Welcome to Proper Admin for July 2016, my monthly recap of anything worth sharing which did not quite make it into a blog post.
Blog Admin- July 2016
Some 'state of the blog' remarks to kick things off!
Currently, this blog is mostly for relatively unorganized longer form writing. This gives me the chance to do things like proofreading (which I never do) and think on paper (which I need to do better).
However, I've always envisioned the future of the blog as a space where I simply write my thoughts about what I've read recently (*). My feeling of late is that this future is fast approaching.
Some 'state of the blog' remarks to kick things off!
Currently, this blog is mostly for relatively unorganized longer form writing. This gives me the chance to do things like proofreading (which I never do) and think on paper (which I need to do better).
However, I've always envisioned the future of the blog as a space where I simply write my thoughts about what I've read recently (*). My feeling of late is that this future is fast approaching.
*'Nobody really cares what I think about customer service' is another way to describe this concept.So, I am going to make a non-trivial effort to shorten up the posts. I think this news will come to the delight of all readers but I also know we've been here before. I mean it this time, though! The basic principle of these shorter posts will be that each post should try to get across one idea and one idea only. We'll see how it goes from there.
One related concept is my decision to start a new blog. It is going to center entirely around topics I can link back to business management concepts. Separating these posts from this blog was a tricky decision but I think the correct one (*).
*We all get bored talking about work, after all.I'll put links up to those blog posts at the top of new posts on this blog so that you all can enjoy my fine writing across all media platforms. I am still working out the specific details about when I will start that up but I will certainly keep you all posted.
What's cooking in this kitchen for the next few weeks? Tentative schedule...
7/12- What I Learned This Year
7/15- Proper Admin July- Books
7/19- Lost In
Translation Tournament Final
7/22- Maybe Something About Shoes?
7/26- Remember
To Take Care Of Yourself
7/29- Is Harry Potter Really Coming Back??!?
8/2- USA,
Part 2 (My Hiroshima Trip from 2008)
8/5- Proper Admin August
8/9- Proper Admin July/August- Podcasts
8/12- Proper Admin August- Books
8/16- One Year Hubway Anniversary
8/12- Proper Admin August- Books
8/16- One Year Hubway Anniversary
9/5- USA, Part 3 (What's
The Point of America?)
9/9- Proper Admin September
Q + A from June- actual questions from actual readers
Q: Is it OK to share the link for the blog?
9/9- Proper Admin September
Q + A from June- actual questions from actual readers
Q: Is it OK to share the link for the blog?
A: Yup- same answer as last month-
only as long as you think it is good...
It does seem like some sharing is going on. Nice work, readers. The blog view count is a little higher on a daily basis than it was at this time three months ago. We might have our first double-digit page view day soon! Hopefully, such traffic does not crash Google's servers.
It does seem like some sharing is going on. Nice work, readers. The blog view count is a little higher on a daily basis than it was at this time three months ago. We might have our first double-digit page view day soon! Hopefully, such traffic does not crash Google's servers.
The following things were actually said about my blog in June...
Sorry folks- this section is coming to an end. Fun while it lasted, though. You can use the comments section if you miss it- it will be like this section but in real-time.
What was all the chatter about? Commentary on June 2016 blog posts...
*6/3- Proper Admin, June 2016 (part one- general)
Sorry folks- this section is coming to an end. Fun while it lasted, though. You can use the comments section if you miss it- it will be like this section but in real-time.
What was all the chatter about? Commentary on June 2016 blog posts...
*6/3- Proper Admin, June 2016 (part one- general)
*6/7- Proper Admin, June 2016
(part two- books)
*6/14- Proper Admin Special Edition- Lost In Translation Tournament
Recap
This whole blog is becoming a proper admin.
*6/17- Euro 2016 Preview
At the time of writing, the semifinals of this tournament are set. Wales is still around, surprisingly. Unsurprisingly, my tournament pick was wrong- Italy succumbed to Germany in a quarterfinal round penalty shootout.
