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Dec. 1st, 2017 03:37 pmPublic Service Announcement
Great article from Cracked on the failure of the current education system as well as how it does not seem to properly approach helping people find jobs in the process.
It also goes deeper into the current job market, the dynamics of a modern shifting economy, and how people are failing to understand why these changes are not happening.
I always respect the Cracked podcast, by the way, because it is incredibly middle-ground in its politics while simultaneously being dense but easy to approach if you're willing to commit the time to it.
Random fun fact: coal miners are on a decline and the health market is in a severe shortage, but the main reason why coal miners won't go back to education to become healthcare providers because it's considered "women's work." I'm looking for surveys on this, but this does seem to be an ingrained problem that has been historically normal, so I wouldn't be too surprised.
Normally I don't share what I listen to on podcasts, but this one was especially incisive.
In Other News
I have a Kitchenaid. Holy shit, I have a Kitchenaid and it's a pro model and everything.
Best Buy had a Black Friday sale and it was a doorbuster.
Fun fact: in NYC, standing mixers are impressive, if you're a chef.
If you're not? If not, then you end up with three standing mixers for sale in a corner that almost no one touched.
Why was I in NYC?
Oh yeah, that was Thanksgiving for me. I know, I know, I should update more, I'm a terrible person.
I went back to NJ with Michelle so she could attend her family's thanksgiving.
What about my parents?
They didn't really care. They kept it low-key. We visited, said hi, did a tiny bit of tech support, and I grabbed some old MtG boxes because I checked the prices for some of the ones I kept in storage and their value is pretty decent! I'm honestly tempted to save my box of Unhinged for longer just because having it valued at 500 is pretty nice, but if it keeps up, then 1k wouldn't be an impossible asking price. Imagine trading a box of cards for a freaking camera or a decent portrait lens.
Anyway,
So I brought some Korean barbecue, the soup, and a pecan pie that was baked in a springform mold.
I apparently was the last person to use the grill before they would clean it and store it for the winter, so I guess Michelle telling them beforehand of my plans helped (she mentioned it to her mother because I remember how she mentioned that she never got to try it before).
I also didn't realize this, but we had four days there. You know what sucks about staying in someone else's house? Toilet time with lactose intolerance. Ever spend a night where your partner's parents are sleeping next door to the bathroom while you're trying not to play free form jazz from your aerating exit shaft? Ever have to do it twice? Ever do it while trying not to make too much noise walking out against some really creaky floorboards? Good grief, it was three days of interesting efforts, that's for sure!
The Weekend
So, since we had free time, we went to NYC. Michelle mentioned we could see a movie, so I checked out some old haunts I used to go to back when I still worked down there. I realized the Landmark Cinema was still around and there were two films that looked up my alley: Last Flag Flying, and Loving Vincent. We had a ton of time, so I figured we could make a walk out of it (besides, the subway system is still a mess from what I read).
NJ Transit reminded me how terrible it was as we sat uncomfortably next to someone who did not want anyone sitting next to them as he manspread into a three person seat. I considered this one of the many things I don't miss about NJ Transit and all its glorious craptastrophes. Michelle texted her sister-in-law about our trip and she replied that Best Buy has these Black Friday deals including the fabled Kitchenaid. Neat.
So, Penn Station was surprisingly less militarized. I saw no armored policemen with bomb dogs, no National Guardsmen with long guns, etc. It was almost like pre-9/11! ...outside of the removal of the giant blackboard schedule, that is. Not used to seeing all those little signs here and there.
So, off we walked! Through the Garment district, down to Midtown's West Side. Michelle was curious about checking out some Black Friday deals, so I chose a path that takes us past one; it's the one not that far from Adorama, where Moshe's falafels used to have a cart (I have no idea if that cart still exists, but I hope it does as I thought they were decent). It's this Best Buy that seems to have only one entrance for all traffic and it's one double door that bottlenecks everything.
So we go downstairs and it's busy but not chaotic, which is the most surprising thing to me. No one beating each other over really cheap things. To be honest, everyone there seemed to be getting little things. But, as you expect, I saw they still had three of those damn mixers up for grabs. We were debating if we can haul this thing all the way to Houston and I figure I can do it as long as we can get some rope or something it should be fine. Okay, fine. Michelle buys it for me all while wagging her finger at me that that's the only thing I'm getting for Christmas (I still tease her about it because I thought it was hilarious how she kept doing that to me like I was a spoiled child (though to be fair on her I am)), and it turns out there is no cord to use for a handle.
Okay, fine. I tell her the next best thing is we get a duffel and I'll haul it on my shoulders. I've done this before with photo equipment. Burlington Coat Factory is on the other side of the street, so we go there and, lo and behold, they really are more than coats: we found some soft travel duffels and Michelle gets a Nautica one with wheels and a pullout handle. Her planning on this is what will save me for most of this trip.
