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One of the more surprising points of concern regarding President Obama is the “question” of whether or not he is, in fact, a U.S. citizen. As you hopefully know, elected presidents must be at least 35 years of age, a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years, and a natural-born citizen. Fail any of these tests and it’s no president for you.
Apparently, there are some who believe Obama’s birth took place outside the U.S. and, as a result, he can’t be president. For these folks, I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. Unfortunately, wishing and hoping does not change the facts.
The hilarity does, however, inspire this week’s round of Matt vs. Wild.
Enjoy.
As previously discussed, we recently took a little trip back west. Our travel itinerary was complicated and included a stop in possibly the worst large airport ever – LAX. Honestly, I’ve never seen a more ridiculous setup at an airport that handles a similar amount of traffic. I suppose it’s fine if you don’t have to change terminals, but God help you if you do. The airport’s lone saving grace, however, is its close proximity to the Mecca of all fast food hamburger restaurants, In-N-Out.
We first got the idea to try and visit an In-N-Out when our DFW-to-LAX flight was parking at the gate. Realizing we had six hours to kill, we figured there would be plenty of time to make it out of the airport and back – a feeling that was confirmed when we discovered the short distance to the nearest location. Using the iPhone’s gps map, we found there was about a 1 mile walk from the actual terminal. Not too bad, so off we went.
Outside, though, was a different story. The exit from the airport was not pedestrian friendly, and traffic was fairly heavy. Deciding against a walk, we opted instead for a cab. How much could a one-mile fare be, right?
“$17.50 minimum, sir.”
“But we’re going one mile.”
“$17.50.”
“Have a nice day, then.”
$17.50… Right. Feeling dejected, we were about to give up. Then we decided to try something novel. We asked a traffic cop. He told us we could walk if we wanted to, OR we could do something better.
As it turns out, The Parking Spot has an off-airport parking lot on the same property as the In-N-Out we wanted to visit (Sepulveda and Westchester). Conveniently, they also run a complementary shuttle to and from the airport (wait under the red “Complementary Shuttle” signs outside and board the “Sepulveda” shuttle). Eating included, the entire round trip was thirty minutes max., meaning a layover of more than one hour at LAX now = In-N-Out.
Needless to say, the double-double with grilled onions and chilis and fries well-done was great. So great, in fact, that we repeated the trip on our way back to Texas.
If you find yourself at LAX with some time to kill, I encourage you to make the pilgrimage yourself. It’s a trip you won’t regret.
Went on a nice little vacation with the wife last week. Nice and much-needed, I might add. We headed back to California (Crescent City, or thereabout anyway) to visit my mom and step-dad.
First things first, the weather was fantastic. We’ve had 30+ days of 100+ degree heat in Texas so far this summer, with several records shattered (including the rarely mentioned “record-low high temp”). We landed in Medford and, after spending the night with temps in the 60’s, we headed to Mom’s where highs were in the 80’s and lows were in the 50’s. Better still were the temps in Crescent City itself – fogged in with highs in the 60’s.
I had to wear a jacket. It was lovely.
I also managed to squeeze in some golf with my step-dad on a great little course with temps in the mid-70’s and a slight breeze. My game may have not been stellar, but the weather was.
Outside of enjoying the weather, we ate well, read some (but not enough), visited with the fam, and on the last day went back to the Medford area so I could take the wife on a tour of my alma mater and downtown Ashland.
All-in-all, a great vacation.
Not much to this post other than to point out that it’s raining for the first time in 53 days.
That’s right – we haven’t seen rain in 53 days.
I spent a considerable amount of time in the Northwest (Oregon) and, odd as it may sound to some, I like rain. It’s cleansing and it makes and keeps things green. It also makes you appreciate warm sunny days, of which we’ve had an (over?) abundance of lately. So thank you, rain, for coming today. Consider yourself missed.
