My First 2 Weeks
Well, it doesn't feel like it, but I have officially finished a fortnight (nerd haha) at the job and I have some thoughts to put down. I've mostly just been following people around, observing what they do and stuff. Of course, since I'm not yet cleared for "Secret" status, there are some things they can't show me. Kind of sucks, they say getting cleared could take months or even over a year. Oh well.
Now that I'm in the so-called corporate world, there are some things that are supposed to happen. For example, I am supposed to start reading Dilbert comic strips and think it is the most hilarious thing ever. Hasn't happened yet though.
Or, I should watch Office Space again and appreciate it 10 times more than before. I haven't done that either, but I can see where maybe I would think some parts are funnier. It was a funny movie anyways. Oh, I do hear TPS being mentioned all the time, but I don't think it's a form that requires a memo explaining the need for a cover sheet. There's also a guy that looks like Milton too, except his glasses aren't huge and he isn't as messy.
One thing I vow never to do is to become a caffeine freak. I made it through college and I plan to make it through life without becoming dependent on coffee just to make it through my day. It's kind of the same reason I don't take Tylenol or Advil. That, plus it gives me headaches and even taking a sip of Coke at lunch will keep me up past 4 am. It's weird, I have a pretty big tolerance for beer but I am afraid to touch tea or Mountain Screw.
I don't know if it's just Northrop or Military convention, but there are acronyms for everything. Seriously, I can't understand like 80% of what the people are talking about at the meetings because it is like they are speaking a foreign language made of fancy letters. That, or they are just trying to be ghetto like Snoop Dogg raps: "with so much drama in the N-o-G, it's kinda hard bein Chen, J-O-single-E..."
Of course, I can't just go off spouting acronyms without knowing the convention, especially how to pronounce it. A DWG is called a "dwig" but you can't call a TPS "tips." Otherwise, you will be laughed out of town. Kind of like if you call the Korean boy band H.O.T. "hot."
For almost anything they do in this place, no matter how simple or mundane it is, they have come up with a professional-sounding term for it. Remember in the old Nintendo systems, when you turned it on and it didn't work, what did you do? That's right, take out the cartridge, shake it, blow on it, hammer it on your knee, then put it back in and it would work. Well, you can pretty much do the same thing when a memory module doesn't register on a card. You take it out of the socket and put it back in. They call it a "module re-seat." No, we don't blow on it, but if we did, they might use the term "oral aeration" or something. Or, say you want to change a light bulb. You would definitely switch off the power before unscrewing the old one and putting the new one in, because it's not good to do that with the power on, right? Well, same goes with putting in a $40,000 card with lots of circuitry, you make sure you shut down the power before sticking it in. Otherwise, you may have "hot-swapped," a dangerous and often costly mistake. Remember not to hot-swap the next time you have to change a light bulb.
I think I might know how it feels to be a rookie in the NFL at his first preseeason training camp. You come in having some preparation from college, but there's all this stuff to learn. You gotta pick up on the offensive or defensive system, remember the plays, and almost everyone around you is a lot bigger than what you are used to.
The cool thing about having a job (besides getting paid) is that once you work your hours and go home, you're done. You can watch sports all night or sit around doing nothing (done and done) without having to feel like "dang, I should be studying" or "dang, I should be looking for a job." Especially before I am married and have kids, all I really gotta worry about is going to sleep early and waking up on time.
That's about it at the 14-day mark... I'm sure more thoughts and observations will come in the future.
Monday, October 21, 2002
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Your Name-o-scope Awaits
A lot of people in this world (myself not being one of them) read their horoscopes every day to see what their future holds. Other people believe that their Chinese Zodiac sign holds clues to their personality and their probable lifestyle. Still others read the lines on their palms or flip cards to be told what kind of person they are and what to watch for.
As for me, I have decided to invent a new system: telling things about someone based on their first name. It's not 100% foolproof of course, but I am willing to claim that you can tell a lot more than you think about someone by their first name alone.
What I'm not doing is telling you what your name means, because there are plenty of books out there that already have that kind of information. But my goal is to compile a list of common names that will provide a short profile or description of the person's likely characteristics, his/her tendencies, etc. Such would be helpful if anyone is being setup with a blind date. Otherwise, this list is for general reference.
If you are not on this list, it is probably because:
a) Your name is not very common and I don't know more than 3 or 4 people with that name, thus preventing me from having enough personal observations to draw from
b) I forgot about that name. If this is the case, let me know and I will try to patch the list.
DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write too seriously or personally! If your name is included in this list, it doesn't necessarily mean that I am writing about you. For any name that is listed, I have drawn from a pool of at least 3-4 examples and tried to come up with a summary that fits most of them the best.
*****
Chris: There are actually 2 types of Chrises. One falls into the category that includes the Chris Rocks and Chris Tuckers of the world. These Chrises happen to be very active and loud, but make life for others more exciting. The other kind of Chris is a cookie-cutter white boy. Christopher Reeve, Chris Isaak, and Chris from Real World Chicago are excellent examples.
David/Dave: As a whole, guys named Dave are very passionate people. This may sometimes exhibit itself in the form of being extremely competitive, and often times leads to acts of impulsiveness as well. Daves are born as very talented individuals, and combined with their passionate attitude for pursuing what they want, they are almost always successful in what they do. However, they may sometimes strike certain people as being overly brash or arrogant. Famous examples include Dave Matthews, David Letterman, and King David of Israel.