Euro 2016 Semifinals as interpreted by True On Average
Tavern In The Square (South Station?) vs. The D Line
This whole blog is becoming a proper admin.
*6/17- Euro 2016 Preview
At the time of writing, the semifinals of this tournament are set. Wales is still around, surprisingly. Unsurprisingly, my tournament pick was wrong- Italy succumbed to Germany in a quarterfinal round penalty shootout.
Euro 2016 Semifinals as interpreted by True On Average
Tavern In The Square (South Station?) vs. The D Line
South Boston vs. The
Public Garden
*6/21- Lost In Translation, First Semifinal
*6/21- Lost In Translation, First Semifinal
*6/28- Lost In Translation, Second
Semifinal
This will probably be the last 'bracket' I do on this blog unless, of course, Lost In Translation II comes out. Fingers crossed?
Podcast Roundup
This section ran long so I cut most of it for a 'podcast only' post next month. We'll see, perhaps once every two months is a good rhythm for podcast commentary.
I will start a couple of new features for this monthly section- a monthly podcast episode recommendation and personal podcast power rankings.
My podcast episode recommendation from this month is from The Football Ramble. This particular episode is something of a regular feature- it is the episode after England embarrass themselves at a major international soccer tournament. It runs about fifty minutes, most of which is spent complaining about England. At some point in the middle, they spend a few minutes talking about 'actual football' before returning to the topic of England. Very entertaining and a good look at the fan mentality of a different national team.
Here is a link to that specific episode.
On to the power rankings. Everyone loves power rankings, right? Simply put, power rankings mean a list of the podcasts I listen to in order of personal preference. The only one I do not include is Hardcore History. This show, by Dan Carlin, comes out every two or three months as a multiple hour breakdown of some moment in history. It is closer to an audio book than a podcast so I'll leave it aside.
Podcast Power Rankings- July 2016
Reading Roundup- June 2016
As is the now standard proper admin format, I'll cover last month's reading in a separate post next week. Here is the full list from June:
*Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (6/1)
This will probably be the last 'bracket' I do on this blog unless, of course, Lost In Translation II comes out. Fingers crossed?
Podcast Roundup
This section ran long so I cut most of it for a 'podcast only' post next month. We'll see, perhaps once every two months is a good rhythm for podcast commentary.
I will start a couple of new features for this monthly section- a monthly podcast episode recommendation and personal podcast power rankings.
My podcast episode recommendation from this month is from The Football Ramble. This particular episode is something of a regular feature- it is the episode after England embarrass themselves at a major international soccer tournament. It runs about fifty minutes, most of which is spent complaining about England. At some point in the middle, they spend a few minutes talking about 'actual football' before returning to the topic of England. Very entertaining and a good look at the fan mentality of a different national team.
Here is a link to that specific episode.
On to the power rankings. Everyone loves power rankings, right? Simply put, power rankings mean a list of the podcasts I listen to in order of personal preference. The only one I do not include is Hardcore History. This show, by Dan Carlin, comes out every two or three months as a multiple hour breakdown of some moment in history. It is closer to an audio book than a podcast so I'll leave it aside.
Podcast Power Rankings- July 2016
1. The Football Ramble
2. Common Sense
with Dan Carlin
3. More Or Less: Behind the Stats
4. The Bill Simmons Podcast
5.
Men In Blazers
6. The Memory Palace
7. EconTalk
8. Dear Sugar Radio
9. The Moth
10. Reply All
Not Applicable for Power Rankings
*Hardcore HistoryNot Applicable for Power Rankings
Reading Roundup- June 2016
As is the now standard proper admin format, I'll cover last month's reading in a separate post next week. Here is the full list from June:
*Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (6/1)
*Slouching Towards Bethlehem by
Joan Didion (6/4)
*Mind Gym by Sebastian Bailey and Octavius Black (6/5)
*Only
What's Necessary by Chip Kidd (6/8)
*Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi
Coates (6/22)
*Nonrequired Reading by Wislawa Szymborska (6/24)
*Stitches by
Anne Lamott (6/25)
*The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman (6/26)
*Plain Talk by
Ken Iverson (6/27)
I also read the first half of The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte. This book reminded me of How To Lie With Statistics, a book I talked about in a past post. The primary idea involved discussing the principles of proper design for graphs, charts, and tables. Since this book was filled with many examples of such infographics being used deceptively, it could easily be considered a sequel to How To Lie With Statistics.
