Time For A Change

This November I will for the second time in my life vote for a Republican. I can only hope this vote will be better then the first one I cast. I am a staunch and proud Democrat. I am not a blind loyalist, but I usually vote along the party lines. If you look at most issues I am usually looked upon as being a Liberal. I am pro-choice, I am in favor of gay marriage and I think it is always a good idea to help people and provide affordable health care to everyone.

In 1998 I voted for my first Republican. It was George Ryan in a vote that I am still very ashamed about. He was running for Governor against a downstate Democrat named Glen Poshard. My vote for Ryan was really a vote against Poshard. He was the weakest candidate I had ever seen and how he was a Democrat I will never know. On every issue he was to the right of center so, I figured well if I am going to vote for a Republican anyway I might as well vote for one that admits to it.

As anyone who follows Illinois politics already knows, the George Ryan administration would be a complete embarrassment. Ryan was convicted of eighteen counts of public corruption in April. The Republican Party in Illinois which was weak to begin with has become a laughing stock in the state. Ryan would be a complete and utter disgrace sending the state into a monumental financial hole that we are still in today. The tip of the iceberg was when they brought in a carpet bagger named Alan Keyes to run for Senator. It was a complete joke and Keyes wound up getting like 20% of the vote.

All that aside, here we are eight years later and I am voting Republican for the second time. This time it is for Cook County Board President. The President of the Cook County has been a Democrat forever. Good old George Dunne held the post for twenty two years. He was as corrupt as they come. I have read a number of books about Chicago politics and in each they all mention how this guy was for sale.

After he retired, Dick Phelan served a four year term. Phelan was a complete boob. At least with Dunne the county was never in debt. Well in four years Phelan ran the county right into the ground. He was a complete joke. He was voted out after only one four year term and replaced by another Democrat John Stroger.

Stroger has held the post since 1994. In that time he has been, mediocre. With the county again in debt and Stroger at 77 years old it was time for a change. So when he ran for re-election I was all set to vote against him in the primary. A week before that election he suffered a stroke. His campaign assured everyone that it was mild and he would be back on his job in a matter of weeks. They kept him on the ballot and he won a tight victory in the primary.

Of course as anyone with a brain knew, it was much more then a mild stroke. It was announced a couple of months later that he would not be able to continue as board President and that he was going to be replaced on the ballot with a candidate the members of the Cook County Democratic board nominated.

All of this sounded and smelled like bullshit. When they nominated Stroger’s son Todd that was it for me. This is not a kingdom where the father bestows his throne onto the son. We have elections in this country for a reason. The Chicago Democrats knew Stroger wasn’t going to be able to run in November. They also knew that a primary win was basically a ticket to election because no Republican is going to win in Cook County.

So, they lied through their teeth and got their pawn to become the Manchurian candidate. So, because of the shenanigans that have gone on I have decided to cast another no vote. I am voting more against Stroger then I am for his opponent. His opponent is Tony Perica. I don’t align myself with any of his political views. He has promised if elected, even though he is pro-life he will not place any limits on abortion in the county hospitals. I believe him, I have to.

If he lies well then in four years we will just have to vote him out. I know a lot of tried and true Democrats that are voting for Perica. I hope he wins because that will send a clear message. If Stroger wins then we are as stupid as these politicians think we are. How anyone could vote for this ass clown is beyond me. We need to stand up for what is right and against the continuing patronage that has gone on in Cook County politics for far too long. I am sick of being the butt of political jokes. I hope that we are smarter then this and people can look past their party affiliations and switch sides. If a true blue, radical, ultra flag burning, liberal like me can do it, then anyone can.

Nick's Top Ten Horror Films

In honor of Halloween fast approaching, here is my list of my ten favorite horror movies. Again, this is in no order other then alphabetical.

Dawn of the Dead – The original Romero 1978 classic. (I did like the re-make but still prefer the O.G. version) In my mind this is the ultimate Zombie film. Besides the horror aspect Romero, was able to use this film as a social commentary about commercialism and modern man. Just a great film by a great film maker. Some prefer Night of the Living Dead, but for my money this is his best work.

