Month: August 2002

On the way to work today, I missed my train stop.

I realized something was amiss when I glanced out the window and Newark buildings were on the left of the train rather than the right. At first I thought the train was just taking a different way into the city; maybe there was something wrong with the tracks. My second thought was that maybe I dozed off and missed the stop, and that seemed more plausible although more embarassing.

So I got off in New York City, went to buy a ticket back to Newark but only one machine was working, almost beat up some lady that kept trying to get in front of me in line (not really), waited for another train, and got to work before 10:00 am.

I tend to “rest” on the train to work in the morning. I think I will not be doing that in the future.

Somehow, the Four of Us (myself, M-D, Denise and Ward) managed to pull off our apartment-warming party yesterday. You can see some pictures here already, but I’m hoping M-D might post more from later in the day. The party was not only for welcoming us to our new apartment, but also a “surprise” birthday party for Ward.

To paraphrase George Costanza, worlds were colliding. My father and Anna met Denise’s parents who were all in attendance. It was all very surreal, which I suppose I’ve been saying quite a bit lately.

The party concluded with the Four of Us minus one plus Darren and Jen playing the new Trivial Pursuit game. On this new, round board there are no pictures within the spaces, therefore there was no Tiny Tim to be found.

M-D posted photographs from Becca’s Birthday Bash. Go check out how much fun we had.

Since Darren refuses to post the “Duraflame” snapshot from the weekend prior, I present to you a “short” photographic journey: A Man and His Log. (Thanks for the pic link, Booboolina.)

Unrelatedly (I promise), we’re having an apartment-warming party this weekend. You are invited. Come on over and marvel in our monochromatic IKEA dwellingplace.

This discussion is incredibly interesting. There’s quite a bit of insight about what goes on behind the scenes in diamond production as well as the “tradition” of giving a diamond for wedding engagement. Very interesting. Thanks for the link, Jessa.

PBS is doing a great thing by having this site for kids online. It’s media awareness, teaching children how to identify advertisements in products, television, and all around them. Particularly fun was the cereal box designer. My work is featured here…

Check out Adobe Atmosphere when I get home from work.

My Dream Job (for the moment): Director of Technology of a major school district and marching band assistant director or director at the district’s high school. I’d be busy, but…

Unrelatedly, the restaurant chain Hooters [site blocked by my company’s proxy server] is in deals to buy Vanguard Airlines. Despite what people seem to think, Hooters is not my favorite restaurant. I don’t even like hot wings. Much. But I have to say, when my last company (the Evil Empire) brought me there for my birthday I did have a good time.

So, since my boss’s assistant left for another department, they’re beginning a search for someone new. He asked me to take part in the interview process because he wants to find someone with similar skillsets and attitude towards work as me… which is interesting on many levels, one of which I will describe:

I’ve been trying to come to terms with this thing people keep throwing at me: respect. I’ve never had a job where I work on what I need to do, put in a little extra, and get rewarded for it (monetarily as well as in people’s attitudes). The thing about respect is that it’s cyclical; if you do your best to respect others but they don’t respect you, eventually you stop doing things that deserve respect. On the other hand, if mutual respect is assumed at first and maintained, good results come easier.

Now if I could only get over the fact that corporations are evil…

While I wouldn’t consider USA Today one of the best newspapers, there was an interesting article online today that caught my attention. Anti-Americanism is growing all over the world. I’m still hoping that in my lifetime I will be able to see the world as one community, one entity… but “world leaders” keep getting in the way by putting their own interests ahead of what is best for all. Someday this will change. I’d like to be alive to see it — or at least to see some changes being made in that direction.