So about this time last year I was getting my gift-giving act together. I managed to still give some crap-tacular gifts, but I was definitely refining my approach: I would buy the gifts online this year and avoid the absolute circus of the local malls and stores--in this regard, I did well. I had all of my shopping done earlyish (by more than a week or so) and I had all the presents under the tree by Christmas Morning.
This year, I think I got the formula down-pat. So I give you my General Guidelines for Getting Good Gifts:
1. The gift should be something that the gift giver wants for himself/herself. This ensures that a gift was acquired with consideration and forethought. When I was rationalizing gifts, I constantly thought, "Would I want this for myself?" It prevented me from getting some truly useless gifts, like last year's Magnet Desk Toy. The guideline also ensures that the gift is representative of the giver--when the recipient gets the gift and uses it or otherwise enjoys it, they will be sharing in something that the gift giver would also use or otherwise enjoy.
2. The gift should be something that the recipient would want or use for himself/herself. This ensures that a gift will not spend undue time in its box in a cupboard, or collect dust high-up on a shelf somewhere. The rule will prevent awkward phone conversations: "How did you like your salad-tosser?" "Oh, it was nice, thanks."
3. The gift should be something that the recipient would not easily obtain on his/her own. The reasons for the recipient not obtaining the gift on their own can be as simple as "it would be too extravagant a purchase to justify spending the money" or as complicated as "it'd be nice, but I'm quite happy with..." or something like "the recipient wouldn't be able to afford it due to their income situation". Whatever the case, this rule ensures that it is truly a gift, not just a glorified stocking-stuffer.
There we have it, my three General Guidelines to Getting Good Gifts. Participating in the consumerism of Christmas is meaningless unless there's a good reason for it, and this year, with these rules, I am genuinely proud of the gifts I've gotten for people.
I feel that I have given them parts of myself, that on Christmas Morning they will unwrap their presents and find bits of me.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Moving Out, Moving On
Look at this stuff-
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
So, for better or for worse, I'm moving into my parents' townhouse, four miles away from my parents' house (and my true home for the past two decades). I am officially on my own, and come next year (when I turn 25) I'll really be on my own.
It doesn't really jive with my lifestyle, although it's a significant step towards independence; I'm still paying someone else's mortgage (my parents'), but I'll be responsible for everything that happens with the place now: repairs, upgrades, the utilities, any roommate situations. It's all mine.
It's a townhouse, so I'll have neighbors to be considerate of (not so much as my leaves blowing onto their lawn, but more of my drumming and guitar-ing being too loud for them). And I've spent a lot of time painting in that house, so I have an idea of the kind of people who live there and the area: It's close to the airport, so planes passing overhead will be loud, and a younger crowd lives there, so cars passing by will share their music/exhaust noise. But I'm used to that--I did live in a college town for two years, after all.
Then there's my cycling concerns: I'd still like to be able to ride into work, and this new place lengthens my commute (if I were to take the same path) significantly--it would add about 20 to 30 minutes each way. There are alternate routes, but I feel safest with separated facilities (i.e. trails). It's also further to get to the W&OD trail, my main stomping grounds for riding. On the flip side, if I'm further away from civilization, I would get more quality ride-time on country roads.
In reference to the lyrics above, I've started to move my stuff in. All my toys are going to go. I need to get a safe for the more "adult" toys, but they're all going to live with me in my new house.
My new place. My place. No longer "my parents' place" (although technically it still is "my parents'" place).
I'm not apprehensive--it's just the next stage, a natural progression.
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
So, for better or for worse, I'm moving into my parents' townhouse, four miles away from my parents' house (and my true home for the past two decades). I am officially on my own, and come next year (when I turn 25) I'll really be on my own.
It doesn't really jive with my lifestyle, although it's a significant step towards independence; I'm still paying someone else's mortgage (my parents'), but I'll be responsible for everything that happens with the place now: repairs, upgrades, the utilities, any roommate situations. It's all mine.
