Movin' Right Along

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Hello all! It's been a few days since I last wrote, and I'm "writing home to catch you up on places I've been." 

Earlier this week, I traveled up to Boston for work. It was my first time there since a field trip in sixth grade or so, and I took the train up. I learned that I really enjoy riding trains - certainly more so than riding on planes. There's no hassle about security checks, which is equally convenient and jarring. Second, there's a ton of leg room and personal space, which is great for people on the larger side. Lastly, it's really peaceful. You get to see new countryside up close and personal and feel closer to the neighborhoods you travel through. It's a much different experience than looking down on the country from 35,000 feet in an airplane. It made me feel introspective and calm.

While in Boston, I got a chance to meet up with two of my oldest friends, Latoya and Matt, for dinner. Two very cool and inspiring people. We had some PF Chang's - one of my favorites. It's great to see how well they are both doing in their lives, living as independent and successful young adults. The conversation turned to our times in the past and how they helped to get us where we are, and it's comforting to think that Waterbury helped to produce all of us in its own ways. It gives me a sense of roots and companionship to look back on our common experiences.

Up next on the schedule is Atlanta a.k.a. Hot-lanta. My flight's on Sunday, and I'll be back in NYC late Wednesday night. I'm going to miss seeing the Braves home opener by the slightest of margins, which is disappointing. I would've liked to see that. Oh well, baseball season is beginning and that makes me happy.

Now for your viewing entertainment, a video that fits in with all this travel I'm doing lately:

 

Funny Realization

Friday, March 21, 2008

For the longest time, I've noticed that for some mysterious reason, I always get little ads for Spam recipes atop my Gmail page. Spam tortillas, spam 'n eggs, spamwiches... I always wondered what I'd done to merit such unusual recommendations.

It only took me a year or so to figure out that it's just a part of how Google takes key words from your emails, etc., and makes recommendations based on them. Since the word "spam" is always present on my Gmail page, it's just making a recommendation based on that.

I found this really amusing. Ah, the simple pleasures.

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend! I'll be using the time to prepare for a long 3 weeks of work and travel. To anyone in Boston, Atlanta, Seattle or Chicago: Let me know if you'd like meet up!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Monday, March 17, 2008

I just wanted to say a quick Happy St. Patrick's Day to everybody! I hope everyone out there has a safe and merry one. I myself will be chillin' back with some Jameson & cranberry juice, watching Boondock Saints. It's becoming my traditional way to celebrate: 2 years in a row now!

Quick notes... I learned how to make videos with my webcam today, so I've added it here! My apologies, as it's not the greatest. Hopefully they'll get better!

And! One quick note... I added a music player to the top of this blog. Right now it's just playing some of my favorite tunes, but if anyone would like to hear a song added, I can try to put it on there! I'd love to have a mix of what people are listening to, so just let me know

Death and Taxes

Saturday, March 15, 2008

For the first time, I have felt the sting of having a full-time post-college job... I owe the federal and state governments a total of $1100 in taxes. I thought it was called a "tax return," as in get something back. For a second I was really excited about having an extra $600 for the economic stimulus rebate. Now it's just a cold compress on my bruised finances... anybody else having tax nightmares? Maybe I can be like Ana Pascal from "Stranger Than Fiction" and just pay proportionately based on only the government spending I condone. TurboTax said I'm at a low risk for an audit.... tempting thought.

John's Movie!

Monday, March 10, 2008

For those of you who have (and haven't) met my good friend Johnny Doolan, he is an insanely brilliant soon-to-be-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with movie man. Dude's so fly he's got his own entry on IMDB. Click on the title of this entry to see the trailer for his first completed film, "Banshee!!!" The movie studio he works for had a script that needed work, and they put it in good hands. It'll be available on DVD later this year, so when you get yourself a gift certificate to a movie store, check to see if they've got it! (For those of you too stubborn to click the link, here's the URL:

http://syntheticcinema.net/banshee/index.html

New Post!

