Decisions, decisions.

I have, as of late, been spending a relatively ridiculous amount of my free time reading about laptops, especially during the early hours of the morning when I can't fall asleep. Dells, Macbooks, HPs,  VAIOs - you name it, I've probably read up on it. And what did I learn from it all?

...that searching for the perfect laptop is a fruitless, unyielding activity and I should probably just stop stalling and pick one already, damnit.

The problem with buying a laptop is that the market offers such an overwhelming array of choices, features, and models that it quickly becomes nearly impossible to settle down on just one machine. I actually have to make myself stop browsing CNET sometimes because I start having problems thinking straight after poring over tables and tables of specs for hours on end.

(Yes, I'm aware that probably all the laptops I've looked at so far will probably do what I want them to do just fine. Yes, I acknowledge that computers go out of season faster than you can say "Leroy Jenkins". But at the end of the day, I get to be stubborn and choosy and shallow about things like this 'cause it's my money. You'd be surprised at how pissed off people get at others for buying what they consider to be "inferior" machines or ones of incongruent value to the purchaser. If it makes the user happy, then that's the point, right? To each their own! Laptop compatibility is in the eye of the beholder! Etc etc etc, hurrah!)

My current personal laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1420. My dad and I picked it out exactly three years ago, back before I'd even started school at the UofC. I still remember the conversation I had with my family at the time about which features we wanted to add:

Me: "I dunno. I just want to listen to music. And um, I like the color red."
Mom: "IT NEEDS TO HAVE A WEBCAM SO I CAN SEE MY DAUGHTER OVER THE INTERNET EVERY DAY TO MAKE SURE SHE HAS NOT BEEN STABBED."
Dad: (mumbles something about memory/processors that none of us understand)
Mom: "YES BUT DOES IT HAVE A WEBCAM"

also,

Dad: "Actually, how would you feel about owning a Mac?"
Me: "Aren't those expensive?"
Dad: (through clenched teeth) "Isn't your tuition more expensive?"
Mom: "WAIT THOSE HAVE WEBCAMS RIGHT?

In the end, my mom and I both got what we wanted - a red laptop with a nice webcam. Over the years, my Inspiron has served me well. It's been there for me when I've toiled through papers, it's the vessel through which I've made online friends, and it's endured many a party, download, water spill, and keyboard change. I would even go so far as to say that I love my Inspiron...but now it's just shitty and needs an upgrade, much akin to the lamp in this Spike Jonze commercial which never fails to make me laugh:



After my hours of research, I think I've finally narrowed it down to two contenders. They are: the HP Pavilion dm4-1065x and the Spring 2010 Macbook Pro. And they often engage in fiery faceoffs. I've documented one here:

 Above: This took an hour and three image-editing programs to make

This chart may look biased, especially in lieu of the huge price difference. But to be quite honest I think that despite everything, the two laptops are still about on par in my mind (i.e., if the MBP were $799 I'd snap it up in an instant).

It's been a week and I have been mulling over this nonstop. My brain hurts because it has been forced to engage in activity for more than the usual 15 seconds per day.

Hipsters

I spent a chunk of this weekend hanging out in Wicker Park, gawking at all the crazy types of people walking around that neighborhood. I've decided there are distinct factions that exist among hipsters here in Chicago. All of them kind share certain hipster-umbrella qualities (single-gear bicycle ownership, Pabst Blue Ribbon, a penchant for the unusual), but they are also different in distinct ways. The following are my interpretations (none of which should be taken seriously):

Hipster Type #1

The Woodland Hipster

The Woodland Hipster is all about nature and energy and love and peace. Perhaps the least pretentious of the bunch, he loves spending time under the stars, preferably with an acoustic guitar and in front of a crackling bonfire. Woodland hipsters don't think they're better than anyone else, per se, but they do sometimes engage in activities that may be offputting to the rest of society, such as breaking out in song at random times, eating with their hands, and not understanding the concept of shaving.

Likes: flannel, candlelight, vegan/vegetarianism, Fleet Foxes, human rights, Greenpeace, asparagus
Dislikes: razors, meat-eaters, Facebook, politicians
Closest stereotype: hippie

Hipster Type #2

The Beautiful/Trendy Hipster

The Beautiful hipster has been cooler than you since elementary school and will always be cooler than you. She is lean, mean, and maintains a scarily-low BMI in order to fit into her latest trendsetting outfit, which is usually a mix of vintage and designer clothing. The Beautiful hipster has little to no interest in anti-consumerism - in fact, she embraces and thrives on the thrill of expensive clothes and people who are equally beautiful. Out of all hipsters, she is the most likely to work out. Or de-tag herself in Facebook pictures. Or snort enormous amounts of cocaine. In fact, truth be told, the beautiful hipster is not really any different from the rich & popular kids from high school, except her dad might've loved her less and she owns 8 pairs of Frye instead of Ugg boots.

