Thank You, Recession

I would like to say thank you to this horrible recession. It's due to this recession that it's looking like I'll likely go two years with no bonus or raise (as will almost all of my co-workers). But you know what? That's okay. My wife and I are able to live more comfortably than many people in the United States. And we're grateful for that. Could we live with less? I'm sure we could. We were blessed to be born into the families and means we were, but we've also worked hard to get to where we are.

The fact that I'll likely go two years without a raise or bonus has made me question the value of putting in extra effort and time at work (*gasp* - will potential future employers see this!?). Two years ago I was happy to stay 2+ hours late most nights of the week. I was happy to come in a few hours on Saturday or Sunday. Or take my laptop home for the weekend and spend a few hours working. Now? Screw you, corporate America. I'll work my hours through the week. I'll do my best to produce a quality product. But my evenings and weekends are for me, my wife, our family, and our friends. As I've heard a fellow employee say (who heard it from another fellow employee): "[insert name of employer here] will not be coming to my funeral".

Do I love my job? Definitely not. I find my field interesting, and I work with engines, which I've wanted to do since I was a pimple-faced kid in the late '90s driving a '67 Dodge Dart GT (pretty hot 360 small block with 727 TorqueFlite and 3.55 Sure Grip, for those who care) with a non-functional fuel gauge and laundry list of electrical demons. So, I'm grateful to be doing what I am - you could say it's my "dream job", but every day is not fun.

I saw an article a few months ago detailing results of a survey that indicates 55% of Americans are not satisfied with their current job (read article here). At the time I read this article I was considering seeking employment with other companies (because living 3 hours away from your wife is not cool). But according to this study, I have roughly a 50/50 chance that I would be satisfied in a different job with a different employer. Personally, I interpreted this as proof that indeed the grass is often greener on the other side of the fence, and perhaps a large portion of the 55% who are not satisfied with their jobs just need to work on their attitude.

Then a few weeks ago I came across this article (read article here and scroll down to "$60K a year can make you happy") that referenced a psychological survey/study (I think this is the report from the study here) which indicates that happiness increases with annual income, up to ~$60,000/year. Above that, it's diminishing returns. And people who are happy have time with family and friends to thank for that.

So, thank you recession. And my message to corporate America: I'll work hard enough to get my paycheck (and maybe even a tad beyond that), but I will not give you my soul. I'll give my soul to my family and friends, who are my true source of happiness. My elders probably could have told me that, but would I have listened without going through the past year?

Going the Distance

I took my first long distance trip on my 2007 Ninja 250R yesterday. 177 miles at an average of 65 mpg. Here's a breakdown of the experience.

Preparation - New Grips: I knew I'd need better grips than the stock ones or this would be a very long trip. Based on recommendations from the Ninja 250 Riders Club, I ordered some Oury Road Grips. They required some modification to get them to fit over the bar ends (didn't want to bother with taking the weights off) - I had to cut a hole in the end of the left hand grip and cut the right end off of the right hand grip to keep it from binding the throttle when released. I cut the stock grips off with a utility knife (cutting up as not to scratch the throttle tube and handlebars) and initially tried soaking the new grips in dish soap and water for install. The left hand grip would still rotate a little once dry, so I decided to give hairspray a try. Hairspray seems to be the way to go! The grips slid on much easier than with the soap/water method, and the hairspray appears to be just sticky enough to help hold the grips in place once dry. The comfort of these grips is much better than the stock grips. I'm glad I made this upgrade before yesterday's trip.

Preparation - Luggage: I also needed a way to haul some of my stuff on the bike, of course. I came across some luggage on clearance, and after taking some measurements I found a tail bag I thought would hold my laptop and saddlebags that would fit without interfering with the rear turn signals and exhaust. I got the Fieldsheer Compact Saddlebags and Fieldsheer Expander Tail Bag. I had to get a smaller "sport" laptop case ($20 at Wal-mart) to get the laptop to fit in through the opening in the tail bag, but now it slides right in no problem. The saddlebags fit-up fine, too. With both tail bag and saddlebags installed I initially felt a bit crowded when sitting on the bike, but once I got settled in I was fine. The luggage stayed very secure the entire trip.

