parking

So this black girl reads posted about hunting for premium parking spots yesterday.

I'm definitely in one of the first two categories, lot laissez-faire or parking pragmatist. Whenever I find myself hunting for a close spot I think about how I have these perfectly functional legs that might not be so functional someday. When or if that happens, I'll hunt for a good parking spot. Until then, I'll hoof it from the back or the top level ... leaving the closer spaces for the not-so-mobile.

I do believe in parking karma, however. That finding a perfect space without trying indicates that the universe is telling you that you were meant to be in this place, at this time.

As primarily a street parker, however, I have to say that if I could chose a super power, I want the ability to shove cars that are rudely parked in the middle of two parking spaces out of the way to make room for my vehicle.

Many times I travel through my Mount Vernon neighborhood cursing my fellow residents who carelessly stopped their vehicles about a half-car's length away from the no-stopping sign at the end of the block, or some other misanthropic move. I fantasize about leaving notes on the dashboards of mean parkers and others praising the considerate ones.

Can you see me now, eyes clouding over like Storm, as I whirl around and create gusts of wind that gently-but-quickly realigns cars on the street? It would be so great.

The functional-legs consideration also comes into play when debating stairs-vs.-elevator. Some day, I may long for the time when I could dash up a flight of stairs because I can't.

the Enzyme theory of relationships

Apologies in advance for mangling scientific theories for my own personal use.

So let's pretend humans are like atoms, bouncing around in the universe.

Most atoms are at a higher "energy state" when they haven't formed a bond with other atoms. They're kind of tooling around faster, trying to get in the right position so they can share electrons with another atom. Then they kind of 'relax' because they're at a lower energy state. (Are the parallels clear so far?)

But it's hard for atoms to just randomly orient themselves near other atoms in a way for those bonds to form on their own. Most reactions require a certain amount of extra energy, called activation energy, to take place. You do that by adding things like heat, for example.

What enzymes do is reduce the activation energy needed for a reaction to take place by moving atoms and/or molecules close to each other, in the correct orientation for bonds form. Think of atoms like jigsaw puzzle-like pieces that two atoms in a hypothetical reaction would fit into.

"Enzymes" could be anything that helps two people (or more, if you're into that kind of thing) in the situations where they can get to know each other better. Enzymes could be mutual friends, or cooking classes, or social sports leagues, or random parties. Even elevators could be enzymes! You just kind of have to be open to the experience.

There are several addenda to this theory, including one about breakups that parallels one of Newton's first Law of Motion, the one about inertia --- every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

I swear I came up with this while taking general science classes a decade ago, but I just found this much more detailed similar theory with visual aids.

Won't you take me to

Funkstown?

A Prairie Home Companion

I have to say that although I'm a self-avowed NPR addict, I could be persuaded to change stations instead of listening to all the news from Lake Woebegone. But I can't live without Garrison Keillor's columns. Here's a great excerpt from this week's column:

"Unrestricted immigration is a dangerous thing - look at what happened to the Iroquois. They failed to impose border controls and before they knew it, they were dying of infectious diseases they had no names for. In the case of California, however, it was Spanish before it was English and now it's simply tending back that way."

financial survival

The NYT has published a sequel to its 2006 column advising young people to lay off the lattes and instead put the money that would buy fancy coffee in a piggy bank (read: IRA) that will allow you to survive until you die.

Survival, it should be noted, is what we're talking about here --- not necessarily living a life enhanced by pleasures that Americans often purchase regardless of their ability to pay. Don't eat out, don't buy new things, and maybe you'll be able to take a cab to the doctor's office when you're old, instead of waiting in the rain for the bus. And, if you start being miserly now, you'll be accustomed to that lifestyle by the time you're old.

Thankfully, I'm already doing a lot of what Damon Darlin recommends. I've been saving for retirement in various ways and am debt-free. As mentioned here before, as the Child of Immigrants I have witnessed firsthand the way the frugal methods my parents followed to save the money to establish themselves in this country and grown to appreciate how they instilled those values in me. Today, however, they have the means to live more comfortably but can hardly bear to spend money on themselves.

I would like to use my money for things that are truly important to me. Better writers have said this more eloquently than I do, but money buys safety, security, peace of mind. You also can use money to support your interests, but lately I'm struck by how much money I spend to support my goals indirectly.

Why did I pay others to prepare and serve at least a dozen of my meals in the last week, when I could cook similar food better myself? Why did I go places and struggle to get the attention of someone who could pour me an alcoholic beverage?

Mostly, it's because no one (more or less) lives in my house but me, and it's easier to meet a group of people at a restaurant or bar than to try to organize a gathering. So, I'm paying for convenience --- and like it or not, getting what I pay for.

Then there's the separate issue of missing the big picture. Why do I drive miles out of the way to save a few dollars on groceries and then waste larger sums paying late fees or parking tickets?

My goal this month: to determine the true reasons behind my spending and see whether it's really worth it.