Desert of the Mind

Blog - Analog Edition

2009-10-25T17:51:00.001-04:00

Blog - Analog Edition
Originally uploaded by LarimdaME

Five Dollar Dinner: Sausages, Sauted Peppers, and Salad

2009-10-01T21:48:00.001-04:00

FIve Dollara Dinner: Sausages, sauted peppers, and Salad
Originally uploaded by LarimdaME

Not pictured: the salad.

"Why sausages all the time?" I get asked. Because it's one of the cheapest meats you can get, and when you're on a $5 budget, $4 for meat just doesn't work. $2.50 for 6 sausages, $.40 for a mixed pepper, $1.25 for red leaf lettuce, $.60 for carrots, $.25 for small red onion.

Wash and chop 6-7 leaves of the lettuce. Thin slice and dice the red onion. Grate the carrot. Viola! Salad that easily feeds 2.

Slow cook sausages in pot over low heat, approx 30 minutes. Remove coked sausages and drain most of the oil. Rough chop the other onion half, the pepper, and maybe the carrot. Saute over medium heat. Add garlic to taste. Maybe some salt, although the sausage juices should have enough. Add back sausages after 10 minutes, saute until hungry.

Serve with rice, makes 2-3 servings.

$5 Dinner: Sweet Pork Sausages, Rice, and Sauted French Cut String Beans

2009-09-23T21:00:00.001-04:00

$5 Dinner: Sweet Pork Sausages, Rice, and Sauted French Cut String Beans
Originally uploaded by LarimdaME

It's a lie, really. The food cost $5.05, and I'm not counting the cost of the rice. But otherwise, it's all there. Sausages, simple sauce, and some sauteed green beans ( a staple nearly on par with rice in my cooking arsenal) for a quick cheap dinner.

6 Premio suasages from Associated - ~$3.30
1 large package frozen french cut string beans - ~$1.30
1 small can Associated tomato sauce - ~$.40

Add 1/4 cup water to string beans in small pot. Add generous amount of garlic, pepper, salt. Add 1 bullion cube chicken stock. Saute gently over low heat until all liquid is gone (or nearly gone, you can add a tablespoon or two of olive oil at the end to keep it from burning).

Saute sausages in pan or small pot. After sausages are cooked, drain oil. Or don't, consult with your doctor. Add can of sauce, 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, oregano. Simmer for ~3 minutes.

Serve with rice or starch product of your choice. Serves 3 people, or 2 hungry people.

$5 Dinner: Pork Chop and String Beans

2009-07-06T21:09:00.001-04:00

$5 Dinner: Pork Chop and String Beans
Originally uploaded by LarimdaME

Center cut pork chop from Associated: $3.50.
French cut frozen string beans from Associated: $1.50

Approx 20 minutes to cook.
Serve with rice, feeds 2, possibly 3.

saute pork chop in a glaze of soy sauce and pepper and sesame seed oil (olive or any oil will do, mostly to keep the meat from sticking to the pan). Soy sauce for color, pepper for the fat (it sticks to the fat like bees to honey, I dunno why).
2 table spoons soy sauce, 1/2 table spoon pepper, 1 table spoon of oil, if you insist on measuring. I don't, and all I have are tablespoons.

Marinating ahead of time would be bettter, but who has time for that fancy shit, yo.

Simmer string beans in a small pot with a splash of water, garlic powder, pepper, salt to taste, and a chicken bullion cube. Don't add more than a splash, the frozen veggies have plenty of water.

Reduce until almost no water, then add 2 tablespoons sesame oil and keep reducing until threatening to start burning. You can stop earlier and avoid the oil step, but I like my string beans a bit dry.

I'm a single guy, so I usually just throw everything into the pot i was cooking with and eat it on the couch while watching TV. But people asked to see it all plated, so I did it for a change.

Rice is about half a cup uncooked. Possibly 2/3rds cup.

Moving On to Wordpress

2007-05-10T00:25:00.000-04:00

I've finally up and had it with Blogger. I'm still trying to arrange for my own hosting and the whatnot, but in the meantime I've migrated most of the posts to http://larimdame.wordpress.com/. I debated posting that info, because I'd rather not force my 1 regular reader (Hi mom!) to switch bookmarks twice. But then I realized that I've been trying to move off Blogger for a year now, so this "Temporary" phase with Wordpress.com might last a year or two as well (I'm hoping not). Anyhoo, this will be the last post here, so it was nice while it lasted, but it's time to move on.

Blogger Sucks. It Really Really SUCKS

2007-01-21T00:12:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been posting in a while.

Actually, that would be totally wrong. I have been posting fairly regularly, it's just that Blogger refuses to actually publish what I post. I've tweaked every setting, I've even switched to the "new" Blogger. You know what's new in the "new" Blogger? SUCKING.

Don't expect posts anytime soon, Blogger's still eating them all.

Oh, and don't use Blogger if you can help it.

Holidays Are For TimeWasting

2006-12-27T18:47:00.000-05:00

Wake up
Eat
Walk short distance to some restaurant
Eat
Take train back to bed
Nap
Eat yet again
Talk
Nap
Eat a snack of some sort (perhaps cake and cookies)
Sleep

Repeat for FIVE STRAIGHT DAYS.

Happy Holidays!

Too Much Halo

2006-12-06T19:07:00.000-05:00

I managed to get my hands on the Halo PC demo, which is surprisingly well featured, and have been playing it on and off for the past week. What I find really funny is that the demo level on the campaign mode is one of the levels I really like, Silent Cartographer. Not so many dark hallways, lots of outdoors action in the sunlight, plenty of ammo for the standard marine weapons. The beginning is nice and fun as the AI marines actually help you out (for a change). I really don't feel the need to get the full game now.

After having won the game a few dozen times now, the next step is modding it to be patently ridiculous. What I don't like is that the editors out there are not as intuitive as others I've dealt with. Of course, the trade off is that the editor doesn't crash nearly as often as editors for other games. But so far it's been fun turning the pistol into a machine gun and so on.

Of course, all the procrastination is not helping my Christmas shopping plans or my side projects plans. I should get on those soon, paying my bills on time is always a good thing.

Pity People

2006-12-01T19:03:00.000-05:00

Sometimes It's hard to feel pity for people. They put themselves into unwinnable situations all the time, and pray for some sort of miracle that the inevitable won't happen. They ask for your help, waste your day, when a little foresight on their part would have solved everything before it became a problem. And then they simply sigh, and chalk it up to the unchangeable nature of life.

It's not.

And it is.

It's hard for me to judge, because I do it all the time. I know what the problems are, but I'm slow to make the corrective actions. It doesn't take much time, but it's easier to pass on the task to a tomorrow that's never going to come.

I often whine about my weight, and contemplate working out, just a little. It's not hard, just 10 push ups every day, not more then 5 minutes and 14 sq. feet of flat terrain. And yet, every day I go to bed thinking that I'll do it in the morning. I never do. If I can't do something that simple, how can I be so judgmental towards others over their much larger problems?

What do I do? What can any of us do?

Help out as much as you can, I suppose. Bite your tongue when you feel the urge to pass judgment you're not qualified to make. And try to focus on being supportive of the improvements, and not dwell so much on the failures.

And maybe do at least 5 push ups after writing in your blog.

A Lot To Say But Unable To Speak

2006-11-30T20:08:00.000-05:00

It's something I'm sure all blogger go through in their blogging blog goodness (blog blog blog, there, have I said the word enough times now?). Lots of stuff is happening, but I really can't say anything, because people involved might read about it in the blog. Well, realistically, they won't, but they might. Actually, they probably will, for the first time ever.

"Hey Ted, have you ever checked out Gene's blog before?" "Why no, Judith, it never really occurred to me." "Let's look it up now, while we wait for our ebay bids!"

[Dec 1, 2006: I've finally had it with that bitch Judith and her screechingly annoying "boyfriend" Ted, if you can call that horse a "boy" at that. Tomorrow I'm supposed to meet them for ice-skating, when I'd rather just sit at home and puke up my guts. Which would probably look better then Judith, in that thing she calls a sweater. I wish I had some real people to be my friends.]

"I'm going to punch that fucker's head off tomorrow. Judith, call my lawyer!"

The appeal of an anonymous blog is growing, after all, it is the supposedly the inevitable result of blogging. But I can barely muster the effort to maintain this mountain of self-absorbed crap, so that seems a dubious prospect at best. Instead, I'll probably just fester inside for a few months, and insert a opaque post in between updates on which toenail is growing the fastest (right pinky toe). Maybe I'll start political blogging, and that way guarantee that nobody will read my blog.

Oh, and Ted, I'll see you tomorrow.

On the Road Again

2006-11-21T20:27:00.000-05:00

I'm off to cold cold COLD Michigan for the holiday. Except for the inevitable snow I shall encounter in Pennsylvania, looks to be pretty fun. I should probably call people, but then what's the fun in all that advanced planning?

Oh, and hot tip, the Toys R Us store in Times Square has a couple of thousand Wii units for sale. They only let a few hundred be sold a day, promptly at 10am. You need to get in line and get a red ticket from the guys outside to buy one. You can pick one up off the shelf, and you can wait in the cashier line, but without that red ticket you aren't taking diddly home. It's very organized and relatively calm. I'd get one myself, but I can't think of anybody that I know that would really want one.

Liveblogging Heartbreak.

2006-11-18T19:30:00.000-05:00

1-5 against Jim Tressel and Ohio State is simply unacceptable.

There's only ONE game in the year. All the rest of it, the bowls, the Big Ten championship, the national championship, it can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned. NONE of it matters.

There is only ONE GAME out of the year.

3 losses in a row is UNACCEPTABLE. 1-5 out of the past 6 is UNACCEPTABLE. I hate to say it, but it's got to be done.

Lloyd's got to go.

Shuffle Me (2nd Try)

2006-11-18T16:56:00.000-05:00

Blogger seemed to have eaten this yesterday, so another try.

I finally got my iPod shuffle yesterday. W00t!!1!11!one!1!! Of course, I don't have iTunes, and I don't have internet at home. I also didn't know that unlike my previous player, the iPod Shuffle doesn't simply allow you to drag and drop mp3 files and play them. The shuffle needs a database file with all the track names and locations. So most of my night was spent sitting forlornly looking at my new toy and begging it to play something.

Thanks to the Internets, I am now a free man. I have a install of iTunes I could use, but instead, I found <a href="http://agoraphobeus.free.fr/iShuffle/index.html">iShuffle</a>. Small program, freeware, sits in the shuffle and builds the database file for you. Just drag and drop the mp3 files onto the shuffle as if it were a USB flash drive. Run iShuffle, and viola, you are ready to play and have fun. Which I finally intend to do.

I also predict that I will lose this tiny toy in under a week.

Let The Spending Season Begin

2006-11-14T19:53:00.000-05:00

The summer months are usually a time to store the harvest of my hard labors, as are the first few months of autumn. For as soon as we enter the November, so begins Spending Season, where all the big bills come due.

The official start of Spending Season is not, as one would expect, Black Friday, but in fact the day my insurance bill comes due. I save a few bucks by paying annually, but it also means that one of my paychecks automagically disappears before it's even deposited. From there it's all downhill.

This year promises to be a big season, as it has come time to replace a few items I've been putting off for a few years now. With my jean jacket finally retired (it's still wearable, if a bit dated, but I am preserving it as it is my last physical connection with my now passed-away aunt), and sweaters not cutting it, a new fall/spring jacket is being demanded. I lust for the LL Bean barn coat, but I also have my eye on this nice moleskin blazer from UniQlo. I think I might get both.

Next up on the paycheck killer is the 401(k). I just found out I can contribute to a Roth 401(k). Who needs to eat now when there's so much eating to be had in the future?

And lastly, but not leastly, is iPod shuffle. My current solution is just too bulky, and it only holds 125mb worth of songs. Granted, it's the only 20 songs in my collection I like, but the battery life is really getting pounded nowadays. I've resisted the urge to get one for so long, but I cannot hold out much longer. In fact, I'm planning on caving tonight, depending on how late the Apple Store is open. It's so damn small!

