Hello, my dear readers, here is an update on what's going on in my life. Due to budget constraints, I am no longer working at The GEM Group in Lawrence, MA. The parting was amicable, if a bit tearful. I really liked the people I worked with while I was there. That particular job ended on Dec 28th.
I spent 2 months unemployed...
Then I got another job as a Jr. Web Developer for The Aberdeen Group in Boston, MA! I'm at the tail end of my 3rd week here and I like this place! It's fun. I'm actually writing code again! Of course, with every great thing, there has to be a catch. And in this case, it's the commute. Getting from Manchester, NH to Boston, MA and back every day is NO JOKE. It's a 2-2.5 hour journey each way. And it's not just driving either! I drive from Manchester to Lawrence, MA (30-45min). Then I get the commuter rail train from Lawrence, to Boston (45min + 15min wait time) and then I take a shuttle from North Station to my job. At night, I get to do the whole thing again! Only in REVERSE!!! Man, does that suck!
I find that I'm always tired now. It's getting better, but my sleep schedule hasn't quite completely adjusted yet, so I'm still getting tired spots at random times during the day. But it's getting better. Right now, I'm looking for a place back in Lawrence, MA. This would reduce my commute to just about an hour long train ride. I would move closer to Boston, but the closer you get to the city, the higher the rent is. For the same price, I can get one bedroom in a 3 bedroom apt with 2 strangers in Boston, or an ENTIRE two bedroom apt in Lawrence. What would YOU choose?
So, I'm currently pooling money for first, last and security deposit, so when I find a place I can just plop the money down and move in with no hassles. (If you're in the Lawrence/Methuen area, let me know if you know any good places!)
In the meantime, I'm doing my thing. Working to catch up on my bills and save $ for moving.
Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Current Events. Show all posts
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A Medical Farce...
And that brings us up to today. I was told this morning that I would get surgery today around 1:30pm. By 2pm, I started to have doubts if the surgery was going to happen. I got moved down to the OR and several members of the anesthesia team started talking to me. So, I'm like "Okay, this is it." Then my surgeon walks up and tells me that most likely the surgery wasn't going to happen. At least, not today and most definitely NOT in this hospital. And there are solid reasons why.
There are some of you out there reading this that think you are fat. Guess what? You're not fat, but I AM. I weigh 500 pounds (I was weighed the first night I was here.) and I'm shaped like a small moon with arms, legs, and a head. The point of this is that while the surgical table can handle my weight, but it might not be wide enough for me. Normally, the procedure requires a breathing tube to be placed down my throat while I'm knocked out. Given my size, there's a risk that once the tube is removed, I might not be able to start breathing right away, which would lead to my death. My surgeon decided to contact the most badass surgical team with expertise in morbidly obese people: the crack staff of Lahey Clinic.
It turns out that the peeps at Lahey had just encountered a similar situation with one of their patients. Their solution was elegant in its simplicity. Since the patient's weight is what makes the surgery high-risk, have the patient lose weight. So the plan, in its broad strokes, is that I need to lose 50lbs in order to drastically increase the safety factor of the surgery. In order to accomplish this, the Lahey peeps recommended a specialized diet to my surgeon and I'm waiting to hear the details of it.
The thing that pisses me off is that the people here KNEW my weight & size as I came in this past Thursday. Why did it take 5.5 days to figure out that they couldn't do the surgery here?? I've been stabbed with enough needles to make even the most prolific pin cushion crazy with jealousy. I've been attached to an IV with a machine that NEVER STOPPED beeping and gurgling. I haven't slept right for over a week (since before my hospital stay when I was sick). All of this for a surgery that now isn't going to happen for at least a month according to the new plan. If I wasn't so damned tired, I would be royally PISSED!!!