Likes: Alexander McQueen, being photographed at loft parties, Lady GaGa, buying expensive clothes that aren't supposed to look expensive but everyone knows they are expensive, black eyeliner, black nail polish, Ray Bans with the labels still on them, the Strokes, iPhones, backcombing
Dislikes: ugly people, fat people, Forever 21
Closest stereotype: "Plastic"

Hipster Type #3

The Intellectual Hipster

Oh boy oh boy. This guy has more knowledge about obscure literature/film/music than you could ever hope to accrue in your lifetime. He has a liberal arts degree from a small, expensive private college and will do everything in his power to make you acknowledge that he is smart, whether it's defeating you in chess or reciting an an eggplant-tuna-salad recipe to you or tricking you into joining an Ayn Rand discussion in which he will inevitably counter your every point, out-reference your every quote, and leave you mentally destroyed and prostrate before him with his stupid tie and stupid-er smile of satisfaction.

Likes: David Eggers, sweaters, Intelligentsia coffee, Tumblr, Datarock, The Economist, cats, Pitchfork Media, horn-rimmed glasses, chess, Woody Allen, maps, obscure historical periods, androgyny, Apple, Yann Tiersen
Dislikes: blond people, frivolous people, McDonald's, happiness, Yahoo! Answers, being called a hipster
Closest Stereotype: library nerd

Hipster Stereotype #4

The Batshit Insane Hipster

The Batshit Insane Hipster is determined - no, dedicated - to get your attention. To do so, he will wear outlandish outfits, perform outlandish activities, and generally confuse the fuck out of you. Out of all his hipster comrades, he always gets the drunkest and is usually slumped over in a seedy-looking girl's lap by the end of the night. He also enjoys removing his clothing at questionable levels of appropriateness. His real name is something boring like "William White" but he goes by something ridiculous, like Bazooka Bill or Dill Pickle Powaaaa!!!####@$

Likes: drugs, booze, women, Animal Collective, crowdsurfing, ridiculous eye makeup (if female), shag rugs, smoking all sorts of things, pornstasches, Fuck Buttons
Dislikes: sobriety, people who are hardasses about things, Yankees fans
Closest stereotype: stoners

Hipster Type #5

The Awkward Hipster

Hey! Um...yeah! So...I'm kind of awkward, but that's okay because I acknowledge it so it becomes really cute! Ha. Ha. Ha...I sort of maybe probably have some deep fears of real life but I express them by wearing lots of colors and accessories. The good thing is, I am loving and can be everyone's friend as long as you put up with my eclectic choices. What is my true hair color, you ask? The world may never know.

Likes: Michael Cera, indie pop, candy, DIY, Threadless, tie-dye, weird sandwich combinations, rainbows
Dislikes: mean people
Closest stereotype: punk/emo boppers

There you have it! Hope this doesn't offend anyone. To be honest, I like most of the things hipsters like too...but I also like other people, so ha.

Rockamole. Also, Chicago is beautiful.

Wednesday night was girls' night. We made food and drink, painted our nails, and watched a delightfully awful episode of Jersey Shore.

One particularly fun and tasty appetizer we made was Nigella Lawson's famous "Rockamole" - that is, guacamole made with Roquefort (blue) cheese. Yeah, it sounds weird - I was definitely skeptical at too when my friend Stu from TWU first raved about it to me. But now I think I'm a complete "Rock" convert:

Here's the recipe we used:

4 ripe avocados
1 plum tomato, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 lime, squeezed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dash paprika

Peel and pit avocados. Place in a large bowl, and mash 'em real good with clean hands! (But leave a few bits chunky, we don't want guac soup.) Mix in uh, everything else, and serve with corn tortilla chips. Soooo easy, and serves four.

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The other day, I was walking out of the office, strollin' down Michigan Avenue with some of my coworkers like I have done so a million times before when I was rather suddenly taken aback by how incredibly awesome the buildings looked. Maybe it was because the day/blue backdrop itself was so beautiful, or maybe I was just tired and in a crazy mood, but I felt the urge to take pictures like a lame tourist in my own city.

Above: Wrigley Building (left) and Chicago Tribune tower (right) at Michigan + Wacker. Also, a limo!

Trump Towaaaa!

South-facing view from The Point

I have never been to another downtown district that has been as aesthetically pleasing to the senses as Chicago is. Here, the buildings are white and gleaming, the streets are wide and clean, and unlike many other places, the air smells quite good. The kind of sad thing is that it's very easy to stop noticing these things after you live in a big, busy city for a long time. It's easy to overlook our incredible skyline or our painstakingly-kept parks because we've all seen it so many times before. It's easy to sneer at that too-oily pizza at lunchtime because we're used to deep dish that takes 40 minutes to perfect. And it's easiest to ignore homeless people and dorky tourists and sharp-dressed businessmen because most of the time, everyone ignores you back. Now obviously there are exceptions, I'm not saying nobody talks to each other ever here. In fact, the Midwest is probably one of the friendlier metropolitan areas in the U.S. But still, on the whole, everyone walks around briskly with big sunglasses and earplugs, in their own bubbles, following their own agendas, most of which do not involve you whatsoever. 

I dunno, most of the time I really am quite content with just walking around, pretending like I'm invisible and enjoying the chance to people-watch and indulge my creeper tendencies. But then I realize that to them, I am invisible, which is kind of depressing. Whereas in India we were blatantly stared at ALL the TIME, here I feel like a nothing, a nobody on the streets. I don't know which situation I prefer to be in - both get pretty old at times. Guess the grass is always on the other side, eh?