So there you have it, $140 out the door in the next 2 hours (I'm thinking of getting the moleskin jacket, the store is just down the block from the apple store), and I haven't even begun budgeting for the gift giving season yet.

Perhaps McDonalds gift cards for everyone?

The Perfect Blog Post

2006-11-13T20:24:00.000-05:00

Riding the subway I thought of the perfect blog post. One of those pithy posts about some insignificant thing that poetically opens up into a deeper philosophical post about life. With a little wry humor on the side, of course. The problem, of course, is that I haven't the foggiest recollection on what that perfect post was supposed to be about, just that it was exceedingly clever (for me). I struggled to compose some suitable alternative, but all the prose just gets jammed together (much like this very post).

Instead, I shall simply report that I had a hamburger for lunch, and leave it at that.

Reagan Said It Best

2006-11-10T09:18:00.000-05:00

I tend to lean conservative. Not THAT conservative, I am a NYC'er after all, but conservative nonetheless.

Today I survey the political landscape, and what do I see? I see a so-called conservative party spending out of control, totally inept in governing or keeping corruption under control, without any real plans besides blaming things on the gays, and totally devoid of any moral standing. I see arrogance, I see greed, and I see a complete betrayal of everything I once stood for. If we're going to get Tax and Spend, if our politicians are more interested in grab-ass then their jobs, if we're going to send our boys to die in <s>vietnam</s> Iraq without a plan or a reason, and if we're going to let the country go to hell in a selfish corrupt handbasket (provided via no-bid contract by Haliburton), then we might as well let the Democrats do it, because frankly they are a LOT better at it.

I voted Democrat today (except for Pirro, who I think is a good prosecutor if she would just let them send her idiot husband to jail once and for all), because those assholes at the RNC need to be sent a message.

I didn't leave the Republican Party. It left me.

Red Letter Day

2006-11-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

Got a letter in the mail, from the step sister of all people. Which isn't to say that it unwelcome, just unexpected as I used to write to a lot of people. A lot of people who have since stopped writing or emailing or anything all together. But then, that's partly my fault, as I used to be so good in responding, and I'm not so much anymore. I've been blowing people off on the phone too, for that matter, but mostly because I am running a little busier these days. In addition to a running favor for a month I'm doing for someone, work has been a little more hectic. Oh, and I'm tring to fit in some late night practice at the golfing range once a week, where the discount rate kicks in starting at 9pm. Hmm, maybe I should put this all in my letter.

Still Out Of Reach

2006-10-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

I have long lusted for the Sony Clie PEG-UX40 or UX50, although both are quite old products. Mainly because they feature compact clamshell design, and I can write my blog entires in them on the tiny keyboard whenever I get a good thought (which is usually on the subway). I figured that it being 2 years since the last model rolled off the line, and that standalone PDAs are no longer in vogue, I'd be able to pick one up pretty cheap on ebay. Man, was I mistaken. Still looking at $200 range, which is still quite a discount from the new price of $500-$600 back in the day. Formfactor wise, it's prefect for me, as I eskew from the blackberry/treo model of single piece input. The sidekick might work, but it seems a little too small, and besides, it's just as expensive. I just long for a simple text entry device to compose my little blog entries on the go, without the bells and whistles of a phone or web surfing. But I suppose that it apparently too much to ask for.

Back In The Swing

2006-10-23T20:49:00.000-04:00

After a three year hiatus, I've once again picked up some golf clubs and hit a ball around. Specifically, a ball around a golf course, for a change. And besides rediscovering the wonderfully refreshing act of being on the links on a brisk fall morning, I've also found that I totally suck. Years and years of hitting the golf range gone to naught, as I could only manage weak tee shots and fairway drives that kicked up more clods of dirt than a backhoe.

And like my refound passion for photography, I find that I really do love hitting the ball around, money be damned. And though it physically hurts to pay $20 for a bucket of balls, I am budgeting away to hit the early bird special at Chelsea Piers at least once a week. I wonder how long the passion will last, as winter fast approaches, but if I can manage a decent improvement in my swing, especially my irons, another round of golf will be had before Thanksgiving is over.

Fun With Numbers!

2006-10-20T20:47:00.000-04:00

One of those things I shook my head at back in the go go dot-com era was how numbers became to flexible, and manipulation became to widely accepted and embraced. Nowadays, everything is open to "interpretation".

An economy is a tricky thing to measure to begin with. It's like trying to take the average temperature of your house, it all depends on where you measure. It's cold in the fridge, warm by the water heater, and damp in the basement. If you pick and choose the right spots, you can get wildly differing scenarios. If you only measure in the freezer, the attic, and the basement, the house is too cold. If you measure inside the lit stove, inside the furnace duct, and above the living room lamp, it's too hot. Most people just mean what it feels like when you walk in the frot door, sitting on the sofa, and lying in bed.

The economy is harder to measure, because getting a consensus on which spots are the "best" spots is difficult at best. And best for whom? The majority? The middle class? Recent immigrants? City dwellers? Farmers? Guys named Bob? You have to sharpen the mind to process all the math, to get a picture that's accurate for the economic rung you inhabit, and aspire to reach.

I was reading the George Will piece in the Washington Post [note: piece in not linked as a protest. Newspapers hardly if ever link to relevent blog posts, even if a national story breaks on a blog. So I refuse to link to newspapers. Google around, you'll find it.], and he mentioned that wages were stagnant only if you didn't include benefits. Which is silly, because they're called benefits for a reason. I think this is a classic measurement connundrum, because he's right and totally wrong.

Medical coverage, group life coverage, group disability coverage, dental, and penions are very valuable benefits. Trying to purchase any of these coverages individually outside of your employer is prohibatively expensive for many people. It's not unusual to hear of people taking lower paying positions in exchange for full coverage. George Will is right, this ia valuable benefit that is unfairly ignored.

But he's counting it in the wrong category. It's not like your employer hands you a wad of cash, and then you spend it on coverage. The employer picks the health plan, and the premiums, and how much you have to pay. This reality is reflected in the Consumer Price Index, as the CPI doesn't count employer paid health care premiums. While benefits are a benefit to employees, it's NOT INCOME; it's a COST to the employer.

A quick example might help things out here.

You work for ABC company. You get paid $40,000 + major medical, which costs an additional $5,000. To keep things simple, the employee pays nothing (this is getting quite rare nowadays, most people have to a pay a percentage towards their coverage). George is saying that you are really getting $45,000 worth of compensation: $40,000 cash + $5,000 benefits = $45,000 compensation.

Next year premiums increase to $10,000. To stay profitable, the company lays people off and freezes wages. By Will's math: $40,000 salary + $10,000 benefit = $50,000 compensation. Yay, you're wages are rising my friend, live the American Dream well! But wait, what's that? You don't feel like you got a $10,000 increase? Well, I hate to tell you, but you're right. Let's take a look at take home pay, that little statistic that Geroge has just dimissed. $40,000 this year's salary - $40,000 last year's salary = $0 increase (assuming you didn't get laid off). I hope you didn't get laid off, because 0% increase vs. 3% inflation hurt enough as it is.

Although the medical premium doubled, it's not like the quality of your medical care doubled. In fact, the premium probably tripled and the employer reduced the plan coverage to lower the price. So what you're probably REALLY getting is worse medical coverage at a higher price. Plus, as the co-pays probably got higher, you get to take home less money to reinject into the economy. You just got whacked with the nasty end of the health care inflation stick, and it hurts.

George is right in that Benefits need to be counted, they are very valuable. But it should be counted as a cost against corporate profits, or as an income stream for the health care sector, not as personal income. It's something you can lose, not something you can spend. That would be take home pay, which George points out, has been stagnant for quite a number of years.

Oh, what's that? Your company is doing well enough to absorb the premium increase and still pay a raise? Man, it must be nice to work at Google or Exxon.

Abandoned

2006-10-16T19:23:00.000-04:00

Last night I literally got buried under a pile of garbage. I needed a little help, and got just a little help. Somehow, it's going to turn out to be my fault because I got upset, while that whole pile of crap thing is somehow not going to play a factor.

I'm not going to forget this.

Moment

2006-10-12T20:48:00.000-04:00

I spent last night getting my shoes wet, walking in the pounding rain that would not let up. It was apparently the same sort of night that preceeded Sept. 11, which was something I didn't remember at all, although now that I think about it, must be true. There was a reason I decided to stay underground that night, browsing the Borders bookstore at the World Trade Center. I recall lugging around a wet umbrella, worrying about getting the books wet. I didn't bother buying anything that night, for it would have been a great hassle to lug it home in the rain, and I knew where my desired purchases lay, they'd still be there the next day.

Minor words trigger my buried memories, and getting together with a foursome of trade center survivors is a running dialogue of forgotten remembered moments. An hour passes in an instant, as memories merge to sort out the inconsistencies, and resolve those nagging doubts about what really happened when. I felt out of place as they discussed who was first or last or first again in the stairwell coming down, or how long the fire raged, the doors stayed jammed shut, and who was where when the other tower fell.

What was interesting was how everything came back to those few terrifying moments, how everything led back to that morning. Time, life, emotion seems permenantly fixed in those few short hours, whenever they meet. The reunions get smaller and smaller, maybe the others can't bear the burden of these continued reawakening of memory. I can't say for certain if there was talk of the present of the future, I joined at the very end of a 4 hour night. The past, however, remained very much alive, made up of small moments, walking in wet shoes.

What You Really Need To Know About Vermont

2006-10-10T20:49:00.000-04:00

I don't pretend to imitate a great traveller. I haven't been to every state in the union, and others have done far harder, longer, and more often road trips then I. But I have logged a lot of miles, and been down many a highway, and I can say that Vermont has hands down the cleanest and most pleasant rest stops I've ever been too. Not the malls of Ohio Turnpike, or the dingy backwaters of Connecticut, nor the non existence of New York. Simple, clean, bright, and welcoming, they are truely welcome beacons on the migratory path of the Northeastern Leafer. I only wish there were more of them.

Leafers

2006-10-07T21:22:00.000-04:00

Normally when Dad and I take our annual pilgrimge to Vermont, to see the wonderful foliage, the extent of the planning involved is making sure we have enough cash to pay for gas. As would be expected, the net result is that nights must be borne in the car, as every hotel and motel is booked solid for the night. And while it would be nice to relive childhoom memories of sleeping under a comforter in the trunk of the hatchback while parked in the middle of the scary scary woods, I'm a little too old for that crap now. So I booked a hotel instead, at a ski lodge at the top of a mountain no less. It's costing me a pretty penny, because I got silly and reserved a nice room with a balcony. Which doesn't make much sense at all, as we'll be driving up and then driving back down, spending only enough time at my expensive room just for sleeping.

My modestly, and admittedly mildly crazy, plans have drawn some scorn, which peeves me. It's one thing to laugh with people, it's another matter entirely to laugh at people. But then I sit back and I think about what's really going on. I'm going to take a 6 hour drive to Vermont, whereupon I'm going to drive around Vermont for a few more hours, sleep in an overpriced room on a sofabed, drive around Vermont some more, and then drive 6 hours late at night back from Vermont. It does sound pretty silly on the face of it, so why would I do something that makes so little sense?

Because I get to spend 48 hours of quality time with my Dad.

There's a lot of people who would spend a lot more then I did to get that again.

Gene's Single Guy Crappy Beef Stroganoff

2006-10-06T19:30:00.000-04:00

1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 lb. egg noodles, cooked
1 can Dinty Moore Beef Stew

Ta da!

Scrubs

2006-10-05T19:16:00.000-04:00

I've been watching <i>Scrubs</i> in syndication lately. The local station airs two episodes back to back, the first from an earlier season, and the second from the later seasons, and my initial impression of the show was pretty much valid. The early to middle seasons were pretty good, but in the later seasons it just loses some of the magic. Perhaps it's that the storylines get a little too serious, or that the characters are too old to project the levity needed to offset the serious undercurrents in the show, or maybe it's just that things get just a little too wacky weird (or maybe wacky weird is a bit too overplayed). It reminds me a lot of my old favorite News Radio, which got progressively better each year (until the death of Phil Hartman). No matter what, I find it endlessly entertaining, and am pretty glad to finally catch a few episodes.

