Tuesday Video Update From Work
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Author Archives: jonbish
The Laundry Blues
Photo by Paul Keleher
I feel like every time I make the trek downstairs to do laundry; the door is locked, the washer is full, or both the washer and dryer are full. This has been a recurring problem not only in this apartment … but everywhere I’ve ever lived. College laundry rooms were always full with kids stuff left over night. The laundromat at camp when I was 16 was always full because everyone did laundry on the same day. Why must the simple chores of a single 20something become harder at everyone elses expense.
Alas, the perils of apartment living. It turns out it’s not just me … and we’ve even developed unspoken rules as to when its okay to interfere with some elses laundry routine.
For example, It’s ok to take stuff out of a dryer if everything seems dry as long as you neatly place it in the basket provided. Taking stuff out of the wash can get touchy.
I’ve also grown accustomed to walking softly and keeping it down after 10pm. I think that’s more just ingrained in me from my childhood. I was never quite able to figure out how I could walk up the stairs any quieter. Whatever … I’m older and wiser now. I just wear thick socks everywhere around the house. I’ve never seen a ninja get yelled at for being to loud walking up the stairs.
So this is my time killer while I wait for the laundry to be done. Crappy part is I have to walk around back of the house to go take it out of the dryer. This is gonna suck in the winter but I guess it’s better than not having one at all.
Why Social Media Marketing Sucks Ass!
The second we put labels on things, everyone makes a break for it to be on the forefront and mark their territory. The problem with this is that a lot of those people claiming their territory have no idea what they’re doing. This is the case with Social Media Marketing.
It sounds too good to be true:
- Ridiculously high ROI
- Small marketing budgets
- Inbound marketing techniques
- The viral potential is unheard of
The kicker of it all is that it’s really not that hard to wrap your mind around it. It’s a free society of individuals sharing information. People with quality content and a desire to communicate will thrive in a social media world. Once companies learn how to adopt these new forms of communication as legitimate forms of connecting with their clients they will began to see new marketing channels open.
I only use the word marketing in it’s most primitive form the “practice and science of trading”.
So the people who are doing it wrong end up filling the web with all this garbage. If only Google were THAT good. I mean they’re good …. but I feel like a lot of crap still slips through the cracks.
So I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again. STOP SPOILING THE WEB.
A Family Band
I’m pretty sure I’ve got shit that I need to be doing right now. But I’ve had wordpress open for the last hour while listening to my 90s rock playlist and reading other blogs on g reader and I feel like I must write something. So off the top of my head right now …. is … well I like this song I guess. High and Dry by Radiohead. I also enjoy the cover by Jamie Cullum. Kids pretty bad ass with his nasty jazz playin’ skillz.
I grew up in a music scene. First concert I ever went to was U2 … I was still in my moms tummy but I was there and that’s all that matters. Actually my first concert was The Wallflowers. They played at the High School in my town when I was like in 8th grade. It was a pretty big deal when it happened because Beverly is a relatively small city up in the North Shore.
But ya. My dad used to be constantly plying the guitar. I remember listening to him at coffee houses when I was too young to really know what was going on. I’ve since picked up the guitar as well but I think he’s just a lot more creative than I am. I can get very analytical about things where as he just kind of rolls with it more. Sometimes I feel like I have just as much fun enjoying music as he does playing it. Regardless it’s still fun when we get to play together.
My sister also has a pretty kick ass voice. At first I was like, eh, she’s alright. But recently I’ve been like, what the fuck, why you and not me. Well I don’t care that much but she does have a pretty bas ass voice.
My dad jokes around about forming a band. I think it would be wicked funny but don’t know if it’s something I could commit too. However … we would have like a 7 piece band. No … that would be weird.
Whatever …. I’m gonna head over to my dads now. Peace
Things I Can't Stand
I find myself repeating myself over and over again when rationalizing the things that I say and do. I usually just wouldn’t give a dam but for my friends and family I’ll repeat myself as many times as they like. For the rest of you I’m making a list of things I can’t stand:
- People that don’t have good relationships with their parents. I understand that in some cases there are good reasons to not have relationships. This is more about a girl I know that is a bitch to her mom for no good reason. She is also incredibly spoiled … but ya. I’m a family man.
- People that aren’t open minded. This ones simple. I hate people that refuse to step outside of their little safe box.
- People that are racist. I’m pretty laid back when it comes to this stuff but people in my family have not been so lucky.
- People that try and push religion down other people’s throats. I went to 8 years of christian camp, youth group, bible studies and catacombs by choice. It was a great time in my life but I have since moved past it. Your not going to teach me anything I don’t already know. I choose to have my own beliefs or disbeliefs of my own and you can enjoy the same privilege. Lets keep it that way.
- People that think they know everything. Because I know I know everything and that’s all that matters.
- People that judge me by my age and appearance. If everyone started judging everyone else by how they presented themselves and their accomplishments we would be a lot better off as a society.
