Showing posts with label Wondering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wondering. Show all posts
04 January 2016
The Year's First Conundrum
What the hell are "squad goals"? Perhaps it's time for me to disengage from pop culture a bit more...
21 July 2015
Going Underground
Every day when I leave work, I walk past the entrance to the tunnel in Harvard Square that the MBTA buses use, and every day I have to resist the urge to walk down it instead of going around the corner and walking one more short block to the proper entrance that pedestrians use.
I did walk in the tunnel once, a long time ago, but I walked out of it after getting off a bus, when I knew there were no other buses coming up behind me. Obviously pedestrians are not supposed to do this; there are signs posted saying not to. What can I say, I have moments where I get bored easily and think of doing something spontaneously. I didn't do it to defy the sign, I did it just because I was curious. It doesn't happen as much as it used to, which is probably better for my longevity.
When I get to the bus boarding area in the tunnel, I watch the buses come through and stack up, waiting for the first bus to finish boarding, and I wonder how the tunnel never got widened enough so that buses might be able to get around each other. Am I the only one who thinks about such things?
I did walk in the tunnel once, a long time ago, but I walked out of it after getting off a bus, when I knew there were no other buses coming up behind me. Obviously pedestrians are not supposed to do this; there are signs posted saying not to. What can I say, I have moments where I get bored easily and think of doing something spontaneously. I didn't do it to defy the sign, I did it just because I was curious. It doesn't happen as much as it used to, which is probably better for my longevity.
When I get to the bus boarding area in the tunnel, I watch the buses come through and stack up, waiting for the first bus to finish boarding, and I wonder how the tunnel never got widened enough so that buses might be able to get around each other. Am I the only one who thinks about such things?
14 May 2014
This Week's Forecast
Yesterday: 85 degrees.
Today: 55 degrees (though it was below 50 for much of the afternoon).
Tomorrow: 72 degrees.
Thursday: a glacier arrives?
Today: 55 degrees (though it was below 50 for much of the afternoon).
Tomorrow: 72 degrees.
Thursday: a glacier arrives?
28 March 2014
Clearly Bonkers
I have a propensity to make fun of ugly clothing and shoes, but I've just seen something so bizarre I don't know what to say:
These are in fact shoes with clear (smoke gray) plastic uppers. I guess you might want to wear these if you have really attractive feet, or an amazing sock collection you want to show off? Regardless, plastic shoes are a bad idea—they don't allow for any air circulation and feet will end up getting clammy. (Why do you think Crocs have holes? It's not for appearance.)
In case you're wondering, these are available at Urban Outfitters. They retail for $80 but are currently 25% off.
In case you're wondering, these are available at Urban Outfitters. They retail for $80 but are currently 25% off.
02 January 2014
Annals of Puzzling Human Behavior
I know I should no longer be surprised when I see people who are ill-dressed for the weather, but I always end up wondering what's going on with them and how they can tolerate the conditions.
It's snowing lightly here today; the brunt of the storm will be coming through later tonight, and by tomorrow we should have a foot of snow. But it's very windy today. One of my eBay items sold last night, so I had to go out this morning to bring it to the post office. I figured it was better to get it into the system today, because I'll be spending a good chunk of tomorrow clearing snow and I don't know how quickly conditions will be returning to something near normal. I promise buyers that I will generally be able to ship their purchases within one business day, so if I want positive feedback it's in my interest to get their packages out quickly.
The two post offices that are easiest to get to are in Medford Square and downtown on Milk Street. Getting to the Medford post office requires more walking when leaving my house and coming back, as the bus route I take to get there is about eight minutes' walk away. Getting downtown requires less time outside: the stop for that bus route is only a minute from our house, and the post office is just around the corner from the State T stop, so today I decided to head downtown.
After I left the post office I saw a guy walking toward me, wearing only a short-sleeve polo shirt and jeans, and some sort of light-duty hiking shoes. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were stuffed into his pockets, and he ducked into a restaurant across from the post office. I suppose he had come from one of the nearby office buildings and figured he didn't need to bundle up to go and get his lunch.
But come on, it's 25 degrees outside and the wind is blowing at around 25 miles an hour. Short sleeves? And maybe this is my own judgmental nature at work, but when I see someone underdressed in such a way in such conditions, I tend to think it makes that person look at least a bit unhinged, as though he had spontaneously decided to wander away from his treatment program.
It's snowing lightly here today; the brunt of the storm will be coming through later tonight, and by tomorrow we should have a foot of snow. But it's very windy today. One of my eBay items sold last night, so I had to go out this morning to bring it to the post office. I figured it was better to get it into the system today, because I'll be spending a good chunk of tomorrow clearing snow and I don't know how quickly conditions will be returning to something near normal. I promise buyers that I will generally be able to ship their purchases within one business day, so if I want positive feedback it's in my interest to get their packages out quickly.
The two post offices that are easiest to get to are in Medford Square and downtown on Milk Street. Getting to the Medford post office requires more walking when leaving my house and coming back, as the bus route I take to get there is about eight minutes' walk away. Getting downtown requires less time outside: the stop for that bus route is only a minute from our house, and the post office is just around the corner from the State T stop, so today I decided to head downtown.
