Thoughts on Breakfast

I want to briefly address a few issues. First off, Jack In The Box (heretofore "JITB") is underrated all around. I am talking breakfast, lunch, and dinner (shout out to Colin Farrell). But what I would like to talk about right now is breakfast. They had (more on this later) going a promotion that was two of the croissant sandwiches for three dollars. To begin that's an absolute steal as McD's competing product, the two sausage mcmuffin with egg deal comes in at 50 cents more. A substantial markup. In addition JITB's offering comes in a croissant. This factor should not be overlooked. By any measurement it is more of a refined, grown up meal. Croissants take a very pedestrian anything - and instantly add sophistication. On top of these subjective benefits, the flakyness of the croissant adds alot to the overall product. In summary, the croissant breakfast sandwich (I prefer sausage) is a great product, that meet or exceeds the competition in every way.

However, when I went in this morning to pick these two bad boys up for only three dollars, a truly shocking event occurred. For the many reasons I outlined above, this offering was truly unique in the fast-food breakfast sphere. They offered what I consider a superior product - at a lower price. This is no longer. The kind lady at my local JITB told me it was just a promotion, and was over. Now, it was almost $3 (US) to get just one of these sandwiches. I was taken aback and needed time to step away from the situation to come up with an optimal decision. As some of you know, out the window and across the street from my local JITB is a McDonalds. I felt the pull. But I stayed strong. In truth, the two sandwiches were too much for me many mornings. One would definitely suffice. I still find it valuable to eat less calories and get a good sandwich for approximately $3 (a quick check of the receipt says $2.95 after tax). So all said and done I save about 30 cents and get a better calorie intake for it.

Now on to other day off activities.... Please add to the list a car wash.

Another Day Off?

Yup. Another. Already up and running on this one though. Alot on the plate today but the main things I want to accomplish are:

• Do research on the NFL so that I am able to participate in work conversations. Particularly I want to have a working knowledge of teams, divisions, quarterbacks, best performers last year., and implications of the draft.
• Go to the gym - summer time is fast approaching yall
• Baseball stuff
• Do some reading on many different topics
• Go buy some vans - I purchased one of those grouponesque things and I get $20 off at WSS. If I see some nince nikes, might pick those up too.
• Wash my sheets - haven't washed them in roughly a month

This list is very fluid. So far I have turned on the tv and am straight chillin on the couch so we'll see how this goes.

The End of Politics

On this blog anyway. No more. No more sassy comments regarding the left or the right or Bush or Reagan or Obama or anything. Nothing. No comments about the political sphere whatsoever. This blog is not about politics, and furthermore I don't care about them. It is driving the audience away. No body cares. That goes for guest bloggers, commenters, and even those thinking about these things while at my blog.

Let it go. Let's move on

Funny convo I found on the net

Hey guys, found this conversation on one of those websites that posts funny/dumb conversations that happen on the net. Thought I might share because I think you guys would find it hilarious as well.

[16:05] bro#1: need to find the answer to min arg {caloris} given a level of drunkenness

[16:06] bro#2: first comment on that matter that the internet had for me

[16:06] bro#2: windsurf83

07-16-2006, 03:00 PM

drink beer with a straw, not sure if it is more healthy but it gets you fucked up faster because you take in less oxygen.

[16:06] bro#1: hmm

[16:06] bro#1: wonder if thats true

[16:06] bro#2: the response

[16:06] bro#2: Carbon Copy

07-16-2006, 03:09 PM

Yeah, but you also risk looking like a serious pussy.

thats what i was thinking. id rather be chubby than look like a pussy. i look like one already

[16:07] bro#1: i dont wantt olook chubby

[16:07] bro#2: tortoise

07-16-2006, 03:23 PM

for beer, highest amount of alcohol per calorie is miller light.

we determined this before going to DMB this summer because my gf wanted to get drunk but stay as close to her diet as possible.

but liquor has a much, much higher amount of alcohol per calorie and is far prefered if you don't mind drinking liquor. Bacardi Rum has the least calories that I know of.

[16:07] bro#1: i was

[16:07] bro#2: some great comments

[16:07] bro#2: really?

