even better
One keychain, one swipe card.
grouchier by the minute
no, i really am happy to see you
There's nothing like a little simplicity project to make you happy. My
keychain was bugging me this morning. I have it separated into three
rings linked by a mini 'biner - home, work, and car - so I could easily
switch cars with my wife or leave my work keys at home on the weekend.
But on weekdays I have to carry the whole thing, which barely fits in a
jeans pocket. It includes the employer-issue card wallet for the
building swipe card. 
Fifteen seconds of thought and three minutes of effort yielded a much smaller key ring. I removed a coffee card, an employer gym card, a desk key that I never use, a Kryptonite New York Lock key I haven't used regularly in about ten years, a broken keychain clip, the 'biner and the card wallet. The swipe card went in my wallet and my office key onto my home key ring.
You know, I really don't need the lock remote for my car...
Fifteen seconds of thought and three minutes of effort yielded a much smaller key ring. I removed a coffee card, an employer gym card, a desk key that I never use, a Kryptonite New York Lock key I haven't used regularly in about ten years, a broken keychain clip, the 'biner and the card wallet. The swipe card went in my wallet and my office key onto my home key ring.
You know, I really don't need the lock remote for my car...
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happy fourth of july
Today I found out that a good friend of mine, whom I have I known since we were 12, is secretly an illegal alien. When he was a boy his family came to this country and took on a fake identity.
This is not an everyday sort of conversation. To tell the truth, it's hard for me to accept.
The only reason he is telling people now is that the government found out about it when he was completing his military service. That's right, my friend was a military officer. The military didn't enjoy learning that they had sent a non-citizen through the academy, even if he has served them proudly and capably for a decade. So he is calling his friends to tell them he has a deportation hearing in couple weeks. I'm keeping this whole thing rather vague out of respect for his privacy, but after the hearing I imagine it'll be out in the open.
I know it sounds corny, but for me the American ideal is defined by open opportunity for it's immigrants more than by anything else. That IS America. So an early Happy Fourth of July to you. I'm hoping that reason prevails and he is allowed to stay.
This is not an everyday sort of conversation. To tell the truth, it's hard for me to accept.
The only reason he is telling people now is that the government found out about it when he was completing his military service. That's right, my friend was a military officer. The military didn't enjoy learning that they had sent a non-citizen through the academy, even if he has served them proudly and capably for a decade. So he is calling his friends to tell them he has a deportation hearing in couple weeks. I'm keeping this whole thing rather vague out of respect for his privacy, but after the hearing I imagine it'll be out in the open.
I know it sounds corny, but for me the American ideal is defined by open opportunity for it's immigrants more than by anything else. That IS America. So an early Happy Fourth of July to you. I'm hoping that reason prevails and he is allowed to stay.
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the mood in new jersey, mo willems
This really sums up the mood around here lately. In the temporarily dry time after dinner today I played outside with the boys, mowed the lawn, met my neighbor's new baby, and went kayaking. Rains start again tomorrow.
(from Are You Ready to Play Outside?)
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the four benefits of pessimism
I use Twitter. One of the things it's revealed about my personality is that I tend to have a negative, pessimistic outlook to events. I've come to see my pessimism as a problem. It's a problem in how people see me online, at work, and in personal interaction, but it's also potentially limiting my emotional and action response to problems.
Example: A fifth grade class in Michigan awards the biggest readers with a ride on a rail trail, accompanied by teachers, parents, and a fire truck. The fire truck is "for safety," the news article states. Now, you should know it's my job to make it possible for kids to bike and walk to school. My response on Twitter:
"It took 20 chaperones and a fire truck escort to let kids ride a rail trail? Even happy stories make me angry. http://is.gd/PabE"
Then my colleague pointed out that all the parents probably wanted to go along because it's fun - and the firemen, too. It's a feel good event. I hadn't thought of it that way. If I want to make it my job to sell people on riding bikes I should probably accept they may, you know, want to. And an unnecessarily negative response comes at an emotional cost.
So I admitted that pessimism may be a problem. But then I thought that before I make a concerted effort to be more positive, I should look at the benefits of pessimism. I was surprised at how easy they were to identify.
1. Snark. I'm quite good at making sarcastic, cynical jokes. Loads of fun at parties. And I'd argue that the fraternal twins of sarcasm and cynicism are derived from a tendency to see the dark side of everything. Not a key to happiness, for sure, but it's something I'd miss.
2. Motivation. When you think everything's going to turn out all right, you're less likely to want to change things for the better. Because I'm pessimistic about the (short term) future, I'm more inspired and engaged (pissed and angry?) to do something to make it better.
3. Pleasant surprises. It goes without saying that when you think things will go to crap, you're pleasantly surprised when they don't. And it's easier to roll with it when they do.
4. Strategic foresight. This is the big one. When you tend to look at something and automatically think about what could go wrong, you're already one step ahead of most people. Identifying the potential problems early and often allows you to engage them with solutions, plan around them, and develop contingency plans. It's the core of problem solving. And I think a pessimistic (problem-oriented) outlook makes it possible.
So where am I going with this? I'm not sure. For the emotional health of myself and others around me I know I want to be a more positive person, and I know I want to appear to be a more positive person, but not at the cost of the four benefits I've described. Perhaps there's a middle ground, or a third angle I haven't arrived at yet. When I get there I'll let you know.
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it's a small galaxy, after all
Monday night, out at a bar with some friends, I told the story of how my father sat next to Mark Hamill on a business flight sometime in 1977 or 1978. I told this story because @TimothyHuang was showing us a picture on his Blackberry of himself with Mark Hamill. Of course, my dad had no idea who he was until they made polite conversation about they did for a living. Mark did autographs for my brother and I - we were about 9 and 3 at the time.
It turns out that two of these friends, @gooddirt and @TimothyHuang, who had never met before Monday night, lived in the same small rural town in Taiwan when they were very young. And they both happen to be my age. So while dad was chatting with Luke Skywalker at 35,000 feet, those two might have been toddling down the same street in Taiwan. It's a small world, after all, especially in New York.
PS - I always thought my brother's autograph was way cooler - "May the force be with - Micheal."
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via destroytwitter
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