The Chicago Way

I really don't have much to say about the Blago arrest today. What I can tell you is that is obviously a ploy to pull the Tribune Company out of bankruptcy by inflating the page views of the Chicago Tribune's web site! (Hell, I linked them twice here - but now I have to give props to the Sun-Times)

I'm only blogging about this right now because I grew up in the far south suburbs of Chicago. I've had to deal with this whole crew of Illinois politicians. This doesn't come as a surprise to me at all. I'm pretty much convinced that if you want to be in the Illinois government, you WILL go to jail at some point.

I've got so much to say about this - but I really don't feel like ranting about it now. Let's just say that when an unnecessary third airport comes to town and the government decides to take away land from your friends - and the politicians involved have no accountability, I get just a tad bit agitated.

Argh. I don't even LIVE in Illinois anymore and this still pisses me off. I shall rant later.

Stuff I Know - VII

I may not know that much - but I do know why I'm not a writer or a proficient blogger. It just boils down to the fact that I am not a writer!

When I was in college, I pretty much avoided any class that required writing papers. Even in high school I hated writing papers. However, when I do write, I'm generally grammatically correct -- and I know why.

So, you ask: "How do you know? Why?"

Well, I'll tell you why -- its simple. I'm a software developer!

When I try to write, my brain is running in 5 different directions. Often, its a struggle for me to translate my thoughts into words and coherent paragraphs. However, when I can shift my brain into mathematics and programming mode, I can work for a few hours straight, without any mind shift whatsoever.

Its just the way my brain works - I love to write software. I love to solve problems. Its just so much easier to translate my thoughts into logical structures than to translate them into words.

I wish it was easier for me to translate my thoughts into English. However, I just don't think my brain is wired that way.

I need to invent a way to express my thoughts in C++ or Java or C# or Javascript or Perl. (Sorry folks, no ruby)

Stuff I Don't Know - IV

Have you checked your email every 15 minutes or so, wondering why no new messages have arrived? Have you then thought, "Is my email server down? Is my email client working properly?"

And then, did you finally come to the realization that there really aren't any new messages in your inbox?

Well, all I can say is that I'm not expecting any email from anyone, and I didn't even send any out. So, I don't know why I keep checking my email!

Strange.

Stuff I Know - VII

I know that I ate plenty of food during my Thanksgiving vacation last week. I also know that I consumed plenty of alcoholic beverages in celebration of my Thanksgiving vacation last week. In addition, I know that I feel like I've gained 10 pounds in the past week.

However, after stepping on the scale at the gym this afternoon, I didn't gain one pound. I actually lost 2 pounds!

What's up with that?