Lazy Shoe Namer
By Nick | March 27, 2009
I was in Target with Christy a few days ago and we were in the shoe department. I started looking at the shoes and then quickly realized that all the shoes were named using people’s names! How great of a job would it be to come up with the names of shoes? The guy who was assigned that project must have been 1. lazy or 2. hated his job. I mean come on…what did he do? Go down the employee roster at his company and fill out the shoe naming list? “Let me see: Mary, Tom, Samantha, Richard. Oh here’s a good one! JIM!!” Ridiculous. Wouldn’t you rather wear a shoe called a “Zephyr Walker”? Or would you be happier with your new “Robert” Slip Ons? Blech.
Have fun with your job dude…be creative! Take some pride! Leave your mark! I think it would be an awesome job to come up with names for things. In particular I would love to be the guy who names Crayola Crayons or the names of paint chips for Home Depot. I already have a few names in mind for various colors, but they are top secret. I am holding out for the day that I get called on by Behr Paint.
Topics: Humor | 4 Comments »
A Craftsman at Work
By Nick | March 23, 2009
This weekend I went down to Austin’s surfboard factory to see what was going on. He’s recently taken a liking to shaping some wooden boards. He’s working with balsa, paulownia, and redwood. If you thought that shaping a board out of foam was a lot of work, take a look at this! He has to actually chamber the wood panels to reduce the weight of the board. I can’t wait to see how this board turns out.
Topics: Art, Surfing | 2 Comments »
Riding on the Metro
By Nick | March 18, 2009
It’s official. I am a DC Metro fan boy now. This weekend when Christy and I went up to DC we decided to ride the Metro into the city from Falls Church. DC has their public transportation sorted out! I will never again drive into DC. You can get to pretty much anywhere you want to go in that city via the subway. The days of fighting traffic to get into the city and looking for a parking space while there are over for this guy.
This photo is of the ceiling in the Metro Center. I loved the texture and the pattern that it created.
Topics: Travel | 1 Comment »
Williamsburg Highway Exit Signs Can Kiss It
By Nick | March 17, 2009
Its seems that everytime I am coming home from a road trip on Interstate 64 in Virginia I need to stop to get food or gas somewhere around Williamsburg. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that Williamsburg is a wonderful place with lots of great things to offer, but their highway signage for what is on the exits sucks!
There is not one gas station or food joint close to any exit in that part of Virginia…but do the exit signs tell you that? No Way. You see that glorious Wendy’s logo on the highway exit sign and think that you are home free. Then you take the exit and get the next sign that says the Wendy’s is 3.4 miles away! WTF!? If you have to turn more than 3 times or drive more than 1 mile, the sign should not be on the main highway! I don’t have time for that crap. I would rather wait until I get home than drive through the back roads of Williamsburg to get to a freaking restaurant. The times that I need gas though are the ones that really piss me off. I need gas now fools!! Don’t tease me with the sign and then show me another sign after I get off the interstate that says it is 8 miles away!
You would think that after driving on that road for more than 15 years I would learn though. No such luck. I have heard that there is one exit that is halfway decent up there, but I have yet to find it. I keep rolling the dice thinking that I am getting off on that magical exit and every time I find that I am on that one that pissed me off the last time.
Topics: Rants | 6 Comments »
Tai Shan at the National Zoo
By Nick | March 16, 2009
We went to the National Zoo in Washington DC this weekend and had a great time. One of our favorites and the most animated animal we saw was The Giant Panda named Tai Shan. He was munching hard on some bamboo.
Topics: Travel | 1 Comment »
Loose Does NOT Equal Lose
By Nick | March 11, 2009
Ask anyone I know and they’ll tell you that I have more than a few pet peeves. One that particularly drives me absolutely crazy is when people type “loose” when they mean to type “lose.” God that drives me nuts.
Topics: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
That Was Probably a Bad Idea
By Nick | March 9, 2009
Going up to our farm in Charlottesville and working all day in a field of cut hay probably wasn’t the best idea for a guy with allergies. Especially on the first warm day of spring when all the pollen started jumping out of the trees and shrubs around the place. I guess traipsing up through a forest filled with fallen leaves and leaf mold for a few hours didn’t help either. Next time I need to better prepare myself. Claritin has been put into my overnight bag for next time.
Topics: Life | No Comments »
Maybe I’m Not a Smart Businessman
By Nick | March 5, 2009
Time after time I am approached by potential web design clients that ask me what my monthly rate is to perform updates on their sites. The quick answer to their question is that I don’t have one. Many times they look at me like I am an idiot…that is until I tell them my stance on the matter.
The way I see it there will be many months in the life of your website that will not require any updates at all. Why should you give me your hard earned money to do something that in all actuality is nothing. If a month goes by that no changes were made, why pay for it!?
The business side of me says that it is easy money and that it is something that I should start doing, but my conscience just won’t let me do it. I can’t take money for something I haven’t done. That’s why I charge my clients on a case by case basis. They tell me they need changes, I make the changes, and they pay me for the time it took to make the change. Some months they spend more, but most months they aren’t spending a dime. In the long run it always works out to be beneficial for the client.
Topics: Work | 1 Comment »
Of All the Days
By Nick | March 2, 2009
So I was driving down Independence Blvd. and all of a sudden I heard a really strange noise. Yep…a blow out…and a huge one at that! A large piece of metal impaled my passenger side rear tire and gouged an enormous slice out of it.
Out of all the days this could have happened, it had to happen on a day that was bitter cold and snowing. Just my luck.
On top of that, the place where I am covered by Road Hazard protection has to order the tire and it takes 8 days to get in. INSANITY. I can’t drive on this dinky spare for that long. Luckily another tire store up the road had it on hand. I had them install it and when the one for my Road Hazard comes in, I guess I’ll have a spare. That’s ok though because I am constantly picking up nails with my tires.
Topics: Humor, Life | 2 Comments »
Form of Feline Torture?
By Nick | March 2, 2009
Here’s a shot of MJ looking up through my glass coffee table as Christy and I chow down on an enormous amount of Sushi. Just look at the longing in her eyes… “C’mon, Dad….just one piece….PLEASE!”
Topics: MJ the Cat, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »