Wow - sun - that has become somewhat rare here in the last couple weeks!
Cloudy is generally fine with me though - it feels like winter at least - and everything's still green - so it's not like there's the winter 'dead season' like in NC.
Allison and I are headed to Wisconsin to meet my family for Christmas - it looks like temperatures there will be moderate - highs near 30, lows in the upper teens. I was kinda hoping for single digits :-p The warmer weather means good odds of snow at least. The really cold air is typically very dry as well.
Last weekend we took the 'new' car out to the foothills east of the city - absolutely stunning scenery from sweeping twisty roads - followed by green tea frozen yogurt at Red Mango (yes, it's in a huge suburban mall). The Merc is definitely no Porsche, but it provides good feedback, and the engine goes from silent to muted-roar when called upon. Hopefully it will be easy to live with in the longer term.
Thinking ahead to the next vacation - odds are that will be to NC at the end of May for my brother's wedding.
However I'm already figuring out a way to get to the other side of the Pacific for a couple weeks. Still undecided on Japan, Hong Kong, Australia or New Zealand. Japan seems to be the most easily accessible, as it is only a 10 hour flight. Australia is 18 hours - that is near insane. I was looking forward to being closer to that half of the world from here, but it's still rather far away.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Well that was quick.
Didn't really mean to jump back into car ownership so quickly, but I found another exceptionally mint old Mercedes and took the jump.
This one is half as old as the previous Merc (1995 vs. 1980) and is powered by gas instead of diesel, so that it will actually start in the winter. Otherwise it's pretty similar: imperial ride quality, quiet, understated and well cared for appearance, 4 comfy seats, entertaining rear wheel drive handling dynamics, lots of torque from 3L inline engines.
However the extra few grand over the older one brings modern electrics, antilock brakes, and effective HVAC - so hopefully it will not meet the same end as the old one (rain, old tires, pickup truck)
Barring any accidents this is it for a while. I've seen the world, car wise, and it's time to settle down.
This one is half as old as the previous Merc (1995 vs. 1980) and is powered by gas instead of diesel, so that it will actually start in the winter. Otherwise it's pretty similar: imperial ride quality, quiet, understated and well cared for appearance, 4 comfy seats, entertaining rear wheel drive handling dynamics, lots of torque from 3L inline engines.
However the extra few grand over the older one brings modern electrics, antilock brakes, and effective HVAC - so hopefully it will not meet the same end as the old one (rain, old tires, pickup truck)
Barring any accidents this is it for a while. I've seen the world, car wise, and it's time to settle down.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Social stuff.
The Moore - a local theater a few blocks down from the apartment - celebrated it's 100th anniversary last night - and threw a great free party to celebrate - free food/drink from local businesses along with a completely random assemblage of entertainment, from jazz saxophone to opera to juggling to burlesque to a guy playing spoons with the end of the show being an audience sing along to 'Age of Aquarius' - and the ability to wander around an old theater at will. Great way to spend an evening.
The GTI sold. It ran exceptionally well and to the normal observer, looked fine, however I am a bit of a perfectionist, so I couldn't live with it. I'll find a car eventually, though it is somewhat nice to know that I don't really need one and can really evaluate what it will be used for and find the perfect replacement.
Other notes from the weekend - Allison and I walked around Capitol Hill - it's a bit the Myers Park of Seattle - some parts have aged more gracefully than others, but still there are many streets of grandiose old homes (though the activist groups in the city spray paint "Capitalist" on the sidewalk in front of the larger ones). In any case it would be a neat place to live - esp. due to Dilettante Chocolates. It's very much a small (eastern) European cafe - truffles and cakes, soups and sandwiches, excellent coffee.
Other things coming up: some graphic designy thing that Allison signed us up for, and a bit over a week from now, a Winter Solstice festival, followed by a week in Wisconsin.
The GTI sold. It ran exceptionally well and to the normal observer, looked fine, however I am a bit of a perfectionist, so I couldn't live with it. I'll find a car eventually, though it is somewhat nice to know that I don't really need one and can really evaluate what it will be used for and find the perfect replacement.
Other notes from the weekend - Allison and I walked around Capitol Hill - it's a bit the Myers Park of Seattle - some parts have aged more gracefully than others, but still there are many streets of grandiose old homes (though the activist groups in the city spray paint "Capitalist" on the sidewalk in front of the larger ones). In any case it would be a neat place to live - esp. due to Dilettante Chocolates. It's very much a small (eastern) European cafe - truffles and cakes, soups and sandwiches, excellent coffee.
Other things coming up: some graphic designy thing that Allison signed us up for, and a bit over a week from now, a Winter Solstice festival, followed by a week in Wisconsin.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
switch
out with pc, in with mac - it's nice - vista was at least a bit annoying, and xp was old - too many patches to get it stable
Odds are I'll pick up a cheap storage computer and put linux on it, as the mini doesn't have expandable storage space, however considering I haven't played a game on a computer in a year or so, this seems like the way to go.
Odds are I'll pick up a cheap storage computer and put linux on it, as the mini doesn't have expandable storage space, however considering I haven't played a game on a computer in a year or so, this seems like the way to go.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Rain!
Well, it has rained for 2 days in a row now, this must be that rainy season thing they're talking about. It's just kinda a persistent light rain - not really even enough for a heavy rain coat - the soft shell wool fabric seems to do well enough - just need a waterproof hat - still deciding between the alpine wool style and the OR Seattle Sombrero style.
At least when it is clear the mountains are now nearly uniformly white - neat change of scenery - snow levels were down to 1200ft overnight according to the weather - it doesn't seem like it will snow in the city - the Puget sound heat sink keeps temperatures above freezing it seems. The wind gets cold, so I could see ice being an issue, but I may have to drive a half hour to see snow this winter - or go skiing - for the first time in er 4 years now - that could be humorous.
At least when it is clear the mountains are now nearly uniformly white - neat change of scenery - snow levels were down to 1200ft overnight according to the weather - it doesn't seem like it will snow in the city - the Puget sound heat sink keeps temperatures above freezing it seems. The wind gets cold, so I could see ice being an issue, but I may have to drive a half hour to see snow this winter - or go skiing - for the first time in er 4 years now - that could be humorous.
Friday, November 23, 2007
I, consumer
While I did not attend the Macy's Holiday Parade (yes, they have one in Seattle as well as NYC) today, I did walk over to the Metropolitan Market and saw they had fresh small fir trees, in water no less. So I bought one and carried it home. On the way, a girl remarked 'one holiday to the next eh?' and I just laughed it off, but I should have explained, it's not that simple.
1) I'm not used to this idea of buying a tree without cutting it first - usually the first or second weekend of December the family, or later, Allison and I, would drive up to the mountains, find a tree, cut the tree, have a nice lunch at Our Daily Bread or Mellow Mushroom, get some candy from Mast general store, then head home. Which leads to...
2) I don't know what selection is like here - do fresh trees sell out and then you get brown dying trees, or is the fresh tree supply constantly replenished?
3) It's not like the tree will be an orgy of presents anyway - for one because it is about a meter and a half tall, the other because we'll be in Wisconsin for the week of Christmas, with family, who also cannot really give us presents, because we have to fly back. The actual holiday will be more about family and food, which is how it should be. We're mainly giving local foods as presents - to share some of the neat stuff that exists out here. And we'll probably get some Wisconsin made chocolates and Usinger's sausage in return.
4) The evergreen was just sorta adopted by Christmas anyway - it's a much older symbol of winter and the birth of the new year. From the Roman Saturnalia to the Yule celebrations of the Northern European peoples... it's just kinda what to put in your dwelling at this time of year, historically. There won't be little Disney or Biblical characters hanging from the tree or anything - just some lights, and a star on top.
In any case... I appeared to fulfill someone's stereotype, and even though it wasn't the case in reality, that annoyed me.
1) I'm not used to this idea of buying a tree without cutting it first - usually the first or second weekend of December the family, or later, Allison and I, would drive up to the mountains, find a tree, cut the tree, have a nice lunch at Our Daily Bread or Mellow Mushroom, get some candy from Mast general store, then head home. Which leads to...
2) I don't know what selection is like here - do fresh trees sell out and then you get brown dying trees, or is the fresh tree supply constantly replenished?
3) It's not like the tree will be an orgy of presents anyway - for one because it is about a meter and a half tall, the other because we'll be in Wisconsin for the week of Christmas, with family, who also cannot really give us presents, because we have to fly back. The actual holiday will be more about family and food, which is how it should be. We're mainly giving local foods as presents - to share some of the neat stuff that exists out here. And we'll probably get some Wisconsin made chocolates and Usinger's sausage in return.
4) The evergreen was just sorta adopted by Christmas anyway - it's a much older symbol of winter and the birth of the new year. From the Roman Saturnalia to the Yule celebrations of the Northern European peoples... it's just kinda what to put in your dwelling at this time of year, historically. There won't be little Disney or Biblical characters hanging from the tree or anything - just some lights, and a star on top.
In any case... I appeared to fulfill someone's stereotype, and even though it wasn't the case in reality, that annoyed me.
Friday, November 16, 2007
loose ends
yes, the new job, the new apartment, new city... all great.
too much NC baggage still remains though
- the car is still not fixed from the accident over a month and a half ago, and the insurance company is getting bitchy...
- the house is not sold... no offers... this is frustrating... want to lower the price just to get rid of it...
- I can't close my bb&t bank account remotely, even if it is empty
it's odd that i can become stressed in the new environment - everything is very good in day to day life, but just the time to deal with all of the crap that was left behind... takes a toll.
financially I have stabilized from the move though... minor victory... just need to get rid of the small remaining amount of student loans that I took out... if the house would ever sell I'll be back to zero debt of any kind status by the end of the year... this is a goal - then it's back to growing assets - a more comfortable place to be.
-------------------------
oh - new to me music - two bands - the first one found painted on the side of a local record shop - Minus the Bear - apparently I'm late to the party and they're semi-popular - bought a couple albums (Highly Refined Pirates and Planet of Ice) - both are a similar mix - a couple tracks are too pop-ish, but each have 3-4 track sequences that have great flow and some really interesting sound.
the other one - Dungen - specifically the album Tio Batar - it's stoner rock - from a Swedish band - in Swedish - this is a match that actually does work - interesting
too much NC baggage still remains though
- the car is still not fixed from the accident over a month and a half ago, and the insurance company is getting bitchy...
- the house is not sold... no offers... this is frustrating... want to lower the price just to get rid of it...
- I can't close my bb&t bank account remotely, even if it is empty
it's odd that i can become stressed in the new environment - everything is very good in day to day life, but just the time to deal with all of the crap that was left behind... takes a toll.
financially I have stabilized from the move though... minor victory... just need to get rid of the small remaining amount of student loans that I took out... if the house would ever sell I'll be back to zero debt of any kind status by the end of the year... this is a goal - then it's back to growing assets - a more comfortable place to be.
-------------------------
oh - new to me music - two bands - the first one found painted on the side of a local record shop - Minus the Bear - apparently I'm late to the party and they're semi-popular - bought a couple albums (Highly Refined Pirates and Planet of Ice) - both are a similar mix - a couple tracks are too pop-ish, but each have 3-4 track sequences that have great flow and some really interesting sound.
the other one - Dungen - specifically the album Tio Batar - it's stoner rock - from a Swedish band - in Swedish - this is a match that actually does work - interesting
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Weekend with the relatives
Well, I think we have the whole taste of Seattle tour down for visiting friends and family.
Though it is easy in fall - the markets have all kinds of fresh apples and pears and cider and such.
The parents and grandparents seemed thoroughly impressed with the city and area. Between the market, wineries, the ferry over to Bainbridge Island, the view from Queen Anne and some history in the Pioneer Square area we definitely packed a lot of travel into 3 days.
In other news - the Vespa has been sold, and the GTI finally arrived from NC after being 'fixed' and 'shipped' after the accident. I put those in quotes because the bumper is not appended properly, the taillight is still cracked, and there's a huge scratch down the side from shipping. I'm hoping they'll give up and write me a check for the car at this point so I can move on. It won't be titled here in any case - even if they make it look right the back of that car is decidedly bent. It will be traded in on anything else.
Current transportation includes shoes and bicycle, which are about all you need here.
The modernist barn is also on the market - hopefully that will sell in the next month or so - paying both rent and mortgage is a fair amount of outgoing money. I have mixed feelings about giving up on that so soon - it was a neat place, though something in my mind rejected the house in the suburbs lifestyle.
Though it is easy in fall - the markets have all kinds of fresh apples and pears and cider and such.
The parents and grandparents seemed thoroughly impressed with the city and area. Between the market, wineries, the ferry over to Bainbridge Island, the view from Queen Anne and some history in the Pioneer Square area we definitely packed a lot of travel into 3 days.
