A Kinda Really Sorta Perfect Day

I love traveling and vacation days as much as the next woman, hell, probably even more.  But there are days that you have to work.  And on days you have to work, I've proven that you can still sorta kinda have a really perfect have-to-work kinda day.  Here's how it went.  

I went to bed the night before early enough that I got a FULL 8 hours of sleep!  Usually if I get 7 hours, I'm thrilled!  

I drank a glass of water before leaving for work.  This starts what I call "The Water Cycle" which, very simply, is a means of getting enough water packed into as early in the day as possible.  Most of us never get enough water throughout the day, and it's a bad idea to drink a ton of water at the end of the day, at least for me, because that means getting up multiple times per night to use the restroom.  So my mantra pertaining to water consumption, while hiking and in general, is "drink early, drink often."  So I guzzle 12 ounces before I leave for work.  This means that before an hour of work is done, I will need to get up to use the restroom.  I bring my cup with me (the one I keep at work is 14 ounces), and refill it on the way to the restroom.  I drink at least a third on the way to the restroom.  On my way back to my desk, I drink another third or so.  In another, say, 40 minutes, I have to use the restroom again, and I bring my cup with me, and so on.  When I do this right, I can drink a gallon of water a day, most of which is before 6 pm, ensuring that I won't disrupt my precious sleep too much.  

I get ready for work, kiss my boyfriend, pet the dog, and I'm off.  I unplug my car and throw the charger in the hatch.  

I work through my German lesson on the way to work.  Each lesson is about 28 minutes, which is just about the average time of my commute.  I usually finish my lesson as I'm pulling into the garage.  Sometimes, on extraordinarily speedy days, I have to sit in my car for a minute to finish the lesson, but usually no more than a minute or two.  Today I was actually repeating a lesson I had done over the weekend, because I felt I needed the extra practice.  It paid off, I did really well this time around!  Excellent!  

I park my car, pull out the charger from the hatch and plug it in.  I grab my three bags: my purse, my gym bag and my food bag, including my breakfast shake, my lunch, a light dinner, a diet soda, four perfectly portioned healthy snacks, and three bags of candy for the suckers who come by my desk in need of chocolate.  

I go up the elevator alone, which is nice because it helps me gather my thoughts.  Sometimes I'm pressured to socialize before I'm ready and I'm still in German-lesson mode or worse, thinking about an audio book I've been listening to that causes me to be completely thrown off by small talk.  I mean, at least the German lessons are essentially small talk, I just have to remember to switch my brain to English.  

I catch the door just before it locks.  When its locked, one must use his or her badge to unlock the door, a small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, but that somehow is disproportionately glorious when one catches the door before it locks.  

I decide, in the name of getting my 10,000 steps, not to put my food away on my way to my desk.  I greet my colleagues, the few that were around (most people in my row are on vacation or having babies).  I bring everything to my desk first, then sort through things and make a run to the kitchen to put my lunch and dinner away at that time.  

I boot up the computer, turn my two external monitors on, because who doesn't need three monitors.  I scan through my email, answer a few dire ones, and get to work on planning.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays are planning days in my department, meaning we have to do the majority of the tactical parts of our jobs on these two days.  On Mondays I do a lot of prep work, and usually get a head start on some basic planning, which means that because yesterday was a holiday, I'm instantly feeling behind.  

One of my coworkers had made and brought in chips and an amazing green chile dip we affectionately call "crack dip."  I decided to bypass a couple of my healthy snacks in favor of crack dip.  It was sooooo worth it.  Besides, I am not sure I would have eaten enough calories without it.  This, of all things, has been a surprising and disturbing revelation recently for me.  When I thought I was "being good" by eating healthy, low calorie and low carb foods, I actually wasn't eating enough at all.  So instead of losing weight, my body was in a starvation mode I suppose, and conserving all the fat it could.  Talk about the worst scenario!  Here I was depriving myself of delectable food in the name of losing weight, and my weight loss was stagnant or minimal at best.  So frustrating!  Anyways, I've learned my lesson, so now I'm working harder at balancing eating enough and not eating too much.  I can't say I've nailed it completely, but today I ended up just right, which is a good start.  

I plug away at my planning, answering urgent emails as I go.  I didn't get quite everything done, but I got more done than on a typical Monday, and it wouldn't be good if I was expected to complete all of Monday's and Tuesday's tasks in one day anyways.  Throughout the day, The Water Cycle is effective in not only getting me close to my goal of 96 ounces of water, but it also helps me boost my step count.  Because I had the chips and crack dip, I wasn't really hungry when it was time for lunch, so I ate a little late but made sure I ate so I wouldn't be thinking about snacking.  When I realized I was getting frustrated with my work, I cracked open my Diet Pepsi, because for whatever reason, that little bit of a caffeine hit seems to perk up my mood when I'm crabby.  There are lots of days I bypass the soda altogether, because it gets in the way of my water consumption, but I felt it was important today to keep me happy.  

I ended the day with fewer emails than I started with, which is a good thing.  I learned of a few more problems, but dealt with them as best I could for the time.  Still more planning to do tomorrow, so it will still be a crunch, but I felt good about what I accomplished.  

I wrapped up a little later than usual (less than 30 minutes late), grabbed my things and headed to the gym.  I was planning on primarily doing weights, but the ab machine was broken which was terribly disappointing because I freaking love that thing.  So I did four sets on three different machines for arms, and did some legs.  

I felt guilty getting all dressed in workout clothes without really breaking much of a sweat, and my nagging FitBit app indicated that I had yet to hit my goals for steps, miles, calories burned or active minutes.  I hadn't drank all my water for the day, either.  So I filled up my water bottle and got on a treadmill.  Normally my cardio machine of choice at the gym is the bike, but I was thinking that the treadmill would do double duty by giving me my steps, in addition to cardio.  

