To The Village of Oak Park Parking Nazis -
I love your precious village, I do. The little old ladies walking their tiny white poofy dogs every morning on the picturesque tree-lined streets. The huge historic houses designed by Really Famous People. The elegantly manicured gardens. The festivals and farmers' markets and outdoor theaters. I love it. Really. The perfect mixture of suburb and city. So much so that I chose to move here, forcing an hour-and-a-half commute EVERY LIVE-LONG WORKING DAY. While gas prices are WELL over $4.00. That means I really love your treasured Haven of Loveliness.
I can understand that you would want to protect it from interlopers who would mar the lovely streets by parking their ugly cars where they simply do not belong. I would be concerned about that too.
But I really need to let you in on something. It is neither polite nor necessary to persecute the legal residents of your magical community. Let me give you an example.
Imagine with me, if you will, a naive Southerner, adhering as best she knew how to the parking regulations of the aforementioned village. Put yourself in her shoes when this morning, she received not one, but TWO parking tickets. Not only did I receive these today, but they are the second set of the SAME $%^&ING TICKETS. One of which she received for not displaying the parking sticker which had merely become dislodged from it's place on her windshield. So miniscule was this infraction that the sticker was actually still attached to the windshield, but merely hanging from it's proper place because of the blasted heat which had melted the tape holding it in place. I have replaced the tape. NOW PLEASE CUT IT THE $%^# OUT. The second ticket of these sets was for not displaying a front license plate. My car is from another state which doesn't require front plates and thus has NO LITTLE HOLES ON THE FRONT BUMPER TO ATTACH THE LITTLE LICENSE PLATE SCREWS TO. I have the front plate in my back seat. NOW PLEASE CUT IT THE $%^ OUT.
This practice of ticketing the h out of your humble residents leads me to believe that your little village has nothing better to do than to cheat the citizens of this lovely place so you can RAISE MORE REVENUE to support further parking regulation ridiculousness. This is an ignoble scheme, foul perpetrators. You will be brought to justice, vigilante style. If I see one of your minions trying to %^& with my car again, I will not hesitate to jump him. Consider yourself warned, Parking Nazis.
~M.I.F.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
In Pursuit of the Ideal
I'm trying to sort out my life. Specifically, I'm trying to determine my Calling, the Vocation which combines my all passions and talents and a sense of mission, something into which I can pour all my energy, something I will love endlessly, for which I will be perfectly suited, and will enjoy vast success. Something encompassing adventure and beauty and financial gain and purpose and fabulousness; all swirled into an amalgam of success, achievement and never-ending bliss.
Is it any wonder why I haven't found that yet? I think it might not actually exist. Actually, as I describe it, it sounds more like Heaven.
I think I'm onto something here, although it's certainly not a new observation. Isn't that ultimately what all humans search for? This may be my judeo-Christian world view's influence here, but ultimately, humans are searching for the ideal. Counterintuitively, we all claim intellectual ascent to the fact that the ideal doesn't exist in this world, yet we all subconsciously and compulsively search it out. Something deeper is at play here.
It suggests a commonality in the wiring of all humans. What we define as ideal, we seek in our own lives. Perhaps that is a projection of my own experience onto the rest of human kind, but on the whole, it seems that we are all searching, dissatisfied, and discontent. I think the natural assertion to make at this point is that common drive didn't come about by happenstance, but that God put that drive in us, the drive to discover the ideal, and make the ideal our own; God knowing all the while that ultimately, we wouldn't be able to find that anywhere except in Him. But I digress...
How do all these ramblings apply to my search for a job that will pay the bills? Well, all these subconscious impulses which are admittedly a part of my psyche have kept me pretty stuck in the last several years. Nothing, I find, is ideal. Certainly there are different levels of "not ideal", but really, most everything has been falling under the heading of "not ideal". And that has kept me doing the really, especially "not ideal" for a long time, because I can't make a decision to commit to one career path because of the aforementioned "not ideal" status I've assigned to all the different routes I've pursued thus far.
Oh, the irony.
I went to check out a completely new and off-the-wall potential career last night. I was sort of inspired by the thought of walking that path, but mostly, it was just very surreal. I felt as though I was making up my life as I went. It felt like there was no plan or purpose, but mostly, I was just doing the best I could to get by; trying to entertain myself, doing the best I could with what I had until this life is all over. This sense doesn't fall in line with what I believe to be true about life and calling and calling in life, but nevertheless, it was how I felt.
But it doesn't excuse me of my responsibility to steward my life well. Now if only I could figure out how to do that...
Is it any wonder why I haven't found that yet? I think it might not actually exist. Actually, as I describe it, it sounds more like Heaven.
I think I'm onto something here, although it's certainly not a new observation. Isn't that ultimately what all humans search for? This may be my judeo-Christian world view's influence here, but ultimately, humans are searching for the ideal. Counterintuitively, we all claim intellectual ascent to the fact that the ideal doesn't exist in this world, yet we all subconsciously and compulsively search it out. Something deeper is at play here.
It suggests a commonality in the wiring of all humans. What we define as ideal, we seek in our own lives. Perhaps that is a projection of my own experience onto the rest of human kind, but on the whole, it seems that we are all searching, dissatisfied, and discontent. I think the natural assertion to make at this point is that common drive didn't come about by happenstance, but that God put that drive in us, the drive to discover the ideal, and make the ideal our own; God knowing all the while that ultimately, we wouldn't be able to find that anywhere except in Him. But I digress...