In other news - the Vespa has been sold, and the GTI finally arrived from NC after being 'fixed' and 'shipped' after the accident. I put those in quotes because the bumper is not appended properly, the taillight is still cracked, and there's a huge scratch down the side from shipping. I'm hoping they'll give up and write me a check for the car at this point so I can move on. It won't be titled here in any case - even if they make it look right the back of that car is decidedly bent. It will be traded in on anything else.
Current transportation includes shoes and bicycle, which are about all you need here.
The modernist barn is also on the market - hopefully that will sell in the next month or so - paying both rent and mortgage is a fair amount of outgoing money. I have mixed feelings about giving up on that so soon - it was a neat place, though something in my mind rejected the house in the suburbs lifestyle.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
A new routine
It is interesting not having to drive anywhere.
I wake up, shower, breakfast, then it's a short 10 min walk to work.
At lunch I walk another 5-10 min to a different part of town, grab a sandwich or burrito and head back to work.
After work, walk home, cook dinner, then Allison and I walk to run errands - grocery store, or to try out one of the dozen coffee shops around us.
Weekends we've been figuring out the bus system to get to other parts of the city. 10 min to Uwajimaya market and Pioneer Square, 10 min to Fremont and this tasty organic coffee/bakery place, a 15 min walk and 30 mins on the ferry to get to Bainbridge Island and a bunch of other stuff.
However sometimes the car has a purpose
In order to get way out into the suburbs last night we rented a car - $30 for a day, well, 6 hours of running to Ikea so that Allison can put her clothes in a 'normal' dresser instead of baskets on shelves in the closet, and then way north to pick up a great deal on a bicycle.
Ever how convenient it was to use a car instead of the bus, it appears to be rare that we'll actually need it. I'm wondering now what the cost of owning a car (even one fully paid for and cheap insurance) is compared to renting, and if it is worth it.
This is a foreign idea for someone that finds the engineering that goes into certain cars as fascinating and who likes to drive. However in this city, it does work to live mostly car free.
---------------------------------------------------
In other news - all this talk of the rainy season has been just that thus far - today it's sunny and in the high 50's - perfect fall day in my opinion.
--------------------------------------------------
Also in other news - after trying out 3 different types of bike and finding them ill suited to my purposes, I've come full circle back to a basic Trek mountain bike. They're simple, durable, and comfortable, not to mention affordable new and exceptionally cheap used.
-------------------------------------------------
Finally- the parents and grandparents are visiting this weekend - should be fun.
I wake up, shower, breakfast, then it's a short 10 min walk to work.
At lunch I walk another 5-10 min to a different part of town, grab a sandwich or burrito and head back to work.
After work, walk home, cook dinner, then Allison and I walk to run errands - grocery store, or to try out one of the dozen coffee shops around us.
Weekends we've been figuring out the bus system to get to other parts of the city. 10 min to Uwajimaya market and Pioneer Square, 10 min to Fremont and this tasty organic coffee/bakery place, a 15 min walk and 30 mins on the ferry to get to Bainbridge Island and a bunch of other stuff.
However sometimes the car has a purpose
In order to get way out into the suburbs last night we rented a car - $30 for a day, well, 6 hours of running to Ikea so that Allison can put her clothes in a 'normal' dresser instead of baskets on shelves in the closet, and then way north to pick up a great deal on a bicycle.
Ever how convenient it was to use a car instead of the bus, it appears to be rare that we'll actually need it. I'm wondering now what the cost of owning a car (even one fully paid for and cheap insurance) is compared to renting, and if it is worth it.
This is a foreign idea for someone that finds the engineering that goes into certain cars as fascinating and who likes to drive. However in this city, it does work to live mostly car free.
---------------------------------------------------
In other news - all this talk of the rainy season has been just that thus far - today it's sunny and in the high 50's - perfect fall day in my opinion.
--------------------------------------------------
Also in other news - after trying out 3 different types of bike and finding them ill suited to my purposes, I've come full circle back to a basic Trek mountain bike. They're simple, durable, and comfortable, not to mention affordable new and exceptionally cheap used.
-------------------------------------------------
Finally- the parents and grandparents are visiting this weekend - should be fun.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
boo
So the local cable internet provider blocks incoming port 80 requests. Bastards.
Time to get nerdy and think of another way to serve content to my friends/ family.
----------------------------------
In other news - still finding lots of good stuff to eat in this city.
The current good things are almond cookies from Nielsen's Danish Bakery and the locally grown pears and apple cider available at the Metropolitan Market.
We're also out of Chukar cherries - I need a constant supply of those things.
----------------------------------
Pics of the apartment are here: Facebook link.
I'll add pics of the scenery along the daily commute and office tomorrow in the same folder.
Time to get nerdy and think of another way to serve content to my friends/ family.
----------------------------------
In other news - still finding lots of good stuff to eat in this city.
The current good things are almond cookies from Nielsen's Danish Bakery and the locally grown pears and apple cider available at the Metropolitan Market.
We're also out of Chukar cherries - I need a constant supply of those things.
----------------------------------
Pics of the apartment are here: Facebook link.
I'll add pics of the scenery along the daily commute and office tomorrow in the same folder.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Um, I should be able to figure this out
maslows.net appears to be inaccessible to the outside world - as such the pictures that were in my last post probably did not show up.
I'm not sure if this is a routing issue or an issue with the ISP port limiting/filtering.
will update as I fix it.
I'm not sure if this is a routing issue or an issue with the ISP port limiting/filtering.
will update as I fix it.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Back online, after lots of happenings.
Wow, it has been a while. What's happened?
0) The Miata was sold to a car nerd in Greensboro. I'll miss it - cheap, lots of fun, proper driver's car. And with the hard top it looks pretty damn good imo (pic taken right after we delivered it to the guy).
1) The modernist barn. It is now empty. And will be up for sale shortly. At least I finished the bathroom, a week before leaving. It looked and worked great, imo - classy modern. Here are a couple of pics where everything was finished except the small piece of trim on the floor edge. The Kohler faucets are definitely worth the extra money over more standard bits - smooth operation and laminar flow design - made by engineers, for engineers, the way I see it.
2) The drive. This is a big country. With lots of nothingness in the middle of it. Ok, lots of nothingness between St. Louis and Seattle. A few highlights:
NC: leaving it behind.
TN: took a 15 mile detour through the Oak Ridge grounds - I guess it is fitting that facility is in the middle of nowhere given the work that goes on there.
KY: Still a surprisingly beautiful state - rolling hills, vibrant and green.
IL: Well, southern Illinois is pretty much nothingness - lots of farm land.
MO: St Louis - the southernmost Midwestern city - it has that immigrant character missing from lots of newer cities. We stayed at a hotel in the Italian district, walked a few blocks to great dinner at an Italian/Spanish cafe (Chorizo/Red Onion Pizza), then picked up some of the best donuts I've ever tasted in the morning. World's Fair donuts were a little bit heavier on the glaze (about one tenth the Krispy Kreme amount) but had sweeter frosting. My preference was for Donut Drive In however. Very light glazing, soft and cakey center, perfect amount of frosting to complement it. I could live in that neighborhood, though I'd probably not live as long.
Kansas City- best radio stations of the trip - some independent station tied to a University there entertained on the way into town - interesting mix, which transitioned to a Reggae station as we were leaving town.
KS: I was surprised that there were hills, for the first 3 hours. Then it was exceptionally flat for another 3 hours. Not much there to miss.
CO: We didn't give this state a fair chance. We arrived late in the night, and left early in the morning. The high plains were dark and boring, but the stars were bright at least. Leaving the sprawl of Denver in the early morning, with the Rockies in the distance, was less than enthralling as well.
WY: The route basically dealt with the Rocky Mountains by driving around them, as such we spent many hours in the high plains and hills of Wyoming. This was very beige and boring, as there is approximately nothing for 7 hours. The town of Green River, WY was neat though. It's in the southwestern part of the state, with towering buttes above the downtown area, and green! due to the river. Very pretty place imo.
UT: More mountain passes and high plains - more scenic as the road followed a river through the northern part of the state. No real cities to speak of.
ID: Flat, flat, and more flat. The road essentially split two mountain ranges, which made for interesting scenery to the sides of the truck, but nothing in front:
This continued for 6 or 7 hours.
Boise was a nice and quiet town. Nothing much to say about it.
WA: Grape Vines/Wineries! Rivers! Mountains! Scenic Valleys! After the sheer boredom of the previous two days it was awe inspiring to drive through this state. Lots to see, lots to explore. The mountains a half hour outside Seattle are stunning to say the least. Steep cliffs covered in tall pine trees, the clouds filtering up through the mountain passes. I'll have to go back and take pics.
On to the apartment, it's nice, everything you could ever want is within walking distance, or internet ordering distance. Check the view from the patio/garden on top of the parking deck:
0) The Miata was sold to a car nerd in Greensboro. I'll miss it - cheap, lots of fun, proper driver's car. And with the hard top it looks pretty damn good imo (pic taken right after we delivered it to the guy).
1) The modernist barn. It is now empty. And will be up for sale shortly. At least I finished the bathroom, a week before leaving. It looked and worked great, imo - classy modern. Here are a couple of pics where everything was finished except the small piece of trim on the floor edge. The Kohler faucets are definitely worth the extra money over more standard bits - smooth operation and laminar flow design - made by engineers, for engineers, the way I see it.
2) The drive. This is a big country. With lots of nothingness in the middle of it. Ok, lots of nothingness between St. Louis and Seattle. A few highlights:
NC: leaving it behind.
TN: took a 15 mile detour through the Oak Ridge grounds - I guess it is fitting that facility is in the middle of nowhere given the work that goes on there.
KY: Still a surprisingly beautiful state - rolling hills, vibrant and green.
IL: Well, southern Illinois is pretty much nothingness - lots of farm land.
MO: St Louis - the southernmost Midwestern city - it has that immigrant character missing from lots of newer cities. We stayed at a hotel in the Italian district, walked a few blocks to great dinner at an Italian/Spanish cafe (Chorizo/Red Onion Pizza), then picked up some of the best donuts I've ever tasted in the morning. World's Fair donuts were a little bit heavier on the glaze (about one tenth the Krispy Kreme amount) but had sweeter frosting. My preference was for Donut Drive In however. Very light glazing, soft and cakey center, perfect amount of frosting to complement it. I could live in that neighborhood, though I'd probably not live as long.
Kansas City- best radio stations of the trip - some independent station tied to a University there entertained on the way into town - interesting mix, which transitioned to a Reggae station as we were leaving town.
KS: I was surprised that there were hills, for the first 3 hours. Then it was exceptionally flat for another 3 hours. Not much there to miss.
CO: We didn't give this state a fair chance. We arrived late in the night, and left early in the morning. The high plains were dark and boring, but the stars were bright at least. Leaving the sprawl of Denver in the early morning, with the Rockies in the distance, was less than enthralling as well.
WY: The route basically dealt with the Rocky Mountains by driving around them, as such we spent many hours in the high plains and hills of Wyoming. This was very beige and boring, as there is approximately nothing for 7 hours. The town of Green River, WY was neat though. It's in the southwestern part of the state, with towering buttes above the downtown area, and green! due to the river. Very pretty place imo.
UT: More mountain passes and high plains - more scenic as the road followed a river through the northern part of the state. No real cities to speak of.
ID: Flat, flat, and more flat. The road essentially split two mountain ranges, which made for interesting scenery to the sides of the truck, but nothing in front:
This continued for 6 or 7 hours.
Boise was a nice and quiet town. Nothing much to say about it.
WA: Grape Vines/Wineries! Rivers! Mountains! Scenic Valleys! After the sheer boredom of the previous two days it was awe inspiring to drive through this state. Lots to see, lots to explore. The mountains a half hour outside Seattle are stunning to say the least. Steep cliffs covered in tall pine trees, the clouds filtering up through the mountain passes. I'll have to go back and take pics.
On to the apartment, it's nice, everything you could ever want is within walking distance, or internet ordering distance. Check the view from the patio/garden on top of the parking deck:
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Where does it all come from?!
An entire SUV load of stuff to Goodwill, and about a dozen bags of stuff thrown away, and most of the furniture sold, and there are still tons of boxes here. Stuff just accumulates. Need to fix that in the future.
Picking up the truck tomorrow morning, then loading, and the rest of the week is driving. I'll post daily updates from the iphone though.
Auf wieder sehen NC.It's been fun. Thanks for the cheap and appreciating real estate. I used this city for an entry level job. Eh, I'll be back for Christmas.
Picking up the truck tomorrow morning, then loading, and the rest of the week is driving. I'll post daily updates from the iphone though.
Auf wieder sehen NC.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Too much stuff
After many variations on having multiple computers, I am once again down to only one computer in the house, with only a few parts laying around. This is a positive development.
Also, I sold the lawn mower today, and hope that I will never own another one.
Still need to divest much furniture, and one more car.
What do I really need - clothes, books, music, a computer, a chair to sit on, a bed to sleep in, some cooking stuff. Having a house has caused me to lose simplicity.