Luggage installed and ready to roll

The Ride: At first I was nervous and I had a bit of a death grip on the throttle. Anyone who rides knows that is a good way to make your hands tired very fast. I remember thinking to myself after just 11 miles: "This is going to be a long trip with lots of breaks!". A few more miles down the road I think I relaxed a bit and felt fine. I felt so good that I decided to forgo my initial plans of stopping for a break every 60 miles and decided to wait until I was past the halfway point before breaking for lunch (85+ miles). I found about 80 miles seemed to be my limit for comfort. That's about when my butt started to get sore, I was starving, and needed a bathroom break. Plus, I needed to get the bugs cleaned off my helmet visor - it was getting difficult to see clearly! After the break and lunch I felt good again. But then I ran into some pretty strong wind (even stronger when riding 65 mph!) and my death grip on the handlebars returned. I think the last 30-40 miles of the ride wore me out more than the first 140. By the time I got to my destination my butt was sore, my right hand was sore from the death grip, and my neck was sore from wind buffeting. But I had arrived safely without any problems (this part of course made my wife's day)!

Stopped for lunch - my visor was caked with bugs

End Result: The bike and I are now both safely where my wife is living (and I am living part-time). I'll put the bike in storage for the winter here. I calculated up the gas mileage for the 177 mile ride: 65 mpg. I've heard of people getting 70 mpg on Ninja 250Rs. Maybe if it hadn't been so windy and the luggage hadn't been on the back I could have gotten closer to 70 mpg? In any event, it was fun and I'm glad I did it, but I don't think I'll be taking rides of this distance on a regular basis. Based on yesterday's experience, rides of <100 miles shouldn't be a problem on the Ninjette, though.

Window Shopping

I took the motorcycle safety course last week and passed.  That means I now have a little card that I can take to the DMV to get the motorcycle endorsement added to my license and I am legal to ride on public roads.  The question of whether I will be getting a bike is currently a point of contention in our household.  It's very tempting to just go ahead and buy one before my wife gets back from her three week trip to Japan, but I figure that would be a bad idea.  So I'll wait, but there's no harm in looking.

I have yet to go to a bike shop and actually try sitting on some different bikes, but I know that the Honda Nighthawk I rode in the safety class was a little small for me.  Looking around online I find myself drawn to the looks of the standard/"naked" bikes.  And I've been told several times that if I have any self-control to go ahead and get a bike in the 500-600 cc range because I'll get tired of a 250 cc very fast.  So here's some of the bikes I'm interested in at the moment.

Suzuki GS500E

Yamaha FZ6

But I also find myself drawn to some of the older bikes I've seen on Craigslist...

1984 Yamaha Seca 550

1974 Honda CB750

What do you think?

Exception

I ordered a new power supply for my computer last weekend.  It still hadn't shown up by Wednesday, which I thought was strange (the expected delivery date was Tuesday).  When I checked the tracking status, the UPS website showed "THE APARTMENT NUMBER IS MISSING OR IS INCORRECT. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION. / A POSTCARD HAS BEEN SENT TO THE RECIPIENT REQUESTING THAT THEY CONTACT UPS." 

Easy enough to correct.  I contacted UPS and provided the apartment number.  But funny...I never did get that postcard.

The Object of My Affection

I'm tired of the calculator I have at home. Nothing annoys me more than the "click-click" noise its buttons make, and the fact that even if it "click-clicks" it doesn't mean I've pushed the button hard enough for it to have registered. I have a fancy graphing calculator, but I long ago realized that it is far more than I need...if I need to graph something it's way more easier to use a computer. I love the scientific calculator I keep at work. It's a Casio fx-260. I think it cost all of $8. I think I need to buy another to keep at home.

Report

My wife is convinced that our dentist has a difficult time getting along with his hygienists.  Every time she goes to the dentist she tells me about how well he appeared to be getting along with the hygienist who helped him that day.  Typically her report is that the dentist was less than pleased with the hygienist's performance (because he throws his latex gloves in the garbage rather aggressively or is very short when speaking with the hygienist).  However, today was different.  Today's hygienist was accurate as well as quick at her work.  My wife's proof that Dr. M was pleased?  He was happily humming as he was working.

I have to admit, I've never really noticed any indication that Dr. M was pleased or displeased with the hygienist's performance when I go for a visit.  But I'm a guy.  And an engineer.  What do I know about people skills?