I'm going to be in the hospital for a couple more days, so they can monitor the diet. Then in two weeks, I have an appointment with a Doc at the Lahey clinic. I guess the question now is: how long will it take for me to lose 50lbs?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thoughts On... The Death of Bin Laden
Okay, it's been one day since it was publicly announced that the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, was killed. I've had time to fully flesh out my thinking on the subject. And overall, I have to say, I'm glad it happened. In the end, I'm glad that this terrorist is dead. Now, I'm not going to be running rampant through the streets with signs reading "Rot In Hell", but I am pleased with this outcome.
This world is a savage place. And I'm not just talking about human actions. I'm talking about the entire planet. Animals viciously attacking each other, giant sinkholes appearing out of nowhere, massive earthquakes, and incredibly powerful tornadoes are just some of the things this world throws at its inhabitants. To live on this planet, we have to have some kind of savagery. If not, we'd go extinct. That is a fact of human existence.
And that is the part of me, that rejoiced in the execution of Osama Bin Laden. The savage part of me that immediately wants to hit back anyone who hits me. The primal part of me that sees an attractive female and wants to just take her. Psychologists call this part of the human mind the Id. It is there, in the Id, that all our dark, masochistic, self-serving impulses come from. Human civilization is made possible because we also developed the Ego and the Super-Ego, parts of the mind that are capable of seeing the benefits of not giving in to every impulse and working together with other humans for our mutual benefit. That's the part that feels shame over the rejoicing of another human being's murder.
But, I'm honest enough with myself to admit that I don't really feel shame about this. After all, I'm a big proponent of free will. And if you're free to decide your fate, you should be prepared to face the consequences of your decisions. Bin Laden reaped what he had sown. The man was a terrorist and caused too much death and destruction to just let that slide. And there was no sign of any kind of remorse or that he was going to stop. If he had walked up to a military base and surrendered that would be different. But, the U.S. military (Much Props to SEAL Team Six!!!) had to hunt the man down. He got what was coming to him.
And for those who are griping about how long it took to get to him, wake up people. These things take time. Not everything in the world is set up for instant gratification!
The trick is what happens now. Is this the end of terrorism (U.S. directed or otherwise)? Not a chance. Will life become nothing but puffy rainbow colored clouds and candy? HELL NO! We have a long line of other problems to deal with, and other threats to our nation that have to be dealt with. What I do know is this: One threat is down. I'm imagining a sign above the military "3 Billion Threats Neutralized" and counting.... NEXT!!
This world is a savage place. And I'm not just talking about human actions. I'm talking about the entire planet. Animals viciously attacking each other, giant sinkholes appearing out of nowhere, massive earthquakes, and incredibly powerful tornadoes are just some of the things this world throws at its inhabitants. To live on this planet, we have to have some kind of savagery. If not, we'd go extinct. That is a fact of human existence.
And that is the part of me, that rejoiced in the execution of Osama Bin Laden. The savage part of me that immediately wants to hit back anyone who hits me. The primal part of me that sees an attractive female and wants to just take her. Psychologists call this part of the human mind the Id. It is there, in the Id, that all our dark, masochistic, self-serving impulses come from. Human civilization is made possible because we also developed the Ego and the Super-Ego, parts of the mind that are capable of seeing the benefits of not giving in to every impulse and working together with other humans for our mutual benefit. That's the part that feels shame over the rejoicing of another human being's murder.
But, I'm honest enough with myself to admit that I don't really feel shame about this. After all, I'm a big proponent of free will. And if you're free to decide your fate, you should be prepared to face the consequences of your decisions. Bin Laden reaped what he had sown. The man was a terrorist and caused too much death and destruction to just let that slide. And there was no sign of any kind of remorse or that he was going to stop. If he had walked up to a military base and surrendered that would be different. But, the U.S. military (Much Props to SEAL Team Six!!!) had to hunt the man down. He got what was coming to him.
And for those who are griping about how long it took to get to him, wake up people. These things take time. Not everything in the world is set up for instant gratification!
