merry christmas, from a chinese restaurant

more about my phone usage

So over the past week I've gotten incredibly adept at killing my phone's battery almost at will over the course of a few hours. And no, it hasn't been from me calling tons of people to keep in touch - it's been through liberal web browsing and music listening.

Yep, it's a new phone. Allegedly it has much better battery life than the Samsung Blackjack that I was hang before, but I guess I'm using it a lot more. For example, I'm using it right now to write this blog entry while sitting in bed listening to it play music. So although I guess it has terrible battery life as a phone, I could look at it as a laptop that's incredibly portable that also has decent battery life. After all, that's how I am using it, right?

And yes, there are definitely some quirks. Like how I can check e-mail in landscape mode, how it doesn't know how to automatically insert the apostrophe in "it's" when appropriate, etc. But then again, I'm using it for obscene things like this (which I never would have done with my Blackjack) so I suppose it's definitely good enough. But then again, I did find a few easily correctable usability flaws regarding consistency... Yeah, I'd rather it be perfect. (-:

And Merry Christmas! Let's go eat some Chinese food!

more good times in cleveland

Heading over to Tommy's for dinner tonight. I'll be having the kick-ass banana milkshake with real banana and either a spinach pie or a meat pie. No, not as tasty as the meat pies down in New Zealand, but good in its own way.

Bonus activity was helping my dad fix the toilet... just like old times. We don't need no stinkin' plumber! Just like we don't need no stinkin' mechanic! Plan for tomorrow morning: change the oxygen sensor and check the rear brakes... and probably rotate some tires. I'll save the oil change for when the engine is a little warmer - so the oil will actually flow out.

fook

Just testing photo-blogging from the phone.

update from cleveland

Back in Cleveland:
Cleveland as I remember it in the winter. A few inches of snow, salt everywhere. Yup. So far this break has been a bit different, but it's also been a good break so far. I've been able to meet up with a bunch of people at work, have found excuses to drive around all my old 'hoods, met up with the Wongs, and even had breakfast at the Inn on Coventry for the first time (and now I feel like I missed out by not going there during the 2+ years I lived a 10 minute walk away).

I'm actually pretty happy to see that I still know my way around all sorts of weird side streets in Cleveland Hts and East Cleveland. Yes, I know my way around East Cleveland - the trick is to avoid Euclid Ave because the lights on that road are totally screwed up. I just hate being in the middle of one of the worst neighborhoods in the U.S. sitting at an intersection for several minutes while the lights are red for both streets. Yes, it's that amazing. I was surprised to find that they barricaded Coit. I used to cut through there to get to E 152nd. No, not smart. It's dark, goes under a bridge, and literally every house on it is boarded up. I suppose that's their way of dealing with crime - putting in a few dead potted plants in the middle of the road.

I also got to drive around my old haunts in Willoughby. Yeah, I've lived there too. Went to my trusty Murray's on Vine and also did the regular weekend drive from place to my parents' place.

In case you didn't notice, I like to reminisce and have attachment to some pretty weird things - like roads... and inanimate objects... like my car or my eraser. Anyway... that's another deeper more boring discussion, perhaps never to be had. OK... I will talk about the roads. I drive a lot. I've driven on a lot of roads. There are also certain roads that are really familar (the road to DC, the road to Pittsburgh, the road to Toronto, the road to New Haven) that I've drove a lot on and I realize that I'll probably never drive on those roads again (unless I move back to the east coast - hah!). For example, my drive back to New Haven in a few days will probably be the last time I'll ever drive that insanely boring stretch of I-80 in Pennsylvania (featuring the spot near the highest point on I-80 east of the Mississippi where I had a bathroom emergency on the side of the road in the snow (-; ). In June I'll probably do the drive from DC to Cleveland for the final time, and perhaps also the final drive from Pittsburgh to Cleveland and Toronto to Cleveland.

That said, I'm got plenty of new roads to explore out in the Northwest - ones with much more rewarding scenery. It's also a great excuse to drive across the country for a third time in my trust 1993 Honda Accord. It's at a youthful 177k miles. I'm changing the oil, checking the left-rear brake clip, and probably changing the oxygen sensor (no more cheap-ass Bosch crap!) on Sunday. Good times. I was going to write about something else...

Site of the Day: Expenseview.com
Let's face it. I can be anal. What's better than a site that makes it easier to be both anal and a cheap bastard? Before Yale SOM, I used to keep detailed track of my expenses - not that I really spent money on anything. Since then, I've found I haven't found the effort to do this. This site makes it a bit easier - mostly through good placement. I can enter stuff from my iPhone (yes... I've got one... just like everyone else and their mom) as well as from my iGoogle page. Yes, I continue to do competitive intelligence for Microsoft!