How Do You Revert From Rotten?

Up until last July, I had spent the previous six years living by myself.  That of course means I did all of my own cooking, cleaning, and laundry.  When my wife first moved in I was pretty good about continuing to help with all of these things, although she said she is more than happy to handle the bulk of it since she's currently not working (plus I tend to be a bit more particular about the way I clean and fold my laundry).  I find myself slowly doing less and less.  I find I'm not nearly as particular about how the cleaning is done or how my laundry is folded when someone else does it for me. 

We were just discussing what to do tomorrow.  I suggested cleaning.  After a bit more discussion, we came to the conclusion that she already took care of all of the cleaning during the week.

Well, I guess I better enjoy it for now since she'll be back at work this coming fall! 

My Father's Son

I can remember from when I was still living with my parents how much it bothered Mom when Dad would come home from work and the first words out of his mouth would be "did we get any mail today?" while shuffling through everything on the dining room table (since that's where the mail usually got placed once it was brought in).

Now that I'm married, I find that when I get home from work my eyes immediately sweep the dining room table looking for mail.  And I have to remind myself to say hello to my wife before asking about the mail if I don't see anything there.

Suspicion

I've always been a bit suspicious that some of the airport security practices currently in place in the States are designed to make passengers feel like much is being done to protect their safety, while in reality the practices do little to protect passenger safety.  This suspicion grew stronger while in Japan.  

We flew on two domestic flights while in Japan.  The first time I don't think I even emptied my pockets.  There were restrictions against carrying plastic drink bottles, but that's about it.  Before putting my carry-on through the x-ray machine, the security official asked if I had any plastic drink bottles or dangerous items in my possession.  I responded that I did not and he directed me through the metal detector...with my shoes, belt, and jacket on.  Not even so much as a peep from the metal detector. 

I figured the lax security must be because these were domestic flights (maybe more of a focus on making sure questionable individuals don't get into the country to start with).  However, when we departed Japan to come back to the States, the experience was the same.  

Is Japan more relaxed on their airport security?  Maybe so, but I honestly find that a bit hard to believe.  Having lived in Japan I have a great respect for the country's culture and its people.  They may do things differently than we do in the States but often with similar, or better, results (quickly ask yourself what brand of car you drive, TV you watch, stereo you listen, etc.).  I have a feeling that my safety is being protected just as well at airports in Japan as in the States, but through other means.

I don't want to scare anybody, but a few weeks ago I read the article here.  It's about a reporter who has managed to get through airport security using fake boarding passes as well as carrying various restricted items (pocketknife, box cutter, 24 oz. of beer, and the list goes on).  He goes on to quote "security guru" Bruce Schneier: "Counter terrorism in the airport is a show designed to make people feel better.  Only two things have made flying safer: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers."

I won't claim to be an expert on the matter, but found Goldberg's article and Schneier's opinion very interesting.  Is airport security truly protecting us against the next terrorist attack or is Schneier correct in saying "the whole system is designed to catch stupid terrorists" and we're potentially letting the smart ones through? 

Life's Good

I found our two week trip to Japan very refreshing. Of the times I've been to Japan, I have to say I definitely had the most fun this time around. Maybe it had to do with getting away from work for a prolonged period of time, but the trip reminded me that life truly is good. I had started to forget that after 6+ months of 50-60 hour weeks at work.

I thought I was mature when I got married, but over the last year and a half I've learned a lot from my wife (and her family) and discovered that in some ways I'm not as mature as I thought I was. I'm learning not to sweat the small stuff so much. And I'm learning that the very nature of "work" in today's world means that there will always be more to do than you possibly can get done. One of my goals this year is for a standard work week to be 40-45 hours, with maybe a 50 hour week here and there as needed. My personal life and health are far more important than killing myself to keep the bosses happy. As I heard one of my co-workers say once, my employer will not be at my funeral.

So, I've been trying to remind myself that life is good. Given the current economic situation I'm grateful to have a good paying job, and as far as I can tell, job security. When things go to crap at work or I'm feeling overwhelmed, I recite my mantras: "I love my job" and "Life is good". And I'm making more of an effort to leave the stress and worries of work at work.

But ask me midway through tomorrow and you might get a different response....

