Autumn atmosphere

It's that time again.

When you drive to work in the morning cranking the heat because it's 40 degrees outside, but by the afternoon you have your sleeves rolled up and the windows rolled down.

Kids go back to school. Days get shorter. Thunderstorms start with cold rain and continue with three-day overcast skies. Leaves start to change color. Sweatshirts and jeans become a permanent weekend wardrobe. The onset of hibernation begins. And I love it.

It's the season that smells best.

Now, there's nothing wrong with fired up charcoal and fresh cut grass -- but by the time September comes around, I'm grilled out and my allergies have already got the best of me.

There's nothing better than the smell of crunchy leaves and dirt. Or, the smell of my clothes after being outside near campfires or in north winds.

I can't wait for October, when Neil Young's "Harvest" won't leave my CD player, and the colors really change and start to peak.

No Ken Jennings

Eggplant's are actually fruits? Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer? Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest? The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle?

It's my one true weakness: useless trivia.

This weekend, I signed up to participate in the first annual Quizmaster Cruise in Milwaukee. Trivia teams who compete weekly at local Milwaukee establishments signed up to compete. I filled in as one of the eight team members for my friend Kim on her team, Quizzers with Attitude.

With a free shirt, all-you-can-eat Usinger brats and beer for no charge, I had nothing but high expectations from the start. And it didn't disappoint.

For two hours we rode along the Milwaukee river in the Edelweiss. Each of the ten teams was asked the same six questions in six different categories, for a chance to win a number of different prizes -- another weakness of mine. First prize was a set of tickets for each winner to a show for the Milwaukee Rep.

After each of the categories, individual names were also drawn for prizes like a case of Bison Blonde Lager, an England soccer jersey, a bunch of gift certificates; and the grand prize -- a nice, crisp Benjamin.

Our team came in second with a total of 49 points. We had to compete in sudden death for a chance to win a pair of tickets each to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (2nd place) or a copy of the Beer Guide book (3rd place).

I think the question was "how many miles of subway does London have?" or something like that. We guessed closer than the other team, and took second. Holy crap. (I really wanted the beer guide book, though.)

After that, they announced the grand prize winner for the individual prize of $100. And I won!

I've been everywhere, man.

At work, we're on the cusp of trade show season. As one of the editor's for Professional Tools & Equipment News and Professional Distributor. I usually fill my time in the office writing about tools for mechanics (yeah, wrenches and ball pine hammers) and stories for mobile tool dealers (think Snap-on).

I don't work for a glamorous industry by any means, but I do get to check out different places all over the U.S., without spending a dime.

I love being able to travel to different places, learn the different cities and try out new restaurants. Of course, I have to work by going out with the sales staff when they take out clients, and I'm in charge of going to different company booths to pick up product information, which I'll eventually write about. It's not a vacation, but it gets me out of my cube.

October kicks off my time more frequently out of the office, where I'll be wined and dined at the company's expense. That also means I'll be dealing the most concentrated gathering of 35- to 50-year-old men in one central location.


Oct. 4-8, 2008 - ATPA Expo; San Diego, CA
Okay, this is a freebie, and it's not for my magazine. I'm doing the show daily for our company's Mass Transit publication.

Nov. 3-7, 2008 - AAPEX and SEMA; Las Vegas, NV
Biggest show for our industry, apparently. No other shows are booked in Vegas this week, and it takes up the entire LV Convention Center. It's a big deal.

Jan. 15-19, 2009 - Mac Tool Fair; San Antonio, TX

March 8-11, 2009 - Matco Show; Las Vegas, NV

March 13-15, 2009 - Cornwell; Anaheim, CA

You almost forgot...

I was walking to my 2nd hour German IV class senior year of high school. It was Tuesday.

Ben Wright stormed in telling the class one of the World Trade Center buildings in NYC had been hit by a plane. Frau Marshall let us turn on the TV to watch.

It had to be a mistake. A miscalculation with the air tower. How does a plane hit a 110-story building, on accident?

Then, the second plane hit the south tower.

First reaction? Confusion. Then, disbelief.

By the end of 2nd hour, the first tower had collapsed.

No one understood what a terrorist attack was. (I'm not talking blatant media scare tactics. I mean actual violence inflicted to make a statement, while jeopardizing innocent human lives as collateral damage.)

Mr. Bauduin, my 3rd hour Psychology teacher, let us watch CNN. I remember bodies falling from the 96th floor. Or the 100th floor? Little black dots, almost confused with the billion sheets of paper floating to the ground. But bodies don't float through the air the same way.

No one talked in the halls. No one did school work. After lunch, the teachers in my classes had shut off the TVs, but no one did any work.

I worked at Festival Foods after school that night. Some people commented; wondered what the world was coming to. Others kept their heads down with sober eyes. Everyone bought canned goods. Bottled water. Propane tanks. Firewood.

