Mysteries of Life

One of the many things I learned from the former SigOther is One Price Dry Cleaner.  Most dry cleaners charge over $3 to dry clean and press men's slacks.  But OPDC does it for $2.29, a savings of a $1 per pair.  Unfortunately, they are not very conviently located for those of us who live outside the Trixie Zone.*

So it's worth it to me to make a special trip to one of the OPDC in the city.  However, they always seem to be understaffed.  whenever i walk in there, there is one person ahead of me and only one person behind the four counters. 

Today, I got there about 6pm and it was the same situation.  before I knew it, four more people got in line behind me.  I'm not an MBA nor do I own a business but I gotta think, maybe your business model should allow for peak time coverage!  I mean people usually drop things off at the dry cleaners on their way to work and pick them up after work, or vice versa.  And last time I checked, unemployment was in double digits so I'm thinking there's someone out there who would take a job at a dry cleaner.

* Trixie Zone is what I refer to as the part of Chicago people who didn't grow up in the city believe is all there is to Chicago.  They feel the city's borders are Evanston to the north, downtown to the south, the lake of course to the east and about Ashland or maybe Western Ave to the West.

One reason we don't rule Chicago:  I walked into a Polish deli the other day and when it was my turn at the counter, the girl who waited on me naturally started talking.  I said that my Polish is bad so I need to use English, which is only a lie if you allow that I do know a few words and phrases but nothing that could really help order food.

"Oh that's alright.  You just look like one of us."

"I am one of you, I just don't speak the language."

She took my order but had no interest in small talk.  Either because perhaps she isn't confident in her English or she was disappointed that another Pole doesn't know the language of his heritage.

****************
Posted this on Rant'n'Rave on Craigslist:  So I'm at this street fest and a guy is bumping up against me. Look over and see that he's buckling a bit at the knees. he's not really causing me any harm so I turn back to my friends. But he does it again and again. One of his friends notices and she says:

"hey bendaho (sp?) you're so drunk you are bumping into that white guy."

This is a group of hispanic looking people, I do not know of which specific persuasion. But I gotta know, WHY couldn't she just say "you're bumping into that guy." Why is pointing out my color necessary? It's not like there were 10 people of different races standing there that the guy was bumping into so he wouldn't have to try and distinguish which guy he was bumping.

can anyone honestly explain this? 

I got one response.  The responder said "because (drum roll) . . . you are white. Not complicated. Its just an adjective. Dont be so defensive."

Great.  I was really just curious and he/she plays the Defensive Card.  From now on, I will describe every latino I encounter as brown guy/girl.  I'm sure no one will be defensive about that.

Hitting this wall again and again:  Since the interest rates have gone done I've been watching them, waiting for the perfect moment when it would be worth it to refi.  My "problem" is I have so low a rate -- 5.625 -- already that the rates really have to drop for it to be worth it.  Every time they have come close enough there has been a problem, be it a blemish on my credit report which took months to fix or now my property value being too underwater to merit a traditional refi (yet ironically not enough to qualify for the new Obama programs).

However, that doesn't stop me from trying or from mortgage brokers to contact me.  In order to cut to the chase, I have a fact sheet already prepared with all the info they would ask me.  Balance on first loan, balance on HELOC, interest rates, terms, condo info, etc.  After all, it's not the first time I'm doing this.  I do this to save time and also because these guys tend to call me when I'm sitting in my cubicle where my co-workers can overhear all this semi-private information. 

But some people just need to follow a script....

Today's Mortgage Robot:  Hello Mr Icarus, your [financial advisor connection], forwarded your info to

me...oh I see I have a lot of the info I'd need to ask you.

ME:  Yes, I'm guessing there isn't much you can do with my LTV and such but it never hurts to ask.

Mortgage Robot:  So how much is left on your first mortgage that I see here in this informative email

that says it's xxx dollars.

ME:  xxx dollars.

Mortgage Robot:  And that 30 year fixed 5.625% loan, what is the interest rate on that?

Me:  5.625.

Mortgate Robot:  and that 30 year fixed loan is for how long?

Me:  30 years fixed.

mortgage Robot:  Okay well let me look at the numbers and I'll let you know what I can do.

Me: Oh I can't wait!

************

 Killing those electronic trees:  One of the things that makes working in Corporate America so Dilbertesque is that you get situations where someone decides to take a cookie cutter approach to everything.  I'm a firm believer in the exception to the rule scenario but this concept is often lost on higher ups who are more focused on following the exact letter of the law without applying any reason at all.

So we have to use this company template for all documentation.  It includes our logo in the header and a table of contents page and a separate page to track author and version edits.  [Never mind that the document management software system I was hired to manage does this.]  This was designed and is useful for large documents that get edited frequently and are collaborated upon by many. 

But some of the documentation I have to write are really simple instructions on how to do something, three or four steps at the most.  No need to have a five page document for it.  But we will.

