I got a chain-email from a friend.
I'll forgive him.
It was one of those that tells you something about your friend's life. I liked learning more about him, and I went ahead and filled it out and sent it back. I only sent to him tho, instead of the 5 or 10 or whatever friends. I don't like to send stuff out that I don't like to get myself.
Instead, I'll post it here!
Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. frozen yogurt seller
2. clothes drier repairman (a one-off job)
3. 7-11 clerk. Overnights. Next to a bar.
4. Journalist
Four movies I have watched over and over (& can't> get enough of):
1. That Thing You Do!
2. The Blues Brothers
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
4. It's A Wonderful Life
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. M*A*S*H
2. Mythbusters
3. Frasier
4. Drake & Josh (my kids got me hooked)
Four places I have been on vacation:
1. LA-Anaheim
2. San Diego
3. Flagstaff
4. The Arizona stretch of Route 66
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Kung Pao Chicken at Pei Wei
2. my wife's Apricot Chicken
3. Tamales
4. Coffee. Is that a food?
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Disneyland (you could see that coming)
2. San Diego
3. Browsing a used-cd store
4. Browsing a used-book store
Four people I would love to meet:
1. Roger Staubach and/or Troy Aikman
2. any living Beatle
3. Any Disney Imagineer who could tell me some secrets
4. George W. Bush, just cuz it would annoy so many other people
-Zube.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
I can blog again!
For some reason, my blogger site doesn't work well from work now. So I haven't been posting, as you can tell. I found a workaround.
So they're dropping my job here at the paper. I have to apply for a new position ... in a new spot. It's stressful, yes, but I'm supposed to still have a job here SOMEwhere. I'll keep you posted.
-Zube.
So they're dropping my job here at the paper. I have to apply for a new position ... in a new spot. It's stressful, yes, but I'm supposed to still have a job here SOMEwhere. I'll keep you posted.
-Zube.
Monday, December 11, 2006
My Christmas Obsession
I've been at it again, buying used Christmas music. I've gotten some good stuff, including this album that is out of print and selling for ridiculous prices ($50-$70 on ebay). I got it for $6.
But the real damage this year is from downloads. I got an ipod earlier this year, and now have been scouring the internet for downloadable songs ... and I've found a ton of Christmas. Some great sites for such content -- mostly blogs -- include this and this and this and this and this and this. The best to find stuff is this site, which has links to many of the above and many, many more.
Hope you find great Christmas music out there.
-Zube.
But the real damage this year is from downloads. I got an ipod earlier this year, and now have been scouring the internet for downloadable songs ... and I've found a ton of Christmas. Some great sites for such content -- mostly blogs -- include this and this and this and this and this and this. The best to find stuff is this site, which has links to many of the above and many, many more.
Hope you find great Christmas music out there.
-Zube.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
I haven't posted in awhile.
And now I have.
-Zube.
OK, I'll post.
Interesting days at work. Layoffs. 20something companywide, only 8 in the newsoom, only 3 in my newsroom (5 from the bureaus).
I say "only" but don't mean to be crass. 8 people DID lose their jobs. But in the newspaper world of late, that's not bad. Recently, Philadelphia laid off 40 newsroom positions.
People don't read newspapers like they used to. I read an analysis about that, blaming it on the shift to a white-collar economy.
Back when we were all blue-collar, everybody went to the factory from 8 to 5, came home, read the afternoon paper for an hour to catch up on what happened in the world while they were working, then had dinner.
In a white-collar world, we go to work earlier, stay later. More than 40 hours a week. We can keep up to date on our cell phones or Blackberries or Internet or television. And nobody has an hour to kill reading the paper anymore. That's why afternoon dailies died, and morning dailies will follow.
A friend and I were discussing this right after the layoffs. I told him we're making buggy whips and buttonhooks here. We're obsolete.
Sigh.
-Zube.
-Zube.
OK, I'll post.
Interesting days at work. Layoffs. 20something companywide, only 8 in the newsoom, only 3 in my newsroom (5 from the bureaus).