[16:07] bro#2: yo skinny ass?

[16:07] bro#1: not fat by any means

[16:08] bro#1: maybe birth

[16:08] bro#1: something like that

[16:08] bro#2: ok well most kids are

[16:08] bro#2: conensus seems to be plain alcohol with diet soda

[16:09] bro#1: aight

[16:09] bro#1: soda is purely for taste i assume

[16:09] bro#1: as extra calories with 0 alchy

[16:09] bro#2: ya well if u can just drink the liquor by itsel thats better

[16:09] bro#2: but thats generally gross

[16:10] bro#2: unless ur trying to spend $ which is dumb

[16:10] bro#1: i wonder what the equation to minimize is then

[16:10] bro#1: want to minimize both dollar and calories

[16:11] bro#2: and max taste

[16:11] bro#1: i would heavily discount that variable

[16:11] bro#2: id say diet cherry coke with the cheapest rum per alcohol u can find

[16:11] bro#1: but something like that yes

[16:11] bro#2: coke when purhcase in 2 liters is nearly free

[16:12] bro#2: get a handle of cheap rum for what $20?

[16:12] bro#2: handle = 40 shots?

[16:12] bro#1: need ~ 4 shots to get drunk prolly

[16:12] bro#2: na

[16:12] bro#2: more

[16:12] bro#1: more?

[16:13] bro#1: well dayumm

[16:13] bro#2: i was going to say 7-8

[16:13] bro#1: dahhhhh

[16:13] bro#1: hell no

[16:13] bro#2: to tie on a legit buzz

[16:13] bro#1: no way man

[16:13] bro#1: not me

[16:13] bro#1: cant tell if youre jokin

[16:13] bro#2: (my last 6 google searches are real sick)

[16:13] bro#1: dont think ive ever taken 7-8 shots

[16:13] bro#2: "how many shots in a handle"

[16:13] bro#2: "least calories to get drunk"

[16:13] bro#2: "how many shots does it take to get drunk"

[16:13] bro#2: shot approx = 1 beer

[16:14] bro#1: nice

[16:14] bro#1: what kind of beer

[16:14] bro#1: because a legit beer, prolly 5 get me drunk

[16:14] bro#2: 4 beers would not be near drunk

[16:14] bro#1: given relatively empty stomach

[16:14] bro#1: yearrhhhh yer a real bro!!!

[16:14] bro#2: of course depends on speed consumed

[16:15] bro#2: 5 beers drank fast maybe yea

[16:15] bro#2: 5 over the course of like 2-3 hours, hell no

[16:15] bro#1: if i have relatively empty stomach (which i have done last many times i have drank in order to sae money) and have 5 shots in ~ an hour, im drunk

[16:15] bro#2: lets say 6 shots to get drunk

[16:15] bro#1: probably couldnt even do that many in an hour

[16:15] bro#1: okay

[16:16] bro#1: (also been going to the gym and getting more muscle mass, not sure how that effects the analysis)

[16:19] bro#2: 6 in an hour would be a lot

[16:19] bro#2: im thinking a more standard 1.5 to 2 hour period

[16:19] bro#2: nice bro

[16:20] bro#1: okay

[16:20] bro#1: and optimal drink is rum + ?

[16:20] bro#2: no i dont know what optimal drink is. not a consensus

[16:20] bro#2: but a handle could reasonably get 6 bros fucked up

[16:20] bro#1: i mean yeah of course

[16:20] bro#2: $20 + $2 coke = $22/6 = < $4!!

[16:21] bro#2: i avctually dont knwo what a handle costs

[16:21] bro#2: cpt morgans $23.99 + tax

[16:21] bro#2: research gives range of about $17-25

[16:22] bro#2: so id say u could get a crew of bros drunk for $4 each

[16:22] bro#2: which u could do with 2 40s as well i guess

[16:22] bro#1: dat option needs to be explored more often

[16:22] bro#2: little cheaper

[16:22] bro#2: lot less gross

[16:22] bro#2: but yes

[16:22] bro#1: less bloaded

[16:22] bro#2: should always buy handles

[16:22] bro#1: bloated

[16:22] bro#2: over 30 packs

[16:22] bro#1: lot less calories!!??!?

