Tonight marked the first anniversary of a pretty big event for me. It was a year ago tonight that I dislocated my knee. Some of you might remember my post about the event, but I haven't really talked much about it since I mentioned finishing my therapy classes. It's crazy that it's been so long already. I don't really have much else to say about it. I guess I just wanted to acknowledge the anniversary...

Have you ever noticed how irrationally overprotective we are over new possessions when we get them? It doesn't even seem to matter how expensive or how fragile the object is. For some reason during the first few days or weeks, we act as if that new toy or gadget, is made of glass. The strangest part about this condition, which I am dubbing "The 'Oh no, it's new' Effect", is that after a short time the protective nature is replaced by an almost negligent behavior towards the possession. Take for instance, my new MacBook Pro. As of right now, I'm nurturing my little baby: setting it down on desks carefully, making sure to not jam cables into the ports, closing the lid gently, and just generally trying to take care of it. The thing is, in a few weeks I'm not even going to think twice about plopping it down on my desk, throwing across the room onto my bed, or sliding it across a table to better position it. None of that will matter. Which begs the question, why does it even matter now...

I've decided it's time for a little detox. For the next few weeks I'm going to give up Coffee, Beer, Wine, and Hard Alcohol. I'm not really sure why or where I got the idea, but I figure it will likely be good for me. I wouldn't go so far as to say I've become dependent on these things, but they've definitely become a regular part of my daily routine. When I'm at work, I like to start the morning off with a few cups of coffee and, since I sit right next to the coffee pot, that few often becomes many if there's no one else in the office to finish it off. I'm not even sure the coffee wakes me up in the morning. As far as I can tell, it makes me more tired and just forces me to use the restroom more often then normal...

This has turned out to be a super busy year for me. Besides my main job, where I'm putting in 36 hours a week, I have three other companies that I do a lot of contract work for. Unlike my main job, the contracted work doesn't yield paychecks on any kind of regular schedule. As I drove to the bank today to cash my 'real job' paycheck, I realized that being an independent contractor is a lot like being Charlie Brown around Valentine's Day...

I've notice recently that I spend a lot of time in supermarkets. Maybe its that I just don't like storing food, but for some reason I elect to revisit my local Albertson's every night before dinner rather than buy food to last me through the week. Consequently, all this time I've spent shopping has taught me a very interesting lesson. People are lazy jerks...

The toilet, for the end user, is one of the simplest inventions around. Human waste goes in, you flip a lever, and the human waste is removed like magic. Its so simple that it's almost impossible to mess up the process. That is unless you're either of the two roommates I share a bathroom with. It seems like almost once a week I walk into my bathroom and find a little 'surprise' waiting for me. To tell you the truth, it's more dumbfounding then disgusting. I just don't understand how it  happens. Are my roommates all 'blind flushing'? Are they so water conscious that they refuse to flush a second time no matter what? Or are they just lazy...

Over the last several years, Self-Checkout systems have been popping up in stores everywhere. Benefitting both the customers and the stores, these machines ease congestion in the checkout lines and reduce the staff needed to operate each register. However, I constantly come across people who abuse the system and cause what should be a quick and seamless process, to be a hideous, inefficient experience...

[Welcome back to the continuing saga of the smelly roommate] So yesterday I came home from work and the house smelled a little bit better. I wasn't quite sure whether it was actually better or if I was sadly becoming acclimated to it. I continued going about my routine until I was approached by one of my other roommates. "Did you notice it smells a little better today", he said. I confirmed that it did and asked him if he had had a conversation with Skunky. Apparently, not only had he had a brief conversation with him, but that afterwards Skunky actually cleaned up a bunch of things, took the offered bar of soap, and hopped in the shower...

I get a lot of flack for my obsession with organization. It's not a "disorder", in that it doesn't inhibit normal functioning, but people who aren't as organized as I am find it a bit odd. What these people don't realize is that this is actually an obsession with efficiency, rather than a compulsion to clean. Take for instance last night when I asked my roommates to help clean out the fridge...

Is there a proper protocol for telling a roommate that they stink? I know it sounds rude, but I'm really not sure what to do any more. We all know or will run into people who have a pungent body odor, but what we (the other clean[er] roommates) are having to deal with goes way beyond that. We're not merely talking about a small aura of smell that follows the roommate around, no. We're talking about a swinging vortex of putrid filth that is emanating from his room and taking over the house...