Cops
Hey, everybody loves cops right? Well, as much as we all collectively adored the heroes in New York for 9/11, I must say that my personal experience with police officers has not been all that positive. Granted, I'm dealing with mostly traffic cops, a bloodsucking breed that we could probably all do with a lot less of, rather than those that fight real crime and actually "serve and protect." God bless the good cops, but this blog is for the ones that suck. I'm not trying to generalize, but everything I'm about to write is from my own experience, so jusrede and decide for yourself.
I think the first time I got pulled over was one Friday night, 2 or 3 years ago, coming back from church with my Mom and my sister. We were stopped at a light on 75th, and I did not notice that there was a cop stopped behind me. When it turned green, I guess I accelerated a little aggressively, and the flashing lights went on. I pull over into a little parking lot, and this officer walks over.
If you can picture this scene, there was me, a nerdy Asian boy in the driver's seat, my mother next to me, and little sister in the back, all of us dressed in church clothes. I wonder what was going through this cop's mind when he saw us there, but having already pulled me over, what else could he do but come and ask for my license and try to act intimidating nonetheless? "Do you know why I pulled you over? It's a 45 zone, I clocked you going 65, son." For people who think police officers don't lie, there's simple proof that they do. I wasn't going 65, he knew it, I knew it, my mom and my sister knew it too. Maybe I wish my car could go from 0-65 in like 3 seconds and 20 ft from being stopped at a light, but that is not possible in a 4 door family sedan. Anyways, I figure he was just trying to justify his pulling me over for little more than the feeling of annoyance that someone would accelerate quickly in front of him. All I could say was "uh... I wasn't going 65." So he kind of gave me an irritated look, glanced at my license, and said "Well, slow down, Joseph", then turned around and went back to his car, probably feeling somewhat dumb. Me, my mom, and my sister were just like "umm.... ok" and continued on home thinking about what a waste of time that was. But yeah, that was my first experience being pulled over, and even though I didn't get a ticket, it left a bad taste in my mouth for traffic cops.
Unfortunately, it was my first but not my last time being pulled over. Maybe a few months later, I was coming home on Labor Day weekend (like the first few weeks after class started, is that Labor Day or Memorial Day? I can never get those two straight), and I was also taking some people in my car too. Back then, I used to take IL-47, one of those 2 lane highways where you have to pass in the oncoming traffic lane. Back then, I was also much more speedy in my driving. Anyways, I was just flying along, like I was Speedy McSpeedster or something, doing between 90-100 for most of the way (in a 55 zone). Honestly though, it was a pretty "safe" 90-100, cause I would tone it down in areas of more traffic. What, you think I'm reckless or something? It so happens that about halfway in the trip or so, I note an oncoming car, and much like I did the whole way, I slowed down to a cool 70-80. Unfortunately, this oncoming car was carrying our friend Mr. Illinois State Trooper, who happened also to have his speed radar on. In case you are wondering if a cop can track you and pull you over going the opposite direction, I am giving you the answer of an emphatic yes.
Ok, so this scrawny looking cop comes up to my window, asks for my license, that whole thing, and says "I had you clocked at 89 back there, you in a hurry to go somewhere?" So I was like, "Umm... church," which was actually true, but it doesnt matter cause this cop didn't really give a hoot (Why are people so stingy with hoots anyways? Are they that valuable, so expensive that nobody ever wants to give a hoot?). So, I was kind of in a rebellious mood, and going against my better judgement, I decided to flat out deny going 89. After all, I did slow down when I saw the cop, to under 80, like I said. This denial thing proved also to be a fruitless gesture, but what it did accomplish was to get me a warning and repair order because I didn't have a front license plate. So then I pointed out that maybe his radar reading was on someone else. Sorry, no luck here either, because he had enough space to stop, turn around, and chase me down before another car appeared. Fudgesicles.
Then, I thought I would be a badass and ask to see his radar for myself. "No problem," he said, and then he took me back to his squad car. Sure enough, it said 89. "Dammit," said I, so being the logical man I was, I followed with, "your radar must be broken or something." As you can see, I was not only logical, but stubborn and unwise as well. On the other hand, this cop was a clever one, and he proceeded to pull out these tuning fork type things. Showing me, "this one is the 25 mph fork, this one is the 45 mph fork," then he hit each of them, put it in front of the radar, and yes, to my dismay, they did ring up to show 25 and 45. For extra emphasis, he hit both of them and stuck them in front of the radar simultaneously, showing two distinct readings on two screens - I guess these modern radars are designed to be able to read the speed of more than one moving object at the same time.
I probably would have been more impressed with that snazzy feature, if it weren't for the fact that I had no more excuses and by now I was looking pretty dumb. It didn't help that I was about to get a ticket that would eventually cost me about 200 bucks and force me to drive like a grandma for 3 months under court supervision. And, I would later find out that numerous friends taking 47 that day saw me pulled over as they were passing by. It's all that stupid cop's fault.
Another kind of amusing fact about that episode was that maybe 15 minutes after getting that ticket, I passed another cop going somewhat fast. This one didn't pull me over, he just kind of shook his head and glared at me. I think Grace would remember that one since she was in the car and pointed it out to me.