Except that once the credits roll and the laughter ends, I get hopelessly depressed over the whole matter. I was once a pre-med'r too, you see, and it sends me back to those days of my wasted youth. There's just something magically intoxicating to me about the whole hospital enviroment. I don't know if it's tne enviroment, the intersection of human life, the biology, the helping people thing, the social status of being called Dr. Me, or maybe the fact that my mom is an RN, but it's all something I wanted very badly.

Watching that stupid TV show reminds me that I apparently still want it very badly. Only, unlike Dr. Brother, I couldn't cut the mustard. It's a really really hard life, only a select few can really work it, and I'm not one of those people. I just watch a little of it from the outside and wonder what if.

Bad Influence

2006-10-03T18:40:00.000-04:00

I'm always frustrated when my flickr idols come to town, and I never get to meet them. Some of them I thought I was relatively close with, while others I am clearly not. But it is frustrating nonetheless to see when they roll into town, sometimes even brushing against my home neighborhood, and I never get the chance to meet these people I so admire.

You can thus imagine my delight when I got a last minute email from Gail On The Web (or Gail At Large, as her blog is known) to invite me to hang with her while she passed through town. I imagined dreams of photowalks, with hours and hours of picture taking goodness.

While there was plenty of that, there was even more time spent going from bar to bar, drinking the night away. So much so that I've pretty much forgotten about the photowalk parts. This happen regularily whenever I attend a flickr meetup, so much so that I'm beginning to think I'm a corrupting influence on these illuminati that I so admire. It was a lot of fun, tho.

Spinach, Part 2

2006-10-02T20:07:00.000-04:00

I was washing some salad in a bag last night, and I got to thinking of spinach yet again, and how I tend to ramble on and on in these blog posts. I think I wasted a whole lot of time and a lot of words saying something that should have been very simple. There's 2 very simple lessons to be learned from the whole episode:

1) The "Triple Washed" label on the bag doesn't mean a damn. 2) There is no quality control or testing, they just cut and bag the stuff and pray that nobody gets sick.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy some more salad in a bag for tonight's dinner.

Risk Analysis

2006-09-25T21:33:00.000-04:00

I get tired of hearing people talk about spinach nowadays. It was fun for the first couple of days, making jokes about how dangerous it was, but then it dawned on me that for a lot of people, it wasn't really a joke.

The sad part is that this appears to be part of the recent march in waves of panic that have washed over our fair land in recent years. The maddenning panic over anthrax, where people were busting into doctor's ofices to grab Cipro; the mad rush for duct tape in case of some amorphous chemical/radiological/biological attack; and now the mad spinach panic of 2006. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that we seem to suffer from a social allergic reaction. Now that the Cold War is over, and the world really isn't coming to an end, we overreact to minor dangers in irrational ways.

In the case of spinach, the sad part is that nobody seems to understand that we live in a new world, a post Jack-In-The-Box world of dangerous E.Coli. Jack in the Box should have been the alarm that changed everything, but of course it wasn't. The problem was improper cooking, the fault was sloppy slaughterhouses, the danger lay in Jack in the Box. Which is all true, and completely wrong too.

The problem lies in one single strain of E.Coli, and how we've built an agro-industrial complex that just happens to be the perfect envionment for it to breed in. We feed beef corn to fatten them up faster and fatter, conveniently ignoring the biology of a cow and how thousands of years of breeding and evolution has built it for eating grass. The chemistry of the cow's stomach, a wonderfully complex and messy thing at that, changes so that it produces nothing but poisonous E.Coli. We breed hundreds of thousands of cows to satisfy our hunger for cheap beef, and the E.Coli is someone else's problem, especially if they happen to be downstream. And on the flipside, thanks to fertilizers and pesticides and triple washed salad, we make food so "safe" we forget the basics about food safety.

And now we've come to learn that just like roaches, rats, and pigeons, E.Coli has found a perfect place to live, and that place is amongst us.

This isn't the first time we've been bitten hard. Jack in the Box. Tainted scallions. Tainted water at several state fairs. Basic food safety must be followed, and even then there are no more guarantees. Anything raw should be washed. Thoroughly. Anything cooked should be cooked. Thoroughly. Any deviations, and you're taking on additional risk. And these risks aren't new, Salmonella isn't a sexy exotic disease, but I'd wager that if you run the numbers it's just as deadly, and it's been a problem for decades.

I see people talking about how they'll not eat spinach for months, even if the stuff clearly came from a farm in New Jersey, 1,000 miles away from the current contamination point. And as they talk, they're busy stuffing themselves with undercooked hamburger or salad-in-a-bag that hasn't been washed.

Not that I really should get too upset over that anyway, because unless you're really unlucky, it's not the spinach that'll get you in the end. It's not the terrorists, or the anthrax, or the stingrays, or the illegal guns. It's going to be the daily drive to work. It's going to be shovelling the snow. It's going to be that donut. That single gram of saturated fat you're not going to burn today, and one you'll pick up tomorrow, and the day after that.

Damnit. Now I feel like having a donut.

The Twins

2006-09-24T21:16:00.000-04:00

Shout out and congratulations to my cousin, whom just had his twin boys.

Twin boys.

I'm very happy for him and his wife, and not at all depressed as I sit and type this in my empty house and cold lonely bed.

Not. One. Bit.

(seriously, congrats to you, cousin)

Hidden Primary

2006-09-14T20:32:00.000-04:00

For the first time I voted in the primaries.

It was a liberating experience, for I realized that nobody votes in the primaries, and thus your vote counts even more then normal. It's actually very influential, for you are deciding the ballot that all those other lazy non-primary day voters have to choose from.

I had to work for my vote, however, for the polling place was hidden. Being a primary, the polling station decided to use smaller facilities inside the school building. I arrived with plenty of time, only the front door was locked. The registration card said to use the side door, which was also locked. The secondary side door was locked as well. There was a cop car out front, so I knew it was the right spot, but then the car was empty. And, of course, there were no signs. 10 minutes of knocking and repeated pulling on doors got me nowhere, until a passerby was nice enough to direct me to the rear. And sure enough, in a through an alley, and around a corner, marked by a tiny lit door, was the polling station.

I did not appreciate the cops giving me attitude about being late, there being no sign ANYWHERE to indicate where the polling station was. But then I got to my booth, and the dull worn red handle of democracy beckoned.

She was broken, the curtain didn't slide, the lights were off, and nearly everything was worn with age. But the clunk-chunk of mechanized vote counting, hundreds of pounds of steel turning away, melted away my stress. The lever goes left, I flip my switches, and savor the moment. I jam the lever right, and it's suddenly over.

And so I voted, and it felt damn good.

Primary Day

2006-09-12T19:08:00.000-04:00

I have no idea who's in the primaries. I have no idea if when I'll find the time. But dammit all, I want to pull that giant red lever very badly, so I'm gonna vote today if it kills me.

Hello Goodbye - Exchanging the Sigma 28mm f1.8

2006-09-10T19:15:00.000-04:00

They were a little suprised at B&H when I came in to exchange my lens. I guess the guy had just come to expect that people would prefer to return it. It's a reasonable assumption, I suppose, for it is not a very popular lens when I do a tag search in flickr. Nobody seemed suprised that I had problems with backfocusing in the mid range (10-15 ft), and I notice that furious notes were taken in the computer.

I am a little suprised that this is the second time in two purchases that I've had to exchange product with B&H. I realize lenses, especially Sigma lenses, are each an individual beast with their own quirks, but I expected that buying from B&H meant not having to do this dance ... again.

To their credit, however, it was another completely painless exchange. Took less then 10 minutes, and I've got another brand new lens to play with. I too was suprised that I stuck with the 28mm, instead of going for the universally praised 30mm. But when I think about it, it is the perfect lens for me. I like things a little wider than more people. i simply LOVE the macro ability, for it makes my food shots pop so much more now. And I can live without the single stop difference that the f1.4 would give me. Plus, the fact that I am a cheap bastard.

So some more test shots for me tonight, and then tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is tomorrow, isn't it.

Frank's

2006-09-09T22:29:00.000-04:00

hair
Originally uploaded by bunchofpants.

Got me a haircut today.

My barber is an old italian institution in an old italian neighborhood. His customers are old italian men, and they sit about passing through the afternoon chatting about things in italian, while the italian league soccer match plays in the background.

He cuts my hair slightly crookedly, the sideburns are never level, and half the time he uses old-man aftershave of which I reek all day after he shaves the lower hairline on the neck. The sides are too tight, the cut it too low on the ears, and he insists on styling my hair in the wavy greasy manner of the young italian kids, a style which I intensely dislike. I have given up asking him to taper the back, like a little kid or a military cut, for he never does it anyway, and I overtip him which defeats the purpose of going to him in the first place (he's real cheap). We have very little to no conversation, although he is very friendly, for I do not speak italian and he is half deaf anyhow.

If you're wondering why I continue to get my haircut there, then all I can say is that he's my barber and I'll be going there until he dies or I move away, and that's the end of that.

Maybe it's a guy thing, I don't know.

The Problem With Minjung

2006-09-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

The problem with Minjung is that I know nothing and too much all at once. Specifically, I know that she wanted one of my unauthorized flickr schwag buttons, but I don't know her address to send it to.

What I have is an old work address to the job she left nearly 8 months ago. I have a very old home address from four years ago (nothing says "mailing list" more then getting an invitation to help move someone to their new place ... on the other side of the country). And I have a month-old invitation to checkout the current job, abazab.com. (I also have an invitation to join Plaxo.com, which supposedly keeps all this contact management updated automagically, but I'm not down with that crap.)

So, rather then email her directly for the addy (because, you see, we have minor history), I figure I'll be clever and send it to her at work. Only, abazab.com doesn't have a mailing addresses listed anywhere on their site.

This is a pet peeve of mine. I desire a mailing address for every company I deal with, if nothing else then to reassure myself that this isn't some Nigeria scam. I simply cannot stand it when a company refuses to give a physical address, if nothing else then because it makes mailing something to them (like a complaint) impossible.

15 wasted minutes of my life later, I find an address for press release information to be addressed to, along with a name, and phone number. I don't know if this is a PR firm, the company, or some guy in a garage, but it's what I got. Of course, the guy never answers his phone, so I can't confirm anything, but at this point I stopped caring half an hour previous, so I just mail the damned thing off to the address.

Last night I'm getting a little bored because I'm waiting for a process to run, so I checkout minjung's blog, because http://freefall.purrsia.com/ hasn't updated in forever, and what do I find?

She's now, apparently, working for photobucket.com.

NY State to Small Businesses, Drop Dead

2006-09-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to start a little photo magazine, thanks to the low low prices of print-on-demand via lulu.com, for some time now. Not all the pieces are in place yet, but they are coming together, and I was feeling pretty optimistic about the whole project. I crunched the numbers and figured that I could provide a photo book with nearly 30% more picture goodness then the leading low-budget photo mags (jpg magazine and U&I magazine) for nearly the same cost. The profit margin would be razor thin, and I'd have to sell nearly 1,000% more magazines then my first try (the flickrati NYC one shot book) just to break even. But for a small money losing operation, it might be a fun project for the next two years, and would give me some small business experience and credibility. I even budgeted a small fortune (nearly $500) for initial startup costs and such. My biggest worry, however, is legal, as I don't want to be completely liable for everything the small company does.

As it turns out there is a solution to that, forming an LLC. An LLC provides limited liability, and yet is taxed in a very simple fashion (it acts as a simple pass through). Filing costs are a little high ($200 for filing, plus $50 in assorted other fees), which caused a bit of hesitation. But there are legal protections that don't exist for sole-proprietorships, specifically protection from creditors. I don't have much money, and I'd like to keep what little I have somewhat secure from lawsuits and the such. It's simpler then a full bown corporation, and yet has many of the same protections. In short, it's nearly perfect for a small time guy like me.

