Sink drop (1) May 17, 2007
I dropped the lid to my coffee cup in the kitchen sink this morning. 

To most people, this probably isn't a big deal.  But have you ever looked at the stuff in the kitchen sink?  It's really disgusting.  Food particles, dirt, debris, cat hair, grime, unidentifiable masses.  It's really a horrific environment.  What other area in a house takes that amount of abuse?  We wash our paint brushes.  We clean our cats' food dish.  We wash raw meat off plates.  We pour grease down the drain and hope it doesn't clog something.  We pour expired liquids down the drain while holding our noses and trying not to puke.  We wash out cans that contain everything from peanut butter to chicken broth.  It's one thing to mix all these activities in a central location.  It's another thing to let it all sit there, rotting, growing stuff, spawning.  I swear I've heard little voices coming from the bottom of the sink.  Or that could have something to do with the harsh cleaners I use (another substance to add to the mix). 

I considered calling it a day at that point.  What more can come of a day that starts out like that?  Instead, I picked up the lid, rinsed (not washed) it off, and kept right on going.  If you don't hear from me in the next few days, assume the worst. #psychology
Door scare May 17, 2007
I've mentioned before that I sometimes get startled when opening a door when another person happens to be on the other side. 

Thinking about this further (since it just happened again), I'm absolutely amazed that this happens at all, let alone as much as it does, based on the probability of an event like this happening.  Even though I'm a creature of habit, my routine isn't exactly the same from day to day.  Sometimes I walk through a doorway at 9:15am, other times at 9:18am.  The probability of me walking through a specific doorway at a specific time is quite small.  Now multiply that probability by the probability of another person walking through the same specific doorway at the same specific time.  Oh, and they're walking through from the direction opposite me so that I can't see them. 

The chances of this happening are so incredibly small, I'd be amazed if this happened once.  But it didn't happen once.  I would say it happens about once a week on average.  Granted, the doorway I'm talking about is the one to the bathroom, possibly the most heavily trafficked room in the building.  But still, the chances of me encountering a person at the exact moment I open the door and not 2 or 3 seconds before or after is mind boggling. #psychology
Garbage collection issues (2) May 17, 2007
I respect garbagemen (I feel I can use the masculine form because I've never seen or heard of a garbagewoman).  They have a relatively thankless job that would cause some minor problems and major inconveniences if it didn't exist.  We routinely accept the fact that if we put garbage out on the curb in the morning, it'll be gone by the time we get home from work at night.  What a concept.  I wish the vacuum cleaner or the steak dinner worked the same way. 

However, I have two complaints about garbage collection. 

1.  How hard can it possibly be to put the can back in the driveway? 



I feel like this should go without saying:  Leaving the can in the road causes problems.  First of all, it causes traffic problems.  People come close to getting in accidents because of trash cans left in the road.  There's a can on a road near my house that's about half a mile from the nearest house, and it's crushed and beaten.  That's what happens to an abandoned trash can.  Second, according to the laws of physics, the can will inevitably either (a) roll away to the farthest location physically possible or (b) roll to the center of the road, and even if it's on its side, will stay directly in the center of the road.  This can neither be argued nor avoided.  Oh wait, yes it can.  It can be avoided by putting the can back in the driveway.  Logic tells me that an empty trash can weighs much less than a full one, so throwing it back in the driveway should be infinitely easier than lugging it to the truck. 

2.  How do you get the lid off my garbage can? 



Seriously, I don't understand.  The can is equipped with a very sophisticated locking system that can really only be undone with careful maneuvering.  Yet somehow, the lid is always off my garbage can when I get home.  The last thing I want to do after a long day of work is come home to a disassembled garbage can that I need to reassemble.  The reassembly process is at least 5 steps long: 
  1. Gather can and lid that are mysteriously separated by 15 feet.
  2. Align one side of lid latch to appropriate side of can attachment point.
  3. Insert directionally specific attaching mechanism into latch opening.
  4. Stretch other side of lid over opposite side of can attachment point.
  5. Insert other directionally specific attaching mechanism into other latch opening.
Again, thank you garbagemen for the dirty and thankless job you do.  But seriously, stop leaving cans in the road and stop taking the lid off my can. #lifestyle
Video game lessons May 17, 2007
I've been playing Battlefield 2 on Xbox lately, and I was surprised to learn an interesting lesson about international conflict and war.  The setting of the game is modern Kazakhstan, where NATO forces are competing against the Chinese to liberate/secure/drive out opposing forces.  The game keeps switching sides every few levels, so you get to play as a NATO soldier and a Chinese soldier.  It's kind of weird to be battling against the same army you were just a part of, but you get over it once you get lost in the gunfire and explosions.  Before each mission/level, you're briefed about what's going on and what you need do to.  Most actions you take are as a result of what the opposing forces previously did.  The most interesting thing about this is that there are two sides to each story.  For example, in one level, you're playing as a Chinese soldier trying to blow up a train that the NATO forces are supposedly using as a bomb to destroy/terrorize a town.  And then in the next level, you're playing as a NATO soldier and you're briefed about the recent Chinese attack of a NATO supply train bringing food and medicine to a local village.  It's either a case of unintentional miscommunication/misinterpretation or a case of deliberate misinformation for the purpose of rallying people around a specific cause.  It's interesting to see a topic like that in a video game. #entertainment
Morning photos May 17, 2007
Note to self:  Don't allow self to be photographed in the morning before about 10-11am, especially during allergy season, and especially if it's for a work ID card that'll last for the next three years. #entertainment