Happy New Year Everyone

2007 is at it's end. This is quite literally my last chance to write something this year, as I'm moving into a year that is supposed to quite literally redefine my life. What is the defining moment of the year? That's a very difficult question to answer.

Perhaps it is the violence and nightmares that still run rampant throughout the world. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to plod along, and purges and assassinations run wild. 2007 was a far cry from the peaceful world of tomorrow that our parents' generation had looked forward to.

Maybe it was science. This year, global warming was finally acknowledged as a true threat. Scientists are finally starting to work towards alternative energy sources, even though many companies are only doing "feel good" measures such as producing hybrid cars that don't actually save the environment due to production wastes.

Most likely, the most defining events in 2007 for most of the western world included the television writers' strike and the antics of celebrities. This is something that we should really work to remedy in 2008. If we're lucky, we'll overcome our shortcomings as a species, and maybe get to that world of tomorrow someday after all.

2007 for me was a mixed bag. My career continues to chug along, and I learned how to ride a bike. One could say I've kept myself busy. What does 2008 hold? I'm not entirely sure. It holds my 25th birthday, and I certainly hope it holds much more. I've always held that my 25th year would be different...perhaps a career change or defining personal moment.

In any case, I wish everyone luck and happiness in 2008. Everyone be careful out there tonight, especially if you're going to be on the road.

Health Concerns...do they really know anything?

I was up in the breakroom today heating up a cut of noodles when I saw a sign posted on the fridge, loudly proclaiming (something unwelcome at such an ungodly hour in the morning, namely before noon) that "YOU CAN ENJOY EGGS AGAIN!" Well I'll personally pass on that, but I don't recall my doctor ever telling me to stop enjoying eggs. Was there some egg-transmitted disease that I had be previously unaware of?

So while I waited for the microwave timer to tick down, I read the poster. Apparently science in its infinite wisdom has now decided that eggs do not pose a cholesterol problem in your diet, and you can now eat them until you actually turn yellow and white, without "science" putting the smack down on your heart with a gigantic blob of ugliness. To egg lovers around the world, this is fantastic news...science has redeemed their food.

Science constantsly flip flops on what foods are healthy and not. A long time ago, margerine was healthier than butter, but then it was found that most margarines are high in trans fats (which used to be considered benign), and butter became healthy again. Now it's being said that the saturated fats in butter outweigh any health benefits.

Even at my young age, I've seen eggs, milk, butter, coffee, alchohol, oils, and food additives fall in and out of favour. What is healthy for you today seems to be always poised to kill you tomorrow, and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it. A long time ago "science" said that it made good sense to give people salt tablets in the heat, to protect against the heat. Probably because people sweat less when they are dehydrated.

My take on this whole thing is the nutritional scientific community is still in its infancy, and STILL cannot be trusted. So instead of "You can enjoy eggs again!", the sign should have read "We fucked up, you could have enjoyed eggs all along!". They didn't discover anything new, they just discovered they were wrong. Again. Big deal.

Snow

It snowed today. There's something about the first snow that makes one forgive the biting cold that will soon be upon us, makes one forget about the freezing rain that preceded it.

The snow made me think of us. Made me imagine us hand in hand, going out to dinner in a quaint restaurant in the old section of downtown. When winter's air is still crisp and fresh, it is the little things that count. The light crackle of fresh snow under shoes, sidewalks unmarred by the slush that will arrive within days, even hours. The clouds clearing for a moment and the moonlight illuminating your beautiful features, the cold just cold enough to bring a rosy colour to your cheeks, matching your full red lips.

Afterwards, music and conversation in a den...a crackling fire in the fireplace bathing us in warmth and comfort. The music and lights are low, and we're having one of those late night conversations about nothing at all, the half empty bottle of wine lays forgotten on the end table-alcohol isn't needed to keep each other's attention. Our cars lay abandoned in the driveway as the snow continues to fall. We don't care, we aren't going anywhere.

Evening turns into night, and night marches on...we don't notice, rapt in each other's company.

It snowed today. This didn't happen, nor will it tomorrow. Why would I ever write it down? I don't know. I needed to write it down, needed to let my thoughts out for air. Out of six billion people on this Earth, the last one that I think would read this-would be you.

An invisible generation

I was shopping this weekend at Sears when I noticed something. A disturbing lack of people in my generation floating around. I know I was at Sears, probably on of the least hip (or is it affordable) stores in Belleville, but I found this shocking.

Firstly, the mall was packed. The parking lot was full almost to overflowing, and walking space was limited in the stores. It wasn't a quiet day, and my half hour wait in line to check out was a testimony to this. Secondly, I'm not limiting this problem to the customers...there were very few young staff members.

Maybe it's an upsurge in the popularity of online shopping. But I've speculated that it's something far different, and perhaps worse.

My generation is the one that no matter how much time passes, refuses to grow up.