Dead Alive – Before Peter Jackson was boring us with his Lord of the Rings trilogy, he made a really good zombie movie. Dead Alive offers a fresh and original idea in the zombie genre. It is funny, it is gory and there is a love story as well. It also gives us one of the greatest and bloodiest endings in modern cinema history.

Evil Dead – Made for absolutely no money, Sam Rami and Bruce Campbell made a classic. It is funny, and gruesome. It works on so many levels. It was innovative and it succeeded because of its originality. Rami uses every trick in his book to come up with more and more ways to shock you. He was twenty one years old when he made this movie. Which is an amazing accomplishment. If you look up cult classic in the dictionary there will be a synopsis of this movie.

The Exorcist – I know it seems somewhat tame by today’s standards but when it was released it scarred the living shit out of the audience. This is what every horror movie sets out to do, it scares Joe Popcorn. When Max von Sydow enters that bedroom to start that exorcism, you are literally on the edge of your seat. A true classic for the ages.

Halloween – John Carpenter gave us our first real horror bad guy in Michael Myers. He pre-dated Freddie and Jason. Halloween was a masterpiece for so many reasons. First off it scarred the shit out of you, which is what a horror movie is supposed to do. It gave you a story and it kept you on the edge of your seat. The true sign of greatness is imitation and this move has been imitated ever since.

Jaws – The movie that created the summer blockbuster. Jaws was a suspenseful and amazing accomplishment. When Chief Brody is throwing chum into the water and we first see that shark you literally jump out of your seat. Say what you want about Spielberg’s later career but this movie showed what a true craftsman he was. Amazing performances from everyone in the cast, created the ultimate thriller. It is still effective today as it was when it first came out.

Psycho – You can pick any number of Hitchcock films. But, no matter what anyone says this is the movie that he is remembered for. Trust me, there is good reason for that. When you kill off the star of the movie in the first act, it takes stones. As a viewer you felt that there was no way Janet Leigh was going to get whacked that early in the movie. Well she did and that set the whole movie in motion. A generation was afraid to go into the shower alone after this film.

Re-Animator – Now, as horror movies go this one is not the scariest. However the camp appeal alone puts it on my list. I can watch this one tonight and still laugh at the over acting and great lines from Jeffrey Combs. I firmly believe that if you don’t like this film then there is something seriously wrong with you.

The Shining – I must say I respect the hell out of this movie. When I saw it as a young adolescent it scarred the living shit out of me. Here, Kubrick takes King’s book and makes a masterpiece of a film. There is so much going on in this movie to freak you out you never feel completely safe until the very last shot of the movie where you see Nicholson’s frozen corpse.

Twenty Eight Days Later – It is rare, very rare for any movie to keep me on the edge of my seat nowadays. This movie accomplished that feat. From the very first shot you are hooked in and it never lets off the gas. Again here is an old genre, zombies and it finds an original take on it. It starts off one way, makes a left turn and takes the viewer on quite a ride. Just a great, fucking movie.

The Little Engine That Could

When I was younger schoolboy, I used to stand at the bus stop in the morning freezing my ass off and I would start thinking. I would think, man I can not wait until I am older and I can drive. Then I won’t have to sit outside and wait for a damn bus to come pick me up. Well, I am now older and I don’t wait for a bus anymore. These days I freeze my ass off waiting for a train.

I have a love-hate relationship with Metra. I love the fact that it exists. I really appreciate it on the few days a year that I am forced to drive downtown. I have never been a fan of traffic and driving downtown could test Mother Teresa’s pertinence. I seriously believe driving everyday downtown through Chicago traffic takes years away from your life expectancy. After a morning of tackling the Stevenson expressway I am ready to go on a killing spree.

The problem is that it is way too easy to obtain a drivers license. There are so many bad drivers out there that it is frightening. The worst traffic jams are the ones caused by gapers’ delays. Like if there is an accident up ahead in the road, traffic starts to crawl because every idiot on the road has to rubberneck their head to see the damage. I could care less. I have seen car accidents and I have no perverse need to see another one.

Once, you make it to the loop, you have to take out a second mortgage to pay for a days parking. The cost to park downtown is out of hand. When you couple that with the cost of gas and the wear and tear on your car one is really left with no other choice then to take Metra.

