I'm going skiing today in Galena, tonight rather since we haven't left yet. In case of wild weather, in case of emergency, I might have to apply this rather novel approach to surviving.
Last January, after having not skied in about five years -- I used to go all the time as a kid, when I was better -- I nearly killed myself. It was freezing rain the night before and the shift in temperatures from night to morn gave us thick-as-soup fog. You couldn't really see more than three feet in front of you. They should have closed the slopes. I was fine for an hour or two and then midday I started having problems. I punched myself with my pole after hitting an unseen bump -- not a mogul, but a bump. Then the very next run, I hit another bump -- though it might have been the same one, I learn nothing -- got airborne, horizontal to the slope, and barrel-rolled, snapping each ski off as it hit the mountain. Then I collapsed face-down with my right arm extended, in an almost eerily similar way to a chalk outline. I thought I had broken my arm. My sister -- who before that day boasted she had never fallen -- took her hundredth spill of the day right behind me, and was laughing really hard until she realized I had fallen and not gotten up. She looked up and yelled, "Oh MY GOD!! Are you DEAD?!?" Then my dad almost made me wait for a ski patrol stretcher, but I persevered and did it myself. Turns out nothing was seriously injured, but in what I think is a direct result, now my extremities fall asleep on me after just a minute of non-use.
My mom is being a bitch right now, trying to get out of going on the ski trip, but she will not win.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Friday, January 28, 2005
Toss 'Em on the Fire
Read today that the venerable Alan Keyes might run for Illinois Governor. What a fool. I thought we were rid of him after he lost. He must be holed up in his roach-infested Cal City apartment, just dreaming of his Maryland home. I think he needs to wake up and stop politicking already. He's just a joke.
Also on the Governor front, it seems that Rod is burning bridges. While I'm still skeptical about that public in-law fued, I guess its true that Blago and Mayor Daley don't speak. Which can't really be good for any of us in this state and city, now can it? Turns out they were both in LA this week -- it was a total surprise to each -- and they ran into each other in their hotel hallway. Daley was there to study the LAPD for improvements for the CPD... and Rod was there to raise money for his campaign. They nodded/said hello and that's all. Strange.
So who is on good terms with Rod? He doesn't speak with his father-in-law, the deluded Ald. Mell -- he thinks he actually has power... he's an ALDERMAN! -- or apparently Mayor Daley either. Lisa Madigan will probably run against him in the primary, her dad, Speaker Madigan and Rod are bitter enemies, the Jacksons aren't warm with the Gov. and Judy Baar Topinka is a Republican, so who in power is on Rod's side? Doesn't look good for him, now does it?
The Governor race is gonna be electric.
Also on the Governor front, it seems that Rod is burning bridges. While I'm still skeptical about that public in-law fued, I guess its true that Blago and Mayor Daley don't speak. Which can't really be good for any of us in this state and city, now can it? Turns out they were both in LA this week -- it was a total surprise to each -- and they ran into each other in their hotel hallway. Daley was there to study the LAPD for improvements for the CPD... and Rod was there to raise money for his campaign. They nodded/said hello and that's all. Strange.
So who is on good terms with Rod? He doesn't speak with his father-in-law, the deluded Ald. Mell -- he thinks he actually has power... he's an ALDERMAN! -- or apparently Mayor Daley either. Lisa Madigan will probably run against him in the primary, her dad, Speaker Madigan and Rod are bitter enemies, the Jacksons aren't warm with the Gov. and Judy Baar Topinka is a Republican, so who in power is on Rod's side? Doesn't look good for him, now does it?
The Governor race is gonna be electric.
You'll Be Free, Child, Once You Have Died
In the elevator after getting my lunch, a woman stuck her hand in right before the doors touched and because I didn't see her and stop the elevator from closing -- even though I said "sorry" which was unnecessary -- looked at me as if I had called her fat. I know people have bad or tough days and some people are totally self-centered or always the victim, but I will never understand why some people are just so rude about the little things. It wasn't as if we weren't in one elevator in a bank of eight. She could've waited 30 seconds for the next one, but instead she had to bring her negative funk into my day. I see it all the time, more than I ever used to. It's obnoxious.
--
Got this from one of Sneed's columns this week in the S-T:
A death notice . . .
The death of the Rev. Robert McLaughlin, a popular priest and the former pastor of Holy Name Cathedral, was not only a shock to the archdiocese, it's attached to a lovely vignette.
According to a Sneed source who talked to one of McLaughlin's friends, the popular priest was sitting on a golf cart and said to his cart mate seconds before he died: "What's that angel doing over there?" And when his golf mate returned to the cart after teeing off, he found McLaughlin had died.