I say "only" but don't mean to be crass. 8 people DID lose their jobs. But in the newspaper world of late, that's not bad. Recently, Philadelphia laid off 40 newsroom positions.
People don't read newspapers like they used to. I read an analysis about that, blaming it on the shift to a white-collar economy.
Back when we were all blue-collar, everybody went to the factory from 8 to 5, came home, read the afternoon paper for an hour to catch up on what happened in the world while they were working, then had dinner.
In a white-collar world, we go to work earlier, stay later. More than 40 hours a week. We can keep up to date on our cell phones or Blackberries or Internet or television. And nobody has an hour to kill reading the paper anymore. That's why afternoon dailies died, and morning dailies will follow.
A friend and I were discussing this right after the layoffs. I told him we're making buggy whips and buttonhooks here. We're obsolete.
Sigh.
-Zube.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Ch-ch-ch-changes.
We're losing a guy from the area of the newspaper I work. ... At.
That's 25% of our staffing. But of course, we're not going to hire to replace him.
So my hours and days off may shift to accomodate. I'll start working 1 hour later (which will cost me some time with my kids and wife), and I probably will have to occasionally rotate to a Tuesday to Saturday shift.
It's not horrible, but it does change what had been a dream schedule for me for several years now: Monday through Friday, 11 to 7. I guess it had to come to an end eventually.
Sigh.
-Zube.
That's 25% of our staffing. But of course, we're not going to hire to replace him.
So my hours and days off may shift to accomodate. I'll start working 1 hour later (which will cost me some time with my kids and wife), and I probably will have to occasionally rotate to a Tuesday to Saturday shift.
It's not horrible, but it does change what had been a dream schedule for me for several years now: Monday through Friday, 11 to 7. I guess it had to come to an end eventually.
Sigh.
-Zube.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Woof!
We got a dog.
There was a story locally about way too many dogs being euthanized because of lack of space at shelters, so we decided to go take a look for one, since the kids have always wanted a dog, but we didn't really have the room for one.
We had gotten on the net and found a great looking dog, and were all pumped to see him, but when we got there and he was brought out, he was indifferent to us and the kids. We were a little disappointed.
But my daughter had already spotted another dog nearby that was very friendly and looked like fun. We had her brought out, and she took up with me and the kids and my wife right away.
She's a border collie mix, don't know what with, but she's a pretty thing. Gonna be 2 in December, if I remember right. She came from animal control, and already had a name, Whistle.
She's great, she's already acting like our place is her home. She's chased birds out of her backyard and barked a lot at a car that parked in front of our house.
I think we made a great move.
-Zube.
There was a story locally about way too many dogs being euthanized because of lack of space at shelters, so we decided to go take a look for one, since the kids have always wanted a dog, but we didn't really have the room for one.
We had gotten on the net and found a great looking dog, and were all pumped to see him, but when we got there and he was brought out, he was indifferent to us and the kids. We were a little disappointed.
But my daughter had already spotted another dog nearby that was very friendly and looked like fun. We had her brought out, and she took up with me and the kids and my wife right away.
She's a border collie mix, don't know what with, but she's a pretty thing. Gonna be 2 in December, if I remember right. She came from animal control, and already had a name, Whistle.
She's great, she's already acting like our place is her home. She's chased birds out of her backyard and barked a lot at a car that parked in front of our house.
I think we made a great move.
-Zube.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
My Disneyland box redux
By the way ...
It's up to 20 discs now.
2 for Main Street USA, 2 for Adventureland, 1 each for New Orleans Square, Bear Country/Critter Country and Frontierland, 1 for Fantasyland and 1 for Fantasyland/Toontown, 5 for Tomorrowland, 4 for parades and shows, 1 for Christmas and a "Bonus Disc" of music from Club 33 and Disney Gallery.
Sad, huh?
-Zube.
It's up to 20 discs now.