It's along the same lines of the camping gear dilemma - don't use a larger backpack, you'll just carry more stuff. Which slows you down. I need to get back to the philosophy of when I carried a hammock and mylar blanket to go hiking for a week in the summer. There is a certain level of what is really needed, stuff wise.
It's really easy to get out of focus.
Also, I sold the lawn mower today, and hope that I will never own another one.
Still need to divest much furniture, and one more car.
What do I really need - clothes, books, music, a computer, a chair to sit on, a bed to sleep in, some cooking stuff. Having a house has caused me to lose simplicity.
It's along the same lines of the camping gear dilemma - don't use a larger backpack, you'll just carry more stuff. Which slows you down. I need to get back to the philosophy of when I carried a hammock and mylar blanket to go hiking for a week in the summer. There is a certain level of what is really needed, stuff wise.
It's really easy to get out of focus.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Change of Scenery
Since I received a bit of flak from Allison and the parents for thinking I could pick out an apartment sight unseen, my dad and I flew out to Seattle for a day to look for a place.
After visiting pretty much every apartment complex within a 15 min walk of the office, along with a couple independent places, the winner was a 9th floor (out of 25) one bedroom place here: http://www.forrent.com/apartment-community-profile/1045928.php - it's walking distance to lots of places, and actually less expensive than some smaller buildings nearby. (Though definitely not cheap - equivalent to my current mortgage payment actually)
I took some pics of the interior of the unit, but it looks pretty much like any normal, recently renovated, 1 bedroom apartment you've ever seen, so I'll save the bandwidth until there are pics of it with personal effects added.
There is definitely enough space for a nice convertible sofa, so start planning your trip to come visit. Anyone that ever visited the Phillips Place apartment will feel right at home in this one - similar layout, just with about 15% more space.
The truck has been arranged and I'm slowly starting to organize everything for the move... still a bit crazy to think about leaving Charlotte behind on such short notice, but it should serve Allison and I well.
Today's project - finish the upstairs bathroom - finally!
After visiting pretty much every apartment complex within a 15 min walk of the office, along with a couple independent places, the winner was a 9th floor (out of 25) one bedroom place here: http://www.forrent.com/apartment-community-profile/1045928.php - it's walking distance to lots of places, and actually less expensive than some smaller buildings nearby. (Though definitely not cheap - equivalent to my current mortgage payment actually)
I took some pics of the interior of the unit, but it looks pretty much like any normal, recently renovated, 1 bedroom apartment you've ever seen, so I'll save the bandwidth until there are pics of it with personal effects added.
There is definitely enough space for a nice convertible sofa, so start planning your trip to come visit. Anyone that ever visited the Phillips Place apartment will feel right at home in this one - similar layout, just with about 15% more space.
The truck has been arranged and I'm slowly starting to organize everything for the move... still a bit crazy to think about leaving Charlotte behind on such short notice, but it should serve Allison and I well.
Today's project - finish the upstairs bathroom - finally!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Well, why not.
So, I have received a rather nice job offer. Everything about it is great, except that I have to travel across 12 states and about 2900 miles to get there.
Once there though, I'll be in Seattle, which, in about every way I can imagine, is a world away from Charlotte, and one that I belong on, if such a place exists.
Now, to get started on the details, like living accommodations. And er, directions. I wonder if there's AT&T Edge network the whole way. And if there are any decent hotels in South Dakota. Or where to find the best deal on truck rental. Or the cost of shipping a standard size crate.
Once there though, I'll be in Seattle, which, in about every way I can imagine, is a world away from Charlotte, and one that I belong on, if such a place exists.
Now, to get started on the details, like living accommodations. And er, directions. I wonder if there's AT&T Edge network the whole way. And if there are any decent hotels in South Dakota. Or where to find the best deal on truck rental. Or the cost of shipping a standard size crate.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Continuing the Trend
A. List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B. Tag seven people to do the same.
C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it."
1. I am a selective perfectionist. Some things have to be absolutely right. (Anything that has a technically correct answer) Other things (fashion, pop culture) I place in the random trivia subset and do not bother with.
2. I basically have two modes of diet/exercise balance. The 'excessive' Nick (most recently - last year of college/first year of Charlotte - apologies to those that knew me then - I look back and think: yikes.) is when I eat whatever is good and don't really do much in the way of exercise - he is 215 pounds and generally rounded on the edges. The 'normal' Nick is the other state. It appears that no matter how much I try to watch the diet or exercise I will be about 202 pounds and not flabby, though not exactly toned either. Perhaps when I have time to deal with scheduled exercise there will be a 'fit' state, though even when playing sports my min adult weight was 190-ish.
3. I have come to believe HGTV needs to be content edited for accuracy. Home improvment is not as easy as they make it look. Damn 2.75 inch pipe nipples. (technical term. really) Yes, I watch HGTV. Yes, I am married. To a female.
4. I can never be late to anything, ever. This comes from my dad, who was absolutely never accurate with time. It drove me up the wall.
5. There is no such thing as the easy way. The only way to approach anything is the examine every option and pick the route with the most authenticity of character.
6. There is never a time when I am not thinking/examining something. I may appear distant/cold, but I'm really just figuring something out. Give it a few minutes.
7. I listen to music for atmosphere and flow. An album where I can press play and 74 minutes disappears whie I figure something out is a good album, in my opinion.
------------------
I should relate an example of numbers 5/6/7 - last night - I went to the Philosopher's Stone for dinner - by myself - because they have good onion rings, and Chimay Blue, and a good mix in the jukebox. Ordered the beer, then food. Someone put on a string of songs - there was Velvet Underground, something I didn't recognize, and Phish... I had been thinking about how to make life work if a certain situation presents itself (more details later in the week, maybe)... by the time the song changed to something more pop and I snapped out of it, there was food in front of me and the beer was 1/4 gone, and I'm sure I thanked the server, but it was 20 min later with no acknowledgement of the outside world as far as I was concerned.
Not that I was much closer to the solution, but I need to focus more... that is a rare event now and I miss it sometimes.
------------------
Also - the track when H binds to O - by Lotus - one of the best tracks, especially live, to come out recently, in my opinion.
B. Tag seven people to do the same.
C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it."
1. I am a selective perfectionist. Some things have to be absolutely right. (Anything that has a technically correct answer) Other things (fashion, pop culture) I place in the random trivia subset and do not bother with.
2. I basically have two modes of diet/exercise balance. The 'excessive' Nick (most recently - last year of college/first year of Charlotte - apologies to those that knew me then - I look back and think: yikes.) is when I eat whatever is good and don't really do much in the way of exercise - he is 215 pounds and generally rounded on the edges. The 'normal' Nick is the other state. It appears that no matter how much I try to watch the diet or exercise I will be about 202 pounds and not flabby, though not exactly toned either. Perhaps when I have time to deal with scheduled exercise there will be a 'fit' state, though even when playing sports my min adult weight was 190-ish.
3. I have come to believe HGTV needs to be content edited for accuracy. Home improvment is not as easy as they make it look. Damn 2.75 inch pipe nipples. (technical term. really) Yes, I watch HGTV. Yes, I am married. To a female.
4. I can never be late to anything, ever. This comes from my dad, who was absolutely never accurate with time. It drove me up the wall.
5. There is no such thing as the easy way. The only way to approach anything is the examine every option and pick the route with the most authenticity of character.
6. There is never a time when I am not thinking/examining something. I may appear distant/cold, but I'm really just figuring something out. Give it a few minutes.
7. I listen to music for atmosphere and flow. An album where I can press play and 74 minutes disappears whie I figure something out is a good album, in my opinion.
------------------
I should relate an example of numbers 5/6/7 - last night - I went to the Philosopher's Stone for dinner - by myself - because they have good onion rings, and Chimay Blue, and a good mix in the jukebox. Ordered the beer, then food. Someone put on a string of songs - there was Velvet Underground, something I didn't recognize, and Phish... I had been thinking about how to make life work if a certain situation presents itself (more details later in the week, maybe)... by the time the song changed to something more pop and I snapped out of it, there was food in front of me and the beer was 1/4 gone, and I'm sure I thanked the server, but it was 20 min later with no acknowledgement of the outside world as far as I was concerned.
Not that I was much closer to the solution, but I need to focus more... that is a rare event now and I miss it sometimes.
------------------
Also - the track when H binds to O - by Lotus - one of the best tracks, especially live, to come out recently, in my opinion.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Transitory Experiences and Such
This weekend sounded rather familiar: Work during hours such that I am sleep deprived on Saturday, get some small amount of work done on the bathroom, go out to dinner, mess with some computer stuff around the house in downtime.
The work wasn't too bad this weekend - had a 5.5 hour window for sleep Saturday morning even. (slight sarcasm here)
The bathroom now has shiny new valving equipment and some new electrics, but still no floor covering, nor paint. HGTV really needs to show the part of the bathroom remodel where they need a 2.75 inch long piece of threaded pipe, yet Home Depot only carries 2.5 or 3.0 inch varieties, neither of which provide correct clearance, forcing a delay while a specialty plumbing supply shop with a half-inch pipe threading die is found so that the correct length piece can be fabricated.
Other made-for-TV bathroom renovation moments - finding a cracked tile while you're putting on the second coat of grout sealant (the absolute final tiling step)
Food: Lulu - creative menu, tasty bistro-style food, in an old house just south of Midwood - the waitress was a bit slow - and the wine a bit overpriced, but that's about it for the complaints. As an example of the menu to food creativity: the dish I ordered was the Silence of the Lambs - fork-tender lamb chops with a port wine glaze over some ground pistachio nuts with white bean puree hushpuppies ($16). It is a restaurant that doesn't take itself too seriously, and the chefs seem to be having fun with the food, though with enough skill to back it up... it's interesting to find places like that. It reminds me why I like cooking.
Time to disappear for another week. Cell me if something interesting happens, or gmail, which is equally accessible now.
The work wasn't too bad this weekend - had a 5.5 hour window for sleep Saturday morning even. (slight sarcasm here)
The bathroom now has shiny new valving equipment and some new electrics, but still no floor covering, nor paint. HGTV really needs to show the part of the bathroom remodel where they need a 2.75 inch long piece of threaded pipe, yet Home Depot only carries 2.5 or 3.0 inch varieties, neither of which provide correct clearance, forcing a delay while a specialty plumbing supply shop with a half-inch pipe threading die is found so that the correct length piece can be fabricated.
Other made-for-TV bathroom renovation moments - finding a cracked tile while you're putting on the second coat of grout sealant (the absolute final tiling step)
Food: Lulu - creative menu, tasty bistro-style food, in an old house just south of Midwood - the waitress was a bit slow - and the wine a bit overpriced, but that's about it for the complaints. As an example of the menu to food creativity: the dish I ordered was the Silence of the Lambs - fork-tender lamb chops with a port wine glaze over some ground pistachio nuts with white bean puree hushpuppies ($16). It is a restaurant that doesn't take itself too seriously, and the chefs seem to be having fun with the food, though with enough skill to back it up... it's interesting to find places like that. It reminds me why I like cooking.
Time to disappear for another week. Cell me if something interesting happens, or gmail, which is equally accessible now.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
education
Before I took engineering courses, I was interested in cars. Then I learned how everything worked, and it was good. I had numbers to back up why certain engines have different characteristics, and how a properly designed suspension works.
- As an aside - now that the Miata has new/balanced tires, it drives like a new car - smooth and quiet, even better handling than before - it is amazing how much of a difference decent tires make over the wal-mart specials that were on it before.
But on the other hand, now I look at a car, or airplane, or even the home air conditioning system, and think about heat transfer, flows, dampers, the design of fan blades, screw threads and materials... I take everything apart mentally and think 'is this the best solution - why was this designed this way' which causes mental conflict - I've sold a couple cars because their engineering wasn't optimal, in my opinion.
Now I'm taking MBA classes... I used to only have jobs and bank accounts... now all income should be seen as an investment, everything owned as an asset, each of which has a total cost of ownership... and certain products or ideas end up looking better under that mode of thinking. Like how I took out student loans, even though I had the cash, just to put it in an HSBC online savings account to have a net-interest-free loan for a year as a reserve fund while I used my real income to more quickly pay down the mortgage to get out of PMI... I mean really, what normal person thinks this way.
In some ways actually figuring out how things work is really neat, and that's what I thrive on, but on the other hand, it makes life more complicated, as I have to weigh the merits of any non-trivial purchase, I have to think about how everything fits together, rather than just accepting that the world just is a certain way.
I'm glad I don't know much about biology, else even stopping to smell the roses would be an analytical experience.
- As an aside - now that the Miata has new/balanced tires, it drives like a new car - smooth and quiet, even better handling than before - it is amazing how much of a difference decent tires make over the wal-mart specials that were on it before.
