26 posts tagged “two for tuesday”

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.

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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!

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 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.

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?

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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.

It's a conspiracy:  For a geek, I'm fairly low tech at home.  I have never had cable.  My place is not wired for sound.  And it was only because my analog TV broke last year that I finally broke down and got a HD LCD TV 20 months ahead of the switch in broadcasting technology. 

Recently, I have decided to come a little deeper into the 21st Century and try to come up with a better solution for recording TV shows than the archaic VCR I'm using now.  For one thing, it can't tune in the digital channels that I would like to record so I'm forced to playback the analog stations which my TV is not optimally set for, thus sometimes providing poor playback. 

Secondly, the VCR seems to have a mind of its own and often "forgets" to record the correct station and or time. And finally, it would be nice to ride my armoire of unneeded components. 

Therefore, a DVR would seem to be in order.  Again, as I don't have cable, it doesn't really make sense to buy/lease a TiVo just for over the air programming.  Not to mention, I'm a cheapo.

So I started researching various devices.  If you're gonna get a DVR/VCR combo, you probably want gizmos like a hard drive, built-in tuner and the ability to playback in High Definition.  And that's where the complexity comes in.

You can find hundreds of cheap DVD/VCR combos, most under $100.  If you want to be able to record on the DVD, the price goes up a bit, but not too much.  If you want a built in tuner or HD capacity, you can still get a good price.  But if you want a hard drive on top of it, you are out of luck.  It seems these are not made in the US anymore.  You can get a DVR with a hard drive, but the VCR addition isn't there. 

Why if I didn't know better, I'd say the TiVo and DirecTV syndicates have made the electronic manufacturers an offer they could not refuse.

My only options are to find one in the European/Asia market where they are still pretty common, or built a PC with an HD Tuner.  That still doesn't give me integrated VCR which defeats the goal of consolidation.

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Something to remind me:  A long time ago, a friend gave me a CD rack for a present.  It's followed me around for the last decade or so, through four homes, serving me well.  I haven't seen this friend since 1999 and haven't talked to her on the phone since 2004. 

Tonight I found that I could fit my small CD collection in the bottom shelf of my media cabinet.  So while I'd like to keep the rack to preserve the memory, it seems more fitting to practice what I preach about getting rid of the clutter, while simultaneously letting go of the past.

Why can't I do this every morning!  I managed to get up and meet my speed workout group for only the second time in six weeks and only because it was track work which occurs closer to my home than our usual lakefront meeting point.  And can I really say our usual since I haven't made it there once yet? 

As usual, at the beginning of the workout I felt like I wasn't going to make it through and wondered why I put myself through this...then once it was over, I felt like if I can just string together a few good weeks of consistent training, I will do better at races.  That's sort of the point of training.

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Missing the island:  Sometimes I wonder if I did make the right decision, leaving the no-name software company.  I had good benefits, flexibility in my schedule and could even work from home at least one day a week.  But then I remember that there were legitimate reasons for leaving.  For one thing, my technology skillset was severely behind the curve and I wasn't learning anything new.  Plus there were some ridiculous policies, proceedures and politics that I just wanted to get away from.  And with some internal restructures, it would not have surprised me if I was axed at the next headcount check.

So I'll stick with my decision and say that at the time, it was the right call.  Of course, now that I've been at the consulting company from hell for a year, it may be time to move on. 

While I did not "have" to run today and certainly not before work, I did have to be at work precisely at 8:30am.  Somehow, I managed to get up early enough to get a 4 mile run in with plenty of time to get ready for work, have a light breakfast and still get to work at exactly 8:31 am.  I was delayed a little bit coming into the front door by co-workers who wanted to know about my vacation trip. 

I say that I didn't have to run because I'm between marathons and not really training for anything.  I have about 3 weeks before Chicago Marathon training begins and I'm using the down time to get myself back into pre-vacation shape, especially working on my weight and muscle tone.  I'm also trying to figure out which training program to use for what will probably be my last marathon.