Dennis: When meeting a Dennis for the first time, he has a knack for coming off as being aggressive or even offensive. Dennises typically have a cynical or sarcastic attitude, which happens to make them great at being comedians. If one can get beyond the first impression, they might find that a Dennis could be a quality friend and a fun person to be around. Famous Dennises include Dennis Rodman, Dennis Leary, and Dennis Miller.
Grace: Have you ever met a girl named Grace who was mean? I sure haven't. If I ever have a daughter, I figure that naming her Grace is a can't-miss strategy, because she is almost guaranteed to turn out to be a good girl. Other possible names include Faith and Trinity.
Greg: Maybe it's just me, but I don't know any Gregs who are fat. Gregs are usually very nice guys and cool friends. They don't usually draw the center of attention, nor do they desire to. One thing you could say about them is that they are typically very reliable and dependable people.
James/Jim/Jimmy: One word that pops into mind when you first hear any of these names is "immature." However, this tells only half the story, as what might be perceived as immaturity is actually more of a friendly attitude and a good sense of humor. These guys don't take many things seriously and are usually very fun to be around. Examples include Jimmy Fallon and Jim Carrey.
Jeff: While I wouldn't characterize Jeffs as being particularly quiet, they do tend to all have a laid back attitude and a subtle sense of humor. They are a relatively athletic bunch, and are generally very well-liked.
Jennifer/Jenny/Jen/Jenna: With it being one of the most common girls' names these days, it might be very hard to write a good, accurate description fitting all of them. But, I will say that most girls with this name happen to be blessed with good looks and the ability to attract almost any guy. While this may seem like a big plus, it could also turn out to be a curse too. Many Jennifers are very nice deep down, but become hardened by the world, and many times end up being the girl who people say "has issues." She will often times make puzzling or poor judgements which could hurt her reputation. Some famous Jennifers are Jennifer Lopez, Jenna from Survivor I, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Julie/Julia/Julianne: When it comes to girls, Julies are about as even-tempered as they come. The feeling you get from them is that they are fairly sensible, practical, and would make good mothers. Still, they usually make for interesting friends and are not boring people by any means. Think of Julie Andrews or Julia Child.
Katie: In almost any situation, you will find Katie with a smile on her face. She is always energetic and upbeat, great for cheering you up but might be a little annoying sometimes if you're feeling on edge already. The quintessential Katie I can think of is Katie Couric.
Kurt: If your name is Kurt, chances are, you are probably white. Not saying that's bad or anything, just observing that I myself have never met a Kurt who wasn't white, nor can I picture a non-white Kurt.
Lisa: On the surface, most people see Lisas as being small, cute, and harmless. But the fact is that most Lisas are actually a little feisty and have a some wild streak in them that you might not expect. Don't be fooled. Just keep people like Lisa "Left-eye" Lopez in mind, also Lisa Simpson and Lisa Turtle (from Saved By The Bell).
Michael/Mike: For the most part, Mikes have an addicting personality that make them popular among most people. While many are able to achieve great success early on in their life/career, a abnormally large number of them have the strange tendency to have their success cut short and partially overshadowed by their failures. Consider the examples of Michael Jordan, Michael Chang, Michael Jackson, or Mike Tyson.
Richard/Rich: Guys named Rich are the kind that take a while to get to know well. They aren't exactly considered shy, but are better described as complex, and often misunderstood. Be careful about judging these books by their covers, because who you meet could turn out to be a lot different from who he really is. In addition, Richards are commonly very intelligent people and seem to be more in touch with the artistic or abstract world. It seems like there are higher percentage of gay people named Rich too.
Sarah: When you encounter a Sarah in your life, expect her to be very blunt and straightforward. If she doesn't like you, she will leave no doubt in your mind of that fact. But if you are on her good side, be glad and try not to do anything to piss her off. I personally like the "Sarah" personality, because I appreciate when people aren't afraid to say what they are feeling or thinking.
Steve: "Well-rounded" is a description that fits most Steves quite well. Rarely do you find a Steve that is one-dimensional, for example, Steve Young was a quarterback who could throw well but also had the ability to run. Steven Spielberg has shown that he can direct all kinds of movies, from sci-fi and action to heavy dramas. Also, as those two examples show, Steves are born with good leadership skills.
Will(iam): These guys are often times the ones about which you say "he lives in his own world." Wills live their life not really caring about what anyone else thinks, and are known for being weird or quirky. Wherever they go, they are usually either loved or hated by those around them, either or. Say what you "will" (haha) about them though, the fact is that the world needs its share of Wills to provide relief from the mundane parts of life. Famous people named Will include Will Smith, William Shatner, William Shakespeare, William Faulkner.
*****
Like I said, do NOT take any of this personally. This is all supposed to be harmless observation so if you read something you didn't like, just consider all of the other stupid stuff I've written in the past, none of that was true, right?
A lot of people in this world (myself not being one of them) read their horoscopes every day to see what their future holds. Other people believe that their Chinese Zodiac sign holds clues to their personality and their probable lifestyle. Still others read the lines on their palms or flip cards to be told what kind of person they are and what to watch for.
As for me, I have decided to invent a new system: telling things about someone based on their first name. It's not 100% foolproof of course, but I am willing to claim that you can tell a lot more than you think about someone by their first name alone.