The train offers its own little series of annoyances as well. First off, the southwest service, which is the line that I take each day is one of the worst lines that Metra offers. They have a ton of excuses for why this is but nothing is ever done to actually address the problem. We are always late. My train has one of the worst on time rates. Metra blames this on the freight traffic that we are forced to endure. Since we run on a double track as opposed to a triple we are at the mercy of the freight trains. I must say that there is somewhat of an ego hit to know that people rank below a shipment of knockoff Wrangler pants coming from Indonesia.

Our train is also slow, and by slow I mean fucking slow. One day I want to walk beside the train and see if I can make down here faster. We reach a top speed some mornings of a blinding 10 MPH. When we are late, which sadly is most mornings, there are never late passes being handed out. Thankfully, I have a boss who is from Oak Lawn so he knows all about my train. However, many are not as lucky. The least Metra can do is offer some late passes for their inconvenienced customers.

I remember asking when I was still a novice Metra rider, a conductor who I could complain to about our shitty service. His sarcastic reply was “your congressman.” Metra admits that the issues are there, and that they are working on them. Well, my response always is, until they are fixed we should not have to pay the same amount for a ticket as the other, faster lines do. Sadly, this is a pipe dream and I realize that most of the issues my train line has will be fixed just about the time I am ready to retire.

So, Metra basically has me by the balls, as there is no way that I am going to drive everyday. I could take the Orange line out of Midway but, I really don’t live that close to the airport. Plus the parking there is like $5 bucks a day, so in reality it is more expensive. So, as long as I work downtown, I am stuck with Metra. As bad as it is, I still wouldn’t trade working in the loop for anything. I hated my short tenure working in the burbs and the commute and lack of lunch options. With all options weighed and despite all my bitching, I would not trade working in the city of Chicago for anything.

The Friend Zone

As a man there is nothing worse then hearing the words, I like you as a friend, a special friend. A girl would think she was being nice but in reality she was just sticking a dagger right through your heart. For a guy there was nothing worse then liking a girl and then realizing it was too late as you had entered that dreaded friend zone.

Most guys I know have heard that “friend” speech, or some variation of it at least once in their life. I guess it is sort of a male right of passage. There is no other way to take it, other then rejection. When I heard the speech I was more pissed then anything.

As a man, well at least as a young late teen, early twenties male, there is nothing worse then being perceived as a nice guy. For as much as they don’t want to admit it women don’t date nice guys. Women want the rebel. They want to find some bad, dangerous boy. That is thrilling and exhilarating. Being with a nice guy is about as exciting as watching the Discovery channel.

Sadly, as much as I tried I just could not fit that role. For some reason most girls viewed me as a nice guy. I was taught to respect and value women. As I became older and women got sick of dating all the losers, being a nice guy would become an asset instead of a deterrent. However, when I was younger being a decent man didn’t help me with the ladies. Eventually I would go form nice guy to an ass for a time, and sadly it did help.

After I heard the dreaded speech, I got pissed and decided to do something about it. I wanted this girl at Kmart named Lisa. She was as assistant apparel manager. She was older then me. I would have been like nineteen at the time and she was like twenty five. Still, that did not discourage me. For whatever reason, I just started to like her. She was a really nice (or so I thought) and obviously knew I liked her.

She was new to the area and was transferred to the store. I took it upon myself to be a one man welcoming committee. I brought her into the social Kmart circle. Whenever I went to lunch I would ask if she wanted anything. I would eat lunch with her as much as I could. I also helped her lift heavy things, warmed her car up for her in the winter and kissed her golden ass when she commanded. I figured if I did anything she wanted that eventually she would like me. Of course instead she stepped all over me and took advantage of my kindness.

I was her errand boy and as far as she was concerned I would never be anything more. Finally one day I got the balls to ask her out on a real non Kmart related date. We went to Oakbrook and had a nice dinner and everything. As I was dropping her off at home, I spilled my guts and told her that I really liked her. I left myself open and she responded with the dreaded recycled friend diatribe. I am sure she was trying to be nice but, it killed me.

