Yay, Summer Is Almost Over in the U.S!
Okay it isn't, but I'm trying to cheer myself up by focusing on the return of Chicago's cold weather when: 1. People will stop arguing loudly outside in the middle of the night. 2. No one is in danger of dying of heat-related problems. 3. Our upstairs neighbor's air...
Thank a System Administrator This Friday
This Friday, July 29 is System Administrator Appreciation Day. A system administrator, or sysadmin, is the person who (from the http://www.sysadminday.com/ website): ...plans, worries, hacks, fixes, pushes, advocates, protects and creates good computer networks, to...
The Blue Zones: How Much Can You Do?
The "blue zones" are parts of the world where people commonly live past age 100. They are called that because the researcher who originally studied these zones, used blue ink to circle them on his map. So much for mystery.According to Dan Buettner’s The Blue Zones,...
Cutting the Cake
That cake was so good (yellow cake with lemon filling). I've decided that all my birthday cakes for the rest of my life have to come from Central Continental Bakery in Mt. Prospect, Illinois USA. I had to make that long drive just hours after a record-breaking...
Today is My Birthday
Today I am 45 years old! I'm very happy about this because I've been looking forward to 45 for a long time. In my 20s, I found life to be challenging and confusing, and I figured 45 was a good age to expect to have found some balance and confidence. It just sounded...
If You Could Be Any Age for One Week
I've heard people asking other people, "If you could be any age for a week, what age would you be?" Think about your answer for a moment. Okay. So far, everyone has answered with an age they've already been (often childhood). I do not answer with an age I've already...
Saying the Right Thing
Let's say your name is Chris and you have a friend named Rita. Let's say you see her right outside of your usual coffee shop, while she's carrying her latte out and you’re on your way in for your morning pick-me-up. You say, "Rita, what's up?" She steps out of the way...
“You Don’t Look Like You’ve Gained Weight”
Previous post on fatness. Disclaimer: since I've become properly obese, I re-read these old posts and see my body dysmorphia and obsession with food and weight. It's sad to me now. People think this is a nice thing to say and I'm sure it is for most people. I'm sure...
Face Blindness (Prosopagnosia)
At my wedding celebration with Bob in 2008, I met some of his family for the first time. To prepare, I spent months studying a photo of them because I didn't want to fail to recognize them. It took that long for their faces to sink in to my memory because I suffer...
Middle-Aged Struggle
Previous post on fatness. Disclaimer: since I've become properly obese, I re-read these old posts and see my body dysmorphia and obsession with food and weight. It's sad to me now. Because of personal stressors, I put on almost ten pounds between May 8th and June...
Doesn’t Take Much to be Overweight When You’re Short
Previous post on fatness. Disclaimer: since I've become properly obese, I re-read these old posts and see my body dysmorphia self-hatred and obsession with food and weight. It's sad to me now. My last vacation, plus some personal stressors, got me eating this spring....
Transmission from the Twilight Zone
In 2009 Stephen King wrote a novella called UR that was available only on Kindle. I still don't know why it was called "UR," but it was about a Kindle that could access publications from alternate universes.Last night I received this email on my Kindle. I have the 3G...