Well, you won't find me admitting it, but maybe getting that ticket did cause me to drive more conservatively, cause I didn't get another ticket for almost a year. In the name of not drawing out this blog excessively, I'll summarize. The following summer in Champaign, I got a ticket for going 39 in a 30 zone on Green St. I remember in that time, the Goods was with me so he could tell you what happened. This time, the officer asked me if I was in a hurry. I was tempted to tell him we were late for some Big Macs at McDonalds, which is where we were actually going to meet the other boys, but I doubt he would have given a hoot about that. Maybe if I made up some story about my wife giving birth or something, but I'm just not clever, especially not in thinking on the fly. Plus I probably don't look like I'm married. Still, 39 in a 30?? That's pretty freaking poor. Especially considering that my last ticket was for 34 mph - over the speed limit.
Then there was the time over last Winter Break when I got into an accident at Chinatown. Some guy was flying down Archer when I made a turn onto Wentworth. Then he tried to pass me on my right, except that was where the curb and parking meters were. Anyways, we called the cops, and first of all, it took them at least like 15 minutes to arrive on the scene. When they finally got there, the officer asked me like 2 questions and then wrote me a ticket for something like "Yield Left Turn Violation". I'm pretty sure the accident wasn't my fault; it's probably more just that they didn't feel like putting much effort into investigating so, why not just write a ticket and let me take care of it myself? Thankfully, I did take this one to court and the other guy didn't even show up, so they just threw out the ticket. Again, dumb cops.
Oh, and once I was ticketed for 81 in a 65 zone, at like 10 pm on a Sunday night or something coming back from home on I-57. There were seriously like no cars remotely close to me at the time. I don't see why the cop was there to begin with. I could have been going 120 and the only one in danger would have been myself, and maybe some possums. Certainly going 81 does not really warrant a ticket in that situation, I must say. But I guess I wasn't fortunate enough to be born with a pretty face or a nice rack. What can you do, cops will be cops. Sucks for me.
Alright, since this post has been pretty much pointless drivel thus far, maybe I should provide some useful tips for everyone out there to follow.
1. When driving to U of I, take I-57, not IL-47. This saves you time and also significantly reduces the chance of being pulled over by a cop going the opposite direction. Plus there aren't as many bugs or possums to hit, and you don't have to pass in the oncoming traffic lane, which makes your passengers nervous. Still, that doesn't mean you can't get a ticket on 57. Also, BEWARE OF IROQOUIS COUNTY! That place is a death trap, do NOT speed there.
2. If you notice a cop after you pass him, slow down. You might think it is too late, and you don't want to draw attention to yourself, but sometimes cops are in a noticeable spot not so much to pull people over, but to make people slow down. The worst thing you could do is keep speeding, because that tells the cop either that you don't care, or that you aren't paying attention as a driver. The dumb thing about my 81 ticket was that I actually set the cruise control at around 81, figuring that it would help me resist the urge to go a lot faster than that (which I probably would have). I didn't think a cop would care that much about me going 81 on an empty highway, but obviously one did.
3. If you are a girl, bat your eyes and turn on the charm. If you are a guy, just be polite and pray. Maybe you should think up a story too. Like you really gotta pee or something, and you have major UTI-phobia. It's worth a try, cause he's got you caught no matter what - arguing is only gonna make it worse (see 1st story).
4. Finding a "speeding buddy" on extended highway trips is only marginally useful. Whenever possible, stay in the right or center lane, and stay just within visible range of a speeder ahead. If you see their brake lights go on, it's probably wise to slow down yourself, even if you don't know why. It's very likely that they slowed down because they noticed a cop, not to check out one of the many hot chicks we always see walking around on the highway. Still, it's a lot safer to follow people or move in packs rather than to go alone. The chances of getting nailed by an undercover cop are much greater for the first guy who passes him.
5. Speaking of undercover cops, they are getting very sneaky with these things. I personally think it's worth it to pay attention to the people pulled over in areas you drive a lot in. For example, I've seen a lot ot people caught by green Mustangs, black Camaros, and white Ford Explorers. Sneaky sneaky. Don't forget to look out for the standard unmarked white or black Ford Crown Victorias too. And I might be mistaken, but I think in the Darien/Downers Grove/Woodridge area I once saw a souped up pickup truck chasing down someone with siren and lights. Take notice.
The best way to avoid speeding tickets is not to speed. But we all know this is unrealistic. Instead, let us all do our best to cheat the system as much as possible.
Wednesday, August 07, 2002
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Randomness
I stole this title off of one of my favorite Thai people's blogs. I figured that I have been writing a little too formally lately, like too in depth about stuff, that I should write some of my more scattered thoughts. Such as, Thai people are cool. I don't think I've met a Thai person I didn't like. I hope people aren't insulted by my gross generalization of an entire ethnic group, but for the most part, I like how Thais are almost always chill... well marinated, you might say. And I think it's hilarious how they all have nicknames and I have no clue what to call them sometimes.
