April 15, 2007
How to defeat the dreaded VPL
Oh the things you find when you google yourself.
Posted by adrianjo at 01:17 AM
December 20, 2006
Bill Marriott likes me
The last time I spent Monday through Friday in New York City was the first week I was at the firm: July 17 to 21. And the next time might be in January, if the stars align. Below is an analysis of where I’ve spent the last 148 nights since I started traveling:
click to enlarge
As much as New Yorkers obsess about real estate and getting the exact right apartment for less than half one’s monthly salary, it’s not uncommon that a Marriott becomes like a second home. I’ve spent 1 of every 3 nights for the last 5 months at a Marriott. Then there are the folks, Hilton and a few other hotels, Tiffany’s boat, Jens’s couch, and 747 airplanes. Interestingly, these are roughly in descending order of comfort, though Jens’s couch was pretty comfy by couch-dweller standards.
I managed to bank 28,495 frequent flier miles last month, enough for a domestic round-trip, plus 8920 Marriott points. A free flight is, of course, the last thing on my mind right now.
Tiffany returned to New York last weekend bearing more luggage than her body weight. It was more than would fit in the trunk of a New York cab, but we found that Town Cars have surprisingly big trunks. No wonder the Town Car is probably the second-most-popular car on the streets of Manhattan (after the Chevy Caprice cab).
It was quite an experience for her being on the ship for 6 months. The first thing she wanted upon return was some fried chicken, of which there is no shortage here in Harlem. She had a great time aboard the ship—it was a bit of growing up and living away from home for the first time and a bit like going off to college. Having hit something like 40 ports of call throughout Europe, in Africa (Cape Verde), and in South America (Brazil), she clearly had a marvelous summer of shopping in Tallinn, helicopter-riding over the French Riviera, parasailing in Rhodes, and laying out on beaches throughout Europe. The tenor and bass in her crew are already off on their next contact on a sister ship, which I think is absolutely crazy.
Tiffany has been in New York for four days since returning, which has allowed us enough time to hit the second floor of Tiffany & Company (one of my least favorite places) and our old favorites like the Penn Club and Bello Sguardo, but we still haven’t been below 34th St and thus haven’t stocked up at Magnolia yet. (Isn’t it amazing that one can keep busy in New York for four days and yet never venture into the southern 80-some-odd streets of the city?)
Meanwhile, in all the traveling, I’ve learned that pomegranates are a wonderful way to call attention to yourself at airport security screening. The fruit is perfectly legal, though I suppose it could generate more than 3 oz of liquid. I don’t know why it causes such consternation; perhaps it’s because the fruit is shaped like a bomb, with lots of little pieces inside, a round shape, and a fuse atop. But just take it from me next pomegranate season (which runs late Oct through early December) and leave the fruits at home.
Last night was particularly fun, as we joined a Handel Messiah Sing-In at Lincoln Center. I didn’t realize it when I bought the tix, but the Messiah is about 2 hours long and is ridiculously hard to perform. Even Tiffany, a professional singer, occasionally had trouble sight-reading it; fortunately we were in the back where hopefully nobody could hear me. We did manage not to sing the last Hallelujah too soon, thereby not interrupting the silent echo throughout the hall in the penultimate bar.
Tomorrow I fly to Indiana, so it’s time to go pack. Such is the story of my life.
Posted by adrianjo at 09:53 PM
October 15, 2006
Why I like trade unions: their drawing ability
The condo is behind schedule by a few months, so I went today to see how it's progressing. The last 4 months have seen some drywalling, plumbing, and some electric work, but not much more. I kinda like the current color scheme in the main room; it sure beats the pink that Tiffany is hoping to install:
The master bathroom isn't looking so attractive right now, but word is that the boat with the marble just arrived. One of the contract riders specified that the shower head was to be moved 6" up to accomodate those of us of greater-than-usual height.
This is why the project is behind schedule, graffiti on the drywall. I wonder what trade union guy was paid $120/hr to draw that?
Posted by adrianjo at 06:45 PM
Why I like trade unions: their drawing ability
The condo is behind schedule by a few months, so I went today to see how it's progressing. The last 4 months have seen some drywalling, plumbing, and some electric work, but not much more. I kinda like the current color scheme in the main room; it sure beats the pink that Tiffany is hoping to install:
The master bathroom isn't looking so attractive right now, but word is that the boat with the marble just arrived. One of the contract riders specified that the shower head was to be moved 6" up to accomodate those of us of greater-than-usual height.
This is why the project is behind schedule, graffiti on the drywall. I wonder what trade union guy was paid $120/hr to draw that?
Posted by adrianjo at 06:45 PM
October 14, 2006
A cruise of fantasy
NEW YORK -- Tiffany returned to the cruise ship in Athens and went to the top deck to host afternoon tea. On the way up, one of the male singers told her that she might be in for a surprise. As soon as she arrived at tea, a passenger came up to her and congratulated her. Others followed suit. As she would soon learn, Tony the Cruise Director told everyone aboard the ship at the staff introduction the prior night that Tiffany was away because she was busy getting engaged.
