Memory is a funny thing. Last night, I had a hankering for a Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr., a primarily west coast fast food eatery. There was one where I lived in Idaho, but here in Montana there’s only Hardee’s – which while owned by the same parent company and with similar branding, the menus are different. That prompted me to recall my first Hardee’s experience when I lived in Georgia for a brief period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seemed just like yesterday as I recalled my friend in Atlanta, Dan, taking me to Hardee’s for the first time, and chowing down on a Mushroom Swiss Burger I got for $1.25 (today that burger is ~$8). Then it hit me as I also recalled my quest to find a Pepsi in what is undoubtedly Coke territory – this was at the tail end of the ’96 Olympics held in Atlanta, so 29 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twenty-fucking-nine years ago. I recalled my flight landing and on the drive to Dan’s where I would be staying, admiring “all the beautiful ivy on the trees,” and learning what kudzu is<\/a>. I remembered my first Waffle House experience – that grits are not mashed potatoes, and to taste the tea before asking for sugar… and the bathroom experience that followed. I remembered meeting my new, pretty damn cute manager and being dragged out to Buckhead to go drinking with her and my friends. I also remembered experiencing fireflies for the first time – watching them dance around in the air as I held her hair while she regurgitated the night’s celebratory drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These events were so vivid, one would have thought they were recent, but no. It surprised me a bit because these days I sometimes have trouble remembering simple things like picking up orange juice from the store, or conversations that happened yesterday. I know that the brain stores long and short term memories differently, that the previous medications I have taken likely just affected my short term memory, and that my unmedicated ADD likely plays a role in that as well. (The ADD issue with memory is one of the reasons I have always been fond of keeping trinkets or mementos from events – they help me recall the event related to it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n While going through site archives and converting them over to this new incarnation, I had a flood of memories from that time in my life. It’s as if my brain is a computer and the mementos or entries serve as a way to access my data backup. Pop that backup drive in and I recall some of the most minute details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I’ll just keep collecting mementos and trinkets – I just need a system and place to keep them out of the way\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Song of the Day: Metropolis – Part I: “The Miracle and the Sleeper”<\/a> by Dream Theater<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Is Proton leaving Switzerland? “Legal uncertainty” of proposed surveillance laws is pushing them to make several changes<\/a> – “Several of Proton’s products could be headed elsewhere in Europe in the wake of proposed surveillance laws”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next target for our arrogant, ignorant \u2018experts\u2019: organ donors<\/a> – “You would think the exposure of such sloppy practices would push transplant doctors into a full-court press to increase public confidence in their methods. Instead, the organ-harvesting establishment is going the other way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scientists celebrate breakthrough after inventing game-changing method to grow tomatoes: ‘A bit of a dream come true’<\/a> – “researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have found success diverting most wavelengths of light to generate solar energy and letting select beams hit their plants. This method doesn’t just perform as well as leaving the crops in direct sunlight \u2014 they actually grow better”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In My Prison Cell, a Cat Lives Out Its Life<\/a> – “An Indiana prison allows some residents to raise kittens thanks to a partnership with a cat shelter.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n New $250 Visa Integrity Fee Will Cost US $11 Billion, Say Tourism Officials <\/a>– “U.S. tourism officials say Congress\u2019s controversial $250 visa integrity fee will deter international visitors and cost the country nearly $11 billion in lost visitor spending and tax revenue over the next three years.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nInteresting Tidbits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n