The trick is what happens now. Is this the end of terrorism (U.S. directed or otherwise)? Not a chance. Will life become nothing but puffy rainbow colored clouds and candy? HELL NO! We have a long line of other problems to deal with, and other threats to our nation that have to be dealt with. What I do know is this: One threat is down. I'm imagining a sign above the military "3 Billion Threats Neutralized" and counting.... NEXT!!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thoughts On... Sexism & Current Events
There's a show that airs Fridays on HBO called Real Time with Bill Maher. I would say that I watch this show religiously, but then Bill Maher would come to my house and hit me with a large, heavy book. Bill Maher is known for being exceptionally politically aware, not pulling any punches in his commentary, and asking difficult questions to both left AND right-wing party members. The bulk of Mr. Maher's show on HBO is taken up with a panel discussion going over relevant topics for the given week in a wide arena of topics.
In this past Friday's panel discussion, Mr. Maher made a statement that the emerging democracies in the middle eastern Muslim nations won't really take hold until they reassess their attitudes toward women. At which point, panelist Tavis Smiley argued that we (meaning the U.S.) are not free of sexism against women in this country. The debate then went into a question of the degree of sexism and I find myself agreeing more with Bill Maher... up to a point.
Where the US has succeeded is in taking the gender discrimination out of the system of law. For example, Mr Maher made the point that in the middle eastern nations for a woman to divorce a man she has to take him to court. For a man to divorce a woman, he has to make a statement 3 times. In this country, if you want to get divorced you go to court, man or woman. For the most part, the system treats both sexes the same. So, the bulk of the sexism in this country lies in the hearts and minds of the people. And that's the trick since the system is enabled by the people who work in it. So while our laws may not be sexist, that doesn't mean people won't run into a sexist cop, or politician. And that's where we still have work to do.
But I don't really think we as a country have a right to really comment on what issues the emerging democracies have to tackle in order to succeed. We won our freedom in 1783. That gives us the benefit of being 228 years into a democratic government. A country that's turning to democracy THIS WEEK still should be given some time to iron out the wrinkles, don't you think?
Not to mention that after the U.S. won the Revolutionary War in 1783 (which I'm using since that's when the British Empire gave up all rights to the US in the Treaty of Paris) , it took us 137 YEARS to give women the right to vote (in 1920)! Granted, we did have other issues to cover: Slavery, the Civil War, and WWI; but the point is that re-assessing the legal status of women in this country was not exactly a priority.
The nations of the Middle East are evolving. The ongoing turmoil & protests are proof of that. Yes, they do need to really update their attitudes towards women. But they aren't on a specific time table for that. Give them time to straighten out their own political issues, before asking them to also make massive social changes. Real change always takes time.
In this past Friday's panel discussion, Mr. Maher made a statement that the emerging democracies in the middle eastern Muslim nations won't really take hold until they reassess their attitudes toward women. At which point, panelist Tavis Smiley argued that we (meaning the U.S.) are not free of sexism against women in this country. The debate then went into a question of the degree of sexism and I find myself agreeing more with Bill Maher... up to a point.
Where the US has succeeded is in taking the gender discrimination out of the system of law. For example, Mr Maher made the point that in the middle eastern nations for a woman to divorce a man she has to take him to court. For a man to divorce a woman, he has to make a statement 3 times. In this country, if you want to get divorced you go to court, man or woman. For the most part, the system treats both sexes the same. So, the bulk of the sexism in this country lies in the hearts and minds of the people. And that's the trick since the system is enabled by the people who work in it. So while our laws may not be sexist, that doesn't mean people won't run into a sexist cop, or politician. And that's where we still have work to do.
But I don't really think we as a country have a right to really comment on what issues the emerging democracies have to tackle in order to succeed. We won our freedom in 1783. That gives us the benefit of being 228 years into a democratic government. A country that's turning to democracy THIS WEEK still should be given some time to iron out the wrinkles, don't you think?
Not to mention that after the U.S. won the Revolutionary War in 1783 (which I'm using since that's when the British Empire gave up all rights to the US in the Treaty of Paris) , it took us 137 YEARS to give women the right to vote (in 1920)! Granted, we did have other issues to cover: Slavery, the Civil War, and WWI; but the point is that re-assessing the legal status of women in this country was not exactly a priority.