Tiffany has been playing along with the fantasy, and quite enjoying it, saying that she'll pick out her ring at Tiffany & Co when she returns to NYC and that no, a date hasn't been set. Apparently she has made-up a story regarding how it happened and even has a ring in mind, some 4-carat thing that could easily cost $100K. The cruise lasts a fortnight, so she'll be quite happy for another 10 days or so.
I'm not quite sure what I think of all this. It's great that the Cruise Director is letting her live this fantasy, but for the record, there are no plans for any sort of engagement anytime soon. Although Tiffany has threatened me with a marriage proposal, I don't expect one in the next few years. Heck, we're not even planning to live together when my condo finally gets finished (currently projected for January).
Posted by adrianjo at 08:14 PM
October 01, 2006
Tiffany's first solo show
Tiffany is doing her first solo show on the M/S Insignia next week shortly after the ship leaves port in Malta. I'm not sure exactly what she'll be singing, but I'm flying over to Malta to see it.
When I tried to call American Airlines to use my miles to get to Malta, the customer service rep finally broke-down and asked, "just where is Malta?" (It's an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea south of Italy.)
The ship will be going from Malta to Santorini (a volcanic caldera that formed an island in Greece), Rhodes, Delos, and Athens. This will also be my first time on a cruise, as well as TCC counties #65 (Malta) and #66 (Rhodes).
I'll post pics when I get back!
Posted by adrianjo at 01:25 AM
August 27, 2006
Happy Birthday Tiffany
Tiffany turns 24 today. The ship is in the Port of Dover, just outside London. It has been 79 days, with 105 to go. She’s been to Iceland, the Faroes, Ireland, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Finland, St. Petersburg, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Denmark, the Nederlands, and Belgium. From here, the ship heads down to the Mediterranean and ultimately on to South America.
This makes two of her birthdays in a row that we’re not together. Last year, I was on a school trip in Hong Kong and Macau, where we lost everything playing the slots. (We bet HK$2, or about a quarter.) Macau also has a McDonald’s that doesn’t serve hamburgers, which I find completely offensive. It’s like a French restaurant with no baguettes.
Tiffany made her debut on this blog with this post, made shortly after we discovered Bello Sguardo, which has since become one of our favorite restaurants. Shortly after she appeared again when I quoted a Bill Safire column that introduced us to the word “muffin top,” a word that we found useful for describing when one's girth overspills his/her tight jeans like a muffin.
Her photo first appeared here 1/1/06, after we watched the New Year’s Ball drop over Times Square.
Shortly thereafter, we left for 10 days in Ireland, which I reported on here.
Giant’s Causeway, Ulster, UK
Then there was this famous picture from Spring Fling:
Here's to many more. Happy birthday, baby!
Posted by adrianjo at 11:59 PM
August 18, 2006
Removing annoying foreign things
I caught two girls staring at me on the subway this morning, and one was quite hot. As long as they're not staring because my fly is open, their looks make me feel good. And without the girlfriend here to give me a nightly rundown of who has hit on her today, I'll take what I can get.
I got a lot of looks going home today too, but it was for a different reason. After lunch, I went for an eye checkup, the first in two years, and the doctor found a "foreign body" in my right eye. I think the guy's been in the same office just off Fifth Avenue since the 1960s, and all that has changed is the Filippina receptionists. He managed to poke a needle-like device in my eye and pull out the "foreign body", which was so small that it was only visible under magnification. He said it was about as small as he's ever removed, and he seemed proud of his work. Why is it that my family so often give doctors things to be impressed about?
This left me with one eye so dialated that I look like I came from a horror movie. I decided to go home and sit here with that eye closed. And looking like such a psycho got me a lot of looks on the subway.
Posted by adrianjo at 05:11 PM
August 06, 2006
W is my middle initial (and has been since the 2000 election)
It was an eventful weekend, including three visits to the W Times Square in four days, probably eclipsing the previous record set when Alexander lived there for 6 months last year.
My brother Kyle arrived in town on Thursday night, his first visit to New York. I didn’t want him to think that Times Square is entirely a tacky tourist trap for gawking goobers, so we swung by the W’s Blue Fin restaurant for dinner. Kyle also learned how much it sucks not having air conditioning when the high is 98 degrees; certainly I am looking forward to such modern conveniences when my new condo is finished.
Friday after work we ended up back at the W, this time among the lounge lizards in the Living Room, though they’re not quite as obnoxious on Fridays compared to the weekends. While there, I got a call that dad had been hospitalized for emergency surgery. (If you’re not familiar with this long story, read the short version in this press account.) Apparently his knee had become infected after surgery late last month. America’s health system isn’t big on preventative care, so it took a week to get him into the doctor, and by then it was so bad that the doctor performed surgery right away. We think he’ll be fine, but it’s another set-back on the road to running the Chicago marathon this fall.