[16:22] bro#2: eh not a lot less

[16:22] bro#2: but more alcohol for little less

[16:23] bro#2: guess 36 pack of coors at costco is like $25

[16:23] bro#2: that might be cheaper

[16:23] bro#2: theres no reason to ever spend more than $5 to get drunk

[16:28] bro#1: not alot less calories?

[16:29] bro#2: na. 1 beer has approx same amt of calories as a shot. a little more

[16:30] bro#2: Regular Beer: 150 calories

Light Beer: 116 calories

Ale: 126 calories

Stout: 178 calories

[16:30] bro#2: Brandy / 80 Proof Gin, Vodka, Whiskey etc.: 98 calories

86 Proof Gin, Vodka, Whiskey etc.: 105 calories

90 Proof Gin, Vodka, Whiskey etc.: 111 calories

94 Proof Gin, Vodka, Whiskey etc.: 116 calories

100 Proof Gin, Vodka, Whiskey etc.: 125 calories

[16:31] bro#1: damn

[16:31] bro#1: rum?

[16:31] bro#1: thought the idea was to min calories.. thought it was an easy call..

[16:31] bro#2: sam shit

[16:32] bro#2: easy call?

[16:35] bro#1: thought you were saying that liquor is a better bet for the calories

[16:35] bro#2: oh. its slightly better but nothing grea

[16:35] bro#2: t

[16:37] bro#1: okay

[16:37] bro#1: anything else you wanna add to the analysis? caveats etc?

[16:38] bro#2: if ur trying to get cut and get drunk, ur probably out of luck. if u want to minimize negative effects of drinking id say go w diet soda and liquor

[16:39] bro#2: but as history has shown, ur commitment to fitness/health is moderate at best, and we can expect ur current body to remain essentially unchanged in the near future

[16:40] bro#1: okay

[16:40] bro#1: cool

[16:40] bro#1: mostly because your analysis yields there are no low hanging fruit to be had here

[16:40] bro#1: healthy/cheap options to gettin gdrunkk appear to have been arbitraged away here

[16:43] bro#2: are there any healthy options disregarding price?

[16:43] bro#2: dont think so

[16:48] bro#2: so should focus on cost effective

[16:48] bro#2: and that involves me buying kirkland brand alcohol this weekend

[16:54] bro#2: what does "numerosity" mean?

[17:01] bro#2: whats your favorite jewish song?

What's Up With That: Volume 2, Finally!!!!

Hey ya'll, I am so excited to have been welcomed back for another edition of "What's Up With That?" I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation again to Blogmaster, without whom none of this would be possible.

Now, earlier this week a friend of mine was kind enough to post the evidence that Barack Hussein Obama was born in the U.S.A. (Thanks to unidentified friend) I have attached the birth certificate so once and for all we know Obama is an American. The right-wing extremists have been propagating this lie to take us away from the real issues, most notably:

1. Bush lied, people died
2. Progressivism is the way of the future

So now that this very official looking document has finally been released can we all just admit that the Tea Party, the GOP, and right-wing extremists everywhere are just all liars and racists? They obviously don't care about the country, they only care about hurting Obama and hiding the fact that Bush lied, people died.

Now let's get back to what this country needs (in no specific order):

• higher taxes
• more accessibility to and distribution of blogs
• tort reform
• addressing our nations skyrocketing saturation
• beating up Giants fans
• reggaeton
• girls with Russian first names
• The "book"
• G-chat
• working in corporate America and the advantages and disadvantages that come along with it
• last, but definitely not least, getting $$$/getting paid
  

What's Up With That?

Traffic

What way ahve you guys found to be the best when trying to get to downtown from the west side?

From downtown to the west side? (this may be different from the reverse of the above)!

Friday Open Thread!

Its back! Only rules are nothing political. Have fun!

JT vs. John Mayer

Tupac vs. Shakespeare. Jews vs. Arabs. Enron vs. California. South Ossetia vs. Russia. John Galt vs. James Taggart. Reagan vs. Responsibility. Thousand Oaks vs. Victorville. McDonalds vs. The World.

