I remember odd things. My dad used to drink approximately a case of beer every week or two. Falstaff returnables. I was inspired to look for some old commercials by Trooper York's blog. I simply love the idea of practicing archery and boozing.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Glacier Museum in Norway
While I was in Norway I went to the fantastic Glacier Museum which is highly recommended should you ever travel in the Sogenfjord region.
The architecture is almost as amazing as the scenery.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Speak Into the Microphone
You can't make up a better quote than this on the US Postal Service... when they aren't chastising Jonathan at Chicago Boyz for trying to take a photo:
First of all... really - that Hey ho crap is from the 70's. Can't a bunch of people with time on their hands come up with something better?
And as far as being driven into bankruptcy BY THE MERE THOUGHT THAT THEY SHOULD PAY SOMETHING FOR THEIR BENEFITS is another hilarious thought. Speak into the microphone - if you actually took on the burden for all your benefits the postal service would have been bankrupt decades ago.
“Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Darrell Issa has got to go!” workers chanted along 14th Street NW outside the offices of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
Fran Owens, an eastern region representative with the American Postal Workers Union, called Issa’s measure “a union-busting bill.” She blamed USPS’s financial problems on a 2006 postal reform package that forced the Postal Service to pay about $5.5 billion annually to fund future retiree benefits.
First of all... really - that Hey ho crap is from the 70's. Can't a bunch of people with time on their hands come up with something better?
And as far as being driven into bankruptcy BY THE MERE THOUGHT THAT THEY SHOULD PAY SOMETHING FOR THEIR BENEFITS is another hilarious thought. Speak into the microphone - if you actually took on the burden for all your benefits the postal service would have been bankrupt decades ago.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Congratulations Milwaukee Brewers
Thank you Brewers for giving me a good reason to watch the MLB Playoffs.
As an AL fan all I can say is...Go Brewers.
As an AL fan all I can say is...Go Brewers.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Boomers vs. X'ers
Dan put up a great post over at Chicago Boyz about Boomer's vs. X'ers and my friend John from Colorado had these pithy but true insights.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Friday, September 23, 2011
Norway Prices & the US "peso"
I recently took a trip to Norway. In addition to being interested in a debate about transmission lines strung high above picturesque fjords I was also astounded at how high their prices were (when converted into US dollars).
A drink at the crappiest, "dive-iest" bar in Bergen (Norway's 2nd largest city) will set you back $11 USD. A drink at a regular restaurant or a hotel will frequently cost you much more. Above you can see one glass of wine and one beer (admittedly a good pour from a local brewer) and 200 Norwegian Kroner. At current exchange rates 200 Kroner is about $35-$40 (let's say $40, because it makes the math easier and is close enough) or each Krone is worth 20 US cents. That means that these two drinks, with tip (if you leave one, optional) costs about $40.
Here's another sign of how upside down it is. I saw this cool mini-bar self dispensing fridge in a friend of ours' hotel room. The prices in the mini-bar in a Hilton were competitive with those of a regular bar! I guess at some point you reach an absolute price ceiling on alcohol and the fact that a hotel mini-bar is competitive with outside prices means that you are there.
There are other factors at play with alcohol in particular; the government levies high taxes in order to deter consumption. The long arctic nights apparently encourage heavy drinking and if nothing else the government is compensated for your sins (it didn't seem to do much to deter the locals from drinking, but it worked a bit for me).
It isn't just alcohol that is almost prohibitively expensive when you are paying with the US "peso" (or Euros - the Norwegian currency is punishingly high against everyone unless maybe you were paying in Swiss, Brazilian, Chinese, Canadian or Australian dollars). I split a "Deal Meal" in McDonalds with someone (it was 2 Quarter Pounders plus fries and one drink) because it too was around $20 USD when you did the conversion (I think it was 125 Kroner). Let's compare that with the US...
There are other odd indications of a currency upside down, or where the local economy has become so un-moored from the rest of the world that things are just "different". Why not drive a 5 series BMW AS A CAB? I think our trip from the airport to downtown Bergen was something like 700 Kroner... I guess that is about $140 USD or so (we took the bus back when we returned, we can learn). So at that rate you might as well drive a 5 series BMW, which must be brought in country at a prohibitively high exchange rate, as well.
One thing about America; apparently it is very cheap to 1) get drunk 2) buy tons of unhealthy food 3) take a cab. I had a great time in Norway by the way it was a beautiful and exceedingly well-run country with a highly educated workforce. I still don't know how they can pay the bills, though, unless local salaries are completely outrageous.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
A drink at the crappiest, "dive-iest" bar in Bergen (Norway's 2nd largest city) will set you back $11 USD. A drink at a regular restaurant or a hotel will frequently cost you much more. Above you can see one glass of wine and one beer (admittedly a good pour from a local brewer) and 200 Norwegian Kroner. At current exchange rates 200 Kroner is about $35-$40 (let's say $40, because it makes the math easier and is close enough) or each Krone is worth 20 US cents. That means that these two drinks, with tip (if you leave one, optional) costs about $40.
Here's another sign of how upside down it is. I saw this cool mini-bar self dispensing fridge in a friend of ours' hotel room. The prices in the mini-bar in a Hilton were competitive with those of a regular bar! I guess at some point you reach an absolute price ceiling on alcohol and the fact that a hotel mini-bar is competitive with outside prices means that you are there.
There are other factors at play with alcohol in particular; the government levies high taxes in order to deter consumption. The long arctic nights apparently encourage heavy drinking and if nothing else the government is compensated for your sins (it didn't seem to do much to deter the locals from drinking, but it worked a bit for me).
It isn't just alcohol that is almost prohibitively expensive when you are paying with the US "peso" (or Euros - the Norwegian currency is punishingly high against everyone unless maybe you were paying in Swiss, Brazilian, Chinese, Canadian or Australian dollars). I split a "Deal Meal" in McDonalds with someone (it was 2 Quarter Pounders plus fries and one drink) because it too was around $20 USD when you did the conversion (I think it was 125 Kroner). Let's compare that with the US...
There are other odd indications of a currency upside down, or where the local economy has become so un-moored from the rest of the world that things are just "different". Why not drive a 5 series BMW AS A CAB? I think our trip from the airport to downtown Bergen was something like 700 Kroner... I guess that is about $140 USD or so (we took the bus back when we returned, we can learn). So at that rate you might as well drive a 5 series BMW, which must be brought in country at a prohibitively high exchange rate, as well.
One thing about America; apparently it is very cheap to 1) get drunk 2) buy tons of unhealthy food 3) take a cab. I had a great time in Norway by the way it was a beautiful and exceedingly well-run country with a highly educated workforce. I still don't know how they can pay the bills, though, unless local salaries are completely outrageous.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Out of Shape Cops
While reading this weeks' "Time Out Chicago" I found a blurb on their back page that I knew would tick off Dan.
The Fraternal Order of Police is the lone city union refusing to sign on to a wellness program mandating city employees manage chronic health problems like obesity or pay $50 more per month for health insurance. "Look at our membership" order president Mike Shields whined, "We're not the healthiest".
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Change Of Seasons
The 21st night of September. My favorite time of year begins. Today.
Damn, am I a sucker for a great horn section.
Damn, am I a sucker for a great horn section.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Putting Alternative Energy and Government Workers First... Before Medical Care for the Poor
California faces intense budget challenges. The budget gap is approximately $10 billion, and instead of "fixing" them their budget has optimistic assumptions such as extra revenue due to an improving economy and many other sleight-of-hand items. The California executive and legislative branches are all solidly in the hands of Democrats, who control the agenda but must at least negotiate with the Republicans on the topic of tax increases (because a super-majority is needed to raise taxes).
