Work without distractions update...

So -- last week I attempted to avoid using the internets for personal stuff. Here's the deal: the first day I came into work, I was so used to looking at facebook status updates that before I knew it, there I was, looking at status updates on my iPhone. Once I realized this, I stopped, but it still speaks to the power of habit (and the strange intrigue in constantly reading facebook status updates, I might add). Throughout the week, I was pretty good about only working on business-related material during business hours... I did permit myself to browse around a bit during the lunch hour.

The bottom line is that use of cell phones for messaging and data connectivity and the internet for taking care of personal items is a fact of life in this day in age. In the end, you have to rely upon yourself to draw the line between getting work done and taking care of your life outside of work. Without a doubt, many distractions exist today in the business world. I would argue that more exist today than did in the past. I do think, however, that becoming more connected with friends and family or browsing the internet for pleasure during work hours may make us more interesting people. More worldly, more informed, more connected, more entertained, and undoubtedly, more scatter-brained. So be it.

MSG'z Nuts!!

As I was cramming my face with fried rice during lunch today, I was reminded of the presence of MSG's in many of the foods we eat on a regular basis. I was reminded of this, of course, because I could *not* stop eating the fried rice. MSG's are basically crack cocaine. Don't believe anyone that tells you otherwise because they're probably an MSG addict. If you sprinkled MSG's on a turd, someone would probably punch you in the face to get to it before you do.

Just for the record, I don't have a problem with MSG's, and from what I've read, unless you have the misfortune of being a lab rat injected with MSG's equivalent to one-half your body weight, you probably ain't gonna die from them.

MSG's are commonly associated with chinese food, but did you know that the following awesome-tasting foods also have MSG's? Doritos. Cheetos. Planter's peanuts. Taco seasoning. Lipton noodle soup. Ranch dressing. Everything at KFC. I could be wrong, but my guess is that people seeking to avoid eating MSG's end up eating quite a bit of it inadvertently.

The new firewall at work...

At work, they've recently installed a draconian firewall that forces you to visit the most boring websites on the internet. Most everything worth visiting has been blocked, including blogs and gmail chat. As a resort, I've had to disable the hardwired connection to our corporate LAN and connect to the internet wirelessly with the Verizon air card they provided to me for business travel. This circumvents the firewall and allows me to get the good stuff. Unfortunately, I have to periodically re-connect to the corporate LAN to get access to certain things.

In trying to decide what my opinion is on these types of restrictive firewalls, I find myself wondering about how work would have been like 20+ years ago without the perceived distractions of the internet and cell phones. Did people get more work done back then than we do now? Were they more focused? As an experiment, I think that this coming work week, I will attempt to refrain from browsing the internet (for non-work related material), chatting, or text-ing during business hours. Will I be uber-productive? Will I crack or just simply fall asleep at my desk? Stay tuned for updates.

Subway sucks...

I have no idea why I have given Subway my business since I've worked in the Southside Works area of Pittsburgh. Their sandwiches are absolutely horrible and bland. Each time I go in there I tell myself it will be better if I maybe choose a different combination of toppings or dressings and each time it gets worse and worse. Today was no exception. I purchased a turkey and ham sandwich, loaded it down with toppings, and ended up throwing 1/4 of it away because I had lost all interest in eating it. I pulled off a piece of turkey to try it by itself and found it completely unappetizing. Rubbery, pale, tasteless flesh. Unfortunately, my other choices here for fast-food are equally uninspiring: Qdoba (blandest burrito you'll ever eat), Pita Pit, and Rosa's Pizza. I really need to get my lazy ass in gear and start bringing lunch.

New take on the songs we all know...

I'm currently in Bethlehem, PA for business and while out at the Bethlehem Brew Works for dinner this evening, I heard a cool version of Coldplay's "Clocks" on the sound system. For the record, I don't like Coldplay's new album, and I think their stuff is waaaay overplayed, but this struck me as good because it was a different take on the same old same old. So after some Googling, I found out that the rendition was by the Buena Vista Social Club on the "Rhythms del Mundo" album -- track 1. Check it out if you get a chance.

On a similar note, a few years back while at a bar in Nashville I heard a kick-ass version of a the Dark Side of Moon (Pink Floyd) album. What was cool was that the covers were being played as reggae. Again, I went home and did some research and found out that the band was called the "Easy Star All-Stars" and the album was called "Dub Side of the Moon". I also checked out their cover of the Radiohead "OK Computer" album called "Radiodread".

30 years ago today...

30 years ago today I was born. I'm officially "dirty thirty," as the kids call it these days. For giggles, I decided to see what Wikipedia said happened in 1979 of note. This headline caught my attention:

"President Jimmy Carter is attacked by a swamp rabbit while fishing in his hometown of Plains, Georgia."

That is an actual picture of the rabbit... god knows why someone was there to snap it.

Pittsburgh Observations

Greetings readers. I felt today would be as good a day as any to comment on some of the observations I have made over the past year about Pittsburgh and "Pittsburghers".

One of the first things that intrigued me about Pittsburghers was how they ask questions in the form of a statement. It was immediately obvious to me upon arriving in town, but if you ask a native about this, they will look at you like you're crazy. Unfortunately, I don't have an audio clip of this, but here is an example: "You're heading dahn to the Stiler's game?" Now say that aloud to yourself in the form of a statement. Crazy, I know. It's like you're being TOLD that you are going to a Steeler's game. The questioner might have some idea that you were considering going, but they're not asking you if you will be going, they're informing you that you will be going -- end of story.

Pittsburgh has some of the worst roads you will ever drive on -- period. Similarly, the DOT could be the worst in the nation. As a case in point, as I drove home from work one day, I came upon a lane with workers in a truck that were patching holes in the road. Mind you, they were patching concrete with asphalt, but I suppose that's another story. What blew my mind was that they were shoveling in the asphalt, piling it up high, and then moving on. They were letting the cars and trucks coming up behind them as they moved forward do the job of compacting the loose asphalt into the hole. I exaggerate not when I say this created quite a mess. Asphalt and rocks flying everywhere -- clinking and clanking against your undercarriage and sticking to the exterior of your vehicle for you to clean up later.

Bus drivers are F'ing crazy up here. I'm talking public buses, private transportation buses, SCHOOL buses. If you drive a bus up here it is a requirement that you are a raging lunatic. I honestly think that because these people think they are doing the city a service, they can disobey traffic lights at will, cut you off, block intersections, and speed faster than you thought was possible for a land yacht.

If you're from the South you say "ya'll". If you're a native Pittsburgher you say "Yinz". "Yinz goin to the Giant Egg-le for some Pirogies?"

Motorcycles are HUGE up here. I've never seen so many people on motorcycles. Oh, and by the way, helmets are not required and almost noone uses them. "Big" Ben Roethlisberger famously wrecked his bike not far from where I work a few years ago and was lucky to walk away. While sitting at an intersection a few months ago, I saw a motorcycle accident whereby after the wreck the gentleman tried to stand up and his foot collapsed where his tib/fib had been broken in two. Motorcycling in PIT = hazardous to your health.

Italian wedding soup is on every menu at every restaurant in Pittsburgh. Most of it is excellent.

Buffalo chicken is also HUGE up here. A local favorite is the Buffalo Chicken Salad with french fries. Buffalo chicken pizza is another staple.

Sunny days that last ALL DAY are a true rarity in Pittsburgh. In general, there is not much sun here -- especially in winter. When there is sun, it will usually last for a few hours and then cloud up. I heard it had something to do with Lake Erie...