What's up for July?
I have a few books out from the library which I do intend to read. Of those, Still Alice by Lisa Genova intrigues me the most. This novel follows a couple of years in the life of a Harvard professor after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. I picked this book out because I am having the privilege of meeting patients suffering from Alzheimer's through my volunteer work and feel that knowing as much as I can about their experience will make me a better volunteer.
Three others I hope to get started on before next month's proper admin post:
*Turn by Anne Truitt
I also read the first half of The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte. This book reminded me of How To Lie With Statistics, a book I talked about in a past post. The primary idea involved discussing the principles of proper design for graphs, charts, and tables. Since this book was filled with many examples of such infographics being used deceptively, it could easily be considered a sequel to How To Lie With Statistics.
For the half-year, I finished reading seventy-nine books. In the same period of time last year, I read forty-six books. I think the jump is only loosely related to not having full time work (*). The real reason underlying the jump is my emphasis on reading shorter books.
*I did read seventeen books in January, after all, a month during which I worked full time.
A better indicator of the impact of not having a job is blog posts. In the same time frame from 2015, I completed exactly zero blog posts. This year, I completed about thirty-five or so.
What's up for July?
I have a few books out from the library which I do intend to read. Of those, Still Alice by Lisa Genova intrigues me the most. This novel follows a couple of years in the life of a Harvard professor after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. I picked this book out because I am having the privilege of meeting patients suffering from Alzheimer's through my volunteer work and feel that knowing as much as I can about their experience will make me a better volunteer.
Three others I hope to get started on before next month's proper admin post:
*Turn by Anne Truitt
*Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham (reread)
*Religion
For Atheists by Alain de Botton (reread)
I think the fact that I am rereading a book is a good enough sign of my recommendation! Both of the rereads above were very good the first time around.
Turn is a book I have no expectations for but noted that it was very well reviewed.
Did I leave the apartment at all?
I think the fact that I am rereading a book is a good enough sign of my recommendation! Both of the rereads above were very good the first time around.
Turn is a book I have no expectations for but noted that it was very well reviewed.
Did I leave the apartment at all?
Early in June, I went to see Chuck Klosterman read from his newest book, But What If We're Wrong, and field audience questions. Book readings are a fairly good time and Klosterman in general is a fairly good time so this went predictably well from my point of view. From the reading, I got the impression that his newest book will be very good. There was nothing particularly memorable about the event, however.
Beacon Hill had its annual art festival (I believe it is called the 'art walk'). This is a very convenient event for me as one of the exhibits takes place ten steps from my front door. The most interesting piece involved various fortune cookie slips glued onto a panel with different streaks of paint slashing across the messages. I have a small collection of such messages and found the way one artist made use of these fascinating.
A few days later, the Jimmy Fund had its annual Scooper Bowl event. Ten bucks for all you can eat ice cream. It is probably a good thing that this is held midweek because it would be pure madness if it took place on a weekend. One thing I noticed is how few small ice cream vendors exist in the area, especially compared to breweries. I am sure there is some reason involving the economies of these pursuits that explains this observation.
Davis Square had a 'squeezebox' music event that did little to clarify my understanding of a 'waltz' but regardless was a good way to sit around and do nothing for a couple of hours (*). I enjoyed Emerald Ray and Somer O'Brien's Irish and Scottish influenced pieces. This Gloucester based duo did play a wider variety of music which I did not find as appealing. They have a few things up on Youtube and are working on a Kickstarter for their first album- might be worth checking out if you are interested in that type of music.
*'Squeezebox' means accordions. If you need a more technical definition, Wikipedia describes it as the 'general class of hand-held bellows-driven free reed aerophones'...so, uh, there you go.