The clerk actually knew this is what we were getting to hold this forty pound standing mixer and she helps us cram it into the abnormally tight but otherwise doable bag and we thank her. We still saved money on this purchase and the bag is BIG so we'll probably get some good use out of it in our future trips.
The walking gets more awkward as we make it through NoHo and all the people who are there to be there and I feel like I'm trying to make a Bowie-esque statement to seem normcore since I'm in a dirty hoodie and an inner layer, but whatever. We have time before a film shows, so Michelle wants to eat and, well, when your partner is in love with dim sum, there's an obvious destination you're going to eat...
That's right, Little Italy!
I mean, Chinatown! I mean, they're so freaking close that it might as well be the same destination, right? We make it to a hole-in-the-wall at 3pm, which is when the cooks and staff are having their lunch and we end up sitting all the way in the back. Dumplings for Michelle, rice rolls for me, and we're all good.
The trip to Landmark feels nostalgic and a bit sad; out of all the arthouses I went to, I felt like Landmark was one of the better ones. I know they're just moving it, but still. Actually, to be fair, the We Hate Movies guys think the theater there is awful so I might just have my nostalgia glasses on too tight, ha!
I was hoping we'd do a two movie thing (Michelle was okay with that), but the timeline doesn't seem to work, not without a 90 minute gap between shows. We discussed it with the usher and realized that it will just have to be one film. Okay, that's fine.
Film
So Last Flag Flying is the only film I've seen in theaters this year and honestly? I liked it. Steve Carell plays this mute, almost defeated Vietnam vet who is trying to find some way to properly honor his son after feeling betrayed by his government after his son is returned to him in a casket. He meets two people he knew in his old Nam days who also feel defeated by their pasts and through it they find some way to come to terms to appreciate their pasts for what they were despite the many screwups in their personal and government's agendas. A lot of the film is about the interplay between Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, and Carell, who are almost like this id/ego/superego approach to grief, and I was waiting for the film for some big reveal but was pleasantly surprised to see it didn't go that way. If it wasn't for that comedy, in all honesty the film is just too somber to watch otherwise.
Afterwards
-we went home. We were exhausted. I dragged that Kitchenaid with me by wheel, something by my shoulders, sometimes while wending against the crowds of New York traffic. I was so damn thankful that I didn't bring my gear bag.
We make it back and then the next day, Saturday, nothing is really planned, so...
Back to NYC!
This time I bring my gear bag but I will never use it. We start walking down to the Landmark but we realize that time is not on our side and will have to miss the film since Michelle's parents wanted us to do some sort of dinner or something. Okay, fine. Suddenly, I remember this one thing I haven't had in awhile: Papa Beard cream puffs.
If you never had them, I recommend you do; they're this Japanese-style cream puff that uses a heavier mousse instead of the cream you normally expect. It's very satisfying even though the mousse makes it impossible to fully appreciate the experience after a day in storage. So, despite my better judgment, we go to the Upper West Side! Via subway! yay?
The red line's the closest, but the red line also has major construction. The crowded sensation of being around so many people who feel uncomfortable being so close to each other is one thing, but we get the fortune of leaving just as a panhandler is in the middle of his appeal for kindness (he can't seem to get through the crowd either and I think the frustration of this train ride is closing their wallets).
We make it to Papa Beard (so glad it's still around!) and it's freaking crowded. This never happens, I mean *never*. Turns out, they're out of the regular cream puffs and will take some time to deliver. Okay, so we wait around some more. The guy working the counter must feel frustrated too because he looks at my signed receipt like he was expecting something, so I slip him some money in the tip box; least I could do anyway since I was asking for a dozen of them and he looked exhausted.
So the red line down isn't much better, but we make it back and have free time, so we go to a deli that has the Bruce Cost ginger ale that I can't find around here (hoard that shit up Brooklynites, because I swear it's one of the best brands I ever had) and it's ironically at this same spot where they filmed a scene for "Last Flag Flying" so I found it hilarious.
We spent ten minutes sharing half a sandwich waiting for the train and soon enough, we're back in NJ.
Nothing to really say about Sunday, we make it a regular trip up and we even get to visit a nice buffet on the way up (Flaming Grill buffet in Newsburgh, apparently they brag that they serve lobster too).
This week's been slow and plodding but mostly because I think everyone's still recovering from the Thanksgivings. I barely got any writing done and my sleep's been on and off.
Even worse, I got into that Animal Crossing mobile game. God help me.
I got the Kitchenaid food processor extension (the MAJOR reason I wanted the Kitchenaid) and I'm still buying a bunch of little things to give Michelle for Christmas.
Outside of making jam, I think I'm good for Christmas gifts.