How do all these ramblings apply to my search for a job that will pay the bills? Well, all these subconscious impulses which are admittedly a part of my psyche have kept me pretty stuck in the last several years. Nothing, I find, is ideal. Certainly there are different levels of "not ideal", but really, most everything has been falling under the heading of "not ideal". And that has kept me doing the really, especially "not ideal" for a long time, because I can't make a decision to commit to one career path because of the aforementioned "not ideal" status I've assigned to all the different routes I've pursued thus far.
Oh, the irony.
I went to check out a completely new and off-the-wall potential career last night. I was sort of inspired by the thought of walking that path, but mostly, it was just very surreal. I felt as though I was making up my life as I went. It felt like there was no plan or purpose, but mostly, I was just doing the best I could to get by; trying to entertain myself, doing the best I could with what I had until this life is all over. This sense doesn't fall in line with what I believe to be true about life and calling and calling in life, but nevertheless, it was how I felt.
But it doesn't excuse me of my responsibility to steward my life well. Now if only I could figure out how to do that...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
We'll get there...
So, I'm still working on the blogging habit. My posts have been sporadic at best. But, my new mantra with the lifestyle I'm trying to cultivate is "we'll get there". Just because I'm not 100% out of the starting gate doesn't mean it's hopeless. Slow and steady wins the race. Practice makes perfect. Inch by inch, everything's a cinch. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Well, not so much that last one. But, that's a convenient segue to my next topic. I woke up at 6:41 this morning! Getting closer to my goal of being consistently awake and active at 6am. We'll get there...
I feel frustrated about my life currently because it seems as though I've been running around so much that I haven't had the opportunity to nest in my new apartment for which I am paying throug the nose. Driving to and from said apartment for an hour and a half each day doesn't help matters much. I'm hoping that this will change pretty soon, I cannot wait to start getting stuff up on the walls, painting, projecting and generally using my apartment as a giant gineau pig for my off the wall ideas. We'll get there...
But, I DO have a new blog header. I'm satisfied with it in as much as this is my first attempt at graphic designing anything, but I am trying to resist the impulse to get all perfectionistic up on it. I may still tweak it some, though. Do I really need to say it again?
Well, not so much that last one. But, that's a convenient segue to my next topic. I woke up at 6:41 this morning! Getting closer to my goal of being consistently awake and active at 6am. We'll get there...
I feel frustrated about my life currently because it seems as though I've been running around so much that I haven't had the opportunity to nest in my new apartment for which I am paying throug the nose. Driving to and from said apartment for an hour and a half each day doesn't help matters much. I'm hoping that this will change pretty soon, I cannot wait to start getting stuff up on the walls, painting, projecting and generally using my apartment as a giant gineau pig for my off the wall ideas. We'll get there...
But, I DO have a new blog header. I'm satisfied with it in as much as this is my first attempt at graphic designing anything, but I am trying to resist the impulse to get all perfectionistic up on it. I may still tweak it some, though. Do I really need to say it again?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Barely Legal
I can now drive with impunity. My car tags are up to date. I've been looking over my shoulder for the last 14 months hoping none of the fuzz catch me speeding or doing something else that is otherwise illegal. My luck ran out a couple weeks ago. The cop could've been way worse but I still got a ticket for my ridiculously expired tags. 1 or 2 months he could understand, but 14?...
Hey, if you're going to do something, do it.
Hey, if you're going to do something, do it.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
On Headers and Habits
Rather than try to introduce you to who I am, I'm just going to dive in and let whoever may stumble upon this bit of internet clutter figure it out as we go. Clearly my header is still in progress. Be patient with me. I'm no graphic designer.
Since I can't seem to decide what the h to do with myself, I've decided to start a blog to kill the time that should be taken up by a meaningful career. So, as I work as an indentured servant to The Man (a not-for-profit The Man, but a The Man, nonetheless), I've decided to clean up my lifestyle a bit. I thought a blog would be a good way to track my progress (or lack thereof) and a good outlet for catharsis of my ideas and emotions in the meantime. I'm not in college anymore, so the days for sleeping my mornings away, never updating my car tags and cleaning only when I do laundry are past. There have been a couple instances of late where this lack of attention to day-to-day details have come back to bite me in the proverbial a$$. I also recently discovered the blog zenhabits.net, which is very fabulous and has provided much inspiration for my latest goal. I can make stuff happen when I decide I really want to. We'll see if I really want to...
I'm almost 27. I happen to be a lucky member of the generation whose twenties are purgatory. All my friends agree. All this "finding yourself" of which previous generations didn't have the luxury and thus were able to conveniently forego couldn't suck much more than it does. So, until this all pans out, I have a small space all my own to record my self-indulgent thoughts and impressions.
And, I hope to have a really fabulous header soon.
Since I can't seem to decide what the h to do with myself, I've decided to start a blog to kill the time that should be taken up by a meaningful career. So, as I work as an indentured servant to The Man (a not-for-profit The Man, but a The Man, nonetheless), I've decided to clean up my lifestyle a bit. I thought a blog would be a good way to track my progress (or lack thereof) and a good outlet for catharsis of my ideas and emotions in the meantime. I'm not in college anymore, so the days for sleeping my mornings away, never updating my car tags and cleaning only when I do laundry are past. There have been a couple instances of late where this lack of attention to day-to-day details have come back to bite me in the proverbial a$$. I also recently discovered the blog zenhabits.net, which is very fabulous and has provided much inspiration for my latest goal. I can make stuff happen when I decide I really want to. We'll see if I really want to...
I'm almost 27. I happen to be a lucky member of the generation whose twenties are purgatory. All my friends agree. All this "finding yourself" of which previous generations didn't have the luxury and thus were able to conveniently forego couldn't suck much more than it does. So, until this all pans out, I have a small space all my own to record my self-indulgent thoughts and impressions.
And, I hope to have a really fabulous header soon.
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