Month: September 2013

My office, as it looks right now. Click the photo to see it at full size.

I’m cranking away on a last-minute project that has to be done for a client by the morning, which means that I’m going to be working late into the night. I’ve had this dropped into my lap by people who expect it to be done in the morning, and I’m not certain they appreciate the level of detail and thinking that has to go into designing a program — their idea of project management is asking “is it done yet?” via Skype every 45 minutes. I’m living off savings and I’ve had all of two paycheques this year. Well, actually three, but one of them bounced.

When it gets like this — and really, if you do good work and get known for doing so, it gets like this sometimes — I bear down, stock up on my favourite caffeine source, and put something on in the background that keeps me going. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s a podcast, sometimes it’s an audiobook, but tonight, it’s something that’s always inspired me when I’m feeling the odds are stacked against me terribly: Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture”. I first gave it a listen on my first night out of the hospital after my long week there, and it’s been a source of “if you’re going through Hell, keep going” inspiration.

If you need it, I’ve posted it below:

And yes, I’m working on a plan to improve the work situation. If you’re curious about the kind of stuff I do, you can always check my LinkedIn profile.

Update

2:38 a.m.: 30-page design doc, complete with illustrations done! Fortune favours the prepared. Now to bed.

Also known as the divorced man’s dinner. Deee-licious and nuuu-tritious.

Seen recently at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor. I’m surprised only one tab was taken.

By now, you’ve probably seen the video created by Norwegian band YLVIS’s The Fox — you know, the “Dog goes ‘woof’, Cat goes ‘meow’…what does the fox say?” song:

The two TV show hosts-turned-rock stars have another video, which is also quite amusing: Stonehenge. Unlike The Fox, it’s not likely to be ruined forever by the furries. Check it out, but be warned, some of the lyrics aren’t safe for some workplaces:

Moment of silence, free mini-muffins for a half-hour…what’s the difference? This image was tweeted by “Drink and Fight” (@Electrica), who reports that he took the photo at the Mission Valley Marriott Hotel in San Diego:

What pic.twitter.com/L35ytAtCWP

— Drink and Fight (@eclectrica) September 11, 2013

 
Marriott International has since released a statement:

We are aware of the picture that was tweeted. It shows an offer that was made independently by the hotel and not the Marriott Hotels brand. As far as we know, it was limited to one property. While the hotel was making a sympathetic gesture to its guests in remembrance of 9/11, we apologize and understand why some people may have misunderstood the intent of the offer. We are reminding our hotels to use discretion and be sensitive when remembering major events such as 9/11.

You know what I hate? The “we’re sorry you were offended” type of non-apology that attempts to reflect the blame back onto the party being apologized to. The “we apologize and understand why some people may have misunderstood the intent of the offer” part of Marriott’s statement smacks of that.

This article also appears in Global Nerdy.

This article also appears in Global Nerdy.