Posts by Nathan Anderson44

So, I decided to bike into the office today, and man, I was absolutely freezing. I usually make sure to grab my beanie and gloves, but this morning was something else entirely because of that biting, icy wind chill.
At least we didn't have to deal with that massive storm that ripped through town last week!

So, I was biking to work yesterday here in Chicago, and just as I was passing by the Intercontinental building, this massive gust of wind practically knocked me right off my bike. I was so close to finishing my commute, too—I’d already cleared the traffic light and reached back with one hand to grab something from my back pocket when suddenly, out of nowhere, this gale hit me like a physical shove. I tried to steady the wheel, but instead, the front tire caught, and I went flying head-first over the handlebars. Honestly, thank God I reacted quickly enough to tuck and roll, but man, I am feeling every bit of it today; everything hurts.

How on earth can the wind actually blow away a guy who's nearly 220 pounds?
I mean, sure, I know I was sitting up tall, which gave me a lot of surface area, and raising my center of gravity doesn't help, plus there's that weird wind tunnel effect right in front of the Intercontinental building... but it still caught me completely off guard. I've been cycling for a long time now, and I've never had anything quite like this happen to me before.
And what a mess 😳, being out there so early in the morning when everyone is rushing to work—streetcars, cars, pedestrians everywhere!

Has anyone else ever dealt with something like this?

Mark Barrett3 said:What, are we seriously incapable of just heading over to Rotten Tomatoes and checking out a spoiler-free review? Instead, because we all watched some movie and want to have a decent discussion about it, we’re expected to hunt through posts written in white font just to avoid this group of absolute whiners who complain about spoilers during a debate? We aren't here to write academic critiques or spend half our lives overthinking whether a single detail counts as a spoiler—especially since people should realize these threads are entered at their own risk. If you stumble onto a plot point, that's on you.

Honestly, you guys are acting like spoiled brats. Every single one of you. It’s unbelievable.

I am right there with you on this!
If you want to have a conversation about a movie, you just need to be mindful and wrap things up carefully so you don't accidentally give away something that everyone is going to find out eventually anyway.
A movie is a movie.
It's an art form!
If someone isn't capable of handling a piece of art, that's on them; they shouldn't be hanging out in a thread about that specific film. They might as well just stay inside, pull the plug on their computer, and go slaughter a calf before heading to the theater!

I actually reached out to them via email about a year ago because I was really interested in getting a look at their production process—not to get too deep into my personal life, but I work over at the University. A few days later, I get this reply telling me they haven't actually been manufacturing anything for several years now!
I've always made it a point to support American companies whenever I can, though.

Honestly, people are always so friendly when you're out hiking near Mount Shasta or wandering through the Appalachian Mountains!
Although, you always run into those "fake hikers" who drive halfway up the mountain in an SUV, only to immediately compensate for the tiny bit of effort by devouring a massive plate of bacon and washing it down with enough water to fill a swimming pool. 😉

The absolute highlight of my weekend was this little scene. My brother-in-law and I headed out to the eastern side of Mount Shasta to hunt for mushrooms, and we were just making our way back with our baskets full when suddenly, this lady with her dog pops out from nowhere.
"Oh my gosh, boys, what were you doing out there looking for mushrooms? Is there actually any left? STEVE!" she shouts to her husband.
"I swear, I have to drag my husband along every single time, STEVE, STEVE, come here! I’m always pushing him to go mushroom hunting and he always insists there’s nothing to find, but look, these guys actually found some!"
There stands Steve, with a cigarette dangling from his lip, staring into our basket, realizing there's absolutely no way out of this conversation since his wife has already caught him red-handed—"So, what did you guys manage to find? Any porcini?"
I just tell him, "Just a few, but we saw at least five other foragers out there, so I wouldn't count on finding much yourselves!"
Suddenly, Steve lights up: "Well, isn't that just wonderful, dear!"
I nudge him and say, "You know, there's that little patch of woods on the right side that most people tend to skip over."
In the end, Steve just shrugs, realizing he's stuck in the middle of it, and keeps trekking along—probably muttering curses under his breath about us! 🙂

Crying is just one way you express who you are as an emotional person.
You can actually see these personality differences from the very beginning—take my own daughters, who are 1 and 3 years old, for example. We’re all wired differently!
It sounds like you’re just more sensitive; you have a lower threshold for being hurt and you feel everything happening around you much more intensely. For some people, seeing a Golden Retriever puppy is enough to move them, while someone else might be deeply shaken by a news report about the aftermath of a battle in Memphis. Or even just watching a stream flow. All of this is perfectly normal.
Plus, that sensitivity threshold shifts as we go through life. As we get older, we tend to process things with more understanding, though that isn't always the case for everyone.
For me personally, ever since I had kids, I’ve become so much more sensitive to heavy issues like drug abuse, pedophilia, or child abuse. At the exact same time, though, I’ve become much more immune to people being "unfair" or rude to me directly.
And honestly, why would you even want to change? I think crying is a perfectly healthy way to let off steam.
It actually reminds me of this Spanish film where a guy was so head-over-heels in love that he would constantly sing the blues; he’d cry while he sang, and she would catch his tears in a little bottle. Man, those Spanish people 😕

The main character, played by John Cusack, in High Fidelity (which was translated so poorly over here as if it were just some Hi-Fi shop dream)

This animation really pushes the boundaries; it’s a complete departure from the typical style you see being produced here in the States, but man, it is absolutely brilliant, fun, and bursting with imagination. It’s just so playful. You can practically feel the original ideas pouring out of every frame, capturing all that lush, sweeping beauty of the world through the eyes of a little girl.

The latest flick from the Coen brothers.
It’s a fun, laid-back watch, heavily layered with music—mostly those classic American staples like old-school gospel and stuff like that.
Technically it’s a remake, serving up a classic crime story infused with that signature Coen sense of humor, though I wouldn't say it's anything earth-shattering.
If you’re a fan of the Coens, then I’d definitely give this a warm recommendation.