What I'm not doing is telling you what your name means, because there are plenty of books out there that already have that kind of information. But my goal is to compile a list of common names that will provide a short profile or description of the person's likely characteristics, his/her tendencies, etc. Such would be helpful if anyone is being setup with a blind date. Otherwise, this list is for general reference.
If you are not on this list, it is probably because:
a) Your name is not very common and I don't know more than 3 or 4 people with that name, thus preventing me from having enough personal observations to draw from
b) I forgot about that name. If this is the case, let me know and I will try to patch the list.
DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write too seriously or personally! If your name is included in this list, it doesn't necessarily mean that I am writing about you. For any name that is listed, I have drawn from a pool of at least 3-4 examples and tried to come up with a summary that fits most of them the best.
*****
Chris: There are actually 2 types of Chrises. One falls into the category that includes the Chris Rocks and Chris Tuckers of the world. These Chrises happen to be very active and loud, but make life for others more exciting. The other kind of Chris is a cookie-cutter white boy. Christopher Reeve, Chris Isaak, and Chris from Real World Chicago are excellent examples.
David/Dave: As a whole, guys named Dave are very passionate people. This may sometimes exhibit itself in the form of being extremely competitive, and often times leads to acts of impulsiveness as well. Daves are born as very talented individuals, and combined with their passionate attitude for pursuing what they want, they are almost always successful in what they do. However, they may sometimes strike certain people as being overly brash or arrogant. Famous examples include Dave Matthews, David Letterman, and King David of Israel.
Dennis: When meeting a Dennis for the first time, he has a knack for coming off as being aggressive or even offensive. Dennises typically have a cynical or sarcastic attitude, which happens to make them great at being comedians. If one can get beyond the first impression, they might find that a Dennis could be a quality friend and a fun person to be around. Famous Dennises include Dennis Rodman, Dennis Leary, and Dennis Miller.
Grace: Have you ever met a girl named Grace who was mean? I sure haven't. If I ever have a daughter, I figure that naming her Grace is a can't-miss strategy, because she is almost guaranteed to turn out to be a good girl. Other possible names include Faith and Trinity.
Greg: Maybe it's just me, but I don't know any Gregs who are fat. Gregs are usually very nice guys and cool friends. They don't usually draw the center of attention, nor do they desire to. One thing you could say about them is that they are typically very reliable and dependable people.
James/Jim/Jimmy: One word that pops into mind when you first hear any of these names is "immature." However, this tells only half the story, as what might be perceived as immaturity is actually more of a friendly attitude and a good sense of humor. These guys don't take many things seriously and are usually very fun to be around. Examples include Jimmy Fallon and Jim Carrey.
Jeff: While I wouldn't characterize Jeffs as being particularly quiet, they do tend to all have a laid back attitude and a subtle sense of humor. They are a relatively athletic bunch, and are generally very well-liked.
Jennifer/Jenny/Jen/Jenna: With it being one of the most common girls' names these days, it might be very hard to write a good, accurate description fitting all of them. But, I will say that most girls with this name happen to be blessed with good looks and the ability to attract almost any guy. While this may seem like a big plus, it could also turn out to be a curse too. Many Jennifers are very nice deep down, but become hardened by the world, and many times end up being the girl who people say "has issues." She will often times make puzzling or poor judgements which could hurt her reputation. Some famous Jennifers are Jennifer Lopez, Jenna from Survivor I, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Julie/Julia/Julianne: When it comes to girls, Julies are about as even-tempered as they come. The feeling you get from them is that they are fairly sensible, practical, and would make good mothers. Still, they usually make for interesting friends and are not boring people by any means. Think of Julie Andrews or Julia Child.
Katie: In almost any situation, you will find Katie with a smile on her face. She is always energetic and upbeat, great for cheering you up but might be a little annoying sometimes if you're feeling on edge already. The quintessential Katie I can think of is Katie Couric.
Kurt: If your name is Kurt, chances are, you are probably white. Not saying that's bad or anything, just observing that I myself have never met a Kurt who wasn't white, nor can I picture a non-white Kurt.
Lisa: On the surface, most people see Lisas as being small, cute, and harmless. But the fact is that most Lisas are actually a little feisty and have a some wild streak in them that you might not expect. Don't be fooled. Just keep people like Lisa "Left-eye" Lopez in mind, also Lisa Simpson and Lisa Turtle (from Saved By The Bell).
Michael/Mike: For the most part, Mikes have an addicting personality that make them popular among most people. While many are able to achieve great success early on in their life/career, a abnormally large number of them have the strange tendency to have their success cut short and partially overshadowed by their failures. Consider the examples of Michael Jordan, Michael Chang, Michael Jackson, or Mike Tyson.
Richard/Rich: Guys named Rich are the kind that take a while to get to know well. They aren't exactly considered shy, but are better described as complex, and often misunderstood. Be careful about judging these books by their covers, because who you meet could turn out to be a lot different from who he really is. In addition, Richards are commonly very intelligent people and seem to be more in touch with the artistic or abstract world. It seems like there are higher percentage of gay people named Rich too.
Sarah: When you encounter a Sarah in your life, expect her to be very blunt and straightforward. If she doesn't like you, she will leave no doubt in your mind of that fact. But if you are on her good side, be glad and try not to do anything to piss her off. I personally like the "Sarah" personality, because I appreciate when people aren't afraid to say what they are feeling or thinking.
