Here is a link to a website for my former neighbor.
Jon "Toro" Whittaker
Republican Nominee for Iron County Clerk
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
10 more strange but true facts... maybe tidbits is a better word
Here's a few more tidbits of the strange but true (dramatic emphasis added), because what else are you going to do while you're house sitting a needy cat? ;) Of course this means I can never play this game with any of you, because I'm practically giving a lot of my best material away for free. ;)
Also it should be noted that many if not all of these things are not nearly as impressive as they sound.
But that's the point of the game right? Find some outrageous things you can say about yourself, and then throw a curveball, just to keep people on their toes. :) This was written a while back, and now I'm posting it, at least for a while..
Also it should be noted that many if not all of these things are not nearly as impressive as they sound.
But that's the point of the game right? Find some outrageous things you can say about yourself, and then throw a curveball, just to keep people on their toes. :) This was written a while back, and now I'm posting it, at least for a while..
- I have performed the forgotten carols with Michael McLean
- I had a painting in an exhibit at a downtown gallery in SLC
- I'm a part owner of a fortune 500 company
- I have been a soccer player, a coach and a referee
- I get christmas cards from multiple US Senators, and Congressmen
- I once made a full size working porch swing using only cardboard and glue
- While I was living in a foreign country, the police came to my house to deport me.
- I once went to a party on a yacht at the invitation of the ambassador to Panama.
- I had a small run in with the mafia… no big deal
- I’ve wrestled with an alligator in the Florida Everglades
- I once had a job where I had to drive my car from the passengers seat.
So how many of these stories have you heard?
Oriste!
Friday, November 01, 2013
10 Truths and a lie
The other day some friends of a friend and I were playing one of those notorious party games: Two Truths and a Lie. I wasn't terribly excited about the game, but I was curious to see if I could stump a room full of near strangers... or if the one person that I did know would be able to tell which one was my lie. It turns out I'm just not that great of a liar. I kept coming up with some really good answers and then I'd remember that while the answer I found was good, what I was really looking for... still, was my lie. I even learned the secret to winning this game one time, but as hard as I tried I couldn't find a good lie.
But it's interesting, and I thought I'd put up a few things here that people may or may not know about me, just for fun.
But it's interesting, and I thought I'd put up a few things here that people may or may not know about me, just for fun.
- I have flown planes on multiple occasions
- I got arrested... well sort of arrested, but it only happened once
- I am an internationally published author
- I was one inch away from making it to the state tournament for pole vaulters
- I was an Athlete Driver for the 2002 winter Olympics
- Two of my brothers are doctors
- If I sleep on my right side, I usually can't walk the next day... sometimes the day after that
- I have created and an app for both iphone and android devices
- I have been on national TV and in an international movie
- I could sit and watch geysers pretty much all day long
- When I was a teen I wanted to grow up and become a Disney animator
Can you spot the lie? Do you know me that well? Have I told you all of these stories like a bajillion times? :) have a great day!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
In a Garden Far Away.
At
the end of two years of religious service, I had an experience that I
will remember forever. My family and I traveled to Jerusalem. We
didn't have a lot of time so we went with a tour group that could show
us as many of the highlights as possible in the short time that we
had.
A large bus picked us up at the port. There were a lot of people in the tour group, and the tour guide told us how important it was for us to stay together (in fact she told us often). There were many people in the cities and it would be easy for us to get lost. In order to see all of the "major sites" in a day, our group was on a strict schedule and if they had to, they would leave anyone who wandered off. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the group to have less of an experience, just because someone got a little too adventurous.
We asked the tour guide if she could take us to the Garden Tomb, a place that some believe to be the tomb where Christ was buried. She didn't think there would be time to visit the Garden Tomb, but we were going to spend about a half hour in the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built in another place that many believe to be the location where Christ was buried. It is a fairly large church "shared" by various religious organizations... though not always as peacefully as one might hope. Each group now has their own corner of the building where the faithful can express their devotion through money, or worship, or I suppose nearly any method that they choose.
A friend of ours told us we had to see the Garden Tomb, so we decided to break from the group, and see if we could find it. Our tour guide gave us a look that let us know she would leave us, if we got lost. A few minutes later we understood just how easy getting lost was. The streets of Jerusalem are narrow and they were packed with people. We had taken a wrong turn and we were, in fact, lost. For a second we thought about turning back and rejoining our group at the church, but we decided we would keep trying for a few more minutes. We had a map, but we weren't 100% certain what it was telling us. There were streets marked on the map, but to us all the streets just looked like crowded alleys. We couldn't tell if what we were seeing in front of us was on our map or not.
With a little effort, and perhaps a silent prayer or two, we made it to the city gate we were seeking. As we emerged from the city wall we noticed that there were still a lot of people walking around, but now, there was a little more space. There were people and cars swirling all around us. In the city, it was noisy and busy, outside the city wall it was even more that way, and the traffic was heavy. With the dull roar of engines and the honking of horns, it was almost hard to hear yourself think. It was almost impossible to hear someone else.
We made our way across the street. From our map it was a little difficult to know just how far we had to go, so we started to run. It didn't take long till we saw a sign that said "Garden Tomb." It was actually closer than we thought. There was a little sign hanging out from the wall, but if we hadn't been looking for it, we very easily could have missed it. It was nearly lunchtime, and they were just about to close the garden, but thankfully we were allowed to come in. The garden was beautiful; off to one side was a wine press, a stone basin where grapes could be pressed into wine. At the time of Christ wine was used at a variety of feasts (perhaps most significantly when the savior used the wine to represent his blood while dining with his disciples). The garden was green and well maintained, but above all this, it was quiet. Just seconds ago we were lost in the clamor of the busy streets of Jerusalem, now it was peace. No distractions, no cars, no bustling people. We were not far from the city, but somehow, it had all just disappeared. As we approached the part of the garden where the tomb was located, we noticed there was quite a line already ahead of us, there was no chance that we could see it and make it back in time. But a lady, hearing our plight couldn't imagine us leaving without entering the tomb. We had come all this way, and we needed to see the inside of the tomb. There was a large group all waiting to get in, but when she told them about us, they all stepped aside. We were instantly moved to the front of the line.
We entered the tomb, just a few at a time, and there to the right was a space, carved into the rock, where a body would have been laid. For a while we just stood there, taking it all in. Then, when we felt like our experience was sufficient we turned to leave. On the door was a wooden sign that read "He is not here- for he is risen."
That day, in that place we felt something special. On the other side of the wall, and barely minutes away the hectic world was doing it own things, but here it was different. In this place it was peaceful, and the people were kind. This may or may not be the place where He lay, but now this is undoubtedly a sacred place. A place where people from different denominations and different backgrounds can come together and be of one purpose. It was as though we were visiting his house, because with great certainty, His spirit was there.
But one need not travel to Israel to feel the things that we felt there, because I have felt those same feelings both before and since that time, And I know that those feelings are available to us still. They are available not just to me, but to all who will seek him. And if we seek him and repent we can be where he dwells. I know that He lives. He is the great redeemer of us all. I am grateful that he atoned for my sins and transgressions so that I may return to be where he is. I know that I could not do it without Him.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
A large bus picked us up at the port. There were a lot of people in the tour group, and the tour guide told us how important it was for us to stay together (in fact she told us often). There were many people in the cities and it would be easy for us to get lost. In order to see all of the "major sites" in a day, our group was on a strict schedule and if they had to, they would leave anyone who wandered off. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the group to have less of an experience, just because someone got a little too adventurous.
We asked the tour guide if she could take us to the Garden Tomb, a place that some believe to be the tomb where Christ was buried. She didn't think there would be time to visit the Garden Tomb, but we were going to spend about a half hour in the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built in another place that many believe to be the location where Christ was buried. It is a fairly large church "shared" by various religious organizations... though not always as peacefully as one might hope. Each group now has their own corner of the building where the faithful can express their devotion through money, or worship, or I suppose nearly any method that they choose.
A friend of ours told us we had to see the Garden Tomb, so we decided to break from the group, and see if we could find it. Our tour guide gave us a look that let us know she would leave us, if we got lost. A few minutes later we understood just how easy getting lost was. The streets of Jerusalem are narrow and they were packed with people. We had taken a wrong turn and we were, in fact, lost. For a second we thought about turning back and rejoining our group at the church, but we decided we would keep trying for a few more minutes. We had a map, but we weren't 100% certain what it was telling us. There were streets marked on the map, but to us all the streets just looked like crowded alleys. We couldn't tell if what we were seeing in front of us was on our map or not.