I only walked, as I was ill-prepared to run.  I didn't even have socks on, and I was wearing my dancing keds, because I had been planning on doing weights only.  Note to self: wear good (running) shoes to the gym always.  The girl next to me started running, after about five minutes of me trying to keep pace with her power walking (ugggh).  I am one of the rare creatures that enjoys a good run, although it's pretty much always outside, and most enjoyable when its not 100 degrees out.  But I've been trying to be good to my knees, and in addition to having bad footwear for running, I also was wearing a fairly loose sports bra.  What I mean is, I need to wear four super restrictive sports bras in order to feel appropriate to run among colleagues (the gym is, after all, in my office building).  So I didn't run.  I jammed to the tunes on my phone via headphones, and passively watched the headlines on the TVs above me.  But it turned out, the shoes were kinda awful for walking, too.  Ten minutes in I was regretting getting on, but you know, you have this sort of gym pressure, everyone knows how long I've been on the machine, and they'll all think I'm stupid if I get off after any less than 30 minutes.  So I put in my time, begrudgingly.  The FitBit app still didn't indicate I had hit any of my goals, but I was over it.  

I listened to my audio book as I headed south in my car.  It is so thoroughly entertaining, and there were some good insights today that I will want to go back to and reference later.  I debated getting a hard copy. and made a mental note to check for one at the library.  That reminded me that I did have another book to pick up at the library, so I decided to head there before going home.  It would give me more steps, anyways.  

Finally, after being home and doing a few small chores, I hit my 10,000 steps, and most of my goals were met, including the water consumption goal which I exceeded by logging a full gallon of water.  

I took a glorious hot shower and put on clean comfies for the night.  

I spent about 40 minutes reading my current book.  

Then, I was so thrilled with how my day has gone, I decided to write this blog.  

So even though I spent 10 hours at work, and even though there were issues and things that could get me down, my shoes weren't suited for the impromptu 30 minute walk on the treadmill, my arms are sore from lifting weights, and my house isn't entirely clean, I'd say it's all about perspective.  I had a kinda sorta really perfect day.  There's only one more goal on my FitBit I have yet to hit - I'm at 4.5 of 5 miles.  So with that, I will sign off so I can do laps around my house until I hit that stupid goal and tire myself out to get another 8 hours of sleep.  

Rejuvenating Ways to Spend Labor Day Weekend

If you're not barbecuing or traveling this weekend, make the most of it so you don't look back on the three day weekend with regret.  Here are some ideas to return to your four day workweek rejuvenated. 

• Read a book

• Review upcoming schedules for football games or theater shows you may want to go to, and buy tickets 

• Get the family together, turn off the devices and play old fashioned board games or card games. I recommend Ticket to Ride and Rummikub!

• Try out a new restaurant in your area

• Go for a walk or hike

• Create a secret board on Pinterest and start pinning Christmas gift ideas for your loved ones
  
  

• Watch some TED Talks

• Evaluate your progress on any New Year Resolutions and reinvigorate your commitment for the rest of the year or set new goals

• Reach out to a friend you haven't spoken to in a while

• Clean out your garage or organize a room that's been needing it

• Consider listing an extra room on Airbnb
  
  

• Try cooking a new dish

• Start thinking about Halloween costumes - it will be here in no time!

How are you spending your no-work Monday?

My Home of the Future

Long before I graduated college, I was inspired by HGTV shows to buy my own house, in order to renovate it and customize it to my liking.  I saved up money, while still in school, for my down payment, and fulfilled a quintessential American dream of buying a house on its own little property in a cozy neighborhood.  It was definitely a fixer-upper, not unlivable, but very much in need of love, updating and fixing.  But I very quickly learned how hard it is to modify and update an old house, built based on old requirements and technologies, and started yearning for the day I could build my dream house from scratch.  One of my favorite past times on Pinterest is to add photogenic pictures and novel ideas to my "Dream House Inspiration" board.  But for as much time as I spend dreaming about it, I hardly ever write about it.  Part of the reason is that there are SO MANY ideas out there, and it's a daunting task to think about sitting down and designing the perfect living space.  How many rooms are really needed?  If I could add a window here, would I really want to?  Or would it be convenient sometimes, and awful at others?  How luxurious can I make it while still being green and efficient?  How much automation will be available in the future? 

When I think about my dream house, I always imagine a ginormous basement, where a lot of the over-the-top expensive entertainment luxuries reside.  A wine cellar and cigar lounge (with proper ventilation), complete with old-world brick walls and chandeliers, and an embedded high-tech wine inventory system.  A bowling alley with at least two lanes, a bar and brick oven pizza kitchen, a kick-butt sound system, a pool table and retro arcade.  An in-house state-of-the-art theater for screening the latest movies or live football games, with a small stage in front in case we want to engage in live theater; the system would allow viewers to queue YouTube videos from their seats as well, and control the show from their phones.  The theater may also have a food and beverage delivery system built into the seats, so that users can order popcorn, chips and queso, a beer, a glass of wine, etc., and have it delivered through something like the old vacuum tubes of the banks directly to the seat, heated or chilled, sealed and ready to be served. 

I like the idea of having a large portion of the house underground for environmental purposes - the earth is a much better temperature insulator than the air above ground, and thus, heating and cooling a fully underground house would lead to almost negligible costs compared to heating and cooling a house all above ground.  I imagine a very modest-looking home above the surface; a two car garage and some rooms with windows just like my current house.  But when the two-car garage door is opened up, you see that it is not really a two-car garage at all, but a ramp down to a large garage that can hold up to 20 cars.  An elevator or stairway then takes me and my guests to the other underground floors of this underground mini-mansion.  The inherent problem with so much underground, besides the cost of digging, is that natural light is also very important to me.  Obviously the theater need not have natural light, nor even the bowling alley.  But where I read, write, work, cook, and play all would benefit from natural light.  So then I imagine huge networks of solar tubes and mirrors to bring that natural sunlight down below the surface.  Also, on the subject of heating and cooling, my feet are perpetually cold, so I would like heated floors in most main rooms. 

While being an underground mole has environmental benefits, I also have a love of stargazing that I strongly desire to be incorporated into my future master bedroom.  I envision a large skylight opening up above my bed, allowing me to watch for meteors in the comfort of my bed.  Taking astronomy to another level, literally, I envision a skydeck being a big part of my future home, putting me above the city lights, with a full panoramic view of the night sky, comfy lounges to relax on, telescopes to use when I'm more actively gazing, equipment for awesome photography, and some kind of technology that can be activated to point out things like where Jupiter is and what constellation is where.  During the day, my skydeck can be used for sunbathing in the comfort of the climate control, reading and working or just generally taking a break.

