I started my second job on Saturday. Just over a week ago, I walked into an Apple store and applied for a job. They promptly interviewed me, checked to see if I had any nasties in my background (keywords in that sentence: “background” and “check”), and offered me a job.
So, this is a part-time thing. It should be lots of fun, though. I’ll be doing some weekends and some evenings too. I’m probably not going to talk much about behind-the-scenes stuff. I don’t want to get fired or sued or anything. As they kindly reminded me when I mentioned that I had a blog, I’m a representative of Apple now. They do love their employees though. They have great benefits and perks, even for part-timers.
So, I went into my training day on Saturday, and I went around introducing myself to my co-trainees. Most of them are part-time as well. “Starbuck” is a speed-reading musician whose other job is a barista at Starbucks. He told me the location of his Starbucks. It occurred to me that I had been there just the day before and he had taken …
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Here’s my screen. I did it today at work.
I might try this... if I make the time to, but in the meantime, check this out, pretty wild stuff.
Anna and I watched Garden State last night. I loved it. Zach Braff wrote, directed and starred in Garden State. He did an incredible job. He plays the lead as Andrew Largeman, a guy who returns to his home town in New Jersey for four days to attend his mother’s funeral. While this sounds pretty formulaic, the movie is everything but.
The people in the movie act incredibly normal. The plot doesn’t follow some sort of simple three-act structure. There are some pretty bizarre moments that just feel perfectly normal for that setting, and there are some really normal moments that feel completely bizarre to see in a movie. It catches you off guard.
Lastly, it’s got fantastic music. The song that ends the movie is “Let Go” by Frou Frou (a.k.a. Imogen Heap). I played her a lot when I was a DJ in Alaska. She’s a friend of a friend.
Go watch it. It’s refreshing to see movies like this.
Note: This is a rated R movie for language and a few “scenes” that might make some uncomfortable. It that’s you, then please …
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I had to take a forced break from the blog. Last friday, I was tinkering with some of the nuts and bolts with databases and whatnot on my server and I accidently deleted this blog. In all honesty, I didn’t really even do it. I deleted some stuff from one database and the tool I was using to do that decided to delete them from another database. So, some glitch resulted in my blog going away for awhile.
But as you can tell, we’re pretty much back in action. I want to say that I’ve missed it a lot! I did get to have a bit of extra spare time which was nice. I was able to do a bit of redesign with Vance on the Junk Forest Blog and I’ve been insanely busy at work as well. Still, during the last week something would occur to me, or I’d see something online that struck me in a certain way. Those times I got the familiar feeling of “Hey I should blog about this…”
So we’re back and thanks for your patience. Thank you to all who inquired, expressed remorse, …
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Forgiveness is a very special thing. By forgiving someone you give up your power to hate that person. And in doing that, you do one of the most powerful actions possible by mankind. You show love toward someone who didn’t show love to you. It’s a sacred act.
And that’s why I signed my name at I Forgive Osama. Before I say anything else, I want to say that I ache for those who lost their lives or their loved ones by the actions, direct or indirect, of Al Qaeda. It is unfathomable to me.
But I can’t just love my neighbor and refuse to love my enemies. We must love our enemies and our neighbors. We must consider others as better than ourselves. We must live in humility. If I live in the belief that people who hate each other can not be reconciled, then I’ll grow up a cynical, grumpy old curmudgeon. I’ll lose hope.
Well, I choose hope. Am I naïve? I don’t think so. I’m just following the commands of Christ. I am following the command of genuine goodness.
We all need forgiveness. All of us …
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We’ve been back a week now and it feels like it’s been just a few days. I’m still working through how being away from America for a month changed me in some ways. More on that later… maybe…
So, one post I wrote while we were on the road was about cameras. Here it is:
I always recommend to people when they buy a digital camera to pick one that’s pocket-sized. I know from experience that I take a small camera places that I wouldn’t normally take an enormous one. As much as I love the control that an SLR camera provides, for most people a point-and-shoot camera that fits in your pocket is the best choice. The “fits in your pocket” requirement is key, and for two reasons:
Big cameras are a pain to carry everywhere. They hog an entire bag all on their own, so that means one hand is always …
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Let me say that, for me, flying west is easier than flying east. When we got to Germany just over a month ago, we felt pretty lousy. Coming back has been a little bit easier. The jetlag has bee tolerable.
So, how was the trip? Very good. I’d go back in a hearbeat (as long as someone else paid, I’m out of cash for the moment).
Switzerland was idyllic. It has breathtaking views unlike anything I’ve seen before. Mix in some amazing chocolate, delicious wine and scrumptous cheeze and you’ve got one heck of a country.
Belgium had something that no country I’ve ever visited has. Really good beer was completely ubiquitous. Every place I went for a meal, coffee, anything really; they all had really good beer.
In Germany we did a lot of driving and one thing that stands out (aside from getting to go really fast) is the complete lack of billboards. That’s right, billboards are illegal in Germany. Now I’m a guy who tends to like the government to stay out of my business, but this is one law I’d support in a heartbeat.
More about …
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Be Good Not Bad is all about really good web design, based on the utmost respect for web standards, accessibility and respect for the user. Based in Denver, Colorado, Be Good Not Bad is run by Brian Warren, freelance designer, blogger, homebrewer and coffee nut.