With a little effort, and perhaps a silent prayer or two, we made it to the city gate we were seeking. As we emerged from the city wall we noticed that there were still a lot of people walking around, but now, there was a little more space. There were people and cars swirling all around us. In the city, it was noisy and busy, outside the city wall it was even more that way, and the traffic was heavy. With the dull roar of engines and the honking of horns, it was almost hard to hear yourself think. It was almost impossible to hear someone else.
We made our way across the street. From our map it was a little difficult to know just how far we had to go, so we started to run. It didn't take long till we saw a sign that said "Garden Tomb." It was actually closer than we thought. There was a little sign hanging out from the wall, but if we hadn't been looking for it, we very easily could have missed it. It was nearly lunchtime, and they were just about to close the garden, but thankfully we were allowed to come in. The garden was beautiful; off to one side was a wine press, a stone basin where grapes could be pressed into wine. At the time of Christ wine was used at a variety of feasts (perhaps most significantly when the savior used the wine to represent his blood while dining with his disciples). The garden was green and well maintained, but above all this, it was quiet. Just seconds ago we were lost in the clamor of the busy streets of Jerusalem, now it was peace. No distractions, no cars, no bustling people. We were not far from the city, but somehow, it had all just disappeared. As we approached the part of the garden where the tomb was located, we noticed there was quite a line already ahead of us, there was no chance that we could see it and make it back in time. But a lady, hearing our plight couldn't imagine us leaving without entering the tomb. We had come all this way, and we needed to see the inside of the tomb. There was a large group all waiting to get in, but when she told them about us, they all stepped aside. We were instantly moved to the front of the line.
We entered the tomb, just a few at a time, and there to the right was a space, carved into the rock, where a body would have been laid. For a while we just stood there, taking it all in. Then, when we felt like our experience was sufficient we turned to leave. On the door was a wooden sign that read "He is not here- for he is risen."
That day, in that place we felt something special. On the other side of the wall, and barely minutes away the hectic world was doing it own things, but here it was different. In this place it was peaceful, and the people were kind. This may or may not be the place where He lay, but now this is undoubtedly a sacred place. A place where people from different denominations and different backgrounds can come together and be of one purpose. It was as though we were visiting his house, because with great certainty, His spirit was there.
But one need not travel to Israel to feel the things that we felt there, because I have felt those same feelings both before and since that time, And I know that those feelings are available to us still. They are available not just to me, but to all who will seek him. And if we seek him and repent we can be where he dwells. I know that He lives. He is the great redeemer of us all. I am grateful that he atoned for my sins and transgressions so that I may return to be where he is. I know that I could not do it without Him.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- The Gospel According to St John 3:16 -
Everlasting life; through him we can receive it. May we all remember Him, and what He's done for us; at this time and always. And may that remembrance help us to be more like He is. May your Easter be filled with the joy that he brings, and may we strive to be a little better because of Him!
Monday, February 06, 2012
Snapshots: Lookout Mountain
A few years ago my family decided visit some of the southern states. In Georgia we ate the most amazing fresh peach ice cream. We took a boat through the Okefenokee swamp and saw ton of alligators (in case you were wondering, they are huge). We also drove through the town that has perhaps the most miniature golf courses per square mile any where in the US... we didn't stop to play, but I'd like to go back some day and try a few of them. In Tennessee we mined for rubies and sapphires, I think we even found a few low grades stones. But one of the most interesting parts of the trip was Lookout Mountain.
Just south of the Chattanooga river is a place called Lookout Mountain. I've spent most of my life near mountains and I really like to have some around. So the fact that Lookout Mountain by its very nature is a mountain works well for me. There are a lot of things that I like about mountains. I like the wildlife, I like the plants, I like the scenery, and I love the water. I think mountain water is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen. I love mountain lakes, mountain streams and especially a good mountain waterfall.
Lookout Mountain has a GOOD mountain waterfall called Ruby Falls. It never rains at Ruby falls. It's always 58 degrees, oh yeah, and it's inside the mountain.
We had to see Ruby Falls.
So we signed up for the tour. The tour starts in an elevator. I'm not sure how far we went down in the elevator, but after a while the whole group had arrived at the trailhead... inside the mountain. We started our journey toward the falls. The path is nice, in a natural tunnel kind of way. There are stalactites and stalagmites, and tons of cool features in this mostly natural cave. Along the way our guide would point out various features, that in and of themselves would have probably been worth the trip. Those responsible for the area have installed lights to help you see the cool features and of course the trail. Occasionally, we would have to duck to get through a part of the cave... Some of us (my self included) had to duck a little more often.
As we got closer to the falls there were less and less lights. It seems like our guide has a flashlight, and there was just enough light to see the person in front of you. Slowly we inched our way toward the falls. We could tell by the sound that we were getting close. The water grew louder and louder, we had to be there soon. It wasn't long after we started hearing the water that we began to feel the moisture in the air. And then everybody stopped. As we huddled together the guide told us the story of how these falls were discovered.
A small group of men had been exploring these caves. What they found was not what they expected. What they found was a waterfall.
As the story concluded, in that instant, the cave came alive. Suddenly there were lights. Suddenly we could see. Suddenly we all realized that this was no ordinary waterfall. This was 145 feet and millions of gallons of water rushing from a place high above to below where we stood, and it was right in front of us. This was impressive... awe inspiring... and unique.
As I said before I really love a good waterfall, and Lookout Mountain for me is one of the best that I've seen. Tennessee, you can count on seeing me again, because I would love to go back to lookout mountain, and I will look out, but I will most definitely also look in!
Just south of the Chattanooga river is a place called Lookout Mountain. I've spent most of my life near mountains and I really like to have some around. So the fact that Lookout Mountain by its very nature is a mountain works well for me. There are a lot of things that I like about mountains. I like the wildlife, I like the plants, I like the scenery, and I love the water. I think mountain water is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen. I love mountain lakes, mountain streams and especially a good mountain waterfall.
Lookout Mountain has a GOOD mountain waterfall called Ruby Falls. It never rains at Ruby falls. It's always 58 degrees, oh yeah, and it's inside the mountain.
We had to see Ruby Falls.
So we signed up for the tour. The tour starts in an elevator. I'm not sure how far we went down in the elevator, but after a while the whole group had arrived at the trailhead... inside the mountain. We started our journey toward the falls. The path is nice, in a natural tunnel kind of way. There are stalactites and stalagmites, and tons of cool features in this mostly natural cave. Along the way our guide would point out various features, that in and of themselves would have probably been worth the trip. Those responsible for the area have installed lights to help you see the cool features and of course the trail. Occasionally, we would have to duck to get through a part of the cave... Some of us (my self included) had to duck a little more often.
As we got closer to the falls there were less and less lights. It seems like our guide has a flashlight, and there was just enough light to see the person in front of you. Slowly we inched our way toward the falls. We could tell by the sound that we were getting close. The water grew louder and louder, we had to be there soon. It wasn't long after we started hearing the water that we began to feel the moisture in the air. And then everybody stopped. As we huddled together the guide told us the story of how these falls were discovered.
A small group of men had been exploring these caves. What they found was not what they expected. What they found was a waterfall.
As the story concluded, in that instant, the cave came alive. Suddenly there were lights. Suddenly we could see. Suddenly we all realized that this was no ordinary waterfall. This was 145 feet and millions of gallons of water rushing from a place high above to below where we stood, and it was right in front of us. This was impressive... awe inspiring... and unique.
As I said before I really love a good waterfall, and Lookout Mountain for me is one of the best that I've seen. Tennessee, you can count on seeing me again, because I would love to go back to lookout mountain, and I will look out, but I will most definitely also look in!
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Question (Yep I'm still writing... well, maybe occasionally)
I know, I'm sure you thought I would probably never write again. But alas, here I am. Of course it is only fair... given that circumstances that you may not be reading this anymore. I get that. And I'm ok with it. But I've been pondering a question, and I think it would be interesting to find out what people think about it.