I miss the old TV shows I used to watch. I haven't watched Simpsons regularly for at least a few years. Those classic seasons of Simpsons are some of the best quality TV ever made. I also used to watch Home Improvement, Full House, Saved By the Bell, and Leave it to Beaver too, with my sister and my dad (my mom doesn't really watch TV). Pretty strange, eh? And last night, I watched an episode of Friends, an old one in syndication. I forget how good those seasons were. Yeah, it was kind of cheap soap-opera type stuff for a while, but they were all well written and worth watching. After I went to college, I kind of stopped watching any sitcoms or series and switched to late night Sportscenter reruns and MTV's After Hours.
Do they still have After Hours? I remember the days when me and the boys would sit around and watch videos at those unhealthy late hours and play "next video." Basically it amounts to predicting what the next video would be shown, and if you guessed right, you get a point. What a ghetto game, but it was seriously fun for hours. Especially after finishing a few hours working on an ECE problem set or combined with some beer and some heavy bouts of Goldeneye or NFL Blitz.
Only a handful of friends know what I'm talking about. I suddenly miss those days we would walk from IT to ISR at 4 in the morning. Or the time we waited early outside Record Service to meet the Pumpkins and then I got too tired and went back to sleep. I miss being a freshman, going to shoot pool instead of class, playing Starcraft a couple hours before a final exam, eating breakfast only after relatively unnecessary allnighters. I love my friends so much. All of you mean a lot, a whole lot to me.
I look back at how I always was scared of girls. I never knew what to say to them, how to act in front of them. Actually, I still don't, and I'm still pretty scared of girls, except maybe I can hide it better now. It's a wonder I have a girlfriend right now. I bet anyone who knew me back then is scratching their head wondering how that happened. I'm still just an awkward boy and I don't have a high opinion of myself, I honestly don't know why any girl would actually like me. I often see guys who seem to be so much better than me, who have so much more to offer than I do, but for some reason they have not found the right girl yet. That makes me feel all the more lucky, all the more thankful.
I wonder whether I have changed since I started seeing Olivia. I always promised myself that I would not ever diss my friends or my family because of a girl, and I hope I have followed through with that vow. Bros before hoes, they say... But I've found, as many others have, that maintaining a relationship is much harder than expected. I have also learned the hard lesson that it's not possible to please everyone. I don't wish to prioritize my relationships, but at times I am faced with that difficult choice in some way or another. Sometimes people leave me little choice. I'm really thankful for everyone who understands me enough to know that I try my best to do the right thing in every situation. I hate to make someone feel hurt or dissed, but unfortunately it has happened, and I don't think it's always my fault. There's not a lot I can do about those who choose to take things personally and assume that I'm trying to be rude or something. Still, I can't help but feel sad when any of my friends is upset cause of me.
I thank all of the true friends who aren't afraid to tell me something other than what I want to hear. Especially the girls I know who patiently listen to me talk about relationship type issues and give me good advice, because I'm pretty clueless. It's always nice to hear nice things, but there are times when it's important to be brutally honest.
A warning to anyone who knows me: be careful when you want to give me a hard time about something. I'm generally a very patient person and I try to be fair to others. I expect nothing less from my friends. If for some reason you feel like I have grievously wronged you, please think about it twice before you decide to attack me or confront me about it. I almost always give people the benefit of the doubt - so give me the benefit of the doubt. Try to see things from my perspective rather than assuming the worst. I hope people who have known me for more than a couple years would understand me better by now. I may seem passive most of the time, but don't take this for granted. Like I said, I'm a patient person, but once someone crosses the line, I won't hesitate to fight back and defend myself. Don't make me turn my back.
Friendship is a lot of give and take. Err on the side of giving more, don't be a taker all the time.
I wonder why so many people seem so desperate to be in a relationship all the time. It's like they can't be happy unless they are with a girlfriend/boyfriend. You shouldn't base your happiness entirely on your relationships. Worry about your own life first instead of expecting someone else to be the answer to all your problems, you will end up a stronger and happier person that way. I never had a girlfriend up till my last year of college, and I somehow did fine all those years. If I can do it, you can. And as good as Olivia is, she hasn't made every single thing right in my life, nor should I expect her to. At some point, (cue cheesy music) we all need somebody to lean on, but it's like we have all been listening to "I Need A Girl" parts I and II way too much, as awesome as P. Diddy is (snicker snicker).
I haven't played Starcraft in ages, it seems. I wonder if my skills have deteriorated severely. I haven't played any video games lately, come to think of it. I briefly considered getting a PS2 or GameCube, but only briefly. Maybe I am outgrowing those things, if that is so, I never thought the day would come. Video games have been a part of me my whole life it seems, since the days of Atari or original Nintendo. I know, how typically nerdy.
It's been a while since I've measured my own height, I think I'm close to 6 ft right now. But no matter what, I think I'll always feel short. Up through junior high and much of high school even, I was one of the shortest kids in class. I think it's hereditary because my dad said he was the same growing up, but my growth spurt didn't come till early high school and I feel like I'm still kind of growing now, at age 22. It's very possible that I could grow another foot and still feel short, because I grew up always feeling like I was short. Well, the growing another foot part isn't all that "possible," I'm just saying, you know...