Saturday we had a surprise Chicago office reunion. I called JW to tell him that RF had just moved to town and invited him to join us for Sunday Brunch (at the W—where else?). He did me one better: “Actually, RF and I are doing dinner tonight with a bunch of others from Chicago.”
Sunday was the third trip to the W, where the Sunday brunch is perhaps the best kept secret in New York hotel dining. For $28, including drinks, tax, tip, and toll, it’s really a steal. RF recently left the Firm and found herself the *perfect* job—strategy associate at Coach, the big handbag concern whose CEO once told me that I “had no vision.” (That’s because I turned down the opportunity to participate in Coach’s IPO, and the stock has since gone up to 11 times its IPO price.) The only downside of working at Coach: you can’t be seen in public with Louis Vuitton! There’s no word on whether Coach employees can drink Moet or Hennessey.
Meanwhile Tiffany continues in her second month on the ship, mostly in the Baltic Sea right about now. Although she says she’s paid to “look pretty,” the working conditions aren’t always ideal. The singers are randomly assigned jobs not related to singing, including assisting with embarkation, something that’s clearly not in the employment contract. But when your employment contract is governed by the law of the Marshall Islands, it’s not much different from martial law. (Among the clauses in the contract: the ship can throw overboard the body of any crew member who dies at sea.) The singers and social hostesses do have a bit better job than the other crew members: today Tiffany hosted the Captain and some of the corporate bigwigs for a big dinner in the private dining room. Her job was to look pretty, eat lobster, and make pleasant conversation. (If this whole singing/acting thing doesn't work out, she might have a future as a consultant.)
Posted by adrianjo at 10:14 PM
July 16, 2006
Contract signed
After over a month of negotiating, a 17-page contract of sale with 3 riders, and a 400 page offering document, we finally have a signed contract of sale back from the developer for my new condo. Most importantly, the development's website reflects the "contract signed" status.
Posted by adrianjo at 02:19 PM
July 08, 2006
IRS audit
I am back in NYC and starting work in a week. Meanwhile, the IRS is auditing my 2004 tax return because they think I had income from the Colgate Palmolive pension plan. We'll see how long it takes me to convince them that a 25 year old is not getting money from a toothpaste pension fund.
Posted by adrianjo at 02:31 PM
February 20, 2006
10 best posts
Here are my 10 favorite all-time posts on this blog, starting with the most recent:
- January 17, 2006: Europe 2006 pictures
- January 1, 2006: New Year’s Eve over Times Square
- Sept 22, 2005: Asia 2005 pictures
- July 5, 2005: Signage around the world
- May 25, 2005: Cheeseburger Challenge – Official Results
- May 17, 2005: Russia 2005 pictures
- May 12, 2005: McDonald’s Around the World
- March 23, 2005: Peru 2005 pictures
- January 1, 2005: Why I like Paris Hilton
- October 18, 2004: From Rome to Constantinople
(follow posts through to Constantinople)
Posted by adrianjo at 08:23 PM
November 19, 2005
Find me on myspace
FWIW, I have set-up a profile on myspace.com for people who use that site. After running my address book through the site's search engine, it's apparent that not many people use it. You can also find me on Friendster, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Posted by adrianjo at 01:19 PM
October 25, 2005
It's time for some pictures
This page has been picture-less for some time. Fortunately KB and TH have helped by sending some along. The first two are from the China trip in August, both aboard trains, interestingly.
1) Aboard Hong Kong's Island Line subway
2) Yes, this train is really going 430 kph, or 267 miles per hour. That makes it the world's fastest train; it runs between downtown Shanghai and the Airport. Sure beats the A-train to JFK, which clocks in at 90 minutes and an average speed of perhaps 15 mph.
3) TH has some fun cuddling with a big Republican
4) I cuddle with a member of the immediate family
Posted by adrianjo at 01:15 AM
October 10, 2005
Pop made the front page
Pop made the front page of the local paper today:
CHICAGO -- Michael Jones eventually moved his way up to the starting line at Sunday's 28th Chicago Marathon, smiled for all, took a giant step forward, then hobbled off Columbus Drive on his crutches.His day was over.
Jones finished his 50th marathon/ultramarathon last month. And then he got careless. He went water skiing at Valparaiso's Pine Lake on an unusually warm day Sept. 12.
"Somehow, my knee gave out and I fell. I looked down and my knee was bent (at a 90-degree angle). It was hanging on by just one ligament," said Jones.
During surgery, doctors considered amputating.
"I tore three ligaments and I crushed the tibia into my femur," said the 56-year-old Jones. "I've done 14 Chicago Marathons in a row. I had this entry and I really wanted to get across the starting line.
"I haven't been on my leg this much since the accident. I've been off work, mostly laying down with it elevated. I hope to be doing light jogging in 24 weeks from the surgery."
Jones was among several inspiring stories from the more than 200 Lake and Porter County runners representing Valparaiso's Opportunity Enterprise, a nonprofit organization aiding special needs adults and children.