Thanks to some buttmunch who threw something at my windshield, I am without the use of my car for the next

DSC03994

month.  The crack isn't very bad from the outside but inside the car it looks worse.  And it's technically an undrivable vehicle.  I can have it fixed quickly but the problem is this:

My city sticker would have to be replaced and Chicago charges a $30 fee for doing this even though it is not my F-ing fault this happened.  But always looking to make a quick buck, the city doesn't care.  Well, since the sticker renewal is in June, there's no point in getting a replacement sticker just to have to fork over another $75 next month.

Luckily, I don't need to drive my car very often.  As it is, it's pretty much a weekend only vehicle.  I do like to use it for groceries.

The irony is that I stayed in on Saturday night even though I had got a last minute invite to a party...I talked myself out of going because I didn't want to give up my good parking space in front of my building.

For a long time, the running part of my life has been solid and improving while the other areas of my life had been unstable, chaotic and even in disarray.  It seems that things have changed.  Now that I'm in a stable, long term relationship with marriage on the horizon, and my job situation is more functional and positive than it has been in years, it seems the trade off is my running skills.

For the last year or so, my running ability has deteriorated.  At first it seemed to only occur with long distances, like marathons and training runs in excess of 18 miles.  But recently I've struggled with short runs and races, posting my worst half marathon result ever last month at the Cary March Madness Half Marathon (on the Ides of March no less). 

Running has been a very cyclic experience for me this last decade.  I've had seasons where I've seemed to slow down only to rise again the next year and light up the boards with new PRs.  But something is different this time.  It seems like I just cannot run fast or far.  I've dropped down to an 8:30 mm pace group, I've done my training runs slower when necessary but I still am struggling.  The only thing that seems to help even marginally is to increase the number of rest days.  Therefore, as soon as I get through the next three races I've already paid for -- St Louis half marathon, Kenosha Marathon and Soldier Field 10 miler -- I will take an entire season off.

I'll still run when I can fit it in, but I won't be tied to a training schedule and there will be no races to complete.  Suffice it to say, I won't be anywhere in the zip code of 1000 miles for 2009. 

The Touch

At a street fest last year, I was moving through the crowd and I saw this girl that I knew somewhere.  Our paths have crossed many times over the years but I've never peaked her interest.  She only hugs me when she is drunk. 

As we passed each other, it was too crowded to hug, so we grasped hands.  In that moment, it seemed as if we connected, but only for that moment.  It was half acknowledgement, half apology...that our story didn't have more flavor to it.

****

Why I think interest rates are what they are

as of this writing, the interest rate is about 5.3%, even though the Fed is like zero.  I'm sure there is a good reason for, perhaps something to do with the Finance-speak I saw on a newsletter:

Mortgage backed securities(MBS)prices are near unchanged this morning as traders brace for a record $67 billion in new supply. FNMA 4.5% coupon currently @100.64bps, +3bps. Stocks are retreating on concern the deepening recession will decimate consumer spending. Yields on 10yr note has increased 98bps in 8 weeks from 2.04% to 3.02% as the Fed's decision not to purchase long term debt has excaberated efforts to reduce consumer borrowing costs, ie mortgages, auto loans etc.
[source:  Bryan Kelly, Wintrust Mortgage 2/9/2009]

My theory is that now that loan applicants are being scrutinized more, the odds are better that those who do manage to get loans will be more likely to pay those loans for the lifetime of said loan (duh!).  So banks make more money by charging a) more interest or b) less interest!

If you said a) you are not a conspiracy theorist, just a skeptic.

********

My coworkers think I'm a freak for not dreading coming into the office in the morning

One morning last week as I was cutting through the Bank of America building to get to work, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while.  It was 3 minutes before 9 and were I still at the consulting firm, I would have been gripped with panic because we had to be at the office by 8:30 or our first assignment by 8:30/9am on the dot.  Being a minute late was inexcusable.  If you're gonna be late, you should leave your house earlier so that you aren't, is their logic.  Because you have nothing better to do than get to a client half an hour early...so that you can finish up and go to another client before the day ends and work late too.

But fortunately, I don't have to be rude a friend I pass on the street because I have to check in with Core Command every 5 minutes.  My boss doesn't care when I show up or when I leave, only that I get my work done and our systems are covered. 

I'm still going through some post-consulting firm stress withdrawl and there are times when I still think in the old mode, but I'm slowly recovering. 

House Hunting Story #4:  So there is this house that I've always admired ever since I first saw it around the corner from the IAHC back in 1999.  Well the house is for sale.  I came across it by accident because it wasn't in an area I was looking or in my price range.  Fortunately, since Realtors are bad at urban geography, one of the search engines listed Mayfair as part of Portage Park.  ZipRealty was able to provide details on how long it was on the market. 

