I am filled with the warm glow of achievement. Granted, that's an unfamiliar emotion for a Monday morning, but I found out over the weekend that an article I wrote while at PC Magazine in 2008 was cited in an academic paper published by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, which appears to have some association with the United Nations. I know, random.
Both my article and the IRBC paper dealt with the virtual firewall the People's Republic of China has set up to regulate Internet use within its borders. The citation probably doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it's super cool for me. At least it seems to indicate that someone read that article. Yay!
Just for giggles and page views, here are some of the other things I wrote while at PC Mag. Eventually I'll have a personal website with a full archive of all my stuff, so consider this a teaser.
10 Futuristic Movie Gadgets Become Reality - This was the first thing I wrote for PC Mag, and it got more than a million hits in just a few days. I joked for the rest of my time there that I peaked in week two.
Laptops for College Grads - This was picked up by the New York, Boston and Philly equivalent of the Chicago Tribune's RedEye (ie, the free paper passed out on the subway). Excitement!
Beyond Guitar Hero - The research for this one was fun. I really want to try the FretLight.
Take Your Tech to the Beach - I think this was the only article I wrote that appeared in the print magazine.
Laptop Orchestra Makes (Sound) Waves - Another fun one to research. I even got press passes to the performance at Carnegie Hall.
Employee Monitoring: It's Not Paranoia - You Really Are Being Watched! - Just to creep you out.
Your Complete Father's Day Gift Guide - Graphic-tastic.
Solio Hybrid 1000 - The one review I wrote.
In other news, today marks my return to Lake the Posts as the official NUMB blogger. My first post of the 2010 season will be up later today; I'll be sure to include a link here.
UPDATE, 4:28 pm: My post went up over at LTP! Check it out here.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
EXACTLY ONE WEEK UNTIL NU FOOTBALL
This video. Gives me chills. I can't believe I survived that game without any lingering cardiac problems.
I cannot freaking wait for the 2010 season. Go 'Cats.
I cannot freaking wait for the 2010 season. Go 'Cats.
Friday, August 27, 2010
What does it say about our society?
I had intended to post one final "retrospective" piece today, an op-ed about homeless veterans that I wrote in the winter of 2009, but thought better of it. It was outdated, and honestly the writing was not up to par. But it's an important issue, so here's the updated, Cliffs Notes version:
In January 2009 a World War II veteran froze to death in his home. The story got national attention, because what the hell, how can that even happen? His power company had shut off his electricity because he hadn't paid the bill. Even so, he might be considered lucky -- after all, he had a home.
Veterans make up a third of the homeless population in America. That's more than 100,000 people that have worn a uniform and fought for our country that are now sleeping in cars, on the streets, in homeless shelters. What does it say about our society when we let our front line, our foot soldiers, our fighter pilots slip through the cracks when they get home? Veterans run higher risks than the rest of the population of mental illness and homelessness. A match made in heaven, no doubt.
Last night the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, gave a speech in Detroit in which he addressed homelessness among veterans as a major issue, folded into all the problems veterans are facing as they return home to a troubled economy. Last November, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki presented a 5-year, $3.2 billion plan to curb veteran homelessness. I imagine we'll see news stories this November about whether the program has made any difference. At least Shinseki, Mullen and others seem to be on the right track, but it's a long road ahead -- one that stretches far beyond the next five years.
We simply have to decide that we won't let veterans slip through the cracks. Allowing veterans to freeze to death in their own homes -- let alone on the streets -- is simply unacceptable.
Talk about the definition of "d'uh."
In January 2009 a World War II veteran froze to death in his home. The story got national attention, because what the hell, how can that even happen? His power company had shut off his electricity because he hadn't paid the bill. Even so, he might be considered lucky -- after all, he had a home.
Veterans make up a third of the homeless population in America. That's more than 100,000 people that have worn a uniform and fought for our country that are now sleeping in cars, on the streets, in homeless shelters. What does it say about our society when we let our front line, our foot soldiers, our fighter pilots slip through the cracks when they get home? Veterans run higher risks than the rest of the population of mental illness and homelessness. A match made in heaven, no doubt.
Last night the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, gave a speech in Detroit in which he addressed homelessness among veterans as a major issue, folded into all the problems veterans are facing as they return home to a troubled economy. Last November, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki presented a 5-year, $3.2 billion plan to curb veteran homelessness. I imagine we'll see news stories this November about whether the program has made any difference. At least Shinseki, Mullen and others seem to be on the right track, but it's a long road ahead -- one that stretches far beyond the next five years.
