NEMO IS COMING! ARRGH!

     OK, so as most of you who live in the northeast know, Winter Storm Nemo is coming and it's going to drop a crapload of snow on most of us.  Around where I live, we're only expected to get a foot an a half of snow tops (only a true Vermonter would say only a foot and a half), but around the Boston area, they are supposed to get two feet.
     There are a few things this brings up for me.  First of all, I'm not entirely certain why places farther south and lower in elevation are getting more snow, so clearly, I would not have made a good meteorologist.  But still, if you live in those areas, preparedness might be good, considering that it's a crapload of snow.  Make sure you have flashlights, food, water, blowtorches - actually, blowtorches aren't necessary - but make sure you have all the stuff.
     Here's the thing.  In my part of Vermont it's one and a half feet over a long time.  I don't even know if they're going to cancel school for that.  And do you remember my earlier rant about how I'm good in extreme conditions?  Growing up in this state with this weather, it just doesn't seem like a huge deal to me unless there's zero visibility and temperatures of -20.  (Fahrenheit, for those of you reading this abroad.  Don't ask my to convert into Centigrade).  But in any case, I don't see why people should be panicking.  Preparing, but not panicking.
     And this brings me to my next point.  When did it become customary to name winter storms?  I understand naming hurricanes - they do a crapload of damage.  But unless you live in an area where snow is unheard of (I'm looking at you, southern states), it doesn't seem like a huge crisis to me.  Sure, traffic might be a bit slower, and stopped in some places, but if you're careful, you'll get through it.  I haven't heard of anyone ordering evacuations just yet.
     Finally, there's the personal bit.  If you're trying to scare people by naming winter storms, for goodness sake, DON'T USE NEMO AS A NAME.  It's too cute.
     Sorry about the delay in writing.  I promise next time I'll find something more interesting to write about.  (Or I'll try).  Take care,
     The Friendly Cynic.

Life after college

     So this may be one of those posts that doesn't have a point and comes out as a complete ramble.  But there is a point out here.  This post is directed to my friends who are college seniors and are graduating soon. (Or anyone in college who hasn't graduated yet.  Hell, I'll even include high school kids who don't plan to go to college).
     College is a very strange, strange environment.  On one hand, you have the opportunity to study what you love, and it's great.  I have fond memories of the debates, the parties, the social life, and the free food.  (To Saint Mike's students: Alliot food seems a lot better once you have to buy your own food.)  In a sense, you live in a bubble for four years in order to get a degree that says you are an expert in such and such a field.
     Now, I have a problem with this bubble, but more on that in another post, because I can only cover so much at one time.  Like I said, this is addressed to people who are going to graduate college in a few months.
     When I graduated, I thought I was going to change the world, to make a huge freaking difference.  As a political science junkie, I thought I could use my degree to save everyone from the evil politicians and corporations.  (Or something like that).  I was going to start right after I graduated.
     There were a few problems with my plan.  First of all, you have to be able to pay rent and bills and student loans.  School isn't cheap, and I got off relatively easy.  Bills are going to be your biggest priority.  And make no mistake, they can crush you.  Your parents aren't going to bail you out of this.
     The second problem is that the world didn't want to be saved.  This may not be true for every person, but in general, people will hold on to self-destructive behavior until it either kills them or they are forced to change it because it might kill them.
     With that being the reality, my (probably unwanted) advice is simple.  First of all, START LOOKING FOR A JOB NOW!  It's rough out there, and if you're one of those people who got a liberal arts degree, it's going to be even harder.  Secondly, don't be too proud.  If the situation warrants it, working in retail is not below you.
     I'm not saying that it's a good idea to give up your dreams, but make sure you can survive first.  There's no point in trying to save the world if you can't save yourself.
     Take care,
     The Friendly Cynic

SUPERBOWL MADNESS!

