Archive for General
August 24, 2008 at 8:55 pm · Filed under General
I have a tendancy to take the path of least resistance. The middle of the road is where I’m most comfortable, so that’s where I tend to stay. When I buy something, it’s never the most expensive and never the least expensive. Why we built our first house, it was designed in shades of brown. In Street Fighter, I was always Ryu. With a few exceptions I’ve avoided risk whenever possible. Recently though, a few people in my life have exemplified the value of risk and it’s got me thinking.
The first is a coworker. He left Statusfirm to pursue his own ambitions. On the risk spectrum, leaving your job to pursue your dreams has to be right up at the top. Yet, to me at least, not following through is the bigger risk. There is certainly a lot to be said for a safe corporate job. It’s easy enough to sit back, receiving regualar paycheques, and watch the world go by. It’s easier still to sit on an idea and, years later when someone else does it, think to yourself “that could have been me, that was my idea. I should be a millionaire.” There’s no risk there, just self-pity and remorse. Chance are you would have failed had you tried, so it’s far safer to sit back gathering paycheques and waiting for someone else to try on your behalf. Failing is hard, and blaming others for following through on your idea is far too easy.
The other is my buddy Sean. Sean quit school, and moved from Edmonton to Vancouver to pursue his dream of making it in a band. School wasn’t making Sean happy, but had he continued on he could have comfortably passed (he had a high GPA). He could have easily gotten a safe job. He could have easily spent evenings strumming an acoustic, writing silly songs and wondering “what if.” There’s no shame in that, it’s what most sane people choose. But Sean chose to risk it all on the hope that he could find true happiness doing what he loved. It wasn’t easy (it still isn’t) and the chances of success are truly dismal. Yet, when Sean’s old and decrepid and he thinks back on his life, he’ll be able to say “I did everything I could to be happy, and chose an exciting life over a safe one.”
There’s nothing wrong with safety. There’s nothing wrong with seeking stability and going down the easy road. It’s how most people live their life. Sure you miss out on the highest of highs, but you never have to face the lowest of lows; for most of us that’s a fair trade. But I tend to reflect on the risks I’ve taken.
I chose to move to Edmonton, by myself, and stay in Canada while my parents went to live in Australia. My first time living away from home was in a strange city, and my safety net lived on the other side of the planet. I did this because I was in love with a girl. Such a silly, stupid thing to do. She even had a boyfriend; a surefire recipe for heartbreak if there’s ever been one.
I chose to drop out of the University of Alberta, to leave behind a few years of an Engineering degree because I knew it wasn’t what made me happy. I did this much to the chagrin of my parents, my extended family, and the Dean of the Engineering Faculty. It was unanimous that dropping out of school and forsaking a promising career was a really bad thing.
The girl did break my heart, and I probably broke hers. I ended up with a job I hated, making $12/hour (slightly more than my previous job at a grocery store). There were times when I thought to myself “this is too hard; I’ve made the wrong decision.” But I married that girl, and I love her with all of my heart. I’m passionate about what I do for a living, and I’ve managed to parlay it into a fairly successful career.
So while I tend towards the middle, without risk what would I have? Security? Safety? A different life, in a different world. The risks I’ve taken are the things that have made me the happiest. The risks that I’ve taken define who I am. So thanks to Sean and Ryan for reminding me that sometimes it’s worthwhile to gamble on happiness - even if the world thinks you’re crazy for doing so.
August 11, 2008 at 9:45 pm · Filed under General
A recent trip to Subway has left me with no doubt as to my lot in life. As part of a new contest we can win instantly with Subway Scrabble! Lucky me, instead of a free cookie I was presented with a learning moment:
Hey, thanks Subway… good to know that I’m not “winner” material. I’ve never had a fast food restaurant tell me - in no uncertain terms - that I’m not a winner, but I suppose it’s just as well that I learn my lesson now. Then again, Subway is no ordinary fast food restaurant; it’s the home of the “$30 Submarine Sandwich,” so I suppose they’ve earned the right to judge me.
At least they’re kind enough to take pity on me and encourage me to keep on trying. Though I’m not certain I read kindness in their words. I feel it’s the same “kindness” one sees in an overbearing football coach encouraging a fat kid to run one more lap, so that he can laugh at Fatty’s struggle prior to cutting him with a “sorry champ, but this is a winning team, and you’re not a winner.”
Subway, while I’m sure you stand behind your losing text, “Sorry, please try again” has never made me fee like a Father’s second favorite son. Excuse me while I go cry to myself.
