Dean(ish)

I’m not sure if it’s fair to base the intelligence of an entire city solely on it’s “higher learning” ratios, but BizJournals is a much larger website than this one so who am I to argue? According to BJ, Portland is the ninth smartest city in the whole US of Americana. That actually makes sense. Not that we’re ninth specifically, but just that we’re one of the smartest. After all, we have a ton of book stores, colleges, pseudointellectual junkies, tech geeks (like myself), musicians, performing arts theatres, and strip clubs.

I’m in the middle on BJ’s scale as part of the 25% who went to college but never finished. It seems so stupid to me that people never finish college; it’s almost the same logic as paying to join a gym and never going. So in that regard, I’m stupid. It’s not that I didn’t want to finish then, or that I don’t now - it’s just a time struggle. Once you put work before school, it’s really hard to get back into school.

It seems like the lives we live are too short in the beginning but, oftentimes, our usefulness pales in comparison to our unproductivity. The real question isn’t “How should we be more productive?” but rather “Should productivity be our primary focus as a species, and why?”

Sierra asked me that last night. “Why do I like you so much?”

“I dunno,” I said. I really didn’t have an answer.

“Do you like me so much?”

“Of course I do!” I said. I mean, who couldn’t like this little girl? She’s so funny and sweet.

Her question really got me thinking though - why do we, as humans, like things? Why do some like certain things while others don’t, and to differing degrees? Is it something metaphysical, like a god, or is it simply the way our brains function? However you choose to explain it, only one thing is certain - love exists. Whether it’s simply a reaction of the combination of the right hormones or it’s something beyond understanding, it exists, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Later, Sierra asked us, “Is there a ‘bleu cheese?’” We said yes and then she asked, “Is there a ‘purple cheese?’”

Bush laughs funny.

Good Times

• 24 cans of beer x 365 days a year x 8 years = a really gross house {link}
• Some really bad luck - a very long but interesting read {link}
• A very cynical Top 10 list of the most overrated bands - I agree with some of them, but not all {link}

Portland weather should not emulate Arizona in the middle of May - or ever, for that matter - but it did today. SO HOT. My favorite temp is 72°, so a blazing 97° was really a bit much for me.

Today’s torrid temperature inspired me to buy some pants that have zip-off bottoms. Despite the fact that Yahoo! doesn’t have an official dress code, the Sales organization (to which I belong) doesn’t allow shorts, so these zip-offs are the best I can do. Well, I guess I could wear a dress… but that’s more trouble than it’s worth.

The unofficial dress code makes me and Macaulay sad.

That’s all I got. This is my lamest post in a long time; hopefully, it won’t happen again. I’ll blame my lack of inspiration on the weather.

A 13-year-old boy in China committed suicide about a year and a half ago by jumping from his 24th floor apartment. According to this article from AP via Yahoo! News:

The parents of a 13-year-old Chinese boy who they say jumped to his death from a tall building after playing one of the popular “Warcraft” online games for 36 hours straight are suing its Chinese distributor, a news report said Friday.

Zhang Xiaoyi died on Dec. 27, 2004, leaving behind a suicide note saying he wanted “to join the heroes of the game he worshipped,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

It said Zhang’s parents, who live in Tianjin, just east of Beijing, are seeking 100,000 yuan ($12,500) from Aomeisoft, the Chinese distributor of “Warcraft: Orcs and Humans.”

The suit says Aomeisoft failed to include a warning that the game’s U.S. maker rates it as suitable only for players above age 13, according to Xinhua.

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André and I carpool every Monday and Wednesday. The routine is simple - I leave my house; I go to his house; I call him to tell him I’m there; we leave and go to work. I actually left my house early (aka, “on time”) this morning so I was feeling extra good. I made good time up Hwy 26 so I got to André’s in about 20 minutes.

When I pulled up in front of his apartment, I gave him a ring. No answer. ‘Strange,’ I thought. I called again, but still no answer. I parked the car and headed for the front door.

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