Deep breath..."I love my job"..."Life is good"...

Hayai!

During our travels in Japan we rode the "bullet train" (shinkansen) a few times.  One of the shinkansen we rode was "Hayate" to get us to Tokyo on our journey home.  According to Wikipedia, Hayate has a top speed of 275 km/h...that's 172 mph!

While standing on the platform one day while waiting for our train, there were several other shinkansen that passed through the station without stopping.  I doubt they're going the full 172 mph when they go through a station, but they're moving along pretty well.  It's enough to give you a rush (and enough for my wife to tell me to step further back on the platform, despite the boyish grin on my face).  A video doesn't quite do it justice, but check out this video to get a feel for it: Video of Hayate Passing Through Fukushima Station.

(By the way, hayai! = fast!)

There's a Tear in My Sake

Every New Year's Eve in Japan they have the "Kouhaku Uta Gassen" (Red/White Song Battle).  Musicians of Japan who were popular that year are split into two teams (red team = female artists, white team = male artists) and perform their songs.  At the end of the night a winning team is chosen based on votes from the studio audience as well as text messages from those watching by tv.  While watching "Kouhaku" this past New Year's Eve I realized that the Enka singers tend to be much more talented than the J-pop singers.

Enka is a Japanese form of music.  It's often said to be similar to American country music.  However, the only similarity is really lyrical themes.  I'd say that enka is probably closer to lounge singing in terms of musical style.

New Year's Eve we also watched part of an enka flashback show.  I was very impressed by the voice of one singer in particular: Misora Hibari.  I bought a two CD set of her best hits before we came home.  You can hear one of her songs here.

Incidentally, a black American has recently become a very popular enka musician in Japan.  He goes by "Jero".  He sang on "Kouhaku" this past New Year's Eve.  You can hear the song he sang on "Kouhaku" here.

 

Bicycle

In my previous post I mentioned that I was nervous about speaking Japanese during my trip to Japan.  I found that it came back fairly easily.  This just reaffirmed what I already knew - the best way to study/learn a language is to travel to the country where that language is spoken and immerse yourself in it.

I also found it interesting that despite the fact that I haven't done any serious Japanese language study in over three years that my listening comprehension has improved significantly.  I could better understand tv shows and even the scratchy announcements by the conductor over train PA systems than when I was last in Japan three years ago.  A few people even mentioned that they thought my Japanese is better than it was three years ago.

I suppose some of the credit needs to go to my wife since her influence allows me more exposure to Japanese than I would have otherwise.

Why English Sucks

We're getting ready to leave for a trip to Japan in a couple weeks and I admit I'm nervous.  I hear or use Japanese daily with my wife, but that's much different than interacting in more formal situations with people I barely know.  Japanese is a tough language, but I'm often grateful I didn't have to learn English as a second language.  Try reading the poem below out loud.  If you're like me, you'll mispronounce at least one word.  The excerpt below was shared as part of the adult literacy tutor training I just completed.

An Excerpt from "The English Lesson" by Richard Krogh

(I found the full poem here: The English Lesson)

I take it you already know

Of tough and bough and cough and dough?

Others may stumble, but not you,

On hiccough, thorough, slough and through?

Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,

To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word

That looks like beard and sounds like bird,

And dead: it's said like bed, not bead - 

For goodness sake don't call it deed!

Watch out for meat and great and threat

(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).

A moth is not a moth in mother,

Nor both in bother, broth in brother,

And here is not a match for there

Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,

And then there's dose and rose and lose -

Just look them up - and goose and choose, 

And cork and work and card and ward,

And font and front and word and sword,

And do and go and thwart and cart - 

Come, come, I've hardly made a start!

A dreadful language? Man alive!

I'd mastered it when I was five!

And yet to write it, the more I tried.

I hadn't learned it at fifty five.

Legal

My wife's Green Card arrived in the mail early this week.  It's very nice to have that out of our way.  Now we just have to remember to have the conditions removed one year and nine months from now.

We're looking forward to the fact that both of us will be able to go through the short line when coming through Immigration after our trip to Japan.  Now if we could just find a way to get me in the short line when entering Japan...

