That will change however. I am starting to get into more and more of a better daily routine, and I actually have a number of topics that I have “in the queue” for the blog. So bear with me a bit. Let me update you on my doings as of late…

I will say, I have really settled nicely back into City living. It’s really hit me, how much I missed living in Chicago. Secondly, I have started to get back into shape with regular cycling again. I haven’t cycled regularly in years and it feels damn good to be back in this habit again. One of the things I have noticed is that the bike path along the lake which shadows Lake Shore Drive is a lot better than I remember. Despite the usual idiots who dont follow common sense, its always a brilliant ride. Seraph and I made it as far as fullerton on our last regular run. Our goal is to be able to bike to Navy Pier and back home by the end of summer.

Third, cigarettes in the city are really freaking expensive. Up to $80 a carton in some parts of the city. So, I ditched the regular brand smokes, and have started making my own cigarettes. I bought really quality Cigarette Injector. For $50 bucks, it does a damned good job. I found a place that sells cigarette tobacco which is blended to mimic storebought brands. Kicker is: you buy a bag of tobacco from them, they send you a free box of filter tubes for free.

So, my cost for a carton now:about $15.00. Takes about 10 minutes to make one pack of smokes. Takes about a week to get your technique down. The trick is learning the right amount of pack for the injection chamber, and how to load it properly. Too much tobacco, the cigarette is too tight, and you can get any draw off it. Too loose, and it burns too quickly. I love it. Mayor Daley and Todd Stroger can blow me.

The CTA continues to annoy me. I realize they have growing pains, and budget pains. However, what disturbs me more is their lack of understanding when it comes to straight up good old common sense when planning their logistics.

Work is great. I actually feel like I am making a difference where I am. While I have wild days, and slow days…I feel useful and productive again.

I have started working on game design when I have the time. My friend Dave has been submitting material like a madman, and I have a few coders taking a look at things.

I am making plans for two major fall purchases. One: a wall mount jukebox kit from mameroom.com. I so want this for my apartment. It will compliment the bar atmosphere perfectly. The second is my cocktail MAME cabinet from dream arcades. I think these will be aquired by August/September.

The other major purchases I am working towards are a Training sailboat for next summer. And a 25′ to 30′ sailboat for the following summer. The ultimate goal of which is to be out on the lakefront for Venetian Night 2010. Wheeee.

I do plan a full redesign for Digital Arcadia. However, aside from some minor art contributions, I am probably going to hire a freelancer for the job. I just dont think I have time for it. Between everything else I mentioned above, I am also trying hard to get more “community minded”. I am making an effort to shop more locally, and I want to start getting more into my community.

So, please pardon the long stretch there between updates. I do plan on adding “update the blog” to my daily routine. And remember, you can always hit “The Best Of…” if you want more, or you want to look around and don’t know where to start. =)

Ja Mata!

Current Mood:
Bouncy

I got home tonight at 7:45 or so. I left work at 5PM. Some moron got himself killed near 27th street (nowhere NEAR the friggin loop, I might add) and that backed up the whole system. Seraph and I wound up walking from the Fullerton stop down to clark to catch a 22.

Problem one: Not enough rolling stock for the north side redline.

This is not just on days where there is an incident. Today it was more pronounced because of the incident. People talk about the “Three track hell” southbound on morning rush, but honestly, I have yet to have a problem there. The problem is the evening rush. Where the ratio is roughly 2-3 brown/purple line trains stopping, dumping transfers to 1 red line train. Today that ratio was something even worse. AND there was a cubs game. I am sure the CTA thought they were QUITE CLEVER with their announcement that the purple line would be making stops at Sheridan to help with the cubs traffic. However, its really not so clever because out of something like 6 brown line trains, I saw ONE purple line train.

Problem two: No fucking backup plans to move people.