Steve: "Well-rounded" is a description that fits most Steves quite well. Rarely do you find a Steve that is one-dimensional, for example, Steve Young was a quarterback who could throw well but also had the ability to run. Steven Spielberg has shown that he can direct all kinds of movies, from sci-fi and action to heavy dramas. Also, as those two examples show, Steves are born with good leadership skills.
Will(iam): These guys are often times the ones about which you say "he lives in his own world." Wills live their life not really caring about what anyone else thinks, and are known for being weird or quirky. Wherever they go, they are usually either loved or hated by those around them, either or. Say what you "will" (haha) about them though, the fact is that the world needs its share of Wills to provide relief from the mundane parts of life. Famous people named Will include Will Smith, William Shatner, William Shakespeare, William Faulkner.
*****
Like I said, do NOT take any of this personally. This is all supposed to be harmless observation so if you read something you didn't like, just consider all of the other stupid stuff I've written in the past, none of that was true, right?
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Overdone
I have a feeling this is gonna be one of my worst blog entries ever, but oh well, I am annoyed and something needs to be said. The thing is, I am really tired of all the variations on that stupid MasterCard commercial. They need a new idea, instead of relying on creativity that wore out long ago.
I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about, those MasterCard ads that go went something like this:
"Plane Ticket: $200
Camera: $150
Taking a picture with your great grandma who lives somewhere far from you hence the plane ticket: Priceless"
Ok, so that one I made up, and you are probably saying to yourself, "not like this guy should be talking about other people's lack of creativity." But I am kind of tired and I don't feel like putting more thought into something like this. Everyone knows what I am talking about anyways, just getting the point across.
Well, in the time since then, MasterCard has come out with about 5 billion more variations on that ad in any way possible. Some of them might pretend to be fresh, but in the end, it is still a rehash of the same thing.
I guess it was a pretty clever idea for a commercial at the time, maybe even the kind that makes you wonder "Who are the ad wizards that came up with that one?" (who knows where that quote is from?). Well, I'm telling you, these ad wizards need to think of a new idea.
But it would be one thing if it were just the MasterCard people using it. After all, they came up with the idea, and it's their problem if they want to be known as the people who came up with one good idea for a commercial and sucked it dry for a few years, while the ad wizards sat around doing jack.
Unfortunately, it seems to me like everybody is using that stupid idea now. Maybe it's just me, but I read some random people's blogs, I see people's email signatures, and any time somebody needs to sound like they wrote something funny, they use the "Priceless" thing. It's getting old, real old.
Maybe I am just being grumpy. I've seen a couple that I actually like. One went something like this:
"AEM Cold Air Intake: $80
Stillen Y-Pipe: $250
Greddy Catback Exhaust: $400
Mustangs eating your dust: Priceless
There are some things a V6 can't beat... for everything else, there's MAXIMA"
Ok, I probably only liked one that because I like Maximas, but hey, "Maxima" sounds like "MasterCard" so that adds another dimension to the cleverness, alright?
Enough with complaing about this though, nobody understands why I am mad about something this insignificant anyways. I'm just saying, whenever someone comes up with a good idea in this world, it almost always ends up being overdone. It gets annoying that 99% of people in this world rely heavily on other people's creativity, and that 99% of what we are surrounded by is recycled ideas rather than true originality.
One other thing that is bothering me is what's going on with the song "Sweet Home Alabama." Not that it's a terrible song, it's actually not bad, but why did they have to name a movie after the song? How lame is it when movie writers actually base the story on a song title, they gotta make sure that the main character is from Alabama and everything. And just off the top of my head, I can think of two other movies that have used that same song in a big scene, so it's definitely not a fresh idea (the movies I'm thinking of are Con Air and Forrest Gump, there are probably others).
For the sake of supporting my weak and faltering arguments so far, I guess I will list some other things that are copied these days and way overdone.
Boy bands/Female Pop Stars - Backstreet and N Sync were not bad, even 98 Degrees was cool for a while, but O-Town, LFO, Westlife, and Soul Decision I could have done without. And Britney was the first and only queen ever of teenie pop, forget Christina, Jessica, or Mandy.
Reality TV shows - Real World has been around for a while, but after Survivor, there are too many to list that have followed since then. Same goes for primetime game shows after Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? One minute it's the only show of its kind, next thing you know, 800 more pop up that are almost exactly like it, only on different channels.
Japanese baseball players - Nomo was good, but then Hideki Irabu scared all the GMs away from Japan for a while. Then Ichiro came, and the flood began again. Seriously, how did a piece of crap like Tsuyoshi Shinjo end up here?
Awards ceremonies - I already wrote about this before.
Creative Terrorism - Someone decides to think of a wacky idea to kill innocent people senselessly, and then every extremist Islamic schmoe thinks he can do one better. They used to just hijack planes and kidnap hostages. Now people are flying the planes into buildings and burying bombs in their shoes as if they were Osama himself. Come on guys, don't you think American society has had it by now with the show? We are too saturated to be able to handle any more of this off the wall stuff so it's time to move onto something else.
(aside) Why attack Bali? Is it because you stupid fairies can't break through the tightened security in the US, so you go for a tourist location halfway across the world instead?