I wrote here about how the State of California has a super-aggressive (and expensive) plan to move to "alternative energy" even though the cost / unit is much higher than traditional forms of energy, especially when transmission is taken into account.
In contrast with other states where the government is attempting to make their union workforce pay more for insurance and pensions, the completely captured Democratic officials don't even attempt to reduce compensation, benefits or pensions.
Thus how does California intend to balance their budget, when they 1) won't reduce government union worker pay or benefits 2) won't back off their alternative energy zealotry?
By reducing medical care to the poorest citizens in their state. This article in today's Chicago Tribune is titled "Health Law Model State Eyes Drastic Surgery" describes the situation in California's medicare system which covers 6 million children and poorer residents.
It actually is a bit worse than that. The co-pays would have to be collected by the doctors, and if they can't collect the money, then their reimbursement will fall further.
And what would the likely impact be of these cuts? Per the article:
It is telling that the Democratic-controlled executive and legislative branches have decided that protecting the salaries and benefits of their union workers has a higher priority than providing basic medical care for the poorest residents in their state. They also believe that an incremental (and insignificant) move towards alternative power, which costs billions, rises above the needs of the poor for medicine.
This is analogous to the teachers' unions that put their needs and benefits ahead of the children, who suffer through some of the worst schools in the country here in Chicago.
I can only imagine the smug outpouring of punditry that would occur if the Republicans abandoned a core principle to the same degree that the Democrats in California are abandoning the poor in this instance. Like this article in the Chicago Tribune and LA Times, the fact that the Democrats are abandoning the poor and instead focusing on their own direct needs isn't even mentioned, since it apparently isn't a fact that they believe their readers need to know. The situation is presented as a sad part of the budget sideshow rather than as a calculating prioritization decision made on the part of California's Democrats, which it actually is.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
I wrote here about how the State of California has a super-aggressive (and expensive) plan to move to "alternative energy" even though the cost / unit is much higher than traditional forms of energy, especially when transmission is taken into account.
In contrast with other states where the government is attempting to make their union workforce pay more for insurance and pensions, the completely captured Democratic officials don't even attempt to reduce compensation, benefits or pensions.
Thus how does California intend to balance their budget, when they 1) won't reduce government union worker pay or benefits 2) won't back off their alternative energy zealotry?
By reducing medical care to the poorest citizens in their state. This article in today's Chicago Tribune is titled "Health Law Model State Eyes Drastic Surgery" describes the situation in California's medicare system which covers 6 million children and poorer residents.
California spends less per beneficiary than any state. It is now seeking waivers from the federal government to impose copays of $5 for office visits and prescriptions, $50 for emergency room visits and $100 for hospital stays.. (they) would drop reimbursement for a standard physician visit to less than $12.
It actually is a bit worse than that. The co-pays would have to be collected by the doctors, and if they can't collect the money, then their reimbursement will fall further.
And what would the likely impact be of these cuts? Per the article:
Many doctors have already closed their doors to Medicaid patients. Other providers are following suit.
It is telling that the Democratic-controlled executive and legislative branches have decided that protecting the salaries and benefits of their union workers has a higher priority than providing basic medical care for the poorest residents in their state. They also believe that an incremental (and insignificant) move towards alternative power, which costs billions, rises above the needs of the poor for medicine.
This is analogous to the teachers' unions that put their needs and benefits ahead of the children, who suffer through some of the worst schools in the country here in Chicago.
I can only imagine the smug outpouring of punditry that would occur if the Republicans abandoned a core principle to the same degree that the Democrats in California are abandoning the poor in this instance. Like this article in the Chicago Tribune and LA Times, the fact that the Democrats are abandoning the poor and instead focusing on their own direct needs isn't even mentioned, since it apparently isn't a fact that they believe their readers need to know. The situation is presented as a sad part of the budget sideshow rather than as a calculating prioritization decision made on the part of California's Democrats, which it actually is.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Around Chicago September 2011
Upper left - at the Cubs for a beautiful Saturday in September for a day game. Love the trash-talking T Shirts, especially the one with a picture of Jesus on it saying "Don't Do Nothing 'Til I Get Back". Upper middle - people lining up for donuts at "The Doughnut Vault", in River North, where they start serving doughnuts at 8:30am until they are all gone. Upper right - the plaza in front of the Hancock building with a fountain and people lounging around on a Saturday night. The number of tourists now on Michigan avenue seems to be at an all-time high. Lower left - the Aon Building lit up pink, with the new Prudential building adjacent. Lower right - looking up at the Hancock, with green lights installed.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Wings, Legs & Thighs
Recently it was announced that Playboy was going to reopen its once famous nightclub on North Dearborn in Chicago. Why not?
Yep, that's me as a young studly Gerry From Valpo being groped by authentic Playboy Bunnies circa 1984. Jane, on my left, and I became good friends and had a lot of laffs. She was a real good sport and enlightened me to what it took to be a bunny. We used her in future photo sessions. Guess where her other hand was.
The latest retro phenom began with the Mad Men cable series. Gen X’ers and beyond had no idea what the 60’s were like and the saucy new program delivered current pop culture behavior served on a retro platter. People and behavior don’t change but the times and styles do. Mad Men proved it.
A Playboy Club themed television series along with another series borrowing interest from the 60’s using PanAm airline stewardesses will premiere this fall. So the rebirth of the original club/nightspot seems appropriate. Will it succeed? We’ll see.
With Hooters, Tilted Kilt and other venues where perky young things with shapely bottoms serve food and drink wearing revealing outfits, many are asking why open a Playboy Club? Good question.
Having been to these newer sports bars (for lack of a better term) in no way can they be compared to what the original Playboy Clubs offered in the 60’s and 70’s. Take it from one who had the privelige of patronizing that once hallowed ground.
I’ll take them one by one.
Hooters. They serve crappy food. Period. The drinks are thin and the waitresses wear outfits no more revealing than what one would see in a public gym. Big whoop. The price/value equation fails but time poor young modern males don’t seem to care. The corporate geniuses even tried to start an airline with this concept.
The Tilted Kilt. In Chicago you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an Irish Pub. I fail to see what the Irish Pub thing has going for it. Guinness? Jayzys, it’s just another heavy beer. So what? Oh, but The Kilt has skanky waitresses. Unlike most Irish Pubs they play off the skimpy tartan outfit thing. Yawn. Any chick under 25 and weighing less than 120lbs can get a job there, just like Hooters. Think Applebee’s with gratuitous skankatude.
The Playboy Club. As I recall my two visits there in the early 70’s (courtesy of a generous vendor) the place exuded class. Vendor John was a keyholder. A keyholder paid $25 per year (as I recall) for a key and got a subscription to the magazine to boot. One needed a key to enter the club. It was a cool gimmick in those days.
To enter we were required to wear a coat and tie. I assumed that this was to curtail any boorish behavior and equalize the patrons into being gentlemen.
Once through the door there was a voluptuous woman to greet us. And I do mean voluptuous with a capital V, no skinny fake boobed young tart in gym shorts but a more mature woman. She checked John’s key and took our coats. Smokin’ hot would be putting it mildly. We immediately were seated in the bar area where a live jazz quartet was entertaining. There were complimentary appetizers and snacks being delivered by the bunnies. The cocktails were more than generous. I vividly recall my first drink being a Rusty Nail. I got hammered.
When it came to bunnies there was a corporate measure of what a bunny not only looked like but how she carried herself and spoke. They needed to pass a test, not just fill out a form and put on an outfit. They were trained to be what Hefner strictly envisioned his bunnies to be. This was the ultimate in hypocritical seduction. Look and listen but if you touched one, a thick-necked bouncer not only would throw you out, he would leave you with scars and bruises.
