Sucks Both Ways

After work I met up with a friend of my sister's who rides my bus (let's call him the baron; yes, he's in the SCA). He was looking for our shuttle bus stop which has moved around the corner from where it used to be. He didn't know this because it is not explained anywhere; you can only know if you took the bus in the morning, which he didn't because he took the city bus in. We're between semesters now, so he wasn't sure if the shuttle was running.

I also told him how tomorrow was the day they were going to start combining our route with another route to save gas or something. What this means is that, starting from campus, the bus will go through a whole extra route instead of going on the freeway, then do our circular route, then do the other route all the way back. The baron enjoyed my summary: "It's going to suck both ways."

We've discussed bicycling recently as an alternative to riding the bus to work. The baron's got the idea that he wants to take back roads through the old airport to 38th Street and then cross the freeway there. I've always crossed at 51st Street which means there's a scary stretch of narrow four-lane road for maybe a half a mile between the freeway and the next hard-to-cross road, and then you're okay. Only now there's a sidewalk on one side. The baron hates even crossing the freeway at 51st, though, and so has been experimenting with this other route.

My main problem with this bicycling alternative is that it's often 80 degrees by 7:00 in the morning. The baron's main problem is that it's often 90 degrees at 5:00 in the afternoon. We discussed using the bike racks that are on the fronts of buses for one of the directions. He doesn't want his bike going down the freeway in front of a bus! He's also afraid his bike is too heavy for him to lift on to the rack. But with our route sucking so loudly, and did I mention besides taking longer, also coming around less often?, we may be forced to try something else.

We'll probably just end up taking city buses. I like to take the 37 in and the 7 home. The baron likes to take the 37 in and then the 7 to the 320 home. I also told him that if he got out right at 5:00, he would enjoy taking the 21/22 to the 37. The lady sitting near us on the bus thought she would be switching to the 339.

As we approached his stop, I looked at my watch. It was 5:40. I said we're all appreciative that this is the last day we're getting home early for the rest of the summer, and it's still forty minutes from the end of work for him to get four miles. Pathetic! He thought it was funny.

The baron also told me that he heard a rumor that all the 51st Street ramps were being removed. Well, if that's true, driving is going to suck (even more loudly) both ways too.

Oh, I'm sorry, did you think this would somehow be X-rated today?

Eating Continuously

One great thing about vacations is that when you get home there's a contrast between what you've become used to and what you were used to before, and certain things stand out.

One thing that stands out is that my job is stressful and that I enjoy dealing with this stress by eating continuously.

This probably means I should supply myself with foods that have a very high volume-to-calorie ratio. Like water. A little more crunch would be nice. Crushed ice, then. No, I don't think that would do it. Celery is exceptional in this regard. Unfortunately, it tastes disgusting to me.

Robin suggested that I get some kind of stress squish toy. And dress it up like my boss. Unfortunately, I find that letting loose with the physical, while great for getting some exercise, is not helpful in reducing my stress. In fact, I think it just gives it more power.

Another solution is to take breaks. I actually did storm out of the office at one point so I could get some serious cussing in where no one had to listen to me. But breaks have never really helped me. I hear that they allow you to return refreshed and energized, but this is not true for me. Sure, taking a break is great during the break. I am one of those people who can really take breaks and clear my mind of whatever. I really do leave work at work when I come home virtually all the time, for example. But then after the break, it's just as bad as before. I feel the same way while playing ultimate frisbee: I certainly feel less dead while taking a break than while playing, but the second I'm back in I feel dead again.

Another solution that works for me is to web surf. But I've been warned that they're doing computer spying at work now, so you have to be careful with that sort of thing.

Another solution is to get a better job, which I am working on. But all jobs have some forms of stress. It would be good to figure out a better way of dealing with it.

Meanwhile, there was ice cream at work today. I had four bowls of it. In addition to my morning snack of an energy bar and my afternoon snack of a too-large handful of nuts and of course my lunch. I consider that ice cream to be a perk of my job. But, you know, my extra chin is harder to see as a perk.

And what, specifically, made me want to cuss? It was recommended that in my online training documentation I define "simple." Um, isn't "simple" that thing that you don't have to define because it's just exactly what you expect? I do later say that you can't use complex forms, and the word "complex" is linked to a glossary entry which spells out exactly what elements are considered complex in this context. And I have an entire training module on complex rule types earlier on in the training. "But what if a person just goes right to this page without having read that?" Well, then they'll be clicking on some of the links I described. I'm sorry, no, I am not defining "simple."

Also, when I say that the thing I'm talking about can be contrasted to another thing and the name of that other thing is a link to a similar document for that other thing, and that other document has examples, then I am not putting any examples at all of that other thing in the document about the first thing. Jeez. How huge do they want these documents? They are already bloated to over four times their original size. I really only want to say everything once if possible. And it's still crazy and overwhelming.

And speaking of eating continuously, someone recently introduced me to the blog called hello I am fat. It's "one of those weight-loss blogs," not generally my favorite topic, but I love her voice. Here are some quotes I've enjoyed.

From last June 22:

Work is so easy. Eating at work, I mean. Because I can't sit at my desk and eat a ham, and since I work at a public service desk, I can't disappear into the break room and eat a Christmas turkey every ten minutes, and the food on campus sucks and the vending machine is almost always broken, if I simply remember to plan ahead, with my baggies of cereal and the lean cuisines and the yogurts and the fruit, I am golden all day. A beautiful golden god.

Home is less easy, even though I have learned the most important lesson about stocking your house with groceries, which is Do Not Leave a Bucket of Fried Chicken Or A Cake In Your House lesson. If you have the stuff within reach, look there you go! Reaching for it!

From last September 20:

Now here I am, the heavier than the heaviest ever (I think I prefer "heavy" to "fat." Heavy makes me sound like I am substantial and important. Fat makes me sound – well, you know. Fat. "But wait a second!" you say, and then I punch you. But not really, because I love you.), and getting on the scale this morning, after a week of back on weightwatchers, complete with an extra point because of my extra ass, I realized that all I want is to be back under my previous record for land mass. I want to be the previous heaviest ever again, because this weight I am now, it is unsupportable. It is insupportable. It sucks.

Site of the Day: hello I am fat's Retail Therapy (Warning: cuss words) - "I thought about it and it resonated with me, and I thought, fucking hell. I can't do this any more – squeezing into things and feeling ugly and uncomfortable and stupid. I can't sit around waiting to feel good, because that's just going to drive me to drink. More." This one is fabulously uplifting, and she gives you the secret, too.