But on the other hand, now I look at a car, or airplane, or even the home air conditioning system, and think about heat transfer, flows, dampers, the design of fan blades, screw threads and materials... I take everything apart mentally and think 'is this the best solution - why was this designed this way' which causes mental conflict - I've sold a couple cars because their engineering wasn't optimal, in my opinion.
Now I'm taking MBA classes... I used to only have jobs and bank accounts... now all income should be seen as an investment, everything owned as an asset, each of which has a total cost of ownership... and certain products or ideas end up looking better under that mode of thinking. Like how I took out student loans, even though I had the cash, just to put it in an HSBC online savings account to have a net-interest-free loan for a year as a reserve fund while I used my real income to more quickly pay down the mortgage to get out of PMI... I mean really, what normal person thinks this way.
In some ways actually figuring out how things work is really neat, and that's what I thrive on, but on the other hand, it makes life more complicated, as I have to weigh the merits of any non-trivial purchase, I have to think about how everything fits together, rather than just accepting that the world just is a certain way.
I'm glad I don't know much about biology, else even stopping to smell the roses would be an analytical experience.
Monday, August 20, 2007
The 6 Month Theory
It seems that, whenever I or anyone I know decides to attempt to find a job, it takes 6 months until something is found/finalized.
Even though I have a few promising leads (including one that I just missed the application deadline for that I was perfectly qualified for - doh - it may be reposted though), it is only just now getting into month 3 of the search.
I'm divided on where I want to go from here.
1) Find another different tech job - something to temporarily cover expenses/investments while I finish school, even if my aim is to leave the technical side afterward. It would be same game, different scenery. Hopefully a lower stress/dependency position though.
2) Find an intro business-analyst type job - prepare to actually use this degree I'm working toward. This will undoubtedly be more learning, but would be a good longer term thing. Problems here - getting hired. I don't have any business side experience, and have been turned down for half a dozen of these kind of jobs already.
Odds are this would all be in Charlotte... though I am also wondering how to move away in a couple years... anything from the traditional route of find job in other city, put house on market, rent for 6 months while house sells. Or, take the equity from this place and outright buy something wherever I'd like to live (foreign countries included), then figure out the job market there when I arrive. The second option seems optimistic, but when you can get a nice size condo for $250k just outside the ring roads of Munich or Vienna, I tend to think of it as a possibility.
----------------------------
Less of the daydreaming, more of the real life - classes start up again today. Thankfully they're less technical than the two courses I took over the summer - even though the content was interesting, the numerical precision required was really annoying. I left engineering for a reason.
----------------------------
For anyone not in Charlotte - be glad you are not here - There hasn't been a day with a high under 90 degrees in over a month, most in the upper 90's. Lots of trees are starting to go dormant and lose leaves early due to lack of water. Of the years that I lived in Charlotte, only a couple have had this sustained level of heat. Usually you get cyclical variation between 90's and 80's, and at least some rain in the afternoons. I'm ready for winter again.
Even though I have a few promising leads (including one that I just missed the application deadline for that I was perfectly qualified for - doh - it may be reposted though), it is only just now getting into month 3 of the search.
I'm divided on where I want to go from here.
1) Find another different tech job - something to temporarily cover expenses/investments while I finish school, even if my aim is to leave the technical side afterward. It would be same game, different scenery. Hopefully a lower stress/dependency position though.
2) Find an intro business-analyst type job - prepare to actually use this degree I'm working toward. This will undoubtedly be more learning, but would be a good longer term thing. Problems here - getting hired. I don't have any business side experience, and have been turned down for half a dozen of these kind of jobs already.
Odds are this would all be in Charlotte... though I am also wondering how to move away in a couple years... anything from the traditional route of find job in other city, put house on market, rent for 6 months while house sells. Or, take the equity from this place and outright buy something wherever I'd like to live (foreign countries included), then figure out the job market there when I arrive. The second option seems optimistic, but when you can get a nice size condo for $250k just outside the ring roads of Munich or Vienna, I tend to think of it as a possibility.
----------------------------
Less of the daydreaming, more of the real life - classes start up again today. Thankfully they're less technical than the two courses I took over the summer - even though the content was interesting, the numerical precision required was really annoying. I left engineering for a reason.
----------------------------
For anyone not in Charlotte - be glad you are not here - There hasn't been a day with a high under 90 degrees in over a month, most in the upper 90's. Lots of trees are starting to go dormant and lose leaves early due to lack of water. Of the years that I lived in Charlotte, only a couple have had this sustained level of heat. Usually you get cyclical variation between 90's and 80's, and at least some rain in the afternoons. I'm ready for winter again.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Vacationing
After on call and a final exam in the early part of last week, Allison and I received a subsidized trip to New York courtesy of her company.
Their summer party was held at an old du Pont family mansion on the north side of Long Island, which is now operated by NYIT as the De Seversky center (named after Alexander Prokofiev de Seversky, who was an aviator/engineer who founded the Seversky aircraft company, which later became part of Fairchild and produced the P-47 Thunderbolt in WW2. Yes, I find it odd they named the building after his hometown rather than his more formal last name.) and basically had the same feel as the Van Landingham in Charlotte, just on a grander scale.
It was nice to lounge around in low humidity 80 degree temperatures while seeing 102 displayed on the iPhone for concurrent Charlotte weather.
Back in the city, we basically just wandered around for three days. The MOMA had a display on modernist Soviet architecture, which was quite interesting, and is also the home to at least a few works from my favorite artists. Good way to spend a rainy Friday.
Saturday Gerin/Julie and Sarah/Nathan met us for Lunch/Dinner in the East Village / Mulberry St and South Port area of NYC - with much walking/snacking along the way. Dinner was at Veselka - a Ukranian diner type place - lots of food in a similar style to that of my family's usual dishes - veal goulash, pierogies, potato pancakes, and it also spawned discussion on the application of beets in different foods.
This week - no class - and hopefully nearly finishing the bathroom.
Their summer party was held at an old du Pont family mansion on the north side of Long Island, which is now operated by NYIT as the De Seversky center (named after Alexander Prokofiev de Seversky, who was an aviator/engineer who founded the Seversky aircraft company, which later became part of Fairchild and produced the P-47 Thunderbolt in WW2. Yes, I find it odd they named the building after his hometown rather than his more formal last name.) and basically had the same feel as the Van Landingham in Charlotte, just on a grander scale.
It was nice to lounge around in low humidity 80 degree temperatures while seeing 102 displayed on the iPhone for concurrent Charlotte weather.
Back in the city, we basically just wandered around for three days. The MOMA had a display on modernist Soviet architecture, which was quite interesting, and is also the home to at least a few works from my favorite artists. Good way to spend a rainy Friday.
Saturday Gerin/Julie and Sarah/Nathan met us for Lunch/Dinner in the East Village / Mulberry St and South Port area of NYC - with much walking/snacking along the way. Dinner was at Veselka - a Ukranian diner type place - lots of food in a similar style to that of my family's usual dishes - veal goulash, pierogies, potato pancakes, and it also spawned discussion on the application of beets in different foods.
This week - no class - and hopefully nearly finishing the bathroom.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Yes, I am that person.
Before I get to the point of the post.
Those of you who know me quite well know that I am usually really ah, frugal.
I am the type of person that watches for coupons from restaurants I might like (There have only been a couple times where Allison and I have eaten at Situl without the 1/2 off coupon) and uses the customer-tracking card at Harris Teeter regularly.
I have sold many small, outdated computer things on ebay for $9.99 or less instead of throwing them away.
I have bought and calibrated a programmable thermostat per house occupancy at different times of the day so that it is warmer during the day when no one is home, then cooler at night when we're around to save energy and money.
The least fuel efficient car in the household gets high 20's mpg.
And then, sometimes, things go a bit awry.
so, the iPhone.
It works exactly as advertised - anything you've seen on tv, online - it is really that easy, and that smooth.
As a phone it has some really neat design qualities. It requires less [virtual] button pushing to get things accomplished than any phone I've ever used (two Nokias and two Siemens previously)
But the phone is just a sideline application to what makes it worthwhile. You have the internet anywhere you go.
1) How do you get to anywhere? ... One minute later Google maps has a pushpin there and is giving directions.
2) It is cloudy, I wonder if it is going to rain? .... 10 seconds later you have an answer
3) How late is that store on the other side of town open? ... 30 seconds later you're at their webpage and looking at store hours (And this was Allison looking it up, from the passenger seat of the car, while we were driving up South Blvd)
4) I wonder what the... and wikipedia is right there.
This is really as close as any device or company has come to making the vast resources of the internet a pervasive part of everyday life, even for not-that-technical people.
Not to mention the iPod capabilities... the new GUI, flipping through the cd cases, is really slick - it even finds the cover art for albums you have MP3ified previously, or downloaded, through a non-iTunes program.
Yes, the initial cost and monthly cost are a bit high (if you have a family plan it is $20 more per month than whatever you're paying now) but for someone that is technologically aware and will actually make use of the unlimited data plan, it is almost worth it.
If you're away from a Wi-Fi connection, AT&T's Edge data service is inconsistent - most places I've been it is equivalent to any public internet connection you are used to (university lab, library, so on) - or like your home connection while you're downloading some large files - laggy but usable. However there are times inside of buildings where the speed qualifies as 'faster than dial up but that isn't saying much'
And I carry it around in a cloth sunglasses case, because the pretty pretty screen collects fingerprints and face smudges.
Those negatives aside, it is an incredibly useful device.
Those of you who know me quite well know that I am usually really ah, frugal.
I am the type of person that watches for coupons from restaurants I might like (There have only been a couple times where Allison and I have eaten at Situl without the 1/2 off coupon) and uses the customer-tracking card at Harris Teeter regularly.
I have sold many small, outdated computer things on ebay for $9.99 or less instead of throwing them away.
I have bought and calibrated a programmable thermostat per house occupancy at different times of the day so that it is warmer during the day when no one is home, then cooler at night when we're around to save energy and money.
The least fuel efficient car in the household gets high 20's mpg.
And then, sometimes, things go a bit awry.
so, the iPhone.
It works exactly as advertised - anything you've seen on tv, online - it is really that easy, and that smooth.
As a phone it has some really neat design qualities. It requires less [virtual] button pushing to get things accomplished than any phone I've ever used (two Nokias and two Siemens previously)
But the phone is just a sideline application to what makes it worthwhile. You have the internet anywhere you go.
1) How do you get to anywhere? ... One minute later Google maps has a pushpin there and is giving directions.
2) It is cloudy, I wonder if it is going to rain? .... 10 seconds later you have an answer
3) How late is that store on the other side of town open? ... 30 seconds later you're at their webpage and looking at store hours (And this was Allison looking it up, from the passenger seat of the car, while we were driving up South Blvd)
4) I wonder what the... and wikipedia is right there.
This is really as close as any device or company has come to making the vast resources of the internet a pervasive part of everyday life, even for not-that-technical people.
Not to mention the iPod capabilities... the new GUI, flipping through the cd cases, is really slick - it even finds the cover art for albums you have MP3ified previously, or downloaded, through a non-iTunes program.
Yes, the initial cost and monthly cost are a bit high (if you have a family plan it is $20 more per month than whatever you're paying now) but for someone that is technologically aware and will actually make use of the unlimited data plan, it is almost worth it.
If you're away from a Wi-Fi connection, AT&T's Edge data service is inconsistent - most places I've been it is equivalent to any public internet connection you are used to (university lab, library, so on) - or like your home connection while you're downloading some large files - laggy but usable. However there are times inside of buildings where the speed qualifies as 'faster than dial up but that isn't saying much'
And I carry it around in a cloth sunglasses case, because the pretty pretty screen collects fingerprints and face smudges.
Those negatives aside, it is an incredibly useful device.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Progress
Well, things have improved a bit since last post. There are scheduled discussions about a new line of work. No actual changes planned yet, but it's a good first step.
Also, The upstairs bathroom is, technically, a room, again. There are walls, without holes, and a ceiling. One more day to finish/sand the edge patching and then it's on to tiling, which is another day or two, then sink/toilet installation, then lighting and we're done. (Then hardwood flooring on the main floor can begin)
The cost of the bathroom also rose by 15% last week - the old tub, which had been sitting in the driveway awaiting trash removal, fell over in a thunderstorm and dented the Miata - this is right up there with denting the BMW with my elbow while changing a tire as far as stupid ways to incur a multi-hundred dollar expense.
In summary, same now as it has ever been, lots to do, little time.
Also, The upstairs bathroom is, technically, a room, again. There are walls, without holes, and a ceiling. One more day to finish/sand the edge patching and then it's on to tiling, which is another day or two, then sink/toilet installation, then lighting and we're done. (Then hardwood flooring on the main floor can begin)
The cost of the bathroom also rose by 15% last week - the old tub, which had been sitting in the driveway awaiting trash removal, fell over in a thunderstorm and dented the Miata - this is right up there with denting the BMW with my elbow while changing a tire as far as stupid ways to incur a multi-hundred dollar expense.