We simply have to decide that we won't let veterans slip through the cracks. Allowing veterans to freeze to death in their own homes -- let alone on the streets -- is simply unacceptable.
Talk about the definition of "d'uh."
Thursday, August 26, 2010
They don't call it "Corpse Revivor" for nothing
Another day, another unpublished piece. This one is from the Food & Entertainment Writing, spring 2010. I haven't been back to Gilt Bar since doing the research for this piece but the food was phenomenal, and I heard they opened a second (basement) lounge in addition to the main restaurant. Worth checking out if you're in the River North area.
Gilt Bar and the Corpse Revivor
By Brittany Petersen
Gin hasn’t been in vogue since the 1930’s; in fact it’s mostly been relegated to martini menus for more than three generations. Modern social drinkers tend to default to the familiar and simple, especially those who spent college in a screwdriver-and-rum-and-Coke-induced haze. But with the rise in popularity of pre-Prohibition lounges like Gilt Bar, at 230 W. Kinzie, classic, complex, gin- and whisky-based cocktails may be entering a whole new heyday.
Among the bar’s nine specialty cocktails ($10 each) is my favorite classic—the Corpse Reviver No. 2, which is made with gin, Cointreau, Lillet blanc, lemon juice, and absinthe. Described by a Gilt bartender as “lemonade with a hint of annis” (thanks to the absinthe), the Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a smooth, light cocktail that may be the answer for those looking for a gateway into the world of gin. Whereas some gin-based concoctions may leave their drinker smelling of pine trees after a few rounds thanks to the juniper berries from which liquor is derived, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 conceals the gin in a delicate balance of flavors and offers a mild tang that fans of sweeter and vodka-based drinks will enjoy.
Flaunting sultry hues, gold-gilded mirrors, lone Edison bulbs, and miles of dark wood, Gilt Bar succeeds in bringing to mind a 1920’s speakeasy with a modern flair. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of gin drinks and get in touch with some classic recipes, Gilt Bar and the Corpse Reviver No. 2 are a great place to start.
My Blackberry picture-taking skills are unparalleled.
Gilt Bar and the Corpse Revivor
By Brittany Petersen
Gin hasn’t been in vogue since the 1930’s; in fact it’s mostly been relegated to martini menus for more than three generations. Modern social drinkers tend to default to the familiar and simple, especially those who spent college in a screwdriver-and-rum-and-Coke-induced haze. But with the rise in popularity of pre-Prohibition lounges like Gilt Bar, at 230 W. Kinzie, classic, complex, gin- and whisky-based cocktails may be entering a whole new heyday.
Among the bar’s nine specialty cocktails ($10 each) is my favorite classic—the Corpse Reviver No. 2, which is made with gin, Cointreau, Lillet blanc, lemon juice, and absinthe. Described by a Gilt bartender as “lemonade with a hint of annis” (thanks to the absinthe), the Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a smooth, light cocktail that may be the answer for those looking for a gateway into the world of gin. Whereas some gin-based concoctions may leave their drinker smelling of pine trees after a few rounds thanks to the juniper berries from which liquor is derived, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 conceals the gin in a delicate balance of flavors and offers a mild tang that fans of sweeter and vodka-based drinks will enjoy.
Flaunting sultry hues, gold-gilded mirrors, lone Edison bulbs, and miles of dark wood, Gilt Bar succeeds in bringing to mind a 1920’s speakeasy with a modern flair. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of gin drinks and get in touch with some classic recipes, Gilt Bar and the Corpse Reviver No. 2 are a great place to start.
My Blackberry picture-taking skills are unparalleled.Wednesday, August 25, 2010
It's a life and death business
To celebrate the fact that my classes begin again two weeks from today, we continue the week of posting pieces written for school that never saw the light of publication. This one is from a writing class I took with Alex Kotlowitz in the winter of 2009. The assignment was to write a profile of someone at work, so I spent a cold January morning with Joe Donnellan of Donnellan Family Funeral Services.
You won’t find a folding chair anywhere on the premises. The rooms are decorated to reflect wealth, with dark wood, heavy furniture, and faded but stately Oriental rugs. Boxes of Kleenex sit on every available surface, and a large bowl of mints – white lifesavers, somewhat ironically – sit on a table to the far right of the door.
Most people only set foot in a funeral home under the unhappiest of circumstances, so it’s easy to forget that the funeral business is indeed a business. Donnellan Family Funeral Services, founded in 1913, has survived war, Depression, and inept nephews to become one of the most well-known locally owned funeral homes on the north side of Chicago, with eight full-time funeral directors. As a child, Joe Donnellan learned to spell his name from the sign outside. More than forty years later, he’s running the business.
