Everbody is Emulating Twitter

First Facebook tries to mimic Twitter with a redesign which I detest, loathe and abhor. It has led to a serious and significant decrease in the time I spend on the site.

Now, beloved FriendFeed has done the same. Seriously? Seriously you guys?

Agh.

Airline Efficiency

Who would have thought that Southwest would blow away United?

From someone who hasn't flown domestic much (wait- at all), my limited experience led me to believe that something labeled a discount flier would have a 'discount' experience. My bad.

United sucked. Not only does having separate class sections rub me the wrong way (though it really shouldn't- people pay for it, after all), but I can't believe how crummy the experience was. Maybe I started off the experience sour because of a 2 hour delay for nothing! (Seriously, not "nothing" in the sense of "inconsequential," but "nothing" in the sense of "absolutely no comprehensible reason whatsoever.")

Perhaps, it was having a rather large person spilling out of her seat next to me on the United flight, where her sweaty thigh started sticking to mine and making slurping noises when I pulled away that led the Southwest seats to feel more roomy. Despite that unpleasantness, I don't think that's the case: I'm not a broad guy, but I couldn't tuck my elbows in next to my side in United like I could with Southwest.

Maybe Southwest got lucky. Complimentary snacks helped. But there's a chance that I just fell in the right circumstances. United, though... United- never again.

Key Ring

My next task in simplification:
The key ring.

It is a big jangly mess. It is bulgy, awkward and pokey. Plus, it makes too much noise.

I got a locking carabiner. Now I am ditching the many components, and taking advantage of the carabiner to hold only the set I need for each excursion that takes me out of the house. I'll take a house key and a key either for the motorcycle or car.

No need to carry both vehicle keys simultaneously. No need for stupid bank key cards. No room to carry the bike lock key, the amenities key, the file cabinet key, or any stupid keychain.

I am definitely past the desire to carry a bottle opener with me. Plus, it's better style to know how to do it MacGuyver style, like with a folded bill.

Productivity Break

With my environment clear, now I need to work on habits. I have a lot of trouble focusing, and thus use my time unbelievably inefficiently. I would probably be more effective with one hand behind my back because that might slow down my rampant use of the internet as a diversion. (Feel free to comment on the irony of writing on this blog). 

Anyways, here is one last binge of internet procrastination. Here's a shout out to my favorite distractions:

Anything with Charlie, mythical or otherwise.

People duped into doing horrible things for money. Especially when Ipecac is involved. 

There's just something about a baby swearing and reducing a grown man to tears...

The Landlord

And the Crown Jewel: You get to see David Hasselhof surrounded by dachshunds, flying with a motorcycle, and taking a bite out of a large live fish. I'm hooked alright. 

Thank you, internet. 

Alright, so it was just an excuse to enjoy these again. Not that I need to justify wasting my time thoroughly savoring the movies. That's probably the root of the problem right there. 

Pockets

I think I've just realized one secret to why women often look so good. It has to do with pockets.

They don't use them. Women do not use pockets.

Consequently, it allows them to be sleek and svelte. They don't have odd protuberances creating a craggy, lumpy surface around their midsection.

Men, on the other hand, stuff all sorts of things in their pockets, and then walk around looking like idiots with oddly shaped bulges in all the wrong places. There are probably only two places women really want to see bulges, the zipper and the back pocket, and only one of those matter...

The wallet.
But even that is only figuratively. You can have a credit limit of $200 or $200,000 and the plastic isn't going to change. It stays slim and sexy and doesn't bulge.


So, simplifying my life also includes simplifying my pockets, and has the added bonus of making me look a lot nicer. It's probably pretty rare that I need my Blockbuster card at the drop of a hat, or make an emergency trip to Costco before I get a chance to stop home to pick up the card.

From now on, all I will carry in my pockets is a nice money clip with cash, and ID and a credit card. The phone and keys can be relegated to a jacket pocket. There shouldn't be anything else is so vital that I can't be bothered to have to stop home to get it if I need in that rare, semi-annual event. I can step up and use a messenger bag or blazer for my phone, keys, and anything else.

Simple pockets, sexy guy.

Simplify for 2009

Since I've started organizing my behaviors, I've realized that I need a similar simplification of my surroundings. I am starting with my wardrobe. 

The philosophy is to keep fewer pieces, but with high quality, rather than many cheap articles cluttering my life. If what I have is nice quality, and well maintained, then I can get away with wearing it more often and still look sharp. 

So I'm keeping the clothes that fit best and look great, and tossing everything else that was merely passable. Besides, I have clothes than I'm not really using, which could make a big difference to somebody else. It's all about utility. 

Step 1: Footwear

1 pair black dress shoes

1 pair brown dress shoes

1 pair sneakers

1 pair workout shoes

1 pair boots

And flip flops. Since I'm in California, I can't give those up. So that's it. That's all I need. I've wasted enough time and space holding on to spares for some indefinite crisis that might rear up in the future. No more. Give them away. One more corner of my life simplified.