Extra-huge SUVs - I can remember when only a limited number of people drove Jeeps, Ford Explorers, or Chevy Blazers. They were usually for construction workers or park rangers, people who actually needed to haul stuff or drive through mud. Then, everyone started buying them. Then, they started to make them bigger. I see more and more Ford Expeditions and Excursions, Cadillac Escalades, Toyota Sequoias, etc. on the road now. Too much, I say.
Dance step video games - I never liked those to begin with... now they are all over the place.
Tattoos of Chinese Characters - It was kind of a novel idea at first, but when I start seeing every skanky white girl, every inbred trailer trash wife-beater wearing hick, or every dumb rookie NBA player start putting up words on their body that don't even make any sense, I gotta say enough is enough. What a disgrace to the beauty of the Chinese written language.
Notice one thing about a lot of these examples: the first and original is usually the best. Often imitated, rarely duplicated.
I don't know why I am so peevish lately. The next blog, whenever I write it, will be positive, I promise.
I have a feeling this is gonna be one of my worst blog entries ever, but oh well, I am annoyed and something needs to be said. The thing is, I am really tired of all the variations on that stupid MasterCard commercial. They need a new idea, instead of relying on creativity that wore out long ago.
I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about, those MasterCard ads that go went something like this:
"Plane Ticket: $200
Camera: $150
Taking a picture with your great grandma who lives somewhere far from you hence the plane ticket: Priceless"
Ok, so that one I made up, and you are probably saying to yourself, "not like this guy should be talking about other people's lack of creativity." But I am kind of tired and I don't feel like putting more thought into something like this. Everyone knows what I am talking about anyways, just getting the point across.
Well, in the time since then, MasterCard has come out with about 5 billion more variations on that ad in any way possible. Some of them might pretend to be fresh, but in the end, it is still a rehash of the same thing.
I guess it was a pretty clever idea for a commercial at the time, maybe even the kind that makes you wonder "Who are the ad wizards that came up with that one?" (who knows where that quote is from?). Well, I'm telling you, these ad wizards need to think of a new idea.
But it would be one thing if it were just the MasterCard people using it. After all, they came up with the idea, and it's their problem if they want to be known as the people who came up with one good idea for a commercial and sucked it dry for a few years, while the ad wizards sat around doing jack.
Unfortunately, it seems to me like everybody is using that stupid idea now. Maybe it's just me, but I read some random people's blogs, I see people's email signatures, and any time somebody needs to sound like they wrote something funny, they use the "Priceless" thing. It's getting old, real old.
Maybe I am just being grumpy. I've seen a couple that I actually like. One went something like this:
"AEM Cold Air Intake: $80
Stillen Y-Pipe: $250
Greddy Catback Exhaust: $400
Mustangs eating your dust: Priceless
There are some things a V6 can't beat... for everything else, there's MAXIMA"
Ok, I probably only liked one that because I like Maximas, but hey, "Maxima" sounds like "MasterCard" so that adds another dimension to the cleverness, alright?
Enough with complaing about this though, nobody understands why I am mad about something this insignificant anyways. I'm just saying, whenever someone comes up with a good idea in this world, it almost always ends up being overdone. It gets annoying that 99% of people in this world rely heavily on other people's creativity, and that 99% of what we are surrounded by is recycled ideas rather than true originality.
One other thing that is bothering me is what's going on with the song "Sweet Home Alabama." Not that it's a terrible song, it's actually not bad, but why did they have to name a movie after the song? How lame is it when movie writers actually base the story on a song title, they gotta make sure that the main character is from Alabama and everything. And just off the top of my head, I can think of two other movies that have used that same song in a big scene, so it's definitely not a fresh idea (the movies I'm thinking of are Con Air and Forrest Gump, there are probably others).
For the sake of supporting my weak and faltering arguments so far, I guess I will list some other things that are copied these days and way overdone.
Boy bands/Female Pop Stars - Backstreet and N Sync were not bad, even 98 Degrees was cool for a while, but O-Town, LFO, Westlife, and Soul Decision I could have done without. And Britney was the first and only queen ever of teenie pop, forget Christina, Jessica, or Mandy.
Reality TV shows - Real World has been around for a while, but after Survivor, there are too many to list that have followed since then. Same goes for primetime game shows after Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? One minute it's the only show of its kind, next thing you know, 800 more pop up that are almost exactly like it, only on different channels.
Japanese baseball players - Nomo was good, but then Hideki Irabu scared all the GMs away from Japan for a while. Then Ichiro came, and the flood began again. Seriously, how did a piece of crap like Tsuyoshi Shinjo end up here?
Awards ceremonies - I already wrote about this before.
Creative Terrorism - Someone decides to think of a wacky idea to kill innocent people senselessly, and then every extremist Islamic schmoe thinks he can do one better. They used to just hijack planes and kidnap hostages. Now people are flying the planes into buildings and burying bombs in their shoes as if they were Osama himself. Come on guys, don't you think American society has had it by now with the show? We are too saturated to be able to handle any more of this off the wall stuff so it's time to move onto something else.
(aside) Why attack Bali? Is it because you stupid fairies can't break through the tightened security in the US, so you go for a tourist location halfway across the world instead?
