People from the past Apr 30, 2008
It's funny how whenever I see people from a certain time period of my life, we only talk about that time period.  After the obligatory "Where do you work?" and "What's new?", conversations inevitably head towards "Remember that time..."  These conversations don't happen nearly as much with people who've been a larger part of my life.  And while there's nothing inherently wrong with talking about the past, I feel like it brings up two problems:  For one, the past never changes, so you end up talking about the same things over and over again.  You can't add anything new to the past, so depending on the length of the time period, rehashed conversations can get old pretty quick.  Second, I'm no longer a 19-year-old college student.  My interests, beliefs, and lifestyle have changed at least slightly, if not drastically.  It's one thing to reminisce about how things used to be; it's another thing to expect me to be the same person I was several years ago. #psychology
Off the floor Apr 29, 2008
As a bi-ped still learning to use his opposable digits, I occasionally drop things on the floor.  What happens next depends entirely on the type of floor and the object dropped.  If I drop something on the floor of my house, I'll pick it up, wipe the cat hair off of it, and use it again without thinking, whether it's a fork, a pen, or a piece of food.  On a scale from 1 to gross, I'm on the gross end.  But look at me; I'm 26 years old, in the best shape and health of my life.  Apparently my intake of foreign bacteria and germs isn't too much to bring about my downfall.  However, there are instances where I won't even consider reusing an object that fell on the floor.  One such place is the bathroom at work.  Not that it's especially dirty or gross, but it's a public mens bathroom.  It's exactly as clean as you'd expect.  I don't bring food in the bathroom (as no one in their right mind should), so that's not a problem.  But I often drop a clean paper towel on the ground after I wash my hands.  There's a split second decision that happens in my mind, but it's always the same:  "Eh, it's still goo--No.  It's the bathroom."  I don't care how clean that paper towel is before it touches the ground or how many seconds of the 5-second rule have passed.  Objects dropped on the bathroom floor can never be used again. #entertainment
Disintegrating pants Apr 28, 2008
It's funny how certain pants, especially jeans, tend to reach a point where they disintegrate piece by piece until they essentially just fall right off.  I'm working on a pair of those jeans right now.  The section right above the right knee is gradually yet steadily fraying into nothingness.  It's happened a few times in the past, with several different brands of jeans.  But one thing's certain:  Once the process starts, nothing but the mighty hand of God can stop it (and oddly enough, he doesn't seem to care when my jeans disintegrate).  One day, you start to notice a few pieces of blue fabric on your hands.  You finally figure out it's from your jeans, but you rub a little just to make sure.  Yep, dissolving jeans.  Later in the day, you notice a hole forming.  You think, "Finally!  I have designer jeans!"  The next time you wear them, your foot gets caught in the hole and rips a huge gash.  You think, "Even more designer-y!"  By the end of the day, an entire pant leg has dissolved thread by thread and blown away in the wind.  No amount of duct tape will save these pants (I've tried).  It's time to move on. #lifestyle
Clean house Apr 23, 2008
I never used to understand the purpose of cleaning the house.  My parents would make me dust and vacuum occasionally, especially if someone was coming over.  My argument was that (1) we shouldn't jump through hoops to show people we're not dirty, and (2) people don't care anyway.  Now that I'm a "grownup", I see the point.  I'll jump through hoops to make people think I'm cleaner than I actually am, and yes, people do care.  They might say they don't, but they do.  I know this because I care when I'm at someone else's house.  I notice when people are dirty, and I generally don't like dirty people.  It's not because they're dirty, but because they didn't feel the need to take the time to clean up before I came over. #lifestyle
No accent (6) Apr 23, 2008
I'm fully convinced I have no accent.  I'm sure that's how everyone feels about their own brand of English, but they're all wrong.  I can hear the slightest accent in a person's voice, and I absolutely feel like my version of English is completely free of any of these accents.  I grew up in northern New Jersey, but I definitely don't have a New York accent.  My parents were from south Jersey, but I don't have a Philly accent.  I'm obviously not southern, nor am I midwestern, each of which have their own specific and separate accents.  I'm completely accent free.  Someone please prove me wrong. #language
News on demand Apr 22, 2008
I've been reading the newspaper a lot lately, simply because I'm traveling for work so I'm away from my desk and the internet all day.  It occurred to me that despite my newspaper reading, I actually have a pretty good idea what's going on in the world, but only in the specific subsections that interest me.  This is because of reading RSS feeds.  RSS feed reading is essentially news on demand.  You choose what you want to read about and go from there.  I don't read anything about sports or politics, which take up two big sections of typical newspapers.  It turns out I read a lot about technology and money, the latter of which I wasn't really aware of.  But after reading through the money section of several newspapers, I realized I had a pretty solid grasp of what the articles were talking about.  So apparently I do keep up with current events, but only the ones that I personally subscribe to, hence on demand. #entertainment
Canine imprisonment Apr 22, 2008
I feel like dog owners are actually imprisoners.  They drag their animals around on a leash, they yell at them to stop barking and to perform stupid tricks, and they lock them in a cage when it's time to go to work.  That last one really gets to me.  Why get a dog if you plan to lock it in a cage all day, only to get mad when it has boundless energy when you get home? #nature
General purpose bomb Apr 21, 2008
I went to a military museum recently and was intrigued by the description of the 20-foot long, 43,600-lb T12 bomb.  The inscription on the bomb itself clearly says "General Purpose".  Is it just me, or does a bomb that big seem to serve more than just a general purpose?  General purpose military items are things like bullets, grenades, and even tank rounds.  But a bomb that creates an effect similar to an earthquake and which can only be transported by the largest combat aircraft ever built seems like it serves a pretty specific purpose. 

Also, the plane that carried this bomb was the Convair B-36, also known as the Peacemaker.  Achieving peace through bombing.  That's how it's done. #science
Jacket and shorts (2) Apr 20, 2008
I saw a guy in his 50s walking on the street today, and he was wearing a tweed jacket (part of a two-piece suit) and khaki shorts.  I admittedly don't know much about fashion, but I know this:  Jacket and shorts is a fashion no-no. #lifestyle
Snow on my birthday Apr 18, 2008
No, it didn't snow today.  In fact, it was unseasonably warm in New Jersey, getting into the mid-80s.  It was especially weird because it dropped down into the 30s just a few days before.  At some point in my lifetime, it snowed on my birthday.  It wasn't a big snow, and I believe it melted later the same day.  But it definitely snowed on my birthday.  I swear it. #science