My sister likes to snack a lot. She's always making popcorn, craving some junk food, making ramen noodles, and eating my candy. Me, on the other hand, I've had these fruit rollups, fruit by the foot, and Jolly Rancher chews in my room all summer and never touched it.
"Being there for someone" is one of the most underrated things, I've found. You can be the most dependable friend to someone, emotionally stable, and consistently loyal, but few people truly appreciate this much. The friends I've kept throughout the years are not the ones who always do things for me or the ones that hang out with me all the time. It's knowing that someone won't change, will be there for you if you need them. "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
One of the best things about girls is that they smell good. One of the bad things is that they usually suck at video games. Except maybe for Puzzle Fighter.
It may be many years before I buy a house, but when I do, I want marble floors in my bathroom. Something about marble is just cool, especially for bathroom floors. Maybe it is extremely expensive, but I don't care if the rest of the house is made out of dog poop, as long as the bathroom is marble I will be happy.
My old baseball/basketball cards are probably worth a decent amount by now, but I don't think I will ever sell them. I miss the days when I used to pour so much time, money, and effort into buying cards and getting special cases and sleeves to store them. It probably sounds overly sappy, but they have so much sentimental value that I want to keep them until I'm old and then pass them down to my kids. Every once in a while, I'll go back and look through them and remember when I was young, when opening a new pack of cards was the most exciting thing, and when Todd Van Poppel was a Hot Prospect.
I've always believed that if you want to talk smack about someone, you should be ready to say it to their face. Ripping on someone to another person is a real pussy thing to do. Occasionally I will catch myself doing that, but hopefully I don't do it too much. I try to avoid ripping on people too much, period.
Did I mention I like Thai people? I like people who are laid back in general, like me, and like Thai people. Life is no fun when people get mad about every little thing, and it's pretty downright miserable when you surround yourself with drama. Everyone could do themselves and everyone around them a huge favor by being more chill and lightening up a little.
I stole this title off of one of my favorite Thai people's blogs. I figured that I have been writing a little too formally lately, like too in depth about stuff, that I should write some of my more scattered thoughts. Such as, Thai people are cool. I don't think I've met a Thai person I didn't like. I hope people aren't insulted by my gross generalization of an entire ethnic group, but for the most part, I like how Thais are almost always chill... well marinated, you might say. And I think it's hilarious how they all have nicknames and I have no clue what to call them sometimes.
I miss the old TV shows I used to watch. I haven't watched Simpsons regularly for at least a few years. Those classic seasons of Simpsons are some of the best quality TV ever made. I also used to watch Home Improvement, Full House, Saved By the Bell, and Leave it to Beaver too, with my sister and my dad (my mom doesn't really watch TV). Pretty strange, eh? And last night, I watched an episode of Friends, an old one in syndication. I forget how good those seasons were. Yeah, it was kind of cheap soap-opera type stuff for a while, but they were all well written and worth watching. After I went to college, I kind of stopped watching any sitcoms or series and switched to late night Sportscenter reruns and MTV's After Hours.
Do they still have After Hours? I remember the days when me and the boys would sit around and watch videos at those unhealthy late hours and play "next video." Basically it amounts to predicting what the next video would be shown, and if you guessed right, you get a point. What a ghetto game, but it was seriously fun for hours. Especially after finishing a few hours working on an ECE problem set or combined with some beer and some heavy bouts of Goldeneye or NFL Blitz.
Only a handful of friends know what I'm talking about. I suddenly miss those days we would walk from IT to ISR at 4 in the morning. Or the time we waited early outside Record Service to meet the Pumpkins and then I got too tired and went back to sleep. I miss being a freshman, going to shoot pool instead of class, playing Starcraft a couple hours before a final exam, eating breakfast only after relatively unnecessary allnighters. I love my friends so much. All of you mean a lot, a whole lot to me.
I look back at how I always was scared of girls. I never knew what to say to them, how to act in front of them. Actually, I still don't, and I'm still pretty scared of girls, except maybe I can hide it better now. It's a wonder I have a girlfriend right now. I bet anyone who knew me back then is scratching their head wondering how that happened. I'm still just an awkward boy and I don't have a high opinion of myself, I honestly don't know why any girl would actually like me. I often see guys who seem to be so much better than me, who have so much more to offer than I do, but for some reason they have not found the right girl yet. That makes me feel all the more lucky, all the more thankful.
I wonder whether I have changed since I started seeing Olivia. I always promised myself that I would not ever diss my friends or my family because of a girl, and I hope I have followed through with that vow. Bros before hoes, they say... But I've found, as many others have, that maintaining a relationship is much harder than expected. I have also learned the hard lesson that it's not possible to please everyone. I don't wish to prioritize my relationships, but at times I am faced with that difficult choice in some way or another. Sometimes people leave me little choice. I'm really thankful for everyone who understands me enough to know that I try my best to do the right thing in every situation. I hate to make someone feel hurt or dissed, but unfortunately it has happened, and I don't think it's always my fault. There's not a lot I can do about those who choose to take things personally and assume that I'm trying to be rude or something. Still, I can't help but feel sad when any of my friends is upset cause of me.
