Recently in Stuff 'n Junk Category

I spent the last week in London on business. It was my first time off the continent and it was quite an experience. Unfortunately I don't have a lot to say about the trip because, true to its purpose, it was almost entirely spent working. But I did learn a little bit about getting around the city, and I got a good impression of what the city was like.

I really got the sense that they put a lot into the city. I noticed uniformed workers sweeping sidewalks and scrubbing store fronts. I didn't see any graffiti, though I'm sure I'd find it if I looked hard enough. And yet at the same time, I witnessed an apparently homeless woman urinating on the sidewalk right in front of an Underground station and plenty of people. I saw a police officer searching someone's pockets while that person just let it happen, all the while carrying on a pleasant conversation.

Not much more to say than that.

We set our clocks and watches ahead an hour overnight last night. Spring ahead, they say. Goodbye to an hour of sleep, I say.

Spring is coming. Temperatures are getting warmer. Here in Boston there's a flood warning in effect because of the melting and whatnot. It should be interesting to see how the climate changes this year.

One of my goals in the new year has been to get back to my shutterbug self and take and share more photos. To that end, I have decided to try to start moblogging a bit. The idea is that I see something, I snap a shot of it with the camera on my phone, and I can upload it to Flickr right then and there.

Since I use Nokia phones I have a few options. There's an article I read about some of these options but I apparently neglected to bookmark it. Oops. But I do know the two major options. The first is called ShoZu. It's a site dedicated to this sort of thing with a client for several phones. It's also a middle man, meaning the client uploads photos to ShoZu's server and then they upload to Flickr or any number of other sites. I must admit I don't like this, but the other option is not an option for me.

Nokia's N series phones have the ability to share photos online, and Nokia and Flickr have teamed up to add a configuration for those phones to upload to Flickr. Check that out here. This looks like the clear winner of the two with much better options. For example, ShoZu can tag but cannot put things into sets. But I do not carry an N series phone today, so this isn't going to be it for me unless / until I switch.

So that's the run down. In the mean time, I'll hopefully be uploading more photos as time goes on.

Sometimes I come across something that is just flat out genius and I marvel at how simple that thing is. Rewind, for example, to a trip to the Summer Shack a few months back. One of the people I was with ordered lobster and naturally was given a lobster bib. This bib, unlike any other I had seen before, had a little pouch on the bottom. Such a simple little thing, but so brilliant. Other lobster bibs protect the shirt and sully the pants. Not this one.

Today I was reading a magazine and I came across this.

"... once you recognize who you are and what you do best, you're free to surround yourself with people who are not you and who have different skills. This eases the pressure on you to do it all and simplifies life."

To quote Popeye the sailor man, well blow me down! Those two sentences can be life changing if they are realized. It's such a simple concept, but it's not the culture bred in the world. It's about true team work through different strengths and mutual support, not competition. It's a utopian environment where people thrive off their environment, a positive influence, rather than competition with their team mates and trying to outdo each other, a negative influence in my book. It breeds trust and faith in your team mates, and rather than forcing things to get done it allows them to.

Just. Plain. Brilliant.

Happy new year, readers. Today is the first day of a new month and a new year. For me that means a few things. In the computer world, it means another set of archives go to disk to gather dust. Major email backups happen, which makes me grateful for Mail.app's new mailbox archiving functionality.

This is also where we all make our resolutions, if you will. Mine? I have a few I can share with you, my readers.

1. Maintain that work - life balance I've worked very hard to create. Remember what I say, kids: work to live, don't live to work. This isn't license to blow off the job by any stretch. Just find that balance.

2. Start moblogging pictures regularly. Just because they're not the most incredible shots in the world doesn't minimize them, nor does the fact that my phone's camera isn't the end all and be all of digital photography. Trust me, it'll be fun. For me. Anyhow, I'll probably use my flickr photostream for this. The badge is on this blog, but I'm not sure if I'll actually post the full sized photos here. We'll see.

3. Though there is still some mental debate about this, it is entirely possible that I will be once again picking up a musical instrument. How much success there will be I can't say, but it still might happen. And hopefully if I wind up failing it'll be fun on the way.

I've decided to move my futon down to my living room. It's got a queen sized mattress and was purchased at Ikea. The trouble is its green mattress cover; I need a blue one to match my other living room furniture. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I might find one that will fit and be inexpensive?

My apologies to my loyal readers for my absence here on the blogosphere. Life has been happening at an alarming rate here and something had to go for me to keep up. As things slow down again you'll find me writing more regularly.

It's not secret that I dislike Verizon. Their policies and the way they restrict their phones' software disappoints me in ways only Microsoft can rival. Unfortunately Verizon has been a necessary evil here in Vermont because of poor coverage for other providers.

With other providers improving their coverage and features I'm getting curious: who do you like and why?

Burlington launches their fireworks on the third of July instead of the fourth and I had the opportunity last night to get out and take some photos of them. I have to say that I am very proud of this set. I hope it's enjoyed by others as much as I enjoy it.

I can't say I know much about belly dancing but I can say I enjoyed watching this. This particular troupe features one of my closest friends, Rave. She's the one with her back to the camera at the start.