Spooky.
--
Got this from one of Sneed's columns this week in the S-T:
A death notice . . .
The death of the Rev. Robert McLaughlin, a popular priest and the former pastor of Holy Name Cathedral, was not only a shock to the archdiocese, it's attached to a lovely vignette.
According to a Sneed source who talked to one of McLaughlin's friends, the popular priest was sitting on a golf cart and said to his cart mate seconds before he died: "What's that angel doing over there?" And when his golf mate returned to the cart after teeing off, he found McLaughlin had died.
Spooky.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Music and Shit
A few things before I crash into my bed -- it's been a long week, kids.
I bought the two new Bright Eyes cds tonight (only $10 at Borders) and I have to say that even with just a cursory listen, they are brilliant. And I'm trying really hard not to just be jumping on the bandwagon. Truth be told, if not for the media "blitz" of these albums this week I wouldn't know they were released. Of course I'd heard of Bright Eyes, but had never heard his music, so it was barely a blip on the radar. And I have an embarassingly short attention span. So I'm not quite the hipster I pretend to be; this time I was ignorantly above the underground. I'm learning.
And if you're wondering, "What media 'blitz'?" then that tells you what type of media I expose myself to. Chew on that.
Today was a shitty day. Probably my hardest day at work yet. Both of my bosses are in Jamaica, along with 75% of the home office, on a company conference. There is some loophole with our phone service where we cannot call Jamaica -- the story I heard was that there were too many crank calls to Mantego Bay or wherever and AT&T is exercising some tough love. I don't know if I buy that, but needless to say it makes my week difficult. Murphy's Law walked in the door and gave me the finger. Some jackass broker called me up this morning, was rude, and demanded a quote in two hours that usually takes two weeks -- in the best of circumstances, of which these are not -- and when I said that this would be nearly impossible, threatened that if I did not come through the client would take away their (large) domestic business from Health Care, which is a wholly separate division. It was a frenetic couple of hours and made me for the first time see my bosses' jobs. I definitely don't want this to be my career -- if I had ANY doubts before today, this sealed it.
On top of that Mary and Jeff left today and that is a major bummer. It'll be strange, though it wasn't like I was spending that much time with them until lately. Funny, the late-surge of togetherness will make me miss them more. Actually, that's not funny at all.
I should have known what the devil had in store for me when this morning one entire end of the Q-tip got stuck in my ear cavity. You should've seen my face -- I did because I was in front of the mirror. I have never had a Q-tip break like that, like the cotton swab was attached to the bar in a haphazard manner by a disgruntled employee at the factory. Or, perhaps, by a child.
I bought the two new Bright Eyes cds tonight (only $10 at Borders) and I have to say that even with just a cursory listen, they are brilliant. And I'm trying really hard not to just be jumping on the bandwagon. Truth be told, if not for the media "blitz" of these albums this week I wouldn't know they were released. Of course I'd heard of Bright Eyes, but had never heard his music, so it was barely a blip on the radar. And I have an embarassingly short attention span. So I'm not quite the hipster I pretend to be; this time I was ignorantly above the underground. I'm learning.
And if you're wondering, "What media 'blitz'?" then that tells you what type of media I expose myself to. Chew on that.
Today was a shitty day. Probably my hardest day at work yet. Both of my bosses are in Jamaica, along with 75% of the home office, on a company conference. There is some loophole with our phone service where we cannot call Jamaica -- the story I heard was that there were too many crank calls to Mantego Bay or wherever and AT&T is exercising some tough love. I don't know if I buy that, but needless to say it makes my week difficult. Murphy's Law walked in the door and gave me the finger. Some jackass broker called me up this morning, was rude, and demanded a quote in two hours that usually takes two weeks -- in the best of circumstances, of which these are not -- and when I said that this would be nearly impossible, threatened that if I did not come through the client would take away their (large) domestic business from Health Care, which is a wholly separate division. It was a frenetic couple of hours and made me for the first time see my bosses' jobs. I definitely don't want this to be my career -- if I had ANY doubts before today, this sealed it.
On top of that Mary and Jeff left today and that is a major bummer. It'll be strange, though it wasn't like I was spending that much time with them until lately. Funny, the late-surge of togetherness will make me miss them more. Actually, that's not funny at all.
I should have known what the devil had in store for me when this morning one entire end of the Q-tip got stuck in my ear cavity. You should've seen my face -- I did because I was in front of the mirror. I have never had a Q-tip break like that, like the cotton swab was attached to the bar in a haphazard manner by a disgruntled employee at the factory. Or, perhaps, by a child.