At more than six feet tall, Donnellan towers over the other funeral directors, and his thick, white-gray hair is carefully gelled. He moves through the rooms of the funeral home, pointing out all the problems with the building: ugly wiring in this room, water damage in another, misplaced supplies in a third. From his description you would think the place was falling apart, though untrained eyes would not notice the flaws.
Wearing a dark suit with a white tie and crisp white shirt, silver cufflinks and frameless glasses, Donnellan looks oddly modern in a setting devoted to the past. He does not smile often, and his dry and off-putting sense of humor seem as though they would be abrupt when speaking to a grieving family. “Food is a good way to quell emotional problems, if you can’t reach for the bottle,” he says while explaining his business’ policy of providing food at funerals if requested. Still, Donnellan is a businessman in the truest form, and he holds two principles – hard work and quality product – in highest regard.
He stops to discuss with one of his subordinates the funeral taking place that morning. The body of a formerWilmette fire chief lies in the next room, and Gaelic music flows out of the sound system. The daughter of the deceased is stuck on the highway thanks to the heavy snowfall the night before, and Donnellan gives directions to help her circumvent road closures.
Donnellan empties his pockets onto a table – out comes a BlackBerry, some $20 bills, a small ledger book. He finds what he’s looking for and pops a piece of Nicotine gum into his mouth. Donnellan Family Funeral Services handles about 500 funerals a year, and even with eight full-time funeral directors, Donnellan spends a lot of time at the office. “There’s always going to be a golf game,” he says of the long hours. “But there’s not always going to be a time you can serve a family.”
This is the business of funerals – the paperwork, problem solving, hearse designing, arrangement making, talking with people. Donnellan is a licensed embalmer, but he’s never embalmed a body in his life. The company’s crematorium is miles away, and he carries a certain disdain for the romanticized visions of medical examiners and coroners. Joe Donnellan is a funeral director, but his business isn’t the dead. It’s taking care of the living.
A profile of someone at work
You won’t find a folding chair anywhere on the premises. The rooms are decorated to reflect wealth, with dark wood, heavy furniture, and faded but stately Oriental rugs. Boxes of Kleenex sit on every available surface, and a large bowl of mints – white lifesavers, somewhat ironically – sit on a table to the far right of the door.
Most people only set foot in a funeral home under the unhappiest of circumstances, so it’s easy to forget that the funeral business is indeed a business. Donnellan Family Funeral Services, founded in 1913, has survived war, Depression, and inept nephews to become one of the most well-known locally owned funeral homes on the north side of Chicago, with eight full-time funeral directors. As a child, Joe Donnellan learned to spell his name from the sign outside. More than forty years later, he’s running the business.
At more than six feet tall, Donnellan towers over the other funeral directors, and his thick, white-gray hair is carefully gelled. He moves through the rooms of the funeral home, pointing out all the problems with the building: ugly wiring in this room, water damage in another, misplaced supplies in a third. From his description you would think the place was falling apart, though untrained eyes would not notice the flaws.
Wearing a dark suit with a white tie and crisp white shirt, silver cufflinks and frameless glasses, Donnellan looks oddly modern in a setting devoted to the past. He does not smile often, and his dry and off-putting sense of humor seem as though they would be abrupt when speaking to a grieving family. “Food is a good way to quell emotional problems, if you can’t reach for the bottle,” he says while explaining his business’ policy of providing food at funerals if requested. Still, Donnellan is a businessman in the truest form, and he holds two principles – hard work and quality product – in highest regard.
He stops to discuss with one of his subordinates the funeral taking place that morning. The body of a former
Donnellan empties his pockets onto a table – out comes a BlackBerry, some $20 bills, a small ledger book. He finds what he’s looking for and pops a piece of Nicotine gum into his mouth. Donnellan Family Funeral Services handles about 500 funerals a year, and even with eight full-time funeral directors, Donnellan spends a lot of time at the office. “There’s always going to be a golf game,” he says of the long hours. “But there’s not always going to be a time you can serve a family.”