Above are the greatest battles the world has ever know. The title of this post is THE greatest battle the world has ever know. Some might say then the former (which is below the latter orientationwise) wholly contains the latter. Or that the latter is a subset of the former (the reference which is below the other referred to situation). This might result in some sort of very acute topological discrepancies for the more educated reader. If you agree with the former or latter statement contained in this paragraph (heretofore "the Twilight Zone") then I would say skip the remainder of the paragraph. If you subscribe to the Twilight Zone train of thought then I present to you the following: you may or may not be right depending on if Bush really did lie, and the people really did lie.

Now to the task at hand. Justin Timberlake (heretofore "JT") and John Mayer (heretofore "JM"). These two guys exhibit two qualities that will allow me to frame the debate:

1) Are amongst the "coolest" people in the world
2) Partly because of 1), live fantasy lives

They, amongst alot of people, do not live lives that are in any way similar to the lives of myself or any of you readers. This is a function of many things that I will not go into at this time, but we can assume that they greatly influence the ability to become cool. JT is an all american guy in that he has a very light, funny, and congenial personality and reputation. Most of the pictures you see of him in the magazines and at public event he is flashing the pearly whites or making jokes and chumming it up in interviews. JT is an entertainer in a pure sense. On the Kim Kardashian scale he has a much higher rating than JM does. JT is not "great" in any true artistic sense other than being an entertainer and producing successful popular products. It is widely agreed in many a community that artistic ability and commercial success have a correlation coefficient that hovers around -0.723449. This tells us, in fact, that the less popular you are, the more truly artistically talented you tend to be, on average. JM breaks this mold, however. He is a true outlier in that he is widely heralded as one of the greatest guitarists of the current generation - and is commercially successful. JM is also widely heralded as being something else: a huge douche bag and womanizer. Even with that being said studies show that 93.371% of women over the age of 15 who are both: 1) alive and 2) in a non-medically induced coma would sleep with him. This indicates a HEAVY premium that the market has placed on his coolness. JT is always doing some sort of project - music, movies, tv - while it appears JM's attitude toward his life is more concerned with being "himself" and that money will be made either way. The fact pattern of JT's life show that he goes out of his way more than JM in order to make his money - which is never cool. Giving the appearance of working hard has a strong negative impact in most models of coolness. Another great metric we can look at is mean(smiles/day). The data tells us the JT has damn near a value of 11 - while the data also shows us that JM hasn't smiled in almost 13 years. Das tite.

From the above we can extrapolate a conclusive decision that JM is cooler and better at life than JT. There may be better metrics to look at that I have (knowingly) skipped, so please provide your own data in the comments section.

Thank You.

Mailing It In

The thing about me and work is that I've done something similar to the oft quoted phrase "mailing it in." Haven't really done any work in ~ 3 days now. The three levels of management hierarchy above me are not here and probably won't be here tomorrow. Been mostly reading alot on the net about data and metrics and statistics and probability and the like. Just got back from lunch where the following subjects were addressed:

1) traffic
2) gas prices

And the following beginning of a sentence started:
"Guys, I filled up my tank the other day and..."

Now I am going to do a solid four hours or so of reading about sports, current events, and advances in the mathematical finance sphere before I take a break at ~ 3:30 and then a bathroom break at ~ 5. The net is providing me with alot of things to cover, so I must get to it...

Four-Twenty, A Discourse

I was going to handle the subject of this day with a complete discourse, but I found it had already been done on "the book" and it has been done succinctly and comprehensively, so I will just attach that here:


M*****s B***y
n**** 420 is no not special day shit everyday is 420 to all the weed heads so ya need quit makin it seem like o cuz its 420 today i am gon smoke even more naw n**** the difference between 420 and a regular day is u got more n****s puttin in to smoke and it juss wont ur money this time supplyin the shit #420Weirdos

3 people like this.