It's a townhouse, so I'll have neighbors to be considerate of (not so much as my leaves blowing onto their lawn, but more of my drumming and guitar-ing being too loud for them). And I've spent a lot of time painting in that house, so I have an idea of the kind of people who live there and the area: It's close to the airport, so planes passing overhead will be loud, and a younger crowd lives there, so cars passing by will share their music/exhaust noise. But I'm used to that--I did live in a college town for two years, after all.
Then there's my cycling concerns: I'd still like to be able to ride into work, and this new place lengthens my commute (if I were to take the same path) significantly--it would add about 20 to 30 minutes each way. There are alternate routes, but I feel safest with separated facilities (i.e. trails). It's also further to get to the W&OD trail, my main stomping grounds for riding. On the flip side, if I'm further away from civilization, I would get more quality ride-time on country roads.
In reference to the lyrics above, I've started to move my stuff in. All my toys are going to go. I need to get a safe for the more "adult" toys, but they're all going to live with me in my new house.
My new place. My place. No longer "my parents' place" (although technically it still is "my parents'" place).
I'm not apprehensive--it's just the next stage, a natural progression.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Sea Gull Century 2007
My goal was to start earlyish, and finish by 3PM. My game plan: find people who are going fast and draft as much as possible. Well, it turns out that the guy I roomed with had a similar plan, so when we started, we got in this huge paceline, probably 30 riders, and just booked it outta Salisbury. The paceline was interesting: the guy in the front would pull for about 5 minutes, then drop out and the next guy would take over, and the riders would keep cycling that way. In the line, we got up to 23mph, which was the top of my sustainable speed, so when it came to my turn to pull, I could only maintain it for 3 minutes before I had to drop back.
So the Sea Gull/Assateague Century is only a "century" (or 100 miles) if you actually stop at each rest stop (notably, the first). Well, the paceline I was in skipped the first, at 20 miles, which was a 2-mile detour from the main path, and we booked it to the 35-mile rest stop, which only had water and Gatorade. By about this time, I realized that I had neglected to bring any food, so I dropped off at the 35-mile rest stop (and the paceline kept going to the 60-mile rest stop), got some Gatorade, used the bathroom, and started off again on my own after a 10-minute stop.
For the first 50 miles of the ride, we were riding through fairly dense fog, with a visibility of maybe 25 yards. When you're riding at 20mph, 25 yards is not a long distance. The 100% humidity was good for hydration (breathing in moisture meant I didn't really need my water bottles that much) but bad for visibility. About 4 miles after the 35-mile stop, after going through all sorts of bumpy road (thoughts of the Roubaix ride in France, where bikes need to be made out of really-strong stuff, lest the cobblestones literally shake the bikes to pieces, were going through my head) and not being really sure whether I was on the path or not, I thankfully came up to a marked turn (they had white spraypainted seagulls on the road with arrows indicating the direction of travel). This turn was at a "T" in the road. Y'know at turns in the road, there are places where cars go, and where they don't go collects all sorts of gravel? Well my line took me through one of those patches of gravel...but I didn't see it and I wiped out! Scraped up my shin, bruised my hip, and scratched my until-then-pristine bike. As I was shaking myself off, more riders were coming up to the turn, so I yelled at them "GRAVEL! GRAVEL!" and, even with the warning, not 5 minutes after I wiped out, another rider wiped out in the same way.
He and I were OK, and we both jumped into the same 4-person paceline, taking it a little easier at 19.5mph, and when the next turn came up, everyone played it safe and took the turn at maybe 14mph. I stayed in that line until the 60-mile stop. I don't quite remember how I managed to do that, because a rock had lodged itself in my left brifter and was making shifts and braking less responsive--the front brake caliper wouldn't release all the way, causing rubbing, and the it was hard to shift the front derailleur. Thankfully, at our slower pace, I was able to get away with opening the Quick-Release on the front brake caliper, and I didn't need my large chainring at all (whereas when I was in that first paceline, the only way I kept up at all was by sitting in the large chainring the whole time), just stayed in the middle ring, and I was fine.