Posted by adrianjo at 02:35 PM
September 24, 2005
Update from CONA alumni
I'm blogging as I'm on AIM with Molly, whom CONA '97 alumni will remember. We haven't spoken much since her wedding in June 2003. Molly is in Ft. Lauderdale, where she is a proud kitten foster parent (including these guys) and highly recommends this site for visiting every day. It's nice to know that she's forgiven me for voting with the majority to deny the Supreme Court justices entry to observe the Indiana State Senate in 1998, and I've forgiven her for subsequently giving the Senate the standing-room-only space when we visited the Supreme Court.
Among other members of the infamous Indiana Delgation of Delegates, Governor Hannigan ('96-'97) has a website with his guide to Washington DC that is up and running again. There are numerous pics of folks like Governor Erin ('97-'98) and the Ha brothers at Molly's wedding--and even a picture of me there. Jaime ('97-'98), who beat me for Best Senator in 1998, can be found on Friendster and in various bars in and around Bloomington. Karl Frisch (CA '95-'97?) is still in touch, most recently trying to get me to join a petition for Karl Rove to resign. (Sorry, Karl.) Also from the California delegation, Kristen ('97-'98) is on Friendster and in DC. Indiana's own Fil Fortes ('96-'97) also has his blog running again. Here is a story on Erick Hong ('98-'99). Mandar (?-'97) is in med school in Virginia and keeps up with Jaime.
I found a really old and small picture of us all residing on this webserver. This was the 1997 Delegation of Delegates:
And who could forget this? Or listening to this at 7AM?
Posted by adrianjo at 09:24 PM
August 14, 2005
If anything falls off that truck...
I bought a 1 gigabyte memory card for my new digital camera today. It costs $70 and is a bit larger than a nickel. It's quite amazing that something so small can store 4 billion pixels of information. That many pixels, if printed out, could cover 4.5 million square feet, or 14 acres, or a typical two-lane road for 25 miles. And that's all compressed to something so small it has a child-choking warning.
I figure the little bugger weighs around a gram, which means that one ton of these little things would cost $76M. Excepting fine jewelry, memory cards may well be the most expensive thing, gram-for-gram, that an ordinary person would ever buy.
Posted by adrianjo at 11:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
My national television debut
I was described as "articulate" in my national television debut, broadcast on PBS's Newshour with Jim Lehrer tonight. They filmed a segment at Columbia, about 3 hours of footage, and cut it down to a couple of minutes. The topic of discussion was whether the cap on social security earnings should be raised. Currently, one pays 12.4% of his earnings as tax on the first $90K he makes, with half being deducted from his paycheck and the other half a "stealth" tax paid by the employer. Democrats are proposing raising this cap to $150K or even eliminating it. The problems are many, and Newshour touches on some of them. Principally, tax-and-spend is not the way to repair a pyramid scheme gone berserk, and we ought not depend on the wealthy to finance our retirement.
Here is a video link and a transcript.
Posted by adrianjo at 12:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 28, 2005
Ending radio silence
There has been radio silence from Transatlantic Zeppelin this week, and I have 131 emails in my inbox. But the silence is for a good reason. A friend was in town, and we spent the days enjoying what makes New York City so wonderful. Here are a few things to enjoy in NYC:
1) Baptist services at Abyssinian Baptist. Abyssinian, founded in 1808 in response to segregated downtown churches, is Harlem’s oldest black church. There were three things that particularly surprised us about Abyssinian.
a. The lines. Before services, there were two lines of people waiting to enter. The first group was dressed to the nines, primarily suits and ties. Members of the second line (which stretched two blocks) were shabbily-dressed and primarily wore jeans and t-shirts. The first line was 100% black folk (i.e. parishioners), and the second was almost all white tourists. What an embarrassment. It’s deplorable that hundreds of white tourists would turn up at someone’s church and act like it was a visit to ESPN Zone. In fact, the preacher was so offended that he even mentioned it during services.b. The sermon. The Rev. Calvin Butts III is one of Harlem’s best-known preachers, for good reason. If Chris Rock were a bit more religious, he might have been a preacher at Abyssinian. I was particularly impressed that Butt's sermon was nothing like the race-baiting diatribes of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. Butts’s sermon explicated Psalm 15 for an hour, but it focused on practical ways of living.
On looking good: “I was walking down the street and saw a man who was dressed like a preacher. Now I’m supposed to know all the preachers in Harlem. But I didn’t know this preacher, so I asked him, ‘Brother, are you a preacher?’. He said: ‘No, I’m a bus driver.’ Even though he was a bus driver, he looked his best.”
On speaking no evil: “I may not agree with the administration’s policies overseas, but we have a black Secretary of State. So often we fall into the ‘crabs in a tank syndrome.’ As soon as one crab starts to escape, another crab reaches up and pulls him down. If you don’t like someone, keep it to yourself.”c. The gospel choir. The choir was a group of perhaps 30 men and women, ranging in age from teenagers to the elderly. The singing was amazing four-part harmony and very technically difficult.