Hello again! I hope that this post finds you well. It finds me at home, after a Monday at work after a long weekend in Washington DC. I headed down to visit Meg M., Erin B. and Phil (over from Ireland!) The weather wasn't particularly nice, but it was a great weekend. I got to spend time with people I miss, complete with beautiful architecture, aimlessly fun conversations, some excellent movies ("Good Bye Lenin," "Once") and some singing. (They got me to sing, and as nervous as I am about it nowadays, it felt great.) Here's a weird artsy picture I made of each of the four of us in front of a sculpture in the garden at the National Gallery of Art:




And here's some things I've been thinking about the last few days:

1.) Daylight savings time is a violation of my civil rights! The government cannot censor what I say... cannot force me to follow a religion... cannot search my home without a warrant... inalienable rights. In the cases of free speech and religion, these are subjective experiences: each of us has our own meanings attached to things. Now take the notion of time. It's pretty hard to interpret differently from person to person... it can't be sped up or slowed down... rewound or fast forwarded... yet the government feels it has a right to steal an hour of my precious sleep away from me. Who's to stop them from turning the clock on its head any time they want to? This madness must be stopped. Although I do like walking home in the daylight.

2.) I've been thinking about how often I think by a process of justification... I eat "this" because I ate "that" earlier, or will eat "that" later on today... I spend "this" because I did or didn't spend "that" another time... I wonder how pervasive this balancing act is. Does it work against spontaneity? I know I tend to rationalize things, so maybe this is putting a new spin on some of that. Do other people do it? I hear it in research pretty frequently. What do you think?

Random Thoughts

Saturday, March 01, 2008

I'm reading a book for work called "The Anatomy of Buzz." It's written to attempt to explain how companies should think regarding the way our social networks impact the spread of ideas and product adoption. (Kind of like "The Tipping Point.") So far it's talked about how part of the process is that we're all part of several circles, and constantly picking up info from individuals in one circle and passing it to people in others, speaking up about positive and negative experiences as consumers. In some circles we might be leaders, making it a point to stay connected to the world outside the circle and keep learning. In others we might not go out exploring for info, and rather, simply rely on the word of others.

It made me start thinking about what circles I am in... circles of friends, family, coworkers... golfers, book enthusiasts... young adults, New Yorkers, U of A alumni... and kind of made my head spin. It's not one of those things we consciously think about, and can be kind of cool when it means you might very well be someone who influences the way others think in certain areas. So think about it: What circles are you a part of? When and where are you that influential person that others rely on for ideas and expertise? And who do you turn to for ideas and expertise on other things? It's kind of fun to think about.

I also had a couple of random thoughts today...

1.) I have a feeling that the same people who manufacture the mirrors for fitting rooms in stores also make the mirrors in barbershops and salons. In both places, you try something on or see your haircut and think, "Sweet!" Then you go home and all of a sudden it's like you're not even looking at the same thing anymore.

2.) I love it when I see older couples who walk side by side in stride, stepping left and right in sync without even realizing it. It makes me feel like there's reason to believe we could meet someone we connect with beyond a conscious level. Or, is it possible that once upon a time, these two people walked out of stride, bumping into each other or others from time to time, and only over time learned to walk together?

First Post

I don't get to keep in touch with my closest friends anywhere near as frequently as I would like to. Despite the doors of communication that the internet has opened, it's no match for time zone differences, busy schedules and a multitude of activities that can overpower even an IM with a friend. In the midst of a chapter in my life comprised largely of solitude, I miss having conversations about everything and nothing with people whose presence in my life I value very much. So I've decided to start writing about random thoughts, philosophies, activities and experiences, in the hope that anyone who would like to can turn it into an ongoing conversation. This blog isn't dedicated to any subject matter in particular. It's dedicated more to context than content: the people and energy behind the conversation, as opposed to the words themselves.

So if you're here, reading this, feel free to keep in touch. I'd really enjoy hearing from you.