Got to the 60-mile rest stop at Assateague Island (after crossing that bridge and dodging all the horse manure). By then the Sun had come out and started to beat away all of the fog. At this stop there were lots of cookies, baked goods, fruits...so I gorged myself on the food, got some water to wash out my scrapes, and grabbed some packaged Fig Newtons for trailfood, and started off again after resting for 15 minutes to let the food have time to work. This time I joined up with rider #3056 and we double-teamed it to the 80-mile stop.
TO ANYONE DOING THE SEA GULL CENTURY: THERE IS PIE AND ICE CREAM AT THE 80-MILE STOP! The guy I was rooming with didn't know, and he apparently blew by it, but #3056 and I stopped and had a slice of pie and some ice cream and filled up on liquids. We started off again after 10ish minutes, and found two more riders for our paceline, still going at almost 20mph.
During this final 20-mile leg, we were being passed by teams and huge pacelines, but no one felt any pressure to link-up and go any faster, which was good because the sun was out in-full by now and we could enjoy the sights (and smells!) of rural Eastern Shore, Maryland (I commented "Ah, feels like I'm back in Blacksburg!"). All the while, we were still doing our paceline thing, with (maybe) 5-minute pull-rotations (it wasn't anything official, but that's how it worked out). On my second pull, I got to the front of the pack and basically set my mental cruise-control to 20mph and set my cyclocomputer to show ride-time, after five minutes I would rotate out. Well, as I came up to a road crossing (most of the major thoroughfare roadcrossings had a police officer directing traffic, favoring the riders), I looked back...and it turned out that I had dropped my entire paceline. So I went slow, waiting for one of them to show up and I asked him, "Where'd everybody go?" and he said, "Well when you hit the gas, no one could keep up!" So he and I took turns pulling the other all the way back to the finish line.
At the 60-mile stop I took my phone out and saw I missed a call from my mom, which said my parents and my sisters were coming to Salisbury to cheer me on at the finish line. With almost perfect timing, they got to the line only 30 minutes before I showed up at 1PM! It was nice to have someone in the crowd there to cheer for me!
Statistics:
Saddle Time: 4h49m00s
Actual Time: ~5h30m (including all of the stops, and the 5-7 minutes after my wipeout)
Max Speed: 28.3mph
Avg Speed: 20.0mph
Distance: 96.33mi
After the ride we went to the Sage Diner for lunch, then my family went home and I went back to my hotel room to shower and crash for two hours. Then I joined Sridhar, Mike, and Jacob (the guy I roomed with) for a beer on-campus and to swap stories about the ride (this was about 5:30PM, and there were people still finishing the ride!). Evidently Jacob finished his ride in 4h30m (4h25m saddle-time, 5 minutes at the 60-mile stop), Sridhar had a saddle-time of 5h22m (my family and I saw him and cheered him on when we were heading out for food), and Mike finished...later.
Not too bad for my first century ride!
So the Sea Gull/Assateague Century is only a "century" (or 100 miles) if you actually stop at each rest stop (notably, the first). Well, the paceline I was in skipped the first, at 20 miles, which was a 2-mile detour from the main path, and we booked it to the 35-mile rest stop, which only had water and Gatorade. By about this time, I realized that I had neglected to bring any food, so I dropped off at the 35-mile rest stop (and the paceline kept going to the 60-mile rest stop), got some Gatorade, used the bathroom, and started off again on my own after a 10-minute stop.
For the first 50 miles of the ride, we were riding through fairly dense fog, with a visibility of maybe 25 yards. When you're riding at 20mph, 25 yards is not a long distance. The 100% humidity was good for hydration (breathing in moisture meant I didn't really need my water bottles that much) but bad for visibility. About 4 miles after the 35-mile stop, after going through all sorts of bumpy road (thoughts of the Roubaix ride in France, where bikes need to be made out of really-strong stuff, lest the cobblestones literally shake the bikes to pieces, were going through my head) and not being really sure whether I was on the path or not, I thankfully came up to a marked turn (they had white spraypainted seagulls on the road with arrows indicating the direction of travel). This turn was at a "T" in the road. Y'know at turns in the road, there are places where cars go, and where they don't go collects all sorts of gravel? Well my line took me through one of those patches of gravel...but I didn't see it and I wiped out! Scraped up my shin, bruised my hip, and scratched my until-then-pristine bike. As I was shaking myself off, more riders were coming up to the turn, so I yelled at them "GRAVEL! GRAVEL!" and, even with the warning, not 5 minutes after I wiped out, another rider wiped out in the same way.