In summary, same now as it has ever been, lots to do, little time.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Car nerd moment, and travels.
Note to FIAT: bring this: http://www.fiat500.com/ to the US. With the 1.4 petrol engine (though the parallel twin sounds awesome). and the 500 Italia badge. Cream white exterior, same with the seats, black dash. Will pay cash.
That's exactly what I like in cars - tons of character, economical, practical. Kinda like the mini, but with a more modern style. Ok, it's a 4 wheel interpretation of my Vespa, but that's great.
Anyway.
Philadelphia - neat city - has a bit of a Chicago vibe but with more history.
Morimoto's restaurant - easily in the top 5 most interesting meals I've had. The design of the restaurant itself is incredible - very modern and calming. Melt in your mouth sushi, interesting sake flight choices and presentation, iced green tea noodles with sesame seeds and green onions were excellent, the sea bass was light and fresh - perfect.
(Others in the top 5 include Three Brothers in Milwaukee, 1789 in DC solely for the fig/port dessert, Nepenthe in Big Sur, lunch in Munich's city market on an early summer day, French Laundry is excepted - it's in a different dimension)
The main thing about Philadelphia is that it has that real city feel to it - built over time - with strong middle class and immigrant influences - it a style that can't be designed or marketed. Maybe if Charlotte can go 50 years without tearing anything down it will have some neighborhoods with the same feel.
Anyway - it's late - time to fall asleep in the Finance book.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Travels and Updates
Going to the mountains was nice. The Laughing Seed and other good food around Asheville, finding one of the best beers I've tasted in a long time at a pizza place in downtown Waynesville (the beer was French Broad Brewery's Pilsner - that's a river btw) and I generally enjoyed being cut off from the normal world.
This weekend we're headed up to Philadelphia - going to Morimoto's restaurant with the parents as a delayed birthday thing - should be interesting, especially as they don't like sushi. Also that's one more real city on this coast I have yet to visit, so it will be good to wander around and get acquainted with the place.
Project Bathroom - well, the plumbing updates are complete, but it still is not put back together. Things learned so far 1) Kohler makes some really heavy duty pressure balancing valves compared to Moen or other 'normal' faucets. 2) Bathtubs don't bend, well, the porcelain enameled steel ones don't anyway.
School Stuff - Economics is finished- that was a lot of work. Financial Management has started and sounds rather intersting. Learning how risk factors into how much money a business (and via the same methods individuals) makes on a given investment. Essentially, how the stock markets work and how that relates to businesses.
Random things - I don't use AIM nearly as much as I used to, mainly a result of rarely being at home it seems. Wonder what the best way to keep updated with friends across disparate schedules is?
This weekend we're headed up to Philadelphia - going to Morimoto's restaurant with the parents as a delayed birthday thing - should be interesting, especially as they don't like sushi. Also that's one more real city on this coast I have yet to visit, so it will be good to wander around and get acquainted with the place.
Project Bathroom - well, the plumbing updates are complete, but it still is not put back together. Things learned so far 1) Kohler makes some really heavy duty pressure balancing valves compared to Moen or other 'normal' faucets. 2) Bathtubs don't bend, well, the porcelain enameled steel ones don't anyway.
School Stuff - Economics is finished- that was a lot of work. Financial Management has started and sounds rather intersting. Learning how risk factors into how much money a business (and via the same methods individuals) makes on a given investment. Essentially, how the stock markets work and how that relates to businesses.
Random things - I don't use AIM nearly as much as I used to, mainly a result of rarely being at home it seems. Wonder what the best way to keep updated with friends across disparate schedules is?
Monday, June 18, 2007
Project Update
The good: With the exception of the tub and toilet, the bathroom is disassembled. Those should be finished tomorrow night.
The bad: Removing 20 year old linoleum.
The ugly: Finding that the 20 year old linoleum was laminated on top of 30 year old linoleum.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I'm old(er)
Well, as of yesterday I'm numerically old(er) - 26. A surprising number of people (I think I may have had to count on more than one hand - that's a lot for a summer birthday) remembered and wished me well. The family birthday 'party' was last Saturday's dinner at Customshop- a new and very good restaurant on Elizabeth Ave then Allison's first attempt at making Sacher torte - which turned out well - a bit low profile, but still dense and dark-chocolate-y. My actual birthday was spent writing a Managerial Economics project, which is due later today and still not complete.
I'm not sure I'm taking the correct path through the mid 20's young professional life though. Typical 40 hour work week, 6 hours of class per week, another 2-4 of homework. Then there's the chosen expenses, mainly school ($9k year) and the house (even considering the number of cars I've rotated through they have not been a significant money gain or loss). The house recently has been the big one: over $2500 above mortgage spent on it in the past month alone. So, I'm essentially taking a nice paying normal job which could allow for a good life, but via choices I've made have no free time or money, and less of a social life.
I've always lived long term, am always planning the next step, always looking at the future and figuring out what it takes to get there. There has always been a goal - it is adaptable and has changed many times over the years - and it's still probably way too idealistic, but I feel that with enough work and learning I can get pretty close. I've become rather good and efficient at fixing all of the minor technical issues that pop up in daily life, but every now and then things converge to just shut down forward progress, and that seems to be happening more frequently and the 'next step' is pushed further away.
At what age and at what step will I consider myself stable though, when can I step back and say, you know, this is a fine life I've worked toward, and be content? The current answer seems to involve 29, a real walkable city, and a dwelling where maintenance means a set monthly fee, possibly one garage space for an old Porsche.
How to get there? Looks like 3 years of running 100% to accumulate enough knowledge, degrees, money and home-investment-gains in order to make the jump. Will the payoff be worth it, or will the goal be moved forward again? Not sure.
But in the mean time I should finish this economics project.
I'm not sure I'm taking the correct path through the mid 20's young professional life though. Typical 40 hour work week, 6 hours of class per week, another 2-4 of homework. Then there's the chosen expenses, mainly school ($9k year) and the house (even considering the number of cars I've rotated through they have not been a significant money gain or loss). The house recently has been the big one: over $2500 above mortgage spent on it in the past month alone. So, I'm essentially taking a nice paying normal job which could allow for a good life, but via choices I've made have no free time or money, and less of a social life.
I've always lived long term, am always planning the next step, always looking at the future and figuring out what it takes to get there. There has always been a goal - it is adaptable and has changed many times over the years - and it's still probably way too idealistic, but I feel that with enough work and learning I can get pretty close. I've become rather good and efficient at fixing all of the minor technical issues that pop up in daily life, but every now and then things converge to just shut down forward progress, and that seems to be happening more frequently and the 'next step' is pushed further away.
At what age and at what step will I consider myself stable though, when can I step back and say, you know, this is a fine life I've worked toward, and be content? The current answer seems to involve 29, a real walkable city, and a dwelling where maintenance means a set monthly fee, possibly one garage space for an old Porsche.
How to get there? Looks like 3 years of running 100% to accumulate enough knowledge, degrees, money and home-investment-gains in order to make the jump. Will the payoff be worth it, or will the goal be moved forward again? Not sure.
But in the mean time I should finish this economics project.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
How hard could it be?
So, most of the new bathroom was delivered today. Except they packed the wrong black accent tile (part numbers weren't even close) and forgot to deliver the floor tile. Apparently the correct pieces and the remainder of the order will be delivered next Saturday.
Oh well, at least the prep work can begin - rip out what's there, patch the walls, trim, repaint the ceiling, install the tub, so on.
Onward!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Suburbia...
Driving home, through the neighborhood, in the Miata after picking up the new sink at Lowes (had to tie down the trunk, but it fit) I pass this couple walking their dog, wave as usual, and as I pass I hear her say 'Slow Down' - it takes me a second to process that and look down at the speedometer - 26mph. For all practical purposes I'm obeying the speed limit. (As I tend to do - though it may be in higher revs in 2nd gear rather than a silent 4th gear and I may not slow down for turns - but still - for all practical purposes, obeying the speed limit)
So I stop, put the car in reverse, back up, and simply say that was 26 miles per hour. She looks confused and says something about how that's still a little fast and I might run over someone's kid or pet or something.
Perhaps I could have mentioned braking distances for this particular car and how the very short stopping distance from 25mph would be pretty much identical to the stopping distance from 26mph, give or take a foot, but decide that would be too much detail for the situation and put the car in 1st gear, which I hold the rest of the way home, happy to have corrected someone's misconception, but wondering if she says that to everyone by default, or was drunk and thinking things were moving rather fast... beats me.
The oddities of living in the suburbs...
So I stop, put the car in reverse, back up, and simply say that was 26 miles per hour. She looks confused and says something about how that's still a little fast and I might run over someone's kid or pet or something.
Perhaps I could have mentioned braking distances for this particular car and how the very short stopping distance from 25mph would be pretty much identical to the stopping distance from 26mph, give or take a foot, but decide that would be too much detail for the situation and put the car in 1st gear, which I hold the rest of the way home, happy to have corrected someone's misconception, but wondering if she says that to everyone by default, or was drunk and thinking things were moving rather fast... beats me.
The oddities of living in the suburbs...
Sunday, June 3, 2007
It has begun
Just ordered an entirely new bathroom. Some assembly required.
Delivery scheduled for next Saturday morning. Probably a week or two later until we finish the work.
Before and after pictures will be posted.
Delivery scheduled for next Saturday morning. Probably a week or two later until we finish the work.
Before and after pictures will be posted.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Summer Mix '07
Finally got the computer set up to burn. Here's the track list.
1) Milton - In the City
2) Aggrolites - Three Times
3) Stephen Marley - The Traffic Jam
4) Benet - A-Town
5) Public Property - Power Trip
6) Brett Dennen - Ain't no Reason
7) Roots of Creation featuring John Brown's Body Horns - Universal Soldier
8) Hot Club of Detroit - Swing One
9) Wilco - What Light
10) Xavier Rudd - Messages
11) Kaki King - Yellowcake
12) Foxy Moon Baby - Eclectic Fanfare
13) 56 Hope Road - Carolina
14) Mooney Suzuki - 99 Percent
15) Wiseman - Slightly Stoopid
16) Nina SImone - Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter
Contact me if you would find a copy interesting.
1) Milton - In the City
2) Aggrolites - Three Times
3) Stephen Marley - The Traffic Jam
4) Benet - A-Town
5) Public Property - Power Trip
6) Brett Dennen - Ain't no Reason
7) Roots of Creation featuring John Brown's Body Horns - Universal Soldier
8) Hot Club of Detroit - Swing One
9) Wilco - What Light
10) Xavier Rudd - Messages
11) Kaki King - Yellowcake
12) Foxy Moon Baby - Eclectic Fanfare
13) 56 Hope Road - Carolina
14) Mooney Suzuki - 99 Percent
15) Wiseman - Slightly Stoopid
16) Nina SImone - Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter
Contact me if you would find a copy interesting.
Friday, May 25, 2007
50cc , 1000mi
50cc: a tiny volume. One seventh a 12oz can of soda. About the same as the average unmeasured shot of alcohol. Also, the displacement of the engine in the Vespa.
As I rolled into the driveway coming home from work yesterday the Vespa odometer displayed 1006 miles. While not the nice round 1000 mark, the scooter had 6mi on it when purchased last fall.
That is not in a relative sense a lot of miles, however they were all spent commuting or running other errands around the city, so it's slightly surprising how quickly that added up. Also surprising is that I only used about 11 gallons of gas to cover that distance - less than a standard single tank of gas in a car (or about half a tank of gas in the average SUV)
The Vespa is a mode of transportation that really appeals to me beyond the extremely low running costs. It's quick, but ultimately not fast, the exhuast makes a nice hum/popping sound as you roll along enjoying the breeze and the unobstructed view of the trees/houses/sky/stars/whatever. It is a joyous mode of transportation - you can't be in a rush because you're pretty much always going as fast as the engine can push you - there really isn't much to do but sit back and enjoy the ride.
That and I like the privacy of being behind a black helmet and highlighter yellow jacket. While I'm typically dressed pretty well when riding (the standard work uniform of fine weave pants and pressed linen shirts) it doesn't really matter, because people only see the jacket. Kids point, some adults smile, others take the cell phone away from their ear for a second to glance. While very effective from a safety standpoint the anti-style of the experience is a bonus.
To 2k and beyond.
As I rolled into the driveway coming home from work yesterday the Vespa odometer displayed 1006 miles. While not the nice round 1000 mark, the scooter had 6mi on it when purchased last fall.
That is not in a relative sense a lot of miles, however they were all spent commuting or running other errands around the city, so it's slightly surprising how quickly that added up. Also surprising is that I only used about 11 gallons of gas to cover that distance - less than a standard single tank of gas in a car (or about half a tank of gas in the average SUV)
The Vespa is a mode of transportation that really appeals to me beyond the extremely low running costs. It's quick, but ultimately not fast, the exhuast makes a nice hum/popping sound as you roll along enjoying the breeze and the unobstructed view of the trees/houses/sky/stars/whatever. It is a joyous mode of transportation - you can't be in a rush because you're pretty much always going as fast as the engine can push you - there really isn't much to do but sit back and enjoy the ride.