B***n S***t Lol. U gotta n**** bustin up.
47 minutes ago · Like

K*****y P****r Lmao
45 minutes ago · Like

J**o L**e Damn I think u need a puff... Relax playa.. Lol
39 minutes ago · Like

M*****s B****y n**** fucc u lol
17 minutes ago · Like

T***a W***e lol yea bog booty you need to calm down
11 minutes ago · Like

M*****s B****y t***a shut up n****
10 minutes ago · Like

T***a W***e lol calm down sir
10 minutes ago · Like

T***a W***e lol i aint calmed up n****
9 minutes ago · Like

T***a W***e why i gotta be a n****?

Another Lunch Convo

Today we were at lunch and it was uncharacteristically and uncomfortably quiet. Then someone posed the question: what new movies are on DVD does anyone know? Crickets... Then someone else pulled out the iphone and looked up the new movies on DVD and started rattling them off. He paused after each and everyone took a turn saying something like "yeah" or "wasn't that good" or "thought that was just in the theaters". Was a great lunch.

Business Thoughts

This is the second in a series of business related posts that I have done. Before I go on to describe what this graph is about, I would like each of you to take a moment and in the comment section briefly describe what is going on below. There are no right or wrong answers, just tell me what your first inklings are:

Friday Open Thread!

Due to popular demand I'd like to open the comments sections up to open discussion of anything!!

Have fun!

There once was seven, now there is eight.

A long long time ago, there was seven. And then the powers that be, the controllers of the interweb decided there would be a change of state of this ecosystem. The Interweb wanted there to be eight. There isn't much one can do when the Interweb sets its mind to something (see facebook, google, and 4chan). We can fight change (see civil war), or we can embrace it (see southern Arizona). But change is the unstoppable force and conquors the immovable object. In our little lives of seven we felt so secure and comfortable about our surroundings. Everything was familiar. Everything was known. But throw a little bit of uncertainty into this utopia - and we may see revolution. Too draconian you say?

Or, will we witness evolution! I am of the latter school and hold that the eight will be more than seven plus one. It will be seven, plus one. It will be eight. Eight it will be. It will not be nine minus one. It will be eight. ( 7+1=8). It will take the seven we had - and it will add one more. Once that one more is added we will arrive at a new number. That new number.....will be eight.

This new follower of the blog will bring us joyous news from everything that is different and uncomfortable. They will bring us news of a world that is not exactly how we would like it to be - but better than we know is possible.

Spaghetti - share with us your story. Let us know you for what you are, and we will make you so much better. You have humbled us all by taking the internet, leveraging it, tranching it and bringing in return an aspect of the outside that we would have otherwise never encountered.

Thank you spaghetti for joining us.

Day 438

Its Day 438 at my current job! Man how time flies! How does one arrive at the number 438? It is adimtedly a very rough estimate that was formed as follws. There are 618 days between now and August 3, 2009 (my Fort Sumter day). That's about 21 months, so we'll say 164 weekend days that I didn't work (although I did work three of those!). That takes us to 453 days of fun! From there I subtracted 15 days. The number 15 was a combination of holidays and days taken off since August 3, 2009. This was quite the revalation I came to the other day and just wanted to share it with you guys.

Heres to the next 438! Or better? 4,380!?!? Who knows. Intertia is a strong force friends.

Ode to Jeff Goldblum: A Retrospective

After an especially lively and eventful night of (insert name of leisurely activity), blog master and I decided that the best cure for such crazy Saturday exploits was to enrich our minds with the dramatic stylings of NBC’s gripping television program, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”. This particularly episode was about an international incident resulting in the murder of an African nation’s leader, police officer’s involvement in said murder, and the loss of one of NYPD’s own. On its cover, this episode seems like the standard, formulaic episode that I usually allow Dick Wolf to cram into my brain (I get it, Mr. Wolf, the murderer is always the neighbor), but this everyday episode of Law & Order caught my fancy with one rousing sequence.

Let me paint the scene: the two main officers are struggling to search the files of one of their superiors slain in the line of duty. As they attempt to put the pieces together, a tall, dark, and handsome gentleman materializes with his badge swaying nonchalantly like a pendulum across his chest as he says to the effect of, “you don’t want to dig any deeper, detectives”.

Who is this roguish actor who could take a seemingly average line, and make it into poetry? Who turned Law & Order: Criminal Intent’s 2010 season finale and brought it to its knees? Who has been nominated for not one, but THREE Saturn Awards by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA, winning one for himself for his performance in “The Fly”?

