“Success and failure are both difficult to endure.
“Along with success come drugs, divorce, fornication, bullying, travel, meditation, medication, depression, neurosis and suicide.
“With failure comes failure.”
– Joseph Heller
Resolutions are crap, unless you actually resolve them. Here are five things I’ve been thinking about for 2011.
1. Go on a stuff diet. I’m such a clutterbug. In real life or digital, I keep a lot of things because I’m a big sentimental sap. I’ve struggled with this for a long time, but I’d like to make an ernest effort at getting rid of a bunch of stuff. If I could get a few shades away from minimalist, I’d be ecstatic.
2. Hit 4,000 miles on my motorcycle. New motorcyclists who have less than 4,000 miles or six months of riding are considered absolute beginners. In addition, accidents are more likely to happen during this period. I’d like to avoid an accident altogether and get the experience. I’ve owned a bike for six weeks and have about 800 miles so far. With it getting colder, I doubt I’ll hit 4,000 miles before six months, but I’m going to try. Here’s to a warm winter.
3. Get healthy and lose the weight. I’ve tried and failed so much in the last few years, I hate to even mention this. Not to say too much, but I’ve been much healthier and much more slender. Working a job that doesn’t require much movement really does harm to the body. This year’s Red Dog’s Dog Days was a great start, but I lost momentum after the summer. I’ve got a great space in the mancave that could use a used treadmill. I could watch movies and walk and come out much better than I am right now.
4. Take a real vacation. Like a lot of full-time workers, I get two weeks vacation per year. I spent one week of it this year moving, which didn’t feel like a vacation at all. It was a lot of work. I’d love to go somewhere like Estes Park to get away with my girls and the whoa-man. Ideas are appreciated, but must be in driving or train distance to Lawrence. I won’t fly again until the TSA lunacy is over.
5. Finish some personal projects. I’ve got a list of creative projects I’ve wanted to get done for some time now. Enough is enough. These things have been hanging around so long they’re like pets. I’m always in idea generation mode, so I doubt I could finish ALL of them, but there are quite a few I could get done in 2011. I tried to do some this year and allowed myself to get sidetracked.
Have you thought about things you’d like to achieve next year? Let’s hear ’em!
Only once before have I been a participant in the Black Friday shopping experience. This year, I took another stab at it. Here is my story, which started at 4 a.m.
Target
When I arrived at Target, I was a little surprised to see a line 1/8 mile long from the south entrance of the store to Mass Beverage, a liquor store adjacent to the retail giant. I parked and quickly got in line.
My main purpose was a dual-screen DVD player for our minivan. Now that we have two children, the one DVD player we have isn’t working out so well for our long trips. Target’s doorbuster advert had it for $85, which I had seen for around $150 just a few months ago. This was a no-brainer. It was worth the hassle to save the $65.
“Hassle” is a bit exaggerated. The line moved quick and smooth. Once inside, there was a bit of a bottleneck around the electronics aisle, but that was expected.
I did have one shopper bark at me when I rested my hand on an empty cart. She thought I was going to take it (which I wasn’t – small and agile is my shopping philosophy and carts don’t fit into that) and said “That’s my cart!” So, I punched her in the face told her “I don’t even want it, lady” and began my search.
There was an amazing store associate who apparently knew from memory where everything was in the store. He quickly answered my question, “Where can I get this DVD player?,” sending me directly to where I needed to go. A few other items grabbed, I was through a line fairly quickly as they had a LOT of registers open (see pic above).
Verdict: Target had great deals, order and efficiency down pretty good at this store. For a Black Friday experience, it really wasn’t bad.
Walmart (South Iowa)
Looking for a particular mermaid doll that my daughter wanted was my main objective here.
Walmart has some sort of game for Black Friday that I don’t know how to play, so it was a little frustrating. Complete aisles were roped off in some sort of King Jareth labyrinth and I didn’t know what I was doing. All I wanted was a frackin’ doll (and some $1.96 DVDs, but those were picked over like lint from a Cosby sweater).
Alas, they didn’t have the doll. At least, I don’t think they did. The employees I talked to weren’t well-versed in where the specials of the day were around the store. I talked to three of them and only one didn’t have to resort to some four-page long cryptex to see where the items were located.
Frustrated and a bit tired, I left empty handed.
Verdict: I should have remembered to pick up some toothpaste while I was there. No chaos, but no purchases, either.
Best Buy
I hate this store.
I hate that Best Buy employees have all apparently been told to talk to every single customer in close proximity. I hate that someone “greets” me when I enter the store (although I don’t mind Walmart greeters for some reason, perhaps because they stand and face you). I hate that Geek Squad refers to its customers as “civilians” and its techs as “agents.”
With dignity firmly tucked beneath my legs, I went inside because there was a good deal on a [REDACTED: WIFE READS THE BLOG AND THE PRESENT WAS FOR HER]. I found a sales associate, he helped me find the item and then I got in line.
