from being so easily convinced they are doing something noble to further their cause.
No, they are doing something which is a violent, senseless act and even if they are not successful in their endeavor, they will suffer the ignominy of dying in a horrible painful fashion nonetheless.
Just something to think about regarding this person:
“We went into the hotel. He [my husband] took a corner and I took another. There was a wedding in the hotel. There were women and children. My husband executed the attack.”
“I tried to detonate and it failed. People fled running and I left running with them.”
...Mr Muasher said the bomb strapped to the man was packed with the powerful explosive RDX and ball bearings, and was designed to kill as many people as possible. “It is clear from the way she was dressed and the explosive belts with ball bearings that they wanted to target innocent civilians, and also wanted to inflict the biggest number of casualties and victims.”
There’s been a further news story, attempting to reason out the behavior by pointing out that the women had three brothers and a brother-in-law killed in the fighting in Iraq. Of course the blame being laid at the hands of US forces but, the rub of all this is there wasn’t much in the way of Americans as casualties as a result of this act - no, they just managed to kill mainly Jordanian and Palestinians. Got to appreciate the logic in that (not).
Nov 12, 2005
Where the day takes you...
Down to Chinatown for some nice Dim Sum with Brian (author of Cat Story) and Ed.
On the way back to the car, looking down at the Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport and Wall Street on the day they’re moving the Fulton FIsh Market.
Brian and Ed pose for a quick picture.
The sun hits the buildings over in Brooklyn Heights.
Ed makes a point.
Unh-oh! Looks like the FDR is sagging from to much use!
There’s always traffic in New York!
Down to Chinatown for some nice Dim Sum with Brian (author of Cat Story) and Ed.
On the way back to the car, looking down at the Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport and Wall Street on the day they’re moving the Fulton FIsh Market.
Brian and Ed pose for a quick picture.
The sun hits the buildings over in Brooklyn Heights.
Ed makes a point.
Unh-oh! Looks like the FDR is sagging from to much use!
There’s always traffic in New York!
Nov 11, 2005
Zip!
And just like that another week goes by. Every week I wonder what I'll get accomplished and then I look up and I’m cruising into Saturday. Today was running errands and getting some paperwork in order - you’d be surprised how much time needs to be spent in the whole paper tornado.
I was going to start taking pictures around here - at least I’d have some proof of just how bad the mess is and something to compare to when everything gets done. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away!?! How did that happen? Somehow I have the feeling I’ll look up and it’ll be January before I know it.
Tonight I did the big cook off thing. Every once in awhile, I try to keep the expenses down by making a slew of food and then freezing things to come back to later in the week. Two things result from this. First, I usually eat a lot better than I normally do. Second, I wind up saving a lot of money because I’m not existing on take out.
So, tonight’s cook off menu was Chicken Sorrentino and a big pot of soup.
The Chicken Sorrentino is a bit of a chore but, I’ve found a couple of ways to keep the mess down. These involve ziploc bags which I find one of the greatest and most convenient things to use in the kitchen, saves me a lot of dish washing after the fact. I went online and searched far and wide for a recipe which I found some time back. Surprisingly, enough it’s not a hard recipe, there’s just a lot of prep. I was procrastinating about it all week but, I got some important things out of the way today and thought it would be a nice way to top the day off (the cooking).
The soup is an experiment. I made a big batch a few weeks ago and I’m still trying to fine tune the recipe there. Ever since the Soup Nazi closed up shop and started franchising (I hear he’s got a place down on forty deuce), I’ve been jonesing for some good soup when the weather begins to turn.
I took the recipe off the Goya 16 bean soup pack and made some modifications to it. The last batch came out good but, since I was experimenting, I didn’t have the foresight to write down the recipe amounts. Tonight after soaking the beans for the last two days (the last batch were a little tough), it was time to make the soup. I wound up with about 10 small chinese soup containers full of the stuff! Most of it goes into the freezer but, I did promise Ed some. It has a bit of a bite to it (underlying spiciness) and I’ll probably pull back a little on one of the ingredients in the next batch but I guarantee it’s something that would hit the spot on a chilly day!
And just like that another week goes by. Every week I wonder what I'll get accomplished and then I look up and I’m cruising into Saturday. Today was running errands and getting some paperwork in order - you’d be surprised how much time needs to be spent in the whole paper tornado.
