When not even my backlog (backblog?) can save me...

I've got like a million blogs ready to go in my "drafts," or so I thought.  Hmm...  none are ready for the public eye.  Note to self, next time I have a three a week, spurt, go for one a week on the "publish" button.

Pandora is great for when you hear a new band, song, or artist.  Plug it in to a new station and fine tune from there and see where it takes you.  It doesn't let you listen to specific songs, though.  You have to rely on it's algorithms and thumb ups/downs to take you where you want to go.

I'm sure there's a better way (place?), but youtube.com is good for seeing the relationships between songs, bands, artists.  The six degrees of separation/Kevin Bacon things.  I still haven't seen that movie...  I like bacon.

Here's a fun (for me) find.

The Move, a precursor to ELO. Here's Wild Tiger Woman.  Sweet clothes.



It's a little reminiscent of some "Flight of the Concords," but these guys at The Move guys are serious.


Here's some ELO, although the song is brought forward from The Move.  Do Ya is the name.  ...and there's some serious cowbell!



No video, but I didn't care for the live versions.


Here's the Traveling Wilbury's. A lighthearted and fun group (again, I think ELO was trying for serious, despite Do Ya) with an amazing lineup, including Jeff Lynn from ELO/The Move.



Handle Me With Care

Busy, busy, busy...

I've been soooo busy with work.  I wish I had more time to write, but until I do, all I can do is keep scratching down my ideas.  The list grows long...

In the meantime, a work related thing you might find interesting.  We (Xerox) use a company called Direct Smile to provide customized images that are specific to a customer.  It might have your name, company name, etc. worked into the picture.

It's pretty cool and you can try it for yourself if you like.

Direct Smile

Obviously, it's not manually done when we contact thousands of people at once, but you get a feeling for the underlying technology.  Enjoy!

It actually IS cold in Starbucks

I got tired of thinking it's just me, so I brought a thermometer with me.  66 degrees and cold air blowing right down on top of you equals "yes, it's cold."

If you check around the internet, you'll see the conspiracy theorists say that the colder temp of a Starbucks is designed to make you buy and drink more coffee, but that seems smart, well planned, and complicated to keep up without employees spilling the beans (haha).

I'm sure it's bad A/C and thermostat placement, combined with the recent addition of the blast furnace sandwich ovens that are positioned pretty near to the HVAC controls.

I'll admit that I'm probably more susceptible to cold than many people, being fairly lean and having a shaved head, but when my hairier friends head to the car to get jackets and stare menacingly at the vents blowing air imported directly from the North Pole, I'm inclined to believe that it's not just me.

The good news is that Peet's coffee is nearby and not cold.  They have free wifi and their coffee is often better, too.

The bad news is that Peet's is a little more expensive and their desserts are better.  I'm taking the chance and risking the good desserts so I don't have to wear three layers of clothes and a beanie, just to keep computing, like I am right now (in Starbucks, actually considering how much more comfortable I'd be if I also had a pair of gloves and a scarf to keep the FUCKING cold draft out).

My Newest Starbucks Name

I thought I had them all pretty much all listed.  Today, I add "Rola" to the list.  She didn't even say "what?" and try again.  She asked my name and wrote it down like she hears that one all the time.

nom is the new meh

I know this will just be annoying to those of you who regularly nom things like seared ahi salad on mixed greens with wasabi ginger dressing, but for some reason the bad usage and overusage of "nom" has bugged me from day one, almost like "meh" used to. The use of "meh" bugs me a little less now, because now it's ubiquitous.  People no longer use it to be clever, they just use it. 

I think this post is my first experience typing the word "nom."  I've never had it in me to use it.  Some people can get away with nom, some can't.  I don't want to try.  It's like my dad saying "lol."  Oh please...

Is it possible that I was influenced negatively by my first encounter with "nom?"  Someone telling me that they were nomming a fanciful feast that's best savored, not eaten with abandon?

I get what nom is supposed to imply; one could, I suppose, nom pizza, ice cream, cookies, salty snacks, junk food, and all that stuff.  But, if you're nomming "porterhouse steak in drawn butter and Stilton cheese, broccoli, and sweet potato fries" or "vennison, morel, and parsnip stew,laced with rubbed fresh mojave sage" and telling the world about it on facebook, then you're just soooo awesome. 

Don't get me wrong, I like that you're having that stuff, but you're eating it, not nomming it.  Eat it slowly and tell us the recipe, please.


From what I gather, the term "nom" comes from our friend Cookie Monster.

Cookie noms cookies, not Lindt 99% dark chocolate chunk with pan roasted English walnut cookies.

Keep that in mind before haphazardly nomming again.