Commutism

Each new leap in technology enables us to become more and more productive. We can now work on our tans while simultaneously surfing the Internet, responding to emails, and running a fortune 500 company. Amazing. No, mind you, we cannot do all those things well and simultaneously. How many fortune 500 CEOs really spend weeks on the beach. I don't know either, but it's definitely not many. And who likes getting sunscreen smudged emails, and the iPad tan is really hideous.

So why not take a moment, and relax. Sip a delicious cup of coffee in a mug, not a to go cup. Savor your food from a plate, not a styrofoam tray. Read a book, not a blog. Sip a wine and try to discern it's flavors. Do something, anything, with the intention of doing it slowly and really, really enjoying it.

Why the Luddite ranting? Because I am a Luddite on an iPad getting a horrible iPad tan. No, because I am a cyclist. I had a conversation last night about bikers. And cars. So, where are you going in such a dang hurry that you cannot slow down enough to NOT RUN OVER A CYCLIST. I know, "Two cars and a cyclist cannot both fit on that road at the same time.". Excellent argument Mre. Overeager car driver. Nearly irrefutable.

However, time progresses at relatively the same pace from day to day. So plan ahead.

Observe: our prime time TV shows will not begin until 8pm. It was like that yesterday and will be the same tomorrow. So, if it takes 27 minutes to get home from work, and Real Desperate Housewives of the Jersey Shore begins at 8pm, then you have to leave work at 6:45 in order to drive those 27 minutes, stop at the store and microwave your lean cuisine healthy choice three cheese manicotti and pop open your diet soda all in time to get your ample and spreading backside into the couch by 8pm. Unless you get stuck behind a cyclist and then have to wait for another car to go by before you can pass. The solution is clear. Pass the cyclist on a blind curve.

NO. There are other options. You could, in no particular order, microwave your lean cuisine for 3 minutes and 12 seconds, leave work at 6:44:42, miss the first 18 seconds of reality TV (but then you won't know who the special guest cowriter was for that particular episode), you could just skip the first 18 seconds of the recap of the last episode which you watched last week and still have TiVOed, or you could stop being such jerk and do something about your expanding backside and the overall waste of space that you have become and go ride your own bike. I know, it is really, really important what you do at work, which is to collate reports written by someone else about the financial situation and the general feeling on wall street. And, when no one reads them, at least they will be collated in a damn fine fashion.

So, just slow down, stop scaring cyclists, and enjoy those 18 seconds of your life that you will never get back. You weren't really going to do anything with them anyway. Its a dangerous world out there.





BE CAREFUL!

Time managementism and prison food

Have you ever had one of those days? Yeah, one of those days...

It just seems like there is a vast conspiracy against me. Not that people are working to bring me down, but that they are not working to bring me up. Apathy, incompetence, idle chatter and the like have, so to speak, put me in a funk. I have also done my part, you know, given them something to talk about. But, THEY did their part, which was the largest part... Really, just a scheduling glitch. It was a glitch. It was a problem. They kind of admitted it... Then did nothing about it.

Whew. Some venting, a little catharsis.

My time has become really, really short lately. I feel like I'm living fifteen hour days. I am staying busy, accomplishing nothing, and constantly short on time.... More venting. Of course, a lot of that is my fault. I have been cycling... A lot. This month is only 5 days old and my cycling is just a shade over 120 miles. That can eat up some time.

Today was a good ride. The wind was straight in my face the whole time... Which is weird for an out and back ride. Occasionally on a very long ride the wind changes direction, but today was not that long.

But, for you ambulatory non ambi-turners...


So, with my time being short, my cooking has changed a little. Here is my recipe for:

SHORT TIME PRISON NACHO SOUP
a handful of Tortilla chips... In a small bowl
A tablespoon of tomato sauce or salsa
Some chili sauce, hot sauce, chili powder... Or other things
Water... Just a little over the tortillas. Don't drown them.
Grated cheese on the top

Then microwave it for roughly a minute. Awesome.

Okay, no picture, but this soup is actually really good. It is a great way to deal with the last little bit of tortilla chips in the bottom of the bag.