Why, none other than Pittsburgh’s own Jeff Goldblum.

It was Jeff Goldblum who fought off killer aliens with Will Smith in “Independence Day”. It was Jeff Goldblum who fought off killer dinosaurs with Sam Neill in “Jurassic Park”. And it was Jeff Goldblum who fought off killer dinosaurs yet again with Vince Vaughn in “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”. Such versatility in acting comes but once in a generation.

When you think of someone’s broad range of Hollywood roles, you think Jeff Goldblum. Whether starring as the loveable alien, Mac, in “Earth Girls are Easy”, voicing Dracula in the video game “Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland”, or guest starring as Leonard Hayes on “Friends”, Jeff Goldblum crosses both mainstream and independent film, and even today continues to challenge the idea of Jeff Goldblum, the actor, and Jeff Goldblum, the man.

However famous he is as an actor, it is his actions as a director that brought him to the attention of the Academy. His vision guided “Little Surprises” to an Oscar nomination for Best Short Film, Live Action in 1996.

For those who haven’t heard of one of cinema’s hidden gems, see what the Internet Movie Database has to say:
“Director: Jeff Goldblum”
“Plot Keywords: Wedding”
“Country: USA”
“Language: English”

So thank you, Jeff Goldblum, for the monumental footprint that you continue to leave on the movie industry. Your acting, your audacity, nay, your credo for life has inspired millions.
To close, it seems fitting to leave this entry with the immortal words of Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson in “Independence Day”:

“Must go faster.”

Must go faster, indeed, Jeff Goldblum. Most go faster, indeed.

NYC Story about some people from Texas

This one is somethin of a throwback because it happened during my nyc trip. So apologies in advance if some of the details are sketchy. It all happened on one of the last days of the trip, so sometime in December. The weather outside was blisteringly cold. My feet were freezing and they were slowly losing feeling. I was looking for a good place to stop and get a cup of joe and some lunch when I happened upon this nice jewish deli. Now, I love myself some corn beef reuben, its just the beez-neez to me. But all of this is neither here nor there. The heart of the story is that I sat down next to some people from Texas...

There were two couples. And these guys were the real deal as far as Texans go. The two guys both had cowboy hats on (they actually didn't but it's more fun to imagine they did... so just go along with it) and cowboy boots. Their conversation that I was overhearing revealed that none of them had ever really been out of Texas and this was a new experience for them being in "The Big City". However, there was one smug guy in the group that was something of a know-it-all and really thought he was slick. At the deli he kept talking about how great matza ball soup was, and saying they should all order some and try some. He really thought he was a master at all things new york, and jewish, and food etc. Then he started talking about the theater, I chuckled to myself as this began happening. He started talking about this play, then that play, and how they could go about getting good tickets for the nights' shows etc. He was making sure these other regular Texas people knew that he was the man and knew everything about having a great time in new york, how cultured he was and everything. Was dropping names of plays and the whole nine yards.

So thats the story about the Texans in New York and their smug friend who I sat next to in a resteraunt in midtown.

That'll Do Pig

And so it was. The blog went from an upstart dream of a young man - into something of a revolutionary piece of american history. It defined a generation, and provided historians with a clear demarcation of where one age concluded and one sprung anew. Not often do such moments occur via discrete events. More often are they continuous affairs upon which we only realize and recognize the significance once we have the luxury of analyzing from some cold building in some professors cold office in the greater Boston area. I do not want to take away from this event so as to impact it. I want it to organically evolve into whatever it is supposed to be. I do not want this moment to be like a caged animal - able to be appreciated, but not appreciable. I want it to be like a spring rain - delivering one season's labor in order to develop the next's love.

We've reached 10,000 page views friends. We have come so far - but we have so far to go.

God Speed.

