Mild Amusement

The fact that I shave my head causes no end of amusement to people around me . It's been around 5 years since I wrote that linked post, but it seems like some things never change. The Mild Ex has been known to be amused by my shaved head, and I'm pretty sure I've heard similar comments in the last few weeks. It's just one of those things that I've gotten used to. Heck, even the little kids seem to get in on the act. Though, frankly, I never quite understood why. I know for older folks, part of the appeal is that it's they're used to seeing me look different. There was also an old supervisor of mine who assumed that I had lost a bet. Either way, these are very adult reasons to be amused. Think about it: a little kid doesn't have that past mental image of me from which to draw, nor are they going to understand what kind of bet would cause you to shave your head if you lost. For them, there has to be a much simpler explanation. And it's not a fluke,...

I like sports. I like playing several of them, and I like watching professional teams, as well. In fact, I follow several local teams, and I am more than happy to devote a few hours to watching a game . On a basic level, it's just flat out fun to watch someone do something wholly unexpected (like Baron Davis dunking on one of the better shot blockers in the league in a play off game ). But there's also a whole level of drama involved, like when a guy who has been injured hits a home run to tie the game for his team . Just watch the reactions from everyone on that last link, the entire stadium went nuts at that point. So yeah, it's fun. However, there are a variety of unspoken rules about rooting for athletes and teams . The most basic of these is that you're supposed to pick a team and stick with it. If all you ever do is just wait until the post season and pick a team at random, you're not really a fan. It's like picking a new favorite color every year becaus...

Generally speaking, I don't buy tons of stuff for myself. I do have some hobbies on which I'll burn some occasional disposable income (comic books, gadgets, travel, athletic endeavors), but I really do mean it when I say I spend money on these "occasionally." For the most part, I tend to stick to the basics. Heck, I've had people comment that shopping with me looks like a sprint through the mall (or store). As I have recently discovered, though, the one quasi-exception to this is ties. I have been a working stiff for enough years at this point that I have a non-trivial number of dress shirts. And sometimes, I have to wear a tie with those dress shirts. So, I own several ties. Up until a few months ago, this wasn't really something I really noticed, much less thought about. I had a bunch of dress shirts, and a few ties to match with them. That's what you do when invitations you get start to include the words "business casual." Then one day, I ...

I've had a decent amount of practice coordinating dinners and otherwise trying to rally the troops . And if you do something often enough, you pick up a few tricks. For example, whenever I send out an invitation for a meal, I usually tell people the details of the reservation (e.g., it's for 4 people, under my name, at 6:30PM, on Thursday ). It helps to resolve any issues that might come up, and streamlines the process. If you're the first one there, you know exactly what to ask for, and you're not trying to figure out if others in the party have arrived yet or not. Otherwise, you and the host(ess) get to play "guess the reservation" for a few minutes. It's a simple thing, but it helps. One thing in particular I've found is that if you're asking "where do you guys want to eat?" the conversation is much, much simpler if you throw out at least one suggestion. People can say either yes or no to the options you suggest, and it helps start t...