As I enter my mid-20's (mid already, amazing how time flies), I look around at my friends and former classmates. Very few of us are out there working real 9 to 5 jobs, and have places of our own. I can count on two hands the number of people my age that are out of their parents' house, have finished a college or university course, and have non-minimum wage jobs. A great number of us are still tied to our parents in some way, whether it be for financial support, food, or housing.

That's what I saw yesterday-our parents going about day to day life. Our parents' generation was out shopping, and our parents' generation was running the store. No twenty somethings out buying clothes or Christmas presents, and hardly any behind the desks. We weren't there, no showing...I had plenty of time to muse about this as I stood in line. We were at home playing computer games, working the fast food joints, studying for exams, or listening to the latest pop albums (of which #1 and 2 at Future Shop this week are Ms. Spears and Backstreet Boys respectively this week, something that scares me a great deal for progress in music, but that's another post).

Is it too much to ask for our generation to get off our butts and start to take over? Granted the boomers outnumber us by a huge number, but I've been waiting my entire adult life to start to see my peers in the workforce, in the public, in places other than the gym, school, and so on...other than where our late teens and first few years of college were spent. I work for a company that has 250 office staff. My office holds 60 people. There is exactly one other person under 30 here, two or three under 40, and I would say less than 10% company-wide. Every job I've ever had other than Wal-Mart has been like this.

If our generation doesn't start stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility for stuff soon, we're going to be on a collision for some interesting times. Sooner or later, the boomers are going to start retiring, and we're going to have to. If we don't have competent, trained individuals out in the "real world" by then, we may just have to rely on our parents for everything forever...won't that be fun?

Guess I'm sick of feeling a little older, and looking around at everyone who still feels young. Call me bitter, but I think we all need to grow up a bit, else our generation will always be invisible.

Where are your papers?

I'm going to take some time and get political this evening. It happens from time to time, and far be it from me to foist my tin-foil-hat-wearing opinions on everyone else, but every now and then I need to rant on things that I observe.

I studied the Cold War in high school. Most people who would bother to read this (the dozens of alternate personlity readers included), would know this. So I'm not going to dwell on that too much, everyone will just have to trust me. The forty year "conflict" is probably one of the most interesting wars in history. Very little fighting, and far fewer deaths than either of the World Wars, but more than enough hatred and prejudice spread around to make up for it.

Back then, sweeping generalizations were made to smear the other side. To be labeled a communist, or socialist in the western world was tantamount to be called a traitor, even though the Soviets were far from either ideology. I once read a simplification of North American thoughts of the USSR that sums the idea up nicely. Some parents explained communism to their children by telling them "In the Soviet Union, you have no choice of ice cream, EVERYBODY gets Vanilla." Perhaps it was true, I know it is fact that they only had four television stations, even in 1990. The USSR wasn't only communism, it was some sort of bizarre semi-communist dictatorship. There were the elite, who ruled, and the working class, who went about their business, with no say.

To try to steer this meandering back on course, there's something about the Soviet Union that I would like to remind everyone...even those too young to remember. They were portrayed as the devil for requiring even their own citizens to seek permission to leave the country. Their own citizens were not free to travel without government permission. Rewind a few more decades, and another nation had this habit...Nazi-era Germany. Most recognize the stereotypical line "Your papers, please..."

The United States TSA has proposed a new set of rules and regulations that would require airlines to submit a full passenger manifest 72 hours before takeoff for all international flights. This means that even US citizens will be screened leaving the United States. While the intention MAY be benign, this is an exit visa, by any other name. The potential for abuse of this system is almost limitless. A draft list in effect? Anyone selected automatically screened out. Showing signs of political dissidence? Same. This may not happen for years, perhaps even decades, but the level of power this grants the American government over their own citizens almost ensures that some day, it will.

It could easily be dismissed as fringe conspiracy theories, but ask yourself, would it really be surprising if the hyperpower that has launched two offensive wars in the past decade lashed out at its own citizens. A forever war, which is what has really been handed to western civilization, can only last so long on a volunteer army. Sooner or later, if this war continues to expand, as the American rhetoric promises with Iran, a draft will not only help, but will be necessary. A mass exodus in case of economic collapse, a sure bet if the petrodollar system comes crashing down, would also negatively affect the American nation-as skilled workers abandon ship before the waterline gets too high. These new rules would stop people from leaving at the government's discretion.

Wait a minute, you're probably saying to yourself. I'm Canadian, this doesn't affect me! I tender that this is nonsense. Since World War II, Canada has lost a great deal of its national identity to its big brother to the south. Our national defense is slaved to theirs, and our society and way of life is very similar. Our government is very much in the Americans' pocket, and if you don't believe that, recall softwood lumber, or NAFTA, or virtually any other dispute between Canada and the United States.