Oh yeah, the biggest reason I hate this store is the checkout lanes. Best Buy has the second slowest cashiers in town after Walgreens (which I could – and should – do a whole post on that store alone). And, there are four of them. Yeah, that’s right – four registers in an electronics store on Black Friday.
The slow moving and inadequately numbered lanes did me in. I put the item back and left the store empty handed, but not before snagging a picture of the DVD player for the van that I got at Target for $85. Best Buy was selling them for $149.99.
Yeah, I got this at Target for $85. I'd say that was worth going out for.
Verdict: I hate this store and feel dirty for going in there. How this company hasn’t figured out that you can have tons of associates with handheld scanners that take credit/debit cards is beyond my comprehension.
Walmart (Congressional Drive)
Typically, this store doesn’t have anything I’m looking for. It’s not far from where I live, so I decided to stop there with the hope I’d find that mermaid doll that eluded me at the other store.
I was not disappointed.
What’s great about this Walmart is also what makes it kind of suck: it’s small. Because it’s much smaller than the South Iowa store, it’s hard to find items you typically expect to find at Walmart. This sounds like a lie, but it’s not. I’ve given it several chances, as has my wife, and unless what you’re looking for is really mainstream, you can forgetaboutit at this location.
Today, that worked out in my favor. This store was practically empty at 6 a.m. Far from the retail playground of 31st and Iowa streets, the Congressional Drive Walmart was dead and not incredibly picked over. That said, I still wasn’t able to get my $1.96 DVDs I was looking for (all the Bourne movies), but I did get nice deals on a couple others.
Verdict: This store is clean, well-organized, energy efficient and staffed appropriately most of the time. I found what I was looking for, so it was a win. But if anyone from Walmart Corporate wants to fill me in on how this store is supposed to sustain itself, I’d love to hear it.
In closing …
Lawrence’s Black Friday shopping must be different than other places. That doesn’t surprise me. We have a wonderfully strange little culture here and it seems likely that it transfered over to shopping attitudes as well. There were no fights, no stampedes, no trampling, nothing like that. It was just quite a few people looking to save some money.
But, I’m not done yet.
I’ll just try and finish up on my lunch break on Cyber Monday with the millions of others who think shopping in masses is abhorrent.
What an excellent week! I’ve got freebies!
Footshifted – Nov. 1 I won a free Icon Motorsports t-shirt in a giveaway on the footshifted.com website. The shirt took a little time to order, but it showed up in the mail yesterday.
Talk about awesome. If you’re into motorcycles, footshifted is a great website about motorcycle accessories. Check it out at footshifted.com.
LJWorld – Gobble, gobble! I won a turkey today from the Lawrence Journal-World. That thing was a huge 17 pounds. LJW was giving turkeys away in a promotion where they asked people to tell what they were thankful for. I entered via Twitter, repeating what I wrote about on Saturday: I am thankful for my parents.
We already had purchased a turkey, so I took that fine specimen of a bird over to Penn House and asked them to give it to a deserving family in need. I love giving. It’s the one thing I can do that is totally selfish that doesn’t hurt anyone.
Oh hey, that reminds me – if you can, donate to a local charity of your choice and make someone’s life a little better this holiday season. Thanx in advance.
There was a time when I loved to open the Sunday paper and head straight for the comics section.
My favorite was Garfield. I loved the story of a fat cat that loved to eat lasagna who lived with a dim-witted but loveable owner named John.
These days, I don’t care about Garfield anymore. Why is that? Does it have to do with getting older? Geez, I’m only 34 years old. Is it because I’m a parent, a husband or a working stiff?
I just don’t know.
But, all is not lost. There is hope with another in Garfield Minus Garfield.
Now that’s a great comic.
A friend of mine that works at Lawrence Memorial Hospital said that those in the medical field have a phrase they use to describe motorcyclists: organ donors.
I suppose I can understand that mindset. Take today, for example. The warm weather provided an excellent opportunity to hit the road, so I headed out for a ride to Ottawa and back.
Everything started out really well, but about 10 miles from the last Ottawa exit, the wind picked up quite a bit. You’ve probably already figured this out, but when you’re riding at 70 mph without the exterior protection of the car, you feel every gust of wind with greater intensity.
Depending on the direction of the wind and how you’re traveling, it can either be a big boost or a real struggle to push against. For this leg of the trip, it was the latter. The wind was blowing hard enough that the bike was actually leaning into the wind.
“No big deal,” I thought. “I can handle this.”
But then I experienced something I hadn’t come across before – when I reached an overpass the wind gust would instantly shift in the opposite direction and I had to quickly adjust to keep the bike stable. It was, to say the least, bone-jarring.
I felt like I was French kissing death.