2) Lunch at the Delegates’ Dining Room. The UN opens its diplomats’ lunchroom to the public, though few people know it. After getting security credentials, one proceeds to a fourth-floor cafeteria with a 270-degree view of Brooklyn, where a long buffet features international food like Japanese dumplings, shrimp ceviche, French duck pate, and a carving station. It’s quite a civilized place. The service is faster than a speeding bureaucracy, the wine good, and the diplomats quite elegant. My friend and I were by far the youngest people there, which drew some looks from puzzled diplomats. And the best part? No sales tax, since this is technically international territory and therefore not subject to the laws of New York.
In fact, lunch was so good that we forgot to eat dinner that night! Not until we were sitting in Marquee around midnight did we realize that somehow we forgot to do something.3) The Tribeca Film Festival. We saw a screening called “The American Ruling Class,” which follows two Yale 2004 graduates through soul-searching as they want to change the world but are torn as to whether to take their job offers at white-shoe investment bankGoldman Sachs. The two grads follow a Harper’s editor, who introduces them to celebrities like Walter Cronkite, Larry Summers, and Barbara Eherenrich. Although it occasionally falls into shorthanded Farenheight 911-style demagoguery (like one-second clips of Rummy), the point slowly emerges that there is an American Ruling Class and that one can do more as a member of it than outside. For all but the most extraordinary people, having money, clout, and connections makes it much easier to change the world. The people playing bongos in the street might have their heart in the right place (or so the film would argue), but they are largely ineffective. Unfortunately, at the same time, many of the natural members of the American Ruling Class are hypocritically complacent. One fictional heiress proclaims during a game of tennis on her estate: "The world is dying and you're going to go work for a f---ing bank?" She, however, has done nothing to stop the world from "dying" (which it is not). Although it is provocative, I doubt that the film has widespread potential, as it has many esoteric references like 85 Broad Street (the unlabeled headquarters of Goldman Sachs).
4. Amateur Night at the Apollo. The Apollo's legendary Amateur Night, which helped launch the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Michael Jackson, D'Angelo, and Lauryn Hill, is a weekly Harlem event on Wednesday nights. Two hours long, it is guaranteed to cause one's voice to go hoarse from either cheering or trying to boo the bad contestants off the stage. Frankly, the "executioner", who comes out to take away the bad contestants, is the best part of the show.
Posted by adrianjo at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 31, 2005
"Interesting impact on someone you don't even know"
A friend whom "you don't even know" has started a weblog, with the first entry available here. I'm flattered, but the newspaper I used to write for is the little Post-Tribune of Gary, Indiana, not the Chicago Tribune. By the way, there is no spell-checker on this blog, and I think that there is at least one misspelling in each entry. (Yes, I'm aware of the mispelling in this entry!)
Posted by adrianjo at 07:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 27, 2005
Did they say "LOL" in 1973?
I don't know why, but I'm laughing a lot at the old-timey game shows on GSN today. From Match Game 73: "Sitting Bull says, 'Me no likem them tribe. They not scalp hair from head; they scalp hair from ___.'" Brett Butler answered, "nose."
Posted by adrianjo at 03:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 25, 2005
Comments are allowed... finally!
I think the comment issue is finally fixed. Because of comment spam issues, I've not been allowing comments. Now you can comment, and I encourage comments, but after signing-in, you need to hit "refresh" when you're sent back to this site.
Posted by adrianjo at 10:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 03, 2005
It was fun...
The pleasure was mine.
Posted by adrianjo at 08:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 12, 2005
Schlorff launches a blog
Daniel Aabye Rodriguez Schlorff, longtime friend, loyal Green Partyist, bassist, and unitarian (at last check), has launched a new blog to discuss the confluence of politics and theology. Dan and I might actually agree on the growing scandal involving UN peacekeepers raping and prostituting African women. Speaks Schlorff:
Should the Green Party ignore fact that U.N. Peacekeepers pose a global security threat, as indicated in Kofi Annan’s February report?
I'm not sure that peacekeepers are a global security threat--actually quite the opposite. The problem with UN peacekeepers is the same as the problem with the broader UN: fecklessness. UN peacekeepers watched like Nero when Screbrenica was massacred and they haven't even been present in Rwanda or Darfur--perhaps because Kofi Annan was busy embezzling oil-for-food money, or at least turning a blind eye while Kojo did. Yet, as Powerline points out, Kofi Annan still feels the need to lecture Americans on the UN's moral superiority, and American liberals so often seem genuinely disturbed by Annan's windy hectoring. Yet from the UN, it's 'do as I say, not as I do.' Here is an example from Reuters):
NEW YORK -- UN peacekeepers have been banned from all sex with the local population in Congo because of widespread, continuing abuse of women and girls.In the past year the UN investigated 150 allegations against 50 soldiers of sexual exploitation of women and girls.
Children as young as 12 or 13 were bribed with eggs, milk or a few dollars in exchange for sex, UN reports said.
...