I thank all of the true friends who aren't afraid to tell me something other than what I want to hear. Especially the girls I know who patiently listen to me talk about relationship type issues and give me good advice, because I'm pretty clueless. It's always nice to hear nice things, but there are times when it's important to be brutally honest.
A warning to anyone who knows me: be careful when you want to give me a hard time about something. I'm generally a very patient person and I try to be fair to others. I expect nothing less from my friends. If for some reason you feel like I have grievously wronged you, please think about it twice before you decide to attack me or confront me about it. I almost always give people the benefit of the doubt - so give me the benefit of the doubt. Try to see things from my perspective rather than assuming the worst. I hope people who have known me for more than a couple years would understand me better by now. I may seem passive most of the time, but don't take this for granted. Like I said, I'm a patient person, but once someone crosses the line, I won't hesitate to fight back and defend myself. Don't make me turn my back.
Friendship is a lot of give and take. Err on the side of giving more, don't be a taker all the time.
I wonder why so many people seem so desperate to be in a relationship all the time. It's like they can't be happy unless they are with a girlfriend/boyfriend. You shouldn't base your happiness entirely on your relationships. Worry about your own life first instead of expecting someone else to be the answer to all your problems, you will end up a stronger and happier person that way. I never had a girlfriend up till my last year of college, and I somehow did fine all those years. If I can do it, you can. And as good as Olivia is, she hasn't made every single thing right in my life, nor should I expect her to. At some point, (cue cheesy music) we all need somebody to lean on, but it's like we have all been listening to "I Need A Girl" parts I and II way too much, as awesome as P. Diddy is (snicker snicker).
I haven't played Starcraft in ages, it seems. I wonder if my skills have deteriorated severely. I haven't played any video games lately, come to think of it. I briefly considered getting a PS2 or GameCube, but only briefly. Maybe I am outgrowing those things, if that is so, I never thought the day would come. Video games have been a part of me my whole life it seems, since the days of Atari or original Nintendo. I know, how typically nerdy.
It's been a while since I've measured my own height, I think I'm close to 6 ft right now. But no matter what, I think I'll always feel short. Up through junior high and much of high school even, I was one of the shortest kids in class. I think it's hereditary because my dad said he was the same growing up, but my growth spurt didn't come till early high school and I feel like I'm still kind of growing now, at age 22. It's very possible that I could grow another foot and still feel short, because I grew up always feeling like I was short. Well, the growing another foot part isn't all that "possible," I'm just saying, you know...
My sister likes to snack a lot. She's always making popcorn, craving some junk food, making ramen noodles, and eating my candy. Me, on the other hand, I've had these fruit rollups, fruit by the foot, and Jolly Rancher chews in my room all summer and never touched it.
"Being there for someone" is one of the most underrated things, I've found. You can be the most dependable friend to someone, emotionally stable, and consistently loyal, but few people truly appreciate this much. The friends I've kept throughout the years are not the ones who always do things for me or the ones that hang out with me all the time. It's knowing that someone won't change, will be there for you if you need them. "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
One of the best things about girls is that they smell good. One of the bad things is that they usually suck at video games. Except maybe for Puzzle Fighter.
It may be many years before I buy a house, but when I do, I want marble floors in my bathroom. Something about marble is just cool, especially for bathroom floors. Maybe it is extremely expensive, but I don't care if the rest of the house is made out of dog poop, as long as the bathroom is marble I will be happy.
My old baseball/basketball cards are probably worth a decent amount by now, but I don't think I will ever sell them. I miss the days when I used to pour so much time, money, and effort into buying cards and getting special cases and sleeves to store them. It probably sounds overly sappy, but they have so much sentimental value that I want to keep them until I'm old and then pass them down to my kids. Every once in a while, I'll go back and look through them and remember when I was young, when opening a new pack of cards was the most exciting thing, and when Todd Van Poppel was a Hot Prospect.
I've always believed that if you want to talk smack about someone, you should be ready to say it to their face. Ripping on someone to another person is a real pussy thing to do. Occasionally I will catch myself doing that, but hopefully I don't do it too much. I try to avoid ripping on people too much, period.
Did I mention I like Thai people? I like people who are laid back in general, like me, and like Thai people. Life is no fun when people get mad about every little thing, and it's pretty downright miserable when you surround yourself with drama. Everyone could do themselves and everyone around them a huge favor by being more chill and lightening up a little.
Monday, August 05, 2002
Retreat
For those of you who don't know, I was at a church retreat from last Thursday to this Sunday. That is the reason for no blogs in that time. It wasn't particularly a "restful" retreat, but I was glad I went and found it to be a worthwhile time. If people are interested in hearing more details about it, just ask me, but I'm not planning to talk in depth about the retreat here. This is more of my typical list of meaningless observations.
Surprisingly, with nearly 4 days of no internet, I didn't think a whole lot about fantasy baseball. Normally, I would be worrying about how my pitchers were doing throughout the night and dying to check some box scores. I will admit that when I got home, probably the first thing I did was turn on my computer and see how my team was doing. As for my beloved White Sox, it seems another season has gone in the crapper and I have all but stopped following the AL Central race. It's sad, but I can't let their losing ways drag me down any longer this summer. With that said, I'll still inevitably return next spring with bright starry eyes, wishing that the coming season would be the season for my team.
