Return to the public library

I used to know every little nook and cranny in my local public library as a kid growing up in Germantown, Maryland, having spent countless hours exploring every section and every shelf. In our upbringing (that is, my brother and I), our parents imposed many restrictions on things that they thought to be were of frivolous waste of time, and just about the only thing that we were permitted to do pretty much limitlessly was reading; as long as we had a book in our hands, they were content that we were making a productive use of our time. I read voraciously; I could not get enough of the adventures, ideas, instructions and stories that unfolded from the pages, and every week, I used to check out a dozen books and I'd already have devoured a good handful before I even got home with the newly won treasures. It was in those books where I've found my friends growing up -- Encyclopedia Brown, Hardy Boys, 'Find-Your-Own-Advevnture' books, Tolkien, Austen, Maupassant, Steven King, Hegel, Nitzche, etc. -- and I believe that although it was my formal education that shaped my conscious mind, my subconscious was much more influenced by my readings. (And now you see how an innocent boy who used to delight in Curious George can grow up to be a deviant mind.) Well, I digress...

After college, I discovered that over the years, Barnes&Noble and Borders with their shelves lined with crisp new books, smartly arranged displays and cafes full of predictably pleasantly demeanored patrons have taken over the place where the public libraries used to be in my life. Most of the books I've read since college were purchased and I realized that I haven't stepped foot into a public library since college! (More than a week on the bench, you come up with all sorts of random thoughts.) I decided that my next adventure would be to check out the public library in downtown Chicago (Washington Harold Library).

The first thing it struck me were the patrons. This was the first time I visited a city library, and where as the suburban libraries that fill my memory were swarming with nice suburban folks and their smartly dressed, neatly groomed offsprings, there was a lot more homeless-looking types and menacing-loner types in the city library... a lot more. However, after I got used to the demographics, I could also see that it was filled with a lot of college students (no doubt, due to its proximity to Chicago city schools and local universities), moms (who are probably checking out books for their kids while they're in classes in school) and elderly folks. I suppose, this is probably the more correct representation of the reader demographics.

As for the books, the shelves were lined with books that have obviously passed through many hands, with cracked bindings and yellowed pages, and even in the new book section, most of the books have already been checked out a few times. My Barnes&Noble sensibilities and its love for faux-mahogany shelves and elegant ambiance must have turned me into a privileged-elitist snob over the years, as I found myself turned off by the prospect of picking up a 'used' book to read. (Whoa, hold on there.) I was struck my how bourgeois, elitist, snobby my reaction was.

I spent the next few hours exploring the shelves... the metalic, grey, industrial types -- staple of public libaries -- and looked up books that I used to love as a kid. Most of them were there, tattered around the edges with cracked bindings... in strangely endearing ways... the way they are in the pages of my memory.

I made a new libary card. My first public libary card in over 10 years. I'll return, soon...

Well, I'll be back within the next three weeks.

I return this copy of Brothers Karamazov!

Ethics training

I just had to complete a series of four CBT (Computer Based Training) courses required by company for me to be legally compliant by 9/01. This really sucked as they told us FOUR DAYS AGO that this was mandatory, and it'd take about 4 hours to complete them all (we have to do this in our own time, mind you). Plus, the topics being what they are -- 'Insider Trading,' 'Protecting Company Assets,' 'Harrassment,' and 'Ethics' -- I begrudgingly downloaded the courses and started the training...

Well, boy, was I wrong! I don't remember if I was ever interested about Ethics when I was in college, but reading up about it right now, it really is very interesting.

An example: Say, you're a pilot of a commercial airliner that is en route to Los Angeles from Tokyo. All of a sudden, a flight attendent bursts into the cockpit and tells you that there's a passenger whose heart condition requires immediate medical attention or he will die. Fortunately, you're flying by Hawaii, but because of the stormy conditions, the control tower will not authorize a landing. Now, you're confident that you can land the plane despite the warning, but if you do this, you're putting the lives of other passengers in danger.

What would you do?

