June 2010
1 post
March 2010
1 post
On pointless paperwork
It began with a two-week (I think it’s two weeks) push to make my department “more productive” and find out “where our time is being spent” (why we aren’t finishing all work that is turned in every damn day in 7.5 hours regardless of extenuating circumstances such as breathing, an occasional break or - wait for it - being creative). That where the tracking...
August 2009
1 post
Dear Old People.
edkohler:
suitep:
We don’t want to kill you. You’re our parents and grandparents and we love you. But if you throw a cranky fit and keep us from getting decent, affordable health care, you can figure out how to work your own goddamn PCs and cable boxes and remote controls from now on.
And it wouldn’t hurt if you’d stop being so bigoted and so freaked out about having a black president too. We...
July 2009
5 posts
On typography
A new experiment is in order. Because nobody gives a damn about design any more, I will only use shitty system fonts (from Windows) like Arial and Times.
On moving
Moving sucks. It makes you realize just how much crap you own and it really makes you consider simply pitching about half of it into the nearest dumpster.
Moving sucks even more when it’s not your own stuff. Especially when you realize, after dropping one of the boxes, that far too many of the boxes are filled with magazines. Issues of fucking Maxim. Lots of issues of Maxim.
Moving sucks...
“My wife and I are trying to get pregnant again she wants to have sex no less...”
– I recommend corn starch for the chaffing.” was one of the serious responses. (via edkohler)
Sometimes I Hate E-mail
derusha:
There was a time when people who were angry about a minor error in one of my TV reports, they didn’t have a lot of options.
Complain to their spouse
Pick up the phone and call the newsroom
Write a letter
Today, with e-mail, viewers can send obnoxious notes without even thinking about it. For example, this note:
Hi Spelling is obviously no longer considered to be a part of good...
June 2009
2 posts
May 2009
1 post
On maturity
It seems almost sad to me when a co-worker can’t accept the fact that someone else’s work was judged to be better and throws what could be considered an adult-sized hissy fit.
April 2009
6 posts
On chicken
Wait a minute. There’s a Popeye’s Chicken in Minnesota?
On retirement
401(k) company match contribution was just suspended. Will it ever come back or are we entering a new era of “fuck it, employees can deal with it on their own”?
On bathrooms
I’m thinking that last trip is gonna result in some stained porcelain.
On that damned bird
The Cardinal outside my office window has been literally thrashing its body against said window for an entire week. It’s not injured. I think it’s incapable of finding a mate for its stupid self so that rules out protecting an egg-filled nest. This Cardinal obviously has a death wish.
What do birds see circling around their heads after getting injured?
On odors
If you drop one off in the men’s room that smells like a digested but full ash tray, have the damn decency to spray the air freshener sitting on the vanity.
March 2009
7 posts
On birds (again)
It just flew into the window at a high rate of speed.
There is silence.
For now.
On birds
I’m going to kill that damn bird chirping incessantly outside my office window.
on douchebags
I was just behind a vehicle with personalized license plates reading SEXY14U
Vain much?
On White Space
It’s evil. It’s like the devil. White space, according to some most customers, should be avoided like a monkey with Ebola or a lady of the evening riddled with airborn herpes.
WatchEverything you ever wanted to know about Twitter. Sort of.
On tastes
Everything in my Scooby-Doo lunch pail tastes like Ivory soap. At least it’s 99.99% pure.
February 2009
5 posts
On restrooms
The men’s restroom at my office smells like hard-boiled eggs - and not in a good way.
On the economic stimulus
It’s a good idea that has, expectedly, continued the divide among politicians.
When will these stuffed suits in Washington who are elected and paid to represent their constituents wake up and realize that when a clear majority of Americans approve something, they should represent us and do the same.
It’s unfortunate that the half-a-foot thick bill is probably chock full of stupid...
on ads and geo-targeting
Ed @ The Deets nailed down a great story about the City Pages and parent company Village Voice Media seemingly running a scam submission system on Digg.
Now his story is being expanded on everywhere.
SOTC has a decent discussion while MinnPost’s BrauBlog is tearing into it as well.
It seems that the discussion centers around ad-savvy folks but in doing some tinkering myself, geo-targeting...
January 2009
3 posts
The Obama Presidency: the first 60 hours
s4xton:
edkohler:
spiegelman:
So far, Obama has (i) declared that he will “restore science to its rightful place,” (ii) closed Gitmo, and (iii) dropped by the White House press corps unannounced. If the first thing on his presidential checklist was “establish self as exact opposite of George W. Bush,” then he can go ahead and cross it off.
And he drank wine at the inauguration.
“If a man wears a ring on the middle finger of his left hand rather than on his...”