August 1, 2008 at 6:00 am · Filed under General
I am - by nature - unusually prone to avoiding sickness. So it’s with much confusion (and even more whining) that I’ve missed more days in the last two months due to sickness than in the three years leading up to it. The problem: mono (probably, it’s a long story). Seriously, what married, monogamous, 27 year old father gets mono? How did that even happen? I have a theory involving dirty utensils at a restaurant, but that’s irrelevant.
The net result is that I’m tired all of the time which leaves me feeling useless. It’s so super lame, and I don’t really like to whine, but seriously I feel really sorry for me. Poor Ali too, she now has to care for two babies full time, but mostly me; poor me.
It’s affecting every aspect of my life. I usually work from 0730 to 1730, taking an hour or so for lunch. It’s a nice, normal way to work. Mono-Keith works an average of five hours a day and is dog-ass tired when he drags himself home. To further point out how pathetic this is, it’s important to remember that I’m a web developer. I sit at a computer and make websites all day. Hell, I don’t even do that. I sit at a desk and help make sure that other people make websites all day.
I’m a fanatic about my lawn, and like to keep it neat and green. Now I don’t have the energy to mow it. I love to take pictures, but it’s hardly worth the effort right now. I’d like to take my baby to the park, or my dogs for a walk, but it’s just too much. I tried golfing and after 7 holes I was so tired I could barely drive the cart and then I was sick as a dog for three days after.
The good news, seemingly mono lasts forever as it’s been two months now and I still feel crappy. The better news is that the doctor told me it can last a lot longer still! Hooray! Being a useless tit forever, all of my dreams come true. The one big plus is that I don’t really have much of an appetite and I’ve lost almost 15 pounds (which needed to go).
July 6, 2008 at 6:56 pm · Filed under General
In the last few months, I’ve fallen victim twice to an overbearing display of panic in the face of misinformation. First it was “evil plastic” and now “killer tomatoes.” Neither of which constituted a real threat, and one of which was labeled by The Canadian Food Inspection Agency as “an abundance of caution.”
The “evil” plastic - Bisphenol A - has been made out to be the greatest killer since polio by some parties. Yet rarely do we ever hear of who is truly at risk; young children. An infant who’s parent use formula minght ingest up to 13 µg/kg/day of Bisphenol A; a full 37 µg/kg/day less than is specified as safe by the US Government. We see that at those rate there’s an “increased chance” of prostate or breast cancer. Nowhere that I could find is that “increased chance” quantified. It’s just “more.” 1% more? 10% more? 100% more? No one seems able to tell me. What’s more, how long have we been using Bisphenol A in food packaging? About 50 years. That doesn’t seem like a very long time for an involved study on the long term effects of its use.
Now I’m not advocating the use of plastics containing BPA - I even replaced my babies bottles (better safe than sorry after all…) - but to buy into the theory of the risks of Bisphenol A because people say I should drives me crazy. How controlled can the experiments to determine the long term consequences of heightened usage be? How many other factors are involved in creating a control for something this complex? How large were the sample sizes? For how long were these studies held? Most importantly: where is any of that information in any of the news coverage we’re exposed to? To my mind, the news these days strictly adheres to forgetting the facts and selling the fear. It’s absolutely appalling.
For the recent Salmonella scare, things are even more ridiculous. In Texas, Salmonella was found on some tomatoes from one farm. That’s a bad thing, the tomatoes from that farm should be pulled from shelves. But what actually happened? In Alberta, tomatoes from ALL farms were pulled from shelves. That is just silly. I will admit that I know relatively little about Salmonella, how it spreads, or any of that. What I do know is that a large percentage of the tomatoes that I purchase here in Alberta are grown in BC. Not Texas. So the tomatoes that were pulled from my grocer’s shelves were - in all likelihood - grown over 4,000km away from where the Salmonella ridden tomatoes were. Where was that little tidbit in the news coverage? Absolutely nowhere to be seen or heard.
My willingness to accept or respect modern news agencies plumments with each and every day they spend fear mongering with half truths and human interest BS. I don’t know which is worse; that news agencies hold no respect for facts, or that we - as their audience - don’t demand it. Have we really become so docile as to blindly buy into anything we see on the television?
June 9, 2008 at 9:08 pm · Filed under General
It started when I went to Nait. It was shiny and new, and different.
It continued through my first job as I used it more and more.
It built once I joined Statusfirm and I was given a one to test with.
The pretty pictures and shiny graphics burned their way into my consciousness.
And suddenly, today, my fight has ended. No longer can I play neutral Switzerland in this OS war. Mac, you have my blade.
OS X is awesome, the new macbook pro is incredibly sexy, the iPhone is something I need, developing apps is a necessity, and iTunes controls all of my music purchases. Jobs is a voodoo gypsie, masking his ways in jeans and a black turtleneck. I’ve been caught, transfixed by his gaze as a deer to headlights.