Playboy offered fine dining. Forget burgers and wings, we enjoyed prime steaks and seafood. Arnie Morton was the head of hospitality at Playboy. He was a seasoned restauranteur. Hefner demanded serving exquisite food at his clubs and Morton delivered. If you have ever seen or dined at a Morton’s Steakhouse, Arnie was the guy behind the guy. His son Peter began the Hard Rock Café and hospitality empire. It didn’t hurt to have a legendary dad with deep pockets.
How do I know all this? Well, for one I was there. Second, Playboy was a client at our agency for two years. At that time the Playboy Clubs were making their last gasp. Their time had passed with the advent of titty bars and the eventual acceptance of Gentlemen’s clubs. It rendered the Playboy Club concept tame by comparison. But Playboy had what all the newcomers lacked. Class. Urban class was on the way out partially due to the new casual permissiveness delivered through mass-media pop cultural evolution and changing attitudes about public behavior. Playboy was like a secret club. An Enigma.
When we worked with the Playboy Club division they let us in on their marketing plan. This was to open clubs in college towns and specifically Big Ten college towns. Ann Arbor and Lansing MI were the two test markets. Our involvement included promotion of their planed activities. This occurred in or around 1984.
We looked at each other and knew our involvement would be short. College towns? Really?
One project I worked on was to drive traffic to the club for Monday Night Football. There would be special deals on food and drink and prizes. We did a few photo sessions using authentic Playboy bunnies, they forbid the use of professional models. Hell, the real thing was much better than models (see the photo above).
As I mentioned, this was a last gasp. In less than two years the club division finally went bunny-up.
But man, did we did have a blast. Or in today’s terms, it was awesome dood!
Yep, that's me as a young studly Gerry From Valpo being groped by authentic Playboy Bunnies circa 1984. Jane, on my left, and I became good friends and had a lot of laffs. She was a real good sport and enlightened me to what it took to be a bunny. We used her in future photo sessions. Guess where her other hand was.
The latest retro phenom began with the Mad Men cable series. Gen X’ers and beyond had no idea what the 60’s were like and the saucy new program delivered current pop culture behavior served on a retro platter. People and behavior don’t change but the times and styles do. Mad Men proved it.
A Playboy Club themed television series along with another series borrowing interest from the 60’s using PanAm airline stewardesses will premiere this fall. So the rebirth of the original club/nightspot seems appropriate. Will it succeed? We’ll see.
With Hooters, Tilted Kilt and other venues where perky young things with shapely bottoms serve food and drink wearing revealing outfits, many are asking why open a Playboy Club? Good question.
Having been to these newer sports bars (for lack of a better term) in no way can they be compared to what the original Playboy Clubs offered in the 60’s and 70’s. Take it from one who had the privelige of patronizing that once hallowed ground.
I’ll take them one by one.
Hooters. They serve crappy food. Period. The drinks are thin and the waitresses wear outfits no more revealing than what one would see in a public gym. Big whoop. The price/value equation fails but time poor young modern males don’t seem to care. The corporate geniuses even tried to start an airline with this concept.
The Tilted Kilt. In Chicago you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an Irish Pub. I fail to see what the Irish Pub thing has going for it. Guinness? Jayzys, it’s just another heavy beer. So what? Oh, but The Kilt has skanky waitresses. Unlike most Irish Pubs they play off the skimpy tartan outfit thing. Yawn. Any chick under 25 and weighing less than 120lbs can get a job there, just like Hooters. Think Applebee’s with gratuitous skankatude.
The Playboy Club. As I recall my two visits there in the early 70’s (courtesy of a generous vendor) the place exuded class. Vendor John was a keyholder. A keyholder paid $25 per year (as I recall) for a key and got a subscription to the magazine to boot. One needed a key to enter the club. It was a cool gimmick in those days.
To enter we were required to wear a coat and tie. I assumed that this was to curtail any boorish behavior and equalize the patrons into being gentlemen.
Once through the door there was a voluptuous woman to greet us. And I do mean voluptuous with a capital V, no skinny fake boobed young tart in gym shorts but a more mature woman. She checked John’s key and took our coats. Smokin’ hot would be putting it mildly. We immediately were seated in the bar area where a live jazz quartet was entertaining. There were complimentary appetizers and snacks being delivered by the bunnies. The cocktails were more than generous. I vividly recall my first drink being a Rusty Nail. I got hammered.
When it came to bunnies there was a corporate measure of what a bunny not only looked like but how she carried herself and spoke. They needed to pass a test, not just fill out a form and put on an outfit. They were trained to be what Hefner strictly envisioned his bunnies to be. This was the ultimate in hypocritical seduction. Look and listen but if you touched one, a thick-necked bouncer not only would throw you out, he would leave you with scars and bruises.
Playboy offered fine dining. Forget burgers and wings, we enjoyed prime steaks and seafood. Arnie Morton was the head of hospitality at Playboy. He was a seasoned restauranteur. Hefner demanded serving exquisite food at his clubs and Morton delivered. If you have ever seen or dined at a Morton’s Steakhouse, Arnie was the guy behind the guy. His son Peter began the Hard Rock Café and hospitality empire. It didn’t hurt to have a legendary dad with deep pockets.
How do I know all this? Well, for one I was there. Second, Playboy was a client at our agency for two years. At that time the Playboy Clubs were making their last gasp. Their time had passed with the advent of titty bars and the eventual acceptance of Gentlemen’s clubs. It rendered the Playboy Club concept tame by comparison. But Playboy had what all the newcomers lacked. Class. Urban class was on the way out partially due to the new casual permissiveness delivered through mass-media pop cultural evolution and changing attitudes about public behavior. Playboy was like a secret club. An Enigma.
When we worked with the Playboy Club division they let us in on their marketing plan. This was to open clubs in college towns and specifically Big Ten college towns. Ann Arbor and Lansing MI were the two test markets. Our involvement included promotion of their planed activities. This occurred in or around 1984.
We looked at each other and knew our involvement would be short. College towns? Really?
One project I worked on was to drive traffic to the club for Monday Night Football. There would be special deals on food and drink and prizes. We did a few photo sessions using authentic Playboy bunnies, they forbid the use of professional models. Hell, the real thing was much better than models (see the photo above).
As I mentioned, this was a last gasp. In less than two years the club division finally went bunny-up.
But man, did we did have a blast. Or in today’s terms, it was awesome dood!
Friday, September 16, 2011
The World's Biggest Army? Guess.
Well, if not an army maybe the world's largest militia.
The following came to me as an email from a friend. I cleaned it up a bit since it is one of those forwarded emails with some errors in spelling and structure.
This one probably has made the rounds but it's one I have not seen before.
The world's largest army... America 's hunters! Think about this....
A blogger added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states and arrived at a striking conclusion: There were over 600,000 hunters last season in the state of Wisconsin.
Allow me to restate that number.
Last season, Wisconsin 's hunters became the eighth largest army in the world.
More men under arms than in Iran.
More than in France and Germany combined.
These men deployed to the woods of a single American state to hunt with firearms, and no one was killed.
That number pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted the woods of Pennsylvania and Michigan 's 700,000 hunters, all of whom returned safely home.
Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia and it literally establishes the fact that the hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world.
The point?
America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of home-grown firepower.
Hunting -- it's not just a way to fill the freezer.
It's a matter of national security.
That's why all enemies, foreign and domestic, want to see us disarmed.
Fact check: Many states issue multiple deer tags per hunter so license sales listed above may be a bit misleading. What isn't counted are general hunting licenses, upland game bird stamps, waterfowl stamps and turkey tags.
Still, add to those numbers the multitude of gun owners who do not hunt such as the collectors, the competition shooters, the hobbyists, those carrying for personal protection (men and women) and those who have armed their homes. That's still a lot of personal firepower. Damn. Brings a tear to my eye.
