No plans

I have no plans for Thanksgiving. I will sit at home for the next four days. It's too cold to bike and too lazy to hike. I was thinking of just catching some random Amtrak train and traveling somewhere, maybe to Pittsburgh and catching the next train back. But I don't know what is in Pittsburgh. I know it is at the confluence of two rivers, the Ohio and that other river, so that makes it geographically significant. And there's a hill nearby that you can climb in order to see Pittsburgh from above. But I can do that using Google Earth. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be antisocial.

Today was a good day to realize that my office is next door to a sewage treatment plant. It is funny how I have worked here for four years and yet, have never realized that I work next door to processed feces. It is true that I did smell something a number of times but thought it was just New Jersey from afar. You live and you learn. By the way, residents of this area, please stop eating so fucking much, and ease off on the red meat.

I went to the grocery store to buy a shaving razor blade refill. Ever since they came out with the Mach 3 turbo charged or whatever it is that runs on batteries, I haven't been able to find blades for the old one which doesn't. They told me on television that the batteries are meant to supply the power which is used to wake up those sleeping hairs so they are no longer in a reclining position, thus making it easier to chop them off. Or something. You kinda feel bad for those hairs.

I am sure there are some people like me who are not interested in waking up their sleeping hair and who just want to buy the old Mach 3 razor blades. But Gillette is not interested in catering to such people. No matter how hard I tried, I could not find Mach 3 razors anywhere in my area. I do not want electric powered razors or razors that have 5 blades instead of 4 or razors that are Ipod-compatible. I just want my simple Mach 3. Please stop being so fucking technologically innovative, Gillette.

Sometimes you feel like taking a break from running after technology and instead, just letting technology pass you by as you catch your breath. This is especially true for basic activities such as shaving, brushing teeth, etc. One example of technology running wild and trampling all over your body is Listerine. So Listerine had a good mouthwash and it burnt the inside of your mouth but it made you happy. Then, Listerine came out with their own toothpaste which burnt the parts of your mouth that the mouthwash had overlooked. That was fine as well. Now, Listerine has released a mouthwash you need to use before you brush your teeth. In short, these are Listerine's plans for your morning. Rinse your mouth with the pre-mouthwash, brush your teeth, then rinse with regular mouthwash. Repeat at night. By the way, Listerine is also unhappy with your choice in clothes. Listerine wishes you would revamp your wardrobe. Now that you know who your boss is, get used to it.

But coming back to the razor, I have decided that in the absence of Mach 3, I will let my facial hair go untrimmed out of spite. Soon I should have a flowing beard and hopefully, it will cause other shaving consumers in my neighborhood to rethink their position on facial hair, thus causing Gillette sales to drop. That is the plan. It is going well. I was initially worried about that phase in beard growth where the face itches uncontrollably but it appears that this phase came and went without my knowledge. I have a suspicion that it happened when I threw my back in gym and was too preoccupied with my back pain, thus causing the beard itch to be overlooked.