The nations of the Middle East are evolving. The ongoing turmoil & protests are proof of that. Yes, they do need to really update their attitudes towards women. But they aren't on a specific time table for that. Give them time to straighten out their own political issues, before asking them to also make massive social changes. Real change always takes time.
Friday, January 14, 2011
And While Jon Has The Floor...
I've been trying to come up with a post about the shooting in Arizona, but I couldn't quite get a handle on it. And then, I was watching the news and suddenly an angle appeared to me. Just when I was about to write it out, Jon Stewart beat me to it...
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c |
| Veiled Criticism | |
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
More on the iPhone coming to Verizon...
Yesterday, I put up this blog post about Verizon's announcement that they will be carrying the Apple iPhone in February. The basic gist of which is that while it's a cool idea, my life has not really been changed by the announcement. There are other viewpoints out there, and in the interests of fairness I am compelled to post this video as a counterpoint to my earlier comments. It was... a moral imperative.
And now for the rebuttal, I give you... Jon Stewart:
And now for the rebuttal, I give you... Jon Stewart:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c |
| Verizon iPhone Announcement | |
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Today Is A Big Day...
First, the Vz iPhone 4 is a 3G phone. One big drawback of this is that Vz customers will not be able to make voice calls and surf the web at the same time. The other major hitch here is because of hardware differences, anyone wanting to switch to Vz will most likely have to buy a new phone. At least until some enterprising individuals write some app to map AT&T iPhones to Vz's network. Given the announced prices, that's going to be about $200 for the phone, plus if you jump ship before your contract is up, AT&T is going to charge you anywhere from $250-$375 in termination fees. So that's almost $600 to get a phone that does LESS than the current phone does on AT&T.
The other reason AT&T shouldn't be sweating Vz getting the iPhone is that they no longer have to shoulder all the data traffic of iPhone users. If my prediction turns out to be completely off (I have a 50/50 chance people!!) and tons of people leave AT&T for Vz, that means a huge chunk of bandwidth is going to be freed up for those who choose to remain, thereby alleviating the biggest customer complaint AT&T seems to get regarding the iPhone.
Now, Vz does have a 4G network, (and there are Vz compatible phones that are 4G) but due to customer impatience, um.. increasing demand, Apple didn't have the time to make the necessary hardware changes to maintain the look and feel of the iPhone while making it compatible to Vz's 4G network. So, it's our own fault because we couldn't wait patiently. As for me, I'm waiting until I can afford the switch, so in about 2 or 3 years, (assuming the world doesn't end in 2012) I'll probably switch to the iPhone. Probably on Verizon, but who knows... maybe by then it'll be available on MY cell phone carrier!
Friday, August 20, 2010
An Exercise in Clear Thinking...
I don't know if you keep up with current events around the nation, dear readers, but there is an issue that has been gaining a great deal of the spotlight recently in New York City. There has been a great deal of controversy over the notion of placing a Muslim community center, which would contain a mosque, two blocks away from Ground Zero. Being a fair person, I do have to concede that there are two sides to this argument, and that both sides have valid points.
For building the community center there are several arguments: First, these are NYC blocks. That means the actual location of where the community center would something like a quarter of a mile away. How much further would you have people go to not "contaminate" the seemingly sacred area around Ground Zero? Second, given the construction of NYC buildings, which is mostly skyscrapers, standing in front the intended build site, you wouldn't even be able to SEE Ground Zero without X-Ray vision. In real estate, it's all about location, location, location. This particular location is completely disconnected from Ground Zero, so there shouldn't be any issue at all.
