What do you do for fun?

There were a lot of fronts to approach, couldn't get to them all at once.

 

I'd say you're slipping ... oh, you're talking about Dools' reply. Nevermind.

 

Novelist, I completely understand where you're coming from. I think this place is a combination of a business and lifestyle that make people cynical, plus that internet dynamic where some people think it's cool to hate everything (I'm looking at you ... ah, never mind).

In real life we don't tend to engage in conversation about things we don't like, but online there are ongoing discussions it's easy to drop into and say something sucks. If a coworker is talking about, say, how much they like Disney stuff, if you hate Disney you're still not likely to say anything. On here you might rip them. So the atmosphere seems super negative.

I like lots of things, and don't give much of a shit whether other people like them too. That's the best plan I know.

 

Go to a bar near The Big University. Go to karaoke. Watch porn. Rinse. Repeat.

 

I'd say 9 out of 10 conversations I start in the newsroom are about things I don't like. But outside the newsroom, that rate drops to about 1 in 100.

 

Things Pallister Dislikes:

1. Democrats
2. The Cubs
3. The Packers
4. Good beer
5. Real silverware

 

That's a frighteningly accurate list.

 

Well, I have four fantasy baseball drafts from yesterday thru Monday, and the Tribe opener to attend. I guess baseball's my hobby -- and that goes back to when I was working full-time in the biz.

But I also love the occasional "rock and roll" show.

It took me awhile to adjust to the non-journalism lifestyle. My work schedule and free time were so different than people I knew who weren't in the biz that I mostly hung out with people I worked with. So you end up talking about work so much. Made it kinda hard to find hobbies.

 

Metal silverware sucks. Plastic is the only way.

 

I actually have a set of nice silverware a co-worker gave me about three months ago. I haven't used any of it yet, though, because it's still sitting on the floor next to my desk.

 

That would go nicely with my two boxes of Tupperware, which have sat together in a basement or closet for more than two years.

Not counting my time at restaurants, I haven't eaten off metal silverware in years. My parents keep plastic utensils for when I visit, and I've got an entire drawer filled with knives, forks, spoons and sporks from Taco Bell, Wendy's, KFC and McDonald's.

 

I enjoy my kids. I enjoy watching them experience life for the first time and the look on their face during discovery. I enjoy a good scotch, a good whiskey and a good beer (and after a rough day, together.) I enjoy a 2-1 ballgame. I enjoy getting out of the office and taking a deep breath at the river, at the mountain, at the meadow. I enjoy friends that lack the "sports gene." I enjoy yardwork. A movie that makes me think or one that doesn't. A book or story that allows an escape. A simple conversation with my wife. Remember the sacrifices of my parents.