Exit Strategy
Stalling late at night, until the last minute, not content with the last "goodbye," I hung around the soon-to-be expats making unnecessary small talk and waiting. Such acts led to male-pattern awkwardness, just filling in the empty silence with the first thing that came to my head; this time we discussed the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. Nonsensical, incomprehensible, but that is exactly the point. This was a case that happened over a year ago and maybe because we hadn't discussed it before, maybe because there were small tidbits in the recent news, I spent ten-plus minutes wondering about kidnapping and how it happened and what its like and why. It was totally out of place, but it didn't matter. I wasn't going home yet.
Earlier in the week I had begun to operate under the auspice that I had already said goodbye, that my life must now go on as if they are already gone, and, if I happen to run into them before they actually leave, all the better for me. Two later-than-usual weeknights later and a surprise doughnut morning beyond, the time had come to officially leave for six months. And it wasn't that difficult. No offense to those two, but I see it for the moment as more like a vacation, and for the next few weeks it'll be that. After that point, the use of this communication technology we all utilize will continue to take the sting out. I think that the time will fly by, peppered on my end by random stories and name-dropping and other-continent idiosyncracies exposed, all fragments until the rest of the story comes back with them in August. Hopefully I'll be an antipodean in May and I imagine that will be here before I know it. I can't wait.
--
A lot has been posted on other blogs about politics in general and current events such as the inauguration in particular. I will try to refrain from commenting much through this forum, because I dislike the sterile and ambiguous nature that is often not conducive to opinions. But occasionally I plan to link some articles I find interesting.
I agree with Peggy Noonan's appraisal of the second-inaugural and while I take issue with some of the points of this article she links, I think it puts into perspective much of rhetoric flying around. I also especially like this column by Thomas Friedman and this one also, who only writes on things he is intimately knowledgable of.
Jeff, I am able now to link and edit, etc., but only from home. There must be something wrong with my laptop at work. Thanks for the help.
That's it for now, I'll be back later.
Earlier in the week I had begun to operate under the auspice that I had already said goodbye, that my life must now go on as if they are already gone, and, if I happen to run into them before they actually leave, all the better for me. Two later-than-usual weeknights later and a surprise doughnut morning beyond, the time had come to officially leave for six months. And it wasn't that difficult. No offense to those two, but I see it for the moment as more like a vacation, and for the next few weeks it'll be that. After that point, the use of this communication technology we all utilize will continue to take the sting out. I think that the time will fly by, peppered on my end by random stories and name-dropping and other-continent idiosyncracies exposed, all fragments until the rest of the story comes back with them in August. Hopefully I'll be an antipodean in May and I imagine that will be here before I know it. I can't wait.
--
A lot has been posted on other blogs about politics in general and current events such as the inauguration in particular. I will try to refrain from commenting much through this forum, because I dislike the sterile and ambiguous nature that is often not conducive to opinions. But occasionally I plan to link some articles I find interesting.
I agree with Peggy Noonan's appraisal of the second-inaugural and while I take issue with some of the points of this article she links, I think it puts into perspective much of rhetoric flying around. I also especially like this column by Thomas Friedman and this one also, who only writes on things he is intimately knowledgable of.
Jeff, I am able now to link and edit, etc., but only from home. There must be something wrong with my laptop at work. Thanks for the help.
That's it for now, I'll be back later.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Well, friends and enemies, the time has come to refresh my browser, to post a new post and (possibly) make the day of all you unsuspecting little monkeys. I intend on revamping the format a little over the next few times I come to this site, so be patient.
Another goal is to shake the negative, somewhat depressing tomes of yesteryear. I was rereading them, and boy was I surprised that no one gave me a Paxil.
Thus, I begin the renaissance with this message:
May Illinois trounce those foolhardy Badgers! Tonight's game will further cement the Illini as the deserved number one team in college basketball and the loss for Wisconsin is unlikely to make them drop in the polls. I want to win but I want the Big 10 to remain a strong conference. On to the twentieth....
Another goal is to shake the negative, somewhat depressing tomes of yesteryear. I was rereading them, and boy was I surprised that no one gave me a Paxil.
Thus, I begin the renaissance with this message:
May Illinois trounce those foolhardy Badgers! Tonight's game will further cement the Illini as the deserved number one team in college basketball and the loss for Wisconsin is unlikely to make them drop in the polls. I want to win but I want the Big 10 to remain a strong conference. On to the twentieth....
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)