tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40713672011-11-28T06:30:57.334-05:00You are speaking nonsense... This troubles me. ~Professor Dementor, <i>Kim Possible</i>Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.comBlogger1331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-90238539770279012982011-07-09T14:33:00.000-04:002011-07-09T14:33:43.575-04:00

The Smith household is a project household at the moment.  The previous owners took good care of of our house structurally but not so much aesthetically.  The orange short shag carpet in the basement was perhaps the most obvious and egregious attack on good sense, but it was far from the only example.  Most of the rest were just better hidden.  And by "hidden" I mean "painted over."   Every room

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-72115227514446261852011-06-01T18:02:00.000-04:002011-06-01T18:02:37.027-04:00

For someone who thinks of himself as a writer, I don't spend nearly enough time actually performing the act of writing.  I always feel bad about this, of course.  "I really should be writing" I tell myself, but there's always another level to beat, another chapter to read, or, more recently, another wall to paint. Actually that last one really is a valid excuse, but the others are not.  Right

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-11776725936850359562010-11-27T09:21:00.006-05:002010-11-27T10:23:36.175-05:00

I want to talk about the Kinect today, BUT this post is NOT about video games. Even if you're not interested in Xboxes, Kinects, or video games in general, you may still want to read this because the point I'm making (I'll get the mystery out of the way right now) is that the Kinect is not a videogame controller. Whatever it's marketed as, it's really an interface test, and one that suggests

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-67351922014810593712010-11-13T13:58:00.006-05:002010-11-20T10:18:51.741-05:00

My 30th year has come and gone. Not far gone, mind you, but gone nonetheless. Age, however, has come up in a few conversations recently, and I felt like weighing in. One friend recently referred to his birthday as "my extremely late twenties." Another has now had several twenty-ninth birthdays. I told another friend I was excited she was turning 100000 (in binary of course), but she didn't

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-66537419536507137672010-10-23T14:08:00.002-04:002010-10-23T14:42:20.082-04:00

[Note: this is a long and occasionally rambling entry, more essay than blog. It's possible I had a lot of coffee before writing it (I should try that with my book writing, maybe I'd get more done). In any case, I apologize for nothing but you HAVE been warned...]For a variety of reasons I feel like taking a look at the future. It is a fascinating place and completely unpredictable, part of

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-45033551054353093062010-10-17T12:50:00.005-04:002010-10-17T12:55:46.971-04:00

When I Sarah first met my classmate Jon at Georgia Tech, he apologized to her on my behalf. Apparently, by signing on to study Industrial Design, I was forever dooming her to a lifetime of product critiques and complaints. We would never again, he said, be able to walk through a department store in happy oblivion. Something there, probably multiple somethings, would always catch my eye and

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-41362395626642495762010-10-02T10:11:00.006-04:002010-10-02T12:11:56.594-04:00

As of yesterday, I am officially receiving a salary again. I've been working for three weeks at my new job and it's nice to know I'm getting paid for that effort. It's also nice to have some established responsibilities again. The life of the househusband certainly has its perks, but it also reinforced something I've long suspected about myself: I don't do very well as my own boss. I have

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-36091166333900317272010-04-01T17:21:00.004-04:002010-04-01T17:43:48.778-04:00

Sarah and I are getting married shortly. Our good friends Meredith and Brantley, who have kindly consented to oversee the wedding ceremony, are eventually going to ask Sarah and myself a few questions. The version directed to me will likely follow the lines of "Rob, will you have Sarah to be your wife?" I am expected to answer. More specifically, I am expected to answer "I will." I'll

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-7640251546667063122010-03-17T10:43:00.002-04:002010-03-17T10:56:43.295-04:00

In April 2008 a man identifying himself by the name of Wesley Wyndham-Price stood to make a comment in the Salt Lake City Council and berated them for their lack of emergency preparation. His chief complaint was that the city had no plan in place to deal with a zombie outbreak. The City Council, for a variety of reasons, including the date, did not take him seriously. They have not had reason

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-85191891508170992372010-02-21T08:49:00.003-05:002010-02-21T09:57:16.431-05:00

The last time we discussed my retail work, we looked at the returns desk. Today I thought we could take a look at the actual checkout lanes. One of the performance goals given to the cashiers at my store is to be fast. There are other goals, but fast is the only one that is objectively measured. The system actually times how long it takes from the moment the first item is scanned to the

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-90725772716466876502010-02-15T11:01:00.009-05:002010-02-15T13:03:40.498-05:00

I love to read. I talk about video games a lot, but books have always come first. That being said, I sometimes find it difficult to make recommendations for others. I do okay estimating their tastes and interests. Where I suspect I stumble most often is guessing how much work people are willing to do for their reading pleasure. Actually to be more accurate (and somewhat less humble), where I

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-53383800581410804352010-02-11T18:29:00.004-05:002010-02-11T21:58:57.440-05:00

As some of you know, I am currently job hunting. As this doesn't pay very well, I have taken a side job with a local retail store. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it has proven surprisingly entertaining. I thought I'd share.First, a little context: I fill two basic roles, cashier and guest service. I was, briefly, stationed in the electronics department, but that was a temporary thing

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-11026145612706325282010-01-30T15:07:00.006-05:002010-02-15T12:59:07.794-05:00

