Duality

I wonder if I locked the door when I left. I know I did and I know I always do, but I still wonder. Maybe a mysterious mechanical defect caused it to unlatch as I stepped away. Maybe I hallucinated the whole locking-the-door action. Maybe the Underpants Gnomes infiltrated the lock (1. Unlock door; 2. …; 3. Profit!).

I always wonder if I lock things. Even though I know I did; even though I should know that I did; even though I spend an incredibly amount of time convincing myself that it is locked before walking away.

The uncertainty of such certain events wracks my brain. And this at a time when I’ve been reducing everything that happens around me to logical explanations—turning seemingly random occurrences into certainties. It makes no sense for me to wonder; it makes no sense for me to waste CPU cycles wondering. Yet, I do and I do.

Someone remind me to make copies of my Brood War CD for Monday.

Usually I don’t watch the World Cup. Usually is somewhat of a misnomer in this case since I’ve only had four other chances to watch it, but I digress. I wasn’t interested at all in soccer until (I think) summer of 2003, when Cole pushed us to play soccer during every break of AIC. I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve appreciated the game more and more. I now fully indulge in the quick passes and brilliant teamwork that don’t get shown in the highlight reels.

I really like Italy’s swarming style of play. I just wish they didn’t tire out so fast today in the final game against France. Italy’s offense sucked in the second half and their defense consisted of just throwing enough bodies at French strikers to knock them down. It was like Zerg vs. Protoss.

And I could do without all the flopping that’s been going on. Every time a player flops, an angel loses its wings. Really. Portugal really takes the cake in that regard. Their players go down grabbing the wrong leg! Can I nominate the Portugal soccer team for the 2006 Razzies? Especially this guy. What a waste.

Nice, I get the day off but government institutions don’t! I took advantage of this rare opportunity by bumming at TIC all day. For the uninitiated, the TIC/AIC/TVA-line of classes at ATDP are the brainchild of Lloyd. I was involved with AIC from 1999 until its last year in 2003. Been dropping by every so often since.

I got to see Lloyd’s black MacBook in person—a smudgy, black MacBook. Everyone who thinks black matte plastic is better than aluminum is crazy. The black MacBook is a total oil magnet. Ugh, I find oil smudges unpleasant to think about.

And of course, I got to see everyone at TIC and then some. Lloyd, Kass, Trev, Abraham (Aaron’s brother; he’s teaching the robotics course), and all the TAs of TIC (6 out of 9 are my former students; yes, I’m old). You know, I do miss being involved, but it’s not something you can do forever.

I’ll be back again some time before ATDP ends. We should do something special, like soccer instead of ultimate frisbee. =)

Instant Winners

I remember a time when you could open up a bottle of soda and look under the cap with anticipation and bated breath. To see if you had the fortunate timing and immense luck needed to win anything from a free soda to a new car. Or a time when you could go to a McDonalds and peel off a sticker and right there see if you had won something! When you could say “I’ve just won a free ice cream” and instantly redeem your frozen delicious prize.

But these days, it’s all gone. There are no more instant winners. Today’s contests involve codes and entries. Always requiring you to go online and enter the code from under your cap. Not only is the thrill of possibly being a winner completely gone, but it’s come to the point, where I don’t even care about the contests anymore. The act of entering said codes online is more than I wish to do for the slim chance of winning a motorcycle.

So please, companies, bring back the thrill. The fun! Bring back the chance for me to be an instant winner.

Not even ATM’s are safe these days. Next time you need some cash, you might want to think twice about who’s really getting your information.