I have only worked in a building with an elevator once before. It was a tall building, so there was no question about taking the elevator to the 29th floor. The building where I work at now has 4 floors and even though we are on the top, I could take the stairs no problem. Surprisingly, I have gone down the stairs more than I have taken them up.

Since being here there have been more than one elevator incident. From the construction crew dropping a container of industrial glue (probably a couple of gallons) to the elevators doors getting stuck in our floor. A little troubling was to see the repair dude not working on the doors, but on the second elevator when I saw him the next day.

I could take the stairs up, it would be great exercise, but I do not like to take the extra time that it will take me to do it or the possibility of sweating. Yes, I can probably sweat just by someone else looking at me for too long. I have however taken to parking in the far end of the parking lot for both shade and exercise.

I am a little claustrophobic. Not too much in man made structures, but a place like a cave makes me sweat just thinking about the walls collapsing, so I try have fun in elevators. I like making people a little weirded out by giving my back to the door. For some reason the rule is to face the door. I am not sure what about it bothers people, but it makes them uncomfortable, almost like I am about to trap them.

I had a couple of awkward moments in the elevator already. I do not mind the small talk there as much as I do in the public restroom. However, some people do not even make eye contact and treat the less than minute ride as an test of their powers to ignore other humans. If they could only exercise this skill in other places.

Today came the best interaction I had in an elevator. The lady who was waiting as I walked into the building to into the elevator and made no motion of holding it for me. I did not ask her to hold it, so I was not expecting it… but when I got closer she poked her head out and said, are you coming? little creepy.

When I walked in she asked where are you going, and I said fourth. “Thank God, I thought you were going to say Two.” At first, I thought that she was referring to people using proper language when asking for a button to be pushed as in second floor instead of two. That was not what she was taking about. She then started to ramble about how she cannot believe people that use the elevator to go to just the second floor (she was going to the third.)

So I have been itching to get a new tattoo, and it has been a very difficult experience so far.

The last time I got a tat was in Chicago. Both of the shops that I got work done at were very accommodating. Even Jade Dragon which is one of the busiest shops that I have ever been to took care of me the day I came in. That was eight years ago when tattoos were a little less main stream. While some people might disagree with the last statement, I make it because know we have reality TV tattoo shows… and not just one, but several.

While in Michigan I visited a couple of shops, but I did not get a good vibe from either. One of the artists was very talented, I guess the itch was not intense enough back then. A tattoo is something so permanent that you have to trust that your vision and the artist’s talent do match.

I did not expect to walk into a shop here and get a tattoo, I don’t want something that simple. I also know that price has to be figured out once the details of the piece are decided. This is not my first tattoo, but every shop I walk into treats me like a number. I never got a corporate feel from a tattoo shop before, but I am getting that feeling more and more from the shops that I have visited in this city.

I was able to get the name of a couple of artists and I have not had a chance to meet them yet, and maybe that will be my “in.” I almost feel like a weekend warrior on the land of ink. Did everyone getting tats mean that now we are going to have MacTattoo Parlors?

Even though this has nothing to do with Thom Hartmann’s Hunter vs Farmer theory about the origin of Attention Deficit Disorders, it is an interesting read and somewhat related. This rant is more about one of the differences between my wife and I, that could also be talked about in a battle of the sexes way. I hate shopping.

I do not mind going to the store and get groceries, or even go get a book while 100 people are in line, however the whole window shopping, see if this purse goes with these shoes kind of shopping drives me nuts. So I started to think of me as a hunter and Bea as a gatherer.

I go to a store with a list of targets in mind. Mind you, I have been looking for a copy American History X at the used DVD store for a while, but a hit list none the less. Once I enter, even if I am just browsing I have things in mind that I want to find. Even at my favorite electronics store, I can only browse for so long.

When my wife browses, time stops for her and a trap 70’s superhero shoe style starts running in my head. We have tried to split up and go on our own little trips through the stores with ill effects. I spent 2 hours at a store that I had already browsed the first 15 minutes, while my wife was just getting started. She only had time to strategically locate what earrings go with what sunglasses.

