zutroy.net

I had a professor in college that was always telling us to find the “So what?”.  When we wrote a paper, it had to have a “so what?” or he would make us start over.  I have really tried to make that a part of my communication because I have the tenancy to make a story longer than shorter, to ramble on little bit, to give three examples when one would suffice.

I’ve been able to do pretty well with it in speaking I think.  As long as I don’t have to tell a story to lead up to something I can keep it short and to the point.  And I make sure that I’m not talking just to talk. I talk when I need to say something.  I have several friends that I consider close friends that I haven’t really spoken to for months at a time.  It’s not that I don’t want to talk to them, it’s that I’m busy and they’re busy and I don’t have a “so what?” to go talk to them about.  But when I do it’s a good but often short conversation.

I think the “so what?” idea especially applies when I’m chatting with someone over IM during working hours.  I know I’m busy, and the other person is probably busy so I keep it short and to the point.  But then I have this one friend that I see every month or so and I chat with him once or twice each week, sometimes less.  But in all that seeing and chatting I can only think of one “so what?” in the last year that he has wanted to talk about when he starts chatting. And it drives me crazy.  Not crazy enough to lecture him on it but crazy enough to write a post about it.

So here’s my “so what?” for my friends, family and colleagues:

I love to hear from you but please have a “so what?” if you are going to chat with me.

I have always had a kind of sixth sense of social civility.  I may not follow it that often, and when I don’t I have this feeling that I’m doing something wrong.   For example, I don’t like to walk between two people that are talking, even if they are standing on opposite sides of a hallway and there is no other option.  I think it’s rude to answer my phone when I’m talking with anyone. I use a LOT of napkins but I try not to put them on the table or in a place where everyone can see then.  I feel guilty when I overhear enough of someone else’s conversation for me to know what they are talking about.

I have always admired the way people interacted in Ye olden days.  You know, when gentlemen would bow when meeting a lady, or stand when she entered the room.   And when they needed to argue, they found very civil ways to insult their foes which would always result in the simpler of the two fellows challenging the more gentlemanly to a duel. Continue reading

So for the last couple years I have kind of put photography on hold because of time and money issues. Mostly time. But since we closed Main10 almost a year ago, I have felt the photo bug inside me trying to get out. The kind of film I like to shoot with gets rather expensive and the only good digital camera I have had access to doesn’t quite cut it.

I did get a hold of a half decent DSLR while I was in Amsterdam and I got some really nice shots there, but that has really been the extent of the photo excursions since my last photo class.

But something fantastic happened this week. Joel got a new camera. And he has humbly asked me to babysit his 20D while he isn’t using it as a second camera for some wedding shoots. We went and explored the last of the autumn colors Tuesday and I remembered how much I love photography. Even though we didn’t have very good conditions or light, we had a good time and got some decent shots.

Now as both of you know, I’m looking for a traditional job, the 9 to 5 (or close to it) type. I am hoping/expecting that since I’ll have more free time and a good digital camera at my disposal that I’ll be able to start shooting again. I may even put up a photo blog.

So grant threatened me if I didn’t add a new post by two days ago, he would delete my site. I didn’t think he could/would. Well, I guess he’s become quite the little hacker. Or maybe he just knows someone.