Yep, you guessed it... It's a dating question. Kind of a dangerous topic, and could easily take a turn for the worse, but I think it could be helpful, both to me and to those who respond (or perhaps not to either, but still...)
As a preface I have to say that I know I'm not a perfect dater, And I'm not entirely sure what I think the answer to this question is, or perhaps even what I think the answer to the other side of this question is. Though I have been giving it some thought, but for now, I'd kind of just like to hear what you think. whoever you are. Ü
So here's the question:
What is a girls role in dating? or if you prefer, what is her job, or responsibility, or any other words that seems to fit better (though I will say if you choose to answer a somewhat modified question, I hope you will share the question as well).
I welcome your thoughts.
Yep, you guessed it... It's a dating question. Kind of a dangerous topic, and could easily take a turn for the worse, but I think it could be helpful, both to me and to those who respond (or perhaps not to either, but still...)
As a preface I have to say that I know I'm not a perfect dater, And I'm not entirely sure what I think the answer to this question is, or perhaps even what I think the answer to the other side of this question is. Though I have been giving it some thought, but for now, I'd kind of just like to hear what you think. whoever you are. Ü
So here's the question:
What is a girls role in dating? or if you prefer, what is her job, or responsibility, or any other words that seems to fit better (though I will say if you choose to answer a somewhat modified question, I hope you will share the question as well).
I welcome your thoughts.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
We interrupt you're regularly scheduled programing
For a PSA
Ah, Who am I kidding,
There's no regularly scheduled programming,
Heck we're lucky if there's any programming at all.
But since my parents up and bought a car last weekend, I thought I would take a minute to share some thoughts on driving.
(the car is being built right now... if everything is going as it should be)
You're probably worse than you think.
Actually it has long been my contention that we are, as a society, not really very good at driving.
It would be nice if there was a drivers re-ed class, to break some of our bad habits and to remind us of some of the laws that we totally forgot shortly after our amazing Drivers-ed taught by Herr Corry.
Maybe you didn't have the Herr, maybe you don't know about grandma walking home with her ice cream.
But even if you did, and as good as he was, I still think a little drivers re-ed would be nice.
I was actually lucky enough to have such a course.
In fact it was mandatory for my short stint at the post office, and it was actually pretty useful.
So here are three simple things that I learned that may be useful to you as well... and of course may make the road a little bit safer for the new CR-V.
Ok here's a test. How fast are your reflexes?
I remember when I was younger, (perhaps not much, but some) I used to take a stopwatch and see how quickly I could get it from off to on, and off again. most of the time I could get it under a one tenth of a second. But I controlled all the variables, and I knew it was coming. In the real world it's not so smooth. First you have to recognize a problem them you have to respond to it. And of course there's that other bit... The laws of Physics. No matter how quickly you can react to your situation, your car is not designed to stop on a dime. So most safe driving courses will recommend that you follow seconds behind the car in front of you. The post office recommends a four-second gap. This may not seem like much, but try it sometime, it will probably shock you how far back you have to be. (To count pick a spot on the road or something by the road, and count from the time the car in front of you passes it until you get to it) For inclement weather leave more space. I can pretty much guarantee that this alone would greatly decrease the number of accidents. For bonus points make the car behind you give you some space too. At the post office they told us to slow down if someone was crowding us. Almost every time the other guy would go around.
#2 Do you actually come to a complete stop?
I totally thought I did this the right way, until I took the Post office driving test. I guess old habits really are hard to break, I knew they'd be watching for it, and I still missed my complete stop more often than I should have.
#3 If you have to stop behind somebody, at an intersection for instance, leave more space. Ok, maybe you are doing this one correctly. But this is what they taught me. Always make sure you can see the bottom of the next guys tire. This will help you if they roll back, or if you get rear ended.... which you can't always control.
When you get ready to leave a read light give it a second or two (especially if you're in New York). Yeah people will honk, but it's better than running into the idiot that thought he could beat the light... Yes, that idiot may be me, but I almost always do beat the light, and I only go for it if I think it's my safest option.
Well that's all for now. I can't wait to see the new car. And hopefully the roads will be totally safe by the time it gets here. Oh yeah, and I want a unicorn, and world peace.
Ah, Who am I kidding,
There's no regularly scheduled programming,
Heck we're lucky if there's any programming at all.
But since my parents up and bought a car last weekend, I thought I would take a minute to share some thoughts on driving.
(the car is being built right now... if everything is going as it should be)
You're probably worse than you think.
Actually it has long been my contention that we are, as a society, not really very good at driving.
It would be nice if there was a drivers re-ed class, to break some of our bad habits and to remind us of some of the laws that we totally forgot shortly after our amazing Drivers-ed taught by Herr Corry.
Maybe you didn't have the Herr, maybe you don't know about grandma walking home with her ice cream.
But even if you did, and as good as he was, I still think a little drivers re-ed would be nice.
I was actually lucky enough to have such a course.
In fact it was mandatory for my short stint at the post office, and it was actually pretty useful.
So here are three simple things that I learned that may be useful to you as well... and of course may make the road a little bit safer for the new CR-V.
Ok here's a test. How fast are your reflexes?
I remember when I was younger, (perhaps not much, but some) I used to take a stopwatch and see how quickly I could get it from off to on, and off again. most of the time I could get it under a one tenth of a second. But I controlled all the variables, and I knew it was coming. In the real world it's not so smooth. First you have to recognize a problem them you have to respond to it. And of course there's that other bit... The laws of Physics. No matter how quickly you can react to your situation, your car is not designed to stop on a dime. So most safe driving courses will recommend that you follow seconds behind the car in front of you. The post office recommends a four-second gap. This may not seem like much, but try it sometime, it will probably shock you how far back you have to be. (To count pick a spot on the road or something by the road, and count from the time the car in front of you passes it until you get to it) For inclement weather leave more space. I can pretty much guarantee that this alone would greatly decrease the number of accidents. For bonus points make the car behind you give you some space too. At the post office they told us to slow down if someone was crowding us. Almost every time the other guy would go around.
#2 Do you actually come to a complete stop?
I totally thought I did this the right way, until I took the Post office driving test. I guess old habits really are hard to break, I knew they'd be watching for it, and I still missed my complete stop more often than I should have.
#3 If you have to stop behind somebody, at an intersection for instance, leave more space. Ok, maybe you are doing this one correctly. But this is what they taught me. Always make sure you can see the bottom of the next guys tire. This will help you if they roll back, or if you get rear ended.... which you can't always control.
When you get ready to leave a read light give it a second or two (especially if you're in New York). Yeah people will honk, but it's better than running into the idiot that thought he could beat the light... Yes, that idiot may be me, but I almost always do beat the light, and I only go for it if I think it's my safest option.
Well that's all for now. I can't wait to see the new car. And hopefully the roads will be totally safe by the time it gets here. Oh yeah, and I want a unicorn, and world peace.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Bougatsa, I'm not posting it for you, I'm posting it for me.
This is close to my real recipe, but there are some differences.
I'll fix it some time when I... well have time.
I'll fix it some time when I... well have time.
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks), plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup fine semolina (preferably Greek)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 9 sheets phyllo
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Whisk in semolina, and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thick, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk in eggs, one at a time. Return saucepan to heat, and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 to 40 seconds, to cook the eggs. Remove custard from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt remaining 2 sticks butter with olive oil; use some of this mixture to brush an
8-inch round9 x 13 nonstick springform baking pan. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. - Stack phyllo on a work surface, cover with parchment paper, and top with a damp kitchen towel. Working with one sheet of phyllo at a time, place one of the corners into the center of the pan and gently press the dough so that it fits tightly in the pan. Lay the corner of the second sheet of phyllo into the center of the pan, slightly overlapping the first sheet of phyllo. Press the second sheet tightly into the pan. Lay a third sheet of phyllo in the same manner, covering the remainder of the pan (one layer of dough is now completed). Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo with a generous amount of the butter mixture. Lightly sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Place three more sheets of phyllo into the pan in the same manner, brushing with the butter mixture and sprinkling with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat process again with the remaining 3 sheets of phyllo (you will now have completed three layers). Fill phyllo-lined pan with custard; spread evenly.