October 9. Gunstock IV. Same place. New time- 9am. See you all there!
The following came to me as an email from a friend. I cleaned it up a bit since it is one of those forwarded emails with some errors in spelling and structure.
This one probably has made the rounds but it's one I have not seen before.
The world's largest army... America 's hunters! Think about this....
A blogger added up the deer license sales in just a handful of states and arrived at a striking conclusion: There were over 600,000 hunters last season in the state of Wisconsin.
Allow me to restate that number.
Last season, Wisconsin 's hunters became the eighth largest army in the world.
More men under arms than in Iran.
More than in France and Germany combined.
These men deployed to the woods of a single American state to hunt with firearms, and no one was killed.
That number pales in comparison to the 750,000 who hunted the woods of Pennsylvania and Michigan 's 700,000 hunters, all of whom returned safely home.
Toss in a quarter million hunters in West Virginia and it literally establishes the fact that the hunters of those four states alone would comprise the largest army in the world.
The point?
America will forever be safe from foreign invasion with that kind of home-grown firepower.
Hunting -- it's not just a way to fill the freezer.
It's a matter of national security.
That's why all enemies, foreign and domestic, want to see us disarmed.
Fact check: Many states issue multiple deer tags per hunter so license sales listed above may be a bit misleading. What isn't counted are general hunting licenses, upland game bird stamps, waterfowl stamps and turkey tags.
Still, add to those numbers the multitude of gun owners who do not hunt such as the collectors, the competition shooters, the hobbyists, those carrying for personal protection (men and women) and those who have armed their homes. That's still a lot of personal firepower. Damn. Brings a tear to my eye.
October 9. Gunstock IV. Same place. New time- 9am. See you all there!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Norway Overhead Power Lines
When in Norway recently I focused on what any typical traveler would find interesting... their overhead power lines.
We took a ferry in the fjord in the area of Norway west of Bergen, the 2nd largest city in the country. Off in the distance I could see the pylons, and since the fjords are so steep and tall they looked very tiny in perspective.
Since Norway is blessed with immense amounts of hydropower, they have little need for conventional fueled plants. Hydro power is the most significant of the "alternative" generation assets (as opposed to the more "hip" wind or solar power sources), and once built the costs to "run" the site are very low (although the glacial debris does damage the generators; they had an exhibit in their "glacier museum" that showed the impact).
Here are the lines over the amazingly scenic city of Balastrand. We hiked up to the top of a local hill and I took the opportunity to snap a photo of the lines.
Even though these power lines seemed to be all over the fjords, locals in other parts of Norway were opposed to continuing these types of overhead transmission lines. The city of Bergen and the country's largest gas processing plant (natural gas is the primary reason for the country's current wealth and Bergen is a major city) require additional power for their growth. Per this article in the NY Times titled "Opposition to Power Line At Fjord Runs Deep":
What I find interesting is that nowhere in the article does the NY Times talk about how ridiculous it is to waste over $450 million (the additional cost for overhead lines) when 1) there are already many lines over fjords and they haven't stopped tourism or damaged the quality of life 2) there are many other better uses in the world for this kind of money. The article does mention that the underwater lines, in addition to costing 4x as much, are more prone to failure (don't forget that those fjords are DEEP).
What kind of hubris does it take to demand that $450m in additional funds to be wasted for a less reliable solution? Well the NIMBY type of hubris, the type that stops progress in the name of conservation and ignores that money wasted on this type of "investment" could be better spent (or not spent at all) on virtually anything else.
This episode at least has a happy ending. Despite the opposition from a few greens, the power lines went ahead. Sadly enough, it is easier to get things done in Norway than it is in the USA.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
We took a ferry in the fjord in the area of Norway west of Bergen, the 2nd largest city in the country. Off in the distance I could see the pylons, and since the fjords are so steep and tall they looked very tiny in perspective.
Since Norway is blessed with immense amounts of hydropower, they have little need for conventional fueled plants. Hydro power is the most significant of the "alternative" generation assets (as opposed to the more "hip" wind or solar power sources), and once built the costs to "run" the site are very low (although the glacial debris does damage the generators; they had an exhibit in their "glacier museum" that showed the impact).
Here are the lines over the amazingly scenic city of Balastrand. We hiked up to the top of a local hill and I took the opportunity to snap a photo of the lines.
Even though these power lines seemed to be all over the fjords, locals in other parts of Norway were opposed to continuing these types of overhead transmission lines. The city of Bergen and the country's largest gas processing plant (natural gas is the primary reason for the country's current wealth and Bergen is a major city) require additional power for their growth. Per this article in the NY Times titled "Opposition to Power Line At Fjord Runs Deep":
While the overhead power lines would cost $152 million, by the government’s estimate, Mr. Borgen of Statnett says a combination of an underwater cable and high tension lines would cost four times as much. Nevertheless, most people in Norheimsund and surrounding areas like the underwater solution. Atle Kvamme, of the local Chamber of Commerce, said the most important thing was for the Bergen region to have enough power. Yet, he added: “We are a rich nation. We can afford to build in the sea.”
What I find interesting is that nowhere in the article does the NY Times talk about how ridiculous it is to waste over $450 million (the additional cost for overhead lines) when 1) there are already many lines over fjords and they haven't stopped tourism or damaged the quality of life 2) there are many other better uses in the world for this kind of money. The article does mention that the underwater lines, in addition to costing 4x as much, are more prone to failure (don't forget that those fjords are DEEP).
What kind of hubris does it take to demand that $450m in additional funds to be wasted for a less reliable solution? Well the NIMBY type of hubris, the type that stops progress in the name of conservation and ignores that money wasted on this type of "investment" could be better spent (or not spent at all) on virtually anything else.
This episode at least has a happy ending. Despite the opposition from a few greens, the power lines went ahead. Sadly enough, it is easier to get things done in Norway than it is in the USA.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Give Till It Hurts, You Evil Rich People.
Years ago I placed Chuck Wollery into the same basket of Hollywood daytime gameshow dooshnozzles as Wink Martindale, Alex Trebek and Gene Rayburn just to name a few.
Here's Chuck today.
Thanks, Chuck.
Here's Chuck today.
Thanks, Chuck.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Friday, September 09, 2011
Rainbow Over River North
A couple of weeks ago we had sunshine right in the middle of a rainstorm and saw this great rainbow over River North here in Chicago.
Social Security - Ending The Myth
The US Social Security system consists of a tax on employees and on employers. The main components are 1) Social Security 2) Medicare.
How Social Security Taxes are Calculated:
The social security tax rate on individuals is 6.2% up to $106,800 (this amount has been increasing annually, that is the 2011 "cap") and this rate was reduced to 4.2% in 2011.
The social security tax on employers is also 6.2% up to $106,800. The employer tax percentage was not reduced in the 2011 "payroll tax holiday" that was put in place as part of the grand budget compromise last year.
For medicare - it is 1.45% on employees with no limit, and for employers it is also 1.45% with no limit.
In total - if you are self employed, it is (6.2+6.2 less 2% tax holiday) or 10.4% FICA up to $106,800 and a medicare tax of 2.9% up to your total income.
The Social Security "Trust Fund"
The revenues from social security go into Federal government coffers. Then benefits are paid out of Federal funds. Technically the "surplus" of social security revenues over amounts paid out goes into a trust fund but there is essentially nothing "saved" in a real sense, just an "IOU" from the Federal government promising to use their taxing (and more likely, their borrowing) power in the future to meet this obligation.
While many people have been skeptical about social security's ability to pay out benefits in the past (including a recent candidate who called it a "Ponzi scheme"), there was at least a logical smidgen of truth to the fact that the US government attempts to tax in a clear fashion from workers that will someday benefit from social security and then pay out benefits in a consistent manner.
