Feelings
Caribou Coffee is giving away a cup of free decaf coffee today starting at noon, according to this press release. This is a direct snub at Starbucks, who is being persnickety about decaf.
Yesterday I worked on tax and financial related stuff and usually when I make checks out to Ill Dept of Employment Security I shed some tears. I do, I shed a couple tears o’ anger when I make checks out to the government, because we work hard to earn our money and then we have to turn around and send it to some stupid bureaucratic mess and hope they enjoy their new toilet paper they can buy with our hard-earned money while I work at clipping stupid coupons and balancing our budget and making sure we have enough left to pay for our healthcare?!? [Insert deep breath here.] Yesterday I was in just the right mood to tackle it in a detached manner and I didn’t shed a tear. I did drink a diet coke and listen to Barber’s Adagio for Strings, the saddest song I know.
So today, I have a lot to do and can’t figure out if I’m going to be in the mood to kick it all to the curb or to sit and read books or listen to more Adagios. I am working on three books right now (Sorry, I know it annoys some of you that I read more than one book at a time. I can’t help it.):
Heat is about being a chef in Mario Batali’s kitchen. He traces the steps of Batali’s career. Very interesting and is erasing any remaining desire to be a chef in a restaurant.
Outliers is by Malcolm Gladwell and discusses why some people are so successful, while the rest of us wallow in mediocrity for the rest of our lives. So far, I’ve learned that to be a pro hockey player, you need to have been born in the first three months of the year. Wow… maybe I could be a hockey player! Anyway, it is an interesting study on why people are successful. Any of you that I know would enjoy this book (And his other one, “Tipping Point.”).
My dearest, darlingest brother recommended this book to me; “A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York.” Interesting history and facts behind the ING New York City Marathon.
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January 30th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Someone else was just telling me about Outliers… and also saying it was a good book. I enjoyed Blink by Gladwell, couldn’t get through Tipping Point.
January 30th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I honestly can’t remember if I read Blink – I’ll have to look.
Outliers isn’t really teaching me anything new… but I like the stories about the people he’s using. Very cool to see the paths people take!
January 30th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I’m sorry, Kelli. Paperwork stinks. Writing checks to the government stinks. Housework stinks. But maybe instead of listening to sad songs you should listen to Rush Limbaugh, nah, he’ll just make you more angry at the government. How about some Partridge Family songs – you won’t cry or be sad listening to them. “Come on world, there’s a song that we’re singin’. We’ll make you happ-eee…”
January 31st, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Malcolm Gladwell was one of the keynote speakers at the Salesforce.com annual user conference I attended the first week of November last year. (The historic occasion he mentions in the first part of the video is the presidential election)
http://www-waa-akam.thomson-webcast.net/us/dispatching/?event_id=3134ceda90a252042f4bc3036b9fd051&portal_id=490b5b11bea71c00458d586691c5b5f5
When the screen first launches, the player defaults to the “Foundation Video”. Use the dropdown menu to select “Malcolm Gladwell / Closing”.