2 for Main Street USA, 2 for Adventureland, 1 each for New Orleans Square, Bear Country/Critter Country and Frontierland, 1 for Fantasyland and 1 for Fantasyland/Toontown, 5 for Tomorrowland, 4 for parades and shows, 1 for Christmas and a "Bonus Disc" of music from Club 33 and Disney Gallery.
Sad, huh?
-Zube.
Cats and dogs
It's raining a bunch here.
We got rain this morning for a couple hours, and it was coming down hard. At one point, the thunder and lightning was right over our house. I thought we got hit, but I don't think so.
One thing nice to find out about the new home: Our roof doesn't seem to be leaking.
-Zube.
We got rain this morning for a couple hours, and it was coming down hard. At one point, the thunder and lightning was right over our house. I thought we got hit, but I don't think so.
One thing nice to find out about the new home: Our roof doesn't seem to be leaking.
-Zube.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Where's my ...
Unpacking is a chore, no matter how carefully you packed and labeled boxes. And we were so rushed, we had a bunch of boxes at the end that were unlabeled, or just had stuff thrown into bags.
I just found my dress shoes 2 days ago.
-Zube.
I just found my dress shoes 2 days ago.
-Zube.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Finally.
OK, so that day WASN'T moving day.
We had more ugly twists and turns before we FINALLY closed. Took us a few days to move, and a few minor accidents along the way.
But we finally are in our new house, and it's a joy. But we're more tired than you can imagine.
One day soon, we'll celebrate!
-Zube.
We had more ugly twists and turns before we FINALLY closed. Took us a few days to move, and a few minor accidents along the way.
But we finally are in our new house, and it's a joy. But we're more tired than you can imagine.
One day soon, we'll celebrate!
-Zube.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Moving day
We've been way busy, as you can imagine. There is one more paper to sign ( ... there is ALWAYS one more paper to sign ... ) then we close and record today.
We have to move all our stuff over this weekend, and we're up against the wall. My parents are coming in from El Paso to help, and I have a friend from work helping me too.
My wife said all this time crunch (and the many twists and turns it finally took to get to today) is draining all the joy from the moment, and I agree. But hopefully, once we're in there on Monday and can start unpacking, we'll finally be happy. I know I'm looking forward to that feeling!
-Zube.
We have to move all our stuff over this weekend, and we're up against the wall. My parents are coming in from El Paso to help, and I have a friend from work helping me too.
My wife said all this time crunch (and the many twists and turns it finally took to get to today) is draining all the joy from the moment, and I agree. But hopefully, once we're in there on Monday and can start unpacking, we'll finally be happy. I know I'm looking forward to that feeling!
-Zube.
Monday, June 26, 2006
From the home front
OK, the big secret I've been holding onto for a couple weeks.
My wife kept looking at this house about half a mile from us, wishing we could get a new house. But we're not really ready to sell, with repairs to be made to our house and no money to make them.
She toured the house during an open house, and the agent took her name and number. She mentioned it to me, but I pretty much dismissed it because I knew there was no way we could get the money to do this.
But the agent was persistent, and one day told my wife that she might have a buyer for OUR house. Hmm.
My wife finally got me to go look at the house, and I liked it. It was bigger by a bedroom, had nicer amenities, a fireplace, vaulted ceilings, a nice backyard, etc. etc. etc. And the seller, who works for a mortgage company, worked out some numbers. They figured that if we could get a certain price for our house, we could retire debt and then absorb a bigger mortgage payment.
So, without putting our house on the market, we allowed the agent to bring a couple people over.
The first one hated it. The second one loved it, then disappeared.
So the agent said she would try a couple of home investors.
One couldn't qualify. The second one tried to get us to sign over all our equity.
At this point, we figured it was over. We had decided that we were not going to go to great lengths to make this happen. We could live in our house, and make some changes to make it more livable.
Then the agent dropped a bomb: She and her husband wanted to buy our house themselves.
So it appears now that THEY will buy it, and we'll buy the other house.
Weird, huh?
-Zube.
My wife kept looking at this house about half a mile from us, wishing we could get a new house. But we're not really ready to sell, with repairs to be made to our house and no money to make them.