It's time to talk about Google. I have become something of a fanboy in recent years and today I feel like sharing. I use a lot of their other products: Gmail, Blogger (obviously), Reader, Calendar, Tasks, and Documents, to name a few. The fact that they're all synchronized is a big deal to me, the systems engineer. Google doesn't provide the only such system, but theirs is a good one,

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-91994150307771610952010-01-24T10:32:00.002-05:002010-01-24T10:35:24.387-05:00

There are interesting stories popping up all over my life that I've wanted to tell you all about. Bolt was just more important, I had to make sure everyone read that entry before I was willing to post any more.No? Don't buy that one? Yeah, Bolt's not my proudest entry. (Not bad, but I've done better.)How about this one then:I was kidnapped by a band of thieves who needed my unique expertise to

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-40627389309949083342009-10-29T08:48:00.004-04:002010-02-15T12:58:06.932-05:00

I just watched "Bolt" and now I feel compelled to talk about it. It's been sort of on my list since the Batman trailers. I now understand WHY it was in that group of trailers (you know, mixed in with Watchmen, Terminator Salvation, and Quantum of Solace).Bolt, for those of you not in the know, is the story of an ordinary dog raised in a TV studio to believe it's the real world, that he really

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-5653787229815145712009-10-15T18:13:00.005-04:002009-10-16T14:12:04.249-04:00

I've been turning a number of blog ideas over in my head, but now I'm so mad that you're getting this one instead.You see, I bought a bag of M&M's this week and I'm very proud of the fact that I haven't finished them off yet. Sarah, mean person that she is, won't recognize this as the startling and impressive achievement I know it to be. She says the only reason I haven't finished off the M&M's

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-72945746232089934212009-08-15T16:02:00.003-04:002009-08-15T17:36:24.105-04:00

When I talk about our recent move to Syracuse, the first question I usually get from those who have been here before is: "Have you eaten at Dinosaur BBQ yet?" As a matter of fact, I have, but not in Syracuse. They opened a second one in Rochester and Sarah made sure to take me there the first time I went for a visit. The original Dinosaur BBQ is on our list, but having been to one already it

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-63031382232392853332009-08-01T19:33:00.002-04:002009-08-01T19:48:41.907-04:00

Today is picture day in our apartment. That is, Sarah and I have been putting our pictures on the walls, something we can do now that the furniture is in place and we can be reasonably certain we won't be changing the layout any time soon. Like everything else in this move, Sarah and I have too many pictures. When we lived on our own, neither of us was particularly shy about decorating. They

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-17705993479166342872009-07-25T09:29:00.009-04:002009-07-25T13:30:50.993-04:00

For my first post back in much too long I wanted something profound and fascinating to talk about. Recently it has occurred to me that seeking such a topic has added at least a few months to the delay (same reason it takes me so long to respond to birthday emails from friends I haven't spoken to in a while). Therefore, in the interests of simply getting started again, you're not getting "

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-5928705824437945642008-10-23T11:49:00.006-04:002008-10-27T19:05:37.646-04:00

Author's Note: I actually wrote this blog entry a week and a half ago, about two days after the events described. Then I pretty much forgot to transcribe it for your reading pleasure. Sorry about that. On the plus side, it adds an extra layer of irony to the first few lines.The reason this most recent blog entry is late (as opposed to the reason so many others were late) is that I was out of

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-9858075171004576262008-10-23T10:37:00.003-04:002008-10-23T11:12:04.052-04:00

It's an interesting time to be a Wahoo on the Georgia Tech campus right now. UVa just happens to be the opponent in this weekend's football game. I've been on the GT campus for other UVa games but GT has never made a big deal out of UVa before. This time, though, it's homecoming and Georgia Tech cares very much.Three weeks ago, when the window was closing on my opportunity to get student

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-15749888746971822852008-10-04T15:26:00.003-04:002008-10-04T16:38:04.583-04:00

In my continued efforts to keep myself healthy and also have fun (something I enjoy very much), I saw a great opportunity when the ID students started talking about starting intramural teams here at Georgia Tech. One person suggested an ultimate frisbee team. Sounded fun, so I signed up. Another suggested a sand volleyball team. Even better! Here, I thought, was my chance to participate in

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-46977681738598972712008-09-21T12:19:00.004-04:002008-09-21T13:50:25.193-04:00

We talk about environmentally-friendly "green" design in my classes fairly often. One of my classmates is pursuing a thesis topic devoted to recycling. Another classmate literally yells at us almost every time a plastic bottle or soda can ends up in the trash instead of the recycling bin (we don't actually have a recycling bin in our new studio, so his desk has taken on that job now).It's a

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-37643357066460313572008-09-14T15:28:00.005-04:002008-09-14T15:38:35.730-04:00

Clearly my brother does not need me to promote him... he does just fine on his own.This was last week. Next week he's going to a bikini pageant party. Seriously.I can't tell you how happy I am that he's the one in charge of my bachelor party.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-46730947506222728262008-09-13T12:19:00.003-04:002010-02-15T12:59:07.795-05:00

Google has introduced their new web browser, Chrome. I spent some time playing with it recently and figured I'd pass on the results of my experiment. Nothing formal, or even all that prolonged, but I have at least started to poke around.So here goes: It's not for me (yet), but it might be for you.I say this because what they do, they do well, but they're not yet letting anyone else tinker under