After I left the post office I saw a guy walking toward me, wearing only a short-sleeve polo shirt and jeans, and some sort of light-duty hiking shoes. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were stuffed into his pockets, and he ducked into a restaurant across from the post office. I suppose he had come from one of the nearby office buildings and figured he didn't need to bundle up to go and get his lunch.
But come on, it's 25 degrees outside and the wind is blowing at around 25 miles an hour. Short sleeves? And maybe this is my own judgmental nature at work, but when I see someone underdressed in such a way in such conditions, I tend to think it makes that person look at least a bit unhinged, as though he had spontaneously decided to wander away from his treatment program.
20 December 2013
Futility
Comcast has been carpet-bombing us with letters asking us to call for an "account review," promising to give us more for our money. We get one about every two weeks. The cost of our cable and internet has crept up and up over the past several years and it would be nice to have that bill reduced if possible, so the Mrs. asked me to call them.
I was reluctant to call for a couple of reasons. I don't care for the idea that there's some sort of special discount that may be available, but the only way i can find out about it is if I call the provider. Big companies like Comcast expend most of their effort toward getting new customers, whether that means luring people away from their competition or expanding the areas where they offer their services. Longtime customers should be rewarded for their loyalty, and it should be really easy for me to find out what those rewards are, like going into my account online.
Beyond that I suspected the call would be a waste of time. I called yesterday, and I was right. I was hoping for some sort of discount or variation on our current package that would lower our bill, and I made it clear at the start of the call that I was not interested in adding any other services (they sell all kinds of other crap now like home monitoring, which I'm sure is great for some people). The only offer the rep was able to offer was the addition of HBO and Starz, for about the same amount as we're paying now, but only with a package that includes a home phone line that we neither need nor want.
When I pointed this out to the rep, she actually said something like, "You don't have to activate it." How incredibly pointless and stupid is that? Especially now, with people turning away from cable TV but keeping internet access in order to use streaming services, you would think companies like Comcast would be trying to do more to hold onto the customers they have. I believe it's time for us to consider other provider options.
I was reluctant to call for a couple of reasons. I don't care for the idea that there's some sort of special discount that may be available, but the only way i can find out about it is if I call the provider. Big companies like Comcast expend most of their effort toward getting new customers, whether that means luring people away from their competition or expanding the areas where they offer their services. Longtime customers should be rewarded for their loyalty, and it should be really easy for me to find out what those rewards are, like going into my account online.
Beyond that I suspected the call would be a waste of time. I called yesterday, and I was right. I was hoping for some sort of discount or variation on our current package that would lower our bill, and I made it clear at the start of the call that I was not interested in adding any other services (they sell all kinds of other crap now like home monitoring, which I'm sure is great for some people). The only offer the rep was able to offer was the addition of HBO and Starz, for about the same amount as we're paying now, but only with a package that includes a home phone line that we neither need nor want.
When I pointed this out to the rep, she actually said something like, "You don't have to activate it." How incredibly pointless and stupid is that? Especially now, with people turning away from cable TV but keeping internet access in order to use streaming services, you would think companies like Comcast would be trying to do more to hold onto the customers they have. I believe it's time for us to consider other provider options.
20 November 2013
Light Out
You know how sometimes a street light will suddenly go out, then come back on very dimly a few seconds later, and gradually return to its full brightness? I think most people have seen this happen at least once.
But this is getting weird: when I take the dog out for her "last call" walk around 11:30, we always walk the same way: around the corner and down the street, crossing over about halfway down the block and coming back up the other side. For the past several nights running, I have seen the same street light go out as we approach it.
To my knowledge I have not come in contact with any electromagnetic fields, so I don't have any explanation. And I'm not the sort of person who gets creeped out easily, but this is strange, and seeing it happen several times has me more puzzled than anything else.
But this is getting weird: when I take the dog out for her "last call" walk around 11:30, we always walk the same way: around the corner and down the street, crossing over about halfway down the block and coming back up the other side. For the past several nights running, I have seen the same street light go out as we approach it.
To my knowledge I have not come in contact with any electromagnetic fields, so I don't have any explanation. And I'm not the sort of person who gets creeped out easily, but this is strange, and seeing it happen several times has me more puzzled than anything else.
04 January 2013
Wasted Paper
The phone books started showing up on steps and porches around my neighborhood this week. It happens every year, and since there are several different ones, it will go on for a while. This is so stupid and wasteful, plus it puts the burden of disposal on the recipients.
In 2013 printed phone books are unnecessary for most people, and it's rather surprising that these companies spend the money to compile and print something that few people want or need. I remember reading about a city out west (maybe Seattle?) that passed a law that residents had to be offered the option to opt out of receiving phone books. This is incredibly sensible, and seems like something that might also be handled by a state's department of consumer affairs.
In 2013 printed phone books are unnecessary for most people, and it's rather surprising that these companies spend the money to compile and print something that few people want or need. I remember reading about a city out west (maybe Seattle?) that passed a law that residents had to be offered the option to opt out of receiving phone books. This is incredibly sensible, and seems like something that might also be handled by a state's department of consumer affairs.