Recent Tax Proposals
Recent tax proposals, however, start to remove the last fabric of the lies that allowed social security to be seen as anything other than another government entitlement program, funded by a mix of taxes with a lot of borrowing thrown in (at an unsustainable rate). The new proposals cut the individual rate to 3.1% (and the employer percentage down to 3.1% for smaller payrolls), a reduction from the pre-holiday combined rate of 12.4% down to 6.2% (for smaller companies). There is a separate $50M holiday for companies increasing payroll that makes this calculation more complex, and the medicare portion stays the same at 1.45% for employer and employee to total 2.9%.
Since social security can barely cover its current obligations now out of tax revenues, likely these changes will move it into the red immediately, and eliminate the fiction that the surplus is "saved" in a trust fund anywhere at all. Now social security looks like any other tax program, subject to the whims of the government and changing policy preferences, rather than a pension plan which it is made out to be.
Taxes and Behavior
The current administration is curious. On the topic of raising rates, they don't think that it changes behavior. Specifically, they fought the prior administrations' tax reduction as "giveaways" to the rich who could afford to pay taxes, as if the rich would work just as hard in order to provide an ever increasing percentage of their income to the government.
But they DO believe that reducing rates can incent behavior other times, such as in "cash for clunkers" or the previous tax reduction holiday. More specifically, they take a myopic short-term view that putting a bit of extra cash into workers' pockets will help their constituents, but making a more competitive tax policy overall (that will spur investment and growth) isn't anything that is worth investing in or considering. I am frankly kind of surprised that it took the administration this long to consider a payroll tax holiday, since all they care about is the short term impact on their logical supporters, and this is the quickest way to reach them. I wouldn't be surprised if the government tried to turn hiring into a tax INCENTIVE, and then just raised taxes everywhere else, or just borrowed more money. If your only goal is to put money in your supporters' pocket in the short term, this is a (sad) way to do it.
At least these policy proposals put a lie to the myth that social security is anything other than an entitlement program supported by government tax revenues. If nothing else positive comes out of the debate, a little bit of more obvious truth is a small benefit.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
How Social Security Taxes are Calculated:
The social security tax rate on individuals is 6.2% up to $106,800 (this amount has been increasing annually, that is the 2011 "cap") and this rate was reduced to 4.2% in 2011.
The social security tax on employers is also 6.2% up to $106,800. The employer tax percentage was not reduced in the 2011 "payroll tax holiday" that was put in place as part of the grand budget compromise last year.
For medicare - it is 1.45% on employees with no limit, and for employers it is also 1.45% with no limit.
In total - if you are self employed, it is (6.2+6.2 less 2% tax holiday) or 10.4% FICA up to $106,800 and a medicare tax of 2.9% up to your total income.
The Social Security "Trust Fund"
The revenues from social security go into Federal government coffers. Then benefits are paid out of Federal funds. Technically the "surplus" of social security revenues over amounts paid out goes into a trust fund but there is essentially nothing "saved" in a real sense, just an "IOU" from the Federal government promising to use their taxing (and more likely, their borrowing) power in the future to meet this obligation.
While many people have been skeptical about social security's ability to pay out benefits in the past (including a recent candidate who called it a "Ponzi scheme"), there was at least a logical smidgen of truth to the fact that the US government attempts to tax in a clear fashion from workers that will someday benefit from social security and then pay out benefits in a consistent manner.
Recent Tax Proposals
Recent tax proposals, however, start to remove the last fabric of the lies that allowed social security to be seen as anything other than another government entitlement program, funded by a mix of taxes with a lot of borrowing thrown in (at an unsustainable rate). The new proposals cut the individual rate to 3.1% (and the employer percentage down to 3.1% for smaller payrolls), a reduction from the pre-holiday combined rate of 12.4% down to 6.2% (for smaller companies). There is a separate $50M holiday for companies increasing payroll that makes this calculation more complex, and the medicare portion stays the same at 1.45% for employer and employee to total 2.9%.
Since social security can barely cover its current obligations now out of tax revenues, likely these changes will move it into the red immediately, and eliminate the fiction that the surplus is "saved" in a trust fund anywhere at all. Now social security looks like any other tax program, subject to the whims of the government and changing policy preferences, rather than a pension plan which it is made out to be.
Taxes and Behavior
The current administration is curious. On the topic of raising rates, they don't think that it changes behavior. Specifically, they fought the prior administrations' tax reduction as "giveaways" to the rich who could afford to pay taxes, as if the rich would work just as hard in order to provide an ever increasing percentage of their income to the government.
But they DO believe that reducing rates can incent behavior other times, such as in "cash for clunkers" or the previous tax reduction holiday. More specifically, they take a myopic short-term view that putting a bit of extra cash into workers' pockets will help their constituents, but making a more competitive tax policy overall (that will spur investment and growth) isn't anything that is worth investing in or considering. I am frankly kind of surprised that it took the administration this long to consider a payroll tax holiday, since all they care about is the short term impact on their logical supporters, and this is the quickest way to reach them. I wouldn't be surprised if the government tried to turn hiring into a tax INCENTIVE, and then just raised taxes everywhere else, or just borrowed more money. If your only goal is to put money in your supporters' pocket in the short term, this is a (sad) way to do it.
At least these policy proposals put a lie to the myth that social security is anything other than an entitlement program supported by government tax revenues. If nothing else positive comes out of the debate, a little bit of more obvious truth is a small benefit.
Cross posted at Chicago Boyz
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
The Best Website on the Intertubes
I was looking at past posts on Drunk Bear Fans and there are some classics. I like where there was a crazy painted guy with no shirt on and it was ten degrees and by halftime he had purchased a new coat from the concession stands, probably at a cost of $150. We will be updating DBF through the season, and will most likely have a ton of drunk Badger and Cornhusker fans up as well for that game.
Drunk Bear Fans is what the NFL experience is REALLY like.
Drunk Bear Fans is what the NFL experience is REALLY like.
Tune Up
Starting last week I signed up for a "six pack" of private lessons with my Muay Thai instructor. I have been noticing that my basic techniques were getting rusty. It has been a long time since I have been in a beginner class, and I started noticing that I was getting jammed on my punches and kicks and was having other problems.
I have had two of these privates so far and it didn't take long to get my boxing in order. I was just too tight and not remembering my basic techniques. My kicking still has a ways to go to get that dialed in, but everything will be tip top for my next test in November.
I used to say that even Tiger Woods has a swing coach. Well, with the way his life has submarined, I guess I should change that to maybe Phil Mickleson or someone else. The point is that it is good to have a professional take a look at you once in a while if you have a hobby in the physical fitness world.
This six pack was just what the doctor ordered. After that test in November, I will be on my probationary period for getting my black sash. I honestly have no clue when I will be called to have a private test with my instructor to achieve that goal and have no idea what to expect in that test. We will see. I am pretty excited to do it though. By that time I will have had well over five years of constant practicing in the sport of Muay Thai. Pretty exciting time for me.
Again, the rank of black sash doesn't mean I could win in the ring, or beat anyone up (heck, maybe not even you) or confer any other magical powers on me. It does represent, if nothing less, a tireless dedication to the art of Muay Thai over a long period of time. And for that, I will be pretty proud. But first things first - I need to keep up with these privates and kick ass on the next test. Which I will.
I have had two of these privates so far and it didn't take long to get my boxing in order. I was just too tight and not remembering my basic techniques. My kicking still has a ways to go to get that dialed in, but everything will be tip top for my next test in November.
I used to say that even Tiger Woods has a swing coach. Well, with the way his life has submarined, I guess I should change that to maybe Phil Mickleson or someone else. The point is that it is good to have a professional take a look at you once in a while if you have a hobby in the physical fitness world.
