Category: Generic

Record Store

I was in downtown Methuen today. I was going to the music store right by the clock, but as I passed by the used record store I heard Procol Harem playing inside. That settled it. After the guitar shop, I was going record shopping.

I don’t know what the deal is with this place, but at a glance it seems to be the definition of a dying industry. Times look seriously hard. The shop itself is tiny tiny tiny, but that’s okay. When I walked inside, the lights were off. The guy working turned them on so I could browse the vinyl. They didn’t have any Rush that I don’t already have. They didn’t have Dark Side of the Moon. They did have an old copy of Full House by Fairport Convention (Richard Thompson, yes. Sandy Denny, no) so I picked it up.

I’ve only been inside of this place once before but I knew from experience that it’s a cash only business. How they survive in 2014 without taking credit I will never know. The record was $10 (probably $7 too much, but it’s the season of giving and generosity, right?) and I paid with a $20. He gave me change out of his wallet. Yup. He asked if I wanted a bag. I did. He put my new record into a Market Basket plastic bag.

Something tells me that times are tough for this particular small business.

Medium

I’ve been using Medium a lot more this week. Mostly I just repost stuff that I write on this page. This is still the #1 blogging home for me, but I just feel the need to dabble elsewhere too. It’s probably just a phase.

Anyway, one thing that Medium allows for is using full sized images that expand to fill the entire browser window. If you full screen the browser, you effectively full screen the image. I haven’t tried it with low res images yet (and probably never will) so I don’t know if it will blow something up bigger than the file can actually handle, but with the few tests I’ve done it looks absolutely smashing.

Hancock Building in Boston

Weight Watchers Pre-Game

I wasn’t great this week, but I was okay. I should be down from last week. Unfortunately I didn’t weigh in last week, or the week before.

So I’m probably up from the last weigh in.

The holiday season… Tough stuff, I tell ya.

I’ll let you know how it goes. Fingers crossed.

Rejection

I sent four of my home demos to the other three guys in the band tonight. Let the rejection begin.

I suppose I should keep a list of what I offer to them so that I won’t give them the chance to reject the same song twice.

Overreaction
Should Have Been Mine
The First Day
Hurricane Time Again

Popularity

The company I work for has traditionally thrown a company wide Christmas party on Christmas eve.  We would work a half day and then the few thousand of us all pile into one building and listen to a live band while eating catered food and trying to not step on each other.

This year, for the first time in forever, we’re not playing that game.  Instead we are getting Christmas eve off.  As nice as the company party was, I prefer it this way.  We host a party at home on Christmas eve, so this will give me more time at home to get ready for it.

The result of the cancellation of the company wide party is an increase in smaller work group parties.  We’ve always been a part of a yankee swap.  A few years ago our large group was split into two smaller groups, but we still all get together for the yankee theft.  That’s still going to happen this year.  There is also a lunch get together for all of the groups under my direct manager.  We started that two years ago and it’s one of those interesting things where a big group of programmers try to be social.  Just get us talking about Star Wars or Back to the Future and we’re fine.

This year though there is an added wrinkle.  A third Christmas party has been added.  This one includes everyone under two different directors.  Over 150 people.  That’s a lot of people getting stuffed into a conference room.  Craziness!

But here is the real catch.  This large group Christmas lunch gathering actually conflicts with the yankee swap lunch gathering.  I don’t know what to think?  I have never been this popular in my entire life!  Two parties happening at the same time that actually invited me!  It’s like, woah!  Or maybe more like Woah Ho Ho!  (see what I did there?  how’s that for a disgustingly bad holiday pun?)