Which brings me to the final part of our political rant, our governments. Our governments are made up of the elite, a bunch of rich bureaucrats so far out of touch with the "real" world that the rest of us live in and its challenges as to be ineffective. That's why they consistently make gaffes when asked about costs of living, or what issues should be important to the voters. They campaign on a set of issues that varies very little from party to party, and ignore the will of the people for the most part. Look at the approval ratings of the government south of the border. In the last Ontario election a few days ago, I had a hard time choosing a candidate...because by and large, I thought they were all gasbags. I've grown cynical, and distrust politicians (gee, can you tell?), but it's a problem when you can label what ideology your candidate is following, and that ideology is the support of the corporate world, no matter what the cost.

Hmm....exit visas for US citizens, governments that are out of touch and removed from their constituents....I feel like I just went through all this. We're not there yet...our friends south of the border aren't there yet. But we're on our way, and if we don't watch ourselves, the trip will be short.

Encyclopedia Dan

This is certainly venting, I'll make no bones about it. Having been a "computer guy" for a few years now, and college before, I've endured my share my "techy questions". This isn't the problem, I knew that was what I was getting into before going into the career field. You work in computers, and you're expected to have an encyclopedic knowledge of all high tech gizmos and gear, from the latest HD-DVD player, to programming a VCR.

My problem (and why I'm inclined to vent), is when people get pissy when the "computer guy" doesn't know something off the top of his head. Over the past few years, I've dealt with numerous impolite responses to not having an answer. Usually they sound something along the lines of "I thought you knew alot about this stuff." in a very sarcastic tone of voice.

Yes. Yes, I do. It's my job to know alot about tech. But it isn't my job to know everything about tech. Off the top of my head, I won't be able to tell you how to recover your lost password from your ISP's email account, especially when you can't remember what your email client or version of Windows is, let alone your ISP info. No, I don't know how to do such and such in Vista, or how to make your Office 2007 install tap dance backwards in time. These programs are new. And from everything I've read, they're total trainwrecks still-so I'm waiting for updates before I try them.

I don't know how to fix your answering machine that's acting up. No, not even after you telling me it's plugged DIRECTLY into the wall. Electronics like that are disposable these days, something I've mentioned in another post. No, I don't know what is wrong with your DSL just by hearing that "it won't connect". Getting upset about my generic list of things to check won't help any, I haven't looked at it-I'm not psychic.

Think of it this way-you wouldn't go to your mechanic buddy and say "My car won't start, how do I fix it." and when they come back with the fact that they'll need more information, say "What the &$^% man, I thought you knew this stuff." Same with a doctor, wouldn't get pissed at them if they couldn't tell you off the top why you can't run ten miles without stopping. Most computer people are more than happy to help, but I know it's a frustrating world for people in our field. Failure, or solutions that require more than a few minutes thought, are looked down on. Assistance is supposed to be immediate, with immediate results, and most certainly free. I for one, have had acquaintences that I haven't heard from in years call me up when they have a problem with their machine. Is that friendship? Or merely being used? Draw your own conclusions.

So I'm done with the venting, and just hope you'll all be a little kinder to any "computer guys" you know in the future if they come back with an answer you didn't want to hear, like "I don't know.". The size of it is there are people who know EVERYTHING about tech. But they usually have a severe case of asperger's syndrome, and have far less of a life than myself...good luck getting to know them without wanting to kill them. In short, most people in my field are willing to help, as long as things are polite. Insulting our lack of knowledge is not the best way to get us to pitch in and fix your problem.

Car problems, microcosm for society?

I've been having some minor vehicle problems as of late. My bike has a broken rad drain plug, a 6 dollar part with a 2 dollar gasket that is going to take four days to get here. This is excusable, as the machine's from 1984, and plastic parts only last so long. The real wake up call though is the issue my car is going through, which is even more minor, but an interesting story.

Many moons ago, I had the Ford dealership change a bunch of burnt lightbulbs for me when I had the car in for an oil change. Shameful, I know, as I frequently change my own oil, and lightbulbs are generally an even easier task, but chalk it up to the laziness that today's busy lifestyle can often provoke. I figured that if the car was going in, might as well pay 10 bucks to just have the work "done" for me. I could drive off, and not spend precious minutes trying to figure out how to get the different housings removed from the car. Fast forward a year to a few days ago. I happen to notice that one of my plate lamps is out. I shrug, as the parking lot at work is kind of rough, and figure vibration's just killed the bulb. Yesterday, I get around to removing the old bulb and notice that my problem isn't simply a burned bulb. It appears that the last time the bulb was changed, the plastic housing got cracked. This allowed water to get in the socket for the bulb, rusting the socket. I tried cleaning the corrosion off, but the prongs were very fragile, and one of them was rotten right through.