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-85339173516707091832008-09-06T14:59:00.005-04:002008-09-06T16:31:29.028-04:00

Being a thoughtful man, I spend a lot of time, you know, thinking. Sometimes I think about school and homework. Sometimes I think about girls my fiancee. But I don't spend all my time thinking about pleasant things. I intend to live forever but I am aware that there are several forces that might impede my efforts to achieve this goal. So I also spend time thinking about my fears, partly

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-62923607657183546372008-08-30T09:00:00.007-04:002008-08-30T11:35:36.944-04:00

I have often maintained that I am the less attractive Smith brother. Those of you who have not met my brother may find it hard to believe that he could possibly be handsomer than I am. Well, to reassure you, he's not MUCH more attractive, but he is both taller (by a hair) and darker than I am. Also, he wears his facial hair better, when he chooses to grow it. For the past few years he has

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-8172732081057164592008-08-23T10:58:00.003-04:002008-08-23T11:36:22.164-04:00

Sarah has been gone all week at a conference. It's been quite an event and I'm sure she'll tell you all about it when she gets back. This, however, is my venue, so this is the story of my week. I should warn you it's not very interesting. In fact, that might be it's chief feature, a general extended boredom.I was pretty disappointed at how quickly and how completely I reverted to bachelor

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-33650155415957075002008-08-16T11:20:00.003-04:002008-08-16T11:27:49.340-04:00

A curious thing happened to me yesterday (and no, I am not here referring to the oddity of my decision to write a new blog entry at the school year’s beginning considering my failure to write anything at all during the freedom of summer. I won’t be mentioning that particular irony again). This curiosity concerns the movies previewed before The Dark Knight and it is this: I want to see all of

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-50411475456291536142008-05-14T11:13:00.003-04:002008-05-14T12:11:07.095-04:00

I have been free from classes for some time now. I turned in my last assignment more than a week ago and got my grades a few days later. Year two is done. One more year to go. Now it is summer break, and it truly is break time for me. I have no summer job as yet, but expect to soon. For now, I have nothing in particular to do. It's awesome. Or it was. Sometime yesterday I hit the "I'm

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-29014539918154729052008-04-27T16:19:00.012-04:002008-04-30T23:30:06.172-04:00

The semester is drawing to a close (thus the return to blogging). I thought I'd take the opportunity to share with you what I've been doing in my secret lair.This studio, in contrast to the last one, was essentially one big full class project. We actually had a client this semester, which is a very different experience than designing for an abstract academic principle. We've tried to set such

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-42509436048870558232008-03-06T12:58:00.004-05:002008-03-06T13:32:33.095-05:00

My good friend Penrock has successfully defended his dissertation. It was a pretty rough defense, and he needed all of the tricks he learned in school in order to survive the ordeal. Apparently, that myo-sim karate class we took in undergrad really came in handy. I wasn't at the defense, but I bet it was ferocious. His attackers included ninjas, monkeys, and even an astronaut with space

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-28990593820392223962008-02-15T08:09:00.003-05:002010-02-15T12:42:36.319-05:00

My father is continuing to recover from his heart attack (now officially labeled arrhythmia), although there was another scare last Sunday night. He started to feel dizzy again and experienced tightness in his chest, so he returned to the hospital. The ambulance crew recognized him from the last trip they took together, although Dad, understandably, did not remember them. The hospital ran some

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-33979886554243858702008-02-03T17:19:00.000-05:002008-02-03T17:43:58.964-05:00

I have a kick butt subwoofer. Two of them, in fact. There's one in my bedroom attached to my computer (where all my music plays) and one attached to my entertainment system (games and movies). They're pretty sweet. I know because I've turned them on at least three or four times.I live in an apartment and I am aware that subwoofer sound tends to carry. I have neighbors on two sides and one

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-88919543140851076232008-01-30T12:39:00.000-05:002010-02-15T12:42:36.321-05:00

On Monday morning, my Dad had a heart attack. He's okay, they released him from the hospital Wednesday morning, but it was apparently a very near thing.At around 6:20 am, Dad wrapped up his workout at the YMCA and began cool down stretches. When he sat back up, he felt dizzy and after that the rest of the morning is a bit fuzzy for him. The staff at the YMCA told my mother that he appeared to

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-58364010400740246002008-01-19T12:25:00.000-05:002008-01-19T12:59:21.240-05:00

In the ID program we make a lot of stuff. In an effort to broaden my repertoire of skills, and also to continue a path my Dad started me on when I was little, I took a class last semester called Wood Products and Processes. It began with basic woodworking skills and then progressed on to the use of some of the fancier machines. The place where I took this class is called the Advanced Wood

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-42907925844302492642008-01-12T11:22:00.000-05:002008-01-12T12:04:22.354-05:00

Johnny Lee is awesome. More awesome possibly than even I am. That's pretty awesome. Want proof? Watch the video below.I spotted this on one of the design blogs I read (Core77, if you must know - their writeup on the video is a nice compliment). I sort of skimmed past it, but the name caught by attention and I backtracked. It was indeed my friend from UVa! I was very excited to see someone

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-88356710680474320712008-01-06T11:12:00.000-05:002008-01-12T12:05:12.236-05:00