He and I were OK, and we both jumped into the same 4-person paceline, taking it a little easier at 19.5mph, and when the next turn came up, everyone played it safe and took the turn at maybe 14mph. I stayed in that line until the 60-mile stop. I don't quite remember how I managed to do that, because a rock had lodged itself in my left brifter and was making shifts and braking less responsive--the front brake caliper wouldn't release all the way, causing rubbing, and the it was hard to shift the front derailleur. Thankfully, at our slower pace, I was able to get away with opening the Quick-Release on the front brake caliper, and I didn't need my large chainring at all (whereas when I was in that first paceline, the only way I kept up at all was by sitting in the large chainring the whole time), just stayed in the middle ring, and I was fine.
Got to the 60-mile rest stop at Assateague Island (after crossing that bridge and dodging all the horse manure). By then the Sun had come out and started to beat away all of the fog. At this stop there were lots of cookies, baked goods, fruits...so I gorged myself on the food, got some water to wash out my scrapes, and grabbed some packaged Fig Newtons for trailfood, and started off again after resting for 15 minutes to let the food have time to work. This time I joined up with rider #3056 and we double-teamed it to the 80-mile stop.
TO ANYONE DOING THE SEA GULL CENTURY: THERE IS PIE AND ICE CREAM AT THE 80-MILE STOP! The guy I was rooming with didn't know, and he apparently blew by it, but #3056 and I stopped and had a slice of pie and some ice cream and filled up on liquids. We started off again after 10ish minutes, and found two more riders for our paceline, still going at almost 20mph.
During this final 20-mile leg, we were being passed by teams and huge pacelines, but no one felt any pressure to link-up and go any faster, which was good because the sun was out in-full by now and we could enjoy the sights (and smells!) of rural Eastern Shore, Maryland (I commented "Ah, feels like I'm back in Blacksburg!"). All the while, we were still doing our paceline thing, with (maybe) 5-minute pull-rotations (it wasn't anything official, but that's how it worked out). On my second pull, I got to the front of the pack and basically set my mental cruise-control to 20mph and set my cyclocomputer to show ride-time, after five minutes I would rotate out. Well, as I came up to a road crossing (most of the major thoroughfare roadcrossings had a police officer directing traffic, favoring the riders), I looked back...and it turned out that I had dropped my entire paceline. So I went slow, waiting for one of them to show up and I asked him, "Where'd everybody go?" and he said, "Well when you hit the gas, no one could keep up!" So he and I took turns pulling the other all the way back to the finish line.
At the 60-mile stop I took my phone out and saw I missed a call from my mom, which said my parents and my sisters were coming to Salisbury to cheer me on at the finish line. With almost perfect timing, they got to the line only 30 minutes before I showed up at 1PM! It was nice to have someone in the crowd there to cheer for me!
Statistics:
Saddle Time: 4h49m00s
Actual Time: ~5h30m (including all of the stops, and the 5-7 minutes after my wipeout)
Max Speed: 28.3mph
Avg Speed: 20.0mph
Distance: 96.33mi
After the ride we went to the Sage Diner for lunch, then my family went home and I went back to my hotel room to shower and crash for two hours. Then I joined Sridhar, Mike, and Jacob (the guy I roomed with) for a beer on-campus and to swap stories about the ride (this was about 5:30PM, and there were people still finishing the ride!). Evidently Jacob finished his ride in 4h30m (4h25m saddle-time, 5 minutes at the 60-mile stop), Sridhar had a saddle-time of 5h22m (my family and I saw him and cheered him on when we were heading out for food), and Mike finished...later.
