On Various Observations

Yesterday was the annual Christmas party. My employer has a long tradition of really cutting loose at the Christmas party. No spouses and drunkenness is actually encouraged, which for one day a year is probably one of the more sensible traditions. Of course in my case once I felt tipsy, after three drinks, I switched to water, and good thing too - in the middle of lunch a user in Montreal emailed me, they needed help with something. (The flushing sound is my Blackberry entering the Toronto sewer system.)

Anyway I came across this quote in the book I am reading, Nemesis by Chalmers Johnson, "[T]he Constitution did not contemplate that the title Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy will constitute also Commander-in-Chief of the country, its industries, and its inhabitants... The purpose of lodging dual titles in one man [the president] was to insure that the civilian would control the military, not to enable the military to subordinate the presidential office." - US Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson in Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company v. Sawyer (1952).

When I was in Grade 11 I had the chance to take a course on American history - recall, for me, Canadian history was required, not American. We spent a great deal of time looking at the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances. It all seemed so convoluted and complex. My impression at the time was, why bother? Now I understand, it took George "dubbya" Bush for me to understand the constitution of the United States. I suppose that is the silver lining of the Bush administration and the Republican rubber stamp congress of 2001 to 2006.

So here is another thought, lately I've been drooling over the Specialized web site. In particular the S-Works Transition. Yes, I want a time trial bike. I also need a hell of a lot of money, guys can everyone hit the ads on my blog, like a million times? (Alright don't waste your time, I need to find a get rich quick scheme, heck, I'll settle for a good scam at this point.)

Maybe I could moon light as a neighbourhood computer guy. Someone taped an ad up on my front door offering a review of my wireless security infrastructure for only, $100, well actually I think it was $99.95 (you know that nickle makes a big difference!) Okay, last time I checked my Masters in Computer Engineering (Computer Networks) was still valid so here let me audit my own wireless security, it's 802.11N, therefore it is inadequate, too bad! (Good thing I don't give a damn.) Guys, who are not computer savvy here is the story, wireless security is a contradiction in terms, you can have wireless, you can have security but you cannot have both, and frankly for a home user, you don't need it. The worst anyone who hacks my network could possibly find is my laptop and on it, my... Resume. *insert sound of me quivering*. I suppose they could hitch a ride on my Internet connection, but if they really want that, just ask, why waste time cracking my WPA or WEP (or whatever the hell I am using) key?

My neighbour suggested I take a part time job at Starbucks, I figured it would take about 600 hours for me to be able to afford that Transition, at 10 hours per week, that is over a year! Does anyone need a computer guy? The more I think about it the more reasonable it seems, people who know me are already bugging me for computer help all the time, this way they won't have to feel guilty about asking for help, they are paying for it and I am paying for my new bike... hmmm. (Maybe if they live far enough away I can ride out to their place and get a free ride in with each service call, sort of bonus, rates are lower for people who include a free hit of Soy Milk with each service call.) ;)

I did have a plan B, win a bunch of races, collect lots of money and then buy the bike, except lets be honest, I'm no spring chicken anymore. At the Christmas party there was assigned seating by table number, I could not make out the number of the table next to the one I was at, not because I was drunk, but rather because I did not have my glasses. I'm getting old, groan! In any case, I don't think I am good enough to win the sort of races that have big prizes at the end, the sort that could ever make a Transition an affordable propostion.

Somehow I will make this dream of mine work, I'm just not sure how.