- Working with one layer at a time, fold phyllo sheets toward the center of the pan. Brush generously with the butter mixture and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat folding, buttering, and sprinkling until all layers have been folded toward the center. Do not sprinkle the top layer as the cinnamon-sugar mixture may burn and darken the pastry. Prick all over with a fork, and bake, on a Silpat-lined baking sheet, until golden brown, about 1 hour.
- Combine remaining tablespoon of cinnamon with the confectioners' sugar, and sprinkle over the surface of the phyllo when removed from oven. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
PilferredBorrowed from Martha Stewart Ü
- A note about puff pastry.... It takes four sheets or two packages.
- Note number 2. Puff pastry hasn't worked as well for me I think I would try it on 400º but
- i'm not exactly sure, but I'm guessing the cooking time would be less too.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur
I guess you could say that I'm an idea guy.
I like to think about things. I think about things that I need,
I think about things that others need,
and I think about things that people might want.
And sometimes I think 'you know I actually like that idea.'
So sometimes when I like an idea, and things start to come together I just go with it. Last fall I had one such idea. I decided our community could use a good game store. So I started the process of thinking it through. I was not really in position to do anything about it, but I thought it would be interesting to explore anyway. Yes I know that game stores come and go. Yes I even knew that some had failed, but naturally I assumed they were doing it wrong. Not all wrong through, I know they got a few things right.
Well I approached a few business, and gave them my plan.
They seemed interested, but no one was really in a position to do anything,
and as they pointed out, they didn't really know much about the market for games.
Time passed, and circumstances changed.
I earned a little money, and I lost my day-job.
So with all my free time, and some of my spare change I started exploring my idea a bit more.
To make a not-so-long story short. I found a way that I thought I could make work.
I found a partner, and I ordered some board games.
Yep I started a business called Brilliant Boardgames.
And presently I have 5 games for sale at Braun Books in Cedar City.
Right now my games are all from one company (Rio Grande Games)
which I think is a great company, and they have some amazing game.
Many of their games have won the Spiel des Jahres and other great awards.
I decided to start with five games that I thought would give us a good variety.
1) Dominion Intrigue -- Dominion
was the 2009 Spiel des Jahres. Dominion Intrigue is an expansion to this game that can be played by itself, or with the original game. I honestly didn't think I would like this game... until I got addicted to it. It's surprisingly fun, and I see now why it was the game of the year.
2) Coloretto
-- Is another great game. It was the card game precursor to the 2007 S-d-J. It looks likes it's just a good quick game, that adds a fun twist to liven things up.
3) Bohnanza
-- Bohnanza, or 'The Bean Game' as it is often called, was a 1997 S-d-J Recommended title. It's a whole lot of fun, and you can play it with a group.
4) Space Beans
-- is a Bohnanza derivative. Conceptually this game is quite similar to Bohnanza, but you always give your left over cards to the person on your right (If your games get a little heated, this is a nice little mechanism that can temper the tempers. Ü).
And
5) TransEuropa
-- You've probably never heard of this game, but if you've played "The train game" with me, we may have played a version inspired by it. TransEuropa is the European version of the award-winning TransAmerica game (I know you've probably never heard of it either). It's sort of like Ticket to Ride
, but it plays a lot faster, because you don't have to pick cards. It's surprisingly fun, and much to my surprise it came with an expansion pack - SWEET!
So there ye have it. I'm now in the board game biz. And if you know someone who is looking for something to do... there might be something new at Braun Books that would catch their eye.
Honestly the part that surprises me most : how much I enjoy this.
(yeah I still have moments when I think this is crazy (like when I'm working on my logo)) but I like how the projects all come together and I'm excited to see how it all plays out.
So wish me luck. And have a great day.
I like to think about things. I think about things that I need,
I think about things that others need,
and I think about things that people might want.
And sometimes I think 'you know I actually like that idea.'
So sometimes when I like an idea, and things start to come together I just go with it. Last fall I had one such idea. I decided our community could use a good game store. So I started the process of thinking it through. I was not really in position to do anything about it, but I thought it would be interesting to explore anyway. Yes I know that game stores come and go. Yes I even knew that some had failed, but naturally I assumed they were doing it wrong. Not all wrong through, I know they got a few things right.
Well I approached a few business, and gave them my plan.
They seemed interested, but no one was really in a position to do anything,
and as they pointed out, they didn't really know much about the market for games.
Time passed, and circumstances changed.
I earned a little money, and I lost my day-job.
So with all my free time, and some of my spare change I started exploring my idea a bit more.
To make a not-so-long story short. I found a way that I thought I could make work.
I found a partner, and I ordered some board games.
Yep I started a business called Brilliant Boardgames.
And presently I have 5 games for sale at Braun Books in Cedar City.
Right now my games are all from one company (Rio Grande Games)
which I think is a great company, and they have some amazing game.
Many of their games have won the Spiel des Jahres and other great awards.
I decided to start with five games that I thought would give us a good variety.
1) Dominion Intrigue -- Dominion
was the 2009 Spiel des Jahres. Dominion Intrigue is an expansion to this game that can be played by itself, or with the original game. I honestly didn't think I would like this game... until I got addicted to it. It's surprisingly fun, and I see now why it was the game of the year.2) Coloretto
-- Is another great game. It was the card game precursor to the 2007 S-d-J. It looks likes it's just a good quick game, that adds a fun twist to liven things up.3) Bohnanza
-- Bohnanza, or 'The Bean Game' as it is often called, was a 1997 S-d-J Recommended title. It's a whole lot of fun, and you can play it with a group.4) Space Beans
-- is a Bohnanza derivative. Conceptually this game is quite similar to Bohnanza, but you always give your left over cards to the person on your right (If your games get a little heated, this is a nice little mechanism that can temper the tempers. Ü).And
5) TransEuropa
-- You've probably never heard of this game, but if you've played "The train game" with me, we may have played a version inspired by it. TransEuropa is the European version of the award-winning TransAmerica game (I know you've probably never heard of it either). It's sort of like Ticket to Ride, but it plays a lot faster, because you don't have to pick cards. It's surprisingly fun, and much to my surprise it came with an expansion pack - SWEET!So there ye have it. I'm now in the board game biz. And if you know someone who is looking for something to do... there might be something new at Braun Books that would catch their eye.
Honestly the part that surprises me most : how much I enjoy this.
(yeah I still have moments when I think this is crazy (like when I'm working on my logo)) but I like how the projects all come together and I'm excited to see how it all plays out.
So wish me luck. And have a great day.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Put it all together and what do you get?
Soup for one.
Yep I got the soup and it was worth it.
I learned perhaps even more than I expected to, and I am now a professional onion stirrer.
He even asked us if we wanted to know any of his other soups. He taught the one that I was looking for, so I didn't think to ask him about any others... yes I have failed every one of you. I didn't not learn the secret of the Tomato-Basil.
Drat.
But I made some Cream of Corn Poblano, and my Dad said he liked the stuff that I made even more than the batch that I brought home.
Wow, it was tasty. I want to try some of the other recipes, but I'm going to give my self a little bit of a soup break first.
And then... um I think I'm having a movie night sometime this weekend maybe.
I have a bunch of redbox codes and they probably expire in about 9 days. So if you want to come, or suggest a movie, let me know any preference you may have.
Oh and there is one more thing.
I may be looking at creating a new gamestore/online resource, or something.
so if you have a few minutes, I'm looking for a name. If you have a great name I'd love to hear it, but I also have a survey you can fill out to tell me what you think of some of the names I have looked at.
there are a lot of them, and I have my biases, but I decided to included them all, I mean I may be wrong about which ones are best.
Game Name Survey
Oh and have I ever mentioned how much I dislike searching for a job, it stinketh.
W.
Yep I got the soup and it was worth it.
I learned perhaps even more than I expected to, and I am now a professional onion stirrer.
He even asked us if we wanted to know any of his other soups. He taught the one that I was looking for, so I didn't think to ask him about any others... yes I have failed every one of you. I didn't not learn the secret of the Tomato-Basil.
Drat.
But I made some Cream of Corn Poblano, and my Dad said he liked the stuff that I made even more than the batch that I brought home.
Wow, it was tasty. I want to try some of the other recipes, but I'm going to give my self a little bit of a soup break first.
And then... um I think I'm having a movie night sometime this weekend maybe.