Video gaming is still a predominantly male pastime. In my social group, this is certainly the case. Most of the girls play one or two games, but the guys spend a far greater amount of time at it. As Penrock and I have recently discussed, this is having a curious effect on the paths of communication within our group. The girls call and email each other periodically, but the boys play together

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-49156450045752192152007-12-29T14:22:00.000-05:002008-01-04T09:11:41.513-05:00

As I have occasionally mentioned, I'm a New England boy. More specifically, I grew up in Massachusetts and then spent high school in Connecticut. In other words, I was in New England during those formative years when a young man first begins to follow sports.Now, to say I "follow" sports is something of a misnomer. I'm a long ways from being a fanatic. I like to hear about my teams, and if

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-51452209483070145732007-12-24T14:12:00.000-05:002007-12-24T14:21:08.951-05:00

Tis the season for traveling. The Atlanta-to-Connecticut trip is a doozy. Fortunately, I have some good friends near DC to help me break it up into two smaller bits. Not small, but at least smaller. The weather was good for my journey north and the first leg at least was swift and smooth. I made good time.Bruce and Colleen proved gracious and pleasant hosts, offering lots of opportunities to

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-74631470721171601822007-09-22T16:25:00.000-04:002007-09-22T16:31:53.508-04:00

I am far enough into my “late twenties” that I’ve reached “almost thirty.” That puts me pretty firmly into the “adult” category. In theory.What does that really mean? One of my friends thinks she is supposed to have all of her crazy stuff out of the way by the time she gets to thirty and recently expressed concern about how much crazy she has left to do in such a short span. I think she’s

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-82654855992509493732007-09-06T08:52:00.001-04:002007-09-08T13:56:41.262-04:00

My default writing style is pretty much the complete opposite of that recommended for research papers or other professional and academic communication. My style is, for one thing, a lot less likely to stay on track. I like qualifiers and modifiers. I like a certain goofiness. I like tangents. I like parenthetical asides. I really like parenthetical asides. You can see only a hint of it by

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-13901162781181137332007-09-01T16:35:00.000-04:002007-09-01T17:31:36.055-04:00

My girlfriend recently got herself a new laptop. This is a vast improvement over the Flintstone's era thing she was using. I've seen abacuses (abaci?) with more processing power than the computer she just got rid of. Fortunately for her, this new one actually runs software.With that in mind, for her benefit and your own edification, today I will be describing (and linking) several programs I

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-15322301392458774972007-08-26T23:48:00.000-04:002007-08-26T23:51:32.607-04:00

It is time for another entry. Actually it is time for bed, but fie on that. I shall instead stay up to compose something specifically for your entertainment. What better way to procrastinate than by addressing something that has already been procrastinated.So, I’ll put off sleep in favor of putting something down in writing. Smart? No, not really. I have to be at school a good deal earlier than

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-20495762138756365252007-08-05T13:50:00.000-04:002007-08-05T14:05:57.453-04:00

My high school ten year reunion should be happening this year. Odds are good that it won't, but I could be wrong.In any case, I found myself thinking about high school recently. More specifically, I found myself contemplating the lessons I learned there about the confluence of meetings and pizza. I was reminded of one particular lesson at a recent research meeting and realized that this lesson

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-82393626756857204802007-07-28T14:51:00.000-04:002007-07-28T15:40:02.683-04:00

Spring semester of this year I served as a teaching assistant for a class called "Professional Practice." For my first trick, I learned the names of about fifty students within a week. I'm pretty sure the professor never did learn them all (but then again, he didn't have to, because I already had). I also graded papers, answered questions, maintained the class web page (someone else did the

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-31203381868954342032007-07-21T12:27:00.000-04:002007-07-21T22:40:57.831-04:00

As I write this blog entry, I am sitting on Sarah's porch waiting for the postman to arrive with our copies of the final Harry Potter book.So I guess I am book-camping after all, it's just not a very public sort of camping. This is a little less goofy than what you might find at Barnes & Noble or Borders. Then again - I did get bored beforehand and dyed my hair blue, spiked it, and gave myself

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-2180119287947980812007-07-15T21:49:00.000-04:002007-07-16T14:03:37.063-04:00

I am a Harry Potter fan. I won't be standing in line at midnight, wearing my Gryffindor colors, talking about Quidditch, or discussing what animal my Patronus charm might produce but I do know what all those words mean and I am going to be receiving a copy of the final book the day/moment it becomes available. Book 7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The end of a long and fascinating

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-66924795992409016902007-06-19T14:44:00.000-04:002007-06-19T15:09:46.335-04:00

Most of the following entry was written in the car. For reasons that will become obvious shortly, the final section was added later.The Setup:My girlfriend and I have made a number of trips between Atlanta and DC this year, most of them by car. The Penrocks, having lived in Atlanta longer, have even more experience with this trek. They have a favorite route which they insist is the fastest way

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-45382458977377132642007-05-13T11:09:00.000-04:002010-02-15T12:43:37.190-05:00

On Thursday morning, I received a phone call from Traci letting me know that our friend Matt Hodges had died the previous night.I met him at the same time I met Holly and in the same way, at the trivia nights Diehl and I attended at Fado's my second year in DC. The trivia group was already fairly well established, but Matt welcomed us easily and made us feel part of the group quickly. It was a