That and I like the privacy of being behind a black helmet and highlighter yellow jacket. While I'm typically dressed pretty well when riding (the standard work uniform of fine weave pants and pressed linen shirts) it doesn't really matter, because people only see the jacket. Kids point, some adults smile, others take the cell phone away from their ear for a second to glance. While very effective from a safety standpoint the anti-style of the experience is a bonus.
To 2k and beyond.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Philosophy of Stuff
An important step in the evolution of my thoughts on stuff will take place in the next week - I will finally have 0 not-in-use computers in the house.
Up to this point I've been too focused on utilizing space as a resource - more space means more room for projects in process. These projects, whether they be home improvement, cars, computers, are never 100% efficient and result in accumulations of stuff - random computer parts, cables, cans of paint that are 80% used, tools, random car parts, so on. And since I now had a way too large house my parents finally dumped my random collections of stuff from my kid years as well - baseball/basketball cards, old textbooks, yearbooks, my old electric trainset even. So now I have all the stuff I could possibly claim ownership of, all in one place.
I suddenly realized that I'm getting close to being one of those people that requires more than a couple of friends and a pickup truck or U-Haul to move. Basically, I had too much not-in-use stuff. Furniture, cds, a TV, Stereo, a single computer... they're all part of everyday life and will always have a place - they may be upgraded or updated, but are essential (not life sustaining essential, but life enriching essential)... a closet full of rubbermaid bins of stuff - not part of everyday life.
But what to get rid of, and how to get rid of it. Throwing stuff away (or recycling even) is the easy answer, though it is wasteful - while I may not be using boxes of old textbooks or baseball cards or computer parts - they do have some value, to someone, somewhere. Even if the monetary value is small, an enormous amount of energy went into making, distributing, moving and simply storing all this stuff. As such it should not be wasted.
This aversion to outright waste makes stuff-reduction a very long process for me. I've spent a couple weekends sorting out stuff that simply has no value and reduced the rubbermaid bin count by 1 (of 7) through recycling/throwing stuff away. The next step is to sort and sell or donate the stuff that people may want or use. I only hope to complete this task before the next move in a couple years, and try very hard not to accumulate any more stuff in the same time period.
The next move will be to a smaller (or simply small) place - mainly due to the economic realities of living in a city - but it is a good reason to try to distill what is required for a good quality life at home - a comfortable bed and sofa and chair, a nice sounding stereo, a single computer, some clothes and books, two pots, two pans, two knives to cook with... that's about all I want to have in a house. Anything else just takes up space and detracts from what's important.
Up to this point I've been too focused on utilizing space as a resource - more space means more room for projects in process. These projects, whether they be home improvement, cars, computers, are never 100% efficient and result in accumulations of stuff - random computer parts, cables, cans of paint that are 80% used, tools, random car parts, so on. And since I now had a way too large house my parents finally dumped my random collections of stuff from my kid years as well - baseball/basketball cards, old textbooks, yearbooks, my old electric trainset even. So now I have all the stuff I could possibly claim ownership of, all in one place.
I suddenly realized that I'm getting close to being one of those people that requires more than a couple of friends and a pickup truck or U-Haul to move. Basically, I had too much not-in-use stuff. Furniture, cds, a TV, Stereo, a single computer... they're all part of everyday life and will always have a place - they may be upgraded or updated, but are essential (not life sustaining essential, but life enriching essential)... a closet full of rubbermaid bins of stuff - not part of everyday life.
But what to get rid of, and how to get rid of it. Throwing stuff away (or recycling even) is the easy answer, though it is wasteful - while I may not be using boxes of old textbooks or baseball cards or computer parts - they do have some value, to someone, somewhere. Even if the monetary value is small, an enormous amount of energy went into making, distributing, moving and simply storing all this stuff. As such it should not be wasted.
This aversion to outright waste makes stuff-reduction a very long process for me. I've spent a couple weekends sorting out stuff that simply has no value and reduced the rubbermaid bin count by 1 (of 7) through recycling/throwing stuff away. The next step is to sort and sell or donate the stuff that people may want or use. I only hope to complete this task before the next move in a couple years, and try very hard not to accumulate any more stuff in the same time period.
The next move will be to a smaller (or simply small) place - mainly due to the economic realities of living in a city - but it is a good reason to try to distill what is required for a good quality life at home - a comfortable bed and sofa and chair, a nice sounding stereo, a single computer, some clothes and books, two pots, two pans, two knives to cook with... that's about all I want to have in a house. Anything else just takes up space and detracts from what's important.
Monday, May 21, 2007
One year of home ownership. um, yay.
I have been rent-less for about one year now. While anyone that even remotely knows me has probably heard all about the different interesting bits of the house and all the work that has gone into it thus far, I guess I should say, get used to it, because this is a seemingly neverending project. I look back on the last year and see everything that has been done for the house (months of painting, new light fixtures, new front door, new water heater, regrading, planting stuff, day to day maintenance) and think: is it really worth it? There's so much more to do: tearing out the upstairs bathroom shortly, hardwood floors on the main level hopefully by the end of the year... I do think I have over-reached myself on this one. It's just way too much for one person to deal with, especially with work and on call and grad school happening at the same time.
No, the house won't fall down if I leave it alone for a year or two, but the whole reason I did this was to have an investment as well as a place to live. Any of the real cities that are on the list of 'next places I want to live' are all seriously expensive, and for someone starting from $0 (or negative numbers counting student loan debt, which has since been paid off), it seems like the only way to get there is to leverage any income toward the current house to both pay down the mortgage and prepare for resale in 2-3 more years, and contribute lots of labor to the process as well. Between double paying the mortgage (one normal bill each month, and the equivalent amount to principal) and contributing some of the extra to house projects I hope to pay off the mortgage and be able to sell for $250k in a couple years, which would be a respectable down payment on a place, though it still may not be enough for Vancouver, DC or New York - it seems you have to have generous wealthy relatives (none here) or the lucky lottery numbers to buy places in those cities.
Thinking economically - the return on the investment won't be that great, the house is more of a giant piggy bank that I happen to live in - even considering that I got a decent deal on the house originally and plan to pay off the mortgage way ahead of time - the actual value of what I put into it will probably earn less than a normal index fund investment account over the same period, but it does provide shelter in the mean time, which an index fund won't do. Well, the house will provide shelter as long as I replace the unsealed double pane window on the top story.
Where I'm going with this - is regardless of what you hear on HGTV or 'oh this one guy I know bought a place in an up and coming neighborhood, fixed it up and doubled his money in one year' - in the real world houses are just a lot of work.
No, the house won't fall down if I leave it alone for a year or two, but the whole reason I did this was to have an investment as well as a place to live. Any of the real cities that are on the list of 'next places I want to live' are all seriously expensive, and for someone starting from $0 (or negative numbers counting student loan debt, which has since been paid off), it seems like the only way to get there is to leverage any income toward the current house to both pay down the mortgage and prepare for resale in 2-3 more years, and contribute lots of labor to the process as well. Between double paying the mortgage (one normal bill each month, and the equivalent amount to principal) and contributing some of the extra to house projects I hope to pay off the mortgage and be able to sell for $250k in a couple years, which would be a respectable down payment on a place, though it still may not be enough for Vancouver, DC or New York - it seems you have to have generous wealthy relatives (none here) or the lucky lottery numbers to buy places in those cities.
Thinking economically - the return on the investment won't be that great, the house is more of a giant piggy bank that I happen to live in - even considering that I got a decent deal on the house originally and plan to pay off the mortgage way ahead of time - the actual value of what I put into it will probably earn less than a normal index fund investment account over the same period, but it does provide shelter in the mean time, which an index fund won't do. Well, the house will provide shelter as long as I replace the unsealed double pane window on the top story.
Where I'm going with this - is regardless of what you hear on HGTV or 'oh this one guy I know bought a place in an up and coming neighborhood, fixed it up and doubled his money in one year' - in the real world houses are just a lot of work.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Weekend Time
It has been a good week - no classes, on call was quiet for a change - nice weather - was able to commute on the Vespa all week. Walking around at dusk has been nice - comfortable, relaxing - it's what summer should be - it is a good sign to see many people downtown at night last night - making use of the (3 or so) restaurants with outdoors seating, a decent street-band - Charlotte's trying to be a real city.
Also - the light rail has been making test runs for the past few weeks - I'm really looking forward to making that a part of my commute - less than a mile to the station at Arrowood, exit at the Trade St. station, then another few blocks to the office.
I've pretty much planned out the entire new bathroom - will order the pieces this weekend and then start taking apart the current one next week.
This should be the first big value adding project for the house. Tile floor and shower area, ceramic tub, console sink, modern Kohler faucets, new paint. It will be a vast improvement over the 70's era linoleum floor and fiberglass tub/shower that are there.
This weekend - dinner and a movie Saturday - Il Posto, then Shrek 3. Maybe Situl tonight.
Also - the light rail has been making test runs for the past few weeks - I'm really looking forward to making that a part of my commute - less than a mile to the station at Arrowood, exit at the Trade St. station, then another few blocks to the office.
I've pretty much planned out the entire new bathroom - will order the pieces this weekend and then start taking apart the current one next week.
This should be the first big value adding project for the house. Tile floor and shower area, ceramic tub, console sink, modern Kohler faucets, new paint. It will be a vast improvement over the 70's era linoleum floor and fiberglass tub/shower that are there.
This weekend - dinner and a movie Saturday - Il Posto, then Shrek 3. Maybe Situl tonight.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
From :
Leave a comment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list 10 things you like starting with that letter. Post them in your journal and give out new letters to your commenters in turn.
I have been tasked with V:
1: Vidalia Onions - grilled until caramelized - yay for southern ingredients, as long as they're not in southern food.
2: Vermont - home of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
3: Vino - wine - like the current glass of Casillero Del Diablo Chilean Carmenere (yes, Carmenere is a grape type - was brought to Chile during the whole colonization period, but then went extinct in Europe, so Chile is the only source - very dark/minerally red wine - flavorful and relaxing)
4: Volkswagen - previously the makers of affordable sporting hatchbacks and sedans, now the maker of affordable Mercedes.
5: Volvo - a turbocharged station wagon - fun and practical - count me in.
6: Victoria's Secret - making female curves colorful and well, curvier - good idea.
7: Wien - counts due to the American spelling - Vienna - for the heuriger concept.
8: Veal - because steak takes longer to grow.
9: Vostok - makers of affordable automatic watches - wish they had the more elegant style of some of the Poljot models though.
10: Vodka - properly made, then served with pepper, rye bread or smoked fish, it is a great beverage.
Leave a comment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list 10 things you like starting with that letter. Post them in your journal and give out new letters to your commenters in turn.
I have been tasked with V:
1: Vidalia Onions - grilled until caramelized - yay for southern ingredients, as long as they're not in southern food.
2: Vermont - home of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
3: Vino - wine - like the current glass of Casillero Del Diablo Chilean Carmenere (yes, Carmenere is a grape type - was brought to Chile during the whole colonization period, but then went extinct in Europe, so Chile is the only source - very dark/minerally red wine - flavorful and relaxing)
4: Volkswagen - previously the makers of affordable sporting hatchbacks and sedans, now the maker of affordable Mercedes.
5: Volvo - a turbocharged station wagon - fun and practical - count me in.
6: Victoria's Secret - making female curves colorful and well, curvier - good idea.
7: Wien - counts due to the American spelling - Vienna - for the heuriger concept.
8: Veal - because steak takes longer to grow.
9: Vostok - makers of affordable automatic watches - wish they had the more elegant style of some of the Poljot models though.
10: Vodka - properly made, then served with pepper, rye bread or smoked fish, it is a great beverage.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Well, that was interesting
In my quest to be both healthy and a cheap bastard, I've started to bike to work (basically, any temperate day when I don't have class or any other after work commitments). This works fine generally - takes about 45 min to work, 30 min back (car or vespa are about 20min in traffic)
Except I'd forgotten how tenuous balance is on two wheeled vehicles. And how a very small amount of mud can upset that balance. And now there's a scuffed shoe and bent brake lever to show for it.
All those people commuting in Camrys and Accords don't know what they're missing.
In other news, spring semester is now officially complete. If all the classes are scheduled appropriately I should be finished with the MBA in December of 2008. Then I can get on with life, possibly leave IT, at least not have on call, I hope.
Except I'd forgotten how tenuous balance is on two wheeled vehicles. And how a very small amount of mud can upset that balance. And now there's a scuffed shoe and bent brake lever to show for it.
All those people commuting in Camrys and Accords don't know what they're missing.