I have a bunch of redbox codes and they probably expire in about 9 days. So if you want to come, or suggest a movie, let me know any preference you may have.
Oh and there is one more thing.
I may be looking at creating a new gamestore/online resource, or something.
so if you have a few minutes, I'm looking for a name. If you have a great name I'd love to hear it, but I also have a survey you can fill out to tell me what you think of some of the names I have looked at.
there are a lot of them, and I have my biases, but I decided to included them all, I mean I may be wrong about which ones are best.
Game Name Survey
Oh and have I ever mentioned how much I dislike searching for a job, it stinketh.
W.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
33 Random Thoughts for the 33nd Day of the Year
Man it's cold outside, I'm so glad I'm not a mailman today.
You may not know this, but I will almost never cross my legs with the right leg on top.
I got my 1099 from Amazon today category: Royalties, and I smiled.
Best advice I ever got at the post office, 'just be faster.'
Second best advice I got... when I asked how to deal with the snow "Find a relative with a 4-wheel drive vehicle."
Favorite new game that I got got for Christmas? Frank's Zoo
Favorite new game that I didn't get for Christmas Dominion... and I thought I wouldn't like it. Silly, Silly, me. What was I thinking? Apparently there are multiple versions likeRio Grande Games Dominion: Prosperity
I have on occasion been found riding a unicycle
I've been eating a lot more pizza lately.
I really like the Pizza cart guy, and his greek pizza is pretty tasty, not huge, but good. Midvalley pizza is not too shabby either, I mean it's not the best pizza in the world, but the Thincrust is pretty good. I usually get the regular crust, because it's more pizza for the buck. Well at least that was my story when I passed it everyday. Either way the guy at the shop would usually try to find me a nice big slice. Awesome.
But don't get a Soda, it's 91% Ice.
Almost every street in Enoch has these huge drainage ditches that cross, at well, almost every intersection. Blech.
Is the Bowling Alley's Burger really the best in town? Well I don't know about that, but after I all my sauces sufficiently covering it was really really good.
I used an iPad for a weekend once and it was crazy productive for me, I used an ipod for about a week, and it was not crazy productive for me, but it may have been circumstantial.
I want a cr-48, but I don't think I'm going to get one... I do however, like the idea of a little free data, and offline back-ups.
15
I am however going to get an update for may Mac, and since it's been a while, I'm super excited about it.
I forget how much I like water, well how much I like good water, yeah I can totally tell the difference.
Is a person a food snob if they just like good food? Sometimes I think I'm a food snob, and sometimes I think I'm just the opposite, I mean I'll eat just about anything, but only if it's good, I like multiple versions of a lot of dishes (though sometimes I do have to call them something different) but some food just isn't that good.
I'm glad I went to Egypt when I did. It doesn't seem all that safe anymore.
Basically I try to not eat the first or the last of anything, and I won't open a package, of say cookies, unless of course I bought them.
I watched the trailer for the new Bieber movie, and I couldn't stop laughing, I'm not sure it was meant to be a comedy, but it's pretty awesome. Ü
I bought some tire chains for my car so I could do my job better, but I bought them when the weather was ok, and it never got very bad again while I was there.
Why is it that a vocal minorities can do so much damage, but there rarely seems to be an equally strong movement on the other side to counter them.
I have mixed feelings about socks. I like warm socks, but I don't like dirty socks. I like that socks keep my feet warm, but I don't like the feeling that I've been wearing socks all day. I don't like trying to find matching socks... mostly only a problem on Sundays, and I don't like those little furballs that I find in my socks after they have just been washed.
I ruined one shirt and one pair of pants at my last job. I bought a pair of shoes, but now I think I need something that's a little less utilitarian.
I'm in a new testament class right now, and it's pretty cool. I had my reservations about any class that delves into Greek, but only half of them appear to be valid. The definitions the teacher provided us are actually pretty dang good, the pronunciation well it's... well it's the opposite of really really good.
Oh man it's almost midnight, I'm gonna have to add one to my list.
I'm excited to see Ken Jennings take on the computer on Jeopardy. Yeah, I'm totally going to watch that.
When I told a neighbor that I was thinking of making some iPhone apps with all of recently acquired free time, he leant me an iPod touch, so I'd have a better idea what I was doing.
I was at a minimum surprised.
I love Angry Birds. I hate Angry Birds. I can't believe how much time it can consume.
It bugs me so much when I hear the same song on the same radio station for the third or fourth time in the same day.
I really believe that ubiquitous free (or really cheap) internet is coming. Please come soon UFI.
And finally I'd like to thank Apple for introducing us to the mouse, and for helping us move beyond it, and google I love that you brought us ubiquitous free email. I remember when your 1 Gig sounded ridiculously awesome... actually I still haven't even filled my first GB and I almost never delete things now.
You may not know this, but I will almost never cross my legs with the right leg on top.
I got my 1099 from Amazon today category: Royalties, and I smiled.
Best advice I ever got at the post office, 'just be faster.'
Second best advice I got... when I asked how to deal with the snow "Find a relative with a 4-wheel drive vehicle."
Favorite new game that I got got for Christmas? Frank's Zoo
Favorite new game that I didn't get for Christmas Dominion... and I thought I wouldn't like it. Silly, Silly, me. What was I thinking? Apparently there are multiple versions like
Rio Grande Games Dominion: ProsperityI have on occasion been found riding a unicycle
I've been eating a lot more pizza lately.
I really like the Pizza cart guy, and his greek pizza is pretty tasty, not huge, but good. Midvalley pizza is not too shabby either, I mean it's not the best pizza in the world, but the Thincrust is pretty good. I usually get the regular crust, because it's more pizza for the buck. Well at least that was my story when I passed it everyday. Either way the guy at the shop would usually try to find me a nice big slice. Awesome.
But don't get a Soda, it's 91% Ice.
Almost every street in Enoch has these huge drainage ditches that cross, at well, almost every intersection. Blech.
Is the Bowling Alley's Burger really the best in town? Well I don't know about that, but after I all my sauces sufficiently covering it was really really good.
I used an iPad for a weekend once and it was crazy productive for me, I used an ipod for about a week, and it was not crazy productive for me, but it may have been circumstantial.
I want a cr-48, but I don't think I'm going to get one... I do however, like the idea of a little free data, and offline back-ups.
15
I am however going to get an update for may Mac, and since it's been a while, I'm super excited about it.
I forget how much I like water, well how much I like good water, yeah I can totally tell the difference.
Is a person a food snob if they just like good food? Sometimes I think I'm a food snob, and sometimes I think I'm just the opposite, I mean I'll eat just about anything, but only if it's good, I like multiple versions of a lot of dishes (though sometimes I do have to call them something different) but some food just isn't that good.
I'm glad I went to Egypt when I did. It doesn't seem all that safe anymore.
Basically I try to not eat the first or the last of anything, and I won't open a package, of say cookies, unless of course I bought them.
I watched the trailer for the new Bieber movie, and I couldn't stop laughing, I'm not sure it was meant to be a comedy, but it's pretty awesome. Ü
I bought some tire chains for my car so I could do my job better, but I bought them when the weather was ok, and it never got very bad again while I was there.
Why is it that a vocal minorities can do so much damage, but there rarely seems to be an equally strong movement on the other side to counter them.
I have mixed feelings about socks. I like warm socks, but I don't like dirty socks. I like that socks keep my feet warm, but I don't like the feeling that I've been wearing socks all day. I don't like trying to find matching socks... mostly only a problem on Sundays, and I don't like those little furballs that I find in my socks after they have just been washed.
I ruined one shirt and one pair of pants at my last job. I bought a pair of shoes, but now I think I need something that's a little less utilitarian.
I'm in a new testament class right now, and it's pretty cool. I had my reservations about any class that delves into Greek, but only half of them appear to be valid. The definitions the teacher provided us are actually pretty dang good, the pronunciation well it's... well it's the opposite of really really good.
Oh man it's almost midnight, I'm gonna have to add one to my list.
I'm excited to see Ken Jennings take on the computer on Jeopardy. Yeah, I'm totally going to watch that.
When I told a neighbor that I was thinking of making some iPhone apps with all of recently acquired free time, he leant me an iPod touch, so I'd have a better idea what I was doing.
I was at a minimum surprised.
I love Angry Birds. I hate Angry Birds. I can't believe how much time it can consume.