This six pack was just what the doctor ordered. After that test in November, I will be on my probationary period for getting my black sash. I honestly have no clue when I will be called to have a private test with my instructor to achieve that goal and have no idea what to expect in that test. We will see. I am pretty excited to do it though. By that time I will have had well over five years of constant practicing in the sport of Muay Thai. Pretty exciting time for me.
Again, the rank of black sash doesn't mean I could win in the ring, or beat anyone up (heck, maybe not even you) or confer any other magical powers on me. It does represent, if nothing less, a tireless dedication to the art of Muay Thai over a long period of time. And for that, I will be pretty proud. But first things first - I need to keep up with these privates and kick ass on the next test. Which I will.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
France Cycling Trip 2011, Part Seventeen
Thursday was the final full day of cycling. Ahead of us was a challenge worthy of the final ride. Up the Aspin, down the Aspin. Ride over to the Tourmalet and go up that, and then turn around and descend. Finally, ride from that bottom back to the other side of the Aspin and go up that and descend back into Arreau. For those keeping count, that is a cat 2, a cat 1, and an HC. Here we go.
The ride up the Aspin was tough as always, but I was so used to it by now that I just settled into my pattern and worked through it. In fact by this point I was enjoying the torture. After descending the Aspin, it is a short ride (still downhill) over to the Tourmalet. On the way is the famous fountain of St. Marie de Campain, where many cyclists over a century have filled their water bottles. Remembering the many warnings of not drinking the water coming out of taps here, I just topped one of my bottles off so I could partake of this tradition - others went full bore and filled up.
Here is basically where the climb up the Tourmalet, one of the most famous climbs in all of cycling begins. It was pretty cool and damp this day.
All sorts of livestock were seen on the way up, including sheep grazing right by the road. The mist was so thick it was hard to see anything, but we could hear them because of the bells they had on their necks.
Toward the top it was apparent that a very large herd of cattle had just come by in the last few days - there was a huge slick of manure all over the road, that had been turned into liquid form by the mist and dampness of the air. We rode through that and got ourselves and our bikes - well - shitty. It wasn't horrible, but not welcome either, when you are trying to go up one of the hardest climbs in the Pyranees.
I found the Tourmalet to be tough, but not as tough as Plateau de Beille. I never had to stop, and kept a nice, steady pace up the Tourmalet even through the harder patches. I finally made it and the statue that I had waited for a year to see with my own eyes came into sight.
As we got to the top of the Tourmalet, we came up through the clouds and we were rewarded with something special. This is my favorite photo of the whole trip, and someday when I scratch out a few moments I will use one of the many services on the internet to get a framed print of this one made.
At the top of the Tourmalet there are a few souvenir shops and one restaurant, which was a treasure trove of history. Very cool stuff in there, and it was neat to rub shoulders with the international crowd of cycling enthusiasts who had just lived out a dream, like I did.
We all rested a bit and had a sandwich and coffee or in my case, hot chocolate. It was brisk up there.
The descent was really long and I got shivering again. I had to stop to warm up a bit as the shivering was making it a bit unsafe. Stopping to take a photo of the donkeys was fine with me.
Many of the group packed it in at the bottom of the Tourmalet and headed back to the hotel in the vans but the rest of us started the LONG ascent of the other side of the Aspin. On the flats many of the guys rolled away from me, but I caught most of them on the climb, as usual.
We got back to Arreau and the hotel and it was announced that there would be one more ride tomorrow, a one to two hour final goodbye ride. I announced "no way, I am getting beer" and with that made my way to the local convenience store and bought a case of beer for everyone, including our guides as a thank you to them. I didn't really party, but I did sit around and drink a few beers. I was done cycling, and I literally couldn't believe what I had accomplished in the previous 12 days. You see, just six or seven years ago I was a total fatass - baby, I had come a long, long way and I wanted to sit in a chair for a bit and celebrate.
We all cleaned up and assembled for our last dinner in Arreau.
Appetizer was a wonderful shrimp salad with a type of remoulade dressing. There were more shrimp under the ones you see on top and there were also apples in the salad.
Entre was lamb with a casserole of zucchini and cheese. Pretty good.
The cheese couse was mildly stinky and satisfying.
I forgot to take a photo of dessert, but it was a flan with raspberry coulis. I make better so nothing special.
The next morning we woke up and had to pack and leave for Toulouse. The others went for a morning ride, but not me. I just relaxed and hung around the mechanics and watched them break my bike down to learn all I could about my bike.
We got to Toulouse and the hotel was right by the airport. Pretty tiny place. But we did have Carl's favorite, glassware syncronicity.
Like I said, the rooms were tiny. My roomie and I got to know each other pretty well.
The next day I had to get up at Oh Dark Thirty and leave. Some final thoughts in the next and last part of this series.
Today's riding:
Distance: 53 miles
Saddle time: 4.5 hours
9100' of rise (ouch)
The ride up the Aspin was tough as always, but I was so used to it by now that I just settled into my pattern and worked through it. In fact by this point I was enjoying the torture. After descending the Aspin, it is a short ride (still downhill) over to the Tourmalet. On the way is the famous fountain of St. Marie de Campain, where many cyclists over a century have filled their water bottles. Remembering the many warnings of not drinking the water coming out of taps here, I just topped one of my bottles off so I could partake of this tradition - others went full bore and filled up.
Here is basically where the climb up the Tourmalet, one of the most famous climbs in all of cycling begins. It was pretty cool and damp this day.
All sorts of livestock were seen on the way up, including sheep grazing right by the road. The mist was so thick it was hard to see anything, but we could hear them because of the bells they had on their necks.
Toward the top it was apparent that a very large herd of cattle had just come by in the last few days - there was a huge slick of manure all over the road, that had been turned into liquid form by the mist and dampness of the air. We rode through that and got ourselves and our bikes - well - shitty. It wasn't horrible, but not welcome either, when you are trying to go up one of the hardest climbs in the Pyranees.
I found the Tourmalet to be tough, but not as tough as Plateau de Beille. I never had to stop, and kept a nice, steady pace up the Tourmalet even through the harder patches. I finally made it and the statue that I had waited for a year to see with my own eyes came into sight.
As we got to the top of the Tourmalet, we came up through the clouds and we were rewarded with something special. This is my favorite photo of the whole trip, and someday when I scratch out a few moments I will use one of the many services on the internet to get a framed print of this one made.
At the top of the Tourmalet there are a few souvenir shops and one restaurant, which was a treasure trove of history. Very cool stuff in there, and it was neat to rub shoulders with the international crowd of cycling enthusiasts who had just lived out a dream, like I did.
We all rested a bit and had a sandwich and coffee or in my case, hot chocolate. It was brisk up there.
The descent was really long and I got shivering again. I had to stop to warm up a bit as the shivering was making it a bit unsafe. Stopping to take a photo of the donkeys was fine with me.
Many of the group packed it in at the bottom of the Tourmalet and headed back to the hotel in the vans but the rest of us started the LONG ascent of the other side of the Aspin. On the flats many of the guys rolled away from me, but I caught most of them on the climb, as usual.
We got back to Arreau and the hotel and it was announced that there would be one more ride tomorrow, a one to two hour final goodbye ride. I announced "no way, I am getting beer" and with that made my way to the local convenience store and bought a case of beer for everyone, including our guides as a thank you to them. I didn't really party, but I did sit around and drink a few beers. I was done cycling, and I literally couldn't believe what I had accomplished in the previous 12 days. You see, just six or seven years ago I was a total fatass - baby, I had come a long, long way and I wanted to sit in a chair for a bit and celebrate.
We all cleaned up and assembled for our last dinner in Arreau.
Appetizer was a wonderful shrimp salad with a type of remoulade dressing. There were more shrimp under the ones you see on top and there were also apples in the salad.