College and high school kids are so old, yet so young. I remember when I was that age, only a few years ago, thinking that I was on top of the world. Now, I realize that I couldn't have been more wrong. I don't know how parents put up with kids who think they know everything. As if 20 more years of life experience means nothing, that a son or daughter has the right to feel like they know more than their mother and father who brought them into this world. And yet, I always end up at the point where I feel like I know everything, before being humbled; whether I was 10, 14, or 22 years old, I was quick to look back and see how much I had matured, rather than look ahead and see how much I had left to grow.
Still, it was quite a sight to see a lot of the kids I knew since they were little squirts, now all grown up; some with girlfriends, others as small group leaders, all with deeper voices and many having grown taller than me. I imagine someday when I have kids, it will be such an exhilirating experience to watch them grow from babies to adults. It's really hard for me to understand how people wouldn't want to have kids, but I guess everyone has their own reasons for everything, and who am I to judge?
I've gotten used to not having a roommate over the past few years. I guess it's some sort of destiny, but even at this retreat, my assigned roommate never showed up. Pretty much since second semester of sophomore year at college, I haven't ever had to share a room with anybody. I had 3 roommates at school the past couple years, but that was an apartment and I had my own room there. It's kinda nice, actually, to have the privacy of your own room, but still have friends around. I consider it a nice luxury to be had... and probably the single thing I miss most about college life.
The retreat was at NIU in DeKalb, and even though the facilities and campus were nice, I don't think I would have enjoyed going to college there at all. Something about the place just doesn't feel right. After 4 years at Champaign, I can't picture college life anywhere else. And, if Champaign-Urbana seemed dead, DeKalb is a whole lot deader. I know it's summer, but I took summer class at U of I and there was still things to do, at least there were signs of visible life around. It's seriously pretty depressing.
I used my cell phone as an alarm clock for the first time, and I don't know if all cell phones are designed the same way, or only the folks at Nokia are mentally retarded. The alarm is probably the softest sounding alarm I can imagine. It gets louder the longer you let it go, but there is no way that thing could wake me up if I was heavily in Stage 4 sleep. I ended up setting it for like 5 minutes before I wanted to actually wake up, so that hopefully by that time it would be loud enough to get me going. Oh, it vibrates too, and that is somewhat puzzling to me. Do they think that people sleep with their cell phones in their pockets? Am I weird for not going to sleep clutching my precious phone tightly? Or, is it just supposed to rattle your dresser and make noise that way to wake you up? Come to think of it, the rattling noise was probably louder than the ringing itself. In that case, why didn't they just make the ringing louder to begin with? Like I said, puzzling...
I'm dead tired from lack of sleep, so I will probably be hibernating much in the next couple days. Just a forewarning to all who happen to care.
For those of you who don't know, I was at a church retreat from last Thursday to this Sunday. That is the reason for no blogs in that time. It wasn't particularly a "restful" retreat, but I was glad I went and found it to be a worthwhile time. If people are interested in hearing more details about it, just ask me, but I'm not planning to talk in depth about the retreat here. This is more of my typical list of meaningless observations.
Surprisingly, with nearly 4 days of no internet, I didn't think a whole lot about fantasy baseball. Normally, I would be worrying about how my pitchers were doing throughout the night and dying to check some box scores. I will admit that when I got home, probably the first thing I did was turn on my computer and see how my team was doing. As for my beloved White Sox, it seems another season has gone in the crapper and I have all but stopped following the AL Central race. It's sad, but I can't let their losing ways drag me down any longer this summer. With that said, I'll still inevitably return next spring with bright starry eyes, wishing that the coming season would be the season for my team.
College and high school kids are so old, yet so young. I remember when I was that age, only a few years ago, thinking that I was on top of the world. Now, I realize that I couldn't have been more wrong. I don't know how parents put up with kids who think they know everything. As if 20 more years of life experience means nothing, that a son or daughter has the right to feel like they know more than their mother and father who brought them into this world. And yet, I always end up at the point where I feel like I know everything, before being humbled; whether I was 10, 14, or 22 years old, I was quick to look back and see how much I had matured, rather than look ahead and see how much I had left to grow.
Still, it was quite a sight to see a lot of the kids I knew since they were little squirts, now all grown up; some with girlfriends, others as small group leaders, all with deeper voices and many having grown taller than me. I imagine someday when I have kids, it will be such an exhilirating experience to watch them grow from babies to adults. It's really hard for me to understand how people wouldn't want to have kids, but I guess everyone has their own reasons for everything, and who am I to judge?
I've gotten used to not having a roommate over the past few years. I guess it's some sort of destiny, but even at this retreat, my assigned roommate never showed up. Pretty much since second semester of sophomore year at college, I haven't ever had to share a room with anybody. I had 3 roommates at school the past couple years, but that was an apartment and I had my own room there. It's kinda nice, actually, to have the privacy of your own room, but still have friends around. I consider it a nice luxury to be had... and probably the single thing I miss most about college life.
