J Segal Design- Design a Life

So I went to the American Atheist National Convention. Or, as I like to call it: A convention about nothing. It was held in Cincinnati, Ohio which is somewhat nearby so I figured, why not? Held in the historic Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel downtown on Easter weekend, I had high hopes of meeting and mingling with like-minded people, maybe having a beverage, and meeting some of my favorite Youtubers. even as I was checking in I spotted a few of them. My sheer glee at being there prompted the desk clerk to upgrade me to a fabulous 20th floor corner suite with breathtaking views. And all the attendees sported orange/red lanyards with American Atheist tags as big as Monopoly boards, so I instantly began chatting people up. I almost said “making friends,” but in general my conversations with strangers don’t result in friendship. I generally overstay my welcome or cross some line of decorum that wears out my welcome. Like when I accused a guy’s motive for being there was to “score some of...

So I’m done with Hudson. Mentally and now physically. Monday morning, bright and early, I got up, rented a truck, crammed the contents of my storage locker into it, and dumped it all into the basement garage in my new place in Akron. No need to pay for another month of procrastination. Moving can be a really drawn out process, as anyone who has done it knows. I've done it a lot, so I certainly know what to do. But I didn’t exactly plan anything this time, and loose ends were kind of dangling everywhere. It was the looming storage locker bill that motivated me to just wrap things up. For the majority of my adult life I was closely associated with being “from Hudson.” For locals, there’s a certain gravitas to it. As communities go, Hudson is a special place; a place of high incomes, limited growth, good schools and rather libertarian attitudes. If you can afford to be there, you’re welcome. Who and what you are matters not. Bob and I always felt welcome in Hudson. He worked h...

I’m thinking I should probably say something. It’s been awhile since I posted a blog. I moved in February, and didn’t even have internet access for a couple weeks. I’m just now unpacking to the point that I can actually find anything. How did I accumulate so much stuff? And why is it that my house, which is one room plus a basement larger than my apartment, doesn’t seem to hold everything I brought from there to here? So, yup, I bought a house in a very inexpensive neighborhood in Akron, Ohio. I've been a homeowner since I was 20, so its nice to have a place I can work on and really make my own. I did some remodelling in my apartment, but having only stayed a year, I didn’t exactly reap the benefits. Plus, I felt the landlord was kinda shitty and ungrateful that I put a new kitchen and new floor in his shabby apartment. But maybe I’m imagining it. Built in 1946, my basic 2 bedroom workers cottage sits on a corner hilltop lot overlooking a wooded valley. Not much has changed s...

It happened again. A simple attempt to exchange goods and services, in this case groceries, for valuable consideration, money, has resulted in in a heated exchange where a cashier tells me I can’t give the host company my money because I have violated some condition or rule, and the rule must stand. The company in question is ACME in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and the problem was that I didn’t have my shopper’s card and asked the cashier to use a courtesy card to ring my order. Cards can be looked up by phone number, but for some reason my number never shows up on their system. After insisting the number would call up my account, and then entering it, my account did not come up...just as I said. So often recently I’ve been condescended to in this way that even I am starting to wonder if I’m the bad guy for trying to buy things at a store. I mean, how dare I just waltz in and expect people to accept my money for the wares that appear to be on offer to all? And why would a cashier accep...

During this recent government shutdown, I have not so far encountered any shuttered government services in a time of need, but there are many things in the world that shut down. Most businesses shut down daily. Most holidays cause Monday shutdowns of banks and the post office. Too much snow can even trigger the need to hire babysitters on what would otherwise be a school day. Luckily, sitters work flexible schedules. I’m a few days from my 55th birthday, and have been spending an excessive amount of time lately, what little time I have left, waiting out the shutdowns. I’m doing it right now, since it’s Sunday. And while making a call list for Monday morning, I realized that having cooled my jets last weekend on an inquiry, I had forgotten to call that company during business hours and now am in a second weekend holding pattern to call about a car part. Sure, I can order a car part over the internet, but to ship a fender, the part in question, costs quadruple the cost of the part ...

I miss Bob. For what it’s worth, I still miss Bob. What a strange expression that is, “For what it’s worth.” It begs the question, I suppose. What is it worth? What is the value of the statement that I miss Bob? Still. “I” miss Bob. Who he was, what we were, and what we had is unique to me. Others miss him, also, and their grief is as valid as mine. I’m not special in missing him, but I was special to him, and he was so to me. Whenever others attempt to describe me and us, I tend to wince. Nobody seems to get it, not that they need to. I don’t recall feeling that Bob was wrong about me. That he was confused or naive, even when I lied to him. I “miss” Bob. There are moments when I sort of automatically want to share a thought or accomplishment with him, as I have done for the last 27 years. But he’s not here to share with. He’s not watching. He can’t encourage or discourage me. Not directly, anyway. Any influence he has on my life now comes from views he expressed from the past. ...