Remodeling
I have moved the tissue box at work from the top-right corner of my desk to the top-left. Don't accuse me of being rash; this happened only after weeks of contemplation. The execution was flawless.
Curtis Jones
Rotting Moose Carcass Mouth Man
On my flight back to New York I sat beside a man with a rotting moose carcass in his mouth. Once home I shaved my head, burnt my clothes, and peeled off two layers of skin. I still feel dirty.
Bench Press
Always use a spotter. I've heard it countless times. I should have listened. It would have been embarrassing if anyone had been around, but no one was, which only makes it dangerous. I'm okay with that tradeoff.
Preparatory Work
I need some preparatory hiking before Rainier (itself a preparatory hike). The bigger problem: I need someone to hike with. North Georgia, Half Dome, Pikes Peak? Ideas welcome.
A Baseball First
My first company dinner was at Sparks Steak House, where the Gambino boss was gunned down. Amazing sirloin, and a baseball first: both teams scored eight runs in the second inning. BTW, what's an inning?
One Recruiter at a Time
I keep no Word version of my resume, for religious, moral, and digestive reasons. Every recruiter asks for one anyway, and every time I explain that Word can open the plain text file, I'm met with glee, as if I'd revealed a whole new world.
AT&T vs T-Mobile
Switching to AT&T for the iPhone meant leaving T-Mobile, whose customer service was always great and always available. I called AT&T about a feature. They were closed. Closed? Why don't they just shut off cell service after 8pm too?
Stroustrup!
Bjarne Stroustrup is giving a talk on C++0x this week and I'm getting my book signed. Update: I did, after sprinting up the auditorium stairs to beat three people who, it turned out, were also a half hour early.
Corporate America
Despite looming deadlines, I spent ninety minutes in Harassment Awareness training. A lawyer taught it from the legal angle, which was entertaining. Asked which three groups were at fault in one scenario, I finally suggested: "France."
The Escalator Standers
Getting to my desk means two escalators and a flight of stairs. I always keep walking on the escalators, and I've formed many sweeping generalizations about the people who just stand there and block everyone in.