The rules would apply only to Congo, the largest of the 16 UN peacekeeping missions around the world, UN spokesman Ari Gaitanis said.
UN regulations for soldiers usually forbid sex with anyone under 18 and forced prostitution. But often officials found there was a fine line between forced and willing sex.
I don't think that there's a single American schoolteacher, priest, camp counselor, sports coach, or anyone else who could successfully argue that having sex with teenage girls is morally excusable because there is a "fine line." Only in the UN and in American liberalism are such moral issues considered "fine lines."
Posted by adrianjo at 05:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
Transatlantic Zeppelin wins an award
Columbia's student newspaper is a forum for, among other things, trading insults. For example, this comment:
John O'B, you're such an easy target, you don't want to go there. 'Nuff said.
Then there was a comment by John that gave my young blog (started in this format in only mid-December) its first award. These guys apparently haven't seen a belt they didn't hit below, so here goes:
Worst website of the week award: This one goes to Adrian J, for his horrible site, www.innogize.com. You're delusional if you think anyone seriously cares about your opinion on fashion design. Do us all a favour and keep it to yourself.
Hey, nobody forced you to read it, yet somehow this website gets 500-1000 unique visitors every day, or 200,000 unique visitors a year. Maybe it's because I just have a laughably stupid opinion on the fashion industry. Anyone care to talk about fertilizers? (I didn't think so.)
Posted by adrianjo at 03:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 06, 2005
Why you should be here now
If you're not here watching the superbowl, you're missing out. we've already placed a bid for $20 on the Lincoln Fry. Unfortunately we were rapidly out-bidded, with the current bid at $275,100.
Posted by adrianjo at 07:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 01, 2005
To the world's lazy webmasters
Every so often an unintentioned blogger or someone else decides to deep-link into my website, which means using my photos and my bandwith on their website with no attribution or no notice to me. What's really fun about this is that I can replace the "deep-linked" picture with a picture of my choosing and it shows up on their website. In fact, often my choice of photos isn't want the bandwith thief intended to show on their website. So if your website seems defaced because you stole my pictures and bandwith, you know why. If you want to use a photo I took, just ask first.
Posted by adrianjo at 04:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 29, 2005
Odor of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Pinesol
I was planning today for the period between the end of spring classes and the beginning of summer classes. There is a trip to Russia planned, and it conveniently ends a few days before the 63e Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco and the Festival de Cannes. I noticed on the seating plan the tremendous number of mega-yachts docked in Hercules Harbor--three of the ten largest private yachts were docked there last year. Have a look here. Alas, classes start a week before the festivities on the Riviera:(
In other news, a local rocket scientist, CEO, habitual party-goer, and Columbia MBA student sponsored a party at Crobar last night. Some of his artwork was on display. His company is the world leader in tunnel advertising (could you imagine such a thing?) If you are interested in placing an ad on said artwork in your subway, it'll cost you $100K a month.
Crobar NYC is actually popular, unlike Crobar Chicago, which peaked in the mid-1990s when Dennis Rodman occasionally turned up. I lived near Crobar Chicago and frequently ended up walking by in the morning, when the place emanated odors of alcohol, tobacco, and Pinesol. At other times, the club was always dressed-up but with nowhere to go, or maybe nobody to come.
Posted by adrianjo at 02:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 23, 2005
The milestones of my life
A friend sends this account of her 25th birthday "to keep you informed of the milestones in my life"...
Since Melissa and I will be living with each other soon, we/I decided to start a wall of shame in our new place to follow up the wall of shame in Turtle Creek and at the Hamptons house.Anyway, I decided to sacrifice myself on Friday night, also known as my 25th bday... the first piece of evidence that will be added to our wall of shame is my emergency room bracelet.
Well, I hope you get better soon so that we can make our way to Connecticut to try the clam chowder at your dad's club.
Posted by adrianjo at 09:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 30, 2004
Inspiration from a Lithuanian vandal
Shortly after I first landed in the former Soviet Union for the first time, I took a walk around Vilnaus, Lithuania, and encountered a graffito reading: “Your life becomes more and more of adventure.” It was an auspicious start to a great weak of adventure.
Here, the movers just departed my apartment. I suppose that now it’s official, although it is bittersweet. I am sitting in a 30’ white box, completely empty save a halogen light, with assorted doors at one end and a view 800’ over Chicago on the other. The sounds of the city echo up.
I decided while I was in Belgium to apply to the MBA programme at Columbia University in the City of New York, as it is officially called. I was admitted after Thanksgiving and start orientation on January 3—which is all pretty rapid. The Firm offered to pay the tuition, which saves $75K over the 17 month course of the programme; in return, I have signed a contract that expires in late 2008. My goods are on their way to an 1888 Italianate/Queen Anne transitional townhouse in Harlem, which, like Chicago’s Water Tower district, is one of America’s most storied neighborhoods and promises to be a great adventure. (Some guys at the office are taking an over/under on how many times I will be a victim of a violent crime while living there. I racked up 21 non-violent counts in West Philly.)