Seriously. You have a yard at Midway. You have a yard Howard. You have a yard at Harlem. You have the newly rehabbed Paulina connector. WHAT THE HELL is wrong with you people? Move some damned trains into service. Seriously. Take them from howard, cross them over at fullerton and run them north again. Bring them in from the Midway yard, run them through the loop and then turn them into Red Line Trains once they pass Armitage. Stop trying to use trains already in the system to cover for your fuckups. MOVE THE STOCK you have sitting idle into service so you can cover the outages. And put more stock onto the red line. Or, maybe perhaps try out what people have been telling you: re-introduce skip stop.

Problem three: Governor Rod.

Thanks for shafting us yet again, Governor Asslick. You and Emil Jones passed a funding budget for the CTA. But your petty politics, and your silly squabbling has meant that the capital improvment money is nowhere to be found. Thanks. You people are starting to make people long for the good old days of George Ryan. Equally corrupt as our current Governor seems to be, but at least he wasnt a fucking retard with plastic looking hair and could actually get things done.

Problem four: Mayor Daley.

You give Irish people a bad name. Why dont you stop your public land grab attempts, and dig into your fat TIF slush funds to help with some of the problems the CTA has. It shouldnt just be the state’s or the fed’s job to fund it. CTA stands for CHICAGO transit authority. Why not help fund it?

And this city wants the Olympics? They have to be snorting something good at City Hall. I’ll put $20 on coke cut with pixie sticks.

Current Mood:
Angry & Annoyed & Hostile

You can find the album here.

All in all, it was quite a happy affair. Everyone had fun, there was good food, music and good times. I had quite a turnout, and I for one had a blast. I didn’t get completely persnickered, because I was busy trying to be the good host. It’s always nice to be surrounded by friends. I want to thank everyone who came. If you were invited and couldn’t make it well, you missed a fun time. The bar was packed, and it was lively.

After the last guests had left for the night, we sat around the bar discussing the next event. One of the ideas was a theme party. And then someone mentioned a tiki party. Not too sure about that one. A friend from work suggested an 80’s theme party, and I countered that it could be 80’s themed along the lines of Pop vs. Metal.

Not sure though. So, I guess I’ll take suggestions. I am shooting for mid July for the next party. In the meantime, feel free to head over and check out the pictures. Of course, new pictures means I have to go out and get new frames. I still have alot of wall space to cover. =)

Current Mood:
Enthralled & Contemplative

1) I do plan to get the party pics from last weekend up.

2) Digital Arcadia needs work, and a redesign. Rather than do this on the semi regular 3-6 month basis, I am only going to do it once a year from here on out. So, as it stands right now, I am going to begin thinking about what I want to do, and then work on it during the fall and winter, and shoot for a spring launch.

3) To that end, I want comments and suggestions. Feel free to drop me a line with what you think needs to change, how to improve things, colors, ideas…anything.

4) Anyone out there in doing some custom CSS/PHP work?

Current Mood:
Groggy

In the past, I have been pretty reserved. I passed on a lot of social contact, partially because I was busy being a parent, and partially because in some ways, I chose to be somewhat solitary in many ways until I figured a few things out, and became less of a caustic person. I think that was one reason I abhorred photos of me. I really didn’t want pictures of me in the state of being I was in. Of course, someone changed my attitude on that quite a bit. But to be fair, I wanted it to change, I felt a bit less reserved. I just needed a shove.

In the previous 4 or 5 years, I have made a few steps toward becoming more social in general. But now I crave a bit more in the way of contact and fun with others. I have made it a point to accept most invitations, and I have been steering myself toward a place where I can extend invitations as well. It’s for this reason that I made “entertainment friendly” a criteria for my new pad.

In about a week’s time, I will be having a housewarming party. I even printed invitations. Based on response, I believe I am going to have 20+ people here. Which is great. I really want that social contact. For a variety of reasons. But, the main one is this: I know the boundaries of my personality now, and I happen to think overall, despite my quirks I am a fairly nice guy. I can be funny, serious, etc. But I think I am also a lot happier now that I have been in many years. I didn’t just “find” this happiness. I sought it out, and worked hard for it. I think entertaining for people, for friends…is a way of sharing that.