She toured the house during an open house, and the agent took her name and number. She mentioned it to me, but I pretty much dismissed it because I knew there was no way we could get the money to do this.
But the agent was persistent, and one day told my wife that she might have a buyer for OUR house. Hmm.
My wife finally got me to go look at the house, and I liked it. It was bigger by a bedroom, had nicer amenities, a fireplace, vaulted ceilings, a nice backyard, etc. etc. etc. And the seller, who works for a mortgage company, worked out some numbers. They figured that if we could get a certain price for our house, we could retire debt and then absorb a bigger mortgage payment.
So, without putting our house on the market, we allowed the agent to bring a couple people over.
The first one hated it. The second one loved it, then disappeared.
So the agent said she would try a couple of home investors.
One couldn't qualify. The second one tried to get us to sign over all our equity.
At this point, we figured it was over. We had decided that we were not going to go to great lengths to make this happen. We could live in our house, and make some changes to make it more livable.
Then the agent dropped a bomb: She and her husband wanted to buy our house themselves.
So it appears now that THEY will buy it, and we'll buy the other house.
Weird, huh?
-Zube.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Ouch.
So this is how I spent some of Father's Day: In an emergency room.
It was early in the evening when I went outside to throw around the football with my son. I was wearing thick sandals ... then I felt something go through them and into my foot. It was a screw. A rusty screw.
The thing had screwed my shoe to my foot, and every motion of either was very painful. My wife took me to the emergency room and I sat there in a wheelchair for about an hour. They processed me, then I waited longer, then they looked at me, then I waited longer, then I got a room, then I waited longer, then I got moved, then I waited longer, then they hooked me up to remove the screw. Then I waited longer. Then they removed the screw. Then I waited longer.
I was put under so they could remove the screw (with a pair of needlenose pliers from maintenance!), but for just a minute. Apparently I didn't start to bleed until they got the thing out, which is a good thing.
Three and a half hours after I showed up, I was out. Which actually was pretty good for an emergency room. When I left, I saw people I had seen when I came in, still waiting to go through the first part of the process.
My foot is sore.
-Zube.
It was early in the evening when I went outside to throw around the football with my son. I was wearing thick sandals ... then I felt something go through them and into my foot. It was a screw. A rusty screw.
The thing had screwed my shoe to my foot, and every motion of either was very painful. My wife took me to the emergency room and I sat there in a wheelchair for about an hour. They processed me, then I waited longer, then they looked at me, then I waited longer, then I got a room, then I waited longer, then I got moved, then I waited longer, then they hooked me up to remove the screw. Then I waited longer. Then they removed the screw. Then I waited longer.
I was put under so they could remove the screw (with a pair of needlenose pliers from maintenance!), but for just a minute. Apparently I didn't start to bleed until they got the thing out, which is a good thing.
Three and a half hours after I showed up, I was out. Which actually was pretty good for an emergency room. When I left, I saw people I had seen when I came in, still waiting to go through the first part of the process.
My foot is sore.
-Zube.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
iPod redux
OK, so my daughter confiscated the iPod!
She decided after about a day that she really did like it and thought it was cool, especially cause now we were going to let her download music from iTunes.
So I decided to get myself another iPod. I went and got a 2mb black iPod.
Well the first one was a bit of a problem ... I spent hours trying to get it working, byt my computer wouldn't recognize it. I reloaded the iPod, removed and reinstalled software, everything. I finally concluded that the iPod itself must be corrupted. I was hoping so, at least, instead of the problem being with my computer.
So I took it back to Best Buy the next day, they ran diagnostics, and sure enough, it was fried. And without blinking an eye, they told me to go get another one.
So I got the second one, and it works fine. I'm really enjoying dumping music into it.
Now my son wants one!
-Zube.
She decided after about a day that she really did like it and thought it was cool, especially cause now we were going to let her download music from iTunes.
So I decided to get myself another iPod. I went and got a 2mb black iPod.