Still a nothing part, but here's the kicker...I go to Ford this morning, and the housing is 15 bucks or thereabouts. No problem. The socket is $56, and has to come in from the US, which will take a week or so. The amount of money for the socket made me raise an eyebrow, but the fact that it's going to take me longer to get a simple part for a fairly modern car, when an equally simple part for a 23 year old motorcycle can get here in four days, at far less the cost, is what really surprises me. The plate bulb is pretty standard, and in reality we're talking about a one inch wide bulb socket with two little electrical prongs in it, all the complexity of your dollar store flashlight. Now the cost is the way it is, and so is the time to get it here. I don't want to sound like a whiny kid, but it makes me pose a question about our disposable society.

Have we become so throw away that even the simplest things are expensive or hard to fix? Not just cars, but seemingly everything in our age is designed to make repairs difficult. No one repairs electronics anymore. If your TV or stereo dies, it's simply a matter of tossing it and getting a new one. Try to find a stereo repair shop anymore...a few people changing fuses, but no one with a service manual and the will to track down a problem. Even bigger items, that are traditionally fixed...small engines for example, are somewhat easier to replace than repair.

Not just our goods...but our lives to. Instead of therapy and hard work, most people divorce at the first sign in marriage and move on to the next vict....err lover. Children take a wrong turn, and parents give up on raising them, allowing them to be delinquent, leading to other troubles later in life. People spend no time trying to fix their careers if they get off track, instead preferring to blame the world for being cruel, heading to a shrink to get medicated and move on. We even have problems on national levels, countries not talking to each other, the same problems across the board.

Regardless as to why, it's a problem with our society that needs to be fixed. Too much is wasted, in so many ways. As a society, we need to work harder at maintaining friendships, along with our lives.

Fall

It's getting cooler out there. There's no denying it, this change in seasons. The thought of firing up the BBQ is further the back of my mind, and I find myself wearing a jacket when I go out, and spending far more time indoors, cooking, listening to music, and my winter habits. I'll probably listen to the Beach Boys someday in the car this week, and some of you would know that usually heralds the last warm week of summer...and they are forecasting 28 degrees out there.

Lately, I've had a hard time of it, dealing with less than computer savvy people at work. There are days where I feel like my life is a bad episode of The IT Crowd, or a Dilbert comic strip. Still, I must remind myself that life is good. I'm gainfully employed, and had a decent summer, starting a new hobby with the bike.

So what does fall entail, besides cooler weather? Shorter days are a given, but also more time to kill in the evenings, as I no doubt will be putting the bike away. I intend to spend some more time writing, hopefully to knock off another novel before next summer's end. Why? When the other two were finally successfully completed a few years ago? There are still stories left to tell, and so little time in which to tell them. I feel I had better get a move on, so to speak.

Still, everyone should remember to enjoy what's left of the good weather. Before too long the snow will be upon us, and winter's gloom will be in the air constantly.

Maps...and routes to your destination.

Maps. I have gotten along fairly well in my life without them. I've always looked down at maps as a crutch for people who had no sense of direction, or would forget a route easily. It's not often that I even look at charts when flying. I've always seen maps as something that remains folded in the glove box, just in case. I think I may have taken one out once in the past seven years on the road. But maps aren't just a tool for when you get lost, they can make life easier. The reality, which I most often overlook, is that when a route is planned using a map, one can take their mind off a direction, and what roads are needed, as it's all down on paper. This is a lesson that I recall from flight school, and the fact that I prefer to just “cruise” doesn't make it any less valid. I'm more than willing to admit that.

This year, and most importantly, this summer, has been a process of self-discovery for me. It hasn't been easy, and what I jokingly refer to as the “midlife crisis” has shocked and surprised some. Have I found out what I wanted to know? No, not yet, but I'm on the road. One thing that is for certain is it hasn't been easy without a map, a tool that I usually disdain. Sometimes, simply driving in the direction that you want to go isn't enough. Sometimes you need to have a plan.

That's why my “remarketing” is taking so long, why I seem to alternate between my old self and new. With no plan, and just knowing that I need to make changes in my life, it takes time. No roadmap means a meandering path to where I need to be, and it has taken months, and could perhaps take years before I finally determine who I am. Will I still be the old Dan next year at this time? Probably not, one way or the other. This may all seem a little introspective, but vacation has given me some time to think.

So...things have changed. Will I get in a plane again? Probably at some point. The bike has certainly been fun so far, if a little left field of where I usually sit. A little more and less risk all at the same time. Tomorrow, I'm off on my first real tour, the low cost vacation that being in the working class forces on me. Will it be fun? Certainly. I'll be leaving here armed with my digital camera and a healthy sense of adventure, touring through a dozen towns and cities. It promises to be interesting. Will I learn anything about myself? Maybe, but maybe not...but it's the journey that counts. Maybe I'll even bring a map. But even if I don't, I'll get there anyway, it'll just take a little longer.