Don't Be Cute

Panda Express at lunchtime had a nightmare of a line at the drive-thru and considering the parking lot was full, I was guessing the line inside was as well. I had a coupon for a free entree and wasn't in a hurry. As I made my way across the lot, I was on an intercept course with two white men who appeared to be college students. I beat them to the door but, since I'm usually a nice guy, held the door open to let them go in before I did.

As I looked up to make eye contact, the tallest looked me up and down. There is nothing that I can point to but a feeling that I had just been weighed and measured went down my spine as soon as my eyes locked onto his.

"Gracias," he said.

"Gracias," his companioned followed.

Oh hell no. I can play that game too. It seemed too long to spit it out but I said, "Bitte."

By then the two guys had their back to me but I saw them look at each other with a confused look, as if to ask, "What did he say?"

Now, I have said many things in plenty of languages, trying to be cute--but only to people I know. I have never done that to a complete stranger. Assuming a person's ethnicity or language on the basis of their appearance can blow up in your face.

Freedom

There is a man sitting in the county jail right who has lost his freedom and I have ensured that he will not regain it for many years. As this country celebrates its freedom, my mind dwells on his loss and it has tainted my mood. 

I was ordered to report to the courthouse up in St. Joe for jury duty a couple weeks ago. The selection was for a murder trial. I had thought that the odds were small that I would make it on the jury but make it I did. Will not go into the specifics of the case but there are a few things that I would like to note.

After going through the trial, I found that the prosecutor had done her job and I was was convinced of most of the charges that were laid on him. I was in sync with most of the jurors for most of the charges except for two. While I was ready to pronounce the defendant guilty on those two charges, the rest of them were not. I could understand where they were coming from and there conclusion was valid given the evidence. What I realized is that I have a higher expectation of people and the actions they take and their responsibility to face the consequences of those actions.

There really are two sides to a story. After the trial was concluded, I came home and started looking up all the media I could find about the story. What I read coming from both camps saddened me. Having to weigh testimony and evidence highlighted the nuances of a series of unfortunate events. My perspective on what happened seems to be totally different than those in the two camps. I can’t even say that there are points that I can agree with any of them.

The man sitting in the jail tonight was guilty of the crime he committed but he wasn’t completely at fault. Misperception, escalation, and overzealousness is deadly combo but in the end, a bad decision ended, in different ways, two mens’ lives.

The Fire is Coming

See Also: Phew!

As if I were having a deja vu moment, I got a text last night asking if I was at home and if I knew that there was a fire burning at the apartment complex I live at. I was in a Chinese take out place when I got the text. While driving there, I saw two volunteer vehicles going past me towards Buchanan with their lights on. I didn't pay much notice to them but then I knew why there speeding on their way.

As I approached my apartment, the block was closed off and I had to drive around. I managed to find a temporary place to park my car and I walked the rest of the way. There was a good sized crowd watching and I joined them for a little while.

Thankfully, it wasn't my building but it was the one across the parking lot from me. I looked at the building this morning and it confirmed my guess that I made last night--that it was a kitchen fire.

Terry and Dwight’s Wedding

Two of my coworkers got married this evening. They have been together for twenty years and have had a ceremony signifying their partnership. With the Obergefell decision from the Supreme Court this summer, marriage for same sex couples have become legal in Michigan and in the rest of the states.

When I entered the church, I wanted to use a lame joke and say that I wanted to sit on the groom’s side. I think that the ushers had anticipated and told me to sit on whichever side that I wanted.

The ceremony was largely similar to other Christian weddings that I have been to. The only notable difference was that both of them came walked down the outer isles to meet up in front.
Immediately after the ceremony, the reception was held at the same church. It was a really nice setup with some trippy lighting and good food. I enjoyed myself although I refused to dance much to my fellow coworkers’ disappointment. I can say that I wasn’t the only one that refused to dance!

I am very happy for them. Some day I hope that I will find my partner just as they have.

Dwight, Me, and Terry

Torn

Have you ever thought that some record company decides to resurrect some once-popular song?  Like some sort of conspiracy to squeeze some more money out of an audience that loves nostalgia   I swear sometimes, I'll be listening to a radio and song from the 90s will start playing.  It will have been a long time since I've heard it and it'll be a wonder why they've put it into the day's playlist.  Then something weird happens--the song starts cropping up elsewhere.  You'll hear it again on the radio, then on a different station.  Then you'll here it a commercial or this week--an episode of Glee.

So here is Natalie Imbruglia's Torn.  Haven't heard it since high school/early college.  Now I've heard and seen it quite a few times in a number of places.

Still enjoying it.

Black Thursday Bust

Black Friday started at Walmart at 8PM on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday).  My sister went to the one in Niles to check it out.  I wanted to check out the TVs and she wanted to check out the printers.  In this picture we are parked in the last parking space of one of the rows.  Practically every spot in the lot was occupied.  When we got in people were grouped in stations where the merchandise was staged and when 8PM came around, people started tearing into it.  It was crazy.  I got talked out of a TV, Kris was talked out of a printer and we both left empty handed.  Why do I suspect we walked out winners too?