I remember bits and pieces days and weeks after. I watched CNN and MSNBC daily. I became obsessed with how the buildings fell, why it happened, finding the victims, and watching every minuscule detail unfold. I felt like I was apart of it -- directly affected.

For awhile, patriotism ran rampant. People smiled and helped out. Neighbors were cordial, if not downright friendly.

And everyone kept saying, "It takes this for people to appreciate others?"

I don't remember when I turned off my TV. It's been seven years.

Simple distractions

This morning at work, my editor Brendan, and I had a 15-minute talk leading to a discussion of how crreepy dolls and clowns are. And what I love more than anything, is being distracted from doing actual work. (I <3 FB and digg.com)

My boss Brendan's pretty good about continuing random conversations. We've talked about baseball or football, Rita Hayworth, Jackson Pollock and Picasso, movies, the meaning of names, Irish rowing teams, George Dickel Whisky and other useless, yet highly retainable, facts and random information.

Conversations might start with a simple question or statement, but they continue with tangents. I mean, not everyone continually talks about the weather, or sports.

For example, I asked my co-worker, Dionne, what she did last weekend. Then, she asked me. We ended up talking about her plans to get a hummingbird tattoo for her birthday from her husband.

Striking up random conversations with co-workers is also one of the best ways to get out of my cube and visit people. Makes the day go by faster.

A quick fix

I'm a firm believer in not taking medication unless it's absolutely necessary. Headache? Drink some water and eat a banana. Stomach ache? tea or hot chocolate. Hangover? A 1/2-lb. cheeseburger, followed by daylong napping.

But last night, I felt the onset of something terrible: allergies.

This affliction started the spring of eighth grade. No big deal -- some itchy eyes, stuffy nose, etc. I started taking Benadryl, Sudafed and Claritin to deal with the symptoms. But every time I'd miss a day or two of pills, the symptoms came back twice as harsh.

Well into H.S., I realized my immune system was slowly giving up. I read somewhere that every time you take artificial drugs, your body doesn't work as hard to fend for itself.

I decided to take my allergy meds (or any other medication, for that matter) only if it's absolutely necessary.

Which brings me to this morning.

I woke up involuntarily rubbing my eyes because they itched something fierce. I kept sneezing. My nose was running and stuffed at the same time (How in the HELL is that possible). I had a perpetual tickle in my throat. I couldn't even drink coffee for breakfast it sounded so unappealing; I had to resort to black tea.

I didn't even take anything in Tacoma when I was around Marla's cat. But this... this was much worse.

So, I gave in. For the first time in two years, I took a Claritin. Now I feel like a relapsing drug addict.

But maybe one more wouldn't hurt...

Guess who's back

You might've noticed; I haven't been around much the past couple weeks.

I got back yesterday from one of the best vacations I've ever been on. Probably not saying much, all things considered... but I've had my fair share of travels.

I went with Michelle, my fellow Geebz native and partner in crime, to the west coast. We started off in Los Angeles last Thursday night (8/21) and drove up the coast ending in Seattle.


A few highlights:


-- Tabs at L.A. bars are ridiculous. Michelle bought a round of four Jagerbombs and three beers for $58. Add on a $12 tip.

-- Everyone in California drinks Stella Artois.

-- Bears really do attack cars if you leave shit in them. E.g., In Yosemite, the rear passenger side door of the Mitsubishi Gallant two down from our rental was pulled from its frame with a shattered window, and the back driver's side seat was peeled back, tin can lid style.

-- SF has the most obscenely steep streets to walk on, with grades of up to 60 degrees. I swear.

-- I overcame my fear of sharks while surfing in Santa Cruz, and replaced it with a more realistic fear of drowning while being pummeled by waves.

-- Locals and other travelers asking for directions is the most sincere form of tourist flattery. Even if you can't help them.

-- Drive the Pacific Coast Highway. It's winding as hell, but the scenery more than makes up for it.

-- Jedediah Smith can go fuck himself.

-- Pacific Northwest cities (namely Portland and Seattle) have some of the most amazing architecture, with plenty of mirrored glass and windows.

-- Tacoma has the highest concentration per square mile of teriyaki restaurants. Examples include the simple, yet poignant "Teriyaki," "Teriyaki Time," "Teriyaki Restaurant" and my personal favorite "Burgers and Teriyaki."

-- I really could live in Seattle, if within walking distance of Pike's Place Market.


I realized when planning a big trip, people are more than willing to offer suggestions and recommendations for places to go. Every bit helps, even if you don't follow through with the suggestions, you're still aware of all your options.

Having friends along the way helps break up the monotony of being on the road solo, and the intimidation of big cities. And, we were fortunate enough to have the most gracious hosts in L.A., SF and Tacoma.