Bathroom window Jan 19, 2007
There's a window on the door of the bathroom at work.  I don't understand why it's there.  It provides no conceivable benefit.  It can't be opened to let in air.  It's too high up to break and crawl out of if you accidentally lock yourself in.  It's absolutely useless.  The only possible explanation I could come up with is that it makes it easy to see if the light is on or off, providing some sort of indication of power usage.  But that's a pretty stupid explanation. 

In fact, the window detracts from the overall bathroom experience.  To be clear, there are two separate rooms in this particular bathroom:  The part with sinks, and the part with toilets and urinals.  Looking through the window, you can only see the part with sinks, so I guess that's good.  But the problem is that I sometimes don't want other people to see what I do at the bathroom sink.  I'm pretty vain, so I like to make sure there's nothing hanging off my face.  I also like to make sure there's nothing stuck in my teeth, as this can be a conversation (and friendship [and marriage]) ender.  But to the average window-peeping passer-by (your punishment is well-deserved), I probably look like I'm doing some pretty weird and gross things.  And this isn't the kind of reputation I need at work.  I want to be known as "the quiet one who's good at math", not "the weird one who grooms his mustache in the bathroom". #entertainment
F.I.G.H.T. Jan 19, 2007
Fierce Israeli Guerrilla Hand-to-hand Tactics (F.I.G.H.T.) is a self-defense program based on an Israeli self-defense system called Haganah.  Essentially, it's a way for a smaller person or body (think Israel) to defend itself against a larger, stronger person or body (think the Israel-hostile Arab world).  Unlike other self-defense systems, it doesn't advocate the use of pepper spray, calling for help, or locking yourself in your car.  Instead, it emphasizes the idea of turning the attack on the attacker with fist and elbow strikes, leg and groin kicks, takedowns, joint locks/breaks, chokes, gun disarmament, and knife defense.  A typical training session is usually located at a martial arts center and consists of 1-on-1 practice scenarios where each person learns how to defend against a typical type of attack, such as a front face punch, a rear choke, or a running takedown.  All scenarios are broken down into an initial defense, a point of reference, and an objective.  The initial defense is meant to short-circuit the attacker and usually consists of some sort of block and a punch or kick.  The point of reference is the same or similar for almost all scenarios and consists of some sort of center-clinch headlock or side-clinch arm grab, accompanied by knee strikes and an elbow in the face/neck.  The objective is either to take the attacker down to the ground (to get out of the situation or to handcuff them), incapacitate them (break an arm or leg), or terminate them (break their neck or dislodge their esophagus).  Each practice scenario is meant to train a person's muscle memory so there won't be any hesitation in a real scenario.  Everything is done at less than half speed and intensity so there are no major injuries or deaths.  A typical F.I.G.H.T. practitioner will regularly receive a variety of bumps and bruises, with the advantage being that the person will develop a higher tolerance for physical pain. 

This is what I've been doing twice a week for the past 4 months.  It's awesome.  I originally thought about getting into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because of my interest in UFC.  But after reading more about it and watching a practice session at a martial arts center, I wasn't that interested in how much it resembled wrestling.  But at the same martial arts center, they had classes for this thing called Israeli self-defense.  I checked it out and haven't turned back since. 

Another part of the reason for my interest in this stuff is that my life has changed over the past few years.  If somebody robbed me in college, they wouldn't have made out with much.  But now I have a car and a house and things in my house, and I feel at least a little vulnerable and protective.  And as the "man" of the house, I feel a strange desire to protect what's mine, including my wife and my cats.  I wouldn't go so far as to buy a gun or keep a butcher's knife under my pillow, but I definitely see the value of knowing how to protect myself if I'm attacked. #sports
Writers vs. editors Jan 19, 2007
I heard an interesting insight recently:  When it comes to group dynamics, some people are writers while other people are editors.  Some people are good at coming up with new ideas and creating things.  Other people are good at waiting for ideas to come up and critiquing them.  Editors depend on writers to make the first move.  Writers hate editors because they're so quick to criticize an idea but can't come up with one on their own. #psychology
Celebrity substance abuse Jan 19, 2007
Every few days (or hours), another celebrity or public figure gets busted for some sort of substance abuse, whether it's alcohol, prescription medication, or real drugs.  My stance on it is this:  Just admit it and be done with it.  Nobody cares if you're a pill-popping drunk.  So by denying it, you're just letting it gain more momentum.  If you just admit it, people will have more respect for you.  Normal people drink.  Normal people have gotten their wisdom teeth out and have taken amazing pain-killers.  Normal people understand that getting drunk and high are quite admirable goals, except for their negative effects on the body.  If any of us were in your elevated position, I don't doubt we would do the same.  So just admit it:  You didn't feel like doing that interview, so you downed a few 3 Wise Men before you got there.  You weren't feeling up to that public appearance, so you got hopped up on Vicodin and felt like you were walking on air. #entertainment