This is the business of funerals – the paperwork, problem solving, hearse designing, arrangement making, talking with people. Donnellan is a licensed embalmer, but he’s never embalmed a body in his life. The company’s crematorium is miles away, and he carries a certain disdain for the romanticized visions of medical examiners and coroners. Joe Donnellan is a funeral director, but his business isn’t the dead. It’s taking care of the living.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Experiments in Form
In March I started graduate school in the English department at DePaul University. One of my classes was Food and Entertainment Writing, and so without further ado, I present my first ever restaurant review, written in April 2010. Is this the beginning of a new career path? Probably not, but I can't complain about eating food and writing about it, so perhaps this won't be the last. Bon appetit.
The French Invade
A new BYOB bistro stakes its claim on
By Brittany Petersen
Soup a l'oignon
When I was 12 years old, my grandmother taught me how to make French onion soup (soupe a l’oignon) from scratch. Our family is not French, so I’m not sure why that particular dish was chosen, but ever since I have scoured the cities I’ve lived in and visited, looking for soup as good as the stuff my grandma and I would make. (She cut up the onions, but the rest was all me.) My official
Rendezvous’ unassuming storefront is deceiving; the interior of the tearoom-sized restaurant is delightfully outfitted with blue banquettes, throw pillows, French posters, and kitschy rooster knickknacks. Café curtains, toffee-colored walls, simple chandeliers, and white linen napkins complete the charmingly provincial atmosphere.
We were the first diners to arrive on a Tuesday evening, and with the exception of one other table we had the place to ourselves for the duration of the meal. (The limited hours of operation – 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday – leave something to be desired.) I clutched an inexpensive bottle of “French” table wine, hastily bought at a corner store down the street, and the friendly garcon poured as soon as we sat down, making small talk in what I determined to be an authentic French accent (and thankfully not judging my wine choice). The no-fee BYOB was certainly a plus, but I wouldn’t mind a small fee in exchange for a menu of a few inexpensive, French, house bottles.
Saumon fumée with cream fraiche and brioche
The Rendezvous menu is hearty and simple, featuring textbook French dishes like coq au vin, steak au poivre, crêpes suzette, and of course soupe a l’oignon. (Everything sounds more delicious in French, doesn’t it?) The selection is modest, but what they do, they do well. The soupe a l’oignon was, of course, my favorite: smooth and fragrant, while avoiding the over-salted pitfall that plagues many iterations of my favorite dish. My entrée of saumon du jour was cooked to savory perfection, with a crunch that still makes my mouth water. My dining companion was content with his hor d’oeuvre of saumon fumée.
Saumon du jour
It wasn’t all great. The bed of vegetables that accompanied my salmon was disappointingly cold to the touch, and the cylindrical potato pieces were undercooked. But the pesto that circled the plate was a delicious accent, and the rich flavor of the cold red pepper was a nice complement that would have been even better served hot. We cleaned off our plates and, happily stuffed, waved off the dessert menu (on which crème brûlée is strangely absent).
Coq au vin
The best part? No entrées exceed $20, meaning you can fill up on French food without emptying your wallet. And beginning May 3rd, Rendezvous will offer an “early dining” menu from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, featuring a three-course, prix-fixe meal for $20.10. “Early” diners can create their own happy hour and enjoy menu staples like steak frites and mousse au chocolat.
Rendezvous owner Simo Yaacobi is the former manager of one of
There are still a few kinks to work out – service was slow, and it would be fun to see a few more risks on the menu – but thanks to the comfortable atmosphere, friendly staff, and solidly executed menu, watch for Rendezvous to become a Lincoln Square sleeper sensation. Or at least for it to become a little harder to keep the place to yourself on a weeknight.
Rendezvous Bistro, 2656 W. Lawrence Ave.; (773) 561-4400, www.lerendezvousbistro.com. Average bill: $30.
* Editor's Note: For the cultured among you, this was the song featured in Inception.
Monday, August 23, 2010
A cliché saved is a cliché earned
"Not all midterm elections are created equal."
That's the lede from a CNN.com story published last month.*
Did anyone else throw up in their mouth a little?
Stepping away from the fact that clichés in journalistic writing make me want to punch an entire bus of Girl Scouts (and steal their cookies), the overuse of these pearls of wisdom does a disservice to overbearing advice-givers everywhere. After all, clichés are based on truth, and they're usually right. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, two wrongs don't make a right, and yes, CNN, not all [fill in the blank] are created equal.
The problem is that we're so desensitized to clichéd phrases that we've ceased to pay attention to what they actually mean. We've been hearing these things for so long and in so many contexts that we start to tune them out and not take the advice to heart. If Mom says, "Don't worry sweetie, there are plenty of fish in the sea"...well, we roll our eyes and go back to our tub of chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.