Entre was lamb with a casserole of zucchini and cheese. Pretty good.
The cheese couse was mildly stinky and satisfying.
I forgot to take a photo of dessert, but it was a flan with raspberry coulis. I make better so nothing special.
The next morning we woke up and had to pack and leave for Toulouse. The others went for a morning ride, but not me. I just relaxed and hung around the mechanics and watched them break my bike down to learn all I could about my bike.
We got to Toulouse and the hotel was right by the airport. Pretty tiny place. But we did have Carl's favorite, glassware syncronicity.
Like I said, the rooms were tiny. My roomie and I got to know each other pretty well.
The next day I had to get up at Oh Dark Thirty and leave. Some final thoughts in the next and last part of this series.
Today's riding:
Distance: 53 miles
Saddle time: 4.5 hours
9100' of rise (ouch)
Monday, September 05, 2011
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Odd Things That I Observe...
...while doing other things.
Dan has written before about situational awareness. That has been in my DNA since I began traveling to and from Chicago for art school and work since 1971. At that time walking anywhere west of north Michigan Ave was dicey. River North as it is now known was stew-bum heaven back then and the commuter train station was a magnet for seedy ner’do-well’s so I grew eyes in the back of my head.
At this point in my life I look at most of what I see and compare things to how it once was. Call it situational awareness run amok.
Take public restrooms for instance, or office building restrooms where everything is now automated. One reason could be sanitation. The other could be miserly.
The toilets no longer have manual flush valves, they have been replaced with motion detectors. Seems like a good idea.
Soap dispensers and wash basin faucets have also been fitted with motion sensors. I approve, I guess.
Paper towel dispensers also are motion activated.
For the past few weeks I have been working under a three-month contract at the headquarters of a large corporation in the western suburbs. That in itself is something I have never experienced. They have an internal creative department in order to keep from being fleeced by parasitic large marketing and ad agencies. That’s smart.
The HQ is a sprawling new five-story building with an atrium at the center. I have a pass that I must wear on a lanyard in order to activate the revolving entry doors. Security is very tight. One thing I notice is the wall-mounted, motion-activated Purell hand sanitizers placed anywhere there is a door or elevator. No problem with that, in fact I use them often being the germ killing freak that I have become.
The office space is one huge cube farm and very few high execs have small offices with doors.
Going to the restroom is one amazing experience. Next to the door is the hand sanitizer, of course. If they were serious about sanitation there would be a blind entry with no doors at all.
Each time I walk into the men’s room I pass two paper towel dispensers that activate just by walking by. I have seen four feet of paper towel reach the floor from both after a few users walk past in a row.
The urinals flush when I walk away. Fine. But the sit down crappers are a real trip. BTW, I always use the handicapped stall because it gives me ample arm room to read The Wall Street Journal which has yet to be published in a tabloid format.
As a sidebar I prefer using The New York Times to Charmin.
As is found in most respectable public restrooms these days are the ass-gasket dispensers. I always use an ass-gasket to sit where germy butt grease may have been left from the lazy non-ass gasket users. Here is where the fun begins and it could be similar to a Three Stooges bit.
I pull out one ass gasket. I carefully tear the center portion away, since if not done properly, the whole dam thing could rip in half making me toss it and start over. I carefully place the neatly torn ass gasket on the seat. When I turn around to drop trow the motion activator kicks in and sucks down my carefully crafted ass gasket into the pipe. The suction is almost as powerful as toilets found on airliners. So now I need to grab another ass gasket, carefully tear the center away, place it neatly on the seat and move very slowly in order to keep it from being sucked down again. Sometime my method works, sometime it doesn’t. I have had to carefully tear up to three ass gaskets before I can finally assume the position. But the experience is not over no.
After I drop the brown kids into the swimming pool I reach for the appropriate length of paper, lean to the left for a hasty removal of any Klingons and the damn toilet flushes each and every time. Since I am not Cheryl Crowe I need more than one sheet and it may take more than a few times to get the job done properly.
Simply standing up activates the motion flushing device and automatically sucks down the used ass gasket so the sanitary aspect of the experience succeeds.
Now it’s time to wash my hands. I like the automatic soap dispenser but the motion activated faucet stops surging water if my hands do not nearly touch the faucet tip. The water can get extremely hot so I must travel back and forth from sink to sink to rinse off all the soap. The motion activated towel dispensers have already sensed my presence and have dispensed more towel than I need.
I wipe my hands and use the used towel to grab the door handle. When I leave the room I also use the motion activated hand sanitizer as a final precaution.
Can’t I just relieve myself without all the unintended consequences of miserly sanitation? I recall the days of flush handles, faucet handles that allow the user to regulate the temperature and hand cranks for paper towel dispensers. Hand sanitizer was non-existent and if it was only pussies would have used it.
Just another case of my situational awareness run amok.
Dan has written before about situational awareness. That has been in my DNA since I began traveling to and from Chicago for art school and work since 1971. At that time walking anywhere west of north Michigan Ave was dicey. River North as it is now known was stew-bum heaven back then and the commuter train station was a magnet for seedy ner’do-well’s so I grew eyes in the back of my head.
At this point in my life I look at most of what I see and compare things to how it once was. Call it situational awareness run amok.
Take public restrooms for instance, or office building restrooms where everything is now automated. One reason could be sanitation. The other could be miserly.
The toilets no longer have manual flush valves, they have been replaced with motion detectors. Seems like a good idea.
Soap dispensers and wash basin faucets have also been fitted with motion sensors. I approve, I guess.
Paper towel dispensers also are motion activated.
For the past few weeks I have been working under a three-month contract at the headquarters of a large corporation in the western suburbs. That in itself is something I have never experienced. They have an internal creative department in order to keep from being fleeced by parasitic large marketing and ad agencies. That’s smart.
The HQ is a sprawling new five-story building with an atrium at the center. I have a pass that I must wear on a lanyard in order to activate the revolving entry doors. Security is very tight. One thing I notice is the wall-mounted, motion-activated Purell hand sanitizers placed anywhere there is a door or elevator. No problem with that, in fact I use them often being the germ killing freak that I have become.
The office space is one huge cube farm and very few high execs have small offices with doors.
Going to the restroom is one amazing experience. Next to the door is the hand sanitizer, of course. If they were serious about sanitation there would be a blind entry with no doors at all.
Each time I walk into the men’s room I pass two paper towel dispensers that activate just by walking by. I have seen four feet of paper towel reach the floor from both after a few users walk past in a row.
The urinals flush when I walk away. Fine. But the sit down crappers are a real trip. BTW, I always use the handicapped stall because it gives me ample arm room to read The Wall Street Journal which has yet to be published in a tabloid format.
As a sidebar I prefer using The New York Times to Charmin.
As is found in most respectable public restrooms these days are the ass-gasket dispensers. I always use an ass-gasket to sit where germy butt grease may have been left from the lazy non-ass gasket users. Here is where the fun begins and it could be similar to a Three Stooges bit.
I pull out one ass gasket. I carefully tear the center portion away, since if not done properly, the whole dam thing could rip in half making me toss it and start over. I carefully place the neatly torn ass gasket on the seat. When I turn around to drop trow the motion activator kicks in and sucks down my carefully crafted ass gasket into the pipe. The suction is almost as powerful as toilets found on airliners. So now I need to grab another ass gasket, carefully tear the center away, place it neatly on the seat and move very slowly in order to keep it from being sucked down again. Sometime my method works, sometime it doesn’t. I have had to carefully tear up to three ass gaskets before I can finally assume the position. But the experience is not over no.
After I drop the brown kids into the swimming pool I reach for the appropriate length of paper, lean to the left for a hasty removal of any Klingons and the damn toilet flushes each and every time. Since I am not Cheryl Crowe I need more than one sheet and it may take more than a few times to get the job done properly.