Which is why, of course, NY state just ruined it all with the publication requirement. The publication requirement is that you have to publish in 2 officially designated newspapers an announcment of the LLC's formation, for 6 weeks. In NYC, the rates are sky high, and early estimates are in the hundreds. My budget is being blown out of the water before I even get a chance to file the papers. Needless to say, my small business dreams are now dying a slow death, thanks to the good folks in Albany. Because, apparently, the last thing we need in New York are more businesses.

Ignoring Advice

2006-09-04T21:34:00.000-04:00

Roadtrips are great things, for there is a great deal of time spent with others in which to talk lots of smack. Talking smack is actually a good thing, despite what you might think, for it is equal parts social bonding and education. From a person's sense of humor and their ribbing, you can learn a great deal about a person's personality, as well as a few interesting "facts" along the way.

One such "fact" that came up over the weekend concerned advice, and why never to give it. Giving advice is entering a no-win scenario. Nobody ever follows your advice, they always do what they think is best, so you're already wasting your time and breathe in giving advice. If your advice was correct, you will be resented for being right while they were wrong. And if your advice was incorrect, then your opinions will never be trusted again.

I, of course, don't mind being resented, for I am already, so I will give you a piece of advice that I happened to pick up during the weekend's smack talk. If you are sitting with a room full of immigrants and children of recent immigrants, do NOT forcefully impart your political views against open immigration. Unless you happen to want to quiet the whole room.

MaterIntercoursing Serpents on an Aeroplane

2006-08-18T23:05:00.000-04:00

Not that I was particularily looking forward to this movie, as I think that the story and the hype behind the film is probably more enjoyable then the actual film itself. But when a hipster cultural phenomena like this comes along, you want to be part of it. At the very least, I didn't want this to be yet another sad friday night spent working too late at the office, and yet that's exactly what it's become. Again.

Jury Duty

2006-08-15T22:25:00.000-04:00

Just saying the words Jury Duty brings about sympathetic head nods from strangers, being one of the last of the true shared sacrifices of society left today (besides one of those $110 NYC parking tickets). And it is readily apparent that the people in charge of the system know it. Instead of three days of rotating through the jury pool, it's now just one day. Instead of a four year wait between call-ups, it is now 6. Instead of the old smokey pit of a waiting room, they (Kings county, NYC, that is) has a brand new nice clean spacious room with plenty of comfortable seating, computer stations, and snacks and a cell-phone area, along with some of the nicest (but suprisingly small) bathrooms I've seen in a city building. The clerks and the court officers are nice and friendly, shockingly courteous in fact, and you are even allowed to step outside the building so long as you sign a sign-in/out sheet. In many ways, my first time experience was very pleasant indeed.

Until we got to the lawyers.

The grand caveat to the whole system is that jury duty can mean criminal of <b>civil</b> trials. The big difference is that in criminal trials, the lawyers are ultimately paid to get the verdict; in civil trials they get paid by the hour. The first two hours I felt the attorneys were quite nice and gregarious, by the second day all I wanted was the iceberg to hit the Titanic head on sink that mofo. In my group they picked only 2 jurors out of 10, and took a good 35 minutes in conference to do so. That's not counting the 2.5 hours in questioning us in a group or individually. And they still needed another 20 prospects to pick up the last 2 they would need. The part that truely enraged me was how everybody else in the system seems to appreciate that this is, ultimately, a major inconvenience for everybody. Everybody except the lawyers, who saw us nothing more then meat puppets here to serve at their leisure.

I would never have thought that being so bored would be so entirely exhausting, but there you have it. I did get to chat with a cute girl in my jury pool, but considering that she took an undergraduate class lectured by my college friend, I'm thinking that 10 years age difference is probably too much for my tastes (not that it stopped my college friend whenshe got married).

I'm done with my service for the next six years, and when my time gets called in 2012, I'm hoping that they will have finally gotten rid of all the lawyers.

A Little Down

2006-08-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

gene---4th-of-july-05
Originally uploaded by Aaron Edwards.

I've been a little down on life these past few days.

I don't know if it's the sleep deprevation, the lack of a woman, the three jobs I have, or the fact that I've not had a real vacation in a year, but I'm feeling very much in the downs. Concentrating on any mildly important task is difficult, and I can't keep to my schedule to save my life. The appetite has subsided, but that doesn't apparently stop me from eating crap all day long, which is not helping the whole pants size issue. I've even cooled off my photography obsession, although I still contemplate plunking down another $300 for the sigma 28mm f1.8.

What I need is a recharge, a reboot, a reason to get up out of bed in the morning and not cry a little on the subway ride in. Maybe I'll find it tomorrow.

No Time For Me

2006-08-10T22:17:00.000-04:00

Supposedly, $30,000 is the magic number upon which money and happiness no longer go hand in hand. Being a New Yorker, I'm assuming that you have to adjust the number to fit the local cost of living inflation around here, which would put me under the line.

But it's in part quite true, for while more money would allow me to buy nice toys, or go eat meals without worrying about the bottom line, it won't buy me the things I really want: a woman to share my (admittedly sad) life with, and time.

I long for time. To be like those normal people, getting out of work at normal hours, seeing the sun as they go home, eating a nice meal or changing clothes, before heading out into the night to spend time with friends or having some fun.

I just want to catch a performance of As You Like It at the Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. It starts at 8pm, Thursday through Saturday, and is just a half hour from work, and yet due to obligations, I haven't yet been able to make it out there on time, or at all in fact. People just seem to think that I loll about all day doing nothing, and that it's no trouble for me to drop everything and tend to their needs. I have needs too, like eating a meal before 11pm. Perhaps I'd actually like to go out and enjoy a nice free play, or movie, or music concert during the summer. Or maybe I'd like to do whatever the damn hell I want to do, instead of doing the crap that I have to do, for a change.

It's all I dream about with my imaginary lotto winnings. Having the time to see some free Shakespere.

The Mystery of Money

2006-07-31T20:06:00.000-04:00

For a guy that refuses to spend money, that agonizes over $3 decisions, I go through a hell of a lot of cash. I wonder where it goes all the time, for I certainly am living the exciting life of nothing, and my kingdom is sparsly populated with items of any material value. I don't do fancy dinners, or even decent dinners at all, unless you count the 2 hotdog and drink special at Papaya Dog. It comes, and goes just as quickly, while I wander the streets of the city alone, peering into restaurants and bars, wondering how those seemingly happy people can afford such excess. I can barely afford to live my exciting life of work and sleep. How much longer will it be before I can be one of those seemingly happy people? Is it if I hit the seemingly impossible $50k mark? And yet, if I read the numbers right, I'm still doing better then 70% of everybody else on planet Earth. Can I even complain when I'm suffering from being too fat for my pants?

Am I poor because I am, or is it just a matter of my attitude?

Poor Choices

2006-07-30T20:43:00.000-04:00

My life is marked by a roadmap of poor choices.

'Tis the only way to explain why I'd be eating a dinner of lamb platter from a cart, alone, on the street, in the exact same place I used to hang out in high school 10+ years ago, at 11pm on a Tuesday night.

Positively depressing is what it is.

Dance Dance

2006-07-14T19:42:00.000-04:00

I got a tune stuck in my head, it rocks. It's all I can do to keep from tapping my toes. When I ride the subway, all I want to do is dance it up through the aisles. Of course, you can't do that, because the strangers would think you were crazy, and that simply won't do. I just hum a little of the tune instead, and dream of dancing, as if life were a movie. Life without a soundtrack sucks.

Western Union

2006-05-07T20:46:00.000-04:00

Adjusting to the job. All is well. Will post soon. *stop*

Automated Photoblog

2006-04-30T20:20:00.000-04:00

So I have this photoblog, and I post pictures to it (very occasionally), and I hand coded it and run it though blogger and blah blah blah. Turns out, someone's already done all the work for me (and every other Flickr user) already. And it's all automated. http://tambay.org/phlog/LarimdaME/ Now don't I feel silly.

Out to Work

2006-04-24T20:40:00.000-04:00

I shall call him 'mini-mac'
Originally uploaded by Raiden256.

The Golden Rule of Blogging is never ever blog about work.

So, of course, I shall proceed to blog about work.

Well, not really. What I will say, however, is that I am transitioning between positions. So between wrapping things up here and learning new things there, I shall have very very little time to much of anything online.

No time, in fact. I'll see you next week!

Living on a Prayer

2006-04-21T19:11:00.000-04:00

Bon Jovi
Originally uploaded by CowBoyGirlBeth.

about 20 years ago, Bon Jovi first hit it big. I was but a whee kid then, in private prep school no less, so the whole phenomenom kinda blew past me entirely. But I remember some great tunes on the radio, and certainly in the 20 years since I've been exposed to countless renditions of their music at bars, MTV, and the like.

Two weeks ago was the first time I got good and drunk, which is naturally the best state of mind to be in to really "get" the music, man (btw, I love you, no, no, really, I LOVE you man! *passes out*). Hanging out with fun people helps, a lot.

Somehow I find myself in a drunken circle with others, screaming along the lyrics of Living on a Prayer. Which I now, cannot get out of my head. I find myself sing it in the elevator, while working, in the shower, all the time. All the time!

But that's all right,
Because we've got hold on to what we've got ...

Death and ...

2006-04-13T20:00:00.000-04:00

theirs
Originally uploaded by tizzie.

Once again I find myself coming up to the deadline to do my taxes, with the taxes part being the least of my worries.

For you see, I withhold more then I owe, so I usually look forward to a nice fat refund. Tax day is therefor a good thing. So why, oh why, do I procrastinate?

Because I usually delay putting money into the IRA until I know what my tax situation is. Ironically, if it is a good situation (ie: if I didn't put too much into the 401k) then I can put the max into the IRA.

And therein lies the dilemma, for the more I can put in, the bigger the bite out of my checking account.

Or, to put it simply, I am getting a nice big refund, but I'm going to have to write far bigger check to the IRA if I want to max the contribution for tax year 2005.

Which I do. I'm sure 30 years from now, the fact that I socked away $4,000 extra dollars into a tax deferred account will look like a great move. I'm positive that it is a sound financial planning decision.

But it hurts now. Kinda like cough medicine. Or beets. I'm sure it's good for me, but I'd rather delay the pain until the last minute.

But, of course, I only have until tomorrow to actually do it (technically Monday, but I don't want to push it). So tonight I'll have to swallow my medicine, and tomorrow I'll write up that big painful check for my stupid future.

*shakes fist at well funded future*

Luck

2006-04-10T18:51:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I was in Central Park, taking some pictures of the flowers in the nice soft afternoon light. Having my pocket tripod and an extra bag for leverage, I was inspired to try and recreate a self portrait from when I was a wee child. I set up the tripod, was taking a meter reading, when ... a bird crapped on my head. If only my good luck were as powerful as my bad.

Hesitation

2006-04-06T19:42:00.000-04:00

It's a funny thing, the psychology of the dollar. The purpose of going back to film was to slow myself down, to force myself to look for the shot, to bring some discipline back to the process. Somewhere along the way, however, I got myself derailed in the cost. In the month I've been digital free, I've only taken 28 shots, and bought 4 rolls of film. For a man who is seriously contemplating putting down another $2,000 on a digital camera, the prospect of having to buy rolls of $5.95 film is enough to bring the photographic process to a halt. This behaviour, of course, is silly. At $5.95 a roll, and added developing costs, guesstimate the cost per roll to be $10. At 36 shots a roll, the per shot cost is $.28. At $.28, I'd have to shoot at least 14 pictures a day, every day, for a total of 5,400 shots a year, bringing the annual cost to $1,500. A figure that roughly coincides with what I paid of the D70 a year ago. The rational part comes from when the money comes out. In the digital mindset, it's a huge upfront investment, but afterwards, every shot you take brings down the per shot cost. The math encourages you to take more pictures, as every shot gets cheaper for every shot you take. At 10,000 shots in one year, my D70 per shot cost is hovering around $.15. With film, the per shot cost is pretty much fixed, and the total cost only increases if you take more photos. You could take 5,400 photos a year and spend $1,500, or you could just take 2,700 shots a year and save the $750. It discourages you from taking more shots, because every shot increases your total cost. But the silly part is that I WANT to take more shots. In the face of an annual digital camera budget of thousands of dollars (lenses, body upgrades, flash cards, accessories, etc.), setting aside $100 - $200 for some quality film shots that happen to be magnet resistant is nothing. And yet, I can't bring myself to buy these stupid little $5.95 canisters. Such reluctance is ruining the photography. I'm being TOO selective with my shots. On last night's group downtown photostroll, I passed up several really good photo opportunities just because I didn't want to waste the film. I didn't have any trouble spending $14 on beers afterwards, which were nice but ultimately fleeting. Something about these damn $5.95 canisters holds sway over me, and the sooner I break the spell, the better.