Not trying to sound the drama alarm but this one will be number 20 and its a nice even number to end on.  I've proven that I can do the marathon thing and since I'm not getting my BQ time or setting any new PRs, it is probably time to turn the energy to other neglected areas of my life.  I won't say I'll never do another marathon, especially if my training goes well and I do set a new PR or BQ this fall.  However, it's kinda like a couple that is trying to have a boy or girl, after a certain number of pregnancies, you gotta get the tubes tied.

Tonight I have a 5:30pm foot doctor appointment, one I hope to be my last.  I don't know how I will make it from my last project to the doctors office on time, but that is the challenge of the day.

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It's been a long time since I've had to do that:  On the way to the El station I sometimes stop in this diner for a cup of coffee.  Not wanting to break my last $20 bill, I grabbed about two dollars worth of change from my car ashtray.  When I was paying for the coffee, I was counting out the change, trying to avoid giving up quarters since I might need those for meters.  The lady at the counter thought I didn't have enough money and said I could pay her tomorrow or whenever.  What probably compounded the situation was that she asked me if I wanted a donut -- they have a coffee & dougnut deal -- and I turned it down. 

I found it a little amusing but also remember that there was a time about a decade ago when I was counting my change, wondering if I had enough for a cup of coffee and train fare home.   

Before they made that movie: In the summer of 92 I hung out with Maranda.  We met on the subway, she worked for the CTA as a ticket agent.  I thought of her as a girlfriend although really I was just someone she passed the time with while her real boyfriend ignored her.  They did officially break up and it looked like we might have a chance but in reality, the ex being out the picture only brought her lack of desire for me to the spotlight.  It was just the first of many Life and Love Lessons I was ill-prepared to face: you can't help how you feel about someone.

While i hadn't thought of her in a long time, recent events have brought her to mind lately.  So it was appropriate that I ran into her this morning on my way to work as I entered the Irving Park Blue line station.  At first I just glanced at her and thought she was a cute CTA worker, but then I recognized her dimples. 

I've run into Maranda a couple times over the years, usually at the O'Hare airport station.  Usually I was either going to or coming back from a marathon.  One time I even extended an olive branch and asked if she would like to get together to catch up.  She thought I was hitting on her and said that she's married and couldn't do that, but I could stop by the booth anytime to talk.  I didn't want to press the point and merely said take care. 

Today I was running late and didn't want to miss my train so I merely shouted out "Hi Maranda" and I'm sure she didn't mind. she said hi back and probably did remember me, though I bet she didn't remember my name just like the first time we ran into each other at O'Hare. 

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When bad news is good news: Angela IM'd me today to tell me that she signed up for the St Louis Marathon.  She also brought up New Year's Eve and offered to let me in on her NYE plans and I said that it might be awkward.  You could tell by her emoticon that I caught her off guard. 

Figuring I wasn't going to get a better chance, I asked some questions I needed to know the answers to and we talked a little about what happened.  It was about two Saturdays before Thanksgiving when we were out at the Hidden Cove and I guess I expressed never-before seen interest in her.  Which is true because until that point I was wondering what was wrong with me that there was this attractive, techy runner girl who seemed interested in me but I felt nothing.  It was that evening that something clicked for me and I started to think of her as more than a friend and opened myself up to the possibility of something.  And I believe she felt the same way. 

We talked a little about what happened, figuring I wasn't gonna get a better chance, I asked some questions that I needed to know the answers to and opened up a little bit.  I found out that it wasn't a case of she was interested then lost it but rather, was merely confused by my actions.  Seems she thought that I was never interested in her but that night at the Hidden Cove -- which lead to our kissing good night -- I guess I notched it up a gear earlier that evening and that made her think I was the one who wanted to try dating. 

She said "and then you asked me straight up if I wanted to date and I went with it because saying 'no' just didn't seem right either... so, again, I'm really sorry for hurting you."

To her credit, she did try in her own way to make it work.  But the chemistry wasn't there or wasn't developed enough and we forced it too soon.  The bottom line is a long talk with open honest communication the day after we kissed might have cleared things up much sooner. 