Challenge of the day:
Can someone figure out the lyrics to Conner's song Window Shopping? You can listen to it here: http://www.sonicboomrecordings.com/cataloginfo.php?catid=49 Great album, btw.

And one final question: What kind of break is this? I have lunch appointments every day, I'm still doing Student Government stuff, I'm knee deep in trip planning, and also doing Technology Club stuff... oh... and a Winter Break Social tonight. I suppose I am getting sleep though - and I am enjoying. A week or two of doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING would be nice though. Maybe later... for now if I get two weeks I'm still traveling. What's for Spring Break?

you know who you are

Who I message, and who messages me back. Data from the billing period covering November, 2007.

turn off the lights

Just swapped in a CFL bulb. 12W instead of 60W. At $1, it will pay for itself in about 4 weeks (3 hours use daily, 25 cents per kWh... electricity is expensive here).

It wouldn't matter so much if people just turned off the lights like they are supposed to.

untitled

I've been thinking about whether or not I should go ahead and buy an iPod Touch or an iPhone. iPhone because I think it has an awesome browser, but at the same time it's heavier than my current phone (Samsung Blackjack) and probably won't be as good for texting since it doesn't have a full QWERTY keypad (complete with tactile feedback). So what about an iPod Touch? Well, it still has the great browser, which would be fantastic for travel, but I also realize that it would be nonsensical to carry that and my phone with me whenever I'm not traveling. No, I don't use my iPod much.

Speaking of, my iPod mini, purchased over 3 years ago in 2004 is still running like a champ. Haven't recharged this thing in over a week. Plus it's been running on empty for the last hour. Yes, I did change the battery, but still great for a technology perspective.

Some other perspectives:
1) My iPod mini is over three years old
2) My iPod mini has come with me to Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Morocco, Costa Rica, and Canada. We have driven across the country three times (four if you count Cleveland to New Orleans).
3) I have owned this iPod for over 1/8th of my life.
4) I have known this iPod twice as long as I have known anyone here at Yale SOM! (ouch!)

spam continues to impress me

After reading Scott's hilarious blog entry about funny spam subject lines, I decided to check my spam folder to see what wonders lay within. After finding some amusing subject lines of my own (such as "Make your dik the envy of all your dudes in year 2008!"), I came across an interesting piece of spam that I suspect makes use of facebook or some other social networking site.

Why do I say this? The spam included the names of two people that I knew. The spam was sent from an account with the name Hande, which isn't really a common name. The subject line also had the name Manisha, also not the most common name (though admittedly more common than Hande).

So what were they trying to sell me? I have no idea. YOU tell ME.

Try no sometimes both form enough sea ways. Name to far or too good never white of do. Three go again very his as times only.

Few few why came hear way what hard because set. Him most sentence water last then. Thought now so need of because below.

Three and began of sometimes enough why some. Means animals together called off often with animals near told. Do look land father. Them of life them land many himself come.

Try no sometimes both form enough sea ways.
Name to far or too good never white of do.
Three go again very his as times only.

Few few why came hear way what hard because set.
Him most sentence water last then.
Thought now so need of because below.

Three and began of sometimes enough why some.
Means animals together called off often with animals near told.
Do look land father.
Them of life them land many himself come.

vinny vinny!

For those of you who watch the NFL, we are about to watch some drama unfold this year... and my guess is that it will somehow be overlooked by those crazy stats guys who work for the TV networks. So what is this drama?

Vinny Testaverde is likely to achieve the milestone of being sacked for negative 3,000 yards for this illustrious NFL career. Yep... He's just 26 yards shy.

As a comparison, Jon Kitna, another favorite journeyman QB only 1,715 yards lost. Another interesting stat is that while Kitna has fumbled 94 in 118 games (almost a fumble a game), Testaverde only has 71 fumbles... in 230 games (or one in three).

So what about Favre? He'll probably make the mark next year. Right now he's only got 2,884 yards lost on sacks.

idiotic proposals

Route 1 - Similar to this year's. See the same people, see different stuff.

Route 2 - The drive across Canada on the Trans-Canada Highway. Yes, starting in NB.
I like Canada. Lack of A/C makes this appealing, the strength of the Canadian Dollar doesn't.

Route 3 - The entire length of I-80
Pointless. I don't even get to see any new states.

idiot!

Came across this while I was cleaning up my bookmarks (like a dork). So what sort of IDIOT will drive across the country by HIMSELF in five days?