This post is really long, so I'll have to cut it here. I'll still work on the writing too.
Great article from Cracked on the failure of the current education system as well as how it does not seem to properly approach helping people find jobs in the process.
It also goes deeper into the current job market, the dynamics of a modern shifting economy, and how people are failing to understand why these changes are not happening.
I always respect the Cracked podcast, by the way, because it is incredibly middle-ground in its politics while simultaneously being dense but easy to approach if you're willing to commit the time to it.
Random fun fact: coal miners are on a decline and the health market is in a severe shortage, but the main reason why coal miners won't go back to education to become healthcare providers because it's considered "women's work." I'm looking for surveys on this, but this does seem to be an ingrained problem that has been historically normal, so I wouldn't be too surprised.
Normally I don't share what I listen to on podcasts, but this one was especially incisive.
In Other News
I have a Kitchenaid. Holy shit, I have a Kitchenaid and it's a pro model and everything.
Best Buy had a Black Friday sale and it was a doorbuster.
Fun fact: in NYC, standing mixers are impressive, if you're a chef.
If you're not? If not, then you end up with three standing mixers for sale in a corner that almost no one touched.
Why was I in NYC?
Oh yeah, that was Thanksgiving for me. I know, I know, I should update more, I'm a terrible person.
I went back to NJ with Michelle so she could attend her family's thanksgiving.
What about my parents?
They didn't really care. They kept it low-key. We visited, said hi, did a tiny bit of tech support, and I grabbed some old MtG boxes because I checked the prices for some of the ones I kept in storage and their value is pretty decent! I'm honestly tempted to save my box of Unhinged for longer just because having it valued at 500 is pretty nice, but if it keeps up, then 1k wouldn't be an impossible asking price. Imagine trading a box of cards for a freaking camera or a decent portrait lens.
Anyway,
So I brought some Korean barbecue, the soup, and a pecan pie that was baked in a springform mold.
I apparently was the last person to use the grill before they would clean it and store it for the winter, so I guess Michelle telling them beforehand of my plans helped (she mentioned it to her mother because I remember how she mentioned that she never got to try it before).
I also didn't realize this, but we had four days there. You know what sucks about staying in someone else's house? Toilet time with lactose intolerance. Ever spend a night where your partner's parents are sleeping next door to the bathroom while you're trying not to play free form jazz from your aerating exit shaft? Ever have to do it twice? Ever do it while trying not to make too much noise walking out against some really creaky floorboards? Good grief, it was three days of interesting efforts, that's for sure!
The Weekend
So, since we had free time, we went to NYC. Michelle mentioned we could see a movie, so I checked out some old haunts I used to go to back when I still worked down there. I realized the Landmark Cinema was still around and there were two films that looked up my alley: Last Flag Flying, and Loving Vincent. We had a ton of time, so I figured we could make a walk out of it (besides, the subway system is still a mess from what I read).
NJ Transit reminded me how terrible it was as we sat uncomfortably next to someone who did not want anyone sitting next to them as he manspread into a three person seat. I considered this one of the many things I don't miss about NJ Transit and all its glorious craptastrophes. Michelle texted her sister-in-law about our trip and she replied that Best Buy has these Black Friday deals including the fabled Kitchenaid. Neat.
So, Penn Station was surprisingly less militarized. I saw no armored policemen with bomb dogs, no National Guardsmen with long guns, etc. It was almost like pre-9/11! ...outside of the removal of the giant blackboard schedule, that is. Not used to seeing all those little signs here and there.
So, off we walked! Through the Garment district, down to Midtown's West Side. Michelle was curious about checking out some Black Friday deals, so I chose a path that takes us past one; it's the one not that far from Adorama, where Moshe's falafels used to have a cart (I have no idea if that cart still exists, but I hope it does as I thought they were decent). It's this Best Buy that seems to have only one entrance for all traffic and it's one double door that bottlenecks everything.
So we go downstairs and it's busy but not chaotic, which is the most surprising thing to me. No one beating each other over really cheap things. To be honest, everyone there seemed to be getting little things. But, as you expect, I saw they still had three of those damn mixers up for grabs. We were debating if we can haul this thing all the way to Houston and I figure I can do it as long as we can get some rope or something it should be fine. Okay, fine. Michelle buys it for me all while wagging her finger at me that that's the only thing I'm getting for Christmas (I still tease her about it because I thought it was hilarious how she kept doing that to me like I was a spoiled child (though to be fair on her I am)), and it turns out there is no cord to use for a handle.
Okay, fine. I tell her the next best thing is we get a duffel and I'll haul it on my shoulders. I've done this before with photo equipment. Burlington Coat Factory is on the other side of the street, so we go there and, lo and behold, they really are more than coats: we found some soft travel duffels and Michelle gets a Nautica one with wheels and a pullout handle. Her planning on this is what will save me for most of this trip.
