“Death is certain Life is not”
In the movie Training Day, Denzel Washington’s character, Alonzo, has a tattoo on his leg with that quote. Birth and death are really the only two certain milestones in life. All of the other events that happen along the way are variable. This quote makes me want to experience everything I can before I die. I’d rather die falling from a plane because my chute didn’t open rather than on a hospital bed on life support.
Walking out of Meijer today a car passed me going down the isle. I look over and see a lady in the back seat…breast feeding her baby. Yup, “righty” just hangin out.
Am I wrong to have seen? Is she wrong to be exposed?
This weekend we took the train down to the city. I used a 10 ride voucher that is paid for by my work. When we got to the stop I forgot the voucher! On the way back from the city, I realized I didn’t have the voucher. I had no cash. Kim didn’t either, but had a check. Too bad no one around us had a pen. A guy next to us offered his voucher. We really appreciated that generosity. He asked that I pay it forward and I’ll be sure to do so. I think this illustrates that there is some higher power that guides to down a path. Kim could have picked any seat on the train. She picked the one seat next to someone willing to help a total stranger. Makes ya think; makes me think.
“We cannot build our economy on the same pile of sand
We must build our house upon a rock. ”
I heard President Obama say that quote when referring to the economic collapse. I think it is a good metaphor for how we built fake wealth on an unregulated banking system. If you have a strong foundation, chances are you’ll have less problems later on. This logic holds true in my line of work (programming) as well as other professions. My wood shop teacher in high school showed me the importance of making sure the legs of a table were plumb and level before putting the top on.
There is also a biblical component of the quote; a story of a man who built a house on the sand near the sea. The waves washed away the foundation causing the roof to break and the walls to come down. Another house nearby was built on a rock. The waves did not wash away that foundation, thus the roof and walls stayed in tact. In this story, the house was a metaphor for faith.
This morning Kim and I left Midway airport destined for Tampa, FL. We picked the wrong line when going through prescreening, but luckily screening went well and there were no body searches or wanding.
Surprisingly there are a lot of food choices in the airport at 6 am. We picked the closest place that wasn’t McDonald’s. The lady behind the counter was rude. She also wouldn’t make eye contact when talking to you. It’s a little hard to know someone is singling you out of a group of 5 people when they don’t make eye contact.
After that we headed down to the gate. Fun. I’ve never flown Southwest before, so I’m not familiar with their boarding process. I knew they don’t assign seating, but that’s it. They made it pretty clear that they board zone A thru C in that order. The boarding people ask that passengers don’t line up (I’ll get to the “why” later). It’s amazing how many people just don’t get that, don’t listen, or don’t care. They have these poles sticking out of the floor with numbers on them. That’s where you line up, match the number on your ticket with the number on the pole sticking out. Sounds simple.
Then what about those fuckers that bum rush the counter, skipping over people who are clearly in line? The plane won’t leave any sooner now that you’re on. Jerk.
Then how about those people who mistake the call button for the reading light button? Ding. You’re a dumb ass. One button has a person on it and the other one has a light bulb. Hmm. “I want to read a book. I’ll push the person button!” that doesn’t make much sense. Neither does, “I just had a great idea and I need to tell the Captain. I’ll push the light bulb button!”
Now I’m on the flight and I’ve wasted a good amount of time writing this post. There is a guy to my right who hails from the south side and reminds me of Carmine Gioiosa (Rich’s dad). He already gave me crap for my Cubs hat and asked if the in flight movie was the 2005 World Series. :-)
I downloaded the new DMB Live Trax 14 cd last night and it’s decent. I haven’t listened to the whole thing yet, but assure you I will. Well, one hour left. I’m gonna read a book on my Kindle app!
If you are an iPhone user, make sure to check out the iBracket app. I was able to import my Yahoo bracket to my phone and I can track live scores.
Kim made her picks based on mascot. She better not beat me!
Let the madness begin.
When the first snow falls in winter we like to joke that everyone in and around Chicago forgets how to drive. Some people brake for no reason while others forge ahead in their big SUV. You can count on the commute being tripled in the burbs. You might as well get a hotel if heading for the city.
I think drivers forget how to drive on the first nice day of the year too. Driving to work this morning the sun peaked over the horizon, then hid as the elevation changed. Sure enough, people braked whenever the sun was in their face. I was immune to the sun’s power because I had sunglasses. I guess no one else was well equipped.
P.S. To the Bensons Maytag looking fucker driving his wife’s Eclipse: fuck you, you lane changing dick.
I started doing the Twitter thing. I’m following Tecgirl, Shaq, PTI, and Kim. I didn’t think Shaq was really doing the posts until PTI (Pardon the Interruption on ESPN) mentioned that he and other celebs are users. He posts pictures of himself or Steve Nash. He posts funny jokes and gives ticket opportunities when he’s in Phoenix or Miami. My user name is jmac84. Join the madness!
Google rocks. Can I just put that out there? I’ve been on this kick lately with one of their apps called Google Reader. This is an RSS feed aggregator. Did I lose ya? Many sites take their new content/posts/etc and put it on the web page and also into a file called an RSS feed. It’s more or less a link to all the new stuff. Instead of going to all your favorite sites and looking around, like a chump, you can import many RSS feeds to one site. Still lost? Check out their blog.
I will share some links that I find cool from time to time. I added a link on the left under the “Nerdy” section called My RSS.
Go Steelers!
Edited: Haha! Kim and I won money on the Harrison interception before halftime! We had the 7-7 square. Probably the greatest play in Superbowl history and we profited from it. Now before anyone disputes the “greatest play in Superbowl history” part, keep in mind that this is the longest play in Superbowl history. This was a game changer, giving the Steelers the lead with no time remaining going into halftime. Not to forget that Harrison is 242 lbs and outran Fitzgerald. His highstepping run down the sideline only to slide into the endzone on his helmet is nothing short of amazing.
I need a break...