Against building the community center there are several arguments: There is a strong significance to the actual site of Ground Zero, but also to the surrounding area. The families of those who died have a strong emotional tie to that place, and the municipal government as elected representatives of those families should be mindful of the pain and anguish those families would feel as a place is built that can be seen as a symbol of the very beliefs that those who attacked the WTC followed. It would be an insult to them, to have that symbol built on ground where loved ones were treated for, and died of, wounds received in the attack. It would be like building a tribute to Charles Manson in front of each of his victims houses, or a rapist asking his victims out on a date. If the intent is to simply build a community center and a place of worship, why not respect the pain of those families and simply build it somewhere else?
There are cogent and valid arguments for both sides. And it's a difficult decision to make. A difficult line to walk. But this country, by it's VERY DEFINITION, is a land of the free. In fact, freedom is one of the core founding principles of this country. I have stated time and again, to my friends, and on this blog, that principles only matter if you hold to them when they are difficult to keep. Freedom, is an EXCEPTIONALLY difficult principle to keep. It's a double-edged sword. After all, if you're free to say what you want, believe what you want, worship what you want, and do what you want by virtue of simply being a citizen in this country, then shouldn't other citizens have that same freedom? Even if what they want to do is something you don't like? You're free to not like it, but you can't step on their freedoms. Why? Because you would NEVER tolerate anyone stepping on yours. THAT is the trick with being the land of free.
The unspoken part of sticking to that freedom is the choice to accept the consequences of letting everyone be free. Let them build the community center and the mosque. If... IF it becomes a hub for terrorists, and that is HUGE IF, the we'll bring the damn near legendary lethality of the American military to bear and take it down. In this country, it's INNOCENT until proven guilty. This community center is NOT a terrorist front, until it can be PROVEN BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, that it is. So far, that proof is in the same drawer with those files on the location of Bush's WMDs.
But the part that I find most interesting is the tactics being used to subvert this community center. There are people spreading rumor and innuendo as fact across "reputable" news organizations, and they are gaining a bit of momentum. The Imam of the new mosque MAY have terrorist ties. Well, I MAY get hit by a car tomorrow, but that doesn't stop me from getting up and going about my day. But this kind of fear campaign is reminiscent of another era, where rumor was gospel and accusations could and often did, destroy lives of decent, innocent people: The Red Scare of the late 40s & 50s, led by your favorite and mine, Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Fear mongering, when done properly, always gains attention because it uses a kernel of truth to fuel the madness built into their propaganda.
There always has been and always will be only ONE cure for madness: Wisdom. And as you well know, dear readers, wisdom comes from knowledge. And from questioning that knowledge, constantly verifying it's accuracy. That is the true counterbalance for when the scales of society tip towards madness. In McCarthy's day, however, there wasn't anything there to counterbalance. Nothing to break the momentum, after all, we had just come out of WWII, we were still catching our breath from such a long time of despair and threat of death. This country was vulnerable. Now, I'm sure that because of the witch hunts led by McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities, many hidden enemy agents were discovered. But nowhere near in proportion to the damage those hearings and blacklists did to honest, innocent people.
Today, however, we do have a counterbalance. It's called comedy. Satire. Parody. When you see Darth Vader walking down the ramp of a spaceship you take notice. He's bad ass, he's scary. Then he slips on a banana peel and falls right on his caped ass. All of a sudden, not so scary, not so bad ass, because in that moment we added a bit of knowledge to ourselves and placed Lord Vader in an entirely different context. That's what today's comedy does. Sure, it makes you laugh, but it also gives an outside viewpoint, information without the fear, thoughts without the rumors, and while the laughter wipes away your fear, that viewpoint breaks the madness. If you're interested, check out this particular bit of comedy from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and tell me that this controversy doesn't seem less fearsome and more ridiculous.
For building the community center there are several arguments: First, these are NYC blocks. That means the actual location of where the community center would something like a quarter of a mile away. How much further would you have people go to not "contaminate" the seemingly sacred area around Ground Zero? Second, given the construction of NYC buildings, which is mostly skyscrapers, standing in front the intended build site, you wouldn't even be able to SEE Ground Zero without X-Ray vision. In real estate, it's all about location, location, location. This particular location is completely disconnected from Ground Zero, so there shouldn't be any issue at all.