In other news, spring semester is now officially complete. If all the classes are scheduled appropriately I should be finished with the MBA in December of 2008. Then I can get on with life, possibly leave IT, at least not have on call, I hope.
Monday, May 7, 2007
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
It wouldn't be springtime in a Southern city without a street preacher screaming to the wind and condemning the squirrels.
The guy usually near the square in downtown Charlotte reminds me more of preacher Gary from NCSU in his level of intolerance and anger than the other usual one further up Tryon on the weekends who just reads random bible quotes out of context.
Granted, they have the freedom to say whatever they want as loudly as they want to say it, however they should also have the good sense to leave people to their own lives.
The guy usually near the square in downtown Charlotte reminds me more of preacher Gary from NCSU in his level of intolerance and anger than the other usual one further up Tryon on the weekends who just reads random bible quotes out of context.
Granted, they have the freedom to say whatever they want as loudly as they want to say it, however they should also have the good sense to leave people to their own lives.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Cost of Living Adjustment?
It seems inflation has impacted everyone: twice in the past week I've been asked for $20 (no other denomination of currency) by the bums in downtown Charlotte.
That's a bit of a stretch from the $0.47 (or some other completely non-round number) that the Hillsborough St. bums asked for in Raleigh.
That's a bit of a stretch from the $0.47 (or some other completely non-round number) that the Hillsborough St. bums asked for in Raleigh.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Weekend
Friday - after work, Allison and I took my parents out to dinner at Copper for my mom's birthday. Since they recently 'discovered' Indian food it was good that they see what's possible with it - Indian ingredients, modern presentations - they had a positive opinion of the place. Afterwards Allison and I went to the Lotus concert - which gets more impressive the more I hear from them - even if they have somewhat abandoned the chill-jamband sound in favor of a funk-rock-electronic sound - still - it moves people - and sounds great at way too loud volumes.
Saturday - Errands, yardwork, cooked for Allison and Marcus/Claudia - well, I won't take credit for the sauce beyond the conceptual level, but it worked overall.
Sunday - Installed a programmable thermostat - the ultimate obsessive piece of household electronics - you get 4 time blocks per day, with each day of the week having a separate program - and it's all digital. So it can be 73 degrees from midnight to 6am, then 75 degrees from 6am to 8am, then 80 degrees to save energy when I'm not home from 8am to 6pm, then 74 degrees from 6pm to midnight. Then entirely different tuesday if I want. This kind of precise detailing/customization makes me happy.
Then there were some more errands, and dinner at the Philosopher's Stone with Allison and Daniel - mainly chosen for the fried zucchini sticks and the excellent patio. Live music, perfect weather, good beer and food - what more could you possibly want out of a dining experience.
This week - my new watch is here to be picked up tomorrow - it's entirely mechanical - and Russian - the engineering nerd in me is excited: old swiss engineering using a more affordable manufacturing model. (i.e. - sweep second hand, day and date, using a hand-wound mechanism - all for one tenth the price of an equivalent swiss made brand) Hope it lives up to the concept.
Saturday - Errands, yardwork, cooked for Allison and Marcus/Claudia - well, I won't take credit for the sauce beyond the conceptual level, but it worked overall.
Sunday - Installed a programmable thermostat - the ultimate obsessive piece of household electronics - you get 4 time blocks per day, with each day of the week having a separate program - and it's all digital. So it can be 73 degrees from midnight to 6am, then 75 degrees from 6am to 8am, then 80 degrees to save energy when I'm not home from 8am to 6pm, then 74 degrees from 6pm to midnight. Then entirely different tuesday if I want. This kind of precise detailing/customization makes me happy.
Then there were some more errands, and dinner at the Philosopher's Stone with Allison and Daniel - mainly chosen for the fried zucchini sticks and the excellent patio. Live music, perfect weather, good beer and food - what more could you possibly want out of a dining experience.
This week - my new watch is here to be picked up tomorrow - it's entirely mechanical - and Russian - the engineering nerd in me is excited: old swiss engineering using a more affordable manufacturing model. (i.e. - sweep second hand, day and date, using a hand-wound mechanism - all for one tenth the price of an equivalent swiss made brand) Hope it lives up to the concept.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
New website
I have finally found time to set up a webserver (using parts salvaged from the basement of ![[info]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tB0W52VtOAD_EMSz3Nq482o_PWRX_u2VALyafV03rEy7kfFkiO6oftChafZuHy7bYoVZWf2PQXVSgSF4SvTFN2HbPkRyn67oCxy7pZwM0h=s0-d)
entropysquared ) and register it to www.maslows.net
It seems that other Maslow, the one that wrote some psychology books, has claimed all the maslow.* URLs
Basically it will be a photo repository (all the places I've been with a digital camera) and will probably be used for some house projects as well.
A more normal looking front page and gallery format should be uploaded tonight. What's there right now is exceedingly basic/ugly.
For the nerds that might care, it is Apache. And a dual Pentium 3 with 768MB RAM is surprisingly responsive under Ubuntu.
Back to work time - two research papers to finish by next week, then one exam.
entropysquared ) and register it to www.maslows.net It seems that other Maslow, the one that wrote some psychology books, has claimed all the maslow.* URLs
Basically it will be a photo repository (all the places I've been with a digital camera) and will probably be used for some house projects as well.
A more normal looking front page and gallery format should be uploaded tonight. What's there right now is exceedingly basic/ugly.
For the nerds that might care, it is Apache. And a dual Pentium 3 with 768MB RAM is surprisingly responsive under Ubuntu.
Back to work time - two research papers to finish by next week, then one exam.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Bling
So, the ring.
In the last two weeks I've temporarily misplaced it once, forgotten to wear it out of the house a few times, already put some decent scuff marks on it.
It catches threads in my pockets, reduces the coefficient of friction on steering wheels, makes rather loud sounds when I contact any hard surface.
I'm not sure how people rationalize wearing jewelry, beyond a watch, which I can understand because it performs a function - tells time.
It does however act as a barometer of how stressed or physically exerted I am. If I can take the ring off easily, I'm generally fine. After a day of supporting buggy hardware or running up more than about 4 floors worth of stairs, the blood pressure is elevated enough to make getting the ring off a bit of a chore. At least I think that's the correlation. All the more reason to not stress.
------------
On a different note - it is a really nice day outside. If I hadn't been on call I would have biked into the office, though that takes about twice as long as it does on the scooter, which provides a similar experience, just with a larger helmet. Perhaps next week, after both projects are turned in, I can take the time to get some exercise on the commute.
In the last two weeks I've temporarily misplaced it once, forgotten to wear it out of the house a few times, already put some decent scuff marks on it.
It catches threads in my pockets, reduces the coefficient of friction on steering wheels, makes rather loud sounds when I contact any hard surface.
I'm not sure how people rationalize wearing jewelry, beyond a watch, which I can understand because it performs a function - tells time.
It does however act as a barometer of how stressed or physically exerted I am. If I can take the ring off easily, I'm generally fine. After a day of supporting buggy hardware or running up more than about 4 floors worth of stairs, the blood pressure is elevated enough to make getting the ring off a bit of a chore. At least I think that's the correlation. All the more reason to not stress.
------------
On a different note - it is a really nice day outside. If I hadn't been on call I would have biked into the office, though that takes about twice as long as it does on the scooter, which provides a similar experience, just with a larger helmet. Perhaps next week, after both projects are turned in, I can take the time to get some exercise on the commute.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Vacation Pics and Professional Wedding Pics
http://uncc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2076965&l=e4357&id=36620541
Each should have a short description next to the pic.
The facebook galleries are a bit of a placeholder until I get the webserver set up at the house - then higher res will be available.
Oh, and I have added some of the professional pics to the wedding album as well. I'm even properly smiling in a few of them!
http://uncc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2075386&l=612a1&id=36620541
Only the formal ones are up for now - I'll add some of the more fun ones tomorrow.
Each should have a short description next to the pic.
The facebook galleries are a bit of a placeholder until I get the webserver set up at the house - then higher res will be available.
Oh, and I have added some of the professional pics to the wedding album as well. I'm even properly smiling in a few of them!
http://uncc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2075386&l=612a1&id=36620541
Only the formal ones are up for now - I'll add some of the more fun ones tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The other coast, and the French Laundry Experience
Pics will be posted with shorter descriptions in a following post:
I'll get the car discussion out of the way first - the rental was a Pontiac G5 GT coupe - it's a 2 door Chevy Cobalt with more bling. If the car had been built with more attention to detail, I would have liked it (same as my evaluation of the Ford Focus for that matter) - it was decently quiet, had a firm ride, steering and handling, and the engine revved to 6k without complaint. On the inside the seats were comfortable, the dash and dash lighting were good looking and XM radio is pretty cool. However, the fake carbon fiber trim didn't line up, the gaps were notably uneven, and the sunroof switch flexed the roof headliner around it when used. Also, the armrest interfered with the parking brake handle, and only one of the two windows had one touch down operation (honestly, how much would it have cost to make them both operate the same way - an extra $2, if that, given the volume) and there was a rattle in the dash, with only 1030 miles on the car.
On to the vacation.
First day - flew into LA - picked up the car, and immediately headed to an In-n-Out Burger for lunch (burger 2 of 4 on the week) it's a good hamburger - thin, but flavorful with good fresh veggies - fries were a bit disappointing - not much texture. I'll still vote Five Guys for the best fast food hamburger. On to Griffith Park - took a short hike for the requisite picture of the Hollywood sign - then had some fun along Mulholland Drive - a bit of an appetizer for the Pacific Coast Highway - twisty road, views of the LA haze and all the rich person mansions in the hills. Dinner (grilled fish tacos and a Sierra Nevada IPA) and the hotel were in Malibu, right on the beach. A great way to vacation, but I wouldn't want to live in LA or Malibu - it's too big, too expensive, too polluted, too many cars, too much of everything.
Second day - headed up the coast - where along the Pacific Coast Highway every turn makes you want to stop and take a picture - it's indescribably dramatic and beautiful - quick lunch in Morro Bay (cool place, huge rock right off shore) then on to San Simeon and the Hearst Castle - the ultimate example of too much of everything - though quite interesting to tour for a couple hours - the dude picked a great location to be crazy rich - sitting on the top of a hill overlooking the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other.
On to Big Sur and what is probably the most philosophically indulgent meal I've ever had. Nepenthe restaurant. The restaurant and patio part of the building were designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. It sits on a cliff over 800ft above the ocean, with a view miles down the coast... and home to the best hamburger I have ever experienced (Number 3 of 4 on the week). Ground local organically raised sirloin with cheddar on a soft french bread. That's it. But damn was it good. (Allison had some smoked salmon crostini that were excellent as well) and they stocked Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner, one of my favorite wines, period. Yes, there is better food and there are better restaurants, but there are very few better meal experiences than this place can provide.
After relaxing in Big Sur for a couple days, on to San Francisco - very cool city - they seem to have an aversion to tearing anything down - kinda like a half scale New York and the polar opposite of Charlotte - I generally like the place - though am somewhat annoyed the the public transportation isn't better, and that anytime it's cloudy and foggy, I know the weather is perfectly brilliant an hour away in the Napa Valley.
Speaking of Napa - probably the main reason for going - lunch at the French Laundry.
The two ideas that summarize every course are freshness and balance. Each course was basically a distillation of three ingredients along those ideas. Foie gras, kumquat, celery for one dish. Rhubarb, asparagus, sweet onion for another. Green tea, passion fruit, white chocolate for one of the desserts... no flavor overwhelmed, each ingredient on its own was intense and fresh and prepared to just the right texture to complement the others.
Particularly notable was the lamb - seasoned with a small amount of salt and pepper, where the crystals/pieces remained in just a large enough quantity to give a little texture to each bite - and the meat itself was more tender than you could ever imagine and very flavorful. Served over a dense eggplant puree on a lightly fried potato pancake. Perfect came to mind with that course (only about 5 bites of food per course), and perfect again came to mind with those listed previously.
However,
Perfect is a nearly impossible concept to define when it comes to food - and value harder - what could $641 ($45 of which was a bottle of wine) worth of ingredients look like - the possibilities are infinite. But after experiencing the French Laundry's philosophy about food :a completely extravagant meal that was essentially devoid of excess, I think it can be summarized as I started with above. Freshness and balance.
As someone that cooks passably and is still figuring out how food works, the French Laundry was more a learning experience than a meal, showing what is possible with food given the ideal ingredients and flawless technique. As such it was entirely worth it.
The rest of the time in SF was spent wandering the city - the Saturday market down at the docks - tons of great looking organic produce and fresh breads. And Valrhona chocolate gelato. mmmm.
It will be a busy few weeks upon the return, so I probably won't post much after the pictures for a while, but that's a summary of vacation, Nick style: food driving food food food.
