Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Lying is encouraged
I'm starting to come to grips with the reality that lying is not only encouraged in this world, but rewarded.
I realize this as I return from the bagel place with breakfast and drinks for my family. I had been rung up (literally, you'll soon learn) for three mini-bagels at just over $6. The total for that plus the drinks seemed high, so I asked if he had rung up everything.
"Oh, no," he calmly replied. "Forgot the coffees."
He then proceeded to charge me $5.99 for two medium iced coffees. Fleeced for six dollars for brewed coffee. Nothing more than that!
Earlier in the weekend, I was reamed by a client for not reading the plan she had sent over late the day before. I was travelling and hadn't had time to review. I honestly don't feel this impacted the discussion whatsoever, but I can understand how it might seem insulting, particularly after she had invested a great deal of time into its development.
How much harm would it be if I had faked it? How much damage to the world economy would I do if I walked out with two cups of coffee, already paid for in the markup on my bagels...
"Karma Police," responds my wife with a Zen coolness.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
I realize this as I return from the bagel place with breakfast and drinks for my family. I had been rung up (literally, you'll soon learn) for three mini-bagels at just over $6. The total for that plus the drinks seemed high, so I asked if he had rung up everything.
"Oh, no," he calmly replied. "Forgot the coffees."
He then proceeded to charge me $5.99 for two medium iced coffees. Fleeced for six dollars for brewed coffee. Nothing more than that!
Earlier in the weekend, I was reamed by a client for not reading the plan she had sent over late the day before. I was travelling and hadn't had time to review. I honestly don't feel this impacted the discussion whatsoever, but I can understand how it might seem insulting, particularly after she had invested a great deal of time into its development.
How much harm would it be if I had faked it? How much damage to the world economy would I do if I walked out with two cups of coffee, already paid for in the markup on my bagels...
"Karma Police," responds my wife with a Zen coolness.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Dreamer in my Dreams
Wilco at Keyspan Park on Coney Island, early birthday treat from the amazing Ms. Jennifer Zelman Heit. What a beautiful way to spend an evening.
We had considered bringing our three year old, but as I noted in my previous post, she had the presence of mind to bow out late last night. We had been swimming three days straight. She was understandably exhausted.
Even so, her tiny little voice asked me as I was putting her to bed last night, myself eager with anticipation for her to join us for her first big concert, "is the concert during the daytime or at the nighttime?"
"Well, it's at night sweetie, but hopefully won't be too late. And if you're tired, we can just come home."
"I think I want to stay home," she said, sweet as you can imagine.
As much as I wanted to convince her she should come, as an early birthday present to me, it's incredible to me the maturity and presence of mind she has at such a young age.
This is more the ramblings of an idiot adult than the gushing of a proud poppa, but either way, I'm glad we didn't have her with us. Just a few weeks earlier, at a fireworks display in my wife's native Buffalo, my little one nearly lost her mind. Loud noises seem to cause her to scream hysterically, not unlike Rain Man faced with hot water.
Something from deep in her sub conscious makes her hate loud noises, maybe it's all the yelling me and the wife are capable of, but she sure does love those juice boxes too.
Not sure what I'm getting at any more, it's late and an Israeli woman next to me on the plane is making a mad land grab for the armrest we both share. As if this real estate can be claimed simply by being there...
Which, by the way, is another great Wilco album...
Night
As much as I wanted to convince her she should come, as an early birthday present to me, it's incredible to me the maturity and presence of mind she has at such a young age.
This is more the ramblings of an idiot adult than the gushing of a proud poppa, but either way, I'm glad we didn't have her with us. Just a few weeks earlier, at a fireworks display in my wife's native Buffalo, my little one nearly lost her mind. Loud noises seem to cause her to scream hysterically, not unlike Rain Man faced with hot water.
Something from deep in her sub conscious makes her hate loud noises, maybe it's all the yelling me and the wife are capable of, but she sure does love those juice boxes too.
