Mar 14, 2008
Posted by Perry
Yes – this is another Starbucks post. No – it’s not about their service or other business related topic. This post, rather, is about the experience as a whole and my new-found Starbucks addiction.
When I first tried Starbucks (which was only last year) I went in with the thought “It’s just a cup of coffee.”, well – was I ever wrong! My first drink from there was an Americano Grande, but I found it to be a bit too bitter. It simply wasn’t me. I then moved on to their ‘mellower’ coffees, but again, they didn’t taste quite right. It was then I found my first great drink there.
Strawberries and creme – yep the drink that Shelley forever will refer to as the ‘pink foo-foo drink’ was my poison. I loved them! However, after a few times of ordering and having to endure the looks from Shelley, I decided I needed a new favorite – cue Ben.
Ben had always ordered a Caramel Apple Spice whenever we all had gone to Starbucks together. So one day, I decided to give one a try and am I glad I did! Try to picture drinking a hot apple pie and you’ll know what one of these taste like – they’re the best!
There’s more to my addiction besides finding an awesome drink – it’s the whole experience you find at Starbucks. I love going in there and looking at the different mugs to buy, the bags of coffee (Sumatra ftw!), and the great food. The atmosphere at Starbucks is relaxed, and you feel perfectly at-ease sitting down to check email or to get caught up on work. Simply put – I’m addicted!
Today, the southern branch of McKain Performance Group, Inc. has some projects to finish up and I’m hoping I can talk Shelley into hopping in the car and fueling my new-found addiction (I blame her for it yanno).
I can taste that drink right now as I’m typing this…YUM!
Mar 13, 2008
It’s been a fabulous morning business-wise, the pressure preceding a big presentation is over, and I’m not feeling like diving into the next project. I’m not even buying in to my own ideas on wasted time today. The result is a post that is a bunch of nothingness…
First, if you are a Barack Obama fan (and even if you aren’t), check out this link. When the text appears, make sure you click on it! Again…and again…
And next, I received an email a couple days ago and I’m going to share it here. Don’t get the idea that I love getting a ton of jokes every single day dumped in my inbox, but I do appreciate it when friends send only the ones they think are funny and worth passing along. Here’s to you Mom:
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. Mostly to clean the house.
2. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We’re related.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
2. They say she used to be nice.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
Only one more…
I found this item the other day and have considering ordering it. I’m thinking it would be a wonderful gift item, especially for my sister-in-law. In today’s fast-paced world where channel-zapping is something we all do, I figure this particular remote control would be invaluable.
The Control a Man Remote Control has some pretty awesome features that include buttons for listen, stop snoring, put the toilet lid down, stop farting — all kinds of really useful stuff! Here’s the link to purchase one of these for yourself. Go ahead, I know you want one…
Mar 11, 2008
Posted by Perry
Film is my passion – I live for all things cinema. In fact, the second thing I do whenever I buy a DVD is to watch the special features to see how the film was made, the director’s vision, why they chose a particular camera angle, what challenges they faced during filming – things that most movie-goers don’t give a second thought about.
About four or five years ago, I found a CG short online called ‘Rockfish‘. It’s without a doubt, the best CG short film ever made. The action and soundtrack are extremely impressive. There is no dialog whatsoever, but that doesn’t take away from an all-around great film. Pay particular attention to the particle effects in it – they’re second to none.
Check it out if you love a great short film – but be warned – it’s not for the low bandwidth people and runs about 9 minutes. If you get a chance, I highly recommend ‘Rockfish’ – I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Mar 11, 2008
posted by Shelley
My business phone line has been called no less than 7 times today by a marketing research firm. The number shows up on caller-id, but the name appears as ‘unavailable’ — 319-447-5488. Most of the time the caller hangs up as we answer. You know the telemarketing drill, they call a bunch of numbers and the lucky one that answers first gets the call. The others get called again …and again …and again.
Around 8:00 pm the same number shows up AGAIN and I get a real person who tells me that the call is in reference to market research being conducted about cable blah blah blah. I say, “Please do not call me again.” The person on the other end of the line says nothing, but instead slams the phone down. At close to 9:00 pm, this company, based in Cedar Rapids, IA calls again! Again, I talk to a real person. Before I get the chance to finish my ‘please don’t call me again’ message — the caller rudely hangs up.
I call the number and hear the name of the firm which sounds professional and legitimate — Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc. The message I listen to was recorded to inform me (and others like me who are sick of getting called by these assholes) that they are exempt from the law that prevents their calls. Ugh! Pretty frustrating.
But here’s something I found while doing a bit of ticked-off research. You can find out some pretty useful information on the site whocalledus.us. For example, I’m not the only one that is being harassed by this company — check it out! Good stuff …especially considering that someone posted the home phone number of Mr. Frank N. Magid. **evil grin**
Mar 11, 2008
posted by Shelley
I was going to post about Perry getting a new keyboard and mouse, but he beat me to it. As to not turn-off all you PC users (those of you that simply don’t know any better — it’s not your fault), with the flood of MAC posts lately, I will only say that I’m quite certain that I’ve created a monster. There’s no turning back now.
Can you remember your first computer? You know, the very first one that was yours at home and not a school or work system? I think everyone has fond memories of what would now be called a POS. I know that I do.
My first machine was a MAC that my brother purchased new. It was powered by a whopping 128k of ram (yes that is 128k — for me now, 2G isn’t enough) and had a HUGE 9″ display. In the photo you can see the slot for the floppy disk…you had to have the boot disk in there before starting it up. It sold for $2500 new, and in the day (early/mid 80’s) that was a ton of money. I wonder how many hours Scott had to put in to purchase that bad baby.
I can also remember the first time I logged into the Internet. At the time, the only way you could connect in my rural area was to be an AOL customer. Of course, there were no local Internet access numbers, and the cheapest dial-up number for me here in Crothersville was Dayton, OH.
At the time, AOL offered programs as shareware for download on the main page — and I was frantic to get them all. Even though programs were extremely small compared to the size of the applications we use today, the connection was pathetic. By the time I got the famous AOL update downloaded each time, and grabbed the coolest shareware program, I was pretty much over my allotted time from AOL AND was bracing for my phone bill. Still, I was way ahead of the game. I can’t remember anyone else in the burg that was Internet connected when I first was, although I’m sure there were others.
I hope as you finish this post, you’re smirking while thinking about YOUR first computer, and maybe even your first time online. It’s all pretty amazing, huh?
My first machine was a MAC that my brother purchased new. It was powered by a whopping 128k of ram (yes that is 128k — for me now, 2G isn’t enough) and had a HUGE 9″ display. In the photo you can see the slot for the floppy disk…you had to have the boot disk in there before starting it up. It sold for $2500 new, and in the day (early/mid 80’s) that was a ton of money. I wonder how many hours Scott had to put in to purchase that bad baby.