Simple Randomness

Is Spring Really Here This Time?

The weather has admittedly been very strange lately.  It was getting all nice and warm and I was really starting to think that spring was here.

Then last week we got 6-8 inches of snow dumped on us.  Snow in the middle of April!?!?  Needless to say I was very annoyed by it.

How has it been where ever you are?  It seems liek just about everyone I talk to has had a crazy couple of weeks, except for the people I’ve talked to in Georgia and Florida.  They just like to rub it in when they have 70 degree weather…

Well, anyway, there’s my little weather post for what it’s worth.  I just hope that it stays nice for a while at least and that we’re done with the snow!!!

Getting Excited for May

May is looking to start of really well. Ok ok, I know that it isn’t even half way through March and I’m already thinking about May.  Well, March has annoyed me so far and so I’m looking forward to a month that seems to be more comfortable with itself.

So the reason that I’m excited for May is because my wife and I are making a trip down to Oceanside to learn how to surf!  It was her idea originally.  She used to spend all of her summers in California and really misses the beach, so this was a great way to get us both motivated to go down there.

I honestly have no idea what surfing is going to be like. I’ve done a little boogie boarding before, but I wasn’t any good at it.  The most water sport experience I have is water skiing behind a boat.  But either way, I’m excited and it should be a lot of fun!

Christmas is On It’s Way - Where’s the Music?

I may have blogged about this last year, but have you noticed that in recent years you start to hear Christmas music earlier and earlier in the season?  It seems like last year I was hearing it in late October!

This year though I haven’t noticed it as much.  Not sure why though… are we all becoming a bunch of scrooges or something?

So when is it too early to start playing Christmas music?  Personally, I prefer to not start playing it until after Thanksgiving.  I think this is out of respect for Thanksgiving since it kind of gets over looked in that sense.  Speaking of which, is there such a thing as a Thanksgiving song?  There are lots of Halloween songs and Christmas songs, but are there any for Thanksgiving?

Now I do have to admit that on Nov 1 I got in my wife’s car and one of her preset radio stations was already playing Christmas music.  It caught me by surprise!  But it doesn’t seem as prevalent this year.  Not sure why…

Utah’s Rivalry Week - And I Don’t Really Care!

Here in Utah it’s the week of the big rivalry between the two big local universities, the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.  Some even call it the ‘Holy War’ of the state, and every year a lot of people get all pumped up about it.

I have to admit, I’ve never really gotten into it.  I mean, I guess in a sense I’m a BYU fan, but just because they’re closer to me and I grew up here.  But honestly in the end I don’t really care.

The funny thing is that I used to actually go to BYU, but dropped out and decided to go to a different college instead.  So maybe I should become a Ute fan just to be the rebel in my family .  I’ll have to think more aobut that one.

Even in the office where I work there are some fans that are die-hard both ways.  And they all make their jabs at each other which does make it pretty fun.  I just don’t know why, but I’ve never really been able to get into it.

Now that I think about it, I’ve never really ever gotten really into any sport!  I mean, I used to play soccer when I was a kid until I almost tore my ACL, but then never played anything seriously again.  Does that make me a strange guy that I’m not fanatical about any sports?

What’s crazy is that I have a brother who really isn’t athletic at all, and yet he is always talking about the BYU team and what they could be doing better etc.  Maybe that’s one of the things that bugs me about sports fanaticism, you have all these guys sitting around debating how their team could be better, etc., and yet they don’t play themselves!  I watch merely for the entertainment aspect, but that’s about it.  Seriously…does that make me a weird guy???

We’re All Getting More ADD!!!

So I was thinking about this the other day and would love to hear what other people think about this. Here’s the question that’s been on my mind:

Is technology making us all more ADD???

I think another way to ask this question is that is it making us more rude as a people?

For example, how many times have you been standing in line to buy something, and the person in front of or behind you is yapping away on their cell phone oblivious to anything else around them?  Then when they talk to the checker it’s like “hang on, I have to talk to a real person for a sec” then they quickly conduct their business and go about their way.  Ever seen that?  I think it’s one of the reasons why people who always wear their bluetooth earpieces drive me nuts!!!

There is a point where you need to stop multi-tasking and actually focus on one thing.  But with all the things going on at one time, I think it’s making it harder for all of us to focus!  Maybe you’re writing something, then an IM pops up on your screen and you attend to that really quick, then get back to work.  You just broke your focus!