Bruce, Penn, Sally, and the Crazy

I was able to see The Dark Knight Rises yesterday and I must say that I liked the final installment of the Nolan Batman series.  I had to suffer some boring stretches in the middle of the film but it all picks up nicely at the end.  I liked how previous characters from the previous films were able to make an appearance in some way.  Dr. Crane/Scarecrow was especially memorable.  The film’s slight twist on the fates of the characters was even better.  It wasn’t what I was expecting and yet I wasn’t terribly surprised so I left the theater satisfied with a movie series which I haven’t done so since Jackson’s Lord of the Rings.

News of the penalties that the NCAA is going to exact on Penn State came in while I was having lunch.  The most notable of these are the post-season bans for four years, $60 million fine, and vacated victories back to 1998.  I am fine with most of it but not the vacated victories.  It seems like a smack in the face for all those past players who actually had success on the field and is a divorce from reality.  If I had my way, I would have kept the focus on punishment from this point forward so I would have traded off the vacated wins with a 1 year regular season ban and 1 year extension on the post season ban, and increase in the monetary penalty to $100 million.  But you know, that’s just me.

I also learned that Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space, has died from pancreatic cancer.  I was a little saddened to see that she has gone so early.  Not that I knew her personally or was inspired by her story but I do recognize her importance to so many others out there especially women who saw her as a role model.  In that way, I am sad to see a significant highlight of our national history slipping off into actual history.

One of my coworkers has tried to set me up with this guy who lives in Grand Rapids.  I have been talking to him for a few days and I have come to the conclusion that this guy is a few fries short of a happy meal.  The guy is 24 years old and has to ask me what “tsk-tsk” and “SPF” mean.  He can’t spell the most basic of words, insists on using text speak, and needs to call me hun or boo.  He also has to text me at night and while I’m at work and usually to tell me something random and pointless like, “I’m tanning,” “I’m going for a walk,” “I want a taco.”  He’s a nice guy but my God, he needs to calm down and grow up a little.  Sometimes I wonder if the 24 year old is actually 14.  Like OMG dats nutz!

Yay! Wait... what?

I just learned that in a nearby town, there is a Walt Disney Elementary School. Okay, who wants to break it to the new kindergartners that this place, which sounds like a magical, fun-filled school, is really the beginning of 13 years of hell?

$4 for this ice cream or for this car?

As I posted before, my sister was summoned for jury duty so she came down from Kzoo to fill out and mail her responce. While she was down here, she took me out to Dairy Queen for a nice treat. It's been a long time but that strawberry whatchamacallit tastes so... so good.

While driving back to the house I spotted an odd vehicle parked on a sidestreet. I had my sister drive around the block so that we could go by it and take a better look. I think that the owners decided to abandon the car as the plate is not longer there. Not that the authorties couldn't track it down using the VIN and registration. I suppose they figured that if they are going drop it off, they might as well color it up a bit.

So Easy, a Five Year Old Could Do It

Well maybe not.

My sister got a letter to report for jury duty. I laughed. Now I am the only person in my family that hasn’t been called on. Since moving to this county, both Mom and Dad have been called twice. This is my sister’s first. Out of all of us, I’m the one that would get a thrill out of serving on one. Hmm… maybe they know that?

Oh yeah, just ignore me. Hey, who you lookin’ at?

After breaking my leg, I have decided that I will no longer do, or plan to do, roller skating, bungee jumping, hiking, skydiving, biking, and tennis.

For the first time, I went to Walmart to buy some groceries. I tried to hold off as long as I could but today I had to suck it up and do it. I managed to get a good space just next to the ones reserved for handicapped people. I hobbled in and for the first time ever-decades before I thought I would-took one of those electric scooters.

Now I have no problem with people who genuinely need to use a scooter. After all, this Super Walmart has a larger footprint than the standard Super Walmarts. However, I do have a problem with people who use the damn things but don’t actually need it. Usually they are middle aged and obese. Sometimes they are teens who like to fart around with a motorized equipment. I don’t know into what category strapping young men with broken legs fall into. Acceptable or not acceptable? Ah, screw it. I’m not going to attempt it. I can’t walk without my two hands on the walker and I can’t hold onto food if my hands aren’t free. So what choice did I have, really?

Those electric scooters do not go as fast as I would have liked.

The experience isn’t something that I want to repeat but probably will. A lot of the people that I went near either tried to ignore me or looked at me which made me uncomfortable. I realize that it’s a one-or-the other type of things so I try not to let it get to me. I did have a little girl who asked me what happened to my foot. (Nothing. It was all about the leg.)

I’m thinking about asking my doctor for a note so I can get a handicap hangy-thing for my car. Then again, I can make it from wherever I park to the store without much difficulty, so I would feel bad using it. I may rightfully use such a parking spot, but I keep thinking that I might be keeping the 110 year old woman who uses a cane from using it.

[shakes head] I’m such a guilt bag.