But Mom's right. Both literally and figuratively, there are a lot of fish in the sea. (Which, according to this guy, is great for the guys but not for the gals. Though he's kind of an asshole.) Point being, while you were indulging in Ben & Jerry fantasies, Mom's advice sat there, stagnant, useless on the living room floor. We give advice and comfort each other using clichés that guarantee we won't really appreciate the wisdom until after we needed it.
Clichés in journalism are a whole 'nother animal. That's just blasphemously lazy writing.
* It took me exactly six seconds on Google, skimming news stories, to find one that lead with a cliché. This is not an uncommon problem, people.
Friday, August 20, 2010
It's Official
Twenty to twenty-five percent of this country is composed of complete and utter imbeciles.
(If you don't feel like following the link, I'm talking about the poll that came out this week indicating that approximately a quarter of American citizens believe Obama is Muslim. I know, right?)
Special shout-out to Newsweek for clarifying the wrongness in their headline. If you can't educate the people, dumb down the material, I always say.
P.S. A Google image search of "Muslim Obama" brings up some really disturbing stuff. Apparently the entire stupid 20-25% of the country is on the 'Net and writing blogs. Here's to hoping this blog is at least in the 74th percentile.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wait....THAT Hanson?
Hanson has apparently come a long way from MmmBop, which I can remember dancing to in a frenzy in my friend's basement in fifth grade, with a hairbrush as a microphone, totally screwing up the words because they're actually pretty unintelligible. That shit was awesome.
This new song, off Hanson's eighth (yes, EIGHTH) studio album, has shot to the top of my list of "happy, catchy tunes." You've got to love the Blues Brothers spoof. The video was released in the spring but the album officially dropped in June.
Hanson is playing the Chicago House of Blues this weekend with Rooney. (Crash course in Rooney here and here.) If I were going to be in town, I'd totally go. Instead I guess I'll just have to check out the rest of the new album...and also what else Hanson's been up to the last 10 years.
P.S. Can you spot Weird Al Yankovic?
This new song, off Hanson's eighth (yes, EIGHTH) studio album, has shot to the top of my list of "happy, catchy tunes." You've got to love the Blues Brothers spoof. The video was released in the spring but the album officially dropped in June.
Hanson is playing the Chicago House of Blues this weekend with Rooney. (Crash course in Rooney here and here.) If I were going to be in town, I'd totally go. Instead I guess I'll just have to check out the rest of the new album...and also what else Hanson's been up to the last 10 years.
P.S. Can you spot Weird Al Yankovic?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
It's a Brave New (Text Messaging) World
There are certain people with whom it's just easier. My family, for instance, or certain friends that are actually able to keep my attention by being interesting. I have more than 200 contacts in my phone, and rarely do I talk (via phone) to more than five of them for more than a minute at a time. Is that a bad thing?
I read with fascination all the despairing articles about how our children are spending 7 hours a day texting each other from the same room. "Oh no, they'll never develop people skills!" First of all, come on, it's your fault for giving your 10-year-old a cell phone. It's no surprise that teeny boppers everywhere have embraced the 2010 version of passing notes in class. "But," these naysayers complain, "People don't just interact anymore. Communication has been stunted by social media and instant availability. Whatever happened to a good, old-fashioned, Nebraska-style visitin' session? Bring over some pie and let's play Mexican dominoes and talk international politics."
No?
Okay, well, all that is crap. Technology has done amazing things for communication. People may technically (PUN ALERT) be constantly available, but all these alternate routes of communication have ensured that we're only available when we want to be. If you don't want to answer an email for a few hours, that's fine. Turn off your Blackberry and put up an away message. Phone calls -- especially those that could have been dealt more efficiently with a text or email -- interrupt whatever you're doing, whether it's a good time or not.
Of course, sometimes it's a treat to get a phone call. Last night a high school friend that I haven't talked to in a year or two called and we talked for almost an hour. It helps that she doesn't have Facebook** (and I don't even know her email address), so we had a lot to catch up on.
My point is that there's a middle ground between refusing to accept that communication is fundamentally changing and metaphorically burning phone calls at the stake. It's rare but refreshing to read an article that casts this change in the way we communicate in a positive light, but you can count on Wired to lead the way. In writer Clive Thompson's view, phone calls simply aren't an efficient communication method, and it's a good thing that people are spending less time on the phone. His article, published a couple of weeks ago, was an interesting read, and made me feel less guilty about preferring texting over phone calls 90% of the time. It's just more efficient, people.
Check out the article here.