The Post About My Vomiting

2006-04-04T20:20:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so I'm finally getting over a nasty stomach flu/food poisoning incident. Knocked me out for a few days. Some of the highlights: Thursday: Lunch was good, until 30 minutes later when it all starts coming out. Thursday Night: Curled up in a ball on floor, crying for mommy (literally, lots of long distance calls). BTW, it's ALL coming out. Friday Morning: Can sit upright long enough to call in sick, resume curled up in ball on the floor. Friday Evening: Relapse as the fever spikes again. Not as bad as Thursday. Saturday Morning: I feel good! Great! Cartoons on TV? Whoo Hoo! Saturday Afternoon: WTF was I thinking in the morning. Should have set up the will when I had the chance. Migrane + cramps = 4AM pain Sunday: Last major nausea wave finally passes at 4pm. Life FINALLY returns to normal. And so that's why I haven't been returning your calls or your emails or going on your photowalks.

Pointless Games

2006-03-26T18:19:00.000-05:00

I don't really have time anymore for silly flash games on the Internet, but sometimes you run across a jem that has to be played, just a little bit. Metafilter has been very sparse with the fun recently, one of the reasons I'm looking at digg more often these days, but today I spotted a few really great pointless games. And of course, during a pause in gameplay of Get To The Finish, I thought about perhaps the bestest. game. ever. Quest for the Crown. Supposedly the sequel, Quest for the Red Emerald, was supposed to come out in 2005, but I couldn't find any news. It wouldn't suprise me to hear that it's been pushed back to 2007 to due production delays over the new game engine.

Mysterious Enmity

2006-03-24T19:17:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I draw so much enmity in so many people, but I do. For some, it makes perfect sense, as I often say tactless thoughtless things or do mean inconsiderate things. I'd like to think those people are few in number, for I can't for the life of me figure out what it is that I've done to so offend all the others. I'd appreciate a clue, but none has been forthcoming, as that would apparently involve either communicating with me or acknowledging my existence. And that is the general impression I get, that it's not something I've done, but that I am present at all. I can't tell if it's comtempt or annoyance, the facial expressions are pretty similar for the two, either way, people are polite in that dignified way one treats an uninvited guest that's had the temerity to actually show up. I'm tempted to dismiss them all as unimportant, what should I care about people that irrationally dislike me so, but that's an awful lot of people involved. And so the search for respectability continues.

Running of the Elephants

2006-03-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

At around 11:45pm, my toes having grown numb, I remembered a promise I made to myself. Never again would I do the Elephant Parade, I loudly proclaimed last year, having finished up the event at the rather rude hour of 2AM. I sighed the sigh of a man defeated by his own forgetfulness, stomped my feet for warmth, and settled into the entertaining tales of Paul and Stephan, two of my many flickr compatriots for the night. It was fun to talk and shoot the breeze with folk, although Paul's reports of empty streets just blocks away did beckon to my ears, as I grew tired of the crowd we were fronting. And then they were upon us. We climbed over each other to get a clear shot, I dove for the ground to capture my trademark low angle attempts. Premetering and prefocusing were good decisions, as I still am too slow withthe manual focus camera. People cheered, people too photos, people ran straight for the giant grey beasts, people had fun. And then they were gone. It's hard to believe it when you are told that elephants are relatively fast. You imagine slow lumbering beasts, it is hard to visualize their speed. But fast they are, and their passage lasts a whole of 20 seconds, perhaps 30 tops. And you're left with a wonderous mystic emptiness to the air, laughing and in a state of shock, trying to comprehend what happened too fast to be real. And then we were off. For, you see, the best part of the elephant parade is the chase. The footrace to beat the elephants, and perhaps get another chance to capture their visage. Their pace is that of a brisk walk, one that can be outdone by a steady gait. But the novices fail to understand that it is not a sprint, but a marathon. By the middle of the block, the people were dropping like flies, and by the second only the truely hard core shooters were still in the game. Taking a picture in the intersection, I parted ways with S.D., and broke out to the abandoned alley that is 33rd street. Empty and lifeless, the perfect channel to race ahead of the crowd to an empty 7th avenue, with time to spare to catch my breath and set up for the final shot. Alas, a security guard stepping into frame at the last minute, but it was well worth it to greet the others at the effective finish line. 1:30am, and it was all over. 'Twas fun, and good excersize to boot, but it is too late, it is too cold, it is too short! I promise to never do it again! See you there next year.

Ricoh 35EFL

2006-03-16T21:11:00.000-05:00

Ricoh 35EFL
Originally uploaded by LarimdaME.

It's been a year since I first got my Nikon D70, and it's been a great first year. 21,992 shutter releases later, and I find myself getting just a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of photos to edit through. And a little tired of the grind, feeding the constant demand for new work, internal competition with others and myself. I think I need a little break, and so I shall.

Which isn't to say that I'll be leaving flickr. I probably will spend a little more time. I just won't be taking new digital pictures for a little while, perhaps a month. But I can't stop taking pictures. So I'm gonna slow it down a bit, take some advice from others, and try to make some time to get the feel for a place before I snap a picture or two. Film seems to still be the best at imprinting that atmosphere, a mood of the past, and that it happens to be the perfect brake for my snap happy hands is a nice plus too. It'll be hard making the adjustment to shooting a roll of 36 when I've become addicted to shooting 150 shots a day.

My first camera is lost to the yardsales of the past, but the first camera I've ever had where I starting taking pictures to take pictures, my brother just found in storage in Arizona. It seems like a good place to restart. 1/125 sec fixed shutter speed, manual focus, 40mm f3.8 - 16 adjustable f-stop. Primative LED lightmeter built in, as well as flash. The battery contacts are loose, you need to squeeze the body when you want power; and there's the sound of loose items tumbling about when you move the camera at all. When I hold it, I love it's broken obsolete frame like the little child I was.

Kodak Safety Film 5062 isn't sold anymore as such, but I've been told that Kodak Pan-X is essentially the same thing. It'll be very interesting to see how much or how little I'll have improved since I was 10.

Wish me luck.

Meat Makes Everyone Happy

2006-03-13T18:45:00.000-05:00

Or at least, it did until I read the news about madcow in Alabama. Oh well, I have mostly switched over all my beef consumption to Whole Foods anyway. Saturday nights are traditionally indecisive affairs. On one hand I want to go out and have a little fun, but on the other hand I have to get into bed relatively realy for work on Sunday. The usual arrangement, therefor, is to do stuff very early in the evening, and then when things begin to get fun, leave for home. Not exactly a good formula for making headway with the girls. This weekend was a bit more relaxing, as I ended up having dinner with the cousins. And by having dinner, I mean I bought, marinated, and cooked up a bucket of beef short ribs, and the cousins ate it all. It was nice to have a relaxing family meal tho, and the time just flew on by. We got all caught up on things, and I didn't have to waste any money on drinks. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to make this a semi-regular affair. Still not a formula for making headway with the girls, tho.

Five Finger Gene

2006-03-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

Two weeks in a row is a little embarassing to be doing the dine and dash, especially at my age. The source of all this trouble is that I have become too friendly with the people I get my lunch from, and a bit too forgetful too. Two weeks ago it was my pizzaria, and the minor confusion that erupted when I desired only some water instead of the usual free soda. I even ate there after ordering, and nobody said a thing upon my departure. Of course, I went back the following week and repaid them (it was a Friday when I transgressed). Last week it was the chinese place that I stiffed. Again, talking and joking with the staff, even taking the time to enjoy a Mystic ice tea, while waiting for my order to be made. And again, they handed me my food, I gave my thanks, and left without paying. it too was a Friday. Today I repaid my debt, and wonder whom it will be this Friday that I will stiff.

Missed Connections

2006-03-03T19:03:00.000-05:00

To the tall Asian woman in the red coat at Papaya Dog at West 4th, 8pm, Tuesday 2/28/2006, who ordered a pair of hotdogs, one of which was a chili dog. Marry me. Seriously. Because, damn, a chili dog! Damn!

Happy Smudge Day

2006-03-02T18:29:00.000-05:00

penance
Originally uploaded by Sarah Rosenau.

I nearly missed Ash Wedneday, things were so crazy at work I couldn't even break away to get my ashes. Thankfully, I did so in the evening, even if it did mean that I was 5 minutes late for Korean Class (I've never been there on time). Unfortunately, I am so weak and tired from the fasting and the crizazyness at work that I forgot to get a mirror shot (which explains why I'm using this shot by Sarah Rosenau). Oh well, next year. I hope you had a good Smudge Day.

Evacuation? aka Lessons NOT Learned From 9/11

2006-03-01T15:07:00.000-05:00

con ed is on it.
Originally uploaded by icopythat (formerly seanich).

Water, water, water. Weather.com, email, call messenger service. Shuffle papers, prepare FedEx package, print pictures. A perfectly normal work morning.

Until the fire alarms go off.

Since the speaker is in the next room, I pause my phone conversation and strain to hear ...

"fire department is responding to reports of strong gas odor in the building. However, the building is not equiped with gas. We are investigating and will update shortly, there is no need to evacuate the building."

Shug my shoulders and continue with my conversation, something about stopping by the Village to pick up naughty party favors for former co-worker's friend's St. Patrick's Day festivities. And think nothing of it until half an hour later I hear.

"This is your fire safety director. The fire department has responded and is investigating building next door, as gas smell is coming very strongly from there and it is underconstruction. We will keep you informed if the need to evacuate arises."

To which I figure, no big deal. Maybe a leaky pipe next door, no biggie. Probably a screwup in installing a stove for some retail restaurant.

Finally, the last announcement arises, that it was ConEd working on a gas main on Pearl and Broadway that was the source, and all is well and good.

And then I think. That's a lof of gas for so many people to respond. These are pretty tall building around here. If there had been so much gas, it might have been a main. And if a main gas line had blowed up, it wouldn't take much for these buildings to domino. I work on the 10th floor, which means in any scenario, I'd have been screwed. Badly.

The lesson of 9/11 was simple: Evacuate early and evacuate often. And I don't speak of this as a flippant response, this was the heartfelt advice of my former coworkers, 11 survivors from the 89th floor. At the first sign of trouble, pack it up and take a walk. Flase alarm, then you get a nice cup of coffee at Starbucks and get a good excuse to get out of the office for a change. Real emergency, then you'll be glad you're not inside. Unless you get the all clear, ALWAYS evacuate first, and ask questions later.

I'm reading news reports now of how neighboring buildings all evacuated. I really should have left the office. Thank goodness it was all a false alarm (apparently now they're saying a power plant in Jersey).

Fat Tuesday

2006-02-28T19:29:00.000-05:00

Which means the last day before the Lent Season begins, which is characterized by 40 days of mild suffering (an allegorical reliving of the 40 days and nights Jesus spent in the desert). Times are not so traditional, so the suffering is minor at best, and the stuffing of the last minute-o-fun has gotten ramped up quite a bit (mardi-gras anyone?). For me it usually is just another Tuesday night, but not tonight, as I've been invited to the bar. In fact, I'm late. See you around!