Some Choose Door #2 over Door #1

In the building that I work at, most of the people work at the north end. There is a restroom for the guys and one for the gals at that end which offers privacy because it only accommodates one person at a time and you can lock the door. So as you prepare to unleash hell on Earth, you don’t have to worry about offending anyone.

I don’t work at that end, and there is a closer restroom that I normally use but it’s not wheelchair friendly. I’ve been wheeling myself down to the north end to use this one and all the time I wonder who the hell is getting there before me because this isn’t the first time I’ve seen it:
I mean, I just don’t get it. The urinal is right there. It’s no more scarier than the bowl. Kudos for lifting the seat but was it really all that necessary?

How does that work?

It was a stupid plan anyways.

I've been skimming through the foreign press trying to get the international pulse on how "America's" financial problem is going down. Wow, they are majorly leaning on my reflex nerve. My favorite is the pinning of blame on the republicans for the bill's failure in the House of Representatives. The reality is that the democrats had the votes to pass this all along but when the voting process started and they found out that the republicans weren't on board they chickened out because this bailout (and let's call it what it is) is unpopular with the public. If they passed this bill over the Republicans--who was gonna get the blame? They did not bother to whip their party in line because if this went south, they were going to as well. The fact that 2/3 of republicans and 1/3 of democrats voted no does not, in my mind, show clear partisan jerkoffity--just that it was a stupid plan anyways.

BTW, hope you bought today.

That’s Justice for You

Two articles came that I read over at the State News. It amused me.
Which one got screwed here?

In particular I like how, “The court also entered an order prohibiting [regular MSU student] from purchasing, possessing or consuming illegal drugs or alcohol for one year.” Considering that the student is 19 and two years away from buying alcohol anyways and illegal drugs should not be purchased anyways... it was funny.*




*Okay I know it’s part of the probation. If she does buy alcohol or illegal drugs, then she can be dragged back into court and have additional punishments served up.

The Stupid Comment for the Day

There was an online article about a California judge ruling that the early termination gees that a cell phone company charges are illegal. Here's a gem that I read from one of the commentators.

ABSURD! If you sign your name on the contract you agree to the early termination fee. so what goes on in a bedroom is not the matter of the state, but what goes into a private contract is?

Uh... duh. It's why law students start their studies with "Contracts" and not "Bedroom Law 101."

Re: IOM --- Me too!!!

*From this week's PostSecret.

If everyone could put their dicks back in their pants...

My favorite internet comment for today follows a "conversation" regarding the contributions the British Empire made to the world.

Fuck Europe, especially Spain. Spain is nothing more than a filty, dry, country full of homosexuals. The UK is seperate from Europe, the UK has more in common with the English speaking world than it does with Europe.

On that last part--geeze, I wonder why.[/sarcasm]

If you think I'm baking cookies...

Across the street lived one of my old classmates, K. Before going on, it may help to read this post. Anyways, a couple of weeks ago they moved out of the house. Considering the housing situation in the country and in this area in particular, I thought it might be a while before anyone bought the house. K. was able to sell the house before she even left. Today, the new neighbors arrived but I haven’t seen them. I saw the U-Haul when I left this morning. When I came back, the U-haul was gone and two cars were there. One was from Illinois and the other one looked like it had Alaska plates but I wasn’t too sure. I only know was that it was yellowish. I don’t believe the move is complete. It’s 2100 as I write this and the house is dark and the cars are now gone. Perhaps they are making a trip back to Illinois for more of their shtuff.

La Vita Nuova

One of my best friends, Erin, got married yesterday. She met her husband last August and after what must’ve been a whirlwind romance of titanic proportions, they decided to get married. It does seem really early, doesn’t it? But the more I think on it, I have come to the conclusion that it really isn’t up to me to judge someone else’s decision to get married. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a tad bitter that people have made judgments on whether I should marry but that’s a whole different post. Anyways, back to Erin. I want her to be happy and if Jason is the guy for her than it’s good enough for me because I will always support her. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and can handle practically anything thrown to her.

Isle runners are evil.
I should have taken more pictures but since I had a job to do at the ceremony, I didn’t think it would be appropriate for me. Then, at the reception, I didn’t feel like taking snap shots. There are couple that managed to find it to the blog for you.

Having a lighter can save the day.
The best part of this day—for me—was getting to see people whom I haven’t seen in a long time. Kraig and Stacey made their way from the left coast. Karl barely arrived intact from Detroit. Kevin—who’s been hiding around in Niles. Karen also arrived with the Brit boyfriend. Of course, I can’t forget Mandie and Ed who better be tying the knot themselves if they know what’s good for them. :-P

Cutting in line is justified when you see the cake is down to its last tier; apologies are not necessary when, in the end, there is cake left over.
For the most part, my personality has always been go-with-the-flow. But this one threw me off two times. The first was when Erin was called to sign the marriage license. The second time was when she and I went outside alone (which lasted about 15 seconds) and I realized that this was a new world and this was one lingering moment from the past. Yup, I think I got a little chocked up back there.

Asians are not bad people.

It was a great night and I wish nothing but the best for Jason and Erin and their new life together. Also--for all the other people that know them, forgive me now because I don't think I'm gonna get that last name down.