I really liked the structured approach that the training teaches you to think through such situations... 'right vs wrong,' 'right vs right -- which is higher right,' etc... very intriguing... I think I'll crack open an Ethics book and delve in for a while. Uh... yes, I'm quite serious, thank you.

Do not read: How To Be Good

Who'd enjoy the book: Those who really really really really really like anything Nick Hornby writes (kinda like those people who pay hundreds of thousands of bucks for a doodle Picasso might have scribbled onto a piece of toilet paper)

Who'd not: Everyone else

I picked up this book a month ago near East Village while I was visiting my brother in NYC. We were making our way to St. Mark's from the subway station for our usual visit to Yakitori Taisho when we stopped by a street vendor that was selling a bunch of what looked like a collection bootlegged books out on the tables by the side of his van. ("Psssst, buddy. Howabout some Tom Wolfe for the purty lil' lady?") Since I loved Hornby's 'About a Boy' and 'High Fidelity' (who hasn't?), I picked this book up and was looking forward to relishing it on the flight back to Chicago.

Well... the premise isn't bad; in fact, I can see how Hornby could have potentially churn out another one of his gem; however, instead, the final product in my hand was a depressingly bitter and burdened march to the final page where the story fizzles out into a dull thud. There are definitely some rare funny moments that had me chuckle out loud, and Hornby's brand of wit in his writing is, for the most part, there -- it's just so... mediocre.

I don't need my $6.50 back, but would you please replenish the four hours of my life wasted on this book?

TiVo: Case of Lovin' and Loathin'

I LOVE my TiVo. Best $400 I've ever spent ($100 for the unit, $300 for the 'life time' subscription), and I'd gladly blabber on for hours until you give up and fork over some moola to get your own unit. Nonetheless, there are a few things that I really find annoying.

I should definitely have shelled out more dough to get the 80 hr unit when I got my TiVo two years ago; instead, I got a whimpy 40 hr one that keep erasing the good shows I want to watch and fill the list with crap. This is less of an issue when I'm travelling while on client project assignments -- every Thursday night, I return home to find my TiVo full of the shows I'm following (e.g. 'Arrested Development,' 'House,' 'The Office,' and most recently, 'Prison Break') before TiVo gets a chance to record over them. When I'm away on trips two weeks or more, however, the limitations on the recording capacity really becomes an issue and my TiVo's full of stupid crap. Lesson learned: bigger is better. Don't go cheap on capacity!

Also, flipping channels is incredibly slow. I'd click on 'channel up' button and my TiVo/TV will think for a full second, blank out the screen for another full second, then switch to the next channel with the familiar TiVo 'blip' noise (I wonder how they came up with that distinct 'blip' noise? Some sort of extensive focus group? Millions of dollars in research? Is there even a name under which this 'blip' noise is identified by those in the know-how?). In effect, channel surfing is an incredibly frustrating endeavor with a Comcast digital cable and TiVo combo unless you have the patience of Buddha. Mmmm... no... that ain't true: even Buddha will hurl the remote control at the screen in disgust and gnaw his own hand to stop the outpouring of profanities.

On a side note, my TiVo is not recording enough shows fast enough to help me pass time while I'm 'on the bench' (consulting term that describes the little gap -- usually a week or two -- between client projects). I mean, how many more episodes of Blind Date or Judge Judy can I possibly watch in one sitting? (This is actually my own fault for being too lazy to program it to record more shows.) Does this mean I have to venture out of my tiny apartment and start interacting with other human beings? Shucks. I guess this means I need to shower and everything... now, where is that damned toothbrush?

Being on the bench has its ups and downs.

View from south end of Millenium Park

A beautiful morning in Chicago... yes, it sucks to be here in the winter, but it is truly one of the best American cities in which to live during the summer! (View from the south end of Millenium Park, facing north)

In the Beginning...

Each day, I'm getting used to getting more and more hours of sleep and gaining full consciousness after getting up takes longer and longer. Second week into an unplanned 'vacation,' after having spent countless hours idling away in various ways that share the common characteristic of being 'totally unproductive,' I stumbled onto the thought of starting this Blog. Even when my life resumes its normal routine next week when I start the new project in Providence, let's hope that I'll continue posting steadily...