I will start with a story I was told. Before he became a priest, Fr. Charlie worked in the publishing industry. Mail would be delivered to the office around 10 AM and then again around 3 PM. If an important document was expected, it would arrive at one of these times. If it was not in the mail, it could be put out of mind until the next delivery time. In his words, it was great. Then the combination of two things destroyed that: fax machines and phones. If someone in another office wanted a document reviewed, it would be faxed and then a phone call would be placed to confirm receipt of the fax and demand a timely response and fax back. Everything had to be done immediately.
I would guess the inventors of the fax machine and telephone intended to make life easier. However, that was not always the effect. As above, the new inventions were a way for micromanaging bosses and overeager collaborators to rain havoc over more people.
Now lets bring this to today. Email is all the rage and not just on computers. With so many people using a Blackberry, iPhone, or other internet-centric phone the new inventions originally designed to make life better are everywhere.
What effect are these new devices having on people and their mental well-being? Are they adding something valuable or just filling time?
I have sat looking at my inbox and psychotically kept clicking refresh hoping I would get an email. Even if I was not waiting for anything specific, I kept hitting refresh every second. Then I found a way around this; I started using a widget which generated a pop up anytime I received a new email. This stopped the psychotic clicking, but did not solve the problem. Instead of giving my full attention to what I was doing, I let the pop up window be a line that instantly pulled me away from whatever I was doing to check my latest email. While a few times it was nice to respond to emails within minutes, it did not make my life better, easier, or calmer.
To prevent becoming caught up in this mentality, I have started a 10/4/10 email plan. Unless I am expecting a very important timely email, need to reference some information, or want to write a specific email, I only open my email three times a day, 10 AM, 4 PM, and 10 PM. It is awesome; you should try it.
The next time you click on your internet browser or pull out a smartphone (smart in the sense their manufactures have convinced millions of people they need to buy such devices) to check the latest news, email, or Facebook update Stop! Ask yourself if you really need to. Question yourself "Will this bring me happiness?" If the answer is no, rethink your actions.
If the latest technology is not making your life easier, less stressful, and better, you are not using it correctly.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Have a Hot Dog
I had an authentic Top Dog hot dog today. Instead of driving up to Northern California, I traveled the freeways of Orange County.
This story starts a few months ago when my Mom saw something in the Orange County Register. To summarize the article, the owners of a yogurt store in Mission Viejo contacted the owners of Top Dog in Northern California and worked out a deal so they could sell their hot dogs.
Today I went there with James and enjoyed a Santa Fe turkey dog. I would furnish some pictures, but I could not easily find my camera before I left. I picked one of the worst days ever to dive to Mission Viejo. It was 108 out there and the hottest day ever recorded in many places.
If you make the drive (the address is in the article linked above), look for the Del Taco; Berkeley Dog is a couple of stores away. It is in a huge plaza and I drove by nearly 50 stores before I found it. Do not expect to be greeted by a hot dog, the door still advertises the yogurt the store sells.
If that is too far for you, I did some research and just learned a second shop opened in Brea last month.
An earlier trip
This was the second time I have been there. The first time I went I wanted to go with someone I knew from Berkeley to get their input on the place's authenticity. So I called a friend who lived in Mission Viejo. When he got back to me a few weeks later he said his externship in Los Angeles prevented him from going. Next I thought of another Cal alumnus who was at UCI; Irvine is just a city over. I sent her a Facebook message but she never replied. Then I thought of a friend who would be up for an adventure if I picked him up and drove him there. I called a few minutes after noon but he did not answer. I declared my efforts to get other people interested a failure and drove there myself. He called me later in the day and explained he was still asleep when I called him.
This story starts a few months ago when my Mom saw something in the Orange County Register. To summarize the article, the owners of a yogurt store in Mission Viejo contacted the owners of Top Dog in Northern California and worked out a deal so they could sell their hot dogs.
Today I went there with James and enjoyed a Santa Fe turkey dog. I would furnish some pictures, but I could not easily find my camera before I left. I picked one of the worst days ever to dive to Mission Viejo. It was 108 out there and the hottest day ever recorded in many places.
If you make the drive (the address is in the article linked above), look for the Del Taco; Berkeley Dog is a couple of stores away. It is in a huge plaza and I drove by nearly 50 stores before I found it. Do not expect to be greeted by a hot dog, the door still advertises the yogurt the store sells.
If that is too far for you, I did some research and just learned a second shop opened in Brea last month.
An earlier trip
This was the second time I have been there. The first time I went I wanted to go with someone I knew from Berkeley to get their input on the place's authenticity. So I called a friend who lived in Mission Viejo. When he got back to me a few weeks later he said his externship in Los Angeles prevented him from going. Next I thought of another Cal alumnus who was at UCI; Irvine is just a city over. I sent her a Facebook message but she never replied. Then I thought of a friend who would be up for an adventure if I picked him up and drove him there. I called a few minutes after noon but he did not answer. I declared my efforts to get other people interested a failure and drove there myself. He called me later in the day and explained he was still asleep when I called him.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Works in Progress
I have been doing a lot of things but have not finished them. Instead of waiting another week or two until they are resolved and provide finished posts, I will say a few words now about what I am doing. You can think of each paragraph as the first act of a different and unfinished play.