12 December 2012
28 July 2011
Laced
Okay, I see from the comments that at least two people are following along. The first one came through around 7:30 this morning, so thanks for early-rising blog readers.
PB, to answer your questions: no, I was not wearing the shoes like this (a little credit?), and they were not aligned exactly—it was a very impromptu decision to take the photo. The lacing of the shoe on the right is what prompted it.
When I buy shoes, if they come with the laces already in them, they are almost invariably laced like the sneaker on the right, with the lace going across the bottom over the lace holes. I've always thought this looks wrong, so I've always switched the lacing so the lace goes under the bottom holes. This way, you get nice, even rows of lacing like the shoe on the left. (I was in the midst of changing the laces on these sneakers when I started thinking about it, and the "in-between" picture seemed like a good way into discussing it.)
As far as comfort and wear, I don't believe there is any difference between one way of lacing and the other. It just makes me wonder why, when "my" way seems to me to be obviously more visually appealing, I don't find more shoes laced this way out of the box. I've also never seen this topic come up anywhere else, leading me to think that my personal obsessions are not nearly as significant as I believe them to be...
PB, to answer your questions: no, I was not wearing the shoes like this (a little credit?), and they were not aligned exactly—it was a very impromptu decision to take the photo. The lacing of the shoe on the right is what prompted it.
When I buy shoes, if they come with the laces already in them, they are almost invariably laced like the sneaker on the right, with the lace going across the bottom over the lace holes. I've always thought this looks wrong, so I've always switched the lacing so the lace goes under the bottom holes. This way, you get nice, even rows of lacing like the shoe on the left. (I was in the midst of changing the laces on these sneakers when I started thinking about it, and the "in-between" picture seemed like a good way into discussing it.)
As far as comfort and wear, I don't believe there is any difference between one way of lacing and the other. It just makes me wonder why, when "my" way seems to me to be obviously more visually appealing, I don't find more shoes laced this way out of the box. I've also never seen this topic come up anywhere else, leading me to think that my personal obsessions are not nearly as significant as I believe them to be...
08 February 2011
Flopped?
When I got to the bus stop this morning I saw, lying on the sidewalk, a single white flip-flop. Is it possible there's a wormhole in the vicinity, and it accidentally slipped off the foot of a time-traveler?
25 January 2011
Strange Noises Unit
Every day, at around 12:25 pm, we hear a strange noise at work. It's kind of a cross between a howl and a siren, and it lasts for two or three seconds. It sounds to me like it's coming from the office on the other side of the wall from where I now sit, but one of my coworkers who sits nearby says that she was outside one day at that time and heard it very plainly, so she believes it originates from somewhere outside our building.
It's all very odd. I'm old enough to recall hearing a civil defense siren go off each evening at 6 pm in the city where I grew up, but that lasted for 15 seconds or so. We have not been able to come up with any credible ideas as to what the source of the sound might be, or any businesses nearby in Brigham Circle that would have reason to sound off in such a way. We'll figure it out eventually, but it's going to take some time.
It's all very odd. I'm old enough to recall hearing a civil defense siren go off each evening at 6 pm in the city where I grew up, but that lasted for 15 seconds or so. We have not been able to come up with any credible ideas as to what the source of the sound might be, or any businesses nearby in Brigham Circle that would have reason to sound off in such a way. We'll figure it out eventually, but it's going to take some time.
12 August 2010
It's Still August, Right?
The Mrs. and I went to Anna's in Davis Square tonight to get burritos. As we were leaving a couple came in. The woman was dressed in a black fleece jacket (zipped up), a gray skirt, and black tights. The guy with her was wearing a '70s-pimpish leather jacket with big lapels in a sort of burnt orange color. Now I know today was a bit cooler than it's been in a while, but really?
24 August 2009
Loafing
Went down to RI yesterday to visit the family. My mother is still recovering from knee replacement surgery, and she asked if we would go and get her some groceries. Since the arrival in her area last year of a branch of the European grocery chain ALDI, she has done a good portion of her shopping there due to their rock-bottom prices, so that's where she wanted us to go.
You find some unusual things in ALDI, many of which are available for only a limited time. While picking up a package of lunch meat, I noticed this. I thought it was so strange that I had to take a picture of it with my phone, but getting pictures off the phone and into the computer is still such a ridiculously difficult process that it's easier just to link to it.
Has anyone ever tried this product? I'd be too scared.
You find some unusual things in ALDI, many of which are available for only a limited time. While picking up a package of lunch meat, I noticed this. I thought it was so strange that I had to take a picture of it with my phone, but getting pictures off the phone and into the computer is still such a ridiculously difficult process that it's easier just to link to it.
Has anyone ever tried this product? I'd be too scared.
20 August 2009
Trade-In Allowance?
In the past three days I've seen three dorks people zipping around on Segways. Are they having an end-of-model-year sale or something? Can you apply the Cash for Clunkers discount to the purchase of one?
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