 

When it comes to the normal accessories of a house, like the kitchen, my desires are only slightly more practical.  The counter tops need to be at elbow height.  I haven't quite decided if that means they would be movable within a few inches to adjust to elbow height, or if I just make it at my elbow height because I have bad back and its my house.  I want more storage, like LOTS more storage, like this nifty idea to use a pull-out tie rack to hang pots and pans on.  And I want small appliances (toaster, toaster oven, George Foreman grill, waffle maker, crock pot, rice cooker) to have little cubby holes where they can be used without moving, but hidden when not in use.  I want more efficient appliances - ovens that have two compartments so I could cook a pizza while baking cookies or warming up a pie while the turkey is cooking, and dishwashers that similarly have two compartments so I could wash only whichever section is filled.  Assuming I don't have a robot or maid to empty the dishwasher, I would want it to be at a higher level, so that I don't hurt my back as much when loading and emptying it.  I'd also want a wine dispenser in which the bottles can be kept for days or weeks, while just pouring a glass at a time as I desire; maybe even a few beer taps for kegs as well.  I think it would be fun to have an ice maker / dispenser that dispensed different shapes of ice - I could select which molds to freeze and it would build up inventories of each of those molds. And then there's this urban cultivator thing I saw once that I just don't think I could live without - it does all the growing for you to have fresh herbs and small vegetables right in your kitchen like an appliance.  If I liked lobster or seafood, I might similarly want a sizeable fish tank to keep dinner alive in for later, but that maybe not so necessary given my dislike of all things seafood.  But a fish tank for pets could be pretty sweet. 

I've been stuck on the bathroom for a long time; my love for baths driving my

indecision for what a perfect bath would be.  I would say that more often than not, I'd be bathing alone, so a one-person deep soaking bath with jets, a nice view, a fireplace, a TV, a book-holder, a table for dinner and a glass of wine, and an RO water spout sounds just about perfect.  But for the less frequent occasions I want my other half to join me in the bath, I'd need a bigger bath.  Yet I don't want to be wasting water when it's just me in the bath.  I've debated bath designs in which part of the bath could be comfortably blocked off when not in use with a water-proof barrier that is visually appealing.  Or perhaps I just need multiple baths, one for just me to be my primary, a love bath for when I want my honey with me, and a party bath, maybe on the rooftop or in the skydeck, for multiple guests.  For the showers, I would want either a small TV or streaming device like a tablet built into the wall with a

waterproof barrier to allow me to see the traffic and weather, watch the news or a Ted talk, listen to music, or practice a new language.  As for the toilets, I want bidets integrated with regular toilets, and maybe urinals because, urnials!  I don't know.  I definitely would want more clever ways to store all the different bathroom-y stuff that needs to be stored. 

Cleaning is practically the bane of my existence; a lot of things have storage places in which to be put away, and brought out only as needed, but I don't like putting things away.  I like to have them handy, but that clutters up my house.  As such, my dream house would have less of this non-functional storage, and more functional spaces.  I was inspired by a documentary on some celeb's mansion to have a gift wrapping room.  No joke, this lady actually had three such rooms, one for birthdays, one for showers and one for holidays, if I remember correctly.  The walls of each room were stockpiled with beautiful wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, gift tags and other decorations, and in the center of each room was a large work desk, complete with the scissors, pens, markers and tape needed to wrap pretty much any gift imaginable.  I think she even had some kind of bow maker.  I don't need three rooms, but one such room would be nice.  I'd probably also want some lockable storage to stash gifts away until it was time to wrap them.  Likewise, I have crafty hobbies that make a mess, but I don't do them so often that I have designated stations in my modest home currently.  I would love to have one giant craft room with storage for all my different materials, an ironing board, cutting board (for fabric), a workbench with a sewing machine section and free space for other hobbies, a wall of spindles, a wall of paints and brushes and easels, maybe a screen printer and some other neato craft-related tools.  I have converted a bedroom in my house to something of this nature already, but it just doesn't seem to be big enough.  I'd also want a TV in the room and a loungey area so that my honey could come spend time in the room while I'm working.  Like my love of crafting, I also enjoy building more durable objects, like headboards.  So I think it would be pretty awesome to have a full workshop with a table saw, jigsaw, circular saw, tile saw, etc.  The workshop would also be attached to the garage and have car lifts so I can pull my car in and work on it.  I'd also want a library, because as techno-savvy as I am, I also like to have

books I can pull off the shelf and reference, or shut down devices and just read.  The library, I imagine, would need a number of comfortable pieces of furniture, like chaise lounges, hammocks, and rope nets, all with with individual lights / natural light overhead or behind where the reader would sit.  On the topic of cleaning, I would also want recycling chutes and maybe even laundry chutes to make cleaning as easy as possible. 

My central living space always seems to be cluttered, not just with projects and crafts, but so many devices, books, food, Legos, latest purchases, and paper.  Having unique rooms for certain functions would definitely alleviate some of this clutter, but I suspect not all.  I think my central family room / living space would need to just be big, with lots of shelving, under-sofa storage, tables, recycling chutes, and an entertainment system that can accommodate all the game systems, streaming and recording devices and audio equipment we would want to have.  And a fireplace, because even though I don't light fires, I need a mantel to hang my Christmas stockings on each winter.  My very fictional dream for the Christmas tree may not come to fruition, but I always imagined a false floor and a lift underneath that would store the tree, fully decorated, for most of the year, but when it was time to put the tree up, I'd literally flip a switch and the tree would rise through the false floor.  Maybe I take the ornaments off every year, so that I'd have the freedom of choosing which theme to go with every November, but we'd be spared the challenge of actually assembling a fake tree, and the resulting cuts and scrapes.  Is that too much to ask for? 