A byproduct of being single:  The other night I was at my church's christmas party and a friend came up to me and asked "so how did 'drinks' go."  At first I thought maybe he had too much communial wine, but then I realized what he was talking about.  Earlier that week, I was at his sister-in-law's birthday gathering and had to leave to meet someone for a drink.  It wasn't really a date but it was hardly just meeting a friend for a drink since another A-named Girl and I had never met before.  What it really was, was a mutual investigation into the possibility that we might be attracted enough to each other to want to go through the headache that is dating.

As it turns out, while A-named Girl is cute and has a nice body, the chemistry wasn't exactly there.  We might hang out together in the future in a group or if our mutual friend has a gathering that brings us together, but I don't see any long term potential.  And if she was on the same non-date as me, she feels the same way.  So we have both probably moved on past the event. 

But while A-named Girl and I have moved on, the people at my friend's birthday gathering had there hopes that I could soon be more than just their tokken single friend.  They had visions of double-dates and dinner parties (with even number of seats; single people screw up the seating chart).  But mostly, they had my best interest at heart.  They know how much I want to find someone and they were hoping that this might be it.

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Maybe I'm tempting Fate:  When it comes to making plans to visit Europe, I'm 1 for 4.  Two attempted visits to Italy never saw the light of day as the first time my college friends and I were too naive & poor to successfully pull off such an endeaver.  The second time, everything was set to go with an all inclusive tour but not enough people signed up so it got canceled.  Lucky thing too as the girlfriend who suggested the tour broke up with me the month before. 

The one time I thought about going to visit Poland, I had my Year-From-Hell and lost my job and contact with the person who might have been able to help guide me through the pre-Euro era.  The one time I did make it to Europe was because others had planned a trip to Paris and I piggybacked on it.

And now my hopes of another European Vacation seem doomed.  I don't have a lot of vacation time to work with, not to mention that things have been so slow that I may be let go.  [In consulting, if you aren't billing enough to cover your salary, you're stealing from the company.]  While that would solve the time off problem, a trip that will cost at least two mortgage payments, if not more isn't something you want to undertake if you are unemployed.

In 1999, I had looked into going to Poland over Christmas.  At the time I had a friend who worked as a nanny here during the summer and then went back home for school.  However, we lost touch and I lost my job so the plan, which was never beyond the talked about stage here, never saw the light of day.  I'm determined not to let the same thing happen this time, although I'm not the only one calling the plays.

The following will put a certain reader to sleep but I don't care.  Tonight I had a chance to attend a free exhibit at the Museum of Science & Industry, but because of the snow storm that caused potentially dangerous driving conditions and my own fatigue, I opted to stay home instead.

My plan was to go for a run in the snow, then head to the MuSI, but I was feeling so tired that I lied down on my bed.  And while sleep never came, rest did.  I looked out my window and realized that I would never find parking once I got home from the museum.  More importantly, I realized that I had activity every night this week except for Thursday which is still my wild card in case Jennifer Love Hewitt decides for one last fling before tying the knot. 

So I decided to skip the museum, skip the run and instead work on my den.  I started sorting though the shoe boxes of paper and floppy disks and Cds that are living in the middle of my second bedroom.  Ultimately, it doesn't look like I accomplished much, but I did create two bags of garbage. 

Part of me wishes I had gone for the run, then got in my car and seen the exhibit.  But then I remember that the invitation didn't come until 9th hour and I would not have gone otherwise.  Maybe this is Universe's way of letting me know that I needed to stay home and slow down.  I have something going on tomorrow and a whole weekend of activity so taking a day off is probably just what I need.

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We are family:  I received my new replacement cell phone today.  It looks exactly like my old one except it is blue instead of grey.  As an engineer, I am really proud that my old Nokia phone (first pic to left) still works and was able to talk for 17 minutes yesterday.  I will definitely hold onto it and keep it as a cheerished backup.

My former phone (middle left) looks okay but the LCD screen is cracked.  I'm tempted to send it back to T-Mobile to see if someone sends me another one.

The new phone looks exactly the same except is blue.  And it has to be reprogrammed.  I've lost a few numbers and text messages, but maybe that too was by Universal Design.