That was a turning point for me. At the time I was hanging around with Jim Talerico. (Who I am still pissed I lost contact with.) Jim had just had a similar experience with a girl he had been pining over. So one night after getting drowning our sorrows on Coors beer and Tequila at Wirezba Park we decided we would no longer be doormats. If women wanted assholes, well then we would be assholes.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t in either of our D.N.A’s to be such jerks. We had to work at it. I tried and eventually became somewhat successful if I do say so myself. I just deiced that instead of women using me, I would use them. It took me a little bit, but it was working. I knew I had no chance with women who knew me as Nick, the nice guy. So, I had to go after girls who didn’t think of me like that.

So for awhile I became a jerk, but I hated myself for it. I knew that I was full of shit but I didn’t care because for the first time in my life women responded to it. I mean, I look at the way I treated ex-girlfriends back in the day and I am ashamed. I was quite simply an ass. But, having been burned so much in my younger years, I was projecting that hurt and frustration onto them.

I guess one day I realized that if a female didn’t like me for who I am then it was her loss. Thankfully, I met my wife later on in life after I had gone through my asshole phase. I often tell Joyce that if she met me earlier she would have hated me. Still, there are times I think back to all the stupid things I did for women when I was younger and I just want to kick my own ass.

FIve for Fighting

I am a movie junkie as in I watch a lot of them. My geeky friends and I all argue about the merits of this movie or that. So in that vein I offer two lists. One being five movies everyone loves that I hate. And in the other I will offer five movies that no one else seems to like but me.

Five films everyone loves but I hate.

Forrest Gump – Words can not begin to describe just how much I hate this movie. Pretentious beyond belief with a story line only the dimmest would enjoy. So boring and so right wing this move should be used to recruit kids to Bob Jones University. So bad, that I am ashamed when people I respect tell me they like this film.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy – In a word, boring. I wanted to like this simply because I was a fan of Peter Jackson when he was making Bad Taste and Dead Alive. Sadly, while these films look amazing they bore me to tears. I’d rather watch fly fishing on TV then to have to sit through any of these films ever again.

Titanic – I avoided this movie at the theater. Everyone and I mean everyone told me to go see it and how wonderful it was. Finally at long last I rented it and well, I was pissed. The beginning and last twenty minutes were fine. It was everything in between that made me see red. I could not stand the fake Romeo and Juliet rip off love story that Cameron forced. What a complete and utter crap fest which is sad because this movie could have been so much better.

Gladiator – What a complete and utter waste of time. A film so ludicrous that the fact it won best picture shows how far we have fallen as a society. When a film so flawed is given any award other then a razzie then we have some problems. This was a pointless, drivel fest and I never want to see it again.

Magnolia - They have not yet invented the adjective to describe just how much I hated this piece of shit. And trust me this is a piece of shit. I really liked Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson’s first film. So, I was kind of psyched when this one came out. I waited for it to come out on video and rented it. Sadly that is three hours that I will never get back. When it started to rain frogs I wanted to scream.

Now Five films I like but I am in the minority.

Crash – Not last years Oscar winner but the 1996 David Cronenberg film. It is about people who get sexually aroused during car crashes. It is not a film for the squeamish. However, this movie is one that stays with you. It is original and offers something very different and well thought out. Sadly, most people can’t get past all the grit to see that there is a good movie behind it all.

Unbreakable – I consider this to be M. Night Shyamalan's best film. I know everyone else thinks the Sixth Sense is. I don’t know a lot of people who like this movie. I guess it is a story you either buy or you don’t. Well, I bought into it hook, line and sinker. To me this ending was his best yet. Even if you are not a comic book fan this is a movie you should give a try.

Celebrity – You either love Woody Allen or you hate him. I love him, but I know a lot of other Woody fans that always criticize this movie. Well, I liked it. I liked it a lot. Kenneth Branagh did such a great Woody Allen impersonation in this film. He did Woody better then Woody has done it in years. There are great performances throughout this movie. In the end it is a sad story about an aging man going through a pathetic mid life crisis. Maybe it is just me, but I really thought it delivered the goods.