Extra-huge SUVs - I can remember when only a limited number of people drove Jeeps, Ford Explorers, or Chevy Blazers. They were usually for construction workers or park rangers, people who actually needed to haul stuff or drive through mud. Then, everyone started buying them. Then, they started to make them bigger. I see more and more Ford Expeditions and Excursions, Cadillac Escalades, Toyota Sequoias, etc. on the road now. Too much, I say.
Dance step video games - I never liked those to begin with... now they are all over the place.
Tattoos of Chinese Characters - It was kind of a novel idea at first, but when I start seeing every skanky white girl, every inbred trailer trash wife-beater wearing hick, or every dumb rookie NBA player start putting up words on their body that don't even make any sense, I gotta say enough is enough. What a disgrace to the beauty of the Chinese written language.
Notice one thing about a lot of these examples: the first and original is usually the best. Often imitated, rarely duplicated.
I don't know why I am so peevish lately. The next blog, whenever I write it, will be positive, I promise.
Saturday, October 12, 2002
Saturday Morning
I woke up this morning to the sound of a fire truck's siren. Now, I live about 2 minutes away from the fire station, so I am kind of used to hearing these sirens in the distance every once in a while. But this morning, it sounded like the siren was especially loud. And this time, it was followed by the sound of a truck going by. Since I was dead tired and I wanted to sleep, I just ignored it and tried to go back to sleep.
But, about 10 minutes later, the same thing happened. Being the stubborn sleeper I am, I refused to get up until about an hour (and 4 or 5 more siren passings) later.
It turns out that the fire station was giving tours aboard its fire engine at about 10 am on a Saturday morning. Now, firefighters are great and everything, but what is up with that? Don't they have any lives to save or anything? At least go rescue some cats or something.
I guess 10 o'clock isn't really that early, but still I was pretty pissed that I got woken up earlier than I wanted to on the one day of the week I get to sleep late. Seriously, what kind of people wake up on a Saturday morning and say to themselves, "gee, it seems like a nice day, I think I'll go to the fire station and catch a tour on the shiny red fire truck." Not anybody I know. These people, whoever they are, need to go buy themselves a Nintendo and play it.
Also, isn't there a better place to tour than a small residential street, which happens to be where I live? That doesn't seem like a very interesting tour. "Hey look, a 2-car garage! Look, another one!" or "dang, that lawn is hella green, man!" "Speed Limit is 25, let's cruise baby!" Not that the town of Darien is all that interesting, but at least we have a WalMart and a few streets that are busier. Of all the places, why do these fools choose to drive in front of my house and ring their stupid siren on a Saturday morning?
Yes, I am feeling just a tad bit "belligerent" today...
I woke up this morning to the sound of a fire truck's siren. Now, I live about 2 minutes away from the fire station, so I am kind of used to hearing these sirens in the distance every once in a while. But this morning, it sounded like the siren was especially loud. And this time, it was followed by the sound of a truck going by. Since I was dead tired and I wanted to sleep, I just ignored it and tried to go back to sleep.
But, about 10 minutes later, the same thing happened. Being the stubborn sleeper I am, I refused to get up until about an hour (and 4 or 5 more siren passings) later.
It turns out that the fire station was giving tours aboard its fire engine at about 10 am on a Saturday morning. Now, firefighters are great and everything, but what is up with that? Don't they have any lives to save or anything? At least go rescue some cats or something.
I guess 10 o'clock isn't really that early, but still I was pretty pissed that I got woken up earlier than I wanted to on the one day of the week I get to sleep late. Seriously, what kind of people wake up on a Saturday morning and say to themselves, "gee, it seems like a nice day, I think I'll go to the fire station and catch a tour on the shiny red fire truck." Not anybody I know. These people, whoever they are, need to go buy themselves a Nintendo and play it.
Also, isn't there a better place to tour than a small residential street, which happens to be where I live? That doesn't seem like a very interesting tour. "Hey look, a 2-car garage! Look, another one!" or "dang, that lawn is hella green, man!" "Speed Limit is 25, let's cruise baby!" Not that the town of Darien is all that interesting, but at least we have a WalMart and a few streets that are busier. Of all the places, why do these fools choose to drive in front of my house and ring their stupid siren on a Saturday morning?
Yes, I am feeling just a tad bit "belligerent" today...
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
My First 2 Days of Work
Yesterday (Monday) was my first day at the new job. So far, it's gone pretty smooth. I will probably have to get used to the traffic times so I don't keep showing up 10-20 minutes early, but oh well. I think the drive is gonna be around 45-50 minutes each way, which isn't as bad as I originally thought.
All I've been doing the past couple days is "getting used to the computer and environment" and filling out forms. The most important form is the application for my security clearance. I have to complete this long thing that lists all I've been doing the past 7 years and asks for references to verify the details. I already asked a bunch of people if I could list them, but I think I might need a couple more, so if you don't want to diss me, just block my IM name (Dudo509) and don't pick up when my name shows up on your caller ID. It's not a big deal though, I think some lady is just gonna contact you and ask if I lived in Darien from 1995-2002 and went to U of I the past 4 years or something like that.
The point of all this is so I can eventually be cleared by the US Department of Defense (DoD, as the cool ones call it) to deal with "Secret" matters. I didn't know this before, but "Secret" is exactly one level under "Top Secret," and one higher than "Confidential." When I used to watch movies or TV shows and hear the words "this is strictly confidential," I used to think it was so cool. But maybe soon I will find myself scoffing at such a low rating. Someone will give me an envelope stamped "Confidential" and I'll be like "psshhhhh.... give this unimportant shiznit to one of the peons."