The retreat was at NIU in DeKalb, and even though the facilities and campus were nice, I don't think I would have enjoyed going to college there at all. Something about the place just doesn't feel right. After 4 years at Champaign, I can't picture college life anywhere else. And, if Champaign-Urbana seemed dead, DeKalb is a whole lot deader. I know it's summer, but I took summer class at U of I and there was still things to do, at least there were signs of visible life around. It's seriously pretty depressing.
I used my cell phone as an alarm clock for the first time, and I don't know if all cell phones are designed the same way, or only the folks at Nokia are mentally retarded. The alarm is probably the softest sounding alarm I can imagine. It gets louder the longer you let it go, but there is no way that thing could wake me up if I was heavily in Stage 4 sleep. I ended up setting it for like 5 minutes before I wanted to actually wake up, so that hopefully by that time it would be loud enough to get me going. Oh, it vibrates too, and that is somewhat puzzling to me. Do they think that people sleep with their cell phones in their pockets? Am I weird for not going to sleep clutching my precious phone tightly? Or, is it just supposed to rattle your dresser and make noise that way to wake you up? Come to think of it, the rattling noise was probably louder than the ringing itself. In that case, why didn't they just make the ringing louder to begin with? Like I said, puzzling...
I'm dead tired from lack of sleep, so I will probably be hibernating much in the next couple days. Just a forewarning to all who happen to care.
Thursday, August 01, 2002
Things to Do
Now I know this blog is not a "To-Do" list, but I don't care. I have a thing of post-it notes from Panasonic at a job fair, but it sucks so bad. The sheets don't stick, they keep falling and getting lost around my room. Because of this travesty, I have decided never to purchase any new Panasonic products, nor shall I accept any given job offer to work with the company, if for some strange reason one is proposed. How can I be associated with the company if they can't even make good Post-it notes?
On the other hand, Raytheon gave me this little digital clock/calendar thing that I actually use on my desk, and it even tells me the temperature. Now there's a company that's obviously going places. If such ingenuity is any indication of the work put into this country's military fighter jets, then our national defense has very little to worry about, believe you me. And now they've got me begging on their doorstep to take me in. "Hire me!! I'll be a janitor, anything!!"
Anyways, since Steven Covey said it's good to write down goals, I am going to record them here where everyone, not only me, can see. This will hold me accountable, so I hope. Also, it reminds me of when blogs were .plans. Even though nobody ever wrote anything they "planned" to do in their ".plan", I buck the trend.
- Buy more of those Listerine Pocket Pack things
- Open a checking account
- Refill my I-Pass and/or sign up for the Automatic refill
- Get an optical mouse
- Read up on fantasy football
Hmmm... hopefully that is not too ambitious. For those of you reading at home, that might seem to be an unrealistically tough list, but remember that I am no ordinary man. My brain has a memory like a Palm Pilot, but also advanced multitasking capabilities like Windows XP Professional. Ok, maybe not. Somebody please remind me about these things when they see me.
Now I know this blog is not a "To-Do" list, but I don't care. I have a thing of post-it notes from Panasonic at a job fair, but it sucks so bad. The sheets don't stick, they keep falling and getting lost around my room. Because of this travesty, I have decided never to purchase any new Panasonic products, nor shall I accept any given job offer to work with the company, if for some strange reason one is proposed. How can I be associated with the company if they can't even make good Post-it notes?
On the other hand, Raytheon gave me this little digital clock/calendar thing that I actually use on my desk, and it even tells me the temperature. Now there's a company that's obviously going places. If such ingenuity is any indication of the work put into this country's military fighter jets, then our national defense has very little to worry about, believe you me. And now they've got me begging on their doorstep to take me in. "Hire me!! I'll be a janitor, anything!!"
Anyways, since Steven Covey said it's good to write down goals, I am going to record them here where everyone, not only me, can see. This will hold me accountable, so I hope. Also, it reminds me of when blogs were .plans. Even though nobody ever wrote anything they "planned" to do in their ".plan", I buck the trend.
- Buy more of those Listerine Pocket Pack things
- Open a checking account
- Refill my I-Pass and/or sign up for the Automatic refill
- Get an optical mouse
- Read up on fantasy football
Hmmm... hopefully that is not too ambitious. For those of you reading at home, that might seem to be an unrealistically tough list, but remember that I am no ordinary man. My brain has a memory like a Palm Pilot, but also advanced multitasking capabilities like Windows XP Professional. Ok, maybe not. Somebody please remind me about these things when they see me.
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Dismissed
I'm just wondering, could there be a worse show than MTV's Dismissed? I remember watching it a couple times last semester at school before I realized it was a terrible waste of time. Then yesterday, I was flipping channels around 11 or 12 at night before going to sleep, and for some reason I ended up watching like 2/3 of an episode. I don't know why, because on any normal night I would be watching Baseball Tonight. Maybe I was a little spaced out and got careless with the remote. It's kind of like when I'm driving in my car and I don't pay attention to what's playing on the radio. Before I know it, I'm singing along to En-freak-ay Iglesias, subconsciously of course. That usually leads to a strong feeling of regret afterwards, when I finally realize what I just did. See, normally I am a vigilant radio station changer, otherwise I'll put in a CD or play something off my Rio rather than put up with a crappy song. But accidents do happen now and then.