I think it’s vital to share it too. So, next week I plan to get the house ready. I plan to make sure everything is perfect, or as close to perfect as I can. I want people to come, have fun, commiserate. I have invited people from the different segments of my life, and it will be interesting to see them interact. I look forward to it. Seraph and Selphie will be there, and it should be a good time for all concerned.

I’ll be sure to post pictures of the event. =)

Current Mood:
Playful & Jubilant

The panhandlers are getting restless in Chicago. Nearly to the point of being obnoxious.

While my heart does go out to those who are less fortunate, I do not respond to panhandlers. When with people, I ignore them completely, when they attempt to engage me solo, I give them one word answers, such as: nope. In the case of one guy who got *pissed* at me for stomping and twisting on a smoke I just put out, after denying them a cigarette, the dialog went like this…

Him: your a dick, I could have smoked the rest of that.
Me: Except it’s my personal property, I paid for it, and I can do whatever I want to it.

It never dawns on them, that I am not responsible for filling their needs. They are. You want cigarettes in a city where they are nearly $10.00 a pack? Get a job.

Here is why I disregard panhandlers.

1) I work hard for my money, I pay taxes…and those taxes feed a huge societal industry which does nothing but put resources out there for the less fortunate to make use of. Yes, some of it is underfunded. But there is a lot of overlap. The problem is, I would say about half of the people I see panhandling are *not* disturbed, they are reasonably well dressed (i.e: clean clothes, not rags), clean shaven, etc. Whether they are just lazy or not, I am not about to encourage them.

2) I am not able, within a reasonable doubt, able to differentiate and tell who are the professional panhandlers, and the ones who are really down on their luck. So rather than try, I equally reject them all. Let’s face it, every one of them has a story. Every human being has a story of how they got to where they are today. Even me. With the panhandlers, what you must understand is from my perspective, they all just need 1.00 for a train ticket home, they all need $0.20 for a cheeseburger. Again, as it is difficult to tell, I reject them all.

It’s not that I am heartless. I have on many occasions, where it’s very clear what the state of things are, gone into a shop, bought a round of food, and handed it off to the person in question. At least in those cases, I know they have been fed, and are not using money to buy drugs.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking…

How can you be so judgemental? What makes you such a damned authority on this topic? These people need any help!

Where does my authority for my opinion come from? Easy.

I have been homeless, and stone cold broke on these very streets.

That’s right. You heard me. When I was…oh, 19/20…fresh off a year of travelling about the country. I landed in Chicago, right at the Greyhound Bus terminal. There I was. Penniless. Broke. My parents at the time wanted nothing to do with me. That was okay, the feeling was mutual at the time. It was raining, and crappy outside.

I had some choices. Beg to go to my mother’s house, sleep outside … in the streets, and maybe beg for money, or seek some kind of shelter.

I swallowed my pride, and found a homeless shelter. Right on Jackson Blvd, near Aberdeen. It was very near Chicago Graphics, a place I had been to many times before with my Dad. Just so you know, that neighborhood, back then was trouble with a capital T. And quite dangerous.

I stood in line, and I came to realize, with limited room, there was no guarantee I would even get in. I waited patiently and hoped. I got into the shelter. I slept on a cot.

I was told that they would hold my bed for me, so long as I showed up the next night. If I missed the night, the following night id have to wait in line like everyone else. I was able to eat something at the shelter, and upon reaching the time to leave in the morning, I was faced with some more choices. I could:

* Panhandle for money.
* Try to work my way into something better.

I walked all the way from Jackson and Aberdeen over to Grand and Milwaukee. It was there, that a day labor organization was located. I had heard about it from one of the other men in the shelter. I marched in, filled out a couple pieces of paperwork. They handed me two CTA tokens, told me how to get to my first day job, and off I went. I worked at a Neiman Marcus distributor warehouse for the entire day, moving seriously heavy boxes. I got back to the place, with my time sheet signed, was handed a check, which I cashed, and got a bite to eat. Headed back to the shelter.

As I lay on the cot, which was not entirely dissimilar from the cot’s I used to sleep on when I was in kindergarten, I thought about a great many things. I was very alone in the world. By myself. I didnt know what I was going to do with me, or how I was going to survive other than day to day. All I knew was, I wanted more, and I wanted to never be in this situation again.