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-34448875836890337762007-04-27T17:48:00.000-04:002007-04-27T17:53:38.563-04:00

"Adaptating" is the sort of word you get when you have been awake too long. In my case the specific time involved was probably around 20 hours when I made the slide that contained the offending word. Spellcheck occurred, or rather did not occur at around Waking+28 hours. I finally made the discovery at Waking+30 hours, in the middle of my presentation. That's not a fun time to discover such

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-83258935040886612812007-04-22T17:59:00.000-04:002007-04-28T15:39:39.671-04:00

This is one of the projects that has absorbed my attention this month (and which, you should infer, are preventing any serious blogging):It's for my 3D Computer Modeling class. I made everything you see in there and then added and modified skins as necessary. I still have a few to go (the book covers to the right, for instance, aren't supposed to look like cardboard) and some general tweaking

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-12237814150543827672007-04-01T14:37:00.000-04:002007-04-01T14:39:45.941-04:00

I have a hard time focusing on homework sometimes. I try, but get distracted and wander off to do something else. The best way to make sure this doesn’t cause real problems for me is to do something else productive with my “procrastination time.” I’m good at this, but I could be better. The following is a list of the things I’ve found myself doing instead of homework this weekend

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-73718977343169687072007-03-27T16:13:00.000-04:002010-02-15T12:43:37.191-05:00

Penrock recently established a metric for judging the quality of my blog. It was, however, not a very good metric. He's measuring quality by number of entries. Fortunately for you, I can see past the actual metric to the ultimate goal. Whether I am meeting that goal is debatable, but so far I have refrained from taking the easy way out by pandering directly to the metric.Metrics can be useful

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-47865377605823712652007-03-17T13:46:00.000-04:002007-03-17T13:47:51.444-04:00

We have a number of fascinating and useful machines in our shop. Today I wish to talk about a personal favorite: the project-ruining machine. This particular machine performs a variety of tasks but its chief purpose is to completely ruin your project at exactly the wrong time. Actually, it’s not a very difficult job. Sometimes you can even get it taken care of without a machine, but the

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-35301482353126106892007-03-10T12:11:00.000-05:002007-03-17T13:48:38.778-04:00

Yes, this really is the sort of thing one has to worry about in shop, specifically on the lathe. If you have prepared well it shouldn't be an issue. But a phrase like that sticks with you. It's the sort of thing that pops into your head as you turn on the lathe and make your first approach, "If I'm not careful, my project could undergo high speed delamination, and that would be bad." "

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-86450014149863679372007-03-04T09:43:00.000-05:002007-03-05T12:18:48.552-05:00

My girlfriend has joined the ranks of the blogger. Welcome, Sarah!

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-76694229385644263952007-03-04T09:37:00.000-05:002007-03-04T09:43:05.856-05:00

Here's a quick look at something I'm learning to do at school.I drew the outline by hand, smoothed it out in Adobe Illustrator, and then rendered it in Photoshop. If any of my dear readers have something similar they need or would like to see, let me know. I need all the practice I can get.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-56612814923525292792007-03-01T16:10:00.000-05:002010-02-15T12:43:37.193-05:00

Mike P. has begun keeping track of my blog updates. He now has a marker in his side bar that indicates when my last post was updated, and does the same for the other Mike as well. He claims this is a public service for those people who want to read all three blogs, but don't want to waste their time checking if there have been no updates. His blog will tell them if there have been updates so

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-42774553545183308472007-01-08T22:23:00.000-05:002010-02-15T12:44:04.669-05:00

My family enjoys grab bags. I am not sure why I’m presenting this topic today, there’s no way I can adequately convey this experience. Which is probably for the best, really. But it seems I’m not actually letting that stop me. Grab bags are a bit odd to even before you do something foolish like involve my family. Everyone’s family is odd. There is no such thing as a normal family. I

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1164505412386721432006-11-25T20:17:00.000-05:002006-11-25T20:43:32.400-05:00

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEYMy girlfriend leaves for a business trip shortly. It will be her first. I, as the voice of experience, have lots of advice to offer. See I HAVE been on a business trip before. It was to Kansas City and it was very exciting. Given then, that I am a seasoned business traveler, I thought the rest of you might appreciate the wisdom I have to offer on this topic. It was a

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1164164609199130052006-11-21T21:55:00.000-05:002010-02-15T12:49:18.753-05:00

WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!The Wii (pronounced "wee") from Nintendo arrived in stores this weekend, and I do not own one. I thought about it, and if I still had a salary I'm sure I would, but money is an issue, and there's a lot of hype to wade through before we find out what this thing can really do, so I'm holding off. Eventually, probably, just not now. We'll see what develops.In the meantime, it's

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1163891682043684872006-11-18T17:22:00.000-05:002010-02-15T12:59:43.551-05:00

IS THERE ANYTHING THE INTERNET CAN'T DO?When I set out to write this post, it was going to be about "social networking" but in researching the topic a little, I found a more precise word for the concept I wanted to talk about. The new word is "folksonomy."A folskonomy is a system of naming wherein the names are determined by the collective effort of the participants during the act of

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1163601308246383582006-11-15T09:26:00.000-05:002010-02-15T12:53:59.994-05:00

