J Segal Design- Design a Life

During my roughly twenty minutes out among the public today, my interaction with some other person caused them to call for help. This happened not once, but twice. Two things became clear from these episodes: I may have a rage problem, and people seem to think that there is an unfriendliness police at their beck and call. Like Siri for etiquette. I should know better by now. I have a bad habit of making an observation or expressing frustration in just such a way that it catches someone wrong, offends them or generally lights them up. There’s a fine line between clever quip and shitty comment. I sometimes cross the line. Hell, I pole vault across the line. So I’m at the grocery store during a sudden rush where every register has a line, even Uscan. Word to the wise: any time one has to cue up at the Uscan, there will be a conflict. Another thing I should know by now. But I spot a woman bagging what appears to be only enough items to fill one bag, plus a birthday cake. No one behin...

I have a confession to make. It’s long overdue, but it came up today in way it hadn’t before, so lets get it out there while its fresh on my mind. During the last few months of Bob’s life, in a nursing home, I would occasionally meet a person at the door or the elevator with a cart and a pile of personal effects, the belongings of some resident, that this person, presumably the loved one of said resident, was taking away to some other place. I never inquired, but I generally thought maybe that resident was moving to another facility. Fact is, the resident had probably moved on to a better place. They had probably died. And now their loved one has to exchange pleasantries with a stranger who still had a living resident to visit. Bob had changed facilities once. People do. And at the rehab facility Bob was in prior to the nursing home, leavings were in general a joyous event. A time of optimism. The saddest part of Bob leaving rehab is that I would no longer see the family of caret...

Several years ago- as in 2002, maybe- I rented a Cadillac Deville to attend a family reunion. It was super comfy and impressive to be seen in. Jeff and Bob must be doing pretty well. The thing that stood out most for me though, is that the gear lever blocked the radio when placed in drive. There’s no earthly reason this lever couldn’t have been 2” shorter. Did the designers even notice? I couldn’t stop noticing. More than $45,000 when new, and the shift lever is in the way. I’ve since owned 2 Devilles, a 2000 and currently a 2005. The 2000 didn’t have this issue. The 2005 does. So why am I going on about this given that I still adore the car? Here’s why: Cars are weird. American cars especially. After 100 years of making them, they don’t work well, don’t last, have idiosyncrasies, a.k.a. flaws, and just cost way too much to own and maintain. Why is it then that I can’t resist them? Over the last year I may have had 8 or 10 used cars. This is too many, I know, but I’d be drawn to ...