The Return Trip

My love with I-90:
We went ALL THE WAY!
I was within half a mile of I-90 the entire trip across except for seeing my parents in Cleveland

So what next? I need to think of how I'll drive back across when I move to Seattle. I'll probably swing through Texas again (because I have friends there). I'd like to check out Arches National Park, maybe the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Hrm... Might as well hit up Zion again? Perhaps swing north to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone? I'll think about it.

stallone

Some entertainers remain successful over time by reinventing themselves. Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio, to name a few. Sylvester Stallone, once known for his gutsy roles such as Rocky Balboa and Rambo, is now facing a turning point in his career. At the ripe age of 61, he can no longer rely on the same formula that has been so successful for him in the past. So what does he do? He reinvents himself.

Rather than play the role of a hero in his prime, Stallone has transformed himself into the aging action star that can play the role of an over-the-hill hero who can still get in a good punch before bursting a vein and collapsing. He pioneered this with his role as Rocky Balboa in Rocky Balboa, and will be looking to continue his success with his new film, Rambo.

So what's next for Stallone after Rambo? Perhaps Death Race 2010 or Cash and Tango which could help Stallone revive the career of fellow actor Kurt Russell.

Some other Stallone movies with sequel potential:

• Cobra
• Judge Dredd
• Over the Top
  
• Cop Land
• Get Carter

green is universal

I'm watching Sunday Night Football right now and they're doing this thing saying "Green is Universal" where they are promoting conservation. They even have the lights off in the studio! They're also saying that they'll start shutting down the studio each night. Shouldn't they be doing that anyway?

Anyway, if you really want to save energy, just the the obvious things like turn off the lights when you aren't using them, buy energy saving bulbs, and don't make gratuitous use of electricity of fuel. That means you, Alissa... and David! I know that you left the lights on in the apartment over the summer. There's no other reason why the electricity would go up when 2 of the 3 people move out.

travel plans

October break (Yes, first years get exams, second years get a week off!) - Mexico
Winter Break - Chile y Argentina

oh, hello

It's been a while. I suppose you can say that I've been busy. You can also say that I've been chilling out a lot. It's really a bit of both.

I've been busy:

• Taking 5 classes right now
• Doing my bit as the leader for the Technology Club
• Doing my bit as the head of the Academic Committee for Student Government
• Did my bit as the coordinator for the SOM blog
• Spending a bit of time talking to people about careers at Microsoft
• Being an SYA (second year advisor) for the Leadership Development Program
• Spending a bit of time helping people with resumes and cover letters
• Actually getting around to working out a few times a week

I've been chillin:

• Actually getting around to working out a few times a week
• Spending lots of quality time with the study group
• Lots of hanging out

So details... classes are going well. It's surprising because the classes that I thought would be the worst are the classes that I feel like I'm getting the most out of while the classes that are supposed to be great I'm finding mediocre. You could interpret this however you want. I'll say that there's something for everyone and maybe in the future I should just pick classes that people don't like. I know I like my stuff much much much more abstract than most people and much much much faster paced than most.

Overall, my month back at business school has been fun. Lots of socializing with both the first year class and the second year class. It's also nice because everything I'm doing now is stuff that I want to do. I'm still busy, but I like how it at least *feels* like I have command of what really needs to be done. And yes, having a job certain helps. I finally accepted my offer to return to Microsoft, so expect to see many more hiking photos in the future!

My plans for today? Maybe go over to the soccer fields to see the Yale SOM soccer tournament, head over to East Rock Park to play some Ultimate frisbee, have some dinner with friends (time, location, and friends TBD), then head over to Playwright's for the post-soccer-tournament get-together. Hopefully I'll see some of the people that I met over the summer from CMU and HBS there. We shall see...

mulla

Or Vayner?

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0708/the-bizarre-story-of-joe-o-donnell.html

ow

I wonder when school starts...

no love from google

As some would say, Google Docs really sucks the bag. Earlier this year I trusted Google Spreadsheets with my anal record-keeping spreadsheets. You know, the ones about my car's maintenance history and my spending habits and the like that make for really boring blog posts. Today I'm bringing everything back to Excel. Office 2007 is like crack. Once you get hooked, you can't get off. Anyway...

What up with Google Spreadsheets and:

• How it just throws away formatting data?
• How it can't remember the last sheet I was on?
• How it's as slow as cold molasses?
• How it discards my formatting data? (it's so annoying, it gets listed twice)

I guess I'm done. But if the little annoying things are so bad that I won't bother with the rest of its capabilities (whatever those are), that's bad enough. Google Spreadsheets, goodbye.

love from google

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