I think this is a basic difference between man and woman. No matter how busy a woman is, she is diverted to her gathering ancester the minute she sees shoes. Do the test, take your significant other shopping at a shoe store and set them free. You will have looked at, sport shoes and dress shoes isles and she will just have started at the shoes that are not made out of hemp but still called Mary Janes.

In the side quest I have of changing the world, I have always believed that blogs are probably the best tool. I know my life has been enriched greatly by having a blog. I met my wife, some of my closest friends all over the country and it even helps me stay connected with some of my friends from back in college. Now, what if we applied the power of blogging to a great cause.

I know what you guys most be thinking, Logtar is going to ask us to either sacrifice our beer budget to satisfy his suburban guilt. Not true at all this one requires no money, little effort and a huge payback.

I have been writing about manners and respect the years I have been blogging. I think our world would be a better place if we all became just a little nicer. Most people think this is just cult speak, but I really think that making subtle changes can change the world.

Some people think that good manners talk does not go beyond using proper words for things, or what fork to eat the salad with. I think civility goes beyond that, and it is time to give it a try.

Listening to the radio I heard about the civility movement. I was going to post about it, but Bob Sutton did a great job already so go read about it there. It is being proven in a little microcosm how a community can change itself.

I admit that most of the local bloggers I have met are already pretty decent people. I also understand that some blogs, including mine, are outlets and frustration spills over all the time. I am not asking you to change your blog, just asking you to consider some of the changes the whole movement is about.

The changes are all about boundaries and self restrain. One of the big points made about our society is that we have become so self esteem driven, that some people have become self absorbed. While being happy while not hurting others is a good base, trying to be a little nicer is not something that we should be scared to be reminded about.

The movement started with a book by P. M. Forni that I will have to pick up and read. Some of the rules of civility that are outlined in his book and I think I can already start working on are the following.

* Give Constructive Criticism
* Refrain from Idle Complaints
* Respect Others’ Opinions
* Don’t Shift Responsibility and Blame
* Care for Your Guests
* Accept and Give Praise

Even though my wife lived in Canada for 8 years and got a little taste of North America, she is still getting used to the things that are very different here in the U.S. Even though Kansas City is much more slower paced that Chicago, it is still an American city and it moves at a good pace. When she is surprised by something here it makes us both laugh and reminds us how cool it is to have a similar background, a similar understanding of life. Actually we spend quite a bit of time laughing, from our little inside jokes to just getting each other’s sense of humor we spend quite a bit of time chuckling.

Religion is one of the things we have in common, and funny enough we ventured outside of the Catholic faith during our younger years. I think I did a little more venturing than her, but we both agree that we like going to mass and get something out of it. We don’t have a policy in religion for our friends and respect their beliefs or atheism. We are actually quite open to discussing the subject and explain what is the whole deal with the Virgin Mary or Rosaries or whatever it is that people from other faiths just don’t get. However we do not evangelize or try to convert people with words and arguments.

This week my wife was ambushed by religion. On this particular denomination I happen to have a lot more knowledge because someone in my family is a Jehova’s witness… I think this was the first time she encountered the no birthday policy they have. She asked a coworker if she wanted to sign a birthday card and was met by a very short “We don’t celebrate birthdays.” from a person she likes and appreciates already.

That right there is my problem with some institutions. The moment where you have to take a “we” stand… the moment where you stop being yourself and become just a piece of the big puzzle. Then when an unsuspecting person approaches you and touches the “I have been told I cannot do that” button, they are met with an uncharacteristic programmed response.

Some of the closest friends I made during my time in Michigan were from a very fundamentalist church. This was my second time trying a very strict protestant church. I respected most of their beliefs and helped out quite a bit around the church. I hanged out with them all the time and they became my support structure. It all ended when I refused to believe that they had a prophet that actually knew when rapture was going to happen.

I have seen this tactic before first hand and both times it involved money. The more you gave and sacrificed, the more “grace” you were going to receive. Furthermore, if things were not going well in your life, you were not giving enough. It was run like a business and they were selling salvation and in some extreme cases healing. The preacher would drive around on a brand new jag and had a brand new Harley while everyone else in the congregation could barely afford the Sunday clothes.