Shakes Fist At Lawyers

2006-02-27T18:54:00.000-05:00

Finally having accomplished my rather modest goal of selling 30 NYC Flickrati book, I got to thinking what a good followup would be. On one hand, I would like the next project to be larger in scope. Much larger, in fact. Thanks to the competative pricing at lulu.com, I figured I could probably print a 100 page book and still keep it very affordable. The problem is imagining the chaos of trying to manage 90 contributors, much less keep all those pictures in order and correct format. It was really hard just dealing with 23 photographers and 33 pages. The solution that I've hit upon is a showcase style book, with 4 prints from each contributor. The twofold problems are picking a unifying theme to tie the book together, and the fact that I would be limiting the number of photographers featured to a mere 20. I've got an idea to feature an additional 10 people, but it seems a little too little. The largest problem, however, is the legal ramifications. I ran the last book under my own name, as I couldn't really afford to incorporate or insulate myself legally from the work. I sometimes envy projects like JPG Magazine, which can seemingly afford the resources to not worry about the legal issues. For myself, a single consultation with representation would probably wipe me out. And so things have be done very carefully, so carefully in fact that it might be better not to do it at all. Which would be a shame. *shakes fist at lawyers*

NY Flickrite

2006-02-26T23:46:00.000-05:00

Just listenned to the inaugural broadcast of the NYFlickrite podcast, and have to say that I found it highly enjoyable. Not at all what I expected, and all the better for it. I can't wait for the next installment, and would highly recommend listenning in to it, even if you aren't a total flickr addict, like I. *Full disclosure, I was interviewed for the project, so I am a bit biased.

Too Old To Party

2006-02-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

Props to the cousin, who in addition to last night's discovery of this great cheap ($3 for chicken, rice, and sodas) chinese place on 8th Ave, invited me to a party tonight. Of course, it starts so late that I'd get home at 2am just if I showed my face and left. Sadly, I'm no longer the young man who could pull a 3 hour nap and power through the next morning, so I had to beg off. Which I'm rather sad about, as I sit and think about it, as I really could use an opportunity to have some fun for a change. Maybe even meet a girl (oh, who am I kidding about that, I'll just nurse my drink all night and then dance very badly but be too drunk to care). On the plus side, as my afternoon gig got cancelled, I had a chance to catch Mass at St. Patrick's. Got the heads up that Smudge Day is this Wednesday, which is good to know. Now to find me some punchkies, or whatever the hell Polich people call those jelly donut type things.

Long Shot

2006-02-24T18:24:00.000-05:00

Letting opportunities slip by seems to be my modus operandi, as I just now realized that the dealine for the Jen Beckman "Hey Hot Shot!" exhibition entries just passed a few days ago. While I had struggled with decision, I had finally decided to take the plunge and enter the competition this quarter, processing fee be damnned. But, of course, it totally slipped my mind, and now the time has passed. Which brings me to another matter of much less certain outcome, a photojournalist job listing that my kind cousin was nice enough to pass along (especially nice as I don't have any corporate lawyer job opennings that I can pass along to her). It's a very long shot, as I have no real portfolio or experience, but there is no processing fee, and part of my New Year's Resolutions were to stop letting good things pass me by. Well, that and to pick up girls at the bar more often, but I like to take these things in baby steps.

I'd Rather Be Knitting

2006-02-23T19:44:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, I went to the dry cleaners to buy one of those adhesive lintbrushes. The cashier asked me why, then he saw my jacket and gave an audible chuckle. Last time I'll spend $5 there. In the meantime, the brush has helped and not helped. For some reason my "new" jacket really really really is attrached to the feathers and bits of down from the PillowFight NYC event. I'm going through layer after layer of the lintbrush, and it's having trouble picking up even the large feathers. It seems that the down quills are burrowing into the jacket's wool, and the tape is only tugging at it, not removing it. The solution, and the part where the brush is being really helpful, is that I am now spending an hour every night, hunched over the coat with a pair of tweezers, pulling out the feather pieces one by one. Once I pull them out, I just let them stick to the coat via static electricity, and pick them up with the lint roller. I've divided the coat into 8 quadrants, and so far I've gotten through 2. Some of the feathers transfer from a contaminated quadrant to a clean quadrant, but not enough to be concerned about. At this rate, it will take me a week to get the coat fully down feather free. The takehome lesson is, therefor, to NOT wear wool or cotton items to a pillowfight, unless you want to spend your nights and weekends hunched over your coat with a pair of tweezers. Still better then knitting, tho. ; )

Present Pluperfect

2006-02-22T23:35:00.000-05:00

I am not very comfortable with the past. I've tried to live my life without regrets, only to find nearly every turn filled with just that. Sometimes at night I lie awake constructing a time machine of the mind, going back and righting all the wrongs I'm committed. When I get senile, I imagine that I will spend all my time at the nursing home a weepy emotional wreck, forever repentant over all the bad things I did. But for now, I keep the past at bay behind a veil of foggy memories. Tonight, the past caught up with me, and I was suprisingly comfortable with that. There were some things I was slightly disturbed about, that a lot of hard feelings were the result of simple innocent miscommunications. But then, I knew that I had hurt a lot of people's feelings during the 5 or so years I went into total reclusiveness. I found out that there's a big blog post with my name on it, and though I'm curious about that to no end, I think it's best I leave it in the past that I don't know about. But most importantly, I discovered out that the past doesn't have to be an end, that it can sometimes turn into the present. (Yeah, I don't know what the hell I'm talking about either. Two beers, two bars, one night ... I'm totally sloshed right now.)

Pillowfight and Other Such Stuff

2006-02-18T19:42:00.000-05:00

Been a long time since I've posted here, I note. Which isn't to say that much has been going on with my life, rather that my time management skills are not as good as they were about 3 months ago. Trying to turn things around, we'll see how it plays out. Brother was in town, that was good. Work is crazy, not so good. Photography is going through great mood swings between highs and outright depression, again, not so good. It'll all come to light when I start reposting semi-regularly I suppose. In the meantime, enjoy some random pics of today's Pillowfight at Union Square. It was a lot of fun, but I'm still picking out feathers and down from my jacket.

Idiotarod and TiltShiftMadness

2006-01-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

Idiotarod was a lot of fun, even if things kept changing everywhere. Didn't get any really good shots like last year. I think the mistake was trying to cover the entire race, and not just pick one spot and stick with it. Gave up trying to get into the afterparty, as it was too crowded, so no party pics either. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun. Cops tried to shut down part of it, which is both understandable and insanely stupid. On one hand, the total chaos of the event makes it very dangerous at times, so understandable. On the other more imporant hand, crazy hipster events like this make the city vibrant and give it character. ie: if you ban these sorts of events, then why would anybody want to visit or live here instead of Boston or Baltimore or the suburbs. Ditto with Critical Mass. Trying to ban the event makes it more dangerous then trying to contain the madness. Unless your goal is to make NYC as dull a place to live as Washington DC or Akron, Ohio. Some quick pics can be found on flickr, of course. :: On a completely unrelated note, spotted this page on boingboing.net about tilt shift lens madness. Now I have to get one. Check out the crizaziness here (warning, Japanese site).

Subway Delays

2006-01-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a pretty bad day of subway delays. To start the morning off, A man jumped in front of my train. (He was committing suicide.) And then, while trying to get uptown to pick up something for work, my station was closed because another man fell on the tracks and got run over by the train. (That one was OK, as he miraculously survived with minor injuries.) Today was just normal delays, which still don't help in getting me to work on time.

Blogger's Block

2006-01-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

The hardest part of blogging is when I sit staring at the blank screen for hours at a time with nothing, NOTHING, to write. And then it all flows out in perfectly delightful prose as soon as I shut down the computer and walk out the door.

I've Discovered Music

2006-01-09T19:58:00.000-05:00

Today I finally went ahead and bought my first new CD in more then 3 years. A combination of not having the cash to spend on frivilous things like music, and a philosophical objection to the DRM and copyright bull that the major labels want you to swallow while they buy off the politicians and rig the laws to favor their greedy asses. I like the band, it's an indie label (I hope) and it wasn't too expensive. That being said, I've noticed that my food consumption has gotten ridiculously out of control, pocketbook and waistline-wise. So I'm cutting it back to $10/day for all three meals, tops (that's $10 a day TOTAL). We'll see how long it holds (rice is cheap, raw, so that makes up for a lot). But back to the music, the lovely music. It's the CD by Dear Leader, which I caught in concert 1 year ago. My only gripe is that the song Nation is a slow version, while I prefer the loud raucus fast version that I found on their concert download page. In effect, I prefer the free concert songs better then the CD I just bought. But as I explained before, this makes financial sense (for the band). For while my $10 was spent once for the CD, I shall gladly pony up another $10 for when they roll into town for another concert. If they came once a year, I'd probably go every year. And that revenue stream is much better then a one-time CD purchase. Sadly, they rarely come down from Boston, which is probably for the best. That $10 is my mealmoney for a day!

Not a Good New Year

2006-01-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

So far things have not been going well. Still poor, still lonely, still getting screwed over by everybody. 2005's beginning to look pretty good. Now, where did I put that time machine? [/livejournal whine]

New Year Old Patterns

2006-01-05T19:34:00.000-05:00

Not much new for the new year, still lettings things go.

The Day That Time Forgot

2005-12-29T18:29:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days where I worked quite hard and yet feels like nothing got accomplished. Which is a longer way of saying that getting out of bed today may not have been worth the effort. On a completely different note, I got a nice gift from my cousin which was entirely unexpected and very very generous of him. And now tomorrow I have to make dumplings!

Halo 2 Finally Finished

2005-12-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

After a lot of false starts, involving repeated playing of the same level three times, my cousin and I had a little Halo 2 marathon last night and finally trudged our way through the game. Got to say that the first half of the game played very well. Entertaining, not too repetative, not too dark and tunnel-like. But the second half was all that in a bad way. I don't know why game designers go to such great lengths to produce such powerful game engines when they insist on enveloping everything in shadow and darkness set in narrow corridors. How many black polygons do you really need? That's what I loved about Halo in the first place, how many of the scenes took place outdoors in sunlight. You know, where you can see the polygons. Anyway, I'm just glad it's all finally over. Might have to go back to his place and play some of the earlier levels just to get that good kill the aliens feeling again.

Still Shopping

2005-12-27T08:35:00.000-05:00

Christmas was a very low key affair. Just church and cooking, not much else. Christmas Eve, on the other hand, was a bit more active, with crazy last minute shopping, followed by a big dinner with the cousins and their friends, followed by skating in Bryant Park. Haven't done the skating thing in a while, and sadly don't have any pictures as cameras weren't allowed on the ice. Like riding a bike, it didn't take long to remember how to do it (although not very well). Tried some skating backwards magic, but couldn't get it to run quite right. Didn't get many gifts this year, but that's OK. Didn't get many cards either, but more then last year, so my ongoing card campaign is working (sorta). Didn't get many cards out as last year, but between work and the transit strike, didn't have much time to write them up either. The only really sucky part is that I'm still shopping, as I have a few co-workers left to finish up with that I'll be seeing later this week. Spent an hour at Target looking for a gift yesterday, that was no fun.

NYC MTA Transit Workers Union Strike Is Over, It's A Festivus Miracle!