Not too bad for my first century ride!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Cycling
I've been riding pretty much non-stop for the past three weeks, probably averaging 15 miles per day. It feels good to be active, although I'm not really losing any weight.
I've noticed this about my weight loss: if I don't go to sleep right after (i.e. before I eat) some sort of work-out and make my weight-loss "stick", I'll tend to over-eat and blow away any "progress" I've made. Therefore, while morning rides (before breakfast/ride to breakfast) are good because it's cooler out and there is less traffic on the trail, evening rides (after dinner) are better because I can use up any extra calories I've ingested during the day. It explains why my DDR regimen worked so well.
All of this, of course, is in preparation for the Sea Gull Century, which is on October 6th, only five weeks away now. By then I hope to be able to at least ride to the start of the W&OD trail and back (a total of about 45 miles from where I live). It won't be quite like the 100 miles of flat, windy terrain the Sea Gull Century supposedly is, but it will have hills and road crossings and the like, so maybe it'll work out somehow.
I'm also a bit apprehensive about my equipment. I know it for sure now: my bike is "cheap" (even though it was $600 out-the-door) with cheaper components. It should suffice for the ride, but if I'm going to be serious about riding, my next bike will probably cost more than $1500. Still, it's a good "learner's bike": 27-speeds, Shimano Tiagra STI shifters/brakes ("brifters"), clipless pedals, road wheels and tires. When I'm done with it (probably after this season) I'll probably sell it.
It's just like with anything else: you get what you pay for.
I've noticed this about my weight loss: if I don't go to sleep right after (i.e. before I eat) some sort of work-out and make my weight-loss "stick", I'll tend to over-eat and blow away any "progress" I've made. Therefore, while morning rides (before breakfast/ride to breakfast) are good because it's cooler out and there is less traffic on the trail, evening rides (after dinner) are better because I can use up any extra calories I've ingested during the day. It explains why my DDR regimen worked so well.
All of this, of course, is in preparation for the Sea Gull Century, which is on October 6th, only five weeks away now. By then I hope to be able to at least ride to the start of the W&OD trail and back (a total of about 45 miles from where I live). It won't be quite like the 100 miles of flat, windy terrain the Sea Gull Century supposedly is, but it will have hills and road crossings and the like, so maybe it'll work out somehow.
I'm also a bit apprehensive about my equipment. I know it for sure now: my bike is "cheap" (even though it was $600 out-the-door) with cheaper components. It should suffice for the ride, but if I'm going to be serious about riding, my next bike will probably cost more than $1500. Still, it's a good "learner's bike": 27-speeds, Shimano Tiagra STI shifters/brakes ("brifters"), clipless pedals, road wheels and tires. When I'm done with it (probably after this season) I'll probably sell it.
It's just like with anything else: you get what you pay for.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Time to Move On?
Is it time to move out and start my life yet? I've got all the pieces in place: decent job, working car, my toys, my friends, my debt--basically the means to support myself. So what's holding me back?
I haven't started looking at apartments or houses or condos--I haven't really felt the need to move out. Where I'm at (my parents' basement) is "good enough" with enough privacy and amenities that I'm comfortable. I pay "rent" and the rest of my money goes to paying down my debt and supplies, so in truth I'm not really saving all that much. Your living expenditures will always rise to meet your income, I think a co-worker said of getting raises.
I think perhaps the main reason I'm not feeling any rush to move out is that if I moved out, it'd be more expensive and I would definitely not have enough money for my other extravagances (currently my guns, but increasingly my bike and its accessories).
Well maybe it's time to change that.
I haven't started looking at apartments or houses or condos--I haven't really felt the need to move out. Where I'm at (my parents' basement) is "good enough" with enough privacy and amenities that I'm comfortable. I pay "rent" and the rest of my money goes to paying down my debt and supplies, so in truth I'm not really saving all that much. Your living expenditures will always rise to meet your income, I think a co-worker said of getting raises.