[11:01] frauhauf: How did you do that?
[11:02] javamonkeyhead: do what?
[11:02] javamonkeyhead: bring yoru site down
[11:02] javamonkeyhead: I told you!
[11:02] frauhauf: yes
[11:02] javamonkeyhead: :)
[11:02] frauhauf: no. really, how did you do it? did you hack my new server?
[11:03] javamonkeyhead: :)
[11:03] frauhauf: fix it please
[11:03] javamonkeyhead: are you kidding?
[11:03] frauhauf: I have a new post ready. But my files are missing
[11:04] javamonkeyhead: lol
[11:04] javamonkeyhead: pretty funny
[11:04] frauhauf: yeah, except not very funny
[11:04] javamonkeyhead: I can’t tell if you are being serious or not
[11:04] frauhauf: www.zutroy.net
[11:04] javamonkeyhead: I didn’t hack your box
[11:04] frauhauf: who did?
[11:04] javamonkeyhead: yeah, I see that its down… I thought you did it just now as a joke
[11:04] frauhauf: who did you “put the order into”
[11:04] javamonkeyhead: :)
[11:05] javamonkeyhead: joke over
[11:05] javamonkeyhead: you are starting to worry me
[11:05] frauhauf: you fixed it?
[11:05] javamonkeyhead: honestly
[11:05] javamonkeyhead: are you being serious?
[11:05] frauhauf: I knew I should host anything on a windows server
[11:05] javamonkeyhead: you took it down, right?
[11:06] frauhauf: and you changed my ftp login? how did you do that?
[11:06] javamonkeyhead: stop
[11:07] frauhauf: did you have Jon do it?
[11:07] frauhauf: I’m asking him…
[11:07] javamonkeyhead: troy, seriously.. I didn’t do anything
[11:07] javamonkeyhead: I hope you did it as a joke
[11:07] frauhauf: yeah, ok
[11:08] frauhauf: yes, I have a split personality and the mr. hyde half of me went and messed everything up last night while dr. jeckle was sleeping…
[11:08] javamonkeyhead: well, hurry and fix it
[11:08] javamonkeyhead: and then post your new entry
[11:08] javamonkeyhead: or I will delete it
[11:08] frauhauf: ha ha ha
[11:08] frauhauf: come on
[11:09] frauhauf: just tell me what you changed the password to
[11:09] frauhauf: I’ll restore from backup
[11:09] javamonkeyhead: password is
[11:09] frauhauf: you probably just chaqnged the vhosts files or something
[11:09] javamonkeyhead: l3@veMe@lon3
[11:09] frauhauf: really?
[11:09] javamonkeyhead: no
[11:11] frauhauf: Jon is playing innocent
[11:11] javamonkeyhead: press him harder
[11:11] frauhauf: was it him?
[11:11] javamonkeyhead: can’t say
[11:11] frauhauf: come on, I might have some people going to check my portfolio today. I need it up
[11:12] javamonkeyhead: jon did it
[11:15] frauhauf: Thank you
[11:16] javamonkeyhead: your welcome
[11:16] frauhauf: did you reset my ftp password?
[11:16] javamonkeyhead: yes
[11:17] frauhauf: k, now tell me how you got into the box
[11:17] frauhauf: Jon says it wasn’t him
[11:17] javamonkeyhead: it was
[11:22] frauhauf: so are you going to tell me how you did it?
[11:22] javamonkeyhead: no
[11:22] frauhauf: well, I’ll just have to find a new host I guess. something without redhat backdoors

I’m not really one for following the current blogging trends but my wife has inspired me. And I found this tag on the Barkermeister’s site and thought it looked fun. So here goes.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags
Wrapping paper. Gift bags are for sissies

2. Real tree or artificial?
Is this really a question? Real. Duh. Just like everything else where real vs. fake is an issue.

3. When do you put up the tree?
We cut it down usually the day after Thanksgiving and it goes up right away.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually right around new years.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Hold the eggnog, Wassail please.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Criss Cross Crash Hotwheels track.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My parents

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Me, Then my wife

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We did, I don’t know where it has gotten off to. I’ll have to make a new one I think.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?
e-mail Christmas cards are the scourge of the Earth.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A stinky cigarette scarred stuffed animal that had been rescued from a dumpster. No really. It was from my aunt who didn’t even play cards. Bless her heart.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
It’s a Wonderful Life. I have a ban on Santa Clause movies in my house. I don’t hate Santa, just all the movies I have ever seen of him.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
No regular time. But I always leave some things for the last minute.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No. Not that I can remember.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Pumpkin Cheesecake. Hands down.

16. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Getting our Christmas Tree

17. Favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home?
Home

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?
Not if I don’t have to.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
One Christmas Eve, The rest in the morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Commercialization of something sacred.

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
My wifes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, spiral cut honey ham, funeral potatoes, fresh rolls, deviled eggs, crackers and crab cheese balls, mixed nuts, stuffed mushrooms, Dominican cabbage salad, spit roasted pig (when I can get it), interesting salads I have never tried before, pumpkin Cheesecake, black forest cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, pumpkin pie, my mom’s wassail, Martinelli’s

24. What do you want for Christmas this year?
a shotgun, dress shoes, bullets, a night stand (already got it), a cooking torch, a golf hat

25. How many days left until Christmas?
3

So Grant, Jon, Yanilza, and Joel. You are hereby tagged.

Today as I was going through my mental startup routine at work I realized that I have stopped checking Grant’s blog. I don’t even know when I stopped checking it. But somehow, some time, I stopped. And I thought to myself, “maybe I should write a post about people keeping their blogs updated.”

“Nah, I’ve already written a couple like that. What if I write a post about how we should get this mess of an Internet cleaned up and remove old outdated sites.” Sites that haven’t been touched for 3 years, profiles on linkedin with your email address from that place where you no longer work and now you can’t remember your password or get a password reminder so you just started a new profile. You all know at least one person that has done that. I know a couple. But how would it be if we searched for something and we didn’t see forum threads that haven’t been touched or even viewed for years? Ok, I realize that sometimes those are important posts, but the majority could go. The problem is that it can’t be done by a googlebot, it needs to be done by people.

So as I’m thinking this, I accidentally click the link to Grant’s blog. “WHOA! What’s that?!?! He wrote something! Grant actually posted something!”

I’m speachless. I don’t know what to say. And there’s not enough posted for me to comment on but wow, Grant posted something.