2005-12-23T10:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Festivus! And now the airing of grievences. The MTA is a bunch of greedy, corrupt, incompetant, inept morons who couldn't tie their shoeslaces if the livihood of 7 million people depended on it. But the TWU are a bunch of greedy selfish heartless sons of bitches because they did the calculations and decided that for a single issue in their already overly rich pacakge, that it was OK to screw over 7 million people and damn the concequences ... for US. They talk about demanding respect and dignity, what what about the fucking respect for US, the riding public?! When the fuck are we going to get some god damned respect from these overpaid pompus motherfuckers!?! We have jobs, we have lives, we have budgets that are smaller then their outsized paypackages. When I want a raise, I don't go out and slash the tires of a TWU member, but they got no problem in cripping my commute for their own selfish needs. And if you dare point out that they are being jackasses, they have the gall to label you as anti-union. The police union deserves a fair deal, the teachers union deserves a fair deal, the firefighters union deserves a fair deal, but none of them decided to collectively screw us all over. So fuck you TWU, fuck you all! And now, the feats of strength! *tries to wrestle Jerry Stiller to the ground*

NYC MTA Transit Workers Union Strike, Day 3

2005-12-22T09:41:00.000-05:00

As I suspected yesterday, the Chinatown buses are mustering at Bay Parkway and 62nd streets. I didn't bother investigating yesterday because I was loath to walk a block out of my way, and then another block back if I was wrong. Or course, had I done so I might have saved myself a 20 block 2 mile walk. I missed the big van/small bus, which kinda sucked as I saw one go in the tunnel and I might have been able to get off near my job. Instead, it drove off and I hopped on a small commuter van (capacity of 8) and rode in rather quickly to Chinatown. Had to walk from Chinatown to the office, maybe a half mile at most, but that's breeze as far as I'm concerned. I usually make that walk home 2-3 times a week (my train stops in Chinatown). As for getting home, the vastly harder task, I have a ride arranged, but that means I leave at 2pm today. Thank goodness I have vacation time and a forgiving office, or else I'd be majorly screwed. Screwed like the small businesses, restaurants, and stores that are losing business hand over fist. Permenantly losing business for the season, and possibly losing the profit for the year. Besides losing valuable hours, or spending hard earned money on transportation to get to work, we're looking at a very broad based eceonomic hardship by those that can least afford it: the working class poor/lower middle income. If this goes on too much longer, I see layoffs, bankruptcies, and a mild recession kicking in the poorer neighborhoods. This would be quite tragic, as these people are usually the last to feel the gains from a strong economy and the first to feel the pain from a slowdown. These are also the people who rely primarily on mass transit, and who make up a significant portion of the ridership. If they lose jobs, they don't take the subway/bus, and MTA revenue goes down, which in turn affects *suprise!* the TWU. The TWU seems to have forgotten just what they do for a living. They are not producers, they don't work in a factory, and the service they're selling isn't meant to be sold for a profit. In fact, ideally, it should be selling for a minor loss. Cheap subsidized mass transportation provides a vast incentive for people to live here and for businesses to locate in the city. Resulting tax revenue makes up for the shortfall in the mass transit budget, and culturally, ecologically, and economically everyone benefits. Transit workers are no different then sanitation workers, in effect, both are designed to be giant loss leaders for the more profitable rise in tax revenue. Any surplus generated by the MTA should be either reinvested in capital improvements (to bring maintenance costs down), debt repayment (to bring down costs of doing future business), funding pension obligations (to protect against know increases in pension liability and, you know, guarantee that workers actually recieve a pension), or refunded to riders (to spur more economic development and increase future revenue). Forcing the MTA to spend the surplus on increases in wages ignores the very real future debt obligations of the MTA. Massive fare increases will hit a point of diminishing returns, where people can't afford to ride, economic activity falls, and the system slowly bankrupts itself while laying off employees, dropping medical coverage, and imploding the pension. The state can only bail out the MTA so much, as raising tax rates hits a point of diminishing returns where people move out of state, businesses relocate, ridership falls, and again the system bankrupts. The TWU should take very careful note of how unions at for-profit private businesses have been faring, where management has stronger incentives to keep the books balanced and profitable. Pension and health obligations are taking down GM and Ford, the airlines are slashing and burning benefits, and steelworkers are facing their retirement years with pensions they had counted on being slashed in half, if not more. In fact, those unions are the lucky ones. As the pension time bomb ticks louder and louder, future pension implosions will look even more drastic, probably pennies on the dollar being honored. It might be better to push the pension into insolvency now, and lock in 50% reductions while there's still money to save. But this is about "respect" and "dignity" apparently, and not about economics. Better to sink the ship with honor then to lose a little face and secure the future of union members and the city.

NYC MTA Transit Workers Union Strike, Day 2

2005-12-21T12:49:00.000-05:00

Getting home is the harder part. In the morning, you can pretty easily find a car to share a ride with, lots of cars need the extra people to make the 4 people per vehicle limit. But coming home, there are no limits and the destinations are varied far and wide. Luckily, yesterday and today I had a former co-worker give me a ride, tomorrow I'm not so lucky. This morning I couldn't find the Chinatown buses that normally run by my house, so I put on my walking shoes and took a looong walk over to the ferry, where I paid out $6 to get a ride to the pier near my office. And by looong, I mean an hour and half hike over 2-3 miles. I don't mind much, as I could use the exersize, but this is all getting rather old, rather fast. And I certainly can't afford to have a $12 daily commuting bill. Having just learned that the starting salary of an transit worker is $55,000 with full medical benefits and a pension, I am seriously considering applying for the next examination period. It has been pointed out that this is a strike about preserving union power and gains for all middle class americans. Which has a nice ring to it, except for the part about how auto workers, steel workers, and airline workers said much the same thing before their industries went bankrupt and pensions and benefits got slashed. Seems to me that what the union is fighting for is the illusion of rich benefits, that do a double disservice because union members won't efficiently plan for the end when it comes. If you count on the rich pension for retirement, you are less likely to save up any individual retirement funds, and will be completely unprepared when the pension implodes. Likewise, annual increases in salary and medical benefits are nice and all, but the short term gains can't be good when faced with the possibility of bankrupting the employer. Surpluses may exist now, but are likely one-time events that shouldn't be counted on to provide for increasing ongoing liabilities. If nothing else, increasing manpower costs just provides more incentive to shrink the workforce through hiring freezes and technological replacement, both of which will undoubtably reduce union membership. If I were to advise the union, I'd tell them that their focus is entirely misplaced. I would stick with the current ccontract, possibly make add minor cost of living increases (or even the third rail of performance based increases), and instead demand 2 major planks. 1) Transparancy in accounting, especially the pension. 2) Dramatically increase the funding into the pension plan, and make that all publicly accountable too. I'd also demand that the pension fund calculations run as conservative as possible. At the end of the day, if the benefits you win at the bargening table evaporate when the company goes bankrupt, then you really haven't won anything at all. That's enough for today. Tomorrow I'll list the reasons why the TWU is run by morons and how many ways the members can go fuck themselves (5, fyi).

NYC MTA Transit Workers Union Strike, Day 1

2005-12-20T10:03:00.000-05:00

The MTA has zero credebility, and their accountants are from Mars. The numbers never add up, even when they are given money they screw things up, and rather then run a proper organization they would rather focus on keeping the corruption and pandering quiet. The Transit Workers Union makes plenty of money, and nice fat pension and health benefits, which I guess would exceed that of the average NYC citizen. Because that's not enough, they are now demanding ludicrous increases in pay and benefits, when the rest of us are still fighting to keep what we have. Last I checked, you pigs wewre supposed to work for US, not we for YOU. In addition to being just plain greedy, I can count on my left hand then number of employees I've met in my life that have been either helpful or pleasant. And we, the riding public who are not represented anywhere in the negotiations, are royally screwed. Thanks a lot, guys. Fuck you, MTA, incompetant corrupt bastards! Fuck you, TWU, greedy obnoxious morons! FUCK YOU ALL!

What I Want For Christmas

2005-12-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

What I want for Christmas can't be put in a box or bought from a store. I want companionship, someone to go to the movies or curl up on the couch with. To fall alseep with at night, and have hang on my arm as I tell a funny story. I want to ride the subway and not worry about the guy with the shopping cart full of oily boxes with wires coming out of them on my car (happenned yesterday). I want to give everyone a simple card and donate the shopping budget to the food bank without fear of social isolation. I want a third weekend day so I can visit people or tour the city or work out or do whatever the hell I want to do that I can't do now. I want a job that I look forward to in the morning, yet that I can leave without hesitation at 5 o'clock. I want to walk into a restaurant and look at a menu without the first thought being about how this will impact the food budget. I want to be happy most of the time, and not worry too much about tomorrow. But that's pretty crappy to tell someone when they're slugging it out at Macy's debating whether I'd prefer some gloves or a nice knit hat (the answer, mom, is gloves). So, just in case someone I know is reading this (and according to the referrer logs, they're not), what I want for Christmas that can be ordered/bought/ebay'd: Video game system, emphasis on cheap and portable. GameboySP would be good. Socks. Dress socks. I go though them like crazy. Gloves. I just lost my left glove. Bacon of the Month club. Seriously. Wine. Red. But I can't tell the difference between $100 and $15 wine. Camera accessories. I own a Nikon D70. Computer accessories. 512mb notebook memory or Quicktime Pro is nice. Food. Not candy, not dessert, food. 3 cans of Hormel beef stew would rock. Hip clothing. I am page 3 of the Old Navy brochure. Help! (L, waist 36, inseam 34) Tie/cufflinks/scarf/etc. Small kitchen tools (mandolin, Popeil onion chopper, etc.) No gift cards/certificates. I never use them. Essentially, I'll love anything so long as it's not tacky. Unless it's truely gaudy, I love every gift I get, and will use it until it wears down and breaks. Oh, and hot babes would be nice too.

Christmas Shopping

2005-12-12T19:56:00.000-05:00

I finally put together my Christmas Card/Gift list for the year, and holy crap, I've got a lot of cards to write. I'm trying to be all professional this year, and send cards out to people and organizations that helped me a lot out at work, people that did me favors, and people I've let slip off the radar. Because maintaining contacts is what normal healthy successful people do, and I've decided that at 30 it's about time to at least try and fit into their ranks. I have great difficulty trying to think of good gifts for people. I try to be original and funny and cheap. I cherish every gift I get, and I want people to get gifts that they'll remember for years to come. Failing that, I'd like to get them gifts they want. Years ago, when I still had a step-family to shop for, it would get very stressful trying to think of so many gifts, and the siblings were not very consenting on the idea of telling me what they wanted. My standard threat was that they would find a stocking full of frozen burritos from Kroger if I didn't get a list of desired items. I've never had to make good on my threat, but I've just found something much much better: Arch Cards! I am so getting someone an Arch card, it's the perfect sarcastic joke gift.

Personal Projects

2005-12-05T22:03:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the projects you have on your plate, what you want to do, what you can do, and maybe planning to make some time to do something. I've been putting off that day for weeks and months, and so today is finally that day. Flickrati NYC Book Project Self-Education - Life Insurance Broker Test Tutoring - Preparing Lesson Plans Video-blogging - still in planning stages. Don't know if this is going to make it. Photoblog - This is the reason I don't know about the vlog. This project has pretty much come undone. And I liked this project too. flickr - There are so many people I hae to comment on pics, return comments, explore, etc. I don't know how other people do it. Hmm, I need more hours in the day, or a home dsl connection.

Busy Busy Busy

2005-12-03T18:47:00.000-05:00

So very busy this week. SO so busy. Managed a concert as part of my other job (loooong story), which went well (except the complete chaos that ensued in the beginning). Had to attend a funeral thingy. Got to run off RIGHT NOW to the ballet. And working on the flickr book like mad. Ohhhh, and I gots to tutor kids tomorrow. Nuts!

Still Haven't Eaten Lunch Yet

2005-12-01T18:54:00.000-05:00

THAT is just how busy I am at work. It sucks, bigtime.

Been Busy For The Holidays

2005-11-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

Holidays have been quite busy. Wish that I were someone like Kottke or Dooce (I even have a goofy name to match) who blogs for a living, that I could have adventures AND time to blog about them. Michigan was characteristically cold ... the first day I was there. The day, of course, I had to scuffle with the rental car and the roads and the unfamiliar byways. By the time I had the windshield washing fluid topped off, the car controls all memorized, and the roads familiarized, that's when the weather decided to take a turn towards practically tropical, hitting highs in the 60's by the time I left. Which is just as well, as I put some serious milage on the car this time around, about 500 miles in 4 days. Three trips to Lansing from the Detroit area will do that, especially when you do it back to back three days in a row. what was nice is that, as always, they had run out of the car class I had reserved, so I got a 2 class upgrade (the next class up was also all rented out). I could have had a choice of SUV if I so desired, but now that gas is no longer the glorious $1/gallon of 2000 (that's about $.25 a liter for those of you sobbing European/Asians reading this), I really couldn't afford that extravegance. As it was, I was running seriously undermilage, as I had to drive 75 mph everywhere I went. Even with aggressive drafting of SUVs, I couldn't get it too much higher then 30mpg. Turkey Day itself was good, as was seeing the family. All we really did as just sit around and talk, or sit around and watch TV; but sometimes the best bonding isn't that which is all that exciting. Plus, broham had to work two days I was there, so there wasn't that much time to do stuff anyway. We did get all camera geeky for a little bit, but after looking over the pictures, I'd have to say it was a very disappointing trip, photographically speaking. Lots of watching of Avatar, lots of food, and lots of time hanging with the Captain. Very much a good break. Except for the part where I came home and had mounds of work to finish.