I’m not sure what to call this exactly, I think ADD is a pretty good term for it since with all the different technologies and interruptions we don’t focus well.  At least I know I struggle with this.  Anybody else have this problem or have any thoughts on it?

Tattoos Everywhere!

So when I was down in Vegas a few weeks ago, I noticed that just about every body had a tattoo. What’s up with that? Is it just me, or are tattoos becoming more and more common these days?

Now I’ll admit that I can totally see getting like a small tattoo or even a tribal arm band or something like that. I think those look cool sometimes.

But what I don’t get is the whole sleeves thing, and other types that just take up huge sections of skin. I saw one girl in the Paris casino that had two giant angel wings tattooed on her back. Kinda crazy.

I remember when I was in South America riding on a bus in the city, and there was this old lady standing at the crosswalk. She was dressed all nice, but she had this monster spider tattoo coming over her neck and down her chest. Just didn’t look right!

But hey, if that’s your thing, go for it! I’m just wondering why it is that they’ve risen in popularity so much lately. Maybe it’s because of shows like Miami Ink!

I Could Never Use an Asus Eee

So this weekend I’m hanging out and learning a ton at BlogWorldExpo (which I’ll write more about later) and I’ve seen a couple of people with these really really small laptops.  I have a 14″ Dell and it works fine, but I could never imagine working off one of these 7″ screens that I’ve seen a few guys have!

Here’s what I would picture myself as if I was using a laptop like that.  Or, rather than laptop maybe it should be called a ‘hand-top’, but I digress…  So here’s what I see: all hunched over looking like Quasimodo with a bent back and neck just trying to read anything on that thing.

Maybe it’s just cause my eyes aren’t that good or something.  I don’t know, but I really couldn’t see myself using one of those.  But if you could, more power to you!  I mean really, I guess for portability they really would come in handy, but not for every day use.  Maybe someone can give me a reason why?

Rainy Days…And I’m Liking It!

For the last 2 days or so we’ve had cloudy days with scattered rain.  Nothing major, just a little gloomy compared with the heat and sun that we’ve had for a long time now.

Normally I really don’t like rainy weather, but right now I think it’s great!  It’s just nice to have a break from all the heat for a little bit.  Who knows, maybe it’s signalling in the change to fall, but I think we’re still a little ways out for that.

Now, if you live out East or in the South East I’m sure stormy weather is the last thing you want to see with all the hurricanes and tropical storms and such.  Every time I talk to someone from there I am reminded of why I think I’ll try to stay out West.  But that being said, I hope you all stay safe!

Thinking About Making Some Changes…

So for the last couple of days I’ve been very tempted to just shave all my hair off.  I go through this every now and then where I just want to make a change, and I figure that changing my hair is one of the easier ways to do it.  But I’m also a creature of habit like everyone else, and so I have a hard time doing it.  So sometimes I figure shaving it off would be the easiest way to start new.

So last night my wife and I were looking for some new hairstyles and honestly had a hard time coming up with any ideas.  Who knows, maybe I just know that my life is about to get really really hectic and so I’m looking for a way to lessen the blow…I don’t know…

Anyway, there’s my random thought for now!

Freelance - Got Skills?

If you have a good set of skills, one great way to make some extra money is to do some freelance work or pick up some freelance jobs.  And the great thing is that there are plenty of websites out there that can help connect you as a freelancer to different businesses and individuals that might be looking for your services.

So how does freelancing help businesses?  Well, let’s say you’re a manager and you have a small project that you need to get done, but it isn’t long enough to really hire a new employee for.  Or maybe it’s beyond what your current team has time to handle.  Well, that’s where the freelancer comes in.  You hire someone for that job and that’s it!

So how does it help the individual freelancer?  Well, maybe you have some extra time in your schedule and would like to pick up some extra money.  You look at some jobs that are available on a site like TheFreelanceNation.com, find one you like and get hired for it.  Now you have an extra job you can do to make that extra cash!

As you can see, freelancing sites are good for both parties.  The other cool thing about sites like TheFreelanceNation.com is that they have forums and other tools to help you.  So if you’re looking for some temporary employment or other freelance opportunity, check these guys out!