Not sure what I'm getting at any more, it's late and an Israeli woman next to me on the plane is making a mad land grab for the armrest we both share. As if this real estate can be claimed simply by being there...
Which, by the way, is another great Wilco album...
Night
Sunday, July 12, 2009
First post from my iPhone
I could really get usd to this. Chilling on my deck, glass of chilled Pinot Grigio at. The ready.
It's my first iPod, really. So I spent the last two weeks jut filling it up with slngs.
It's amazing, really. I thought I could make do with a 16 Gig version, bit I was quickly shown the errror of my ways. I was scrambling. Grabbing page after page of my CD books. Looseleaf pages that hold eight discs each. Four in front four on back. I have five large books mostly filled A through Z I then have a small book (each page holds four discs front and back, filled with movie soundtracks and other compilations. The Q through Z book, as one might imagine, has some space at the end where some other mixes and compilations are held.
So I am literally like a meth head rushing from room to room adding discs to my iTunes.
Remember, I never even had an iPod, so this is all brand new to me.
It's so worth it though. The look and feel of the device is amazing! Love everything about it, and now I have a healthy portion of my music with me. Nowhere near all, mind you. Just a big ass chunk.
More to go, but to be able to buy Bruno tickets and listen to Rodrigo y Gabriela all while I work on the blog makes me glad to be alive!
And I can read it from here, which means so can you, dear reader. Now go out and get one so you can view more ads!
I think it should be easy to post pictures as well, right? Oh well, mayber not yet, but I'll figure it put. For now I'll just listen to Wilco, Box Full of Letters , great band, great iPhone app, excited for the concert tomorrow night! Didi bailed (she's three, and a lady, so this is her right) but I digress.
Late.
It's my first iPod, really. So I spent the last two weeks jut filling it up with slngs.
It's amazing, really. I thought I could make do with a 16 Gig version, bit I was quickly shown the errror of my ways. I was scrambling. Grabbing page after page of my CD books. Looseleaf pages that hold eight discs each. Four in front four on back. I have five large books mostly filled A through Z I then have a small book (each page holds four discs front and back, filled with movie soundtracks and other compilations. The Q through Z book, as one might imagine, has some space at the end where some other mixes and compilations are held.
So I am literally like a meth head rushing from room to room adding discs to my iTunes.
Remember, I never even had an iPod, so this is all brand new to me.
It's so worth it though. The look and feel of the device is amazing! Love everything about it, and now I have a healthy portion of my music with me. Nowhere near all, mind you. Just a big ass chunk.
More to go, but to be able to buy Bruno tickets and listen to Rodrigo y Gabriela all while I work on the blog makes me glad to be alive!
And I can read it from here, which means so can you, dear reader. Now go out and get one so you can view more ads!
I think it should be easy to post pictures as well, right? Oh well, mayber not yet, but I'll figure it put. For now I'll just listen to Wilco, Box Full of Letters , great band, great iPhone app, excited for the concert tomorrow night! Didi bailed (she's three, and a lady, so this is her right) but I digress.
Late.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The call
The blackberry buzz. It can be an invitation, or it can be a leash.
As it starts to hum on your table, you grab it. Try to reduce the feedback. I look over at my brother, and he's furiously typing away. In all seriousness I can't tell for sure whether he is happily chirping to his beautiful wife that they'll be together momentarily, or putting the nag off for another hour.
That's the conundrum. The proximity of two such divergent emotions. Work and home. Play and responsibility.
How do you know when to pick it up? How do you know when to let it go?
The leash grabs you by the neck and won't let go. Circling round the table and interrupting conference calls with its insidious drone.
Sometimes I'm reminded of my failings as a human being by the sheer brilliance of others. The guy who invented the Blackberry is not one of them. OK, maybe the guy who invented it is, but not the guy who marketed it to he businessman. And sure as shit not the businessman who used it from there.
Drop the leash. Get out of my fucking face. We are young.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Don't you remember the old days?
Meeting RT and Punko down the shore.