Saturyday Night Redux: Friendster Gene Is Sad

2005-11-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

Last night, on the train ride home, I was thinking about Saturday night again, mostly because I have an hour-long train commute on which to dwell on those things I keep myself awake late into the night trying to avoid thinking about. And it made me a little sad, but not for the reason you might think. People don't much like me, and I don't really like people at all, except that I do. I happen to think very highly of a lot of people, even those that I don't particularily like. Nearly everybody I know, I find interesting, unique, special; and I can't wait to introduce them to everybody else I know. Which, a few years ago, was a really hot idea called Friendster. Nowadays, of course, Friendster is old news, everybody hip has got a mySpace, and there's plenty of software with lots of VC money behind it doing what I do, only better. But I can't stop trying to introduce people to other people, because I happen to think that everybody I know is pretty cool, and it would be even cooler if they got together. The fact that when it happens, the people I introduce usually end up being friends and I end up sitting by the phone, is a bit depressing; but in the end I would rather people be happy together even if that means I'm not part of the fun. Which brings me to Saturday night, almost. L. was part of the old high school gang (actually, technically she still is part of the gang, I' m the guy that was part of the gang but is not now.), and I had heard she was doing her residency in Syracuse. But then when I had my mild nightmare two weeks ago, I found out she was in Denver, doing Pediatric Smarty-Pants-Surgery. As it turns out, a college friend of mine, H., is also in Denver, doing a medical technician training, at Children's Hospital; which happens to be the affiliated hospital where L. is at. H. is new to town but an old hand at Colorado, L. has been in Denver a while but is still new to the state. Both of them are very similar: grrls that are tough as nails and can kick your ass, but also delicate and vulnerable if you know just where to look. A light goes off in my head that it would be cool if these two could meet, because individually they're pretty neat, put them together and you've enough star wattage to power a small city. And I know that when you've moved into a new territory, it helps a lot to know a familier face or two, if only tangentally. I can't just call L. and ask her to look out for H. I don't have her number, for starters, I haven't talked to her for years, and it would be kinda weird. The smoothest approach is to casually mention the fact in conversation, and then work it from there. I've got to have conversation in the first place, though, and that's where Saturday comes into play. If I can reaquaint myself with the old pack, I can reaquaint myself with L. But Saturday didn't happen. I can feel the opportunity slipping away. H. apparently refuses to reply to my letters, which is only fair as I was being very rude about not answering her mail for most of this year. And she's so good at forming social hurricanes around her, that it would seem silly for me to try and introduce L. anyway. besides, L. didn't sound all that glad to hear from me the brief time I spoke to her. And half the time these introductions just go nowhere no matter how hard I try (Which I never understand at all. How can people be so blind to just how cool the other person is?) I guess L. and H. will have to pass each other by like ships in the night, which really is too bad. ~~Friendster~~ Gene is sad.

Up and Down

2005-11-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

It's been a pretty up and down weekend. On the up was the Top of the Rock photowalk. Felt a lot more fun then any time I've ever been atop Empire. More open area, no ugly fence, not as windy, great view of Empire itself, and felt more in the heart of things. Not that I don't mind Empire, but it was a much more pleaseant and relaxing experience. There was no mad crush of tourists when we were there. The other big high was the NYCPB show closing party (When did those start, and why have I been missing all these opportunities for free wine?). Lots of people to chat with, a few good pics, for the most part fun overall. I just wish more art had sold, but there's apparently a plan for that in the future too. The big low was the apparent diss on the other big meetup of the Sat. night. I had my reservations, panic actually, but I was looking forawrd to it too. Sort of like the dentist, what with all the painful drilling and scraping, but then there's also hot hygenist (OK, so this applies to this one particular dental office in Brooklyn) and ... um, clean teeth. That good feeling of clean teeth, and how you get a new start, a new chance to eat lots of bad things because you just got some new teeth to play with. It wasn't all that bad, by the time I got the call, apparently, it was already past my bedtime (I think I was actually in bed at that time), and I would have been ill prepared for the lows of Sunday (a student dissed me by being a no show). All in all it was a mixed bag. I'm trying to look at the positive side of things, and looking forward to getting past the ugliness to a new happier tomorrow. And if I'm lucky, hot hygenist will be along the way. (Which reminds me, I need to schedule a cleaning, I'm 6 months overdue.)

Nicky Hilton: Looking For Company To Work Ass Off At

2005-11-21T19:08:00.000-05:00

"I'm 21 years old, I run two multi-million-dollar companies, I work my ass off. Like, what were you doing that was so fucking important at that age?" - Nicky Hilton I was busy working in low level tech support, because my father insisted I wait until I was 22 before he gave me a few million dollars and a starter company. Bastard.

Trepidation

2005-11-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

The last time I saw her, I think I was busy hacking my guts up into her toilet. Ashamed and tired, I retreated out of there in the wee hours of the morning, and I haven't seen nor spoke to her since. Not much has changed for me since then, whilst all the while everything seems to have changed for them. I try not to think of that too much. I'm supposed to have drinks with them tomorrow. I'm just a little bit anxious. (Oh, and shout out to Elliot-man for being there when I needed him, so many years ago. Kinda wish he was flying wingman with me now.)

For Want Of A USB Cable

2005-11-16T23:10:00.000-05:00

So many pics on the camera to upload, so little way of getting the uploading done. Argh!

Best. Game. Ever.

2005-11-14T08:23:00.000-05:00

Last night's game was a rather quick one, as both teams were missing a pair of people. it was just me and L, taking on the first place team, a pair of young guys who joined the league this year. Even though we got spotted 70 pins via the handicap, we lost the first game by about 30 points. And then they got cocky. In a good natured way, as it's just a have-fun charity league, but cocky they were. Promised to get nothing but strikes, and occasionally pointing. So's I had to step up. Matched the young turk strike for strike until he bowed out at 3, and managed to take it to 5 in a row. Despite a weak finish (two open frames), magaed to roll in a 212. We won the second game, and since the margin was 70 pins, we took wood too. Best. Game. Ever. Bowling Results Week 5 Game 1: 130 game 2: 212

Feeling Glum

2005-11-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

The back is feeling much better, which is good. However, it has come about too late, for the Fulton Fishmarket is finally gone. I swung by last night, and it seemed that everything was all packed up and moved on out. Just some debris left over, as well as a lot of forklifts. Today, since I got up late, I'm gonna have to cut short my planned photo session at the Plain of Heaven exhibit, and I'll have to skip on scouting out a map for umma. Plus, now that I can carry stuff, I'm lugging that stupid plush doggie pillow from Korea everywhere that I have to give to the cousin. Not the fun Saterday I had planned.

Feeling Better

2005-11-11T18:45:00.000-05:00

The back is feeling better, but at a terrible terrible cost. I missed the last day of the Fulton Fishmarket. And to boot, a whole bunch of photographers that I admire went last night/this morning based on my suggestion. I'm gonna swing by tonight and see if there's anything left, but I'm pretty sure I missed the boat on this one. Crap crap crap.

LarimdaME Is Broken Today

2005-11-08T13:28:00.000-05:00

Back just went out on me, I think I have a cold, and it turns out my camera battery is subject to a recall. I'll probably be offline for a day or two from here on out.

Chicago Symphony and NYCPB New Work, New York

2005-11-04T19:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a suprisingly busy day in my social calendar (unlike tonight's rather lame no-plan Friday Night). Hit up the NYCPB gallery show at Chrystie Street Gallery which was a lot of fun and some minor schmoozing. And I got a chance to chat it up with the affable Kara, which was simply a delight. And then it was off to the races: racing to the subway, racing to the express train, racing up the stairs, and flopping into my seat, heart still racing, as the lights go down and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra picks up. I didn't fall completely asleep, which was a great relief, and the show was very enjoyable. The best part is hanging out with the cousin (she of the fiddle player in the CSO company) and Dad over some beer, fries, and a burger or two. Good times.

Nightmares Are Dreams Too

2005-11-03T07:03:00.000-05:00

I have rather simple dreams, for I'm not really all that smart or sophisticated. One of them has been the run-in on the street with a bunch of girls. I see it happen all the time in Koreatown, or just hanging with the cousin, just walking and talking on the street, and then *bump*, the lucky bastards run into a pack of girls they know. As I don't really hang with girls (or anybody for that matter) much anymore, this minor dream has moved from impractical to pipe-dream. Until, that is, it happened to me on Saterday. Finishing up a photostroll with the visiting Ty (flickr's Fubuki), I had wandered into Union Square in search of textbook for tutoring gig, when I heard my name being called. Only it's never my name, and certainly never me, and I don't know why I bother looking at all anymore, but look I do anyway. Across the street I see some girls, and again they're calling my name. Obviously I must be mishearing them call for their friend "Jane" or "Jamie" or even "Jean", happens all the time. Except for the part where they are waving at me to cross the street and join them. I wait a few minutes, naturally, because there are some people in front of me, and they must be the people in question. A theory that's shot down pretty quickly when those people walk away in totally different directions. Ah, mistaken identity then, that's happened on more then a few occasions, so cross the street and brace for the embarassment. Unfortunately, they're still addressing me by name, and now asking if I recognize them. At this point Panic has decided to take charge of the situation, and I quickly begin to step through the girls I've dated recently, if you can call what I do dating (I don't, btw). The hat is obscuring the face, but the voice is similar to A., if you overlook the fact that it's not her voice and the reason I don't see her anymore is because she stopped returning my calls. Plus, these are not her roommates, and I'm supposed to know them too. For a guy as lonely as I, you would figure that I would have girls' names and faces burned deep withing my mind. But I don't. I forget people very easily, and it's not that rare to run into people who know me, and I don't know them. The frustrating part is that there are some people, cute people, for the life of me I still can't remember how or where I know from. The frustration is greatly eased by the fact that I've also forgotten who it is I've forgotten about. But that voice is so familier ... And then, too many minutes too late, the circuits light up and I remember. I can't believe, because it's only been 8 and/or 12 years respectively since I've last seen them all. I had heard everyone was living everywhere else (this was 5 years ago), and this never ever happens to me, not even all those years ago when we would actually plan get-togethers. I, of course, misidentify everyone in embarassing fashion, and then join them while they wait for their husbands. It's like a dream - - that quickly (and oh so smoothly) transitions into a 4th degree grilling of where I've been and what I do (nothing and nothing, unfortunately), which is partly why I fell off the face of the world 8 years ago. I dodge as best as I can, tossing out a depressingly self-depricating comment or two along the way, but now I'm surrounded and the questions are coming too fast to skillfully deflect. Thankfully my good friend, wine, was on hand to help take away the pain. And some of the memories. Bad, embarassing memories. :: I woke up yesterday morning and started editing pictures from the photostroll, and found blurry photographic proof that it wasn't a food poisoning induced hallucination. I need more wine.

The Captain Part 2

2005-11-02T18:32:00.000-05:00

So the Captain came into town, again, last night. Was a loser and didn't pick him up at the airport, which was a big bummer as I was ranting and raving about the airport pickup a while back (essentially, if someone doesn't pick you up at the airport, they're dead inside). And somehow, got the conference company (he's in town on business) to pick up the tab for a delightful dinner at Luna something-or-other (there was wine involved). Being a worknight, we called it a night at midnight, as opposed to our traditional 3am, and and I even managed to get home despite a goodbye shot of tequila. And I have no idea what their product does, but if an iRise sales vendor by the name of Dave stops by with some sort of project management/development software, buy a license or three. Everyone I talked to had nothing but glowing things to say about the stuff, even though they were all in widely different fields (finance, hotels, etc.).