The clerk actually knew this is what we were getting to hold this forty pound standing mixer and she helps us cram it into the abnormally tight but otherwise doable bag and we thank her. We still saved money on this purchase and the bag is BIG so we'll probably get some good use out of it in our future trips.
The walking gets more awkward as we make it through NoHo and all the people who are there to be there and I feel like I'm trying to make a Bowie-esque statement to seem normcore since I'm in a dirty hoodie and an inner layer, but whatever. We have time before a film shows, so Michelle wants to eat and, well, when your partner is in love with dim sum, there's an obvious destination you're going to eat...
That's right, Little Italy!
I mean, Chinatown! I mean, they're so freaking close that it might as well be the same destination, right? We make it to a hole-in-the-wall at 3pm, which is when the cooks and staff are having their lunch and we end up sitting all the way in the back. Dumplings for Michelle, rice rolls for me, and we're all good.
The trip to Landmark feels nostalgic and a bit sad; out of all the arthouses I went to, I felt like Landmark was one of the better ones. I know they're just moving it, but still. Actually, to be fair, the We Hate Movies guys think the theater there is awful so I might just have my nostalgia glasses on too tight, ha!
I was hoping we'd do a two movie thing (Michelle was okay with that), but the timeline doesn't seem to work, not without a 90 minute gap between shows. We discussed it with the usher and realized that it will just have to be one film. Okay, that's fine.
Film
So Last Flag Flying is the only film I've seen in theaters this year and honestly? I liked it. Steve Carell plays this mute, almost defeated Vietnam vet who is trying to find some way to properly honor his son after feeling betrayed by his government after his son is returned to him in a casket. He meets two people he knew in his old Nam days who also feel defeated by their pasts and through it they find some way to come to terms to appreciate their pasts for what they were despite the many screwups in their personal and government's agendas. A lot of the film is about the interplay between Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, and Carell, who are almost like this id/ego/superego approach to grief, and I was waiting for the film for some big reveal but was pleasantly surprised to see it didn't go that way. If it wasn't for that comedy, in all honesty the film is just too somber to watch otherwise.
Afterwards
-we went home. We were exhausted. I dragged that Kitchenaid with me by wheel, something by my shoulders, sometimes while wending against the crowds of New York traffic. I was so damn thankful that I didn't bring my gear bag.
We make it back and then the next day, Saturday, nothing is really planned, so...
Back to NYC!
This time I bring my gear bag but I will never use it. We start walking down to the Landmark but we realize that time is not on our side and will have to miss the film since Michelle's parents wanted us to do some sort of dinner or something. Okay, fine. Suddenly, I remember this one thing I haven't had in awhile: Papa Beard cream puffs.
If you never had them, I recommend you do; they're this Japanese-style cream puff that uses a heavier mousse instead of the cream you normally expect. It's very satisfying even though the mousse makes it impossible to fully appreciate the experience after a day in storage. So, despite my better judgment, we go to the Upper West Side! Via subway! yay?
The red line's the closest, but the red line also has major construction. The crowded sensation of being around so many people who feel uncomfortable being so close to each other is one thing, but we get the fortune of leaving just as a panhandler is in the middle of his appeal for kindness (he can't seem to get through the crowd either and I think the frustration of this train ride is closing their wallets).
We make it to Papa Beard (so glad it's still around!) and it's freaking crowded. This never happens, I mean *never*. Turns out, they're out of the regular cream puffs and will take some time to deliver. Okay, so we wait around some more. The guy working the counter must feel frustrated too because he looks at my signed receipt like he was expecting something, so I slip him some money in the tip box; least I could do anyway since I was asking for a dozen of them and he looked exhausted.
So the red line down isn't much better, but we make it back and have free time, so we go to a deli that has the Bruce Cost ginger ale that I can't find around here (hoard that shit up Brooklynites, because I swear it's one of the best brands I ever had) and it's ironically at this same spot where they filmed a scene for "Last Flag Flying" so I found it hilarious.
We spent ten minutes sharing half a sandwich waiting for the train and soon enough, we're back in NJ.
Nothing to really say about Sunday, we make it a regular trip up and we even get to visit a nice buffet on the way up (Flaming Grill buffet in Newsburgh, apparently they brag that they serve lobster too).
This week's been slow and plodding but mostly because I think everyone's still recovering from the Thanksgivings. I barely got any writing done and my sleep's been on and off.
Even worse, I got into that Animal Crossing mobile game. God help me.
I got the Kitchenaid food processor extension (the MAJOR reason I wanted the Kitchenaid) and I'm still buying a bunch of little things to give Michelle for Christmas.
Outside of making jam, I think I'm good for Christmas gifts.
This post is really long, so I'll have to cut it here. I'll still work on the writing too.
