April's Fun with BlogThings

Your Rapper Name Is...

Biggie Starz

What's Your Rapper Name?

The April Update

Wow.

I have not posted anything since my birthday.

I have not been idle. In fact, I have been quite busy. So busy in fact that lately I have grumbled about not having the time to do things like post to a blog.

I am currently in the midst of several things:

A) I am a seeking another job.
The job that I am currently working at is not working out. I gave it the "college try" and found the cons far outweighing any pros I could come up with for staying. While you can't run from every situation, you should recognize when something is not working out and that it is time to call it a day. I have been looking for sometime and unfortunately the deadline I set is coming sooner than I'd want it to. There is lots of advice and lots of jobs that if I lived in a different state I could take. I believe that I will find something suitable.

B) Writing.
I met someone in the middle of last year that reminded me why I enjoyed writing. I had essentially turned my back on it. Slowly but surely I have regained my interest and am working on some material. I did participate in National Novel Writing Month, though I did not get as far as I wanted. I was reminded of author David McCullough's observation that "writing requires discipline." My discipline in this area is slowly but surely getting there. I hope to begin collecting my 'ding' letters soon.

C) Relaunching the Weblogger meetup.
I realized that I needed to "pick a direction and go" rather than soliciting and soliciting for feedback as to what the Blogger meetup should be. I hope to relaunch it in June with a focus on writing and blogging. I have also taken the time to educate myself on some of the topics in blogging that I am not as familiar with.

I still volunteer some though there were other things such as chorus that I dropped because I realized that it was time to move on. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go on the two upcoming trips to NOLA offered through Boston Cares. I hope to go in November again.

I still visit interesting and cool blogs and websites and will reinstitute the Monthly regular feature again highlighting those blogs and websites I find interesting and think that you will too very soon.

On an unrelated note, I feel sad for the families that lost someone at the Virginia Tech shootings. There is no explaination for such things. As Wordworth said, "we must find strength in what remains behind."

Well it seems that Howard Schulz, founder of Starbucks, made public an email he sent out to CEO Jim Donald and other staff. He warns of making Starbucks no longer special, but just another commodity, just another cup of coffee and an increasingly bad one at that.

So radical a move this was that John Moore, blogger of Brand Autopsy and former Starbucks marketer, doubted the authenticity of the email. He later acknowledged that it was real and apologized to the webmaster that he accused of falling down on the job of maintaining credible content at the site.

Email can be found here:
http://starbucksgossip.typepad.com/_/2007/02/starbucks_chair_2.html

Boston Cares Blog

Boston Cares, a great organization that connects volunteers with opportunities for service and civil engagment, has launched a blog: http://bostoncares.vox.com/.

It will be interesting to see how it develops. I submitted my blog about my time in Katrina to help them along.

McChronicles: QSCV WATCH

McChronicles: QSCV WATCH


The McChronicles gang blog about Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value (QSCV) and the quest for the Egg Nog milkshakes that McDonalds advertised during the holiday season and certain restaurants trying to explain why they don't have them even though their signs advertise this.

I encountered the latter for the longest time when Dunkin Donuts first advertised their Coffee Coolatta product. In most of the cases, it wasn't that it was not the time of year or that their store did not carry it. It was simply that the staff as a whole was not trained to make it. This makes sense a little bit when you consider that Dunkin Donuts stores are franchises and within certain limits can make up their minds about things like that. Consequently I went to Starbucks, (the original source of the product for me) which is a chain and for the most part requires every barista to know how to make every drink and anytime. Period. Though it was more expensive than Dunkin Donuts and slightly more expensive, I patronized them until Dunkin Donuts understood that a person will pay more for convenience if they can. They will pay more for the ability to get a frozen blended when they want even if the one that you sell is less expensive and has more product.

Regarding cleanliness, the only fast food restaurants I ever eat in are the Burger King located in Government Center in Boston and well it used to be the McDonalds located in Coolidge Corner i Brookline. I can say that the McDonalds located in Central Square in Cambridge and the one located near the Christian Science Monitor in Boston are kept clean. I do believe they are owned by the same franchisee. The aforementioned restaurants also adhere to the QSCV standard.

Happy Birthday to ME-again

Things that I am thankful for now that I have reached my birthday today...

I am thankful that I have my health for the most part.

I am thankful that I have gotten to meet such great people in the past year including Whitney, Carl, Julie, Adam, Ethan, Stephanie, Gwen, Cynthia, Paula, and Corey.

I am thankful to know some of the other people I have come across so far-even Colleen and Furio. ;)

I am thankful to be employed since I am hearing stories about people that are not so employed right now.

I am thankful for the lessons that I have learned so far.

I am thankful to know that I am in control of my own destiny.

I am thankful that I can make a difference in small ways.

I am thankful that I still love bubble tea.

I am thankful that I still love good animation.

I am thankful that I know that I can still be surprised and pleased.

I am thankful that I can still learn.

I am thankful that I can still make paper valentines.

I am grateful that I still possess a little from the cyncial column and a little from the 'sense of wonder' column.

I am thankful I still love to dance and sing.

I am thankful that I am learning to like people again.

I am thankful to have been connected to with someone who enjoys enjoying tasty food.

I am thankful that I lived to see the Red Sox and the Patriots win and that I vaguely remember when the Celtics last won (1986). I was not alive for the Bruins' triumphs.

I am thankful that I get to see a 'new' Robotech movie.

I am thankful that I can enjoy the small things as well as the big.

I am thankful to know that it is possible to get a job where you can drink, act as a chauffeur and beat up women for money (inside joke with Carl about a Barbara Stanwyck-Clark Gable called 'Night Nurse')

I am thankful because I think that the sea is a wonderful thing.

I am thankful that I still have so far to go on this strange and wonderful journey that is life.

Happy Birthday to ME

I know that I will spend part of the day working and the rest of the evening returning to better times by watching Robotech at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge.
http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?event=HUXSOZZSOHDEOLCWWMJN

The usual maudlin thoughts that are usually reserved for this day were already spent while I was sick, so I don't have anything left for my birthday, which would actually be seen as a positive.

I don't feel older or wiser and I haven't since I was 13. The years rolled on and I just would get bigger and more liable for things like bills...

It's funny. I am grateful to be alive and I feel as if I should do something more to mark the occasion but anything else would be hypocrisy or plain weird.

I am bummed that the 65 degree weather of last year will not be this year. One seeming constant is that I delay any real celebration of anything until warmer weather. Details about that to come...

I did come up with a motto for this year: Know where you want to go and plan how to get there.

Last year's was probably: "You gotta be kiddin' me!!!"

2004 was: "I need a spear and magic helmet-STAT!"


Well, here's to another year full of possibilities and bumps and aches and possible growth.

And better blog entries...