Moving up in the world

(First of all what to thank Falstad for the solid post yesterday. I appreciate what the millions...and millions of the followers of the blog are trying to do by keeping him humble and not commenting on his post. The view count speaks for itself. Either 1) Falstad has been refreshing the page ad nauseum or 2) lots of people enjoyed the post [if 1) that would be captured in the "unique visitors" of my analysis, which it is, so possibly 2) is what happened yesterday]. In any case da rude boy came correct yesterday and really displayed some solid writing skills. He made this place feel alive again. In the future if anyone feels they would like to contribute, please don't hesitate to mention something in the comments and I will see what my publishers will let me do.)

Brown nosing. Does it help? What exactly is brown nosing? Who knows but I'm pretty sure I experienced it a few minutes ago. The boss just got back from Vegas so I was shooting the breeze with him regarding what he did, did he make money etc. Then rolls up mini-boss and he's just laughing his face off at every semi-entertaining phrase the boss says. Just felt weird. A real fake laugh too. Real grimey. I was smiling and nodding my head and what not because the concept of which he described; lots of mid-westerners getting real burned at the vegas pools indeed did conjure up some great imagery - but it wasn't funny, per se. The mini-boss was doubled over and laughing like a bird. Interestingly enough - it seemed to get a good reaction from the boss because he in turn kept describing the situation and showing a look of "this pleases me the way in which you are reacting, mini-boss" on his face as he continued. I may have chuckled once or twice, who knows, but may not have played this one right. Was the mini-boss' reaction more in concert with moving up in the world than mine? Is the "yes man" not just a colloquialism, but a harbinger of truth and what results in success in relationships in and out of the professional world?

On a related but seperate note, the boss dropped some info regarding doing vegas on the cheap. Now I have done some research on the constituents of this here blog, and I know this is of interest to most of you. The demographics show above average income - but a much more above average level of "thrifty". It is actually not anything great but it does one two three four five things things: 1) occupies a good amount of time in Vegas, 2) does so cheaply, 3) involves drinking, 4) involves gambling, and 5) isn't really viewed as "thrifty" or in any way shirking the Vegas experience. Apparently, (this post may effectively arbitrage away any net utility benefits given the amount of people who a) visit my blog and b) go to vegas [and the intersection of these two sets]) if you go to Ceasar's you get a free drink with every five dollar bet on the horse races! Anticlimactic you say?! Possibly, but in practice it really kills alot of birds with one stone. And, it genuinely is known to be a fun thing to bet on horses. My boss says that "it essentially can occupy time from like 12-6", that being said, I do not think I would do that for 6 hours, but the point is, you could. If instead you did it for a couple, hung out with some friends in the mean while, essentially get five dollar drinks, or gamble with the houses money (whichever you chose to look at it as these are economically equivalent transactions) then maybe hit the pool at some point. A solid afternoon in Vegas at a reasonable cost.

Guest Blogging Part 2: A New Dawn

As we here at "Things" slowly, painstakingly inch our way towards 10,000 views, I thought it might be time for a bit of reflection on some of the key events, milestones, and people who have made this all happen. What began as but a dream of one arbitrage rebate Mexican-American analyst in a dingy office in Downtown Los Angeles, has evolved into what some have recently described as a "social phenomenon."

[i recommend you play the following song in the background while you read the rest of this post

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7k0a5hYnSI]

• Day 1: it all begins. Blogmaster {hereafter referred to as "BM"} allows us into his world of FIFA, the gym, interesting lunch conversations about the best routes to beat traffic and NPR's most recent news pieces (cranberry relish anyone?), fatherly relationships developed with older, possibly gay, white Jewish men at the office, his nighttime dreams, his fears, his philosophies, etc. Curious readers from all corners of the globe begin to migrate to "Things".
• BM tinkers with the blog stylings and layout - seeking to maximize the experience for you and I....la gente.
• the dedication of an entire post to (ex[?]) reader Sheila, and her subsequent disappearance - never to be heard from again.
• the first poll.
• I, Falstad, make a strong effort to increase viewership with some viral marketing and cold calls at my office - reception is luke warm.
• the second anniversary of Election Day '08. BM takes the day off to go dance in the streets.
• the new PS3 controller arrives.
• The trip to NY (to me, for me Andy, this is personally the peak of the blog up to this point. [I just accidently changed the font and I don't know how to change it back] A combination of multi-media experimentation, a fresh perspective, and tremendous insight into a new world that really hasn't been matched since that time. Some say the "Brooklyn collective brownstone holiday artisan holiday party in park slope" article will be [font changed back!!!] considered by the Pulitzer Committee.)
  
