Category: Me

Getting something done

We spent the weekend implementing organizational systems at work, a la “Getting Things Done”. It feels good, but my mental life is still a mess because of all the non-business stuff running around. The next step is to get all that organized, but until I do, I need a place to jot down a couple things and this is as good as any.

Things I want to research and possibly do:

1. make the gangster fun videos available as on-demand DVDs.
* maybe edit them first
2. make all my music stuff available somewhere on-demand
* gee, maybe all this can be on chrisminnick.com
3. compile my fiction writings into something
4. re-edit Beef and make it available somewhere

Your basic catch-up post

I’m not going to go a year without posting something!

I just finished doing this major revision to the book from HELL. I’m not feeling the relief that I should be feeling yet, however. Maybe next weekend I’ll actually believe that it’s done.

Work is good. We have 3 full-time people and 3 interns now. Sacramento is treating us good. We have interesting friends here now and I feel like I did when we left Austin…that feeling of knowing some people and belonging in this place. So, that’s good.

Yardwork continues to overwhelm me. The yard is so small…but there’s so much life going on in it! The problem with Texas was that nothing would grow. The problem here is that everything grows and just won’t quit! We’re being overrun with oregano.

Adams smart

steps: about 150000
listening to: David McCullough’s John Adams

I sometimes have a tendency when reading/watching/listening to biographies of smart people to take pleasure in the failings and weaknesses of the person rather than being amazed and impressed by how far above me (intellectually) people like John Adams were. I realize that this is wrong, and that Ayn Rand would have something to say about it.

french and portuguese

eek. where the hell have I been? Here’s my catch-up post:

steps: average of around 13000 per day

I listened to the 8-part Pimsler set of beginning French tapes, and I don’t remember how to say much right now, but my ability to understand spoken French has improved. Est-ce vous comprenez l’anglais?

Now, I’m listening to the Pimsler beginning Brazilian Portuguese tapes. Com licenca. Como vai? Eu n�o entendo.

I like Walt Whitman

steps yesterday: 15700

Just finished listening to a tape of some cheeseball celebrities reading poems by Walt Whitman. The poems were in chronological order, and represented the whole spectrum of themes…from “Now I’m going to be a great poet” to “I like women (and men too?)” to “I love America” to “Abe Lincoln is Dead” to “I’m Dying”.

I didn’t know Walt was gay…but I don’t know how you’d not know that after reading (or listening to) some of his poems. But, then I thought that he was just talking about how he loves Man…as in people. But, then I googled “Walt Whitman gay” and there were tons of results. There’s even a book about Walt Whitman being gay–Walt Whitman: A Gay Life.

smart kid

steps yesterday: ~7700

not much walking yesterday. Went to San Mateo and had lunch with Dave and Audry. Their son is crazy smart. He wants to build a machine to “transport you into cyberspace”. He says that you’ll have a camera that takes a picture of what’s behind you, and that will be projected onto the front of you to make you look invisible, and a camera in front of you that will take a picture that will be put on the computer screen. I don’t know what practical application this has, but it’s fascinating that he’s 6 and coming up with this stuff. He also kept saying “the Web is the key.”. I wonder if he just heard that from his dad.

travelin

steps yesterday: 10801

traveling…Issac’s 3rd birthday, meeting with Carlon. bought a set of cds for listening to while driving…”Beyond Mozart”. Pretty good course on music appreciation.