I worked these various day jobs for a couple weeks until I got a day assignment that put me in much better shape. It was for Rothchilds, who were liquidating all of the Goldblatt’s stores in Chicago. I was sent to the Goldblatts on Lincoln Ave. In a week or two, I was hired straight on as a regular, and while the pay was low, I was able to get a room at a really dingy SRO up the street. I was somewhat on my way. Life was a bit rough, but I had at least put my own roof over my head. I started buying books, and a few other small amenities. Eventually I spent a considerable amount of my off-time improving myself. There are many adventures between where I am now, and the SRO…but I digress…

The point is, I started with nothing but the clothes on my back, and a backpack with a few items. I have been there, I have been destitute. I have been a wandering soul. But I never expected society to foot the bill for me. Well, maybe I did…but I knew it was not realistic.

I started with nothing, and I am pretty damned successful today. Because at the end of the day, panhandling is not a career. It is not an acceptable way of life. If you want to live on the streets that’s fine. There are plenty of people who live on the streets, who never panhandle. I have even met a few homeless people who consider it beneath them to panhandle. They would rather pick up cans, etc…than just stand on the street with the expectation that people give them money.

So, you can call me whatever you want. Harlan Ellison said it best: you do not have the right to an opinion, you have the right to an informed opinion. I have a very informed opinion on this topic. Call me heartless all you want. People who panhandle suck. Society should not encourage this behavior, and if you give them money, you are encouraging the problem. Buy them a sandwich, great, fine. Some of you will say, “some of these folks dont have the mental stability to hold a job”…to which I say: day labor, and if they are that mentally deficient, they can get themselves into the system. If they choose not to, it’s their choice.

But, do not reward bad behavior. Do not endorse a career in panhandling. Which is what you do when you hand over that $.50.

You can consider this my $0.02 on the matter.

Current Mood:
Frustrated & Quixotic

I also use awstats to analyze who hits this site, from where, when, etc. I am kinda a geek like that. It’s how I have linked to many folks you see on the sidebar. But, I don’t always make the connection between the visitors, the comments and what they have out there. I try to always reciprocate links, but if you have been left out, you can always drop me a line. duo@. I will be happy to link to you.

I have noticed, since I changed some of the keyword tagging, and such, that I have had a recent influx of other visitors. Feel free to comment on whatever. I don’t censor, except in the case of blatant, willful stupidity or really pathetic trolls. In which case, I ignore and delete them in the order they were received.

Also, I have been making a concerted effort to get back into the swing of near daily updates again. Now that things have settled down, and stable again. I also have plans to do much more with Digital Arcadia this fall. In the meantime, feel free to browse the archives. 5 some odd years of my life are contained herein.

Current Mood:
Accomplished

And he is correct. We have won. People like Jack Thompson, and their ilk are already seeing how hard it is to find a sympathetic voice in a generation that has grown up with games. I would even venture to say, Barack Obama is the first of a new wave of people who “get” the generation coming into play. The old school, and their old money are on the way out.

Think about this: Bill Gates, as contemptible as he can be, is our generation’s Andrew Carnegie. He made billions off of the tech industry in general…and alot of gaming helped feed his bottom line.

You Luddites who insist you know what’s best for us, are going the way of the dinosaur. The meteor impact that doomed you to extinction happened in a Texas Instruments lab in 1961. Accept your role as the old, and prepare to be replaced by the new.

And, it won’t stop there either. The half assed attempts to commercialize and reduce the internet with these attacks on neutrality won’t work either. Gaming, among other things, will stop you there too.

Accept that your race is run. The days of your kind are done for. We realize you won’t go without a bit more fight, screaming and kicking as you dissolve into the void…but acceptance is the key.

Current Mood:
Enthralled & Jubilant

The issue comes to bear primarily when I grocery shop. I honestly believe that a lot of people are pretty considerate when they shop, but there seems to be a growing majority of people who have zero clue as to how they should behave when performing this activity.

1) Parents.