Mallrats – OK, I am a Kevin Smith fan. Still a lot of other Kevin Smith fans all think this is his one bad movie. Also, this movie tanked and I mean tanked when it was released. Well, I like this movie. As a matter of fact, this is the Kevin Smith film that has more of my heart then any of his other movies. Jason Lee is hysterical throughout as Brodie. It has a great dialogue and I after seeing the movie a hundred times, still laugh.

Dirty Work – A comedy has one goal if you ask me, and that is to make me laugh. Well, this movie did just that. I guess there aren’t a lot of Norm McDonald fans out there, but I am one of them. He is sarcastic and smarmy. But it works in this movie. Plus you have Artie Lange and some great lines from Jack Warden. My favorite being when explaining to Norm that he is his biological father, “Hey we didn’t have fancy birth control methods in those days, like pulling out.”

A Groom's Survival Guide

I have been to a lot of weddings. Some have been good but most are bad. You hear the same lame music being played by the same un-original DJ’s. Then you eat re-heated chicken and bland cream of mushroom soup. But, I digress. Having gone through the ordeal of getting married myself and being a participant in many others, I consider myself somewhat of an expert on weddings. Now, being a man and being an expert on weddings is not really useful.

Most men I know dreaded their wedding days and getting married. We were trained to delay that day for as long as we could. Getting married is symbolic of trading freedom and fun for the old ball and chain. Women on the other hand have been preparing for their wedding days as soon as they were out of the womb. They crave commitment and we run from it. So, naturally men as a whole really don’t give a shit about the wedding. We don’t care about flowers and table settings. So, with that in mind I am going to give all soon to be grooms some advice. For your reading pleasure is Nick’s Groom’s Wedding guide.

First off, stay out of your fiancé’s way. She will tell you she wants your input but, don’t believe her. She just wants someone to agree with her. You may get tempted to actually offer your own opinion, don’t. You will be wrong. Just pick what she likes and save yourself the aggravation.

Really, as a man all we care about, are the booze and maybe the music. Let, them pick everything else. You need to delicately balance between ambivalence and showing you care. Most brides sadly will stress out about the smallest details. Your job basically is to get blamed for everything that goes wrong. The reason you will hear most often, is that you aren’t helping enough. On the other hand when you do try to help you will get yelled at for making all the decisions. It is no win situation.

Really, all you can do is brace yourself for the inevitable nervous breakdown your future bride is going to have. I don’t mean to sound like a chauvinist pig here but, women can’t decide anything. This is why it takes them hours to buy a pair of shoes where it takes us five minutes. They will constantly be second guessing themselves. Always reassure her that she made the right decision whether you agree with it or not. All she is really looking for is that you support her decision.

While your bride will take over most of the planning you will still be left with a couple of tasks. One is picking out a tux. Now, your bride will pick out the color of the vest and all that nonsense. Your job is to find something that is comfortable for not only you but your groomsman. Remember you will be expected to be on the dance floor busting a move in this monkey suit. You want to be able to do unfettered. Don’t select a tux with a top hat or tails. Remain simple and classic with a black tux, with a bow tie and vest. You don’t want to stand out. Everyone should be looking at your future wife, not you.

Something else that will be a shock to you is the cost. Now, if you are lucky enough to marry a woman with an endowment, my hats off to you. However, if you are planning to pay for everything yourself, well you better be prepared. The wedding business is a complete racket. Everything is over-priced but you can’t say shit. If you do you will be accused of being cheap. The other refrain is, well you only get married once. Trust me the limo, flowers, the hall, the entertainment; everything will cost double what you thought it would. One way to help alleviate the hit on your pocket is to not register for anything. This way, people will give you cash as a gift as opposed to a set of china you will use about as often as Ben Affleck puts out a good movie.

The weeding itself is all her but the one thing you want to have at least some say in is the reception. That is all anyone is going to remember about your wedding anyway. Music is crucial to making or breaking your reception. Now, your wife is going to want to pick a bunch of lame ballads and you are going to have to accept that some will be played. With that said, this is one of the few areas you need to be firm. Reel her in a little and tell her people are there to have fun not sway mindlessly to Open Arms by Journey. Give your DJ a no play list. Include Celebration, Proud Mary, YMCA, Love Shack and Strokin on that list. No one wants to hear those songs.