Because health and exercise are simultaneously important to me and hard for me to get motivated for, I would want to have a few features that make it really, really easy and fun to exercise.  An indoor pool, I think, is necessary for a dream house, because it can be used year round, and is free from weather like rain or excessive heat.  That alone might do it for me, but I'd also want an exercise bike and weight room with a great entertainment system so I can get my exercise on while multi-tasking, watching my favorite TV shows, documentaries, TED talks or YouTube videos.  And since dance is so important to me, I'd want a modest dance studio with a fantastic wood floor, and maybe even a tumbling floor to practice aerials or gymnastics on, and to stretch on.  The dance studio would have mirrors on both sides, and a TV screen to stream practice videos on so I can follow along.  These two rooms would have to have their own climate control so I could make it really, really cold in there while using them without spending the money to cool the whole house.  I think both rooms would also be equipped with an RO water fountain and a Powerade fountain. 

Then there's musical aspirations in my life.  I used to play a few instruments and sing, and my honey is studying to be an audio engineer, and also plays (and aspires to play) lots of instruments.  So I think it's only natural we'd have a sound-proofed recording studio with all the fancy mixers and whatnot, but also a place to display and store the collection of instruments we've amassed. 

I'm also totally nuts, and I want a slide and a fireman's pole that extends at least two, if not three, stories.  I haven't figured out if a fireman's pole is also fit for pole dancing, but if its not, then I would also want a couple strategically placed poles for pole dancing as well.  Maybe a water slide, too.  And a rockwall.  A rockwall that goes up to the top of the slide?  Or maybe there's a rope at the top that you use to swing down into a pit of sponges or plastic balls or spaghetti.  I don't know.  But I want my house to be crazy fun, all the time.  I also want secret passage ways or hidden rooms.  I literally have dreams about a two-bedroom, one-bathroom suite behind my refrigerator, and a party lounge

that is reached only by going through a door in the back of a closet.  Neither of these seem practical, but things like secret doors in stairs, bookshelves disguising doors and push-this-brick passageways have always intrigued me.  I also like spiral staircases, a lot. 

I'd of course want some guest accommodations, but not so comfortable that they never leave.  I'm thinking capsules, bunk beds and Murphy beds. 

Clearly, I spend a lot more time thinking about the features of my dream house than about the layout and structure.  But if you look at my Pinterest board, a lot of the images are different styles, architectures, and designs.  While one of my inclinations, as previously described, is a modest house above ground, I have a weird obsession with turrets.  And the last house I lived in with my parents had a big two-story window which I loved dearly come Christmas time, because we had this stunning 12 foot tree centered in the window, and you could see it from blocks away.  Thus, these two architectural features contradict my modest above-ground house idea, and drive more of what I want from the outside of the house. 

As far as a yard goes, I absolutely hate yard work, probably even moreso than cleaning indoors.  So the landscaping needs to be either minimal effort to maintain, or I would need a landscaper.  I have enjoyed staying with friends who have fruit trees and can go out and pick their breakfast, so maybe fruit trees plus a landscaper is what is needed.  I would like some fake grass for me to roll around in, and my dog needs a yard to do her business in.  Beyond that, I've envisioned little reading nooks in canopies with hammocks or mattresses, and outdoor grills, even outdoor baths and such, but I'm not sold that I need any of those since I'm not usually comfortable outside for long. 

DIY: Cinch Bags

Cinch bags are super easy-to-make accessories that are surprisingly handy.  I keep my small beauty care items, like chapstick, tweezers, and hair bands, in my cinch bag so they don't get lost in my purse.  Cinch bags can be made for gifts with a personal touch, or for easy fundraisers that also develop sewing skills.  I like to make my cinch bags with different but complementary fabric patterns.  You can make them with as much personality, or as simple, as you want. 
 
  

Materials needed:

Four (4) 8" x 8" pieces of fabric
1 1/2' parachute string or thin ropes
Pins, thread, scissors and general sewing supplies

 

 Instructions:

1.  Start with four pieces of fabric cut to 8" x 8".  Test swatches from Spoonflower are great for this purpose.  You can also pick up small cuts of fabrics at your local craft or sewing supply store. 

2.  Decide which pieces you want to go on the outside and which you want to go on the inside.  Put one inside fabric and one outside fabric back to back and line them up. 

3.  Pin the two fabrics together.   

4.  Start sewing the first edge starting about 1 1/2" down from the top.  Sew the complete bottom edge, and the back up the other side up to the same point (about 1 1/2" from the top).  


5.  Sew two lines across the top, leaving about 1/2" in between and some room on the top.  This is where the string or rope will go through later, and the fabric on top will be the ruffles.  

6.  Repeat steps 2 - 5 with your other pair of fabrics.  

7.  Now, pair up the fabrics so that the patterns you want on the outside are on the inside and vice-versa.  You will sew the bag inside out and then flip it so that the seams are on the inside.  

8.  Sew around the two sides and the bottom, but not the top.  Then turn the bag inside out.  

9.  Tape the end of the string to the end of a pencil, and use it to thread the string through the channels you made at the top.  You'll want one string to connect on each side.  

10.  When both strings are through both sides of the bag, tie the loose ends together.  Pull the knots in opposite directions, and check out your work!  

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Get inspired!

Here are some combinations of fabrics to inspire you!  

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Check out my other fabric patterns for even more!

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Design Hacks for Disney Themed Rooms

 

On Amusement Parks and the GP

Jaiman and I recently went on amazing road trip around the country, primarily visiting amusement parks to ride the best roller coasters the country has to offer.  The trip was inspired by the amazing deal I got on annual passes for Six Flags, which I happened to know were good at all the parks.  In fact, the deal that I got also included free parking at the other parks, which normally is not included.  Jaiman is the roller coaster enthusiast, and I enjoy a good ride, and I know he is thankful that I indulge his passion as much as I do.  I made sure to also build in some things for me on the trip, including four life list activities, a couple extravagant hotel rooms, visits with friends, amazing food and a visit to a favorite brewery.  By the end of the trip, we had visited five Six Flags parks, (two of which I had previously visited, Jaiman had previously visited one other one, and two were completely new for both of us), Hersheypark which was new for both of us and Busch Gardens which I had visited only when I was very young.  We bypassed Cedar Point, since we had done a thorough job of visiting the year prior, and Carowinds was a late possible addition that never made it into the final itinerary.  We also avoided going to Florida because we felt the number of parks there merits its own trip. 

