Ice Cream Trucks
My neighborhood is filthy with ice cream trucks. During the summer, it's not uncommon to see four to six of them roaming the streets from noon to 8pm. Generally, I don't have a problem with them. I like ice cream. I also like our Rhode Island favorite, frozen lemonade, which they all sell. What I do have a problem with is the way they announce their presence.
It used to be that ice cream trucks would ring a loud bell to call the children to the curb. There still is one in the neighborhood that does that, but for the most part they have these crappy musical horns. Those things should be banned for a multitude of reasons. First off, they sound like shit. Second, they have Christmas music built in. Third, these dumb asses driving the ice cream trucks don't bother to exclude the Christmas songs from the playlist.
Don't get me wrong, I like a good Christmas carol in season. I seriously do not need to hear them from mid-May through late-September. I fear that all this overexposure to them may ruin them for me come the holiday season. Only time will tell. In the mean time, I'd like all the ice cream truck drivers of Providence to start playing Michael Hearst's Songs for Ice Cream Trucks.
Posted by John on August 23, 2008
Old Retired Men
My partner and I are sitting here having coffee early this fine November morning and listening to the sound of our neighbor Bill putting the garbage out for tomorrow's collection. Bill is always the first person on the street to get the garbage out. He gets it out a full 24 hours before the garbage men actually come to get it, despite the fact that you're not supposed to put your garbage out until the evening before collection.
Bill's an older, retired gentleman. It takes him a while to get the garbage out and he's very organized about it. My partner made the observation that retired men tend to putter about, especially in matters of sanitation.
"I guess that's what happens when you're retired. You constantly rearrange garbage and poke at things with shovels and sticks."
Hope I'm not like that when I'm retired.
Posted by John on November 16, 2004
Navel Gazing
In a moment of utter boredom this morning, I was contemplating my navel lint. Every evening, after a day of wearing one shirt or another, I manage to accumulate a certain amount of lint in my navel. I know it comes from the shirt I'm wearing, as it is inevitibly the color of the current day's shirt. The big question is why don't all my shirts have a little hole wear my navel lies. Given that I almost always wear my shirts tucked in, you would guess that the same region of the shirt is always exposed to the incredible magnetic force that is my navel. My shirts, especially the older ones, should have navel holes. I suppose I should be glad that they don't.
Posted by John on January 18, 2004
Huzzah, I got a job!
Woo Hoo! After almost 18 months of being unemployed due to being laid off by my previous employer, I have a job again. I had been interviewing with a number of excellent companies up in the Boston area, but I wasn't really looking forward to making the commute up there from Providence. Lo and behold, I get an email out of the blue the other day from a company down here in Providence asking if I wanted to come in for an interview. Hoo boy! Did I ever!
I went in for the interview and met with a bunch of excellent folks who are all very excited about what they are doing. Cool stuff... managed security stuff. Right up my alley. It would seem that they liked the cut of my jib, as they made me an offer the next day. I can't wait to get started.
Posted by John on November 23, 2003
They're doing it their way
A couple of friends of mine have decided that they have had enough of the corporate grind and are going it on their own. If you need any project management help, check out Jim Stewart and Project Management Associates. If you need any systems works, contact Jeff Cavanaugh and Downcity Systems.
Posted by John on July 7, 2003