Booze is the only other major concern. Don’t skimp here and try to save a few pennies by serving bad liquor. You want to use top shelf vodka and rum. For one reason, with the good booze people tend to not get as sick. Secondly, nothing shows what a miser you are then offering people Old Style beer, Boone’s farm wine, Sam Club’s Vodka and Jim Beam.

A couple of other things. Something will go wrong on your wedding day. It is inevitable. With everything going on, the odds are highly likely that something will get fucked up. Now, you won’t give a shit but you bride will. It is very important that you handle this correctly. Sympathize, pretend to be as pissed as she is and hope that it is something minor. Have a go to guy in case you need a favor. To give you an example, on my wedding day the flower lady forgot to leave roses for my Mom and Joyce’s Mom. Thankfully Joyce let it go, but it could have been a big deal. I had a friend ready to go to a local florist near the church, if it was needed. Being over prepared is a lot better then being caught with your pants down and no way to get them back up.

With everything said, remember it is her day. Yes, it is trying but once it is over, it is over and you do only have to do it once. If you picked the right lady (which I thankfully did) then all the minor inconveniencies will all be worth it in the end. I must say for my own sake (and to keep me out of the doghouse) Joyce, was relatively calm during the whole process. Sure we had some disagreements but overall I got through it without many issues and she did handle most of the important stuff.

Dance Fever

I have a confession. Well, it is not really a confession as I didn’t do anything wrong. It is more in the way of an admission. I am currently taking dancing lessons with my wife. It is not something that I admit freely and once my friends find about this I fully expect them to give me a whole ton of shit. But, it makes my wife happy and that is all that really matters to me.

For a couple of years Joyce has been bugging me to take dancing lessons. I had about as much interest in doing that as a eunuch would have in going to a cathouse. When I am at a wedding and on the dance floor, I need to be unfettered and bust my Travolta moves without any directions or steps. I always had a policy that I won’t dance to anything that required me to follow steps. This got me out of line dancing, the cha-cha slide and any other lame, white, no rhythm required, robot like, automatic gestures.

So, when she suggested we take formal lessons, I acted like she suggested I wear a dress and hand over my nut sack. But she persisted and eventually I caved in. I figured for all that she does for me, if this is what she really wants, what the hell. So, for her birthday this year I agreed to go with her and take an eight week course in social dancing at Moraine Valley.

As the first lesson approached, I was dreading it. As we got there I was encountered with some other guys that were in the same boat as me, in that they were dragged their by their significant others. There was also a nice older couple and a couple of women. I must say after five weeks of lessons they are not as bad as I thought they were going to be. For one thing they are a pretty good workout. The class is an hour and a half and you are moving the whole time.

I am also learning a lot about the art of dancing. One thing I never realized is that all the pressure is on the man. Since the guy leads he is responsible for most of the moves. I have to signal Joyce when we turn and if I forget a step it is over. The instructor has me doing turns and spins and when it is all over I am pretty tired.

Another benefit of the dance lessons is that in some weird way it has brought Joyce and I closer. Dancing is really intimate and you have to work as a team to get in the right step. If we were not able to work together then we would never be able to be in rhythm and if I do say so, I think we are doing rather well in the class.

I guess in the end the experience has been a positive. I mean, now we know at least a couple of basic steps so that if we are on a dance floor we won’t look stupid. With the amount of weddings and parties between our families and friends there will be ample opportunities to shake our money makers. So, the next time Joyce suggests something that seems to be out of left field, I will try to go into it with an open mind.

The IPod killed the Cd Star

My wife likes to call me an old soul. Which is a much nicer then calling me a curmudgeon who hates change. I don’t have anything against change. However, I like saving things. I like looking at objects and artifacts from a different era. Sadly, in America we don’t preserve anything. I remember when I went to Mexico and checked out the ancient Mayan ruins. I looked around at all this history and all I could think was if this was in America we would have knocked it all down to put up a strip mall.

Being an “old soul” is why I like what I like. I look at shag carpeting and fake wood paneling and it takes me back to a much simpler time. I was ten in 1979. So that means I spent the formative years of my life in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Which sucks, because no one yearns for those days. It is not like the generation before us. The Boomers are in one of two camps.

