So I just rolled off a pretty busy project at work, and I’m finally catching up on my blog reading. I missed a lot!

I was checking out Manager Mom’s blog, and I was totally impressed with some of the stuff she’s been putting out. This MILF is hilarious! I clicked through (from Google Reader) to leave a comment, and was SHOCKED at the comment activity. The thing has exploded. There were like 50 comments on each of her posts.

I was impressed and definitely a little jealous. And there are plenty of other great blogs in Stamford, many of which are also starting to get a lot of traffic.

It got me thinking…. should we create some sort of Stamford Blog Network? This may be a little crazy, given the proliferation of ad networks out there. But there must be local advertisers who would pay to reach the audience that our blogs are creating. Local bars and restaurants would certainly be interested.

I doubt any of us are doing this for the money, but wouldn’t it be nice if we could make a little extra on the side?

I love Scott Adams.

When it comes to picking our next president, I can’t decide if I
prefer the smooth-talking, inspirational candidate who promises to give
my money to people who don’t work as hard as I do, or the old, short,
ugly, angry guy with one good arm who graduated at the bottom of his
class and somehow managed to shag a hot heiress and become a contender
for president. It seems dangerous to underestimate that guy.

After my experience traveling into LGA over the last 3 months, I swore that I would never again take Delta into LGA. It’s ALWAYS backed up.

Then tonight, I was forced to switch back from my EWR flight. And all seemed miraculous. The flight took off on time. It was pleasant. The pilot went straight over Manhattan at sunset, offering an unbelievable view of the city. It was a fitting end to my Tampa study.

Except that now I’m sitting on the runway. Apparently our gate is open but there are too many planes between here and there, and we can’t get through.

Sure it’s frustrating, but my expectations are so unbelievably low that I’m not actually that upset. I can actually enjoy other people’s misery….as soon as the plane landed, everyone around got on their cell phones to complain to their loved ones about a 20 minute delay. They are dropping F-bombs all over the place. They are PISSED. They have no idea.

In the past 7 weeks, this flight has not taken off within 2 hours of its scheduled departure time.

The Stamford Times covers the story here.

“The region’s youngest and brightest business leaders were honored Thursday, June 12 at a reception for the 2008 Fairfield County 40 under 40 held at UConn Stamford.”

It’s an outrage that I wasn’t selected for the list. I’m under 40, I live in Fairfield County, and I’m certainly THE brightest, youngest leader in the region.

Furthermore, my father’s company was a sponsor of the event and he was the emcee! I suppose the committee, in all its wisdom, figured that the mere perception of a conflict of interest would be too great a risk. Surely the last thing they need is a question being raised about the selection process for such a highly coveted award.

Wish me luck. I have 11 more years to prove my worth.

Firefox just keeps getting better and better.

I think my favorite feature is the way it asks if you want to remember a password.  In the old version (and IE), you don’t know if the password works when it asks you if it should remember it!  So you always hit no, and the program never gets smart.

In the new Firefox, you can click “yes, remember my password,” AFTER you see whether it works.  This is hugely helpful for those of us who can’t remember stuff the first time.

I just posted this flyer up and down Prospect Street.  This car’s alarm has been going off since Thursday night.  It’s times like this that I wish I believed in hell, so I could curse people to it.

Hopefully the flyers will attract some attention to the problem.  Or perhaps the owner of this Lincoln Continental is a reader of Herbietown?

I had a crappy week, but it ended gloriously.

Starting off Monday mornings with a 4:30 am wake-up is brutal, and it doesn’t get any easier with repetition. I get in the car at 5:15 and I open my laptop. For the next 20 hours, I’m analyzing data, writing emails, scheduling meetings, or talking to clients. Sometimes it feels like I never get a moment to stop.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I work with brilliant down-to-earth people and I’ve been lucky to get staffed on some exciting projects in the media industry. I’m learning something new every day. The best days are usually the ones where I see a direct impact of my actions on the client’s business.

But I don’t get many chances to come up for air. My laptop and blackberry enable me to work nonstop, so I don’t get to enjoy the scenery much.

On Thursday afternoon, I walked home from the train station in Stamford. I was exhausted from a long day, and I had a long night of work ahead of me. My spirits were down.

I got off the train and took the steps to the underground walkway that leads to the street. The path was blocked by yellow police tape, and there were security guards everywhere. Naturally I was curious.

Turns out there was a movie being filmed. I usually make a point of not gawking at celebrities…they’re just people after all. They should be gawking at me!

But then I realized that this was probably that DeNiro movie that’s being shot all over downtown. Which means Drew Barrymore was probably in the vicinity.

I have a crush on Drew Barrymore.

My wife has given me permission to have my way with her, should Drew be willing and interested. People are usually surprised that my 1 get-out-of-jail-free choice isn’t some rail-thin supermodel.

I think my crush started with her performance in E.T. I know, I know, she was like 6. Before you get all weirded out, please realize that I was also about 6. So it was perfectly natural.

Anyway, I didn’t see Drew at the train station. But just the thought of running into her was enough to add a little pep to my walk. And calling Greta to flaunt the increasing likeliness of my infidelity was fun, too.

Next, on my way up Atlantic Street, I passed a road race. Healthy good-looking people filling the streets doing something healthy. Music. Food. Families.

I also passed a handful of bars and restaurants, all with outdoor seating. Love was in the air. People were everywhere, all over downtown, frolicking in the springtime weather.

My troubles melted away. I imagined myself in a modern day community celebration….like those scenes in Braveheart where the entire village celebrates someone’s wedding, and everyone is happy and safe.

My senses suddenly became aware of the beauty all around me. Trees and flowers in full bloom. A light breeze carrying strange and wonderful scents. I felt like giving my wallet to a homeless person and breaking into a yodel.

To top things off, I witnessed a reuniting of mother and daughter on my building’s front stoop. An Asian man stood with his daughter at the front stoop. A taxi pulled up. The little girl (4 years old?) ran straight for it (right past me) with a giant smile on her face and her arms opened wide. The mother was barely out of the car when her daughter collapsed into her arms. The father filmed the entire scene with a video camera. I almost cried!

There’s so much beauty and joy all around us, and all it takes is a little heightened perception to observe the everyday miracles that make life worth living.

I’ll get back to the cynicism and whining tomorrow.