     So, I don't know how many of you watch sports, or how many of you are going to hate me for this, but my team is in the Superbowl.  My beloved Baltimore Ravens beat out New England to get in to the Superbowl, and did it with a 28-13 score.  Now, considering that I live in Vermont, I should probably apologize to Patriots fans.  I should, but I'm not going to.  Sorry guys, Tom Brady just rubs me the wrong way.
     There are some things that both love and hate about the way modern technology interacts with the Superbowl.  I like the fact that you can watch the game on a TV, or a phone, or an iPod, or even a laptop.  Heck, if you are really desperate, you can listen to the game on the radio.  But there is one thing that I'm not fond of, and that's some of the stories that the media gets out of it.
     First of all, there's the "Battle of the Brothers" Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh, as in the head coaches of Baltimore and the 49ers.  Now either way, it's still gonna be an interesting game, but I'm afraid that the media is going to simplify this down to a battle between two people, which it isn't.  It's a match between two really good teams.  No disrespect to them, but it's not all about the Harbaughs.
     Don't get me wrong, they are both excellent head coaches.  The teams they work for could not have gotten this far without them.  But there are other angles to this as well.  The retirement of Ray Lewis, the emergence of 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, the strategies of the two teams, and the actual football game.
     That being said, despite all of this, I am still pretty excited to see my Ravens play (and hopefully win) the Superbowl. 

     P.S.  Is anyone else calling Kaepernick "Copernicus" just for laughs?

Is it really that cold?

     Remember when I said I was going to be writing about fairly random stuff?  This is one of those days where it is a pretty random topic, and let me tell you, I can stay on the same topic for a long time.  But luckily (or perhaps unluckily), this shouldn't take too long.  [Proceeds to write a 12-page essay].
     For the past couple of days, we had a nice thaw in Vermont.  I live in Winooski, and it was nice to be able to get outside in weather above freezing and just walk from place to place.  In fact, it was downright pleasant.  But as happens with January thaws, the cold rolled in and it felt like winter again.  In short, the temperature plummeted.  Or so I'm told.
     See, the thing is that I'm not really all that affected by what other people consider temperature "extremes".  I actually do fairly well in cold weather, and so much so, that my definition of cold is considerably different than that of other people.  Right now, it's seven degrees Fahrenheit in Winooski, and it doesn't seem that cold.  I just walked fifteen or so minutes from the store to my house and it wasn't all that bad, and I wasn't wearing gloves.  I probably should have been, but I wasn't.
     Point is, everyone at the store was talking about how miserably cold it was, and it just doesn't feel too bad to me.  Now, if you work all day outside or you don't have a place to go, I can understand the sentiment, but I don't get it.  In fact, there's a Special Weather Statement for my area that says it's very cold, and I'm still unmoved.
     I don't know why this is.  I've lived in Vermont my entire life, so this might just be me having grown up here and adjusted to the elements, like someone who lives in Phoenix and doesn't mind a ninety-degree day.  If anything, I do better in "extreme" cold as supposed to "extreme" heat.  There's the explanation that I might just be crazy.
     Sorry about the rant.  I know talking about the weather ranks up there in terms of boring subjects, but I thought it was interesting.  Anyways, take care and stay warm - however you define it.

An introduction

    So in case you didn't read the "about me" section, my name is Brian, and I am a 24-year old who works at a gas station.  I have an undergraduate degree in Political Science that I haven't had the chance to use yet.  Also, I live in Vermont.  (No, it's not part of Canada).
     I guess the reason that I'm starting a blog is... actually, I have no idea what the heck I'm doing.  My life isn't particularly interesting or enlightening, and I don't have all the answers.  I suppose it's just a place for me to share my perspective on life.  My warped, warped perspective.
     In all actuality, I'm a pretty friendly person (or at least I'm told).  I guess that's the reason that I named this blog "The friendly cynic".  Although I'm friendly, I'm often annoyed be some who believe live to be a box of chocolates.  I prefer to think of life as... actually, I haven't gotten that far.  I find that relating the complexity that is life to these simple analogies is too simplistic.  At the end of the day, I suppose you could count my as a sort of cynic, but I don't drown myself in cynicism.
     Anyways, that's really all the basics.  I'm sure I'll post something interesting soon.  In the meantime, take care,
     Brian the Friendly Cynic