Synergies

Last night after a failed attempt to drink draft beer last night, I switched to Fat Tire, which is one of my most favorite winter beers. After kicking a few back, we ordered a slice of carrot cake. AsI have been reading a bit about beer and food in my new Zymurgy magazine, I think I found a good pair. Fat Tire and carrot cake work together wonderfully. They share several of the complimentary flavors and some opposite flavors that create a great profile together. I love it when good things come together to make something even better.

Moving On Up

Last week I was told that I am getting a promotion at work. I have never kissed ass, or come to think of it, actively pursued moving up after only a year and a half in the business. So at the start of next year I will making decisions and have much more responsibility (and get paid more also). This is all well and good but I don't think I know what I am doing. I guess whenever you start a new job you don't know what you are doing and you really have to learn along the way. Easy to say until big bucks are on the line. I am a fairly confident person but when you are entering a world of the fairly unknown it can be a little scary. You never know when you start something new if you will have a new brilliant career or on the verge of utter failure. I guess that you can't really think about it and just roll with the punches.

Programmed Responses

I find it interesting how much we accomplish each day without actually thinking about what we are doing and just following our routine. We don't even realize it until something that we are used to doing changes, we don't notice, and try to carry out our routine regardless. For example, the escalator that leads up to our work was completely stationary. I never realized exactly how many steps are on the escalator until I has to walk up all of them without it moving. After walking up in the morning and taking the elevator back to the bottom floor I went back to the escalator and walked up the stationary escalator again. As I trudged up the steps I notice people walking down on the my side. After I pondering why they would do that,I turned the corner and noticed they switched the normally down escalator so it was moving up. As I noticed this, I saw someone else walk toward the moving escalator that was coming right back towards him. Before he took the step that would have sent him backwards on his ass, he managed to stop himself. We have to use these short-cuts to prevent overloading our brain.

Adventures in Mass Transit II

I have missed every morning train I have intended to catch this week. It's Thursday and that makes me 0 and 4. Perhaps it is my own fault for not giving myself enough time or maybe it is just fate playing a cruel joke on me. Either way it has been very interesting. My efforts to get to work a little earlier have frustrated me to the point where I am not going to try to get to work early on Friday, despite the fact that I should. Well here are some funny stories from me missing the train this week.

After missing the train on Monday I decide to wake up a little earlier to try to make it on Tuesday. I had on my running shoes but then for some reason decide to change into my other shoes that do not have any laces. This act alone cost me the time necessary to actually catch the train. After my morning routine I walked out the front door with what I thought was plenty of time to spare. After I was half way to the station I could hear the train approach from the tracks beyond. From where I was I had enough time to catch it if I ran. I bust up the steps taking them two at a time. After about three leaps my shoe flew off and fell down the steps as I had to throw my hand out to catch myself before falling face first into the steps. Then I went to retrieve and got to the platform just in time to watch the train beginning to pull away.

Then after an unsuccessful attempt on Wednesday, I gave myself even more time. But this time my cell phone, which I use as an alarm was broken so I had to use a different alarm. It woke me up before I turned over and then went right back to sleep. I woke up with that start that you get when you realize that you went back to sleep after you turn off your alarm. I looked at the clock and saw that I had exactly five minutes to reach my train. I have done it once before as long as I made a full sprint to the station. So after my mad dash I pulled up just in time to look up and see it pull into the station. Alas I was too late. I ended up taking a different train and got to work at my usual time.

I think tomorrow I will just say screw it and plan on sleeping in. Hell I might actually end up being early.

I Now Hate My House

This past weekend I got some bad news: the train stop by my house was going to close temporarily ... for one year. Since my house is only a few steps from the train and I am nearly completely dependant on public transportation, my commute to anywhere got that much worse. So now instead of a thirty second walk to the train I am going to have a ten minute walk. The worst part of the closing is the timing. The stop is closing right when it starts to get freezing cold. Had I known that this stop was closing I think that I may have moved when my lease expired last May. And I think the thing that bothers me the most is that the CTA has not even posted signs at the station to let us know that the stop is closing. We had to read about it in the newspaper. Also, I am not looking forward to the noise that the construction will cause virtually next door. This just compounds the problem and turns one of the best aspects of my house into one of the worst.

Election Day

Today I spent some time learning about the various candidates in this year election with the best intentions of voting. But instead when I got home I just slept for an hour. The first problem was that I was predisposed to hating everyone running due to political commericals. I just can't support someone who is against a woman's right to choose but I also can't support someone that is for killing unborn babies. So I went online to try to find some real information about where the candidates stand on various issues. Then I realized that I like where both candidates stand on various issues, but one candidate does not represent all of my political views. Although I strongely agree with Republican economic policy, I have a real problem with not supporting gun control and other issues that ensure Republican victory in the South. The way our representive democracy works is very interesting. It is kind of like cable television. You want a couple of the good channels but have to buy a whole package to get them. I feel bad not exercising my right to vote since I feel like I have no right to complain if I don't vote and I sure do like to complain. But I guess I will just complain anyhow.

The Places to be on a Cold Day

The weather has just changed as winter is rapidly approaching. During this time of year there are several places in my house that I start to frequent. Mostly these places are for thier comforting warmth and it is my theory that amost everyone else has places like these around their house. My first place is a common wintertime favorite, my bed. There is nothing better than waking up to a cold room and being nice and cozy under your comforter. The second place I like to be is in a nice steaming shower, nothing can warm you up better (maybe a hot tub). And my last place is a little bizarre but on our toilet may be the warmest place in our house. While you sit on the toilet and the heat kicks on, you get a very pleasent warm gust blowing right on you. It is quite nice especially after sitting on a cold toilet seat. I mention this now because I got to thinking about the cold winter months ahead and I like to remind myself of the nice places that I do not visit in the summertime.

Cubs Suck

And there you have it the St. Louis Cardinals are the World Series Champions. Strike three for the Cubs. Three years ago the formerly cursed Red Soxs won the championship leaving the Cubs as the last cursed team in the league. Then the cross town rivals the White Soxs take one home. And lastly the division rival Cardinals win it this year. I find it very amusing that the three teams that Cubs fans would not want to win the World Series have won it in three consecutive years. I suppose that is just the jerk in me but I love it when Cubs fans suffer. Now if we could only do something about the annoying Bears fans and soon to be annoying Bulls fans.