Other than this, there isn't much I can say about the first couple days. Everyone that I've met at this place seems really nice, my supervisor included. He's been working there for 35 years and I can tell he's liked all 35. Most of the people in my department are older, at least in their 30's I think, but there are a few that are maybe only a year or two older than me. In other departments, I met a lot more people who are in their early 20's, and I am guessing eventually I will get to work with most all of them at some point or another.
Oh yeah, if anyone is gonna be near the area and wants to have lunch with me, give me a call or email. I can pretty much go whenever I want, so definitely let me know. It's basically like 5 minutes north of Woodfield, and there are plenty of restaurants around the area that I want to explore one by one. Today I checked out this place called "Taco Bell." It was pretty cool, but I don't know if I can handle such authentic Mexican food every day, I might need some variety.
An Unrelated Story
On my car stereo, there is this button labeled "PTY." I remember the guy at the dealer telling me what it was, but I forgot exactly what he said. Anyways, I think I might just be a little sleep deprived, but you know how in computer programs (like Microsoft Word), you can move the mouse over a button, and if you leave it for a second or two without clicking, a little yellow box will pop-up with a short explanation about what that button does? For example, move it over the symbol of a floppy disk in Word's Toolbar, and it will say "Save." Well, today on my way back from work I briefly moved my finger over the "PTY" button in my car but didn't press it, half expecting a yellow box to pop up and tell me what that button was for. Oh, I came to my senses soon enough, but I still think I deserve to be slapped or beaten up for doing that. I was being too nerdy for such an action to go unpunished.
Wouldn't it be cool if that's how the world worked though? Life imitates art, or computer design in this case. Like in NFL football, they have been using Madden 2002 to simulate what the result would be, and they have that yellow line that shows where the first down is. And after playing Mario Kart for years, my dream has always been to drive a car that has 3 rotating balls (or balloons) around it, and to be able to fire red homing shells at other cars or use a star to bully my way through traffic. When I have a conversation on the phone, I want to hear that Instant Messenger noise (imrcv.wav) every time the other person finishes his/her sentence. "Hey Joe, how's it going? [de-ringgg]" "I'm doin alright, how bout you? [dada-dung]"
Oh yeah, PTY is used to help you program new stations. Supposedly in the future, all radio stations will broadcast information about their content, kind of like Digital Cable TV if you have it. So, say I drive to California, and along the way I want to listen to only the local "Adult Contemporary" stations. In that case, the PTY button will be my best friend. It will allow me to enjoy hours and hours of Celine Dion no matter what area I go through.
Unrelated Story #2
This isn't really a story, but I just ran out of contact lens solution. Normally, I procrastinate as long as I can to go out and get stuff like this, until I am out of everything else. Then, I go to Wal-Mart like twice a year and buy all of the contact solution, shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, etc. that I can all at once.
Not this time though. This time, I reminded myself to "pick it up after work." For some nerdy reason, that just seems cool to me. I've always wanted to say "I'll just pick it up after work," and now I can. Someday, my wife will ask me if I can get some eggs, and I'll be so ready to say "sure, I'll pick some up after work!" I can't wait... It's probably gonna one of the best parts about having a job, right up there with the "learning experience," "benefits," and "money."
Related Story
Did you know that Alcon now makes Opti-Free Express No-Rub Multi-Purpose Solution with Long Lasting Comfort? The "Long Lasting Comfort" thing is the newest feature that I just noticed today. There once was a time when it was just Opti-Free Multi-Purpose Solution. Not only did you have to rub your contacts, but you had to soak them overnight, not the Express-style 15 minutes. Then, every week you had to use a special "enzymatic cleaner" where you drop a little tablet into these little clear plastic vials and they would bubble up and clean your contacts where the daily solution couldn't. Worst of all, the "comfort" that this treatment provided was not "lasting."
Before that, I used an even more inconvenient system where I had to buy 3 bottles just for everyday use. One was a little bottle of "Starting Solution," a highly concentrated cleaner that you had to use to rub your contacts with, before soaking it overnight in "Finishing Solution." Before putting your contacts in, you then had to rinse with saline solution. Of course, you still had to do the weekly enzyme cleaning too.
Kids these days don't know how good they've got it. One bottle's got your ticket to long-lasting comfort, you don't even gotta rub.
After all this, I didn't even end up buying that stuff. It's freaking 8 bucks a bottle... For that kind of money, I ended up getting 2 of the Ciba-Vision Solo Care Plus. It takes 6 hours and doesn't specifically offer "Lasting Comfort", but I still don't have to rub, and it came with a free lens case. I guess I'll deal with it.
Yesterday (Monday) was my first day at the new job. So far, it's gone pretty smooth. I will probably have to get used to the traffic times so I don't keep showing up 10-20 minutes early, but oh well. I think the drive is gonna be around 45-50 minutes each way, which isn't as bad as I originally thought.
All I've been doing the past couple days is "getting used to the computer and environment" and filling out forms. The most important form is the application for my security clearance. I have to complete this long thing that lists all I've been doing the past 7 years and asks for references to verify the details. I already asked a bunch of people if I could list them, but I think I might need a couple more, so if you don't want to diss me, just block my IM name (Dudo509) and don't pick up when my name shows up on your caller ID. It's not a big deal though, I think some lady is just gonna contact you and ask if I lived in Darien from 1995-2002 and went to U of I the past 4 years or something like that.
