Saturday, February 11, 2006

February 11, 2006

I recently read an article on Netscape ISP's homepage about how everyone born before 1987 is now considered old. But since I was born in 1972 (and turn 34 in 3 months), I'm not quite over the hill just yet. Maybe I should set the geezer year at 1968 and make the following remarks about all non-geezers:

They don't remember a living JFK, and Ted Kennedy has always been a Senator.

A Klansman has always been the senior Senator from West Virginia (Robert Byrd).

PBS and Sesame Street have always existed.

60 Minutes has always been on CBS.

The Super Bowl has always existed.

The Internet has always been in use, although some may remember it being called ARAPNET.

The US has always been involved in some type of Middle Eastern political affair, crisis, or war.

Richard Nixon has always been remembered as a current or former President.

Ronald Reagan has always been known as a current or former politician and not as an actor.

Segregated schools, theatres, water fountains, etc. have always been illegal under Federal law (although if I had been born in 1971 or earlier and lived in Memphis before 1978, I would have briefly remembered being in an illegally segregated school system).

Detroit has always been a declining and very dangerous city.

Houston and San Diego have always been bigger than Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.

California has always been the most populous state in the Union.

The only civil rights leader with a surname of King they remember had the first name of Coretta.

Michael Jackson and Elton John have always been famous.

In half the Presidential elections they remember, the winner won with less than half the popular vote.

The computer has always been around, although some can remember when cassettes were used to run them.

McDonald's, K-Mart, and Wal Mart have always been in existence.

And, finally, Flintstones Vitamins and Geritol have always been around and suggested for people who are older than the year listed on these type lists.

And in distressing news, the NYC area is expecting a blizzard overnight, which means I will be walking right through the middle of it on my way to work tomorrow morning. Also, Tom Golisano decided not to run, which means the Republicans are really screwed. But hopefully, Tom Suozzi will beat Spitzer and the state won't get screwed.

Friday, February 03, 2006

February 3, 2006

Goodbye January. Hello Black History Month, or is it Groundhog Month? Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday in Pennsylvania. Staten Island Chuck, one of NYC's resident groundhogs, didn't see his shadow. It figures that the winter I don't have a car would be the same winter that didn't require snowplows.

Since a Governor Spitzer administration seems more and more likely (and also because my new job will allow me to transfer out of NYC in 10 months), I've been looking at potential new homes. One of those options is my hometown of Colorado Springs. I've also looked at Las Vegas, San Diego, and (more recently) Chicago, Waterbury, CT, and my great-grandfather's final home of Indianapolis. There are advantages and disadvantages to each: Chicago has a much higher crime rate than the other cities; San Diego's cost of living isn't that much cheaper than NYC's; Waterbury would be a hell of a commute from potential jobsites; Indianapolis is in the heart of the allergy belt; and Las Vegas gets too damn hot in the summer. But Vegas and Chicago have a lot of big city amenities; Waterbury is a Metro North ride away from NYC and is the only one of the above mentioned cities that has a branch of my bank; San Diego has great weather and a nice beach; Indianapolis has the lowest cost of living of the other cities, and is centrally located to my relatives in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Lousiana, and Iowa; and Colorado Springs is my hometown and has probably the best natural amenities of any mid-to-major city in the United States. Regardless of whether I move there or not, I intend on driving the gravel road up Pikes Peak in 2007. But Indianapolis and Colorado Springs are the only cities in which I could afford a house rental (although Vegas and San Diego are the only cities where I would end up paying more in rent than I am now in Queens). It would be nice to have my own place again for the first time in 10 years. But that decision won't be made before November 7, 2006. I intend on doing my best to keep Spitzer from Albany before I plan any job transfers.