clinton's final days
this is the funniest thing i've seen in ages.
(Tuesday, January 30, 2001)

recreating the big bang (nyt)
"Scientists still have a way to go before they can calculate just how that inflating speck popped into being; still, they are close enough that various competing theories have set off a debate about whether it is proper to speak of a beginning of cosmic time, or whether the expression has no meaning."

One briefly imagines that the universe is self-replicating: scientists develop to a point where they can create the decisive moment, making a new universe that wipes out the old one. We'll find out after the good people at Brookhaven smash some gold atoms together.
(Sunday, January 28, 2001)

lemieux hat trick #40
i was at this game, and the man is amazing. he says he's only at 70-80% of where he should be, and he was making shots from impossible angles and running the penguins offense really well. he is a joy to watch on the ice.
(Saturday, January 27, 2001)

brands: what they say about you
a siegelgale thing.
(Friday, January 26, 2001)

why live in nyc? (nyt)
"I've been to a lot of places that were less hospitable," Richter said. "The thing about New York is, everybody's so busy. You just have to understand that. People are really nice."

yet another voice in support of something long-delayed and much talked-over.
(Friday, January 26, 2001)

starbucks taken for a ride
"Apparently, Starbucks never bothered to call. So over eight months, the company readily dished out staggering sums for work not done.

"In the last month of Heinen's employment, last September, 'The Truth Comes Out,' as Starbucks describes their epiphany in court records. By then, Rosemary Heinen had allegedly taken the company for $3,730,255 in invoiced payments. She was fired and sued."

Do you think Starbucks would pay me three point seven mil for nothing?
(Thursday, January 25, 2001)

katie!
I was watching the Today Show this morning and saw Katie Couric wearing a short skirt and high black boots. Wow. She's a cutie.
(Wednesday, January 24, 2001)

dubya has to spell it out
"In an apparent prank carried out by departing Clinton administration staffers, Bush aides discovered that dozens of computer keyboards were missing the 'W' key."
(Wednesday, January 24, 2001)

moving on after your layoff (suck)
"Looks like the more information you get on any career, the less you want it, huh? Pick a career you know nothing about, and throw yourself into it without thinking. Wake up 50 years later, a broken man. Learn to golf.

"Benefits: You may not know what you want, but at least you know what you don't want.

"Drawbacks: Perpetual indecision makes life about as enjoyable as a plate of cold french fries."
(Wednesday, January 24, 2001)

alice the rock star
i met these women at the hotel bar last night. they're pretty sassy. i liked them.
(Tuesday, January 23, 2001)

gucci v. burberry on the streets of new york (nyt)
heh.
(Tuesday, January 23, 2001)

lattes a victim of the dotcom downturn? (standard)
"Many Americans took to milky espresso-based drinks in the late '90s, none so thirstily as new-economy workers, who made the latte part of the geek-chic package, along with fancy-frame glasses, khakis and a spanking new Volkswagen Jetta. But now that the caffeine-fueled high jinks of the Internet Economy have ebbed, consumers may cool to afternoon caramel macchiatos at Starbucks."
(Tuesday, January 16, 2001)

crush research with google (observer)
"Like many of my twentysomething peers in New York’s dating jungle, I have begun to use Google.com, as well as other online search engines, to perform secret background checks on potential mates. It’s not perfect, but it’s a discreet way of obtaining important, useless and sometimes bizarre information about people in Manhattan–and it’s proven to be as reliable as the scurrilous gossip you get from friends."
(Tuesday, January 16, 2001)

state and main
this movie was fucking hilarious. do you want an associate producer credit?
(Monday, January 15, 2001)

another name from the past
sometimes the past finds you, even when you'd rather have it fade quietly into the background. maybe i shouldn't move to new york. or maybe i should, so i can assert some design skills and exorcise some demons and kick the past's ass.
(Monday, January 15, 2001)

the sheet economy (nyt)
"'My dream was to be a fireman,' he says. 'But I only went to the eighth grade. That's where I blew it.'

"He used to have a dream, he says again. Now he's just cleaning up after other people's dreams, trying to help support five children and a grandchild on $12.71 an hour, a wage that places him just above the national poverty level. He wears a mask and plastic gloves and he spends hours sorting king size, queen size, twin. Pillow cases, towels, robes.

"'I should have stayed in school,' he says."
(Monday, January 15, 2001)

trying to keep cows sane and happy (nyt)
reading about all of the maladies affecting livestock, it sounds like i'll be more of a swimatarian* than i already am.

but the niman ranch beef is so so tasty. at least for now.

* = one who eats animals that swim (i.e. fish, and duck)
(Sunday, January 14, 2001)

life is long. work makes it that way. (nyt)
"Clearly, work seems to do more than pay the bills and fill the time. For many of the oldest laborers, it imparts wisdom — and then gives that wisdom a useful context.

"Milton W. Garland was Green Thumb's first honoree as oldest worker, in 1998. He earned 41 patents in his field of refrigeration, was named "Mr. Refrigeration" by his industry and, until last May, worked 20 hours a week evaluating refrigeration patents. He died last July, at 104.

"'Live like you're going to live forever, not like you're going to die tomorrow,' he once pronounced."

(also, check out the nyt's sense of humor in the url.)
(Sunday, January 14, 2001)

leafs
in toronto, we went to a maple leafs game. they lost, but it was lots and lots of fun anyway.

she said that she was surprised that there's a sports fan inside of me.
(Saturday, January 13, 2001)

pittsburgh, again
both times i've returned to the office after a vacation i've been told that i'm going to pittsburgh, soon. if you have some suggestions (i already know about the warhol, the mattress factory, and desparately want to go to fallingwater) please let me know.

if i'm there the week after next, i'll be shelling out to see super mario's team beat up on the canadiens.
(Saturday, January 13, 2001)

back to work, on to the new year (suck)
"Saggitarius

"Oh, you're just so special, aren't you? You looove books and travel, you're sooooo full of adventurous spirit! But I haven't seen you with a book in your hand in ages. And when was the last time you took a trip? Let's face it. Once you were a warrior, now you're dried up and frankly, pretty creepy. This is a good year for you to get into really good shape, take care of your financial situation, find a nice place, and start making some friends that'll be yours for life. But then again, last year was also a good year for these things, and fat lot of good it did you. Regardless of what you accomplish, you'll keep pretending you're a real renegade. As Dale, my coworker at Gorin's Ice Cream, used to say, 'Some people are so fulla shit you can smell it on they breath through the telephone!'"
(Thursday, January 4, 2001)

another business.com lesson
if you're going to keep bragging about how much money you have in the bank, you should give some of it to the people you're laying off.

remember: it's nice to be nice.
(Wednesday, January 3, 2001)