Nonetheless, my empty box is initially quite bittersweet. Sweet, because it feels so nice not to have any material possessions to my name right now. If the truck were to plunge into the East River and I collected my $10K insurance, I am not sure that I would mind not having all the things and stuff that enrich life at the cost of clutter—organized clutter but still clutter. On the other hand, $10K isn’t much, and the mementos of visiting 56 countries, hand-written correspondence, and the various gifts from friends and relatives are hardly worth $10K.
My empty box has depressions in the carpet and wear patterns where I surely trotted, happy, sad, awed by the city below. I’ll never forget my “oh my god” reaction when I first saw the apartment like this, and the same reaction from so many visitors—and the movers today. Then there are the friends and relationships in Chicago, which I hope to retain-—from the doorlady at the commercial entrance to the closest friends.
It can be hard to give up good things, but often we give up good things to get something even better. We call this “opportunity,” and it’s often good if not preceded by “fabulous work-at-home.” Many opportunities together are called “get rich slow” and “more and more of adventure.” I usually hate vandals, but I owe something to an unknown Lithuanian hoodlum.
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December 23, 2004
A Couchwork Orange
For 22 of the 25 Christmas Eves of my life, we've gone over the creek and through The Pines to grandmother's house. Grandma lives in the Indiana snowbelt and gets far more snow than we do 30 miles SW, meaning she often has a white Christmas. If you're looking for evidence that today's kids are spoiled, consider this. When I was a pup and we went to grandma's, we had dinner and *then* opened presents, usually at a late hour like 19h00. Nowadays, the rugrats open presents *before* dinner, usually around 15h00. The next generation will probably start opening presents Christmas Eve morning, or maybe even on 23 Dec. How spoiled and overindulged.
There was one area where the 1980-1986 generation was spoiled, namely the orange couch. My two brothers and two cousins could all sit on this orange couch and open presents thereupon. Then, one day, it was gone, nothing but a dusty outline from where the couch had been stolen by some na'er-do-well. Grandma said that she "gave it to a nice colored man whose family's house burned down." I have spent the last decade searching for this family--with whom I would happily swap the old orange couch for a sweet new leather model--to no avail. If anyone knows someone with a kick-ass old orange couch, please e-mail me.
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December 17, 2004
You've Got Mail! Excerpts from Adrian's mailbag
Sometimes I get comments on my website by email. Here is an excerpt of one:
"I would appreciate it if you would remove your own political biases from your website and return it to what it was meant to be."
Actually, the sole purpose of this website is to express my political bias. Like in the entry below...
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Revenge of the popular crowd
I had lunch recently with one of the more accomplished members of the VHS Class of 1998. We ran through our respective circles of friends and what they're up to, and she concluded, "isn't it amazing that everyone's so successful? Our friends are now dentists, lawyers, engineers, realtors, accountants..."
What is interesting is how strongly one's high school reputation for physical attractiveness, intelligence, and social skills correlates with future success. At VHS, the popular crowd tended to be high on each of these three axes--and they have by-and-large been quite successful. (I use the third-person "they" on purpose.) Other people who were particularly high on one axis have also beeen successful. On the converse, almost nobody who wasn't known for at least one of the three (attractiveness, intelligence, or sociability) has acheived a particularly high level of "success" as traditionally defined.
It seems a bit surprising that one might predict so well in 9th grade who would be doing "best" ten years later.
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December 16, 2004
Launching a Transatlantic Zeppelin
I had two choices today: do laundry or build a blog. I chose the latter, and after fiddling for many hours with CGI, PERL, SQL, and a few other languages, I have launched Transatlantic Zeppelin. The name comes from a "blue-chip" stock Mr. Burns owns, along with Amalgamated Spat (spats being shoes popular in the 1920s), Confederated Slave Holdings, and "that up-and-coming Baltimore Opera Hat company." Feel free to post comments.
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December 02, 2004
Memoirs of St. Adrian
Today's bemusement is to look up a saint of your name at Catholic Online. There are a million and one saints, including surely one with your name, unless you're named a mid-1990s fad name like Dakota or Sierra. Consider Saint Adrian III:
"Little is known of ... why Adrian is venerated as a saint. ... [He] had a widow of one of the opposing nobility whipped naked through the streets of Rome. He died early in September on his way to the Diet of Worms, at the invitation of Emperor Charles the Fat.
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November 11, 2004
Do you know who I am, Google?
If you run a google on my name, Adrian Jones, you find that this website is barely in the top 10. That is quite annoying, so I am going to repeat my name several times in hopes of moving myself up. I know that there are 30 Adrian Joneses online, but this is a bit crazy. So here: Adrian Jones. Adrian Jones. Adrian Jones. Thank you for the indulgence.