- Parents that shelter their children. I was a camp counselor for years and have always loved working with kids. My younger stepbrother is one of the coolest kids I know. A lot of over concerned parents ruin their children’s youth by instilling fear. They do this out of compassion and their own fear but they don’t realize the real danger they’re doing. The odds that something will happen to your child are only decreased by such a microcosm of a percentage that its not ever worth trying to figure out. The truth is that child psychologists believe that your kid is alot less likely to have a normal social life when they grow up do to a lack of basic survival skills we develop in adolescence. Basically… let your kids be kids.
- The Police. I know a few cool ones … but they’re about to retire so we’re all screwed. This is just because of my own personal relations with cops up to this point.
Well that’s about it for now. I’m getting to tired to think.
Pursuit of Happiness
The Meaning of Life
I personally believe that the meaning of life is simply to survive. Look at any other form of life and you’ll see that this is a simple universal truth:
- Trees growing toward the sun looking for energy
- Micro-organisms multiplying
- Animals hunt or are hunted
But I want to expand this thought process a little further.
Throughout evolution we have learned how to survive and now we strive to survive in comfort. It’s now less and less about shelter, food, water, companionship and more about the ease of acquiring and using these resources.
So with survival on the back burner … now what?
Pursuit of happiness
We’ve spent so much time “growing” as a race and “learning” as intelligent beings we have forgotten some simple truths. Surviving should be the easy part of life … whats the point in living unless you’re not having fun. The problem is society teaches us otherwise. We are taught what’s right and wrong at a young age and we still live our lives on morals that are really just ancient trains of thought. Trains of thought that were made up to explain the unexplainable.
We need to undo the mess and start living a little more:
- Look at life with a fresh set of eyes
- Live a little
- Do something random
- Do something you’ve never done before
- Do something you never thought you would do
- Make a few mistakes
Once people stop living in this filter we’ve created for ourselves, happiness becomes the side-effect.
What Blows My Speakers?
Only two things have ever occupied my Jeep’s stereo system since I bought it back in Febtober … I mean February.
104.1 WBCN
O&A take up a majority of my morning with a sprinkling of XM shows on my laptop once i get to work. Toucher and Rich keep me occupied from about 5:30PM to 7PM every night on my way home. Hardy and 12 take up the rest of my time with some of my favorite rock from the last 20 years. I remember listening to other stations when I was younger …. I wonder if they’re still around?
The Legion of Doom
What started out as a series of leaked mash-ups has continued on to become a wealth of great rock remixes. I remember first hearing the songs these guys put together and being blown away. I’ve easily turned all of my friends on to them.
I think the first song I heard by them was The Quiet Screaming which mashed up:
- Screaming Infidelities – Dashboard Confessional
- The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows – Brand New
I put some of their other videos in a YouTube playlist if you wanted to check out some more.
The Legion of Doom YouTube Playlist
Also check out their website.
Monday Video Update During Work
Friday Video Update From Work
UMass Homecoming
This past weekend was homecoming at UMass Amherst. I would have written about this sooner but I’ve been pretty sick the last couple of days.
So I arrived Friday night at the current president of my old frat’s house. A couple of the guys had already arrived so we immediately went inside and started the festivities with some beer pong. I won my first game of beer pong of the weekend in triple over time so i decided to call it quits and go undefeated.
We then went to the bar where we waited in line for about 30 minutes. While waiting in line, this girl behind me asks how many people are in front of my. I told her about 15 or so and she then calls me an asshole.
?^&*^(?
I was very confused at this point so in my semi drunken stupor I replied …. I think I’m more of a douche bag than an asshole. She agreed and continued to be a drunk bitch. I hate drunk bitches.
So we finally got inside and I bought a pitcher of the fine stuff …. bud light …. which was gone in about 2 minutes. I’m pretty sure one of my buddies just grabbed the pitcher and chugged it.
I had enough at this point so me and a couple other guys left early and went back to the house to drink with the rest of the underage kids.
The next day was tailgating galore. It was great to see so many old friends.
That night I went out and bough 7 30s to contribute to the nights stockpile and the party began.
Note: Girls …. writing stuff across your boobs will get you extra beer
I’m sorry but I’m a guy and when I’m drunk … not gonna lie… it works
The night was great tho. The sox won. I got really drunk. We all danced and drank till the wee hours of the morning.
I finally decided to crash at around 4AM at my buddies house down the street. So I’m just about to pass out when my buddies roommate comes storming in drunk yelling WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU. He flipped over his couch and he’s throwing shit around. He yells WHY IS EVERYONE SLEEPING …. ITS DRINKY TIME. I just put my pillow over my head and prayed form morning.
Finally morning came. It was a lazy Sunday. Me and my friend Pat drove down to Springfield where we went and saw Max Payne. Then I dropped him off in Gardner and was back to the North Shore by arount 7.
Monday morning I woke up sick as a dog. I guess my body cant handle it anymore. Oh well. I’ll be back there some time next month for Round 2