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Funemployment works October 19, 2007

Posted by Niels in : Personal , add a comment

My friend David Lott introduced me to the idea of “funemployment”. It captures my life pretty well right about now.

A couple days ago a friend of Craig’s came into town for an art show. He’s a successful real estate investor from Louisville. We had a great time showing him around, going to Muhammad Yunus’s (2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner) talk at Microsoft, lunch at Wild Ginger (incredibly delicious!), and a great afternoon jamming together at the Experience Music Project. The evening before, I had no idea I was going to do any of this. Funemployment is great.

On Thursday, I had to drop a laptop off at an repair depot in Bellevue, so I swung by a Bellevue Toastmaster’s meeting. It was fun - I did an improv speech which was voted best of the day and got an invitation to speak to another group.

Thursday evening was spent fulfilling various social obligations - goodbye parties and potluck reciprocation dinners and such. Mmm… Good day!

Your thoughts?

Steel drums got me hooked October 18, 2007

Posted by Niels in : Personal , add a comment

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed playing an instrument this much. I just feel so happy when I hear a steel drum. I want to hear someone play a funeral dirge on the steel drums. I bet you’d still want to dance to it.

Anyway, I’m sold. I’ve already found a private instructor and if I can find a drum for under $500 (not an easy task) I’m buying it.

Your thoughts?

Jiffy Lube screwed me over! October 16, 2007

Posted by Niels in : Personal , 4 comments

Jiffy Lube cut my brakes. Well, maybe they didn’t cut them, but all I know is that my brakes worked when I arrived at Jiffy Lube, but when I tried to leave the brake pedal sunk all the way to the floor and my brake warning light on the dashboard (didn’t even know that existed!) was on.

When I brought this to the attention of the Jiffy Lube employees, they said, “Yeah, see, we noted here that your brake fluid was low. You should probably have that filled up.” My brake fluid wasn’t just low, it was practically empty.

The funny part is that Jiffy Lube doesn’t refill brake fluid. So they didn’t drain my brake fluid to try to make money; someone was just incompetent.

Today I drove my car to the mechanic. The brakes were so bad that I couldn’t even stop on my hill so Craig drove in front of me to keep me from rolling into traffic if my parking brake also failed.

The one good thing is that I happened to have a full diagnostic done on my car about three days ago, in which the shop owner himself did the inspection and noted that the fluid level was ok and there were no leaks in the brake line. So as soon as they figure out what Jiffy Lube did to my brakes I should be able to take the evidence and file a complaint.

Maybe I’ll even get another totaled car out of this, who knows?

Your thoughts?

Trophy Cupcakes wins it all! October 12, 2007

Posted by Niels in : Personal , 2 comments

Finally found the New York Cupcakes store in downtown Seattle. Yeah…

Not bad, but not up to par with Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford. In fact, even second-tier Cupcake Royale beats out NYC, if just for the selection of flavors. New York Cupcakes is just straight up cakier and boring-er. Give me a peanut-butter-and-jelly cupcake from Trophy over New York Cupcakes’ signature black-and-white any day.

Your thoughts?

First steel drum lesson October 11, 2007

Posted by Niels in : Personal , add a comment

I got to play with a steel drum group for the first time last night. It was a blast.

The sound of the steel drum just makes me feel so happy. They’re expensive, but I want to get my own instrument just to play around on.

It’s definitely a challenge, though. I’m musical, but we’re not reading music. It’s listen, memorize, play it back. And I’ve got to learn polyrhythms - my homework for this week is to be able to walk to the beat while clapping a syncopated calypso rhythm with my hands and singing a different syncopated rhythm.

This is new to me. There’s not a whole lot of polyrhythm in classical clarinet music.

I’m so excited. Between guitar, bagpipes, and steel drums, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.

Your thoughts?