I think perhaps the main reason I'm not feeling any rush to move out is that if I moved out, it'd be more expensive and I would definitely not have enough money for my other extravagances (currently my guns, but increasingly my bike and its accessories).
Well maybe it's time to change that.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Information Technology
I seriously hate being the I.T. guy.
Hate it! And lemme tell you a few reasons why:
1. No appreciation. I never get an email or anyone coming by to say "hey, the network's running just fine! Thanks for keeping it running!" It's always "I seem to be having trouble printing." Or "I can't access $SERVERNAME." Anytime someone from the business side of the office comes by, it's because something's broken with our IT Infrastructure. Or their computers. Which brings me to my next point:
2. Stupid users. "How do I take a picture of this webpage and put it into a Word document?" It's a simple operation--how many times must I teach it to this one user? Or "My Outlook is behaving strangely..." Well if you'd actually archived your emails, rather than let a couple hundred thousand build up from the past few years, it'd probably work a whole lot better.
3. Not technically my job. I was hired as a Software Developer. I write code--it's what I went to school for. Sure, I can do these things, but that doesn't mean I want to. Didn't they promise they'd look into getting a full-time guy working I.T.? Didn't they say that my role as the I.T. guy was only temporary? If I had known that by "temporary" they actually meant "8 months and counting"...
*sigh*
And then, to top it off,
4. Not only do I do it at work, I do it at home, too. "Kent, I can't connect to the wireless network." Well sorry. You use your computer in practically one spot all the time, which happens to be right next to a switch and a second AP. There's a network cable right there. Plug it into the back of your laptop and quit complaining. It's faster and more secure, anyways.
Back in high school, when I was taking the Network Administration class and I got my Microsoft Certified Professional certifications for Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Server, and Server in the Enterprise, people told me that I could just leave school and be making $50K doing that stuff. Good thing I didn't take them too seriously, because the Dot-Com Bust was right around the corner. That, and it wasn't what I wanted to do, and it still isn't what I want to do--it was just a resume booster.
Well, seven years later I'm still haunted by it. Can do != Want to do.
Hate it! And lemme tell you a few reasons why:
1. No appreciation. I never get an email or anyone coming by to say "hey, the network's running just fine! Thanks for keeping it running!" It's always "I seem to be having trouble printing." Or "I can't access $SERVERNAME." Anytime someone from the business side of the office comes by, it's because something's broken with our IT Infrastructure. Or their computers. Which brings me to my next point:
2. Stupid users. "How do I take a picture of this webpage and put it into a Word document?" It's a simple operation--how many times must I teach it to this one user? Or "My Outlook is behaving strangely..." Well if you'd actually archived your emails, rather than let a couple hundred thousand build up from the past few years, it'd probably work a whole lot better.
3. Not technically my job. I was hired as a Software Developer. I write code--it's what I went to school for. Sure, I can do these things, but that doesn't mean I want to. Didn't they promise they'd look into getting a full-time guy working I.T.? Didn't they say that my role as the I.T. guy was only temporary? If I had known that by "temporary" they actually meant "8 months and counting"...
*sigh*
And then, to top it off,
4. Not only do I do it at work, I do it at home, too. "Kent, I can't connect to the wireless network." Well sorry. You use your computer in practically one spot all the time, which happens to be right next to a switch and a second AP. There's a network cable right there. Plug it into the back of your laptop and quit complaining. It's faster and more secure, anyways.
Back in high school, when I was taking the Network Administration class and I got my Microsoft Certified Professional certifications for Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Server, and Server in the Enterprise, people told me that I could just leave school and be making $50K doing that stuff. Good thing I didn't take them too seriously, because the Dot-Com Bust was right around the corner. That, and it wasn't what I wanted to do, and it still isn't what I want to do--it was just a resume booster.
Well, seven years later I'm still haunted by it. Can do != Want to do.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
On Self-Reliance
There are a few things I want every person in the United States to have done by the time they turn 25 (in no particular order):
-Build something with a hammer (a birdhouse works, but a cabinet works better)
-Cut something substantial with a saw (like a hole in drywall for a walljack)
-Change their own oil in their cars
-Wash and Wax their own cars
-Shoot a gun at a range
-Format and install everything on their computers from scratch
-Take something apart and put it back together in working order
-Cook your own meal, start to finish, and clean up afterwards.
