January 2003

January 13, 2003

Office Wisdom

These are from a daily calendar I received from my friend Paula for Christmas.

Words of Wisdom:

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried. (January 9)
Memo from an office manager directing coworkers not to use the office photo copy machine without permission:

Persons interested in using my secretary's reproductive equipment should contact me first. (January 10)
Procrastinator's Creed

I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already. (January 14)

I particularly like that last one since it applies to me. Yes, I know I looked ahead, but that's because I have a test tomorrow that I need to study for. So obviously, I'm procrastinating.

Posted by Phil at 09:26 PM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2003

Don't listen to Maria

Despite my initial thought due to Maria's out-of-context mentioning of a good quote, this is not from Kylie Minogue, who, by the way, is not in her 20s but rather her 30s (34 to be exact, not 40s as Maria pointed out). Oh and her first hit song was a cover of "Locomotion" in the 80s (so Maria got one thing right). She also does the "Nah, Nah, Nah" song, which I at first hated, but now have grown to semi-like it. Anywho, here's the quote:

What if you life flashed before your eyes in the beginning. You would know your fortune from the start. There would be no moments of uncertainty. But also no surprise parties, no getting caught in the rain, no unexpected kisses, no shaking of a gift. Certainly, its better that life unfolds day by day.

I think it is better that it unfolds. Yeah, don't have the energy to go into it more deeply.... I couldn't find the source, by the way. Oh, and Maria, you're a good sport even if you don't know anything about limbo (the programming language, not the "roller-skating" game or the "place where the souls of the unborn rest").

Posted by Phil at 01:52 AM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2003

Bad Winter Mornings

So just when I thought a Rochester winter morning couldn't get any worse (than snow every day, cleaning off the car, sub zero temperatures, tripled commute time for 8:00 classes [which they shouldn't have in the winter]), I flipped my car around, slipped off the road and halfway down an incline on my way back from my class this morning to which I was 15 minutes late (oh, that's nothing I've been up to 30). Ya know, my roommate Josh and I always make fun of the people we see who've slid off the side of the road. But now I've joined them and it's not fun.

I was going around a curved on ramp and I started to slide. Desperately trying to regain control, I swerved from side to side and eventually spun around toward the outside of the curve, through the slight snow bank from the plows, and down an incline about 15-20 feet. After I started to spin around, my head started spinning too; all I remember is seeing white, a big puff of snow and eventually I stopped. Luckily the snow slowed me down and I didn't flip or anything. Funny, I think Coldplay's "Shiver" was playing at the time on the radio. It's 10 degrees out now; 0 when I left this morning. There was also another unfortunate driver who did the same as me up the road about 200 feet. And a doubly Good Samaritan named Tim, who had stopped to see if the other driver was ok, came down to check on me, too. He waited there with me until I got in touch with AAA and they had my coordinates, and then he drove me to my apartment, which was 5 minutes away. The waiting time for an AAA representative to come pull me out: 90 minutes. I wasn't about to wait it out there in the freezing cold. It's been 60 minutes now; we'll see how much longer it takes. Oh, and the road was a sheet of ice. Maybe that's why I slid.

And in case you're wondering, I'm alright. Just a little shaken up. My heart was pounding for a while, but I've calmed down.

Posted by Phil at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

Ditch Update

I waited more than 90 minutes for AAA to call to let me know that the tow truck was on the way to the place where my car was stuck. They didn't call so I called them to find out that someone came and left since nobody was there, but didn't bother calling me like they said they would. Grr. So I had to wait for another call which came about 20 minutes later. Grr. I got a ride over there only to find that a driver had been there again and left. I got on the phone with AAA again and apparently they needed the police to get involved to block off the lane, but they still didn't wait for me. Grr.

Then the police came and the tow truck showed up in another 20 minutes. Yay! And it didn't take as long as expected to pull out my car. Yay! And I was contemplating having them tow it or driving it to the garage to have it checked out, but the driver said it should be fine. And it was fine to drive. Yay! And I sustained no injuries. Yay! There we go, more yays than grrs. I want to be positive about this because I am very grateful that everything is ok. It could have been a lot worse.

Posted by Phil at 08:26 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2003

Wegmans

It's not just a grocery store; it's an experience. I spent an hour and a half in there before. I got something to eat (pizza and wings, which I had for the first time and they were pretty good), did some shopping, and found the staff quite helpful. I don't know how I take so long in that store. It's pretty big, but this time I wrote out a list and even grouped items by their location and order in which I would come across them. But I still end up forgetting something and have to run across the store. And I still end up buying things that aren't on my list, either because they're on sale or look appealing or have nice packaging. I'd be interested to see how much I spend on things that weren't on my list. Stay tuned for an analysis of my shopping data.

Posted by Phil at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2003

Above 20

Wow, the Weather Channel says the temperature should spike above 20 today! It's been in the single digits or teens for so long. I just hope the snow doesn't all melt at once.

So early. I want to go back to bed. Oh, but the good student goes to class. And if I hear one more person tell me to drive safely...! Just kidding, I appreciate the concern. The alignment's a little off in the car, but other than that, everything's ok.

Posted by Phil at 07:29 AM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2003

I Hate Cars

While I am thankful that my car kept me alive when I slid off the road and it was still technically driveable, I hate cars right now. There were some issues prior to the "accident", like the "Check Engine" light coming on and there being a noise in the wheels. Then after the accident I had some vibration when I drove faster than 50-55 mph. Things I learned over the last few days while trying to get my car (actually my mom's as she always reminds me) diagnosed and fixed:


  1. Dealers, while they may be trustworthy and guaranteed, are a rip off and are part of a conspiracy with the car manufacturers to take every penny you've got and then some.

  2. Pep Boys will find 5 more things wrong with your car than you had expected.

  3. The labor charges for car service are outrageous wherever you go.

  4. It's good to check around and talk to people about their experiences at car repair places before you go.

  5. It's also good to find a place you can trust and hopefully have a place you can go to BEFORE your car breaks.

  6. Friends who cart your ass around are awesome.

  7. Friends who let you vent about car problems and the assholes at the repair shops are awesome, too.

  8. Don't EVER buy a Ford. (No, they're not getting a freaking link!)

  9. Addition: Parents who give you a car to use and pay for repairs are very awesome. (I ran of time earlier and had to leave; sorry to have left them out the first time.)

Now all I want is my car back and it'd be nice if it was fixed, too. And I just want to forget about all the crap I've had to deal with.

Posted by Phil at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)