If you’re reading this; know that I am a lost cause. Cut up my credit cards, because if you don’t I will give every penny I have to Apple. I fought a good fight but it’s over now. Gone are reason and perspective - blind devotion shall rule the day.
Viva la revolution. Viva la Mac!
June 7, 2008 at 8:23 pm · Filed under Faye, General
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend among “kids these days.” When given a “thank you” they will return a “yup” or a “yeah.” It drives me insane.
When I was a kid, my Dad was a manners Nazi. Elbows off the table! Please and thank you! Ask before doing! And if someone said “thank you,” failing to respond with a “you’re welcome” would result in the look. A look so menacing that, without words, my Dad could convey that he fully intended to teach me what it means to regret. A look which would leave me with no doubt that my Dad could - and would - end me.
This makes it sound like my Dad was quite the bully and while I’m sure he thinks that he’s a bad ass, the truth is that he was a one trick pony. Never, ever in my childhood did my Dad have to escalate a situation beyond the look. He didn’t have to hit me, or spank me, or yell at me; he used the look to let me know that if I did not immediately reconsider my actions he would do something much worse. Mind you, I have no idea what, but the look made it pretty clear that I didn’t want to find out. The few times I dared to test the boundaries of the look and question its absolute authority, I was met with a somehow more menacing look, and the phrase “did you just lose your mind?” I never once pressed beyond that point for fear that if the look hardened once more I would catch fire.
Now I’m sure that most people in the world will tell you that threatening your kids is a bad thing, and I’m fairly confident that spankings aren’t really acceptable anymore. It’s just that it seems to me that kids, by nature, will test every boundary placed in front of them. If there are no repercussions for crossing those boundaries, there is no incentive to obey them.
The decay of manners bothers me. I fear that my own daughter will end up as one of those punk kids. Something so simple as saying “you’re welcome” makes a big difference in how people perceive you. I would be embarrassed to hear my daughter reply “yup” to “thank you”; so why doesn’t anyone else seem to be? All I know is that I think it’s time I start practicing the look in the mirror. I could never hurt my daughter, but she doesn’t need to know that.
June 4, 2008 at 9:37 pm · Filed under General
The other night Ali pointed out something that I’ve become increasingly aware of: my blog is getting really negative. I had intended to write about life in general, not just the bad stuff. It’s just that I don’t have a lot of spare time and it seems that the only things which really drive me to post are the things which get me a little worked up.
Lots of great stuff has happened in the last few months, but you wouldn’t know it if you’re reading this. The big upside to my acting like a petulant child is that some of the anonymous comments that I’ve received have been hilarious. Seemingly, the irony of reading a complete strangers blog post, and then taking the time to fill out a form to let me know how big of a loser I am is completely lost on some people.
I’d like to consider this a vow to turn things around and really focus on embracing life to the fullest. That seems pretty unlikely though; more likely I will consider this a message to any who choose to read my blog. I whine. A lot. If you don’t like that, go read top ten lists and articles about Barack Obama on Digg.
May 25, 2008 at 12:00 pm · Filed under General
Does anyone who isn’t a Hollywood executive, or Samuel L. Jackson, think that Samuel L. Jackson is cool? How did he create this cool stigma? Was it by being bald, black and dropping f-bombs? That’s totally his thing that he does; is that what passes for cool these days? I just don’t get it. Honestly, it’s like I’m taking crazy pills here.
Last night I went and saw Iron Man, which was super awesome. On the way in, one of the ladies who worked at the theater said “make sure you watch through the credits, there’s another scene at the end.” The scene, as it turns out, is Tony Stark meeting Nick Fury - the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Let’s take a look at Nick Fury:
In Iron Man, Nick Fury is portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson.
Now I get why this decision was made. The producers wanted to make this scene super bad-ass, and get everyone all fired up for Iron Man II, or maybe The Avengers. The problem is that SLJ isn’t BA. And Nick Fury isn’t a sassy black man. So why force it?
In Pulp Fiction SLJ was a bad-ass - but that’s about it. Take a look at his movie credits. Since 1994, when Pulp Fiction came out, SLJ’s entire career has consisted of cameos as a bad-ass. That’s 14 years of playing the same character over, and over, and over in increasingly bad movies. It’s become a cliche; if you’re making a movie, and you need a bad-ass, hire SLJ. That’s all there is to it. Need a BA Jedi? Hire SLJ. Need a BA cop “on the edge”? Hire SLJ.
I blame Pulp Fiction. Without Pulp Fiction, SLJ would never have become - in massive sarcasm quotes - “ultramegacool“. Neither would John Travolta. While an awesome movie, Pulp Fiction is totally to blame for making SLJ and John Travolta cool. The number of truly terrible movies spawned by the resurgence of those two actors is staggering. All things considered, movies as a whole would be a lot better had Pulp FictionI never happened, and Iron Man would have been better without SLJ.