I asked my agent to schedule a showing and we took a look.  Their realtor, Mr Dublin, was friendly and chatted up the features of the home.  This was a bit unnecessary because unless you are blind, the hardwood floors, hearth style fireplace, original woodwork and pocket doors speak for themselves. But he did say something that bothered me.  He said that they considered the age of the building and work that still might need to be done on the place -- roof, siding, windows -- in the asking price.   Except that the place was on the market for nearly 100 days before it dropped $20K and that was probably only because no one was showing any interest in the place at all.  I'm sure if I were the seller, I'd want as much money for a place that size as I could get, especially since the lot is large, the house is big and the location is great.  I imagine Mr Dublin and the Seller having conversations that go something like this:

Mr Dublin:  well no one came to see the place again, are you sure you won't consider reducing the price?

Seller:  no, it's a big house worth $600K.

Mr Dublin:  not in today's market. 

Seller:  just show them the remodeled kitchen.

Mr Dublin:  you really don't want to sell your place do you?

**************************

An ex-girlfriend qualified for Boston three weeks after we ran the Chicago Marathon last year.  I'm happy for her of course.  Her passion for running is almost as intense as mine though she didn't start marathoning until last year and on her 4th attempt she managed to do what I haven't achieved in 20 tries.

It would be easy to cop out and claim that the 30 extra minutes females get over their male counter parts in the Boston Qualification times is what led to her getting in.  But the truth is that 30 minutes is given for a reason: on average, most females take about 30 minutes longer than males to run the same distance, Paula Radcliffes and  Deanna Kastor aside.   Science has shown that, on average, females are better distance runners and males are better speed runners. 

 
No she really worked hard this summer after being injured last year and just missing her BQ time in St Louis and Chicago this year.  But it does kinda make me feel like I squandered all my opportunities to BQ and am suddenly experiencing a down cycle in my running ability.  I seem to have lost both my speed and endurance lately and don't know if they are temporarily MIA or gone for good.

today was kinda of split.  I woke up before 6am but couldn't bring myself to get out of bed and go running.  I can justify it as it was very cold outside but given my current weight, I really need to take advantage of these moments when I can.  I was doing pretty good this week too.  I ran on Monday and went to a spin class yesterday, my first in months.  If I run tomorrow am (not likely as SigOther is staying over) or after work, I'm no worse off.

At least I left home a few minutes earlier than usual and caught two buses without having to wait.  But then when I got the IrvingPark blue line station, about 4 people ahead of me on the escalator stood instead of walked, apparently because the first guy didn't want to walk.  When we were about 2/3 up the stairs, the train started coming.  as soon as we were able to clear the slowpoke, most of us started running.  A lady shouted something about not running people down.  I wanted to tell her that we are running because we don't want to be bunched up on the last car when there are 10? other cars and we wouldn't be running if the slow people would move out of the way.

I can understand not being in a hurry.  And I can sort of understand not wanting to walk up an escalator.  But what I can't understand is why wouldn't you want to avoid those people who are in a rush?  Why not make a little effort to move to the right so those needing to move faster can get around you. 

One of the utterly useless things I can do is stand by a bank of elevators and more often than not, be the closest to the one that arrives next.

Some would say this is merely coincidence or only seems "more often than not", but I know that it is a directly related to the following fact.

I also can pick the slowest moving line at the grocery checkout.  I can get into a line with only one person ahead of me and the other lines can each have two or more people and they will start to move faster.

This happened last night at Trader Joe's.  It isn't often I get the same wacky cashier at TJs because I don't go with any consistency but as luck would have it, I got the same HipsterChick as the last visit.  She might even think I purposedly choose her checkout because I didn't move to the one next to us each time it appeared that the person checking out was finished.  It just that other customers got into line before I could move my cart.

Finally I got in line and we had a little chat.  Usually the TJ checkout clerks are friendly and chatty but there's no real connection.  For example, they will say "did you find everything alright" and you can say "I couldn't find the frozen aardvarks" and they will, without blinking, say "yeah we must be out of them again." 

Last time, HipsterChick seemed about as interested in going through the TJ required interact-with-Customer routine as I usually am.  And watching her slowy pack her customer's groceries, she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here.  But strangely, when I got up in line, she seemed more chatty with me.  I would almost say, flirty.

Not in the "I'm really trying to pick you up" flirty, but more of the "you are the first interesting person that has walked through the door in the last hour please take me with you" sort of flirting.  It could just be my imagination.  Maybe she asks everyone what they got going on tonight.  If she was flirting, I'm certain that telling her that I'm gonna set up my new DVR squashed any remote desire that she would want to let me see her naked.

Not that I buy into this sort of thing, but here is my RedEye horoscope from January 7, 2008: 

A bouncy new moon is giving you a positive attitude about the new year.  Instead of obsessing about a lost love, you're focusing on finding new love.  Keep an open mind and and open heart and you'll go far in 2008.

A little sappy but I have to say, in retrospect, it was dead on. 

Here's one a few weeks later, January 28, 2008:

You're lost in a fantasy land, thanks to space cadet Neptune.  you're dreaming about the one who got away and thinking about what might have been.  Snap out of it, already.  There's a good reason why things end.

Again, words of wisdom.