On the GP

So we hit 7 amusement parks, and at pretty much every single one of them, we had to witness and endure the utter painfulness that is the general public.  GP, as we call them, are people who act up and throw fits or make a scene about things like rules that are clearly stated.  If you can't fit into the seat and be secured, you can't ride, things like that.  It got so bad, even early on, we would recognize when we were being held up by some idiot guest arguing with the ride operators about something, and we'd say things like, "Are we getting GP'd again?"  To be GP'd is to be severely delayed because somebody wants to take their phone on the ride with them, holding it in their hands, for example. 

We saw a group of what one might describe as gangstas give all their loose articles to one member of the group who put it in his bag.  These guys were already loud and obnoxious, so it was easy to judge them right off the bat.  I knew, because I had been stopped at the ride line entrance, that bags were not allowed, and that they had to be placed in a locker prior to getting in line or left with a non-rider.  My bag was in a locker.  I don't know how this guy got up to the front of the line with a bag; my only guess is that he said he wasn't going to ride, and so the attendant probably would have let him through.  So here he was, close to the front of the line, when an attendant pointed out that he could not ride with the bag and the bag could not be left on the dock.  He argued for a few moments, then seemed to understand that he wasn't going to get his way, and exited back through the line as if he was going to comply.  When his friends were boarding, they kept calling for him, "Ti-dooooo!"  So already, Jaiman and I know we're being GP'd because these guys are moving much slower than one should when boarding a roller coaster.  They're dragging their feet and taking their sweet time.  Out of nowhere, Tido appears from behind us, bag still in hand, jumps the restricted area gate and approaches the train.  The attendant stays calm, but firm, and shoves the restraining device closed on the seat that Tido was aiming to get into.  Now the scene really ensues, with him arguing and of course, because he's on the platform, they cannot proceed until he is gone.  A young lady next to me doesn't quite grasp the situation, but was trying to move this whole thing along, and offered to hold the bag for him.  The attendant points out that that young lady, who has also probably been waiting for over an hour, would then not be permitted to ride because the next train would be a different one.  So she backs down on her offer.  More arguing ensues and the attendant finally coaxed him off the platform.  Security is called and has a chat with him while the ride operations continue.  To my dismay, he was allowed to stay in the park.  This is despite the signage everywhere that clearly states line jumping alone is cause for dismal from the park with no refund, and of course, violating rules or disobeying ride operators is also in that category.  This guy broke the rules, jumped into an unrestricted area, argued with the ride operator, slowed operations down, delayed the ride of everyone waiting; any one of those offenses should be enough to eject him, but he was allowed to stay. 

We saw other similar incidents throughout the trip: people arguing about leaving a hat or a being allowed to ride with unsecured sunglasses on, carrying bags, etc.  My favorite was the guy who threw a fit because the ride operators wouldn't let him board with AN ICE CREAM CONE.  Are you kidding me?  One young girl tried to wear a Go Pro on a ride, which would be okay if she had gotten a pass to do so, but she did not, and so the operator had to coax her into taking it off before riding.  There are also parents putting their kids in boots to try to make them fit the height requirements, and then making a scene because their kids can't ride.  Then there were also the oversized people who didn't fit in the restraints and clearly were surprised by this fact.  At every ride entrance, there is a test seat.  If you have doubts about your large belly, your ba-donk-a-donk, or curvy chest, it is probably a good idea to check if the restraints can be locked before waiting in line for hours.  It is not the fault of the ride operators if you are too big to ride.  Having a large chest myself, I've learned that there is a technique to fitting into some restraints; I've been ejected from one ride but it was before I had perfected the technique, and I didn't want to make a scene at the time.  So I include myself in this category, if you are unsure, figure it out beforehand, not when the ride operators are loading a train and trying to get it moving. 
The irony of the test seats at the front of the line was that the only people we EVER saw using it were people that were skinny and average height.  Jaiman commented in aggravation, "This ride was designed for YOU!"  I had to laugh because I knew from human factors that he was probably right.  There are standard measurements used in ergonomics for average adult female and average adult male, and the roller coasters are probably designed around these averages with some flexibility either way to allow the most people on as possible without making the ride unsafe.  Just another brilliant GP move. 

Some rides required a two-step process for securing restraints, and the GP, without fail, would miss the first step on every train.  The ride operator would even announce things like, "Please listen carefully.  Before you pull down your lap bar, make sure you buckle your seat belt first.  If you pull down your lap bar first, then we have to unlock the entire train and re-check it just for you.  So buckle your seat belt first, then pull your lap bar down.  DO NOT PULL YOUR LAP BAR DOWN UNTIL YOUR SEAT BELT IS FASTENED."  And then GP would get in, pull the lap bar down, wait idly for someone to check her, and then be SHOCKED that she was supposed to put her seat belt on first.  Then they have to unlock the whole train, buckle her in, then re-check every single passenger.  Because of one GP. 

Based on the GP ridiculousness we saw, I've devised a set of guidelines that I wish the GP would adhere to.

Dear GP,

Welcome to the amusement park.  This park has a lot of fun attractions, including games, rides, shows and food.  I am sure you can find a way to have fun here.  However, this park is not built solely for your amusement at the expense of other guests.  Your $60 admission doesn't even come close to paying for the hourly wage of all the park operators, janitors, mechanics, food servers and other staff here to keep you safe while enjoying yourself.  Your $60 admission is even further from being able to cover the cost of building even one of these awesome roller coasters which you will undoubtedly want to ride.  Therefore, it is not a given right for you to ride those rides, and you are not entitled to do whatever you think you can.  You are not the engineer who designed these rides, and you probably don't know enough about the ride to make any scientific judgment about what is safe.  Luckily, the engineers and park staff have determined for you what parameters and activities are deemed safe.  They have codified these parameters into rules, which include signs saying where you should not enter, and signs about what is and is not allowed on rides.  You are on their property, and while they want you to have a good time, there is no reason you should ever disobey these rules.  These are not optional guidelines; if you disrespect a staff member, break any rules or argue with a staff member, expect to be thrown out immediately and arrested if necessary.  As demonstrated by recent news events, your life actually depends on you following these rules.  In addition to strictly adhering to the rules of the park, we would remind you of a few guidelines of common decency that will also allow you to have a stress-free enjoyable time.