I have not posted a post in some time. This much is obvious. I have grand plans to fix all this, but as usual, am not following through. Fortunately, Mr Fancysocks is here to pick up the slack for me. Well, not here... here. He calls it "Everything in this Blog is Completely True!!!" which aside from the confusing use of the factorial symbol, is an excellent example of what we in the writing

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1163602243431379422006-11-15T08:39:00.000-05:002006-11-15T09:50:43.443-05:00

MY FAVORITE PASTTIME: CATCHING UPAt this point, and to keep my New Year's Resolution, I owe you (and myself) roughly twelve entries that I've missed and seven more before the year ends. That's a lot of writing. Fortunately I like writing. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at the starting part. I'll work on that.This one does not count. Nor does my attempt to pimp Penrock's new blog.To avoid

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1158087404304094852006-08-19T14:31:00.000-04:002006-09-14T13:43:22.866-04:00

ATLANTA: THE NEW DCI'm here now. I have exchanged one city for another. The truck is unloaded, although the boxes are not yet unpacked. I am beginning the process of settling in. Beginning. It will be a while before I feel like this is my space, but I am, at least, occupying it.The purpose of my being here aside, this is in general a positive step - at least as far as the trappings go.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1158151061522496372006-08-14T08:06:00.000-04:002010-02-15T12:51:57.076-05:00

GOOD FRIENDS HELP YOU MOVE, GREAT FRIENDS HELP YOU MOVE BODIESI should be talking about my move. This is the weekend it went down, after all, and while this post is being written well after the date it's filling, the events of this weekend are still fresh enough and significant enough that I should have a lot to say. And I do, I just don't want to.This move covered greater distance and more

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1157650846742843522006-08-05T13:23:00.000-04:002006-09-07T13:40:46.833-04:00

UP AND AT EMWhen you need to stay awake, how do you do it? For me it depends on what I am trying to do. If I am just preparing myself for future nights (getting ready for my midnight shift), the single best way to keep myself up is to play a videogame. It keeps me engaged more than a book or movie would because I have to constantly make decisions and react. I don't claim I play very well when

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1157558709002035982006-07-29T11:26:00.000-04:002006-09-06T12:05:10.830-04:00

Our hero continues his impressions of his trip west...THE FLIP FLOP PHENOMENONMy first conscious observation of this phenomenon occurred on top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Mount Washington is the tallest mountain in the northeast - home to some of the worst weather in North America (including the highest wind gust ever recorded on Earth). It is also home to, among other things, a

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1157546474149123342006-07-22T08:16:00.000-04:002006-09-06T11:25:23.783-04:00

Yay, new posts! I'm not providing the excuses, just the new posts... backdated - so you know even MORE new posts are on the way (and, at least in the case of this post and the two that follow, the dates are accurate, they really were written when I say they were, just not posted until now)THE WILDERNESSFor some time now I have not been within reach of "the internet." Nor have I been within reach

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1151877429561185182006-07-02T17:24:00.000-04:002006-07-02T17:57:09.630-04:00

STUFF!In preparation for my move to Atlanta, I have begun cleaning out my apartment. I do not mean the dirt-removal kind of cleaning - in that sense, my apartment is already pretty clean - I mean the clutter-removal kind, getting rid of whatever I do not need to take with me.This is a daunting task for two reasons:a) I'm something of a pack ratb) I have not actually made any kind of concentrated

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1151451840404038232006-06-25T19:19:00.000-04:002006-06-27T19:44:00.506-04:00

POWER STRUGGLEI lost power last week. Then I got it back, sort of. I got power back to my living room and my kitchen, but not to my bedroom or my bathroom. I thought it was an issue with fuses somewhere in the building. Nope. It was a problem with the power lines coming into the building. This is trange to me because it means my apartment receives its power from two different external

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1151280645139480632006-06-18T19:51:00.000-04:002006-06-25T20:10:45.183-04:00

LESSONS LEARNEDThey say you learn something new every day. It's true. I know. I made a list. Perhaps I was seeking the truth. Perhaps I was just bored. In either case, here are some of the things I have learned in the past few days: - I do not like parsnips. - I do not like lamb. - Cooking with someone else is fun, no matter how the food turns out (actually, I knew this one already). - Good

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1150059592679914582006-06-11T15:45:00.000-04:002006-06-27T19:48:52.886-04:00

STAR WARS WARSWe have already established that I am a dork. Part of what that usually entails is an avid love of Star Wars and this is certainly the case for me. I should clarify, however. I love the original Star Wars movies. I love the universe in which they're set, and much of the lore that has been developed for that universe. I love Episode III and tolerate Episodes I and II (while

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1149870795953417332006-06-09T12:27:00.000-04:002006-06-09T12:53:53.106-04:00

EXCITING NEWSSo, uh, I've been telling people for a while that "someday I intend to go to grad school". Well, that statement has been a bit refined and clarified recently."Someday" can now be read as "In August" and "grad school" can be taken to mean "the Masters of Industrial Design program at Georgia Tech." Also, while we're at it, replace "intend to go to" with "have been accepted and will

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1149870335596097032006-06-04T23:01:00.000-04:002010-02-15T12:51:57.077-05:00

RETURN TO WITCH MOUNTAINThis past weekend, I attended my five year college reunion.It was a strange and interesting event. Mmy first official reunion, although it's not the first reunion to which I've been invited. That honor goes to my five year high school reunion. But that one was kind of slapped together at the last minute ("whoever is in town for Christmas, let's all meet at Senor