It bugs me so much when I hear the same song on the same radio station for the third or fourth time in the same day.
I really believe that ubiquitous free (or really cheap) internet is coming. Please come soon UFI.
And finally I'd like to thank Apple for introducing us to the mouse, and for helping us move beyond it, and google I love that you brought us ubiquitous free email. I remember when your 1 Gig sounded ridiculously awesome... actually I still haven't even filled my first GB and I almost never delete things now.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Life of a Letter Carrier: the Perils
When you start at the Post office, they warn you about some of the common things you might run into. Dogs, cars, thugs, and of course the occasional wasp or bee sting. On my first day out, I realized just how many dogs there were in the area. There are tons of them. But mostly they didn't seem to be a problem. The USPS provides it's letter carriers with some dog spray, but it not actually something you have to use much, sure... everynow and then you meet a vicious little puppy, but mostly, they're not too scary.
What really surprised me was the wasps. Almost every mailbox is seems has it's own guardian wasp. And they don't just sit back on the box, or hover around it... most of the time, they like to perch on the handle. Usually it was just one wasp, but occasionally I could tell it was bad news.
I never actually got stung, well not by a wasp anyway, but I was glad for the can of Spray that they gave me on many occasions.
My trainer warned us about the dangers of another kind of sting, but after the first week or so I thought it was a myth. The dreaded rubber band attack. We use a ton of rubber bands, and for the most part that works just fine, but every now and then one of them will snap. Usually this is mostly just annoying, but sometimes it is more. Especially when they hit your neck. Actually anywhere from the neck up is pretty disturbing. The first time it happens, you find yourself in shock. The first time it happens for the third time in a day, you're getting pretty perturbed. The secret is you don't know when it's going to happen. Sometimes I went weeks without a rubber band incident, sometimes it was minutes. Needless to say if someone warns you about a rubber band, you might want to listen... and perhaps hone your reflexes. Who knows maybe you can turn faster than it can strike.
What really surprised me was the wasps. Almost every mailbox is seems has it's own guardian wasp. And they don't just sit back on the box, or hover around it... most of the time, they like to perch on the handle. Usually it was just one wasp, but occasionally I could tell it was bad news.
I never actually got stung, well not by a wasp anyway, but I was glad for the can of Spray that they gave me on many occasions.
My trainer warned us about the dangers of another kind of sting, but after the first week or so I thought it was a myth. The dreaded rubber band attack. We use a ton of rubber bands, and for the most part that works just fine, but every now and then one of them will snap. Usually this is mostly just annoying, but sometimes it is more. Especially when they hit your neck. Actually anywhere from the neck up is pretty disturbing. The first time it happens, you find yourself in shock. The first time it happens for the third time in a day, you're getting pretty perturbed. The secret is you don't know when it's going to happen. Sometimes I went weeks without a rubber band incident, sometimes it was minutes. Needless to say if someone warns you about a rubber band, you might want to listen... and perhaps hone your reflexes. Who knows maybe you can turn faster than it can strike.
I'm learning the secret soup.
Hey everybody, I just wanted to let you know that I am learning the secret soup. Or perhaps its the secrets of the soup.
Ok so here's the scoop,
The other day I was just sitting there, minding my own business, and I got this email. It was all about some upcoming food events in this area. Quite honestly most of them didn't really appeal to me, but then my eyes caught something. I saw a name and I was intrigued. The name was Jeff, and I happen to know that Jeff makes some of the best soup around. You've probably heard of his restaurant... the Garden House.
Well Jeff is teaching a special class on soups Feb. 18, from 4-6
and I decided that I really wanted to attend. So I signed up.
And now I am inviting you to sign up too. Not because I'm all about publicizing this, just because I think this is a great opportunity, and I think it would be fun to do it with a few friends.
Sign up through the Alive Utah South website
It's $35 dollars, but I totally think it's worth it. Hope to see you there. W
Ok so here's the scoop,
The other day I was just sitting there, minding my own business, and I got this email. It was all about some upcoming food events in this area. Quite honestly most of them didn't really appeal to me, but then my eyes caught something. I saw a name and I was intrigued. The name was Jeff, and I happen to know that Jeff makes some of the best soup around. You've probably heard of his restaurant... the Garden House.
Well Jeff is teaching a special class on soups Feb. 18, from 4-6
and I decided that I really wanted to attend. So I signed up.
And now I am inviting you to sign up too. Not because I'm all about publicizing this, just because I think this is a great opportunity, and I think it would be fun to do it with a few friends.
Sign up through the Alive Utah South website
It's $35 dollars, but I totally think it's worth it. Hope to see you there. W
Monday, December 20, 2010
You know what's cool? The Census.
Ok I admit it, I'm just a little bit nerdy,
but I just found out that the Census Bureau is about to release the 2010 findings,
and I totally geeked out.
In 2000 our state (Utah) was the fifth fastest growing state.
We were up 29%.
If by chance we go up by about 25% this year we will finally get our fourth congressional seat.
There are a few other ways we could get one, (I'm not totally sure how the math of it works, but we would almost certainly get one if our population saw similar growth in the past decade.
The results will be posted tomorrow.
feel free to check them out with the link below.
Happy macro stalking.
Ü
2010 Census Data - 2010 Census
but I just found out that the Census Bureau is about to release the 2010 findings,
and I totally geeked out.
In 2000 our state (Utah) was the fifth fastest growing state.
We were up 29%.
If by chance we go up by about 25% this year we will finally get our fourth congressional seat.
There are a few other ways we could get one, (I'm not totally sure how the math of it works, but we would almost certainly get one if our population saw similar growth in the past decade.
The results will be posted tomorrow.
feel free to check them out with the link below.
Happy macro stalking.
Ü
2010 Census Data - 2010 Census
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
More of that life changing pie
That's right, "the pie that changes peoples lives" is back.
Or it's here.
I'm not sure which way it is but it's real.
The increasingly popular recipe has been added to the holiday supplement for the community interfaith cookbook (all proceeds go are donated to the local food pantry).
I thought the pie might have been in the first edition of the book, but alas, it didn't quite make it, but now, for those 6 billion people who don't know how to find the recipe (hint it's on my blog) you can get an official copy of it for you very own.
Also in case you are wondering,
here is a quick summary.
Flaky soft crust.
Almost impossible to ruin,
Also not one of those crust that you have to worry about over working,
Doesn't taste like cardboard.
no crazy ingredients or instructions (of course it has instructions... just not the crazy ones).
oh and it's goooood.
Or it's here.
I'm not sure which way it is but it's real.
The increasingly popular recipe has been added to the holiday supplement for the community interfaith cookbook (all proceeds go are donated to the local food pantry).
I thought the pie might have been in the first edition of the book, but alas, it didn't quite make it, but now, for those 6 billion people who don't know how to find the recipe (hint it's on my blog) you can get an official copy of it for you very own.
Also in case you are wondering,
here is a quick summary.
Flaky soft crust.
Almost impossible to ruin,
Also not one of those crust that you have to worry about over working,
Doesn't taste like cardboard.
no crazy ingredients or instructions (of course it has instructions... just not the crazy ones).
oh and it's goooood.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Pizza Eccelente
Hey everybody,
I'm assuming you already know about this,
but if not, or if you would like more details, here are the details for the party.
FRIDAY (sorry I know it's a bad day for some, but we may revisit this in the future)
6:00 (gives us time to make a little pizza, before we get too hungry)
And if you're coming, please bring an Excellent Pizza topping (and perhaps an open mind... I don't imagine that this will remind you in the least of any pizza you have ever had before, well maybe in some ways, but I can't guarantee anything ü).
Appendix One: What not to bring
Basically the things that you might find at say 5 buck pizza, or little caesars,
No this is not an affront on 5buck pizza... I'm saving that for another post.
I'm kidding... well sort of kidding. (however, I learned something that I really never supposed Five buck pizza is way better when it's fresh, I guess I just never had it fresh before)
So yeah, no Green Peppers,
no black olives, no hamburger,
no pepperoni (yes it's spicy, but is it exciting? doesn't matter, don't bring it)
Also there's nothing exciting about canned pineapple, or canned mushrooms for that matter. Seriously live on the wild side people.