• Read the ride rules before entering the line.  This means if it says no bags, then leave your bags in a locker or with a non-rider.  Seriously. 
• If you are larger than average on any dimension, try the test seat at the front of the line before entering the line. Make sure you can fit in the seat, that you know how to secure the restraints quickly and easily, and that the restraints are actually secured. 
• If your child is too short to ride a ride, or you think he is almost tall enough, don't enter the line. 
• If there is a bin or holding place for your things, make a plan for what you are going to do with your things as you get close to the entrance.  If the person holding the bag is going to run it to the other side of the platform, let him or her enter first.  Take off your unsecured glasses and hats, remove your wallets and cell phones, and put them in the bag or in the bin quickly before boarding.  Figure out what it is you're doing before its your turn to enter onto the platform. 
• Pay attention to instructions the ride operators are giving prior to your turn to board.  Watch how the restraints operate to avoid making mistakes and causing delays. 
• Get in your seat quickly and secure all restraints quickly, then put your hands up so that you can be checked quickly. 
• Get out of your seat quickly when the ride is over, grab your things and exit the station quickly.  If you need to put your hat or fanny pack back on, wait until you have cleared the restricted platform to do so. 
• Do not attempt to bring absurd things on roller coasters.  You may be able to get away with taking a selfie on a child's ride, but holding your phone in your hand on a real roller coaster is a bad idea.  Don't do it.  Also, don't bother trying to bring ice cream, food or drinks on coasters.  And if you have a Go-Pro you'd like to wear while riding, make sure its okay with the park first. 

Thank you and enjoy your day!

Signed,
All Other Guests Who Can Read and Obey Rules

On Amusement Parks

Parks, I would say, also share some blame.  Not only did I see them be very lenient with belligerent guests, but their signs were not even 100% accurate.  For example, many rides said that no bags or loose articles were allowed on the ride or left at the station, and yet we'd get up there and there would be drink

holders for the souvenir bottles.  While I figured this out relatively quickly and appreciated that they were there, the uncertainty of entering a line with a souvenir cup that said no loose articles always had me slightly nervous.  It is good to be able to have the drinks in line, so we could stay hydrated while in line.  But, I would argue that if the sign says no loose articles can be left at the station, and then you allow bottles to be left at the station, you are being a hypocrite and allowing room for GP to interpret the signs with whatever works for them.  For example, I saw glasses tucked into the souvenir bottles in the holders - if you can leave a bottle, you can leave your glasses tucked into your bottle, right?  And why not add hats on top of the bottle, and small purses and cell phones wedged against the bottle?  All of a sudden, any and all loose articles are okay, despite what the sign says.  If the ride station has a bottle holder, state that on the sign.  No loose articles can be left at the station except for souvenir bottles.  Done.  That's all you have to do. 

It was also very annoying to have such inconsistency from park to park (even Six Flags to Six Flags) about bag policy.  Some parks had bins at every ride, some parks had bins at some rides but not others, and some parks had no bins and always required a locker.  I don't feel they do a good job of warning you, even if you go to their website to try to figure it out, about which parks have bins at the rides and which don't.  

While we didn't visit Cedar Point on this most recent trip, they are the worst when it comes to this inconsistency, in my opinion.  Some rides had bins and some didn't, and sometimes we weren't told until we were almost at the front of the line that the bag wasn't allowed.  Sometimes the rides would have bins that were plenty big but they only allowed sunglasses and hats, no bags.  Seriously?  Each locker also was very expensive, so it was a little ridiculous.  There was one ride we wanted to board, and no lockers anywhere because the water park was right by there and the lockers were 8 times as expensive there... so I guess they didn't want anyone using a convenient locker for $6 if they could charge them $35.  As a result, we were terribly inconvenienced, having to go all the way back to the other side of the park in order to put the stupid bag in a stupid locker and then go back to the ride.  My lesson was not to bring anything into the park, but that meant no phone, and no sunblock which is technically dangerous with my pale skin.  

I think there are things that people need to carry with them, and we want to enjoy the park without having to run back to the car every two hours to lather up the sunscreen again.  I think parks should just move to a policy of having bins at every ride.  They can still have lockers and the disclaimer that they are not responsible for things left on the platform.  Just do away with the no loose articles on the platform thing, and just allow it.  Get over it.  You may lose some locker income, but the customer satisfaction is probably worth it.  I literally refused to buy anything extra at Cedar Point, for example, because we had shelled out so much money on lockers.  It has been well over a year and you can tell I'm still a little bitter about it. 

For this reason and a few others, Six Flags Great America was by far the best park we've visited in the last several years (which pretty much covers every park I've ever been to).  It has some great rides, and amazing food, too.  It is also a very clean park, with efficient ride operations.  But part of that is the fact that they didn't have to argue with the GP because we/they were all allowed to leave loose articles / bags at the station in bins.  I think every park owner and operator should visit Great America as a guest, and then compare that to their own parks.  It is just a stellar, world-class park with no equal.  There are great rides at other parks, sure, but Great America has a full guest experience. 

A few other things I will direct at Six Flags as a whole - I heard only twice about something called a photo pass?  You apparently get unlimited digital copies of the ride pictures.  It was never clear to me if this was for just one park or for all parks.  We got a souvenir bottle that worked for free drinks at all parks, which was pretty sweet, not sure if you meant to do that or not.  But I would have definitely shelled out the money for digital copies of our ride photos at all the parks - if the pass covered all the parks.  So first of all, I'd say provide more messaging around this pass, it sounds like a pretty awesome thing and I saw no information about it.  We've had our photos taken 64 times on your rides this year, and only heard mention of this pass twice.  Second, make it good at all parks (even if there was a small premium) for the crazies like us that went to so many of your parks.  Third, not many people understand that the annual passes are good at other parks.  This may be a big missed opportunity in your advertising; if somebody knows they will be traveling to a different part of the country, they may be more likely to get the annual pass if they realized it would be good in that other part of the country.  Just saying. 