– -Julia, Eden Prairie
Read: [Tom Lyden’s response on Jason DeRusha’s blog]
(via s4xton)
The best part about this that it’s actually one of the better “Good Question” submissions that Jason gets
(via mediation)
On smashing things
Sometimes my frustration gets the best of me. More than once this week I have contemplated smashing various items including my car into a bridge and my head into a wall. However I’ve also said I’d step on the throat of the deceased Mother Teresa to get to the lovely Zooey Deschanel or Tina Fey.
The ultimate calming sensation happened just now as I’m listening to Soul Asylum...
December 2008
4 posts
On work
I am amazed that ANYTHING gets done in the business world in the worthless week between Christmas and New Year’s. Everything slows to a crawl or actually stops. Sure, it makes for an easy week of work but I have to wonder if it would actually be cheaper for employers to pay folks to stay home during that week. Think about the savings. Office buildings with the computers and lights turned...
corn-eyed brown trout
conundrums:
my thirteen year-old cousin took a dump the size of a my forearm. this is barely an exaggeration. i walked into the bathroom, and nearly died. this was a solid turd, as long as my forearm, as big around as my wrist. how the fuck did that thing make its way out of someone’s asshole without taking a life?
at first, i was pissed. why the hell did my cousin not flush that god-awful...
On Scrooge
I won’t go in to alot of detail but I have certifiable proof that Scrooge is alive and well and it all stems from our office’s pot luck lunch last week.
If you want details, show some love for this and I’ll dish.
On buying a car
When the time comes that I can actually afford a new vehicle (a few months away), will I be able to actually get financing for it?
November 2008
7 posts
On advertising
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An interesting slideshow from a site I read somewhat regularly.
In short, newspapers will have to get ultra-creative and diversify to make up the loss of print advertising dollars and risk cutting veterans loose who refuse to adapt and learn. Painful but true.
On Thanksgiving
It’s the one time each year when families get together and even those in the family that you strain to avoid all year are there and all up in your grill just itching to get under your skin and the skin of everyone else.
I blame it on his overcompensation for actually having been stuffed in a locker in high school. Yeah.
On Christmas
Wait a few weeks and maybe I’ll care. You are walking a fine line already and I am seriously considering not putting up even a single string of outdoor Christmas lights because you are pushing yourself on us earlier and earlier each and every damn year.
Case in point…
On babyboomers
During a random conversation this weekend, it was determined that babyboomers can be entirely blamed for the current economic situation we are in. Think about it for a minute. If American companies weren’t on the hook for millions of dollars in retirement and health care for each of theri retired workers, they’d be far more versatile companies which would allow them to adapt more...
On denim
The jeans I am wearing need approximately two more belt loops. It’s not as bad as a misplaced button on a polo shirt (two where there should be three) but it’s still annoying every time I stand up. And people wonder why I don’t tuck my shirt in.
October 2008
9 posts
The Star-Tribune is done
With this memo from last week, they seem hellbent on losing what little credibility they had as a serious news gathering and reporting organization. As much as I disagree with Katherine Kersten’s opinions, they are just that. Nobody agress with everyone and while her column that seems to have been the impetus for this action was vile and disgusting for the news pages, don’t muzzle...
On a Roll ... →
mediation:
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann wrote a letter last year recommending a federal pardon for a major campaign contributor who was once convicted of felony money laundering, firearm and drug charges on the basis he had reformed.
This month, she withdrew that recommendation on behalf of Frank E. Vennes Jr., eight days after the FBI searched his Shorewood home and office and confiscated...
On Design
Much is wrong in the graphic design world. For one, the talent pool is severely diluted. I blame places that advertise on daytime television during court shows. Think places like Brown College, DeVry, ITT Tech and their ilk. Creativity cannot be taught so stop taking money from unsuspecting schmucks who think differently. My other point is the pay scale. Think higher. If you freelance, be...
What the financial crisis means for someone in...
someoneshouldwriteapaperabout:
I’ve been closely following the financial meltdown for the last several weeks (and really since Krugman started writing about it back in 2000 or whenever), and so far I’ll I’ve seen with the crisis is gas is cheaper. What kind of affect, aside from the increased deficit is this going to have for someone who doesn’t own a house, doesn’t have any stock, and isn’t...
Rep. Michele Bachmann has been on national cable... →
(via mediation)
Steve Sturdevant explains the financial meltdown.
southtwelfth:
Back in September, when the market was starting to melt down and I found myself baffled by the press coverage, stymied by my C- in Macroeconomics and failing to grasp the exact nature of the problems, I wrote an email to my dad in Louisville, asking if he could lay it out for me in concise and easy-to-grasp terms.
This is what he wrote:
Here’s what I think happened.
...
On the future
I usually reserve this space for my most bizarre thoughts but sometimes those get shelved in favor of something relevant and with actual purpose.
The future is calling. The question that remains to be answered is this: “Is anyone going to answer the call?”
I wish I could remember where I heard the discussion earlier this week about history and how the past few weeks in addition to...