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November 10, 2004
An unrecognized talent of the fairer sex
Chicago is a city of some 3M inhabitants, yet I somehow manage to make a fair number of random encounters with people I knew a long time ago. After another of these yesterday, I recollected the long-lost friends I've randomly met in the street. Well, actually, they recognized me. It occurs to me that (1) I am not good at remembering faces and (2) women are. I don't know why I could recongize the shape of Solvenia but not a face I knew for years. It's like how a typical man can parallel park while blindfolded but a woman, well, can't; how women are great conversationalists but men can't hold a conversation that doesn't devolve a series of grunt-like noises. So thank you to ye who recognize me from among the 3M people in this city. And happy Armistice Day to all.
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September 26, 2004
Find me on Friendster
Today when I should have been doing other things, I created a profile on Friendster. If you're also a member, add me as a friend.
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July 01, 2004
About the blogger
Name: Adrian Jones
Age: mid-20s
Sex: Yes
Location: Although originally from Indiana, I'm living in central Harlem in New York City, where I attend Columbia Business School and study how to make deals with "the Man" for our mutual benefit.
Things you might not know: I was 15 minutes late to a job interview in 2000. The company hired me nonetheless and I will be working for them until at least 2008.
I feel like a sardine when I'm on a plane, but I have traveled to 60 countries in the past 5 years, including a trip around the world. In 2005, I made it about 50,000 miles, the equivalent of just less than twice around the world.
I have the exact same college degree as Donald Trump Sr and Donald Trump Jr (Wharton School, real estate concentration). I was rejected both times I tried out for the Apprentice, but I was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times.
I was a victim of identity theft in 2001; the crook got nailed for 21 felonies and misdemeanors and I got "quote of the day" in the college newspaper.
A CEO who made $63 million last year told me that I "had no vision," which has nothing to do with my thick glasses. I'm getting lasik as soon as I get out of school and back on the company's insurance.
Politics: Socially moderate + economically conservative = libertarian. However, I did vote for one of the crazy reverends that ran against Daley in Chicago's non-partisan municipal elections.
Wine: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Chateau St Jean Vigoner, Lanson Champagne, Boone's Farm Strawberry (Tara convinced me of its benefits)
Hair: I have it done at the SHO-'NUFF Unisex Salon over on Malcolm X Drive in Harlem, where I sometimes see Donald Trump
Be my friend: Friendster - Facebook - LinkedIn - MySpace
Famous people I've met or bumped into: Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, the mother of rapper Common, Bob & Liddy Dole, R. Kelly, Kennedy, G. Gordon Liddy, Jack Welch and Reg Jones, the Prince of Belgium, lots of others who I didn't recognize. Oh yeah, I used to live in the same building as Jerry Springer; now I find myself living next to the personal attorney of Al Sharpton. Why do I always live by the nutcases?
Who has more girlfriends - me or grandpa?: Let's put it this way: grandpa may be 84 but he's quite the playa
Drugs taken illegally in the last 6 months: Ciproflaxin
Secret first date place: Experience suggests that taking her to a 3-hour supply chain management class does the trick
Posted by adrianjo at 08:06 PM | Comments (0)
Copyright notice and "About Transatlantic Zeppelin S.A."
This privacy & copyright police applies to all webpages within innogize.com, except the Ringing in Spring website and Jon Costas for Mayor redirect page.
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About Transatlantic Zeppelin
Transatlantic Zeppelin Société Anonyme was founded in 1928 and IPO'd on the Paris CAC-40 with a record first-day pop on Wed, October 23, 1929. Its assets were purchased for one Euro from a Cayman Islands-based "aged corporation" provider on 16 December 2004, and the firm was reorganized to realize its original 1928 goal of providing dirigible service on the highly-profitable route between Calais (in France's Flemish region) and Kouts, Indiana (in Indiana's cornish region). So far, the dream of Transatlantic dirigible service has not been realized, but TZ is the world's first transcontinental dirigible operator to go online.
Name of firm: Transatlantic Zeppelin S.A.
Ownership & Governance: We are organized as a Société Anonyme, 100% of shares held by Canary M. Burns.
Headquarters: Harlem USA
Incorporation: Jersey, C.I.
Annual Revenues: 10 euro cents I found on the streets of Bayeux in Sept.
President: Adrian Jones
Subsidiaries: Amalgamated Spat (80% ownership), The Baltimore Opera Hat Company (50.1% ownership), Confederated Holdings (49.1% joint-venture with Burns Worldwide), The Lousiana Superdome (bought for $1 at a sherrif's auction), The Cleveland Browns (wholly-owned)
This policy may be modified at any time without notice because I own this site. Parties interested in communicating their thoughts to management are advised to attend the TZ S.A. annual meeting on November 31 of each year in Windows on the World Restuarant, Lower Manhattan. (Take the 1-train to Courtland St.)
Posted by adrianjo at 12:00 AM
Contact me
If you wish to send messages, you may use carrier pigeon or the email below. Anything submitted might be posted on this website in whole or in part. Spam has become a huge problem, even when I used a Formmail PERL script. So you need to follow instructions carefully, including putting "THIS IS NOT SPAM" in the subject line. If you don't get a reply, try resending your message in a few days.
Posted by adrianjo at 12:00 AM