The point of all this is so I can eventually be cleared by the US Department of Defense (DoD, as the cool ones call it) to deal with "Secret" matters. I didn't know this before, but "Secret" is exactly one level under "Top Secret," and one higher than "Confidential." When I used to watch movies or TV shows and hear the words "this is strictly confidential," I used to think it was so cool. But maybe soon I will find myself scoffing at such a low rating. Someone will give me an envelope stamped "Confidential" and I'll be like "psshhhhh.... give this unimportant shiznit to one of the peons."
Other than this, there isn't much I can say about the first couple days. Everyone that I've met at this place seems really nice, my supervisor included. He's been working there for 35 years and I can tell he's liked all 35. Most of the people in my department are older, at least in their 30's I think, but there are a few that are maybe only a year or two older than me. In other departments, I met a lot more people who are in their early 20's, and I am guessing eventually I will get to work with most all of them at some point or another.
Oh yeah, if anyone is gonna be near the area and wants to have lunch with me, give me a call or email. I can pretty much go whenever I want, so definitely let me know. It's basically like 5 minutes north of Woodfield, and there are plenty of restaurants around the area that I want to explore one by one. Today I checked out this place called "Taco Bell." It was pretty cool, but I don't know if I can handle such authentic Mexican food every day, I might need some variety.
An Unrelated Story
On my car stereo, there is this button labeled "PTY." I remember the guy at the dealer telling me what it was, but I forgot exactly what he said. Anyways, I think I might just be a little sleep deprived, but you know how in computer programs (like Microsoft Word), you can move the mouse over a button, and if you leave it for a second or two without clicking, a little yellow box will pop-up with a short explanation about what that button does? For example, move it over the symbol of a floppy disk in Word's Toolbar, and it will say "Save." Well, today on my way back from work I briefly moved my finger over the "PTY" button in my car but didn't press it, half expecting a yellow box to pop up and tell me what that button was for. Oh, I came to my senses soon enough, but I still think I deserve to be slapped or beaten up for doing that. I was being too nerdy for such an action to go unpunished.
Wouldn't it be cool if that's how the world worked though? Life imitates art, or computer design in this case. Like in NFL football, they have been using Madden 2002 to simulate what the result would be, and they have that yellow line that shows where the first down is. And after playing Mario Kart for years, my dream has always been to drive a car that has 3 rotating balls (or balloons) around it, and to be able to fire red homing shells at other cars or use a star to bully my way through traffic. When I have a conversation on the phone, I want to hear that Instant Messenger noise (imrcv.wav) every time the other person finishes his/her sentence. "Hey Joe, how's it going? [de-ringgg]" "I'm doin alright, how bout you? [dada-dung]"
Oh yeah, PTY is used to help you program new stations. Supposedly in the future, all radio stations will broadcast information about their content, kind of like Digital Cable TV if you have it. So, say I drive to California, and along the way I want to listen to only the local "Adult Contemporary" stations. In that case, the PTY button will be my best friend. It will allow me to enjoy hours and hours of Celine Dion no matter what area I go through.
Unrelated Story #2
This isn't really a story, but I just ran out of contact lens solution. Normally, I procrastinate as long as I can to go out and get stuff like this, until I am out of everything else. Then, I go to Wal-Mart like twice a year and buy all of the contact solution, shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, etc. that I can all at once.
Not this time though. This time, I reminded myself to "pick it up after work." For some nerdy reason, that just seems cool to me. I've always wanted to say "I'll just pick it up after work," and now I can. Someday, my wife will ask me if I can get some eggs, and I'll be so ready to say "sure, I'll pick some up after work!" I can't wait... It's probably gonna one of the best parts about having a job, right up there with the "learning experience," "benefits," and "money."
Related Story
Did you know that Alcon now makes Opti-Free Express No-Rub Multi-Purpose Solution with Long Lasting Comfort? The "Long Lasting Comfort" thing is the newest feature that I just noticed today. There once was a time when it was just Opti-Free Multi-Purpose Solution. Not only did you have to rub your contacts, but you had to soak them overnight, not the Express-style 15 minutes. Then, every week you had to use a special "enzymatic cleaner" where you drop a little tablet into these little clear plastic vials and they would bubble up and clean your contacts where the daily solution couldn't. Worst of all, the "comfort" that this treatment provided was not "lasting."
Before that, I used an even more inconvenient system where I had to buy 3 bottles just for everyday use. One was a little bottle of "Starting Solution," a highly concentrated cleaner that you had to use to rub your contacts with, before soaking it overnight in "Finishing Solution." Before putting your contacts in, you then had to rinse with saline solution. Of course, you still had to do the weekly enzyme cleaning too.
Kids these days don't know how good they've got it. One bottle's got your ticket to long-lasting comfort, you don't even gotta rub.
After all this, I didn't even end up buying that stuff. It's freaking 8 bucks a bottle... For that kind of money, I ended up getting 2 of the Ciba-Vision Solo Care Plus. It takes 6 hours and doesn't specifically offer "Lasting Comfort", but I still don't have to rub, and it came with a free lens case. I guess I'll deal with it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)