March 9, 2008 at 8:07 pm · Filed under General
First of all, an open letter to Jenna who, as a member of the medical community working at the Cross Cancer Institute, may have felt a little slighted by my last post. When I get cancer from any one of the millions of things which cause cancer; you can be the member of the medical community to prove me wrong and provide me with my first positive, professional, and safe hospital experience. I should also clarify that much of my disdain is aimed clearly at doctors, not nurses - though I did once have a nurse drop a needle on the hospital floor then “swear to God” that it was still sterile.
Second: Sorry Jerry, whoever the hell you are, I didn’t mean for the post I wrote on photo radar (three years ago!) to get you so fired up. I could literally go on for days about all of the things that are weird/creepy about your comments, but rather I’ll say “good luck with the war you’re waging” and move on.
The coincidence of the necessity of my first two apologies, immediately after I post about feeling that I need to be careful about what I say here, is not lost on me. A coworker, who shall remain anonymous, sent me an email after that post which stated: I’ve found the truth is still the easiest. If you lose your job because you voiced your honest opinion you probably didn’t lose a job you wanted to keep. If your opinions ruin your reputation, it wasn’t an honest reputation to begin with.
I’ve never wanted to hurt myself, or anyone else for that matter, but I’m going to say what I want to say. It feels too good not to.
Ps. Jerry, you’re actually have a point (your second one, not the first). But don’t assume that you know about me, or my politics. While I’m sure it’s cathartic for you to find obscure blogs and vomit rage at a world far too stupid to ever understand you; you’ll forgive me if I’m unimpressed. If your goal is to prove blogger wrong - one at a time - until you can affect change upon the world, I’m afraid that you’re destined for failure.
PPs. Why no capitals Jerry? Using the word “concomitantly” properly would indicate that your understanding of grammar is sufficient to know that capitalization is the difference between “helping your Uncle Jack off a horse” and “helping you Uncle jack off a horse.” Good luck fighting the good fight though!
March 5, 2008 at 11:56 pm · Filed under General
- I love stereotypes and am truly curious as to what truth, if any, lies beneath them. My personal stereotype which has been honed through years of driving in the city: Poor people jaywalk. Am I the only one who thinks so?
- I’m an convinced that caffeine will be the next big Thing That Will Kill You. It is an abused drug, the same as all the others.
- I find politics infuriatingly frustrating. The only government I could really get behind is one whose sole mission is to create transparency. Seriously, how hard can it be to create a relational database of every penny the government spends and allow read access to the world? If the government can make it law that I must pay tax, why can I not make it law that they be held accountable for how they spend it? It’s my money dammit! They’ve done nothing for me to earn it.
- My wife is a nurse yet I have almost no respect for the medical community. I am yet to have a positive experience in my life involving doctors, hospitals or medicine. I have only ever met one doctor whom I respect, and she’s now retired from practicing medicing (to pursue missions work if I’m not mistaken). My wife is my sole health care provider (luckily she’s brilliant).
- If I could, I would banish all psychics, mystics, spiritualists, “ghost whisperers”, and such to a far away island where they can only spread their bullshit amongst themselves and can no longer leech off of sad and needy people.
- I have little faith in homeopathic medicine, but a strong belief the in the power of the human mind. As such, I believe that if a person truly believes in the medicinal qualities of homeopathic medicine, that they can actuate self healing. I am aware of the irony that such a belief could lead to me being banished to a far away island if I ever get my way…
- I am convinced I will get cancer, and as such, feel little need to take measures to avoid it.
- If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would be cheeseburgers from McDonalds.
- I am equally appalled by people who only like top forty music and people who like absolutely no top forty music. To the former: broaden your horizons. To that latter: quit being such a desperate scenester; Justin Timberlake is awesome.
- I am deathly afraid of animals that can fly, and insects which can fly and sting.
- I’m almost completely blind in one eye and am extremely self-conscious of it. I constantly have to remind myself that other people find it uncomfortable if I never make eye contact.
- I can’t stand it when people know things I don’t. I could honestly choke people who keep secrets or play mind games.
- Yes, it does annoy me that every single person I meet feels the need to comment on how tall I am. Yes, my head does hit the door frame if I don’t duck.
- I make snap judgments of every single person I meet, and I’m really good at it. I can only think of a few times I’ve ever been wrong. This habit ties in strongly with my love of stereotypes.
- Whenever I speak with a person who has an accent, I will often take on their accent at some point in the conversation. I do not do so on purpose, and feel like a complete dumbass whenever I catch myself.
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