The inside of my parent's house was painted last week. In preparation for this, all the stuff had to be taken off the walls and the furniture moved. After the painting was done we had a great opportunity to evaluate and rethink where things should go and what the best way to arrange everything is. For example, my Grandpa made some great wood toys. However, they were on top of the cupboard where they are hard to notice. I moved them to a more conspicuous place where they can be viewed up close and appreciated. All the blinds and shades have been put back up, but some furniture and pictures still need to be arranged.
I am setting up a computer with a Unix-like system. I have saved a couple of old computers from being trashed and am using some parts from one to fix the other. So far I have moved a CPU fan, hard drive, and RAM stick from one machine to the other. I went to Fry's to buy some cables for a KVM switch. A KVM switch is a device that lets multiple computers share one keyboard, monitor, and mouse. When I plugged everything into the computer and pressed the on button nothing happened. I could not find the problem, but I circumvented it and now have a computer up and running. The next step is to install a new operating system I have never used.
As furniture was being moved for painting, I decided to refinish the coffee table. A few years ago a live plant was placed on the table by our neighbor and water leaked onto the table and left a big spot. I started the restoration by removing the old finish, sanding the top, and applying a new stain. Most of the table looked good, but there were two dark lines where the stain soaked in more than the rest. Since I was unhappy, I sanded the table down and restained it using a foam brush. That was a disaster; the brush strokes were visible. After treating a quarter of the table I stopped and removed the stain. When I started my third staining application I ditched the foam brush and went back to using a normal paintbrush. It turned out worse than ever. The table looked terrible and the stain made a mess everywhere. As of now the table is sanded again and ready for my fourth attempt at staining it.
When I graduated I was gifted an album that said "Graduation 2008." For the last two years I have been meaning to select 100 pictures from senior year and get them printed out and put in that album. I went through all the pictures from my camera (and the pictures I took with Derek's camera while mine was broke). When picking pictures I aimed for a good assortment. I selected pictures from different events, included a variety of different people, and made sure I was not in too many of them. There were a lot of good pictures and I enjoyed looking through all of them. Even after I limited myself to pictures from my last semester I had 114 pictures for a 100 slot album. After more rounds of reductions, prints were ordered and they have arrived here by mail. Now they need to be placed in the album.
In a couple of weeks everything should be set and you can stop by my house to see the finished products. Until then, things are scattered about as work continues.
The inside of my parent's house was painted last week. In preparation for this, all the stuff had to be taken off the walls and the furniture moved. After the painting was done we had a great opportunity to evaluate and rethink where things should go and what the best way to arrange everything is. For example, my Grandpa made some great wood toys. However, they were on top of the cupboard where they are hard to notice. I moved them to a more conspicuous place where they can be viewed up close and appreciated. All the blinds and shades have been put back up, but some furniture and pictures still need to be arranged.
I am setting up a computer with a Unix-like system. I have saved a couple of old computers from being trashed and am using some parts from one to fix the other. So far I have moved a CPU fan, hard drive, and RAM stick from one machine to the other. I went to Fry's to buy some cables for a KVM switch. A KVM switch is a device that lets multiple computers share one keyboard, monitor, and mouse. When I plugged everything into the computer and pressed the on button nothing happened. I could not find the problem, but I circumvented it and now have a computer up and running. The next step is to install a new operating system I have never used.
As furniture was being moved for painting, I decided to refinish the coffee table. A few years ago a live plant was placed on the table by our neighbor and water leaked onto the table and left a big spot. I started the restoration by removing the old finish, sanding the top, and applying a new stain. Most of the table looked good, but there were two dark lines where the stain soaked in more than the rest. Since I was unhappy, I sanded the table down and restained it using a foam brush. That was a disaster; the brush strokes were visible. After treating a quarter of the table I stopped and removed the stain. When I started my third staining application I ditched the foam brush and went back to using a normal paintbrush. It turned out worse than ever. The table looked terrible and the stain made a mess everywhere. As of now the table is sanded again and ready for my fourth attempt at staining it.
When I graduated I was gifted an album that said "Graduation 2008." For the last two years I have been meaning to select 100 pictures from senior year and get them printed out and put in that album. I went through all the pictures from my camera (and the pictures I took with Derek's camera while mine was broke). When picking pictures I aimed for a good assortment. I selected pictures from different events, included a variety of different people, and made sure I was not in too many of them. There were a lot of good pictures and I enjoyed looking through all of them. Even after I limited myself to pictures from my last semester I had 114 pictures for a 100 slot album. After more rounds of reductions, prints were ordered and they have arrived here by mail. Now they need to be placed in the album.