Against building the community center there are several arguments: There is a strong significance to the actual site of Ground Zero, but also to the surrounding area. The families of those who died have a strong emotional tie to that place, and the municipal government as elected representatives of those families should be mindful of the pain and anguish those families would feel as a place is built that can be seen as a symbol of the very beliefs that those who attacked the WTC followed. It would be an insult to them, to have that symbol built on ground where loved ones were treated for, and died of, wounds received in the attack. It would be like building a tribute to Charles Manson in front of each of his victims houses, or a rapist asking his victims out on a date. If the intent is to simply build a community center and a place of worship, why not respect the pain of those families and simply build it somewhere else?
There are cogent and valid arguments for both sides. And it's a difficult decision to make. A difficult line to walk. But this country, by it's VERY DEFINITION, is a land of the free. In fact, freedom is one of the core founding principles of this country. I have stated time and again, to my friends, and on this blog, that principles only matter if you hold to them when they are difficult to keep. Freedom, is an EXCEPTIONALLY difficult principle to keep. It's a double-edged sword. After all, if you're free to say what you want, believe what you want, worship what you want, and do what you want by virtue of simply being a citizen in this country, then shouldn't other citizens have that same freedom? Even if what they want to do is something you don't like? You're free to not like it, but you can't step on their freedoms. Why? Because you would NEVER tolerate anyone stepping on yours. THAT is the trick with being the land of free.
The unspoken part of sticking to that freedom is the choice to accept the consequences of letting everyone be free. Let them build the community center and the mosque. If... IF it becomes a hub for terrorists, and that is HUGE IF, the we'll bring the damn near legendary lethality of the American military to bear and take it down. In this country, it's INNOCENT until proven guilty. This community center is NOT a terrorist front, until it can be PROVEN BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, that it is. So far, that proof is in the same drawer with those files on the location of Bush's WMDs.
But the part that I find most interesting is the tactics being used to subvert this community center. There are people spreading rumor and innuendo as fact across "reputable" news organizations, and they are gaining a bit of momentum. The Imam of the new mosque MAY have terrorist ties. Well, I MAY get hit by a car tomorrow, but that doesn't stop me from getting up and going about my day. But this kind of fear campaign is reminiscent of another era, where rumor was gospel and accusations could and often did, destroy lives of decent, innocent people: The Red Scare of the late 40s & 50s, led by your favorite and mine, Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Fear mongering, when done properly, always gains attention because it uses a kernel of truth to fuel the madness built into their propaganda.
There always has been and always will be only ONE cure for madness: Wisdom. And as you well know, dear readers, wisdom comes from knowledge. And from questioning that knowledge, constantly verifying it's accuracy. That is the true counterbalance for when the scales of society tip towards madness. In McCarthy's day, however, there wasn't anything there to counterbalance. Nothing to break the momentum, after all, we had just come out of WWII, we were still catching our breath from such a long time of despair and threat of death. This country was vulnerable. Now, I'm sure that because of the witch hunts led by McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities, many hidden enemy agents were discovered. But nowhere near in proportion to the damage those hearings and blacklists did to honest, innocent people.
Today, however, we do have a counterbalance. It's called comedy. Satire. Parody. When you see Darth Vader walking down the ramp of a spaceship you take notice. He's bad ass, he's scary. Then he slips on a banana peel and falls right on his caped ass. All of a sudden, not so scary, not so bad ass, because in that moment we added a bit of knowledge to ourselves and placed Lord Vader in an entirely different context. That's what today's comedy does. Sure, it makes you laugh, but it also gives an outside viewpoint, information without the fear, thoughts without the rumors, and while the laughter wipes away your fear, that viewpoint breaks the madness. If you're interested, check out this particular bit of comedy from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and tell me that this controversy doesn't seem less fearsome and more ridiculous.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Extremist Makeover - Homeland Edition | ||||
| ||||
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