I'm Giving Up

Every few days I'll try to read a news article or two in Japanese.  Today was one of those days.  I could easily tell by the headline that the article was about the DOW (in the United States) falling yet again.  I click on the headline - the entire article is only a few sentences.  Excellent.

My wife happened to come in the room and complimented me on reading an article in Japanese.  She challenged me to read it out loud.  I started to read, and was highly confident because I knew the following word: "市場".  I learned this word, and how to read it, over eight years ago in one of the first cities I lived in while in Japan.  So, when I come to that word I say "ichiba".  Simple.  It means market.  My wife corrects me.  

Wife: "No, it's 'shijou'."  

Me: "But isn't it 'ichiba'?"

Wife: "Yes.  When it's a fruit or vegetable market, it is 'ichiba'.  When it is the stock market, or the housing market it is 'shijou'."

Why do I even try?

pwn

My wife got her driver's license last year, so we bought a new Honda Fit for her to drive. We paid a significant down payment, and put the rest on a two year loan (the salesman from the Honda dealer called me when processing the sale to confirm we really wanted the two year, since most people go for the five year).

I detest paying interest.

We've been paying as much as we reasonably can each month, and got the loan paid off at the end of October. The title came in the mail the other day, and it feels good to know that it is now actually "our" car. It makes my blood boil to think about the fact that over the last year and two months we've paid roughly $500 in interest.

The next goal is to keep my car running long enough so that we can save and pay for our next car in cash.

I detest paying interest.

Depressing

Engineers do funny things, like calculate their effective hourly wage based on monthly salary and work hours. Then they realize with the long hours they've been working lately that on an hourly basis they're making less money than they were three years ago when they first started working for their current employer.

Aren't engineers dumb?

Reclosable Bag

My wife has forced me to throw away all of my undershirts that had even the smallest hole in the armpit. Luckily, she was also nice enough to buy me some new undershirts. It always amazes me when I buy new undershirts or underwear because they come in reclosable bags. Fruit of the Loom even proudly prints on the side of the bag "Reclosable Bag" with arrows pointing to the end of the bag that is....you got it, reclosable.

Maybe it's just me, but when I get new undershirts I tend to remove them from the bag they come in, wash them, and store them in my dresser. Am I missing something about the convenience of reclosable undershirt bags?

I Smoke Pot!?

I had a bit more eventful drive home today than usual. About a mile from work, there was a "crash! clatter, clatter, clatter..." and suddenly the sound from my car's exhaust became quite a bit louder. Apparently it had something to do with this:

I'd already lost the muffler a few years ago, but now that I've lost more of the exhaust pipe, the exhaust comes out right under the passenger area of the car. It's unbearable. 2000 rpm = headache. I have to get this fixed.

Speaking of not having a muffler, it reminds me of a fun story.


One day I was driving home from work, minding my own business, and obeying all traffic laws....I saw a sheriff's cruiser in my rearview mirror. He didn't have his lights or sirens on, but I just had this feeling he was following me and was going to pull me over. The stoplight turns red and I stop. The sheriff's deputy flashes his lights. Just as I suspected. I turn on to the side road.

(While I have paraphrased below, I promise that I don't make any exaggerations.)


Deputy: Do you know why I pulled you over?


Joe: No, I honestly don't.


Deputy: You hear that? (points to rear of car)


Joe: Oh, my muffler? Or lack thereof?


Deputy: Yup. License and proof of insurance, please. Where do you work?


Joe: [INSERT NAME OF EMPLOYER HERE].


Deputy: Then don't you think you could afford a new muffler?


Joe: Yes, I suppose I could.


Deputy: Wait a minute while I check your records.


Several minutes pass and deputy returns...


Deputy: Okay, I'm going to just give you a warning. You can do with it what you want. I don't care. I can't force you to get your muffler fixed. But Officer XXXX has warned you - you should know that driving a Honda that sounds like that will draw unwanted attention. Police will think you're some 18 year old kid who thinks he's in the "Fast and the Furious", and they all smoke pot, right?


Joe: I have no idea if they smoke pot.


Deputy: Well, you know what I'm saying. I'm not saying I age-profile, or racial-profile, but you don't want to put out the wrong image - it will draw attention to you.


Joe: Okay. Thanks. I appreciate it, officer.

Joe: (thinking to self as driving home) Was he trying to imply that I smoke pot?