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1148942165397729392006-05-28T18:06:00.000-04:002006-07-02T22:14:07.870-04:00

THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MANThere are perhaps four categories of t-shirts I wear. This is a change from college. During college there was really only one category: free. Well, I guess you could further subdivide that if you wanted: gifts from my parents, gifts from credit-card companies, gifts from promotional event organizers, and so on. The important point to note, however, is that I was not in

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1148240993685205372006-05-21T15:26:00.000-04:002010-02-15T12:54:36.903-05:00

RACING AGAINLast weekend, for the first time in nine years, I ran a 5k (3.1 miles for those of you who are metrically-challenged). Considering it followed twelve miles of biking and a 250 yard swim, I didn't do too badly (the biking is the part I did quite poorly on). Okay, so it would have been more accurate, and probably quicker to say that I ran a triathlon.Woo! Go me. And go my brother,

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1147800248958820982006-05-16T13:19:00.000-04:002006-05-23T17:12:01.530-04:00

PLAYING WITH TIMEPredating, it’s kind of like cheating. So to make it absolutely clear that I’m not trying to fake you out, I’ll go ahead and admit right now: I’m lying about the dates on several posts. Which posts and why we’ll get to in a moment. The why is because I screwed up. This year I’ve promised myself I’d act more and procrastinate less. Up until March, this blog was an example

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1148418536227726712006-05-07T16:45:00.000-04:002006-05-23T17:08:56.253-04:00

COOKING OUTSIDE THE LINESI enjoy cooking, most of the time. The problem is I don't really feel like I know what I'm doing. I can follow a recipe like a champ. I even do okay with some of the more complex recipes. I don't balk at concepts like roux. I have a double-boiler and I know how to use it. So I can cook, sort of.I say "sort of" because I believe there's more to cooking than recipes.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1148158434248314162006-04-30T16:42:00.000-04:002007-12-29T09:10:22.131-05:00

WELL, I CAREE3 is happening right now, well, it’s happening as I write this [actually, the dates are wrong – for a variety of reasons, this post has been backdated]. By the time I type it up and post it, E3 will be over and done with. Its repercussions will, however, still be . . . repurcussing. That’s what it’s for, after all. E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It’s a videogame

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1145655254713996462006-04-21T17:04:00.000-04:002006-04-21T17:34:14.743-04:00

THE DORK STAMPFirst, I think I have to start by defining the word "dork." My parents read this blog and, well, as I learned when I affectionately called my mother a dork, it had a very different meaning when they were growing up than it does now.A dork is someone very like a nerd or a geek. What they share is a certain amount of social awkwardness and an interest in technical subjects. Dorks

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1147804475907412572006-04-16T14:33:00.000-04:002007-12-29T09:11:38.703-05:00

OF MICE AND RABBITSI haven't mentioned books in a while. It’s time to do so again. I came across two the other day that I did not mention in my earlier posts. I should have. Both books are about talking animals and in that sense, both books are technically fantasy. One has swords, heroes, and other trappings of your more traditional fantasy (no dragons, but it does have a dragon substitute

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1147802342501286102006-04-09T13:25:00.000-04:002010-02-15T12:49:18.754-05:00

ALL IN A NAMENintendo recently announced the official name of their next generation of console. Up to this point, it has been known as “The Revolution.” That, however, was a codename only., a placeholder until they came up with the real name. That real name is “The Wii” (pronounced “we”). As you might have guessed, this name has caused a lot of discussion and more than a little name calling

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1144190551195978712006-04-04T18:25:00.000-04:002006-04-04T20:04:40.666-04:00

APRIL IN DCDC has a pretty weak Winter, I've discussed this already. DC Summer is infamous for being muggy and unpleasant. It's no Houston, but it's no picnic either. The Fall is pretty good, but as with the Winter, growing up with the New England version makes it pretty hard to get excited about anything else.Spring, however, well DC wins that one hands down. In terms of the weather, Spring

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1143690387467147982006-03-29T22:43:00.000-05:002006-03-29T22:48:52.756-05:00

ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORKI work three different shifts on a rotating basis, roughly a week of each. We refer to them as Days (6am to 2pm), Swings (2pm to 10pm) and Mids (10pm to 6am). Just to make things a little more complicated we occasionally throw in twelve hour shifts on weekends. So which shift do people like the least? Generally Day shift. Honestly.They all have pluses and minuses. Swing

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1142805204211404412006-03-19T15:30:00.000-05:002006-03-19T16:53:24.256-05:00

BITS AND PIECES::A Few of the "Thoughts " that have Occurred to Me Recently (but which are not fully fleshed ideas worthy of an entire post)::Traveling - I feel sorry for the security officer who had to search my bag on the way back from Denver. It is ostensibly a snowboard bag, but I stuff it full of everything it will take. This serves two purposes: 1) it protects my board from rough handling

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1141523137069119562006-03-05T20:27:00.000-05:002006-03-04T20:45:37.083-05:00

ON SECOND THOUGHT, MAYBE I'D BETTER START WITH THE BARThis Tuesday, after what amounts to five years of procrastination, I went to the gym.I think part of the reason I waited so long is that on some level, I did not really believe I needed to go. In high school and college I hit a level of fitness I was pretty happy with and never felt the need to bulk up further. I had a six pack. I could run