In a couple of weeks everything should be set and you can stop by my house to see the finished products. Until then, things are scattered about as work continues.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
What I did over summer
Three days ago I started writing this post. After I wrote the title I hit Enter and the post which contained nothing in its body was accidentally published. If you are using a reader program to read this blog you will have seen the title of this post three days ago and watched the blog float to the top of your recently updated blog list; only to find I did not actually make a post. I would apologize for my mistake, but I am not a fan of using blog reader programs. Now I can return to the topic at hand.
This story starts at the end of May. Since I explained most of this in earlier posts, this is a summary of summary posts.
Overnight trips I took:
Day trips to Los Angeles:
Picnic in the park with Sean and the Salesians.
Several weeks later to watch Sean start his pre-novitiate program.
Watch the Dodgers play (14 hits in 9 innings and they still managed to lose).
The happiest places on Earth:
I went to Disneyland on the day of its 55th anniversary. Before that, I spent four days at the four different parks of Disney World.
Places that show the sky is only the beginning:
I went to the Kennedy Space Center and the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Air and Space Museum.
There was an interesting adventure to the San Diego Zoo. Much good food was eaten at the Orange County Fair.
I saw a lot of movies on their opening nights. I could think of five, but I would have to pull out my ticket stubs or ask Frank and Aden for an exact count.
This story starts at the end of May. Since I explained most of this in earlier posts, this is a summary of summary posts.
Overnight trips I took:
- Up to Berkeley to see Fr. Charlie and assorted friends.
- Orlando for a family reunion and the local sights.
- Grand Canyon for hiking and nature stuff.
- Las Vegas to have fun with Peter and Larry.
- Washington D.C. and Virgina for a friend's wedding.
- San Diego for CRP and hanging out with Rohit and Derek.
Day trips to Los Angeles:
Picnic in the park with Sean and the Salesians.
Several weeks later to watch Sean start his pre-novitiate program.
Watch the Dodgers play (14 hits in 9 innings and they still managed to lose).
The happiest places on Earth:
I went to Disneyland on the day of its 55th anniversary. Before that, I spent four days at the four different parks of Disney World.
Places that show the sky is only the beginning:
I went to the Kennedy Space Center and the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Air and Space Museum.
There was an interesting adventure to the San Diego Zoo. Much good food was eaten at the Orange County Fair.
I saw a lot of movies on their opening nights. I could think of five, but I would have to pull out my ticket stubs or ask Frank and Aden for an exact count.
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Bears are coming
As some of you know, tomorrow is the first game of the California Golden Bears football season. I have been listening to my Cal Band CD to get into the correct mood.
The complete schedule for the season and where to find the Bears on TV and radio is available on the Cal Bears website. You can also listen to all the games on KALX online.
On Saturday at 1 the Bears will be playing UC Davis at Memorial Stadium.
When I lived at the Yee Tenement House, I would often make a dip Derek, Patrick, and sometimes David would enjoy before walking down Piedmont to the stadium. I will share the recipe so you too can enjoy this game day tradition. This would usually be accompanied with rum and cokes or gin and tonics if I had a two liter bottle of tonic to finish up.
Layered Nacho Dip
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
1/2 pkg. taco mix
16 oz. guacamole dip
8 oz. sour cream
1 small can black olives, chopped or sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
Green onions (or a small onion) finely chopped
taco sauce or salsa
thick layer of shredded Cheddar (and/or Jack) cheese
Mix refried beans & taco mix. Layer in shallow dish (I think I used a 9 x 13) or pie pan in order: Beans/taco mix, guacamole, sour cream, chopped black olives, diced tomatoes, onion, salsa & shredded cheese. Serve with nacho chips.
You can play with the amounts and ingredients any way you like. I used genuine Safeway refried beans most of the time and started with this appetizing sight.
Game day never tasted so good.
The complete schedule for the season and where to find the Bears on TV and radio is available on the Cal Bears website. You can also listen to all the games on KALX online.
On Saturday at 1 the Bears will be playing UC Davis at Memorial Stadium.
When I lived at the Yee Tenement House, I would often make a dip Derek, Patrick, and sometimes David would enjoy before walking down Piedmont to the stadium. I will share the recipe so you too can enjoy this game day tradition. This would usually be accompanied with rum and cokes or gin and tonics if I had a two liter bottle of tonic to finish up.
Layered Nacho Dip
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
1/2 pkg. taco mix
16 oz. guacamole dip
8 oz. sour cream
1 small can black olives, chopped or sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
Green onions (or a small onion) finely chopped
taco sauce or salsa
thick layer of shredded Cheddar (and/or Jack) cheese
Mix refried beans & taco mix. Layer in shallow dish (I think I used a 9 x 13) or pie pan in order: Beans/taco mix, guacamole, sour cream, chopped black olives, diced tomatoes, onion, salsa & shredded cheese. Serve with nacho chips.
You can play with the amounts and ingredients any way you like. I used genuine Safeway refried beans most of the time and started with this appetizing sight.
Game day never tasted so good.
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