So was the case with how I ended up watching Dismissed last night. Come to think of it, anything would have been better. Conan and Kilborn were on too. I'm such an idiot! Anyways, once in a while something entertaining might happen on the show, if only by pure chance, but the rest of the show is 100% garbage. If you watch one episode, you've seen them all. Two girls compete for a guy (or the other way around), they go out on a date, and after a couple hours, the guy picks the girl that is hotter (or if they are similar in hotness, he picks the one that is freakier). Seriously, I could tell you within the first 2 minutes of the show which one is gonna win. After the guy "Dismisses" someone, the winner gloats and they interview the loser, who always says "I don't care, I didn't like him to begin with" even though 5 minutes ago they just showed her all drooling over him. That's pretty much it.
Oh yeah, there's the Timeout card, how could I forget. Each contestant gets a card that they can use to spend like 20 minutes alone with the guy. This part is always pretty funny actually. Three people are all just sittin there, and one of them pulls out a special card, forcing the other girl to leave. I've always wondered what would happen if someone disobeyed the card. Maybe the MTV Dismissed Enforcers would come on and carry the rulebreakers off and set them in lockdown. But yeah, sometimes I seriously wish life was like a TV show. Like if a cop pulls me over, and I don't feel like talking so I would flash him a "Get out of my face" card. Or I'm at Dominick's and every line is long. I really don't want to wait this time, so I dig into my pocket for that "Move to the front of the line" pass that I've been saving for occasions like these. Ahh... that would be sweet. Anyways, when they have their Timeouts in Dismissed, it's basically just a matter of one girl trying her best to impress the guy by throwing herself on him, and they show the other one sitting around waiting patiently for her turn, while they interview her and she's insisting that she's not worried one bit.
Ugh... I really can't believe I watched that show for over 20 minutes. See, before when I watched it at school, it was a relatively new show so I might have tuned in once in a while for the novelty factor. Now, there is absolutely no excuse. Still... it might be one of those things like heroin, like Chris Rock says. You know somebody is doin it, but nobody will admit to it. Not me, I hereby refuse to watch another minute of that God-forsaken show from this moment on.
I'm just wondering, could there be a worse show than MTV's Dismissed? I remember watching it a couple times last semester at school before I realized it was a terrible waste of time. Then yesterday, I was flipping channels around 11 or 12 at night before going to sleep, and for some reason I ended up watching like 2/3 of an episode. I don't know why, because on any normal night I would be watching Baseball Tonight. Maybe I was a little spaced out and got careless with the remote. It's kind of like when I'm driving in my car and I don't pay attention to what's playing on the radio. Before I know it, I'm singing along to En-freak-ay Iglesias, subconsciously of course. That usually leads to a strong feeling of regret afterwards, when I finally realize what I just did. See, normally I am a vigilant radio station changer, otherwise I'll put in a CD or play something off my Rio rather than put up with a crappy song. But accidents do happen now and then.
So was the case with how I ended up watching Dismissed last night. Come to think of it, anything would have been better. Conan and Kilborn were on too. I'm such an idiot! Anyways, once in a while something entertaining might happen on the show, if only by pure chance, but the rest of the show is 100% garbage. If you watch one episode, you've seen them all. Two girls compete for a guy (or the other way around), they go out on a date, and after a couple hours, the guy picks the girl that is hotter (or if they are similar in hotness, he picks the one that is freakier). Seriously, I could tell you within the first 2 minutes of the show which one is gonna win. After the guy "Dismisses" someone, the winner gloats and they interview the loser, who always says "I don't care, I didn't like him to begin with" even though 5 minutes ago they just showed her all drooling over him. That's pretty much it.
Oh yeah, there's the Timeout card, how could I forget. Each contestant gets a card that they can use to spend like 20 minutes alone with the guy. This part is always pretty funny actually. Three people are all just sittin there, and one of them pulls out a special card, forcing the other girl to leave. I've always wondered what would happen if someone disobeyed the card. Maybe the MTV Dismissed Enforcers would come on and carry the rulebreakers off and set them in lockdown. But yeah, sometimes I seriously wish life was like a TV show. Like if a cop pulls me over, and I don't feel like talking so I would flash him a "Get out of my face" card. Or I'm at Dominick's and every line is long. I really don't want to wait this time, so I dig into my pocket for that "Move to the front of the line" pass that I've been saving for occasions like these. Ahh... that would be sweet. Anyways, when they have their Timeouts in Dismissed, it's basically just a matter of one girl trying her best to impress the guy by throwing herself on him, and they show the other one sitting around waiting patiently for her turn, while they interview her and she's insisting that she's not worried one bit.
Ugh... I really can't believe I watched that show for over 20 minutes. See, before when I watched it at school, it was a relatively new show so I might have tuned in once in a while for the novelty factor. Now, there is absolutely no excuse. Still... it might be one of those things like heroin, like Chris Rock says. You know somebody is doin it, but nobody will admit to it. Not me, I hereby refuse to watch another minute of that God-forsaken show from this moment on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)