I was going to start taking pictures around here - at least I’d have some proof of just how bad the mess is and something to compare to when everything gets done. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away!?! How did that happen? Somehow I have the feeling I’ll look up and it’ll be January before I know it.
Tonight I did the big cook off thing. Every once in awhile, I try to keep the expenses down by making a slew of food and then freezing things to come back to later in the week. Two things result from this. First, I usually eat a lot better than I normally do. Second, I wind up saving a lot of money because I’m not existing on take out.
So, tonight’s cook off menu was Chicken Sorrentino and a big pot of soup.
The Chicken Sorrentino is a bit of a chore but, I’ve found a couple of ways to keep the mess down. These involve ziploc bags which I find one of the greatest and most convenient things to use in the kitchen, saves me a lot of dish washing after the fact. I went online and searched far and wide for a recipe which I found some time back. Surprisingly, enough it’s not a hard recipe, there’s just a lot of prep. I was procrastinating about it all week but, I got some important things out of the way today and thought it would be a nice way to top the day off (the cooking).
The soup is an experiment. I made a big batch a few weeks ago and I’m still trying to fine tune the recipe there. Ever since the Soup Nazi closed up shop and started franchising (I hear he’s got a place down on forty deuce), I’ve been jonesing for some good soup when the weather begins to turn.
I took the recipe off the Goya 16 bean soup pack and made some modifications to it. The last batch came out good but, since I was experimenting, I didn’t have the foresight to write down the recipe amounts. Tonight after soaking the beans for the last two days (the last batch were a little tough), it was time to make the soup. I wound up with about 10 small chinese soup containers full of the stuff! Most of it goes into the freezer but, I did promise Ed some. It has a bit of a bite to it (underlying spiciness) and I’ll probably pull back a little on one of the ingredients in the next batch but I guarantee it’s something that would hit the spot on a chilly day!
You can’t be serious?
From the Monster Blog.
Ever get the feeling your commute is sucking the life out of you? According to the US Census Bureau, Americans spend more than 100 hours commuting to work each year — 20 hours more than most workers take for vacation. My commute is only 25 minutes, which isn’t too bad, but sometimes I wish I could just be beamed to work.
As I get older I find the whole commuting thing to be very draining. Often, the commute can be somewhere between three and four hours total. It wouldn’t be so bad if there it were simple but, it’s a three legged monster usually (drive, commuter train, subway) any segment of which can throw the whole experience out of kilter.
On the flip side, I only know of one person who actually lived in the building where he worked (and that was Brian). I wouldn’t do it. There has to be a separation between work and home. Sure, four hours roundtrip is way too much but, being in the building leads to a whole breaking down of boundaries that can’t be good in the long run. I think you need time away from the job. As a matter of fact, I think there is a dangerous trend in the country today to confuse work with life, the two are and should be two very separate entities.
One of the things I’ll be looking to change is the whole commute dynamic in the coming months. When I’ve worked third shift, the commute home has been a very palatable 35 to 40 minutes but that’s been around 3 in the morning when no one is on the road and I can drive to and from work. If I’m working the 9 to 5 thing, that (driving - no train) just doesn’t work.
From the Monster Blog.
Ever get the feeling your commute is sucking the life out of you? According to the US Census Bureau, Americans spend more than 100 hours commuting to work each year — 20 hours more than most workers take for vacation. My commute is only 25 minutes, which isn’t too bad, but sometimes I wish I could just be beamed to work.
As I get older I find the whole commuting thing to be very draining. Often, the commute can be somewhere between three and four hours total. It wouldn’t be so bad if there it were simple but, it’s a three legged monster usually (drive, commuter train, subway) any segment of which can throw the whole experience out of kilter.
On the flip side, I only know of one person who actually lived in the building where he worked (and that was Brian). I wouldn’t do it. There has to be a separation between work and home. Sure, four hours roundtrip is way too much but, being in the building leads to a whole breaking down of boundaries that can’t be good in the long run. I think you need time away from the job. As a matter of fact, I think there is a dangerous trend in the country today to confuse work with life, the two are and should be two very separate entities.
One of the things I’ll be looking to change is the whole commute dynamic in the coming months. When I’ve worked third shift, the commute home has been a very palatable 35 to 40 minutes but that’s been around 3 in the morning when no one is on the road and I can drive to and from work. If I’m working the 9 to 5 thing, that (driving - no train) just doesn’t work.
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