The Car of the Future

You probably don't know me well if you don't realize that I was one of the first to put money down on a car that didn't exist yet - the Chevy Volt - and have since trumpeted both the praise I have for the car, as well as some of the "opportunities" we'll call them.  It is a point of pride to me to be a part of pioneering EV technology; it was not an economical decision by any means, it was 100% the draw of a cool technology that could change the world.  I fell in love the minute I first saw the concept car, and even though the real thing would not be rolled out in my state until years later, I had to get one.    

I've received tons of compliments and questions about the car, especially in the first couple years; people in the cars next to me at a stop light would signal for me to roll down my window to interview me, and I'd get stopped in parking lots all the time.  I'll never forget one taxi driver who asked me, "Does it really get awesome mpg?  How can you trust the numbers the computer gives you?"  I took a peek at my dashboard and retorted, "Well, it's been over 1400 miles since I last filled my tank, and it only holds about 9 gallons.  You do the math."  The taxi driver was so delighted, he screamed gleefully, "That's my next car!" as the light turned green and we drove off.  Sometimes people complimented me on the styling of the car, not even recognizing that it was electric.  When I told them that, they were dumbfounded!  Most EVs at the time looked like dinky capsules with googly alien eyes for headlights.  

A lot of people didn't understand the difference between the Volt's hybrid technology, or range-extended EV technology as GM tried to sell it, and that of a common Prius.  The difference, I'd have to explain over and over again, is that you can hardly ever drive a Prius for any useful distance at any reasonable speed, without the gas engine kicking on.  With the Volt, I get through most weekdays without ever using gas; the gas is there only as a backup if I run out of electricity, and for longer trips.  While many of my eco-friendly technophile friends were gunning for the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric car with a lower price-point, I knew that wouldn't do it for me because my family lives a little over 100 miles away, and the charging station at the midpoint was not installed yet (although I knew it was coming... some day).  To me, the Leaf was a great commuter car, but could not suffice as the only car of a household.  I faced a lot of criticism from the EV-purests; GM was, after all, the company reputed for killing the EV1 in the 90's, so who's to say the Volt would ever even come to fruition?  Plus, the Volt didn't qualify yet for HOV lane access, a privilege granted to the Prius and two other inferior hybrids, and all electric vehicles.  My commute at the time didn't benefit from HOV lane access much, and I stood firm on patriotic and technologically sound principles that the Volt was the way to go.  I got the last laugh, of course, as Nissan Leafs failed to hold up in the scorching heat of Phoenix summers, and all my Leaf-fanatic friends lemon-lawed or ditched their cars at a huge loss very quickly, while I am still thrilled with the performance and battery life of my Volt.

I had done all the negotiations upfront through email with the dealer in California, and he even friended me on facebook.  It was nothing like a "normal" car buying experience.  I had customized what little options there were to choose from, and the Volt Advisor assigned to me provided updates on where it was in the process and shipping.  When I arrived at the dealership, I was greeted with familiarity and hugs, even though I had never met a soul there.  I signed all the paperwork to purchase the car, and hadn't even seen it (except in passing, it was being taken to fill up as we were pulling in, and I caught just a glimpse of it).  When I finally got in the car, before I could even drive it, someone on the lot offered me $60,000 for it, almost 150% of the price I just agreed to pay through financing.  Since then, the car has been great to me, albeit some hickups along the way, but overall I am still thrilled to own Volt #492.

All that being said, the passion for EVs has faded a bit; I think the world has come to accept them more (there are 3 Volts and 2 Teslas at my work, all of which plug in, and Arizona now allows Volts to get HOV lane access which is great because my new commute practically requires it), and I think they are definitely an embedded part of the inevitable future.  It's not that I don't love my EV as much, it's just that with lower resistance comes a reduced passion to fight the good fight for EVs.  I no longer get surprised looks in parking lots, or badgering questions, and people have even stopped sending me news clips of Volts catching on fire (all of which were terribly inaccurate).  I look now to the future, which I am even more anxious and excited about.  I think the next step is autonomous vehicles, and I don't think they can come soon enough. If EVs scared the general public, self-driving technology has the potential to drive people out of the country in sheer terror.  But at the same time, I reason that the most dangerous thing you can do any day of the week is get into a vehicle.  Whether you're driving or not, you have a higher potential of dying in a car wreck than any other activity most people encounter in a year, with obvious exceptions. 

I saw a lot of irony in the fear of EVs for two reasons.  One, every person who feared the technology also owned multiple devices that employed that exact technology.  In fact, if you read between the lines in the crazy blown-out-of-proportion articles, the only ways to make a Volt catch on fire, it seemed, was to either set the whole damn place on fire, and the car would eventually catch on too, or severely damage the battery multiple times, turn it on its side, let fluids leak out for weeks, and then it might ignite itself.  So, my conclusions were, if your garage is on fire, don't get into the Volt that's in the garage, and don't stay in a Volt for weeks on end after a severe collision.  Following these two rules would prevent any death "caused" by the oh-so-dangerous Volt.  Nevermind, that it exceeded the safety regulations, it was an EV and therefore its scary!  Give me a break!  Meanwhile, iPhone batteries were burning up and endangering hundreds of people at a time on airplanes, but nobody got up in arms about those.  You know why?  Because iPhones are familiar, and Volts are not.  Second, people were perfectly comfortable driving around "internal combustion engines" - it has the word combustion right in there!  Gas is flammable, did people forget that?  Cars catch on fire from time to time, and they are not EVs.  So even if EVs were as dangerous, the worst that could happen is status quo. 

Similarly, I hear fears that I find irrational when casually discussing the potential of autonomous vehicles.  The most predominantly irritating question to me is, "What happens if the car fails to respond appropriately?"  My response is usually, "What if you fail to respond appropriately?  Or what if the car behind you fails to respond appropriately?"  Every day people die because humans fail to respond appropriately, so this fear is irrational to me.  Then again, I've been programming macros for years, and have always faced fears that the macros are doing something they aren't supposed to do.  When dealing with my macros, I reassure people that it is programmed to take the same steps you would take, it just does it a lot faster.  My experience in programming gives me faith in the potential for autonomous vehicles, because of just that. An autonomous vehicle, programmed well, would react the same way I would or should react, but much faster, and without distraction.  Whereas I may miss something while looking in a mirror, the autonomous vehicles effectively has eyes in all directions, and the logic would kick in much faster than human reaction time even without distraction.  I just finished reading, "The Great Race" by Levi Tillemann, which was primarily about the history of the EV, with an Afterword focused on autonomous vehicles.  The book cites one NHTSA study that showed "human error caused or contributed to 99 percent of incidents," translating to "tens of thousands of lives a year in America" that could be saved with appropriate automation.  I think the fear of automation is more of a control issue - if you feel like you are in control, then you have a false sense of security.  Handing that control over to a computer, even if its a more capable driver than you are, is what leads to this fear.  As for me, as long as I trust the programming and sensors, I will have no problem relinquishing control, because I believe computers are more capable already, and will only get better with time.  Even if my car's computer fails, it is likely going to do a better job handling a given situation than I would, and that's less of a risk than the risk we take every day driving ourselves to and from work. 