• DK tornado's into our lives, and in the blink of an eye is gone. Was great to have you - we all hope you make another appearance some day.
• the arrival of Dinky Renob. An event whose significance cannot be understated - you really injected life into the dying embers of "Things". You are, truly, the Big Meech.
• The birth of Matija's (not Majita) son, who subsequently grows up to shun the blog. (I'm torn by this event, as it A) is the reason I was granted the guest blog spot and B) really puts a strain on American-Croat relations).
• the mystery of "glo".
• The first real mention of McDonald's - a place which will become fundamental to many posts in the future.
• The month of February - the blog hits an all-time low in views and posts. Some fear the end is near.
• THE MUTHA EFFIN WATCH. a turning point for both BM and the blog. the appearance of the new blingin watch reignites the base and, arguably, saves the blog (temporarily).
• Groundbreaking Business Advice is dispensed from the posting of a graph, instructing readers on how to bring new ideas into the market place. Our resident entreprenuer, Dinky, expands on points made in the post, and answers readers questions on saturation, coagulation, etc.
• A dark turn into politics - snide political comments by both BM and some regular commenters take a stranglehold over the blog. A March 3, 2011 post regarding taxes/spending erupts into a Lybian-esque revolution in the comments section. 18 comments in 2 days!!! Some highlights/ramifications:

1. B. McEntyre - shows up, says his piece, frustrates BM, and vows never to read the blog again. A symbol of the destructive nature of "Things" in early March. We are truly sorry things turned out this way. We'd love to have you back B Mac. Things have "change"d around here and we love and need input from all!
2. the alienation of Bryan Doan. One of the most loyal and integral commenters from the start is run out of town by the political riff raff and swears off "Things" entirely. Additionally, readers notice that another former loyalist, Nina, no longer is seen making comments. Some wonder whether there is a deeper conspiracy involving these 2. Doan starts a rival blog: (http://operationengineeringfreedom.blogspot.com/) and vows to bring down "Things" if it's the last thing he ever does.

• BM realizes the nastiness "Things" has become and attempts some reconciliation with the readers. This mostly involves talking about McDonalds (errrybody love tha dollar menu) and coffee breaks. Also includes the introduction of Guest Blogging (Dinky being the pioneer in that field).

We find ourselves today in sort of a post-partisan vacuum. Most readers have been alienated; the view count has slowed to a crawl; BM is scared to post about anything but McChickens and iced coffee; and the blog has essentially turned into an extended gchat between BM, Dinky and Falstad. I hope that some former readers will see this post and be reminded of what made this blog great back in da dayz.

And for all those folks who may read the blog, but don't actively participate (hate to name names - Tristan, Will, Yuri, etc)- don't forget the German citizens who stood by and watched the Nazi's commit the atrocities of the 30's/40's. They are complicit in my eyes. Don't be afraid to stand up and let your voice be heard.

Dinky - keep up the great work. Your insight, wit, and business accumen are a real asset and a driving force for the success of this blog.

Doan, Nina, DK, and all those who once served as part of this community and have left us - it is not the same without you. Your return would be a bright light in this dark time. I hope we can let bygones be bygones, and find some common ground once again.

Glo - who are you?

Finally, BM. First let me say thank you for the product you have brought us. You are nothing short of an innovator and revolutionary. But as my foray into ecology and evolutionary biology taught me, those who do not evolve perish. Stay true to your roots, but do not let the world and the future pass you by. Let's hit that 10,000 view count - and lets turn that into 10 million!

(i'd like to open up the comments for readers to share some of their fondest memories of the blog. please dont think of this as a eulogy or a funeral or something. think of this moment as a rebirth and reconciliation - a new dawn, so to speak)

guest blogger rescinded

The eastern europeans have failed us again. After everything we did to prevent the genocide there I can't even get a simple guest blog out of them. In place, we will have a regular hopefully bring something inciteful to the plate.