Well the first one was a bit of a problem ... I spent hours trying to get it working, byt my computer wouldn't recognize it. I reloaded the iPod, removed and reinstalled software, everything. I finally concluded that the iPod itself must be corrupted. I was hoping so, at least, instead of the problem being with my computer.
So I took it back to Best Buy the next day, they ran diagnostics, and sure enough, it was fried. And without blinking an eye, they told me to go get another one.
So I got the second one, and it works fine. I'm really enjoying dumping music into it.
Now my son wants one!
-Zube.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Funny
Overheard Conversation of the Day:
Twenty-year-old female 1, in serious tone, no smile: "That's funny."
Twenty-year-old female 2, ditto: "SO funny."
They meant it, too.
-Zube.
Twenty-year-old female 1, in serious tone, no smile: "That's funny."
Twenty-year-old female 2, ditto: "SO funny."
They meant it, too.
-Zube.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Amused to death
Time to vent.
At work, we're watching the NBA playoffs on TNT. And I'm talking about how I hate their studio show, which consists mainly of Charles Barkley being an idiot and people talking over each other.
Others around me tell me that they LOVE that show, how they think it's entertaining. I say if you find after-hours talk by a bunch of drunk people spouting half-thought-out opinions entertaining, then more power to you. Among the more insightful things on TNT: a long-running "gag" video of a fat guy dancing with Charles Barkley's face grafted on. Hi-larious.
When did the pursuit of "entertainment" become the highest goal of mankind? or of Americankind, anyway.
I like entertainment, music, etc. (as you realize if you've read any bit of my blog). But there's got to be time to meditate, reflect ... THINK, for God's sake.
I know the NBA studio show isn't a big thing, but it bugs me when this is what is held up as a good idea. TV itself is full of junk, and entire channels are devoted to such junk (Spike, for one). Why can't they give you thoughtful information? Why do we need this kind of mindless stimulation 24/7? What the heck happened to reading? What the heck happened to thinking?
What the heck?
-Zube.
At work, we're watching the NBA playoffs on TNT. And I'm talking about how I hate their studio show, which consists mainly of Charles Barkley being an idiot and people talking over each other.
Others around me tell me that they LOVE that show, how they think it's entertaining. I say if you find after-hours talk by a bunch of drunk people spouting half-thought-out opinions entertaining, then more power to you. Among the more insightful things on TNT: a long-running "gag" video of a fat guy dancing with Charles Barkley's face grafted on. Hi-larious.
When did the pursuit of "entertainment" become the highest goal of mankind? or of Americankind, anyway.
I like entertainment, music, etc. (as you realize if you've read any bit of my blog). But there's got to be time to meditate, reflect ... THINK, for God's sake.
I know the NBA studio show isn't a big thing, but it bugs me when this is what is held up as a good idea. TV itself is full of junk, and entire channels are devoted to such junk (Spike, for one). Why can't they give you thoughtful information? Why do we need this kind of mindless stimulation 24/7? What the heck happened to reading? What the heck happened to thinking?
What the heck?
-Zube.
Friday, May 12, 2006
iGot an iPod
My daughter won an iPod last February for coming in first at a Science Fair that 1) she HAD to enter, and 2) she hated. Imagine her surprise when she won 1 of 2 grand prizes!
Except that the grand prize, an iPod, wasn't handed to her then. "Soon," she was told.
So, almost 3 months later, they finally delivered an iPod Nano (1GB ... wish it was bigger!). And she then delivered to me. She doesn't really want one, she's still more into CDs than downloads. So I bought her some software that she really wanted, dealing with computer graphics. Turns out she's REALLY good at that, so it was a good trade.
Anyway ... my first items on the iPod? My Disneyland box!
-Zube.
Except that the grand prize, an iPod, wasn't handed to her then. "Soon," she was told.
So, almost 3 months later, they finally delivered an iPod Nano (1GB ... wish it was bigger!). And she then delivered to me. She doesn't really want one, she's still more into CDs than downloads. So I bought her some software that she really wanted, dealing with computer graphics. Turns out she's REALLY good at that, so it was a good trade.