Like the time before when I had been ambushed by religion, they had a sit down with me telling me that I either believed what they said without challenge or I could not attend church anymore. In one conversation with someone I though was my friend my support structure was completely removed. I was very close with a couple that attended the church and we kept contact after the whole incident, but it was very clear that hanging around with me was going to cause them problem so I am waiting until the time where the world was supposed to end to give them a call. Actually it might have already passed so maybe I should call them to see if now that the prophet failed to predict everyone’s demise we are allowed to hang out… maybe there was an extension to get every last cent from their pockets.

I have been writing this post in pieces for quite some time, I could not find the appropriate tone for it because I did not want it to sound like a PSA, or become as sensational as the local news paper. A couple of weeks ago a gang fight broke out at a local arcade, I had not heard about a gang fight since I witnessed many back in high school.

Gangs back in high school were something you just had to get used to. The break down in the family structure, not so much the whole marriage father and mother roles, but the sense of belonging to a family in general, to me is what breeds gangs.

When a teenager feels alone and there is nobody for him to be around, they seek the companionship of a family. You then start learning that that family is to be protected and the enemies became many. While what happened at power play could have been simply some kids that were trouble and had been kicked out of school feeling left out, it could also be something a little more serious.

I don’t think that gangs are going to take over the whole Kansas City area, but when brawls are starting at family places, and malls, girl fights that make it to youtube and could land some teens in life in prison, I get a little worried. I then realized that I have been so disconnected from that world since high school that I have no idea if the gangs around here wear any colors.

Back when I was in high school, your starter jacket identified the people that you associated with. Gold and Black, Blue and Black, Red and Black were all color combination that to me meant something. I had minimal issues with the gangs at school because my best friend was someone that was respected, not because he was a member but because of his size.

I think it is important to learn how to identify gang members, and to promote prevention. I think organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters make the most difference. Even TKC’s mentality of more Xbox is probably a good one.

I have heard that most real gangs around here do not mess with regular citizens, but the string of young people acting stupid and being so violent is really something that should concern us all. If you have any additional information about this subject, please post it.

I dislike the fact that many people think that computer programmers are hermits that like to live in little cubicles under the fluorescent lights. What does not help is that there are plenty of them that do think that computer users are just the enemy trying to break down the precious system.

The reality is that programming is something that requires concentration. To truly solve a problem with good logic you need to use your brain power to make sense of the steps that have to be taken. It sometimes takes time and then peace to be able to translate the thought into actual code.

Some programmers are always coding in their heads. I have actually woken up in the middle of the night with the solution to a problem and if I have remote access I log in and either solve the problem or send an email to myself. Trying to remember the next day is kind of difficult. Some programmers like to walk while they are solving some logic issue in their head so to other it looks like they are in a completely different world. I don’t pace when I think, however I do listen to music a little too loud and the more input the more I am able to work out a problem, but I am not the norm.

I think that this is where the problem with communicating with the mythical creature the programmer is comes from. You see a dude walking down the hall that does not acknowledge the world around him as a rude person. I think both sides feed off each other and the disconnect just becomes greater and greater. I have seen it in several organizations.

One of the most frustrating things as a person is to be ignored. While users would probably think that they are ignored the most on the equation, programmers are also only approached when they are needed for something. Like Milton in Office Space, they are the lasts ones to get the piece of cake if they even get any.

I will never forget the day that a user had a problem at one of my previous employers and I showed up at her desk. She was a middle age woman that I later found out was actually married to a programmer. When I said hi to her and asked her for more details on what was wrong with her report she looked almost scared. She then said, a programmer never talks to us. I later found out who the worse offender was in our department who even refused to talk to the help desk people.

I cannot solve the problem for everyone but I did find out how to make it better, at least for me. Start communication with people on a regular basis. I am not talking about full on water cooler talks with people but just saying hello in the morning when you walk in the office. I have observed that most people do not do this, or don’t like it. A good morning goes a long way into making you look more personable, specially for a programmer.