the dollar refund...

Filing my taxes across different states I worked in and I owe everywhere..
except for Ohio. I am getting a dollar refund... SCORE!

Why can't my favorite color be red?

I was filling out some security questions when suddenly..

I suppose they didn't think this one through..
or I'm the only one who likes red.

Chocolate Covered Rock (from a factory worker's boot)

I recently bought some chocolate espresso beans from World Market. I never shop there, it was somewhat a coincidence that I happen to be there. With time to kill I decided to enter and shop.. While enjoying these fine confections I find that one espresso bean isn't quite crunchy as it is well, plain solid.. as the blog post title suggests, it was a ROCK.. a chocolate covered rock somehow got in there.

Shortly after this incident I had to know "how" this happened.. I played out a few scenarios in my head, and refined it down to the following illustrated and summarized steps that may have lead to the chocolate covered rock I found that fateful day.

Figure 1: Factory worker would start the day as usual.

Figure 2: The infamous pebble from the parking lot

manages to get stuck on the factory worker's boot.

 

Figure 3: Passing through a metal walkway 
the factory worker's shoe releases the
pebble into a batch of espresso beans.

Figure 4: The beans (along with the pebble) are processed and
placed into the completed product bucket, where its clever disguise
can pass quality assurance and make its way into packaging.

So what are the odds that a random shopper goes to the store that ended up with the chocolate covered rock and actually purchases the package from the several hundred packages in the store?... I should feel lucky.

Conclusion: Don't buy chocolate covered anything from World Market (without expecting factory worker debris) There you have it. Another day, another mystery solved.

computer might shut down suddenly

SWEET!!

How being the company 'go-to' guy works

A comprehensive flow chart by yours truly, outlining the mechanics of being the company's indispensable resource for any and all issues.. enjoy.

a note on business cards

I travel often for work.. and with travel comes business cards..

I don't know why it is that people I meet on a plane or at project sites feel obligated to give me their business cards with their fancy titles and decorative company names..

being a consultant I'll be the first to admit, that I do carry my own fancy business card when I go on different projects.. but I use it sparingly, as needed..

At any rate, I accumulate a lot of business cards from random people I likely have no desire to contact in the future..
so.. what to do with these cards?

I developed a nasty habit of keeping these business cards with me, and using them as my own identity when I meet others. or submitting them at those drawings they often have at restaurants.... makes traveling more interesting.

New iPhone Apps: Must Get

Probably the best set of features iPhone apps I ever heard of... enjoy!

No, you should not be a writer.

I receive the most 'interesting' emails sometimes.. I figured I'd share one of them here.

Sunday Breakfast Special Sauce

Yeah never thought I'd post a recipe.. but today I ended up making a sauce to go along english muffins I made with eggs cheese and bacon..

1 Tablespoon whipped cream cheese
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 Teaspoon mustard
1 1/2 Teaspoon ranch dressing
1 1/2 Teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 Teaspoons BBQ sauce
2 Teaspoons Louisiana Hot Sauce

I was just improvising so I'm surprised it came out as good as it did, so I figured I'd post my recipe for later.. if you try this let me know how it comes out.

How old people process emails...

This post tries to explain how old people process emails received (definition of 'old' to be judged by reader).


I hope my diagram helps some of you understand why some of the world's oldest most unfunny clipart and animated gifs are still being transmitted to this day.