lock, paper, scissors

we like our freedom even if we don't exercise it. we like our democracy even if we don't go to the polls. there's just comfort in knowing there are options and that we don't live in a totalitarian state. nevertheless, we program people how to think.

mental associations are a curious thing. take deadbolts for instance - the name alone sounds fierce enough to stop a burglar. but then again, the imprinted mental image is so effective that even the dumb burglars feel hampered.

these are the bare facts. windows are made of glass that shatter with mild force and you can easily kick in most doors. so then we put in alarm systems. but even if your alarm system dialed the feds, a crook could probably make it down the block - monet in hand - before anyone showed up.

so honestly, there's nothing more than a stack of papers we call the Constitution et al., a fearsome deadbolt, and a bunch of glass keeping thieves out of your home. and you thought you were thinking what you wanted to think.

nra forever? sweet dreams.

failure

IN A TRAGIC WAY, society has ingrained us to think failure as a default in the case that a plan doesn't proceed quite as anticipated. well, i guess that's not so much the tragedy as the associations we circumscribe around it. it's high time that we shift this paradigm encased in disappointment, misery, and so on - which subsequently causes us to stand in the way of ourselves.

clearly, i won't let my children succumb to these roles and the ensuing dismay. they will learn that failure is not all the horror it's made out to be. they will learn to be flexible and have contingencies in the event that something does not go as planned. and with each bungle, they will become harder, better, faster, stronger. hit it kanye. of course, when they really do eff up, i'll just have to beat them senseless to relay the disappointment and culpability. kidding.

buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

opine sounds quite like whine. some people walk quite a fine line here.

i'm right and you know it

i've had the privilege to be awkward and to have grown up very differently from most. subsequently, i see a lot of things in a different light. of course introspection plays its part and i am bent on changing every paradigm.

this week, i think it should be about shifting from the stalwart "i'm right" position over to the "based on my experiences and assumptions, this is the way i see things." let's face it, trying to be right has led to many an altercation, divorce, disowning, beating, homicide, and the list goes on. aside from the fact that we're too full of sh*t to ever admit we're wrong, we should all accede to this compromise. with that, i rest my case against 31.6% of misinformed voters - yeah, you republicans. ;)

58 degrees and homeless

about half an hour ago, i headed down the alvarado exit off the 101. my usual homeless guy wasn't there. turf war? shift change? anyway, a woman was standing in his place. i was reading her bio condensed onto cardboard, wondering if they all buy sharpies to make their signs or if they all share the same sharpie. regardless, she looked like she was in her twenties so i was a bit taken aback. i gave her my change and then crickets. my default proclivity seems to straddle the liminality of idiot savant or autistic. we stood in silence. she finally broke it with, "most people usually ask a question, but since you don't have any, i don't know what to say." i love people, but sometimes i'm awkward...

white powder

as many know, i'm not one to just sit around on my duff if there's ever a problem. subsequently, i've written some pretty epic letters to corporate offices. i recently rolled into jiffy lube for an oil change, and when i hopped back in, i noticed white glove powder everywhere. i happily dug up this letter from april 07:

I am thoroughly dissatisfied with the quality of service and lack of concern for customer and employee health at Jiffy Lube. Subsequent to each visit I have made, there have been oil prints inside my car including on the driver's side door, the steering wheel, the door handles, and the dash. I have noticed that this is a result of the mechanic driving the car forward with the same bare hands that have changed the oil. Thus, this not only exposes myself to motor oil, but the mechanic as well. Used motor oil can present a threat to health through skin contact, skin absorption, inhalation, or ingestion, all of which can occur as a result. Thus, I am disappointed with the lack of concern for occupational safety in addition to customer exposure. Research suggests that occupational exposure to motor oil increases the risk for arthritis (Sverdrup et al., 2005). By implementing the use of disposable gloves, employee exposure would be limited and disposal following oil change would reduce transferrence of oil into the interior of vehicles. I am not sure if this is already a policy and there is a lack of implementation and enforcement or simply if it has not come to the attention of your occupational health personnel. Regardless, I appreciate your time and consideration in this matter.


Sverdrup, B. et al. Association between occupational exposure to mineral oil and rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Swedish EIRA case-control study. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2005, 7: R1296-R1303.

don't be a bystander. create the change you wanna see. :)

all i wanted was a bar of soap

so i finally burned out my WD primary master drive today. fortunately, i have a dozen other drives. but i suppose the point is that a flame can't burn with such intensity forever. it's bound to burn out.

i may be absurdly obstinate, but i'm not stupid. so in a way, today marks the downsizing of my life. i'll try to start by managing my time more effectively and efficiently, not work as much and spread myself so thin, and just trim the fat. no more 30 and 40 hour days. and maybe, just maybe, i'll catch more than 2 or 3 hours of winks at a time.

so with this move from my server tower to my desktop begins my costly and uphill path to simplification. trout may swim upstream, but the road less traveled is certainly becoming more trite than imagined. i'll let the currents carry me for a bit after.