Corollary: What you could bring,
Anything Smoked,
Anything Roasted,
Anything Toasted,
Anything grilled,
Anything exotic
Also exceptable.... things like:
Artichoke hearts,
Cheese, you know... something fun.
Oh yeah and if you want some meat there are some good options there too.
I think that about covers it, maybe a little redundant, but such is life.
hope you can come, and if not, hopefully it's good enough to do it again, and maybe you can come when we do. Ü
I'm assuming you already know about this,
but if not, or if you would like more details, here are the details for the party.
FRIDAY (sorry I know it's a bad day for some, but we may revisit this in the future)
6:00 (gives us time to make a little pizza, before we get too hungry)
And if you're coming, please bring an Excellent Pizza topping (and perhaps an open mind... I don't imagine that this will remind you in the least of any pizza you have ever had before, well maybe in some ways, but I can't guarantee anything ü).
Appendix One: What not to bring
Basically the things that you might find at say 5 buck pizza, or little caesars,
No this is not an affront on 5buck pizza... I'm saving that for another post.
I'm kidding... well sort of kidding. (however, I learned something that I really never supposed Five buck pizza is way better when it's fresh, I guess I just never had it fresh before)
So yeah, no Green Peppers,
no black olives, no hamburger,
no pepperoni (yes it's spicy, but is it exciting? doesn't matter, don't bring it)
Also there's nothing exciting about canned pineapple, or canned mushrooms for that matter. Seriously live on the wild side people.
Corollary: What you could bring,
Anything Smoked,
Anything Roasted,
Anything Toasted,
Anything grilled,
Anything exotic
Also exceptable.... things like:
Artichoke hearts,
Cheese, you know... something fun.
Oh yeah and if you want some meat there are some good options there too.
I think that about covers it, maybe a little redundant, but such is life.
hope you can come, and if not, hopefully it's good enough to do it again, and maybe you can come when we do. Ü
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
You've got Fail
...Wait what?
Facebook seriously? That's like the last company on earth that I want to be in charge of my email. No really, I don't trust those people one bit. And I certainly wouldn't trust them to be in charge of my email.
First there is the whole Facebook chat thing. It's perhaps the worst chat service ever created. It bugs me to no end. It's buggy, and it's not easy to use, I do like that I finally found a way to access my "friends" through a different IM service, but on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd probably give them a 3. Now maybe... this is what they are fixing, and more power to them, but probably at the least there will still be some pretty serious issues.
Like Privacy.
Yeah Facebook hates your privacy.
I even heard it in an interview. If they were starting the company today they would totally do it differently, they would make it so everything about everyone was "open" (paraphrased).
And have you noticed how they always opt you into to their "special" new "features." Yeah like the ones that sell your information to advertisers so FB
can make more money. In fact every time they make a change, it seems like I have less control over my information (unless you search for their secret undo buttons... which fortunately they now at least give you).
Also I don't think I've ever seen a change on Facebook that I actually liked.
No, I take that back I did see one just the other day. They made the find friends pretty amazing (of course just a few weeks ago it was practically not even useable). But then just when I thought they had actually fixed it, they went and changed it on me AGAIN. Now its kind of a combination of the old and the new, and while it is still better than the old system, they got rid of some of the good features from both the old one and the new one. But at least now I don't only get suggestions to be friends with people who live nowhere near me, but with whom
I share a mutual friend (yes one mutual friend). The worst part was that it would suggest these people and ignore the people that I might actually know, like my friends.
And then there's that whole security thing. Facebook does not equal secure. In fact there are "facebook leaks" all the time. You've probably already been a part of one. This is the last place that I want my email kept, and quite honestly the last way that I want I kept.
So in summary here's what I think about facebook:
It's buggy, it's invasive, it's not secure, it's not consistent/ reliable, it's a huge time waster (yeah I just through that one in, but if I start getting farmville stuff in my new improved FB mail, I may just go ballistic. Ü) And I don't trust them... not even a little bit.
But even still I felt like creating them a logo, and Mark if you're reading this, I'll let you have it for a really good price.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
I'm that boy
You know that boy. I know you do, he's the one in the funny pages.
He goes to kick the football, and then whoosh, it's not there.
I used to think that was so stupid, I mean you know it's not going to be there,
and yet he goes for it anyway.
You can imagine my surprise when I learned that he is me.
I'm that boy.
It was a strange evening, I mean there were some pretty cool things about it,
but it was strange, I mean really strange.
My friend and I were going to go to dinner.
I was pretty excited about this, because I haven't had the money to do that for a while.
I got to her apartment and her roommates said, 'oh were you meeting here?'
Turns out she wasn't home. Her roommates seemed to know that I was coming, but... where could she be?
This was not the first time this had happened, well not exactly the first time anyway.
Sometimes she was sleeping, sometimes deathly ill. Sometimes things came up, and lets face it, sometimes things come up. But this time was supposed to be different. It's not like things have never worked for us, sometimes (though not often) they do. And she's cool, or intriguing, or I don't know I just want to get to know her. Either way she assured me that this time it would work. Nothing could possibly get in the way this time. I even put it in my phone to make sure I would remember correctly. I did.
Her roommates tried to call her, but they got no response.
I tried to call her, but I too was less than successful.
Her roommates were cool. We chatted for easily half an hour, and still no one could make contact.
Finally one of the neighbors popped her head in to tell she just got a text from the girl I was supposed to be seeing, so now might be the time to try her again. Alas, I was unsuccessful. Another roommate came home and sent her a text message.
'That's strange she usually writes right back'
And it didn't get less strange. I mean this whole thing was kind of her idea.
Usually, it didn't take her long to apologize... Profusely. I basically always understood, but that didn't make it a whole lot better. Then afterwords I would think to myself this isn't worth it. It's like waking up on Christmas and realizing that your the only one who didn't get anything. And then doing it again.
But this time nothing. No apology. No text message. Nothing.
Yep I'm that boy,
And it stinks to be that boy.
I want to kick the football,
I don't even care if it's a great kick.
but it'd be nice to know the football is where it's supposed to be.
He goes to kick the football, and then whoosh, it's not there.
I used to think that was so stupid, I mean you know it's not going to be there,
and yet he goes for it anyway.
You can imagine my surprise when I learned that he is me.
I'm that boy.
It was a strange evening, I mean there were some pretty cool things about it,
but it was strange, I mean really strange.
My friend and I were going to go to dinner.
I was pretty excited about this, because I haven't had the money to do that for a while.
I got to her apartment and her roommates said, 'oh were you meeting here?'
Turns out she wasn't home. Her roommates seemed to know that I was coming, but... where could she be?
This was not the first time this had happened, well not exactly the first time anyway.
Sometimes she was sleeping, sometimes deathly ill. Sometimes things came up, and lets face it, sometimes things come up. But this time was supposed to be different. It's not like things have never worked for us, sometimes (though not often) they do. And she's cool, or intriguing, or I don't know I just want to get to know her. Either way she assured me that this time it would work. Nothing could possibly get in the way this time. I even put it in my phone to make sure I would remember correctly. I did.
Her roommates tried to call her, but they got no response.
I tried to call her, but I too was less than successful.
Her roommates were cool. We chatted for easily half an hour, and still no one could make contact.
Finally one of the neighbors popped her head in to tell she just got a text from the girl I was supposed to be seeing, so now might be the time to try her again. Alas, I was unsuccessful. Another roommate came home and sent her a text message.
'That's strange she usually writes right back'
And it didn't get less strange. I mean this whole thing was kind of her idea.
Usually, it didn't take her long to apologize... Profusely. I basically always understood, but that didn't make it a whole lot better. Then afterwords I would think to myself this isn't worth it. It's like waking up on Christmas and realizing that your the only one who didn't get anything. And then doing it again.
But this time nothing. No apology. No text message. Nothing.
Yep I'm that boy,
And it stinks to be that boy.
I want to kick the football,
I don't even care if it's a great kick.
but it'd be nice to know the football is where it's supposed to be.
Monday, September 27, 2010
life of a letter carrier... the pre story part II
Training was good, there were three of us in the training class (which is a lot), and we were all coming to the same post office.
Unfortunately the other two were being trained for a virtually indistinguishable job that pays better (the training was the same). I just didn't have to take the test that they took. I would have. I could have. I don't even hate tests. But because they had taken the test (assessment) they both had seniority over me.