I'll get the car discussion out of the way first - the rental was a Pontiac G5 GT coupe - it's a 2 door Chevy Cobalt with more bling. If the car had been built with more attention to detail, I would have liked it (same as my evaluation of the Ford Focus for that matter) - it was decently quiet, had a firm ride, steering and handling, and the engine revved to 6k without complaint. On the inside the seats were comfortable, the dash and dash lighting were good looking and XM radio is pretty cool. However, the fake carbon fiber trim didn't line up, the gaps were notably uneven, and the sunroof switch flexed the roof headliner around it when used. Also, the armrest interfered with the parking brake handle, and only one of the two windows had one touch down operation (honestly, how much would it have cost to make them both operate the same way - an extra $2, if that, given the volume) and there was a rattle in the dash, with only 1030 miles on the car.
On to the vacation.
First day - flew into LA - picked up the car, and immediately headed to an In-n-Out Burger for lunch (burger 2 of 4 on the week) it's a good hamburger - thin, but flavorful with good fresh veggies - fries were a bit disappointing - not much texture. I'll still vote Five Guys for the best fast food hamburger. On to Griffith Park - took a short hike for the requisite picture of the Hollywood sign - then had some fun along Mulholland Drive - a bit of an appetizer for the Pacific Coast Highway - twisty road, views of the LA haze and all the rich person mansions in the hills. Dinner (grilled fish tacos and a Sierra Nevada IPA) and the hotel were in Malibu, right on the beach. A great way to vacation, but I wouldn't want to live in LA or Malibu - it's too big, too expensive, too polluted, too many cars, too much of everything.
Second day - headed up the coast - where along the Pacific Coast Highway every turn makes you want to stop and take a picture - it's indescribably dramatic and beautiful - quick lunch in Morro Bay (cool place, huge rock right off shore) then on to San Simeon and the Hearst Castle - the ultimate example of too much of everything - though quite interesting to tour for a couple hours - the dude picked a great location to be crazy rich - sitting on the top of a hill overlooking the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other.
On to Big Sur and what is probably the most philosophically indulgent meal I've ever had. Nepenthe restaurant. The restaurant and patio part of the building were designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. It sits on a cliff over 800ft above the ocean, with a view miles down the coast... and home to the best hamburger I have ever experienced (Number 3 of 4 on the week). Ground local organically raised sirloin with cheddar on a soft french bread. That's it. But damn was it good. (Allison had some smoked salmon crostini that were excellent as well) and they stocked Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner, one of my favorite wines, period. Yes, there is better food and there are better restaurants, but there are very few better meal experiences than this place can provide.
After relaxing in Big Sur for a couple days, on to San Francisco - very cool city - they seem to have an aversion to tearing anything down - kinda like a half scale New York and the polar opposite of Charlotte - I generally like the place - though am somewhat annoyed the the public transportation isn't better, and that anytime it's cloudy and foggy, I know the weather is perfectly brilliant an hour away in the Napa Valley.
Speaking of Napa - probably the main reason for going - lunch at the French Laundry.
The two ideas that summarize every course are freshness and balance. Each course was basically a distillation of three ingredients along those ideas. Foie gras, kumquat, celery for one dish. Rhubarb, asparagus, sweet onion for another. Green tea, passion fruit, white chocolate for one of the desserts... no flavor overwhelmed, each ingredient on its own was intense and fresh and prepared to just the right texture to complement the others.
Particularly notable was the lamb - seasoned with a small amount of salt and pepper, where the crystals/pieces remained in just a large enough quantity to give a little texture to each bite - and the meat itself was more tender than you could ever imagine and very flavorful. Served over a dense eggplant puree on a lightly fried potato pancake. Perfect came to mind with that course (only about 5 bites of food per course), and perfect again came to mind with those listed previously.
However,
Perfect is a nearly impossible concept to define when it comes to food - and value harder - what could $641 ($45 of which was a bottle of wine) worth of ingredients look like - the possibilities are infinite. But after experiencing the French Laundry's philosophy about food :a completely extravagant meal that was essentially devoid of excess, I think it can be summarized as I started with above. Freshness and balance.
As someone that cooks passably and is still figuring out how food works, the French Laundry was more a learning experience than a meal, showing what is possible with food given the ideal ingredients and flawless technique. As such it was entirely worth it.
The rest of the time in SF was spent wandering the city - the Saturday market down at the docks - tons of great looking organic produce and fresh breads. And Valrhona chocolate gelato. mmmm.
It will be a busy few weeks upon the return, so I probably won't post much after the pictures for a while, but that's a summary of vacation, Nick style: food driving food food food.
Monday, April 9, 2007
The wedding: tons of people and lots to do
For part one of two on the history of the past two weeks according to Nick: the wedding. (Official pics will be posted as they arrive, maybe tomorrow evening)
Due to my exceedingly large extended family, the wedding party basically began on Thursday, when the family members started to arrive, with lunch at Five Guys and dinner at the parents' house. (Which would be hamburger 1 of 4 in that following week - ah health food) As more people arrived on Friday I spent most of the day cleaning the house and fixing last minute things before all of the 'official' stuff happened.
The rehearsal and dinner on Friday went much more smoothly than I was expecting, given the varied tastes and cultures of the people attending. It appears enough good German beer and wine fixes anything. The last of the family members arrived in time for dinner, and we were able to invite a few local friends as well to fill the extra seats. Gifts and ties were distributed, a good time was had by all. Afterward the wedding party and friends went out to Cans to continue to the party - and everyone stayed up way too late and had a hard time waking up in time for lunch the next day. At least it wasn't just me.
Saturday involved lunch at the parents, then heading over to the Van Landingham to get suited up. Lots of pictures were taken, I may have smiled in a few of them. Hopefully. My generally content expression doesn't really show externally, so I have to make an effort to translate that. Everyone arrived, I greeted people, then got ready to walk down the aisle and say some things and exchange rings and such (I'm still not getting this whole ring thing - the only 'jewelry' I've ever worn is a watch, and that is functional, not just a shiny thing that gets in the way - oh well - it is all part of the experience)
The reception was nice - though more people stayed inside than I was expecting, especially given the brilliant weather - food was good, the cake was excellent. Was nice to talk to people that I hadn't seen in a while for a few minutes here and there - between pictures and toasts and such.
Sunday - the house survived the many people that showed up - much pizza was eaten, though there is a lot of beer and cake remaining to be eaten - Charlotte people - we need help with this.
Monday - the vacation started - second post to follow.
Due to my exceedingly large extended family, the wedding party basically began on Thursday, when the family members started to arrive, with lunch at Five Guys and dinner at the parents' house. (Which would be hamburger 1 of 4 in that following week - ah health food) As more people arrived on Friday I spent most of the day cleaning the house and fixing last minute things before all of the 'official' stuff happened.
The rehearsal and dinner on Friday went much more smoothly than I was expecting, given the varied tastes and cultures of the people attending. It appears enough good German beer and wine fixes anything. The last of the family members arrived in time for dinner, and we were able to invite a few local friends as well to fill the extra seats. Gifts and ties were distributed, a good time was had by all. Afterward the wedding party and friends went out to Cans to continue to the party - and everyone stayed up way too late and had a hard time waking up in time for lunch the next day. At least it wasn't just me.
Saturday involved lunch at the parents, then heading over to the Van Landingham to get suited up. Lots of pictures were taken, I may have smiled in a few of them. Hopefully. My generally content expression doesn't really show externally, so I have to make an effort to translate that. Everyone arrived, I greeted people, then got ready to walk down the aisle and say some things and exchange rings and such (I'm still not getting this whole ring thing - the only 'jewelry' I've ever worn is a watch, and that is functional, not just a shiny thing that gets in the way - oh well - it is all part of the experience)
The reception was nice - though more people stayed inside than I was expecting, especially given the brilliant weather - food was good, the cake was excellent. Was nice to talk to people that I hadn't seen in a while for a few minutes here and there - between pictures and toasts and such.
Sunday - the house survived the many people that showed up - much pizza was eaten, though there is a lot of beer and cake remaining to be eaten - Charlotte people - we need help with this.
Monday - the vacation started - second post to follow.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
And the results are in
Some initial wedding photos are here: http://uncc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2075386&l=612a1&id=36620541
I think this will work. Description and stories to be posted after the vacation.
I think this will work. Description and stories to be posted after the vacation.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
It's the circle of life, in an automotive sense.
I'm tired of swapping through cheap cars every 6 months. It's too much hassle for this point in my life.
I've settled down with another VW (2000 gti), basically back where I started when my car luck turned downhill a few years ago (the disappeared-into-thin-air Jetta). It's newer, more reliable, and has ABS and new tires, to hopefully keep it away from other cars.
Here it is: http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gtisb4.jpg
8 days until vacation.
I've settled down with another VW (2000 gti), basically back where I started when my car luck turned downhill a few years ago (the disappeared-into-thin-air Jetta). It's newer, more reliable, and has ABS and new tires, to hopefully keep it away from other cars.
Here it is: http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gtisb4.jpg
8 days until vacation.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Spring!
While I'm mostly a Winter person - love the snow and cold and hardship and Sigur-Ros soundtrack stuff - there really isn't any of that in NC, so I'll have to be content with what I get.
Currently that is spring; it is rather nice. I've almost forgotten the need for a car. It has been excellent walking weather for the last week. For someone that's trapped inside all day at the job there is nothing better than being able to go for a walk at lunch and after dinner and just enjoy the wind and the non-fluorescent/CRT light.
Walking also slows me down, which is really necessary. I've been running from task to task for weeks now - work, classes, trying to find waterproof transportation, selling all of 's random old computer parts, fixing the house, so on, there hasn't been much free time. Example: It's Friday and I was just able to finish watching the F1 race from last Sunday ( Raikonnen is finally in an apparently reliable car - he should walk over everyone this season - about time ) while getting ready for work this morning.
All of this being-an-adult stuff really makes me realize how accurate Office Space was - sometimes the best time spent is the time doing nothing.
(That movie provides surprising amounts of mental clarity/guidance on how to survive in IT. I also blame it for some of the odd choices I've made recently. I know I'm doing all the normal 'young professional' adult things - corporate job, house, import car, blah blah. But I have this mental aversion to doing things the easy, normal, boring, soul crushing way. Thus the modernist barn and Vespa and Berlin Wall era German cars. If I'm going to live in the Office Space world, I need some creative outlets to remain sane )
It'll be a bit of a rush to finish two weeks worth of homework this weekend, but the payoff should be worth it - cruising along the Pacific coast in a week. That and In-n-Out Burger.
Currently that is spring; it is rather nice. I've almost forgotten the need for a car. It has been excellent walking weather for the last week. For someone that's trapped inside all day at the job there is nothing better than being able to go for a walk at lunch and after dinner and just enjoy the wind and the non-fluorescent/CRT light.
Walking also slows me down, which is really necessary. I've been running from task to task for weeks now - work, classes, trying to find waterproof transportation, selling all of 's random old computer parts, fixing the house, so on, there hasn't been much free time. Example: It's Friday and I was just able to finish watching the F1 race from last Sunday ( Raikonnen is finally in an apparently reliable car - he should walk over everyone this season - about time ) while getting ready for work this morning.
All of this being-an-adult stuff really makes me realize how accurate Office Space was - sometimes the best time spent is the time doing nothing.
(That movie provides surprising amounts of mental clarity/guidance on how to survive in IT. I also blame it for some of the odd choices I've made recently. I know I'm doing all the normal 'young professional' adult things - corporate job, house, import car, blah blah. But I have this mental aversion to doing things the easy, normal, boring, soul crushing way. Thus the modernist barn and Vespa and Berlin Wall era German cars. If I'm going to live in the Office Space world, I need some creative outlets to remain sane )
It'll be a bit of a rush to finish two weeks worth of homework this weekend, but the payoff should be worth it - cruising along the Pacific coast in a week. That and In-n-Out Burger.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
More fast food bashing.
About the new McDonald's 1/3lb hamburger:
One more reason I don't miss large-chain food - except for the Wendy's Frosty - yes it's a sad excuse for a chocolate shake, but somehow it's a good long distance driving snack. This may be due to the lack of air conditioning in some of my recent cars though. It may fall out of favor once I get a ride that works.
"
The paper quoted McDonald's franchise owner Scott Frisbie as saying that he approached the company about two years ago with the idea that the McDonald's menu needed a premium burger to remain competitive.
Developed by McDonald's executive chef Dan Coudreaut, the burger comes on a denser bun, which Frisbie said has more of a "roll flavor," the report said.
"
So why don't they put this fancy new hamburger on an actual roll, kaiser, onion, etc, instead of some bread-like-substance that has 'more roll flavor' .... ah, this made me laugh.
How hard can it be to mass produce a quality hamburger? Five Guys makes excellent cheap burgers, as do a host of independent places in Charlotte.One more reason I don't miss large-chain food - except for the Wendy's Frosty - yes it's a sad excuse for a chocolate shake, but somehow it's a good long distance driving snack. This may be due to the lack of air conditioning in some of my recent cars though. It may fall out of favor once I get a ride that works.
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