The Boston Public Library started their free concert series this month. So far,
I only checked out Eduardo Mercuri's show which was a good time but not the type of thing I
will likely seek out in the future. July sees luhx (no caps, synth-soul?) and MIXCLA (all caps, a Chilean-Japanese-Cuban Latin Jazz mix...wait, what?) coming in which seem
like two acts more down my alley (well, sort of).
June has been a good month for getting outside. Recent conditions at sunrise and sunset fit my definition for perfect weather- you can wear just about anything you want and remain comfortable.
On days when I wake up early enough, I'll jog over to the waterfront and try to watch the sun come up. Given the time of sunrise, this has been a significant challenge! Sitting around and reading during the early morning hours at the Public Garden has been a good addition to my routine.
I have one concern at the moment regarding the Public Garden. They currently have two nesting swans on the northwest side of the pond. The public is separated from these territorial beasts by a flimsy little half-moon fence which stops at the water's edge. Newton's Second Law of Nesting Birds, I believe, states that a swan at rest remains at rest until a bunch of tourists turn up to take selfies. I forget the next law. But I do know that a swan at rest is within a few seconds of full access to the public at all times. If a swan goes for a little swim, even that buffer disappears.
I have been attacked by a swan and it was no fun experience. It happened a couple of years ago while I walked to my old job. I was walking up the street to the office when I felt something pulling at my gym bag. Looking down, I saw a swan using its pointless beak to hammer away at the Nike swoosh on the side of the bag. I tried to swing the bag at it a couple of times and considered reasoning with the animal before I noticed the pure evil in the eyes that stared back to meet mine. At this point, I decided it was best to just jog up the hill while I could do so unscathed.
Everyone who I detailed this assault to later that day thought it was a hilarious event!
A few days later, the swan attacked a woman's car in a parking lot and, now that a car was being damaged, I suppose, things were no longer a laughing matter. In short, no one has seen the swan since.
Based entirely on my one experience with swans, I am concerned for the Public Garden. I just do not see this situation with nesting swans ending well. What is the best case scenario here? We already have swan boats, ducks waddling about, and a healthy one-to-one ratio of squirrels to the park's square footage. Are you not entertained? Do we really need to add potentially dangerous birds to the mix? Fingers crossed, everyone.
I find myself over by the Charles River two or three times a week to see the sunset. This is something I generally do, if possible, even during winter. But it is particularly nice at this time of the year to sit by the river and watch the day wind down.
All of the time I have spent over the past couple of years observing this simple, daily event is beginning to accumulate. Not many years ago, I used to look at sunsets and think 'that looks just like a painting'. These days, it works in reverse- I'll see a painting and, if I recognize the great care and skill needed to capture the end of a day so accurately, I'll say 'that looks just like a sunset'.
Anything else new?
I bought new running shoes. I initially wrote more about this for today's post but, surprise, I have a lot more to say on the matter than I realized! I am going to do a separate post about these shoes later.
Speaking of buying clothing, I did buy new jeans. I have no idea why jeans are stacked in the store with the biggest pairs on the bottom shelf and the smaller ones at the top. Logic would dictate that they would be stacked in ascending order by inseam so that the tallest people would worry about the jeans on the top shelves and the shortest people would deal with the bottom shelves but, well, what can you do?
My complaints aside, since neither top nor bottom shelf had my size, I ended up buying them online.
I resigned my lease for Boston. I considered, seriously but briefly, whether it was time to go. It is possible to stay too long at the fair. But I don't think the time is quite right to make such major decisions.
Once I determined that I was going to give the city one more shot, it was a no-brainer to stay in the current apartment. Compared to the other options available for September, my overpriced studio is actually a fairly decent deal.
My job search is going pretty well. There are a lot of opportunities out there. Look for asarcastic
post about the job hunting process sometime this summer.
Finally, my bar trivia team actually won. This type of thing is generally non-news but I mention it only because this was our first victory in three years. This is a particularly massive accomplishment for my friend Brian, who has gone to this same trivia every week for nearly three straight years and lost every single time. I've been an on-again off-again member of the team during that period but over the last six months I too, have gone each week to help our squad find a new way to lose.