We had a really good group. I enjoyed both of the other guys. I think I have a little more in common with one of them, but they are both cool, and the classes were good.
Actually the classes almost seemed... easy. I mean there was a lot to go over, but I was surprised that with what seemed like a fairly laid back pace, somehow we seemed to cover all the material.
Our trainer was cool too. She works in a different office than we were training in, so we got to see a couple different locations.
Here are some of the things that I noticed:
1) Post office = diversity.
I guess it wasn't too surprising, but as we toured the different post offices I noticed that I was the minority. Still it would be hard to say what if anything was the majority. There were old men and younger men. There were some deeply religious folks, and some who couldn't care less. Ethnicity? yeah they pretty much covered that too. And the women were easily as diverse as the men. And yet with all this diversity, there seemed to be a kind of oneness too. I mean it didn't matter what people were, because we were all in it together. Everyone was on one team.
(well technically there were three teams, 'the rurals,' 'the cities' and 'the clerks'. Interestingly they are all highly compartmentalized. You're either one or the other, you can't be both, and usually you pick one track and then stay on it.)
2) There is no dress code. Not for Rural carriers anyway.
Technically there is a bit of a dress code... I have to wear closed toed shoes, preferably with a strong leather upper. Oh and I can't where a postal uniform, but other than that I should be good to go. Oh yeah, and no political messages (at least not that advocate one side or another).
3) The third thing that I noticed was that some of these REALLY liked there jobs.
Now this could be, at least for the rural carriers, that they are paid by the route, so if perchance they finish early, they still get the same days wage. Or it could be that there's a bit of variety to their job, or who knows, maybe they're just crazy, but whatever it is some of them seem pretty happy, and that was pretty impressive.
Unfortunately the other two were being trained for a virtually indistinguishable job that pays better (the training was the same). I just didn't have to take the test that they took. I would have. I could have. I don't even hate tests. But because they had taken the test (assessment) they both had seniority over me.
We had a really good group. I enjoyed both of the other guys. I think I have a little more in common with one of them, but they are both cool, and the classes were good.
Actually the classes almost seemed... easy. I mean there was a lot to go over, but I was surprised that with what seemed like a fairly laid back pace, somehow we seemed to cover all the material.
Our trainer was cool too. She works in a different office than we were training in, so we got to see a couple different locations.
Here are some of the things that I noticed:
1) Post office = diversity.
I guess it wasn't too surprising, but as we toured the different post offices I noticed that I was the minority. Still it would be hard to say what if anything was the majority. There were old men and younger men. There were some deeply religious folks, and some who couldn't care less. Ethnicity? yeah they pretty much covered that too. And the women were easily as diverse as the men. And yet with all this diversity, there seemed to be a kind of oneness too. I mean it didn't matter what people were, because we were all in it together. Everyone was on one team.
(well technically there were three teams, 'the rurals,' 'the cities' and 'the clerks'. Interestingly they are all highly compartmentalized. You're either one or the other, you can't be both, and usually you pick one track and then stay on it.)
2) There is no dress code. Not for Rural carriers anyway.
Technically there is a bit of a dress code... I have to wear closed toed shoes, preferably with a strong leather upper. Oh and I can't where a postal uniform, but other than that I should be good to go. Oh yeah, and no political messages (at least not that advocate one side or another).
3) The third thing that I noticed was that some of these REALLY liked there jobs.
Now this could be, at least for the rural carriers, that they are paid by the route, so if perchance they finish early, they still get the same days wage. Or it could be that there's a bit of variety to their job, or who knows, maybe they're just crazy, but whatever it is some of them seem pretty happy, and that was pretty impressive.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Special Delivery: Tales of a Postman - Prologue
I thought it would be interesting to share some of my experiences working with the USPS. In a way this is tricky, because there is a lot that I can't talk about... I can't tell you where somebody lives, and I certainly can't tell you what I have given them. But still there are things, some of which amuse me, that I think would be interesting so I thought I would share.
First the Prologue,
It's kind of tough these days finding jobs and what not.
I have been looking for a while, though not very intently... Except perhaps when I remember how crazy my job (my old job) gets around Christmas time.
But I did have one rule no peanuts, I wanted a real job, and I felt I was worth real money. So, while I would take minimum wage if circumstances got desparate, I decided to look a little bit higher.
One day a friend of mine told me that the post office was hiring. I'm not sure I was excited about the idea of working with the post office, but the pay was alright, and the schedule was awesome... meaning it would fit well with the other things that I was doing at the time. Over time my opinion about working for the post office has changed, a couple of times actually, but I'm sure I'll hit all that stuff later.
Due to a slight error on my part, I was not able to apply for the job that I really wanted, but there was another job, also with decent hours and pay, that I was eligible for. SIDENOTE: While it's is in reality about like any other application process, taking roughly 2-3 hours (which I had planned)a person a male applying for a job with the post office will probably need a few extra trinkets... like their selective service number. SIDENOTE #2: the Selective Service website is not in my experience entirely reliable (it was mostly dead when I tried to use it) and SIDENOTE #3: If I had known that the 1-800 number is quick and easy, and always available (computer automated), I might not have wasted so much of my time trying to get their website to work, and I might have been able to get things done in time for the original jobs, deadline.
Then, something pretty ordinary happened... Nothing.
It was weeks, perhaps even months, before I actually heard anything, and I didn't hear much. But the Post office wanted to do either a background check or a drug test, but they wouldn't actually tell me which one.
A few more weeks, and I got an interview, but it wasn't my only application out there. Still I tried to play it cool, and let them know that I thought I would be good, but what if I did get other interviews? I didn't. I didn't have to worry about it.
More weeks passed, and as seemed to be the pattern, just when I had decided that nothing was happening, something happened, they wanted to give me a driving test.
'Test?' I thought, 'that can never be good'. Still, it was progress, so I decided it was a step in the right direction. I admit I was nervous, more so than I needed to be (which for the record is basically what the postmaster told me before hand), it's pretty basic, but some people really can't drive.
Next came the Drug test, ah that first one must have been the Background check.
And then they wanted to train me, I guess I got the job. They did tell me I was hired, but I think I actually got the letter about training first (but hey, I'm a pretty smart guy, I put two and two together). And thus began my journey into the fabulous world or mail. I'll try to write more about this later. ttfn
First the Prologue,
It's kind of tough these days finding jobs and what not.
I have been looking for a while, though not very intently... Except perhaps when I remember how crazy my job (my old job) gets around Christmas time.
But I did have one rule no peanuts, I wanted a real job, and I felt I was worth real money. So, while I would take minimum wage if circumstances got desparate, I decided to look a little bit higher.
One day a friend of mine told me that the post office was hiring. I'm not sure I was excited about the idea of working with the post office, but the pay was alright, and the schedule was awesome... meaning it would fit well with the other things that I was doing at the time. Over time my opinion about working for the post office has changed, a couple of times actually, but I'm sure I'll hit all that stuff later.
Due to a slight error on my part, I was not able to apply for the job that I really wanted, but there was another job, also with decent hours and pay, that I was eligible for. SIDENOTE: While it's is in reality about like any other application process, taking roughly 2-3 hours (which I had planned)
Then, something pretty ordinary happened... Nothing.
It was weeks, perhaps even months, before I actually heard anything, and I didn't hear much. But the Post office wanted to do either a background check or a drug test, but they wouldn't actually tell me which one.
A few more weeks, and I got an interview, but it wasn't my only application out there. Still I tried to play it cool, and let them know that I thought I would be good, but what if I did get other interviews? I didn't. I didn't have to worry about it.
More weeks passed, and as seemed to be the pattern, just when I had decided that nothing was happening, something happened, they wanted to give me a driving test.
'Test?' I thought, 'that can never be good'. Still, it was progress, so I decided it was a step in the right direction. I admit I was nervous, more so than I needed to be (which for the record is basically what the postmaster told me before hand), it's pretty basic, but some people really can't drive.
Next came the Drug test, ah that first one must have been the Background check.
And then they wanted to train me, I guess I got the job. They did tell me I was hired, but I think I actually got the letter about training first (but hey, I'm a pretty smart guy, I put two and two together). And thus began my journey into the fabulous world or mail. I'll try to write more about this later. ttfn
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