Remembering idiotic memories of a night-time so far away. Streets of Fire blares, Penguins on the tee vee, Alex Rodriguez homer.
Kitty kat passes my way, time spent out on the lawn today. Place looks out over a body of water, and Artie reveals to me more of his evil plot to rule the world through Heresy.
But I Digress.
The latest phenomenon sweeping the nation is apparently the four-hour workweek.
"I'm totally Retardo Montalban," notes RT.
John and I watch the game, analyzing what happpened
"The only reason I watch NBA basketball is because of Brad."
I stop in my tracks.
"We're seeing Willie Nelson, Mellencamp, Neil Young," Punko stops. "What?"
"What the hell did you just say?" I ask.
"At the concert. Who the hell was the third guy?"
"I don't know, I'll look it up." I start tapping away at the computer, at which I had already started this blog post."
"You know that guy," Punko is frustrated.
"Dude, who the hell is Brad?"
"Brad Miller."
Seriously, Punko said this at least two more times. Artie and I could not believe such a fucking ridiculous joke. So bad you had to just ignore it.
"Dude," I finally break down and ask, "are you secretly gay for Brad Miller."
"The violent dry heaving was probably not a good thing," Artie says, wiping his mouth as he emerges from the bathroom.
He's a walking soundbite." says Punko.
So I continue on with my Bierman Elkin story.
Remembering idiotic memories of a night-time so far away. Streets of Fire blares, Penguins on the tee vee, Alex Rodriguez homer.
Kitty kat passes my way, time spent out on the lawn today. Place looks out over a body of water, and Artie reveals to me more of his evil plot to rule the world through Heresy.
But I Digress.
The latest phenomenon sweeping the nation is apparently the four-hour workweek.
"I'm totally Retardo Montalban," notes RT.
John and I watch the game, analyzing what happpened
"The only reason I watch NBA basketball is because of Brad."
I stop in my tracks.
"We're seeing Willie Nelson, Mellencamp, Neil Young," Punko stops. "What?"
"What the hell did you just say?" I ask.
"At the concert. Who the hell was the third guy?"
"I don't know, I'll look it up." I start tapping away at the computer, at which I had already started this blog post."
"You know that guy," Punko is frustrated.
"Dude, who the hell is Brad?"
"Brad Miller."
Seriously, Punko said this at least two more times. Artie and I could not believe such a fucking ridiculous joke. So bad you had to just ignore it.
"Dude," I finally break down and ask, "are you secretly gay for Brad Miller."
"The violent dry heaving was probably not a good thing," Artie says, wiping his mouth as he emerges from the bathroom.
He's a walking soundbite." says Punko.
So I continue on with my Bierman Elkin story.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Something good to write about
So I thought the last post was so goddamned clever I'd definitely get at least one comment. I begged for them for the love of God!
It was my first time running ads, so I may have been distracted, but no longer.
PHISH PHANS. UNITE!
You going to tell me this doesn't send shivers down your spine.
If you were alive in the nineties, it would. Breaking away from the world today, takes everything you got.
Got this e-mail from one of the bests.
Kaner is a boner.
Long live Phish. The Dead of our generation, but even better in my mind. Mythology, stories and harmonies. An acquired taste, maybe, but once so... OH!!!
Enjoy, as I do....
It was my first time running ads, so I may have been distracted, but no longer.
PHISH PHANS. UNITE!
You going to tell me this doesn't send shivers down your spine.
If you were alive in the nineties, it would. Breaking away from the world today, takes everything you got.
Got this e-mail from one of the bests.
From: dontejas@optonline.net [mailto:dontejas@optonline.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 10:10 PM
To: Jonathan Heit
Subject:
Dude, check this out:
http://www.bonnaroo.com/365/phish/
Good times; definitely one of the best road trips, even if that third guy was freakin' Kane.
Kaner is a boner.
Long live Phish. The Dead of our generation, but even better in my mind. Mythology, stories and harmonies. An acquired taste, maybe, but once so... OH!!!
Enjoy, as I do....
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