I am hazard

This past year, I've done probably 25% of my eating while driving. I call it efficiency.

I've concluded that eating while driving is definitely more dangerous than talking on a cellphone. I can name three occasions off the top of my head when eating put me relatively close to an accident - far more so than talking on my phone ever did -

1. A burrito exploded on my lap
2. A bowl of ramen burned my tongue
3. Donut glaze crumbled all over me

What's the basis for outlawing things while driving? I don't really think it's the most distracting thing. Food is so volatile and varies in shape and form, while people on phones are mostly static in their use. I'm just surprised in hindsight that eating is still allowed... though quite thankful.

Change of plans

I've always maintained that if/when I have kids, I would want sons. First-born? Male. Second-born? Another male, so he can have a playmate and foster a healthy sense of competition and drive. Third-born? Not going to be an issue.
(I'd want to top out at 2 children for 2 main reasons -
1. I wouldn't want me and my baby mama to be outnumbered
2. I wouldn't want to drive a minivan. See: Turk. )


And then when they come of age, I would in no particular order:
-teach them how to play sports
-coach their soccer teams
-talk to them about girls and how there are plenty of fish in the sea
-awkwardly tell them about the birds and the bees
-drink beer with them
-show them how to be strong yet sensitive
-take him backpacking and camping
-watch basketball together
-demonstrate lessons with tough love
-other masculine things

But today I realized that there are things that are associated with daughters, and just women in general that I might find more endearing and useful in my elder years - namely a far stronger emotional connection to their parents, which I can already see manifesting in many of my friends. Maybe continuing my family line and producing an heir become secondary later on. It's much easier to imagine a daughter caring for her sick father than a son.

A simple comparison of overall utility - daughters will be more useful and involved than a son would be, especially with my mix of Asian (communal, yet distant and respectful relationship to parents) and Western (individualistic) cultures. Also she can join girl scouts so we can get hellza cookies.

ROD BENSON!!

Me: Hey! Rod Benson, right? Mind if we get a picture?
Rod: Sure thing, man.
Me: Damn, how the hell are you so sweaty?
Rod: I think the real question is how the hell are you NOT?
Me: Fair enough. Thanks for the picture!
Proceed to awkward high-five/handshake from someone that's 6'10.

Excellent.

That was underwhelming.

I finally figured out the word I've been racking my brain for for the past 3 days.

Labradoodle.

George Gray

This poem is told from a dead man's perspective, in reflection on his life. In surrounding yourself with only comfort and familiarity and avoiding risk, pain and adventure, you miss out on the things that give life meaning.

Abstract: Make mistakes. Be uncomfortable. Expand your horizons. Live life!

George Gray

By: Edgar Lee Masters

I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me –
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire –
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

Well I got my wish...

I wanted to spend as little time at home as possible this summer, because as Mees says, "Cupertino will be waiting.... always."

June 6- June 20
Japan

June 22-August 10
Taipei, Taiwan

August 17
Move to SF

Probably a one-of-a-kind post

I was talking to someone today about the subject of democracy, the voting process and the general decline of both. It's probably the most in-depth I've thought about those things since US Government at Monta Vista, a class in which I literally laid down on the floor and slept through.

The question posed was, "Why do Californians complain so damn much?" referring to the ridiculous amount of separate referendum elections we hold. Most other states hold those only in conjunction with annual elections or federal matters, so what makes us so different/special in our own minds?

The answers I could think of - a spoiled/selfish and uninformed electorate, a disproportionate amount of people below the poverty line and those wallowing in their own wealth, an inept bureaucracy, a sense of entitlement at being "the liberal state," a sense of having to live up to being "the liberal state " - could all really apply to other states as well. Even the last two; every state creates something of a self-fulfilling prophecy by buying into it's own reputation.

So what's the difference between California and other states? My uneducated hypothesis settled on the fishbowl effect. It seems to be an unspoken fact that as California goes, so does the rest of the nation. Californian politicians seem to be acutely aware of this, and over-exaggerate matters to gain further prominence. And then the citizens follow suit, believing this activism to be the crux of a well-oiled democracy... oh by the way, elections are expensive as hell and they basically come straight out of our pockets.

This led me right back to a solution that I've been championing in hypotheticals since high school - the benevolent dictator. Replacing a democracy with such would be great for efficiency, corruption, speed, action, you name it. Democracy is like a recliner with a toilet within it, it's a great theory but in reality is seriously flawed. Yes, so is a benevolent dictator, but I guess I just like imagining being the dictator.

Also, I was doing the laundry today and a couple of thoughts occurred -
1. The vast majority of my huge load was workout clothes and socks.
2. I haven't washed my jeans in quite a while because I only wear real pants 1-2 times a week, tops.