August 2008
39 posts
Open Source Job Hunt
I can distinctly remember sitting in my 12th grade English class and taking a “personality test” that was supposed to help us determine potential career paths as we entered college with an eye towards the working world. Given my equal bent towards both numbers and writing, I was particularly intrigued to see the results – to understand how the Scantron read me, in hopes that it would help me read...
Home Improvements, NYC style
Perhaps you’ve surmised by the paucity of posts this weekend that our activities over the past few days were somewhat less exciting than the bongo-blasting Tao dinners and Yankees game we took in a week ago. Yet, even in the midst of the most common tasks, there can be something that is blogworthy.
We woke up on Saturday eager to get a few errands done. After a brisk trip to TJ’s...
WatchPhoto sharing site Flickr announced a nifty little add-on recently which allows you to very easily embed a slide show of any photos on a Flickr page. I’ve embedded some pictures from last weekend with Rob and Cat. You should be able to easily view the show, and can even click to make it go full screen. Nice add-on and should be nice for sharing pics on the blog.
“Dallas public school students who flunk tests, blow off homework and miss...”
– From the Department of Ludicrous Pandering to Children’s Self Esteem
Via Dallas Morning News - hat tip to John Ellis for passing this along.
I am dumbfounded by this. Not sure how and when these kids will be introduced to the “real” world. But when it happens, they are in for a...
Pandora may be shutting down
I’ve written before about my love for Pandora, the streaming music service which allows you to discover new music which matches characteristics of other music you like. Unfortunately, it looks like Pandora’s days may be numbered.
From Washington Post article:
“Pandora is one of the nation’s most popular Web radio services, with about 1 million listeners daily. Its...
Weekend of Firsts
It may have been our 2nd weekend in the city, but it was still a weekend full of many firsts. It was only appropriate that we were able to share the experience with our very first guests, Robert and Catherine Whitehill, who are two of our very close friends from UNC as well as Durham.
Our Saturday was action packed, and started off with a bang as Cat was able to take advantage of being in the...
Liveblog: Cat in Studio!
The Whitehills, via planes, trains and automobiles, were able to get to our apartment last night. It was so great to have such close friends in our new NY home. We hit up a late night dinner at Jackson Hole for some gigantic burgers - can you believe Rob was able to finish that burger?
This morning Cat and Rob woke up early and made their way to Rockefeller Center to NBC’s studios where...
The Whitehills are coming!
We’ve finished up week #2 in NYC, and I must say the time is beginning to fly. Tracy and I were remarking after work today of the interesting paradox of time. The week has flown by - but at the same time, it feels like forever since we were unloading our truck. Yet that was only 2 weeks ago. Weird.
Anyways, we are pumped beyond belief to be hosting our first overnight guests this...
The Fantasy Life
It’s almost mid-August, which means we are just weeks away from ending the malaise known as late summer sports and about to enter autumn, that magical time of crisp October nights, pigskin, and Fantasy Football.
I’ve graduated from fantasy neophyte just a few years ago to full fledged participant (I’ll be in 3 leagues this year and had to turn down a 4th). And while I love...
WatchOne of the great things about living in New York is the fact that culture is quite literally everywhere. And while I may not have been the biggest fan of the MoMA, one thing I have already grown to appreciate is the live music which seems to always be ringing from every corner.
When I say live music, I’m not just speaking of big name shows at unique venues like the Bowery Ballroom. ...
Olympic Fever
Olympic fever is running high in the Mansfield house. Our eyes have been glued to the screen(s) for much of the Games.
If you haven’t checked out the www.nbcolympics.com site, do yourself a favor and do it, pronto. It’s quite simply the best use of streaming video on the Web I’ve ever seen. Don’t be scared when it asks you to download the Microsoft Silverlight...
Mixin' it under the Moonlight
It’s been a little over a week for us in the city and, all in all, things have progressed pretty nicely. The apartment is set up, we’ve (somewhat) found our bearings, and we were able to accomplish some small victories during the course of the first week (see: Trader Joe’s, Frank the Painter, etc.) We can’t say that things feel totally normal yet - but reality is starting...
Brush with Fame
LIVE UPDATE: Just had my first NYC celebrity sighting.
I was about to cross the street to walk into the office when I noticed a small, African-American man in an obvious hurry. As he rounded the corner in a light jog, I noticed his dark, circular glasses and patchy goatee. The LeBron James Olympic basketball jersey he was sporting was the dead giveaway, though - this was Mars Blackmon (or Spike...
Meet Frank
Let’s say you’re a Hollywood casting director and you’re shooting a film in New York and need an extra to play the bit role of “classic-native-New Yorker-do-everything-handyman.”
Most likely you’d search for a Italian guy in his 40’s or 50’s with a bit too much belly and a penchant for Marlboro Reds. If you’re really lucky you’ll find...
Working in New York
Most folks, if you ask them what they think it’s like to work in New York, would probably picture crisp suits, long hours, cutthroat bosses, and the inevitable cramped subway ride home.
I imagine few would think to mention carrying one’s own desk to work on Day 1 - but that’s exactly what I got to do. And I loved it.
The office only recently moved to Manhattan from Connecticut...
Blog Vote
I don’t have too much to share worth noting today, and I want to get out of the habit of giving daily play-by-play of our time in NYC (I’ll try to limit it to the really freaky stuff). But since we have created a vibrant little community here, I thought I’d put a question out there for vote which is of vital importance:
Which is more awesome - Beach Beard or Moving Beard?
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On figuring out grocery shopping (or why I heart...
Today was our first day of work in the city. And while both of us had really great first day experiences, the highlight of the day was definitely our little jaunt to Union Square and the only Trader Joe’s in Manhattan.
As mentioned yesterday, our trip to the Food Emporium wasn’t exactly majestic. We fell asleep last night wondering if we’d be able to get used to eating $4...
Welcome to our Apartment
We’re still waiting. We’re waiting for the moment when it will hit us that we live in New York City. As of now it feels like we’re on some kind of gigantic road trip, albeit one which includes all of our furniture. Tracy and I have spent the better part of the last 3 days putting together our apartment. While we can’t yet say that NYC feels like “home”, we...