-Sew something together using both a machine and hand-sewing
Yes, it means that I want every high school kid to take Shop Class, Home Ec[onomics], a computer course, and a car care course (or any other courses that cover these areas). I think it's key that everybody know how to do these things with confidence so that they can take care of themselves, without having to learn the hard way or on-the-fly. I also think that knowing how to do these things rounds a person out pretty well--at least they'll have done them, so that they know what's going on when they pay someone else to do them. And possibly they'll know enough about what needs to be done that they won't have to pay someone to do it for them.
I've been thinking of this list for some time now because at my job I was given the task of installing hardware for a third party. I was to mount a plasma TV, re-mount a pair of overhead projectors, and run some cable from one room to another. These are pretty simple things that can basically be done by anyone.
Anyone except the people who hired us, my manager, and the other developer on my team--they really had no idea where to begin, or how to go about doing anything related to this job. What really pissed me off about it was not that it was manual labor, but that my manager is in his 30's, and the other developer is two years older than I am and has his own house! Neither of them had a clue! How would they fix something if it broke in their houses?
I actually found my mind boggled, and to this day (two, three months later) every time this particular place or the particular job is mentioned I actually physically, involuntarily cringe, and the words "Not again!" flash through my mind.
-Build something with a hammer (a birdhouse works, but a cabinet works better)
-Cut something substantial with a saw (like a hole in drywall for a walljack)
-Change their own oil in their cars
-Wash and Wax their own cars
-Shoot a gun at a range
-Format and install everything on their computers from scratch
-Take something apart and put it back together in working order
-Cook your own meal, start to finish, and clean up afterwards.
-Sew something together using both a machine and hand-sewing
Yes, it means that I want every high school kid to take Shop Class, Home Ec[onomics], a computer course, and a car care course (or any other courses that cover these areas). I think it's key that everybody know how to do these things with confidence so that they can take care of themselves, without having to learn the hard way or on-the-fly. I also think that knowing how to do these things rounds a person out pretty well--at least they'll have done them, so that they know what's going on when they pay someone else to do them. And possibly they'll know enough about what needs to be done that they won't have to pay someone to do it for them.
I've been thinking of this list for some time now because at my job I was given the task of installing hardware for a third party. I was to mount a plasma TV, re-mount a pair of overhead projectors, and run some cable from one room to another. These are pretty simple things that can basically be done by anyone.
Anyone except the people who hired us, my manager, and the other developer on my team--they really had no idea where to begin, or how to go about doing anything related to this job. What really pissed me off about it was not that it was manual labor, but that my manager is in his 30's, and the other developer is two years older than I am and has his own house! Neither of them had a clue! How would they fix something if it broke in their houses?
I actually found my mind boggled, and to this day (two, three months later) every time this particular place or the particular job is mentioned I actually physically, involuntarily cringe, and the words "Not again!" flash through my mind.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
That Invincible Feeling
I've recently purchased a Smith & Wesson SW9VE for carry-duty, range-work, and dry-fire practice. As with most people, I like pretty much everything about it...except for the trigger, which is gritty and heavy. There are other things I don't like about it: the trigger reach could be a millimeter or two shorter, the serrations on the slide could be wider and deeper or at least sharper, and it would've been nicer to have a Picatinny rail on it, instead of S&W's proprietary rail.
That being said, the thing I dislike most about it is the lack of accessories for it: there are no holsters or aftermarket parts available anywhere! The pistol has a rail, but it's S&W's proprietary rail system so the laser-sights and flashlights are limited to S&W's meager offerings.
So what is a do-it-yourself-er like me to do?
I made my own holster for it, having ordered Kydex holster material and other hardware parts online. It was pretty easy, too, since Kydex forms with heat and retains its shape once it has cooled (and can be formed again later). It was my first holster, which allowed me to customize it to my own needs (adjustable cant, full-shrouding, etc.). I was pretty proud of it, so I took it to show my dad.