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1141204114276080892006-03-01T02:47:00.000-05:002006-03-01T04:10:29.026-05:00

BLUE SKY REDEMPTIONSome time ago, when I was applying for my first job, an interviewer asked me the following question: "Completely blue sky, that is ignoring any monetary or technical constraints, describe for me the perfect shower controls." Up until then, things had been going very well. It took me a long time to realize exactly how badly I screwed up the answer to this question. The only

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1140990075893438942006-02-26T16:40:00.000-05:002006-02-26T16:41:15.903-05:00

There's going to be a delay. I have a post mostly written, I just don't have the time to type it here just yet. Check back tomorrow or Tuesday.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1140374121335472512006-02-19T13:07:00.000-05:002006-02-19T13:35:21.353-05:00

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOINGThis is a big theme of mine, yet it's so hard to do. Humans get on autopilot so easily. We also make assumptions we never realize we're making. We spend our time focused on solving a problem without considering the larger context in which that problem exists. It is very difficult to objectively examine one's actions when the very basis of that examination is

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1139756275477755182006-02-12T09:01:00.000-05:002010-02-15T12:55:08.957-05:00

THE GLORY DAYSMy five year college reunion is coming up this year, so I'm constantly receiving all sorts of flyers and emails reminding me that college was the bestest time of my life and if I want to experience even a sliver of joy ever again, I have to pay them money and participate in their weekend events this June. I'm going to do just that because, cynicism and sarcasm aside, I had a blast

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1138899062324163422006-02-05T11:38:00.000-05:002006-02-04T19:21:39.776-05:00

HOT AND COLDDC Winter is a tease. I've met several other members of the Winter family and they're generally a pretty straightforward bunch. New England Winter, for example, is very serious about his job. New York Winter is very like his brother. When either of them visits, you know you're dealing with a Winter. Florida Winter, on the other hand, married into the Winters from the Spring

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1138570854634140122006-01-29T16:06:00.000-05:002006-01-29T16:52:08.943-05:00

HIDE AND GO SEEKHumans are, among other things, a very playful animal. Give us a tool and some leisure time and we'll find a way to make a game out of it. Heck, don't even give us the leisure time, we make games out our work. We even make games out of our games. This is a topic that fascinates and entertains me. I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll probably mention it again. I mention it today

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1137881131468643712006-01-22T16:59:00.000-05:002006-01-23T01:01:51.880-05:00

UGH, THIS TASTES LIKE COFFEEI'm not a coffee drinker, I never have been. By the time I was even allowed to drink coffee, I had no interest in it (it's strange which of your parents' rules stick with you and which ones don't). I had friends in high school, and later college, who couldn't start the day without it. That just seemed dangerous to me, why create that kind of weakness for myself. Not to

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1137193670606560722006-01-13T16:45:00.000-05:002006-01-17T11:18:48.426-05:00

ROB: 0, HAIR CUTTERY: 6,947I got my hair cut last week (yes, all of them). At the end, the lady cutting my hair asked if I would like any gel in my hair. I told her, "No, thank you." It's what I always say when I'm asked that question. I'm not sure why I bother.This is a battle I always lose. Actually, battle isn't quite the right term; that would imply my actions have at least some impact

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1136770707897172992006-01-08T19:43:00.000-05:002006-01-08T20:38:27.910-05:00

ON GENDER ROLESMy schedule is a bizarre and complex algorithm, possibly fractal, beyond the ken of most mortals. Thanks to its twisted format I found myself with four days off last week (after having worked midnight New Year's Eve). For two of those days I was sick. On the third (a Thursday for those of you following along at home), I spent a large part of the day with my girlfriend. We

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1120581674376821492005-07-05T11:24:00.000-04:002005-07-05T12:43:01.246-04:00

LAZINESSThat's all it is. Well, it's procrastination, which is an insidious form of laziness that disguises itself as good intentions. "It's okay that I haven't done it YET, I'm GOING to do it. Someday." It's a seductive call and one I am pretty much unable to resist. It's something I should work on. Soon, I promise.In the meantime, if you'd like something to read while you're waiting, perhaps I

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1114713189498820412005-04-28T14:30:00.000-04:002010-02-15T12:53:08.453-05:00

HOW TO SIT DOWN WITH A GOOD BOOK, PART TWOI’m back. Or, more specifically, my keyboard is back. Well, “a” keyboard is back and I’m not even sure “back” is the correct word either because it’s a new one. Right, forget all that – how about this: my ability to type spaces is back. It’s nice. I kind of missed them and I’m glad to be able to have them in my work once again. I feel they really

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071367.post-1113620351132275552005-04-15T22:52:00.000-04:002005-04-15T23:02:32.110-04:00

WELL,DANGITALLItneverfails.I starta post(oneachofmysites)that'smultipart andsomethingonmy computerbreaks. Bynow youshouldhavefiguredoutwhatitis thatbroke.Itbrokea few days after myfirstpost (rightaboutthe timeIwasready todo mynextpost). Itriedfixingit,butthat didntwork(obviously)andamonaweirdenoughschedulenow that Ihavenot yet been able to get anewone.Ifiguredenoughtimehaspassed though

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01364005517115129831noreply@blogger.com1