Anyway ... my first items on the iPod? My Disneyland box!
-Zube.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Dirty dozen
Ok, so I pushed my Disneyland box set out to 12. I downloaded more Tomorrowland tracks that I found.
The main one was the Michael Jackson show "Captain EO," a 3-D movie that played at a theater in Tomorrowland right below Space Mountain. I remember liking that movie, but Jacko gives me the creeps now, so I decided I wouldn't bother.
But a friend I work with, who has given me DOZENS of DVDs he's burned, has asked to borrow that set and copy it. And he's a big Disneyland fan, too. And he turns out to be a fan of Captain EO. Which I didn't have. So I went back and added that track, plus a few others, to flesh it out.
So I did hit the magical 12 CDs. And I have 2 parades so far, so I'm about halfway there to making a 13th CD. Maybe soon.
-Zube.
The main one was the Michael Jackson show "Captain EO," a 3-D movie that played at a theater in Tomorrowland right below Space Mountain. I remember liking that movie, but Jacko gives me the creeps now, so I decided I wouldn't bother.
But a friend I work with, who has given me DOZENS of DVDs he's burned, has asked to borrow that set and copy it. And he's a big Disneyland fan, too. And he turns out to be a fan of Captain EO. Which I didn't have. So I went back and added that track, plus a few others, to flesh it out.
So I did hit the magical 12 CDs. And I have 2 parades so far, so I'm about halfway there to making a 13th CD. Maybe soon.
-Zube.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Another obsession ...
OK, so as you can figure out, the Beatles and Christmas are two of my time-eaters ...
Another is Disney. Specifically, Disneyland.
Last summer, it was the park's 50th anniversary, and back then, Disney released a 6 CD box set with music and sounds from the parks. It's still available. It mixes current and old attractions, so it is a nice document of things long gone from the park.
But it wasn't enough! There were a lot of tracks that were left off, for some reason. I already had some tracks they used, others from old "Official" CDs, and others from a system Disneyland used to have that let you burn your own tracks from their library of music and sounds. Plus, what ticked me off most is that no CD had just one "land" on it. If you wanted to listen to just New Orleans Square, you had to start halfway through one CD and go to another. Same with Tomorrowland.
So I started putting my stuff together, then I found this site, which let you download even more stuff not on the box set.
So long story not so short, I've just finished compiling an 11-CD set. One CD each for Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Critter Country. One CD for Fantasyland and another for a combined Fantasyland/Mickey's Toontown (which didn't have enough going on to make a full CD), and THREE for Tomorrowland (that land has had the most changes in 50 years). Plus one CD for Christmas at Disneyland. Too bad I couldn't stretch it out to 12 CDs, huh? Maybe someday, if I can find some more parades.
... Pretty pathethic, huh?
-Zube.
Another is Disney. Specifically, Disneyland.
Last summer, it was the park's 50th anniversary, and back then, Disney released a 6 CD box set with music and sounds from the parks. It's still available. It mixes current and old attractions, so it is a nice document of things long gone from the park.
But it wasn't enough! There were a lot of tracks that were left off, for some reason. I already had some tracks they used, others from old "Official" CDs, and others from a system Disneyland used to have that let you burn your own tracks from their library of music and sounds. Plus, what ticked me off most is that no CD had just one "land" on it. If you wanted to listen to just New Orleans Square, you had to start halfway through one CD and go to another. Same with Tomorrowland.
So I started putting my stuff together, then I found this site, which let you download even more stuff not on the box set.
So long story not so short, I've just finished compiling an 11-CD set. One CD each for Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Critter Country. One CD for Fantasyland and another for a combined Fantasyland/Mickey's Toontown (which didn't have enough going on to make a full CD), and THREE for Tomorrowland (that land has had the most changes in 50 years). Plus one CD for Christmas at Disneyland. Too bad I couldn't stretch it out to 12 CDs, huh? Maybe someday, if I can find some more parades.
... Pretty pathethic, huh?
-Zube.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