There are some parent’s, like one mom I saw on Saturday, who are just generally worn down from raising really active children. They do their best to manage their kids, fighting uphill all the way. While their kids are a pain to maneuver around, I generally don’t mind, because at least an effort is being made. The other type of parent, the one I really cannot stand one iota…are the type who do nothing to manage their children, and said kids thinks the grocery aisle’s are a free for all. Their kids dart to and fro, in front of your cart, stand in the way…it’s also worth mentioning, these are also typically the type who would sue you if you ran into their precious little snowflake with your cart. I had what looked like a 2 year old run right in front of my cart, with mom not even paying attention. She had walked ahead into the frozen food aisle, back turned while her daughter streamed in front of me. Before anyone says anything: I am a parent. I have the right to comment. My kid has always been well behaved in public places, because I actually parent, and manage my child. I reward good behavior, and set up negative consequences for incorrect behavior. And, most importantly, I always know where my child is. HINT FOR THE DENSE MINDED: THIS IS HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO WORK.

2) The committee’s.

We all know who these folks are. These are the people who congregate and conversate in the following places:

* Right inside the entrance.
* Right inside the exit.
* In the narrowest aisle of the store.
* Any other place they can fill with their inane discussion.

You want to talk? Catch up? Do it outside. Or better yet, call them on the damned phone. In the words of Ben Affleck in “Mallrats”, I have no respect for people without a shopping agenda. Holding court in the soup aisle is not acceptable. You people are idiots, and you should be grabbed by the nape of the neck, and dragged out of the store and hurled into traffic. You are 50% of the reason why shopping sucks. I can see why my mother always went shopping at 1 AM.

3) The Inspectors.

Another group that needs to be dragged to the toy aisle, and beaten with wiffle ball bats. These are the folks who pace the meat and poultry coolers. Picking up this, looking at that. And they cannot make up their damned mind. You cant get to anything because they are moving up and down the cooler, and you cannot seem to predict their actions..it’s easier to just wait until they move on. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for looking at meat and taking a good look before you buy. However, I would ask you add a little coherency to your process. Pick beef or poultry, stay in that area until you have made your selection, then move to the other.

4) People who think they are more clever than they actually are in the parking lots.

Here is a tip: if the parking lot is near full, pulling through two spaces to jump to the other side makes you an idiot who annoys the absolute shit out of everyone else on the planet. In a full parking lot, you have to accept two things:

* There are no shortcuts to get to that space that just opened the other aisle over.
* There is no quick way to get out of the lot and onto the street.

Just follow the damned arrows, and stop trying thinking your some parking lot wizard. You’re a moron, and you need to die in a fire.

That’s about it. Just had to document the frustration that drove me to leave the grocery store when I was only about 80% done with my shopping, because all of these groups converged and annoyed the absolute crap out of me. I couldnt stand it anymore.

Meh.

Current Mood:
Annoyed

I desperately need to buy a pair of futons. One for the living room, one for Selphie. Next up, I need to buy some really useful things for the house, namely a microwave and a vacuum. I also need to buy some other houseware types of items, rugs for the kitchen/bathroom, a towel set, frames, a shadowbox or two.

Then of course, comes the shopping for groceries. And I also need to buy booze for the housewarming party. And of course, get over to Seraph’s house to help with stuff around there. No rest for the wicked.

I did however, buy my bicycle. Seraph and I plan to dedicate ourselves to getting a bit more into shape by cutting out the crap (we pledged no fast food, and limited contact with other restaurants…I am going to fondly miss Taco Bell!) and ride every week along the lakefront.

I also wish to buy a ginormous kite. But that will have to wait till next month. Which is fine. I have plenty to fill my plate this month. Between rounding out the unpacking and house decorating, shopping, the party, helping Seraph move into her new apartment (2 EL STOPS AWAY FROM ME. YAY FOR MY SIDE), work and everything else…I have plenty to keep myself busy.

But, I definitely feel a hell of a lot better than I did 6 months ago. I feel as though I am riding a wave here.

Current Mood:
Accomplished & Enthralled