The one camp loves to talk about the peaceful and tranquil time that was America circa the 1950’s. While I am sure it was a great time to live if you were a white male, you might not have such fond memories if you were a gay, a woman or a minority. In the other camp you have the pathetic 1960’s hippies. Most of this lot, while their intentions were quite noble, in the end sold out. Most of them became yuppies in the 80’s while the others were so fried out of their minds that they just made no fucking sense.

No is nostalgic for my formative years. Not many people yearn to hear Olivia Newton John and REO Speedwagon. (That is not to say good music wasn’t out there. I mean Punk was coming into its own. Sadly at Wilkins Jr. High no was listening to the Clash or the Ramones.) No one likes to think back to the good old days of Jimmy Carter. I bet in the history classes today they skip from Vietnam right to the first Gulf war. Completely jumping over the time I grew up in, which I understand to a certain point. I mean all the great cinema came from the early to mid 70’s. Sure Star Wars came out in 1977 but name me another classic film from that time? Sure there were some good movies but there was no Godfather or Chinatown.

Well, I realize that I am in a small minority but I am sick of being part of the forgotten years. I like thinking back about playing my Atari 2600 and belonging to the Six Million Dollar Man fan club. I like going to the thrift store and finding faded jean jackets and sleeveless shirts, only to have my wife tell me to put them back. That is part of the reason why I started collecting LP’s again. I like to listen to them and hear the cracks of scratches of the records. There is something about those imperfections that make it more enjoyable in some way. It is also interesting to look back to when an album cover meant something. Now, with the move towards digital music the album cover is becoming less and less relevant.

So, if having a passion for things from my past makes me an old soul well then so be it. There are worse things to be. With everything said, I still like living in an age with the internet. Information is now readily available just by clicking a mouse and that can be a very good thing. I am not some alarmist who cautions against all things, new technology brings. Still, there is something that warms the heart when I think back to a time when not every 12 year old had a cell phone. When MTV played actual videos. When video games had one fucking button and you moved a joystick and the car/person/spaceship moved in the same direction.

They were simpler times. But weren’t the 50’s simpler times then the 80’s? I’m sure in twenty five years some kid somewhere is going to be lamenting for the good old times at the turn of the century. It is natural to be nostalgic for the time one grew up. And as someone who grew up in the lost era, it is my duty to stand up for the kids that survived eight years of Ronald Regan and the career of Gary Coleman.

Hello, Carlson Travel

Well that was quick. After working for TQ3 Navigant for six months the company has merged. I now work for Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Unlike most mergers that I have been involved with, this one actually seems to be going good. Also, this merger is good for me personally. Sure, this company is bigger, (I mean wasn’t one of the reasons I left the bank, was to go to a smaller company?) but that does not mean it is going to be a problem.

So far six months into this job it has been everything I could have asked for. Sure the travel can get annoying from time to time but, really in comparison to the bank I am much happier. I only miss two things about the bank. One, was the holidays we would get off. Today is Columbus Day and if I worked for the bank I would just be getting out of bed about now in a Miller High Life induced hangover. Second, I miss the 401k that they offered. They matched dollar for dollar up to 5%. No company on earth offers that anymore.

Other then that, I could not be happier with the decision I made in April. I love my co-workers and I love my boss. I am wearing a lot of different hats here and I kind of like it. I have to support the entire Midwest which can be quite a daunting task at times but I manage. I have had to learn how to support a bunch of travel software which is extremely outdated, which to me is a good thing as it is always good to learn something new.

With the new company hopefully that means a year end bonus. That is the rumor going around and trust me that would be nice. Last year the bank screwed me out of a bonus. Still, I am not counting on one so that, if we don’t get them I won’t be disappointed. Also, with this new company comes better benefits are a lot more opportunities.

Anytime you go to the drastic steps of changing employers, at least with me, you go into it with some trepidation. I wonder was this the right move? You can’t help but second guess yourself. Sometimes, when I leave a job like with IRI and Harris Bank, I really miss it. I mean hell I haven’t worked at IRI in ten years and I still miss it. But in this case I can honestly say I don’t miss any of the bullshit I had to put up with at Chase. I have never worked for a company I liked less. I had to shower as soon as I got home to wash away the filth of that company. I would just feel like a beaten man everyday. I would dread the week ahead on Sunday night and not be able to sleep thinking about all the fires I was going to have to put out.