Simply standing up activates the motion flushing device and automatically sucks down the used ass gasket so the sanitary aspect of the experience succeeds.
Now it’s time to wash my hands. I like the automatic soap dispenser but the motion activated faucet stops surging water if my hands do not nearly touch the faucet tip. The water can get extremely hot so I must travel back and forth from sink to sink to rinse off all the soap. The motion activated towel dispensers have already sensed my presence and have dispensed more towel than I need.
I wipe my hands and use the used towel to grab the door handle. When I leave the room I also use the motion activated hand sanitizer as a final precaution.
Can’t I just relieve myself without all the unintended consequences of miserly sanitation? I recall the days of flush handles, faucet handles that allow the user to regulate the temperature and hand cranks for paper towel dispensers. Hand sanitizer was non-existent and if it was only pussies would have used it.
Just another case of my situational awareness run amok.
France Cycling Trip 2011, Part Sixteen
The next day I woke up to rain, and a lot of it. Fortunately I had scored a pair of earplugs and was able to get some rest, despite the best efforts of my roomie with sleep apnea. We were informed at breakfast that this day would be our first (and only) rainout of the trip. No riding.
We had some options. One was to dodge the raindrops and go for a hike, or just chill out around Arreau, or go to Lourdes. I decided to go to Lourdes.
I am not Catholic, but am always interested in things of historical significance. Four of us chose Lourdes so we piled in a car and off we went. It was about a 90 minute drive from Arreau. It was nice to get to Lourdes and see civilization. The population of Lourdes is about fifteen thousand or so. The main attraction, of course, is the shrine where supposedly folks have seen Mary and many miracles have been recorded from drinking the waters there. You can read about it elsewhere if you like, the wiki gives a pretty good synopsis.
I don't believe in that sort of stuff, but of course wanted to be respectful to the guys I was with, a few of which were Catholic. And I wanted to be respectful to the many folks that were there doing their deal.
It was amazing to see bus after bus load of people piling into Lourdes. The area around the shrine/church had steady foot traffic, even in the rain.
This is the church that they built directly on top of the grotto, or cave where Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette.
There was actually a service going on while we were there. We accidentally went in through the out door. Whoops, sorry about that.
Down below you can see the grotto itself. People were bringing things to touch the cave walls with, and many had paper that they used pencils with to make an impression of the cave on. Not my cup of tea, but to each their own. There were a lot of penguins there.
Down the line from the grotto were row upon row of candle holding areas. You could bring your own, or buy ones there. There were big candles, small ones, and medium sized ones. It was pretty interesting. I heard that there were dudes employed full time to clean up the wax.
At this statue of Mary a bunch of people were singing.
This is an area where the infirm could be wheeled/stretchered into the healing waters there. It wasn't in operation while I was present.
This is a long shot of the whole area. Note the river right there. They had a large place where you could get the healing waters for yourself and fill as many containers as you liked. Some were drinking it right out of the tap, some were filling little bottles to bring home. I don't know if you are supposed to drink the stuff or splash it on you, or what the rules were. I also wondered if the healing waters came right out of the river, or if it was from a spring, or a municipal water system. Anyway, I took a small sip for good luck.
I should give a shout out to the Catholic Church - they didn't charge a cent to get to any of the things in the shrine and even had free water bottles there if you wanted to bring some holy water back with you. They had a donation place, but you weren't forced to give. I thought that was pretty nice.
The area around the shrine is absolutely packed with stores where you can get Chinese made statues of your favorite saint, special water bottles, you name it. I picked up the Lourdes throat lozenges made with official Lourdes water. Yes, you could get practically anything with Lourdes on it.
We then toured a castle in Lourdes and I took a few shots from the top. You can see the Lourdes church complex in the distance.
We stopped for lunch and I got a pizza. I ate the whole thing, and it was pretty good. Pizza isn't that different in France and it is served everywhere. The ingredients such as the sausages are far superior to here though.
Back to the hotel we went and I enjoyed happy hour with a few of my tour mates. For dinner this evening, we had these items.
Appetizer was pasta with parmesan and some yummy bacon on top.
Main course was a BOSS veal stew. The potatoes were really good too.
The cheese course was Brie. Nothing to scream about, to me Brie only gets so good.
Dessert was this marvelous blueberry tart with custard. The best dessert I have had so far.
Time for rest - tomorrow would be the second biggest day of riding on my trip next to the race and on it is one of the most famous climbs in all of cycling, the Tourmalet.
We had some options. One was to dodge the raindrops and go for a hike, or just chill out around Arreau, or go to Lourdes. I decided to go to Lourdes.
I am not Catholic, but am always interested in things of historical significance. Four of us chose Lourdes so we piled in a car and off we went. It was about a 90 minute drive from Arreau. It was nice to get to Lourdes and see civilization. The population of Lourdes is about fifteen thousand or so. The main attraction, of course, is the shrine where supposedly folks have seen Mary and many miracles have been recorded from drinking the waters there. You can read about it elsewhere if you like, the wiki gives a pretty good synopsis.
I don't believe in that sort of stuff, but of course wanted to be respectful to the guys I was with, a few of which were Catholic. And I wanted to be respectful to the many folks that were there doing their deal.
It was amazing to see bus after bus load of people piling into Lourdes. The area around the shrine/church had steady foot traffic, even in the rain.
This is the church that they built directly on top of the grotto, or cave where Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette.
There was actually a service going on while we were there. We accidentally went in through the out door. Whoops, sorry about that.
Down below you can see the grotto itself. People were bringing things to touch the cave walls with, and many had paper that they used pencils with to make an impression of the cave on. Not my cup of tea, but to each their own. There were a lot of penguins there.
Down the line from the grotto were row upon row of candle holding areas. You could bring your own, or buy ones there. There were big candles, small ones, and medium sized ones. It was pretty interesting. I heard that there were dudes employed full time to clean up the wax.
At this statue of Mary a bunch of people were singing.
This is an area where the infirm could be wheeled/stretchered into the healing waters there. It wasn't in operation while I was present.
This is a long shot of the whole area. Note the river right there. They had a large place where you could get the healing waters for yourself and fill as many containers as you liked. Some were drinking it right out of the tap, some were filling little bottles to bring home. I don't know if you are supposed to drink the stuff or splash it on you, or what the rules were. I also wondered if the healing waters came right out of the river, or if it was from a spring, or a municipal water system. Anyway, I took a small sip for good luck.
I should give a shout out to the Catholic Church - they didn't charge a cent to get to any of the things in the shrine and even had free water bottles there if you wanted to bring some holy water back with you. They had a donation place, but you weren't forced to give. I thought that was pretty nice.
The area around the shrine is absolutely packed with stores where you can get Chinese made statues of your favorite saint, special water bottles, you name it. I picked up the Lourdes throat lozenges made with official Lourdes water. Yes, you could get practically anything with Lourdes on it.
We then toured a castle in Lourdes and I took a few shots from the top. You can see the Lourdes church complex in the distance.
We stopped for lunch and I got a pizza. I ate the whole thing, and it was pretty good. Pizza isn't that different in France and it is served everywhere. The ingredients such as the sausages are far superior to here though.
Back to the hotel we went and I enjoyed happy hour with a few of my tour mates. For dinner this evening, we had these items.
Appetizer was pasta with parmesan and some yummy bacon on top.
Main course was a BOSS veal stew. The potatoes were really good too.
The cheese course was Brie. Nothing to scream about, to me Brie only gets so good.
Dessert was this marvelous blueberry tart with custard. The best dessert I have had so far.
Time for rest - tomorrow would be the second biggest day of riding on my trip next to the race and on it is one of the most famous climbs in all of cycling, the Tourmalet.
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