There are moments when I wonder why I do this. There I am straddling a hunk of machinery with no protection other than my helmet and my leather jacket, fairly exposed to the elements. Should a tire blow out when driving a car, I could likely bring myself to safety with little effort. Should the same thing happen with only two wheels, it’s quite a bit more dangerous. I pray I never find myself in that situation, but know that if I ride long enough, I likely will.
Even still, it’s exhilarating. I love riding. I love how the world looks from two wheels. I love the sound of the bike when I hit that “sweet spot” and just cruise on without a care in the world.
Yeah, I suppose it is a little dangerous. Perhaps that’s why I love it so much.
Oh man, oops.
I had committed to posting one thing every day for NaBloPoMo and was doing really, really well.
That is, until yesterday. I can’t believe that I didn’t get something posted. It’s not like I didn’t think about it. I went on a bike ride (from here on out when I say “bike,” I mean “motorcycle”) during lunch yesterday, and came up with the headline How riding a motorcycle is like French kissing death, but didn’t get around to writing the article.
And yet, I’m writing today about not writing yesterday. Way to turn it around, Gruber.
Note: This is from another blog I used to post to, but I thought it was worth repeating.
A friend of mine is miserable at work. He’s frustrated, really frustrated, and he’s convinced himself of plenty of reasons to stay. Reasons like “retirement isn’t that far off,” or “the economy sucks right now,” or “I don’t want my lifestyle to change.”
If he bears down, he’ll likely make it until the end. Then, he’ll get to do something he likes to do instead of the job he hates day in and day out. He might want to work in home decoration and restoration. He might want to fix up cars. He might want to work with animals.
Some people won’t risk anything to make themselves happy doing something.
Pity.
If I manage to pass these things on to my children, I’ll feel like I’ve done a decent job.
Of course, the list of things I’d like to pass on to my children is much longer than this, but there’s only so much time in the day to write.
How to manage their finances
Apparently I didn’t learn a whole lot about what to do – or what not to do – when it comes to managing my finances well. I’ve learned much in my adult life, but not without having to deal with some major fallout for years (decades?) to come.
We’ve already begun the training with our four-year-old daughter. She doesn’t – nor will she ever get – an allowance. Rather, she has the option to work on special projects for a set amount around the house to earn money that goes into her little coin purse. One day when it’s filled up enough, we’ll take that purse to the store and teach her about buying with the money she’s earned.
Speaking of money, I hope to teach our children …
Going massively in debt for college is a stupid idea
Every month when I make out that payment for the student loans, I want to stab myself in the neck. I went to an affordable college that my parents were generous to help out with, but I also had a scholarship that helped pay for some of the cost as well. If I had that money to spend on anything else than debt, we’d be much better off.
I needed very little student loan money to go through college, but instead used the funds on guitars, recording an album, video games, and other fleeting stuff (see point No. 1). I had no real understanding of how long it would take me to pay it all back. The debt compounded when I got married, as my wife not only had an undergrad degree, but a master’s from the University of Kansas as well (she actually used hers to pay for college, amazingly).
Today we manage fine, but we’ll be paying on these things a long, long, long time unless we find ways to be more agressive to paying the student loans off.
Traveling outside of the country is essential
I was very blessed during college to have opportunities to travel (as part of my schooling, not on student-loan funded getaways) to France, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua.
The things I saw changed my worldview and gave me a deeper understanding of what being an American meant. I know people who have barely left the county they live in, let alone their state, region or the country. From my experience, conversing with people who have never traveled outside the country on major political and social issues can be akin to talking with someone who speaks a different language.
If I have to do it myself (despite my resolve to never fly again), my children will see America through other people’s eyes.
Don’t become, date, or marry a teacher
This one is controversial in our household. My wife became a teacher after getting her master’s degree, and it was pretty rough. The long hours, the endless amount of paperwork, dealing with parents (the children weren’t typically the biggest headaches), the idiocy of administration, the list is quite long.
I don’t understand why she enjoys it. She apparently does, as she started an in-home preschool at our domicile, but if there is any way my children can find something else to do with their lives, I’d be thrilled.
Yes, I know that sounds bad. But parents always want a better life for their children, and I don’t want my kids working 50 to 60 hours a week.
Don’t be fearful
Fear can run people’s lives, but only because they let it. Fear keeps people from going after their dreams, doing the things they’d like to do, or taking the chances they need to take. I see it all the time and it drives me crazy. I know people who want to take a risk, but don’t because of fear. I know some who worry about things that never, ever happen, nor had the slightly probability to materialize.
I also know people who aren’t afraid to take chances and come out ahead, mainly because they’re not being held back like their fraidy-cat counterparts. This hasn’t always been my strongest trait. It’s only within the last couple of years that I’ve started taking more risks, being less “safe,” and overwhelmingly, it’s working in my favor.
By the way, if this is you, check out the excellent video Quieting the Lizard Brain by Seth Godin. It’s long, but worth it.
Today was horrible.
That’s all I’m going to say.