There is nothing better in this world then peace of mind. Now, I actually like going to work. I don’t fret about it. If I have had a rough night I can just login from home in my underwear if I want to. Career wise and hell, relationship wise I am in a pretty good place. So, in reality I don’t have much to complain about right now. I am going to try and enjoy the present as much as I can because, Lord knows I have paid my dues in both departments to get where I am at today.

Eye Of The Storm

Well, it has been a series of wild days for me. Let’s start back all the way to last Friday. I come home from an exhausting week at work and all I wanted to do is let the Satellite dish wash over me in a sea of bad TV. So, I sit down on the couch turn on TV and nothing. Now sometimes I need to re-boot my receiver to get it back up. So, I did that and nothing. It did not re-boot. I unplugged it and re-plugged and still nothing.

So, I picked up the phone and called Dish Network. After having to navigate through ten minutes of automated bullshit I actually got to finally speak to a real human being. He talked me through all of the troubleshooting steps. (Which, I had already tried.) After he had me do some nonsense like making sure the TV was on channel three, I put it to him bluntly. I know the receiver is bad. Just send me a new one. He told me he would and that it would not be there until Monday. After complaining about that, he basically told me to go piss up a flag pole. So, I was going to be without TV until Monday.

So, Saturday came and I did my usual which consists of running errands and do some outdoor housework. I have a TV in the garage that runs on Rabbit ears so I was able to watch the Cub game out there. I waited for Joyce to get home and we went out to dinner. All in all it was a pretty uneventful day.

Sunday came and I went to watch the noon football games at Game Time in Palos Heights. After the games were over I went home and spent some time with Joyce before I went out again to watch the Bears game. I met up with some friends at Paddy Whackers a new bar that opened up on 87^th in Burbank. The Bears looked great and kicked Seattle’s ass. The bar however really sucks to watch football. They put out some food for halftime. I started with the most watered down chili known to modern man. That would be the highlight of the food. They had some over cooked pasta, cold chicken and the blandest Italian beef that I have ever had. They also had a band playing at half-time which was not needed. Still, with that said, with the way the Bears looked I still left in a good mood. I went home took out the garbage and went to bed. Sadly, I forgot to set my alarm before I passed out.

By, the time I woke up I knew I was screwed. Fortunately with my job I have the option to work from home. At the bar Sunday night I knew this and was leaning to working from home anyway. But, after not getting up until 8:30 my choice was made for me. So, I logged in remotely and took care of some stuff. I then realized that I had not yet received that receiver for my dish. So, I called Dish Network again. This time I asked to speak to a supervisor. She told me that she did not see an order for me and that she could send me out one but that it would again take three days. I told her to ship one overnight as I was beginning to lose my patience. She said she would but it would cost $29 bucks. I protested and after some haggling she agreed to waive the cost. I then asked here to credit my account from Friday since I hadn’t been able to use their product. She then told me to she could not do both. I would have to choose between the cost of the shipping or the credit for non-service. I was pissed but what could I do.

Joyce and I went out that evening and got home and it was really raining. Lightning was pouring down everywhere. We lost power for about 20 minutes. When the power came back on I looked outside and saw the damage. Here is exactly what the front of my house looked like the next morning.

I took off Tuesday to deal with everything. We were lucky in that when the tree fell it landed perfectly between both our cars. I had a ton of fallen branches laying everywhere and I gathered them up and put them in front of the house for pickup. We also had some damage to a gutter and a piece of aluminum came loose. So I spent most of my day yesterday dealing with all of that. I also decided that since Dish Network didn’t really value a consumer who has been a loyal customer for over two years that maybe I should just switch to DIRECTV. So, I did just that and called Dish Network to cancel. There, I had more smoke blown up my ass then if I was sitting on a locomotive. Still, I decided that if they just would have rectified the thing on Monday I would have never cancelled. So I stuck to my guns and went with Direct TV. Needless to say it has been a harrowing five days.