* Let it be known, I'm not a gardener. The fact that my office plant is still alive dumbfounded me until I talked with the lady who cleans my office at night and she told me she watered it regularly. Go figure.
** Hey Hawaii friends -- we gotta get Kanani on Facebook.
Note: I do actually like receiving phone calls. Please call me sometimes.
Friday, August 6, 2010
FoOtBaLl SeAsOn!!!!!1!!!go'cats!!!
Being a Northwestern fan is emotionally exhausting. I learned early on to shut off the football part of my brain after bowl game season. It lies dormant throughout winter and spring, perhaps with a blip at the spring football game. Summer has never been a problem, since it's usually busy and exciting. But then one day you wake up and realize... It's August. Which means it's officially time to get excited about football. A couple days ago I ordered 34 tickets to the season opener at Vanderbilt. My thirty-three best friends and I will be road-tripping down to Nashville for the game, and I'm excited to the point of jumping up and down and writing a new number one single which I will lovingly entitle "All the Ways I Would Die for Coach Fitz." (There are probably about 48 of them. Maybe one more.)
I'll continue working with the NUMBALUMS to plan events, blogging about NUMB for LTP, and just generally being an all-around, purple-clad nutjob for the next few months. This is gonna be fun.
Northwestern's 2010 season-
I'll continue working with the NUMBALUMS to plan events, blogging about NUMB for LTP, and just generally being an all-around, purple-clad nutjob for the next few months. This is gonna be fun.
Northwestern's 2010 season-
| 9/4/10 | @ Vanderbilt | attending (road trip CONFIRMED) |
| 09/11/10 | Illinois State | attending |
| 9/18/10 | @Rice | maybe attending (Evan?) |
| 09/25/10 | Central Michigan | attending |
| 10/2/10 | @ Minnesota | attending (road trip plans TK) |
| 10/9/10 | Purdue | attending (night game!! ah!!!) |
| 10/16/10 | BYE | and on the seventh week, Fitz rested. |
| 10/23/10 | Michigan State | HOMECOMING OMGDIFJMIV! (attending) |
| 10/30/10 | @Indiana | attending, and organizing a NUMBALUM tailgate |
| 11/06/10 | @ Penn State | attending, or Bethany will kill me |
| 11/13/10 | Iowa | attending |
| 11/20/10 | Illinois | attending at Wrigley (and likely hosting a pregame) |
| 11/27/10 | @Wisconsin | TBD, but it'd suck to break a perfect record |
| TBD BOWL GAME | attending |
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Things I Learned This Week
1) Caffeine is drug. A very, very effectual one.
2) Thunderstorms are awesome, but you should remember to wear shoes that actually attach to your feet, not just slip-ons. Rain boots are an unnecessary (but still cool) accessory.
3) Ali totally made the right choice when she picked Roberto. I hope those two stay together forever.
4) The official American folk dance of Illinois is the square dance. No joke.
5) Before you buy a used car, take it to a mechanic. Even if they promise you a good warranty.
5b) In fact, as a general rule, used care salesmen are not to be trusted. There's a reason it's a cliche.
6) Cookies are a band-aid, not a solution.
7) It's much easier to be a cynic, and much more difficult to be genuine. Especially if you're particularly sarcastic by nature.
8) I love him, but a goatee is not Jon Stewart's best look.
9) Advice isn't an effective way of learning. You pretty much have to make your own mistakes to really understand anything. It blows, but it's the reason older people look at younger people and just shake their heads and smile when we insist we know what we're doing.
10) I have a feeling my friends and I are going to be really cool octogenarians someday.
2) Thunderstorms are awesome, but you should remember to wear shoes that actually attach to your feet, not just slip-ons. Rain boots are an unnecessary (but still cool) accessory.
3) Ali totally made the right choice when she picked Roberto. I hope those two stay together forever.
4) The official American folk dance of Illinois is the square dance. No joke.
5) Before you buy a used car, take it to a mechanic. Even if they promise you a good warranty.
5b) In fact, as a general rule, used care salesmen are not to be trusted. There's a reason it's a cliche.
6) Cookies are a band-aid, not a solution.
7) It's much easier to be a cynic, and much more difficult to be genuine. Especially if you're particularly sarcastic by nature.
8) I love him, but a goatee is not Jon Stewart's best look.
9) Advice isn't an effective way of learning. You pretty much have to make your own mistakes to really understand anything. It blows, but it's the reason older people look at younger people and just shake their heads and smile when we insist we know what we're doing.
10) I have a feeling my friends and I are going to be really cool octogenarians someday.
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