Yet autonomous vehicles, for all the promises they carry, do have some legitimate safety concerns.  Cyberattacks, to me, seem to be the most threatening.  There will have to be significant momentum around autonomous vehicles before hackers will bother to attempt such hacks, but as long as the cars are somehow connected to the internet, there will probably be a way to hack into them.  This is the most troubling aspect to me; because it is terribly sexy to think of being dropped off at the front door, and letting my car park itself, or better yet, generate some income for me by enlisting itself on an Uber-like service for the day, then being recalled to my location with an app on my SmartPhone.  But in order for it to be recalled back to us, and in order for it to play on car-sharing services, it has to be connected.  And that connection point is a threat.  No amount of cyber-security will ever assure me that a connected car cannot be hacked.  So, I try to play out the scenario of a completely self-sufficient autonomous car that is not actively connected to the Internet.  Maybe we plug it in at home for a limited amount of time to get the latest map and construction updates, but once unplugged, it operates in an airplane-mode-like status.  This still poses a small threat of downloading, but at least its not an "always on" connection.  I'd imagine there could be encrypted packages coming directly from whatever authority we trust, that we put on a flashdrive and install on the cars.  We can still get traffic and weather updates on our phones live during the drive, so if something severe did come up, we could still manually tell the cars how to respond without them being connected themselves.  But this means the cars will sit, like they do today, in the parking lot and we have to go out to it to tell it where to go next.  Maybe that's the sacrifice we'd make for assured or enhanced security.  I also imagine that cars could communicate among themselves with something less than full connectivity but more than sensors; maybe a hybrid technology lovechild between Bluetooth (localized) and EDI (standardized, plain-text) so that no viruses or hacking mechanisms could attach themselves. 

The biggest barrier, as far as I can see, for autonomous vehicles is not the technology, not the consumer demand and not the infrastructure.  To me, the biggest hindrance is going to be the laws and government policies which also currently seem to be rooted in fear.  Even liability will work itself out, I think, but if autonomous cars are not allowed to drive without an alert driver, then the technology is worse than pointless.  In fact, that makes it almost more dangerous: requiring an alert driver in an autonomous vehicle means a driver who is primarily not occupied with driving and yet vehicle manufacturers hold no liability because the driver is supposed to be alert.  If "The Great Race" teaches us anything, its that government needs to promote new and socially beneficial technologies with supportive policies, incentives and grants.  Putting up roadblocks does not deter the cars from coming into being, and it does not protect the government from being liable.  Government roadblocks will cause the host country to fall behind the technology race, and leaves the government open to lawsuits and criticism, at best.  Imagine if Canada, Europe, China and Japan all had networks of primarily autonomous vehicles racing at high speeds with fewer accidents combined than that in the state of Illinois, and the US laws prevented the technology from growing and prospering in this country.  People would be dying, becoming paralyzed or seriously injured every day, for no other reason than because of those laws.  How long would it take for victims and their families to build a class action lawsuit to remove the barriers to autonomous vehicles?  When they win, which they would, then the US would have to play catch up in the technology, maybe paying royalties to Japan and elsewhere, while the rest of the world has already benefited from years of experience and advancements.  The technology seems to be pretty robust, and America has the opportunity right now to get ahead and stay ahead in this technology. 

My Dad commuted further than the average American for a good part of my early childhood, and regularly got speeding tickets.  He always dreamed of a way to get between Phoenix and Tucson, two hours away by today's speed limits, in which cars would hook into a chain and be stacked up inches away from the next car and fly at incredible speeds of over 100 mph to shorten this well-traveled and congested route.  While I never thought it would be practical to install such a chain, I do foresee a future in which cars could travel at otherwise dangerous speeds, but being autonomous and (at least slightly) connected, would not be dangerous.  This is possible with autonomous cars. On a freeway with four or more lanes, one could be dedicated to autonomous cars, much like today's HOV lane.  The autonomous cars could have an increased speed limit, maybe 100 mph, and even draft off each other which increases fuel efficiency in addition to reducing time traveled.  The idea of an autonomous vehicle lane, to me, may even reduce the anxiety and fears of both government and the general public.  The laws could be altered to say that alert drivers are required to enter and exit the autonomous vehicle lane, but once in that lane, the car would be allowed to take over, and the driver is freed to read the news or check facebook.  This would mean that any accidents in that lane would not impact non-autonomous traffic, and could allow for a proving ground until acceptance has broadened.

Unfortunately, if EV fears is any indication, and I believe it is, I presume that fully autonomous vehicles will not be widely adopted for a long time.  I'd like to believe that they're just around the corner, but I just think there are too many hurdles, not in technology but in regulation and consumer trust.  Instead, I think we'll see autonomous features sneak their way into luxury cars, and then trickle down to their economy counterparts.  Lane keeping, park assist and automatic braking are evidence, as these features are already present in some cars.  I don't believe autonomous cars are science fiction, I think they are inevitable.  The questions will be, how long does it take to get there, and who will lead us into this inevitable future?

A close relative was walking down the street last Halloween, hand-in-hand with her husband.  They had just moved to their dream retirement house in Florida, and they walked every morning.  A presumed distracted driver veered to the side of the road, hit her and killed her almost instantly.  To me, whenever autonomous vehicles are rolled out on a mass scale, they will be too late.  But, better late than never.  

Let's get to work America, and make our roads safer for all the lives that can still be saved.