Several colleagues and I recently decided there was no better way to spend one evening per week in the 100+ degree Texas summer than playing kickball. As a kid, I have fond memories of playing kickball on the playground at recess or in P.E.
As an adult, I now associate kickball with, well, read the comic first…
Perhaps the only bit of comfort I can take from this experience is knowing it’s not an uncommon phenomenon. It’s not much to hold on to, but it’s something.
Twitter is something I have a hard time getting behind. The mere idea that I’m doing something so incredibly important and / or significant at any given moment – so much so that others would find it interesting – is one I can’t comprehend. That’s not to say there aren’t those people out there. Athletes, movie stars, Jon Gosselin… these I get. But me? Really? Doubtful.
I suppose, though, there are some who would point to the similarity between having a blog and using Twitter. It’s an argument I can see and one that makes sense. The difference, at least in my opinion, is the overarching goal of the medium. Where Twitter is designed to capture (at best) quick snapshots of what’s going on in the poster’s life, blogs allow the writer to explore in greater detail those goings on and other, more weighty topics. But maybe I’m splitting idealistic hairs.
Regardless, please excuse me, I have to go yell at some kids who are on my lawn…
Earlier, I wrote some tips for people searching for work. It’s a noble effort. One that’s increadibly frustrating, time-consuming, and mentally taxing. We’ve all been there. That said, there is at least one sure-fire way to avoid some of the pain and frustration involved in the process.
Don’t Apply For Something You’re Not Qualified To Do.
If you’re reviewing a position description and you have to stretch your experience to meet the minimum qualifications, chances are you aren’t going to do anything but waste your time and that of the reviewer(s). More importantly, if there is a section called “Preferred Qualifications,” check your experience against those. If you don’t meet that level, chances are you won’t make the first cut.
Obviously there are some exceptions to the rule. We’ve all heard of that friend-of-a-friend-of-a-cousin who bumped into Donald Trump on the way into the elevator and emerged thirty floors later with a new job and a corner office overlooking Manhattan. But, to paraphrase a movie I recently saw, we’re (collectively) not the exception – we’re (again, collectively) the rule.
In closing, I offer some additional tidbits…
- Don’t include your picture with your cover letter / resume (unless, of course, it’s a head shot and you’re trying to be a model / actor / actress / etc…). At best, it’s awkward. At worst, it’s downright creepy.
- Don’t start and end your cover letter with the following: “Dear Madam or Sir, My resume speaks for itself.” Employers like confidence. They don’t like arrogance.
- Please, please, please be succinct, clear, and professional in your communication. A two page cover letter and a five page resume aren’t necessary for most jobs, and it’s likely not going to be read anyway. If for nothing else, think of the trees when crafting your documents.
Best of luck to you if you’re out there looking for work.
Obviously this blogging thing has been hit and miss, and that’s being incredibly generous. Posting has been light, and interest from yours truly has been largely nonexistent. Not that nothing has been going on – quite the contrary, actually. Truth be told, I forgot I even had the blog for a while. I suppose that’s a fair indicator of where this blog (and blogging) lie on my priority list. That said, the thought of deleting the thing is something I’m not yet willing to do. Maybe it’s my competition strength, or maybe I’m just stubborn. Whatever.
Anyway, in an effort to bring anyone who cares up to speed, here’s some updates from the recent months:
- We sold our house. This is pretty much the biggest and best update I can offer. Really. Nearly one year on the market, and a complicated closing with last-minute drama to boot.
- We’re taking a vacation in a week. I’m looking forward to this for several reasons, the least of which involves the current temperature of our destination – highs in the mid-60’s, lows in the mid 50’s. Quite a contrast from the 7-days-and-counting of 100+ temps we’ve been dealing with. Bring on the jackets, I say.
- At work we hired two new people and they started two weeks ago. They’re both excellent, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to work with people of their caliber.
And there you have it – some of the highlights. With that, here’s to trying to keep this ship from sinking.