He glanced at it and said, "I wish you had a different hobby."
I was taken a little aback and became somewhat hurt that my father didn't offer any praise for such a well-made and functional piece of hardware (he's a DIY-er himself, having made several modifications to his house and having made several pieces of useful furniture). He didn't seem impressed at all that I didn't display any reliance on a third party to get something done--he chose instead to give voice to his concerns about my interest in weapons.
"Guns have an evil spirit. If you're not careful, they'll suck your soul," he said--he actually said that! I suppose he's alluding to the supposed feeling of power guns give those who wield them. While I suppose there's an element of truth to that (I've heard stories of people getting shot or almost getting shot because someone thought the Four Rules didn't apply to them), I personally have never felt that sort of invincibility and I don't think I ever will. As a matter of fact, I actually feel more vulnerable when I wear my gun openly--I felt that way at my friend's party a few weekends back, openly-carrying for the first time with no legal requirement in the company of friends. I also felt that way at the Virginia Citizen's Defense League meeting on May 17th, with all of the press there. I didn't feel invincible--on the contrary, I felt meek and nervous, stepping out with all of those cameras.
I suppose for some people having a gun is empowering--not so for me; they actually increase my sense of humility, because I know that I'm not the best shot out there. Because with this deadly power I am not certain of how I would respond, now, should a situation arise, or how I would handle the aftermath. It's so much easier to be sheep, to be a victim--that way you're not responsible for anything that happens to you. To defend yourself, that's hard. You have to know how much force is justified, when it is justified, what you legally can and cannot do.
All of this adds up to making me more humble, not less, by carrying a gun and becoming responsible for my own defense.
I wish my dad could see that.
That being said, the thing I dislike most about it is the lack of accessories for it: there are no holsters or aftermarket parts available anywhere! The pistol has a rail, but it's S&W's proprietary rail system so the laser-sights and flashlights are limited to S&W's meager offerings.
So what is a do-it-yourself-er like me to do?
I made my own holster for it, having ordered Kydex holster material and other hardware parts online. It was pretty easy, too, since Kydex forms with heat and retains its shape once it has cooled (and can be formed again later). It was my first holster, which allowed me to customize it to my own needs (adjustable cant, full-shrouding, etc.). I was pretty proud of it, so I took it to show my dad.
He glanced at it and said, "I wish you had a different hobby."
I was taken a little aback and became somewhat hurt that my father didn't offer any praise for such a well-made and functional piece of hardware (he's a DIY-er himself, having made several modifications to his house and having made several pieces of useful furniture). He didn't seem impressed at all that I didn't display any reliance on a third party to get something done--he chose instead to give voice to his concerns about my interest in weapons.
"Guns have an evil spirit. If you're not careful, they'll suck your soul," he said--he actually said that! I suppose he's alluding to the supposed feeling of power guns give those who wield them. While I suppose there's an element of truth to that (I've heard stories of people getting shot or almost getting shot because someone thought the Four Rules didn't apply to them), I personally have never felt that sort of invincibility and I don't think I ever will. As a matter of fact, I actually feel more vulnerable when I wear my gun openly--I felt that way at my friend's party a few weekends back, openly-carrying for the first time with no legal requirement in the company of friends. I also felt that way at the Virginia Citizen's Defense League meeting on May 17th, with all of the press there. I didn't feel invincible--on the contrary, I felt meek and nervous, stepping out with all of those cameras.
I suppose for some people having a gun is empowering--not so for me; they actually increase my sense of humility, because I know that I'm not the best shot out there. Because with this deadly power I am not certain of how I would respond, now, should a situation arise, or how I would handle the aftermath. It's so much easier to be sheep, to be a victim--that way you're not responsible for anything that happens to you. To defend yourself, that's hard. You have to know how much force is justified, when it is justified, what you legally can and cannot do.
All of this adds up to making me more humble, not less, by carrying a gun and becoming responsible for my own defense.
I wish my dad could see that.
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