Our initial victory was by a single point so the fluke potential was significant. But, the next week, we won again, once more by a single point. Therefore, it came as no surprise to me this month that Iceland beat England in soccer, that Cleveland won an NBA championship, that the UK broke off from the EU. When our team wins trivia, anything is possible and nothing is permanent.
Thanks for reading this past month.
Until Tuesday,
Tim
June has been a good month for getting outside. Recent conditions at sunrise and sunset fit my definition for perfect weather- you can wear just about anything you want and remain comfortable.
On days when I wake up early enough, I'll jog over to the waterfront and try to watch the sun come up. Given the time of sunrise, this has been a significant challenge! Sitting around and reading during the early morning hours at the Public Garden has been a good addition to my routine.
I have one concern at the moment regarding the Public Garden. They currently have two nesting swans on the northwest side of the pond. The public is separated from these territorial beasts by a flimsy little half-moon fence which stops at the water's edge. Newton's Second Law of Nesting Birds, I believe, states that a swan at rest remains at rest until a bunch of tourists turn up to take selfies. I forget the next law. But I do know that a swan at rest is within a few seconds of full access to the public at all times. If a swan goes for a little swim, even that buffer disappears.
I have been attacked by a swan and it was no fun experience. It happened a couple of years ago while I walked to my old job. I was walking up the street to the office when I felt something pulling at my gym bag. Looking down, I saw a swan using its pointless beak to hammer away at the Nike swoosh on the side of the bag. I tried to swing the bag at it a couple of times and considered reasoning with the animal before I noticed the pure evil in the eyes that stared back to meet mine. At this point, I decided it was best to just jog up the hill while I could do so unscathed.
Everyone who I detailed this assault to later that day thought it was a hilarious event!
A few days later, the swan attacked a woman's car in a parking lot and, now that a car was being damaged, I suppose, things were no longer a laughing matter. In short, no one has seen the swan since.
Based entirely on my one experience with swans, I am concerned for the Public Garden. I just do not see this situation with nesting swans ending well. What is the best case scenario here? We already have swan boats, ducks waddling about, and a healthy one-to-one ratio of squirrels to the park's square footage. Are you not entertained? Do we really need to add potentially dangerous birds to the mix? Fingers crossed, everyone.
I find myself over by the Charles River two or three times a week to see the sunset. This is something I generally do, if possible, even during winter. But it is particularly nice at this time of the year to sit by the river and watch the day wind down.
All of the time I have spent over the past couple of years observing this simple, daily event is beginning to accumulate. Not many years ago, I used to look at sunsets and think 'that looks just like a painting'. These days, it works in reverse- I'll see a painting and, if I recognize the great care and skill needed to capture the end of a day so accurately, I'll say 'that looks just like a sunset'.
Anything else new?
I bought new running shoes. I initially wrote more about this for today's post but, surprise, I have a lot more to say on the matter than I realized! I am going to do a separate post about these shoes later.
Speaking of buying clothing, I did buy new jeans. I have no idea why jeans are stacked in the store with the biggest pairs on the bottom shelf and the smaller ones at the top. Logic would dictate that they would be stacked in ascending order by inseam so that the tallest people would worry about the jeans on the top shelves and the shortest people would deal with the bottom shelves but, well, what can you do?
My complaints aside, since neither top nor bottom shelf had my size, I ended up buying them online.
I resigned my lease for Boston. I considered, seriously but briefly, whether it was time to go. It is possible to stay too long at the fair. But I don't think the time is quite right to make such major decisions.
Once I determined that I was going to give the city one more shot, it was a no-brainer to stay in the current apartment. Compared to the other options available for September, my overpriced studio is actually a fairly decent deal.
My job search is going pretty well. There are a lot of opportunities out there. Look for a
Finally, my bar trivia team actually won. This type of thing is generally non-news but I mention it only because this was our first victory in three years. This is a particularly massive accomplishment for my friend Brian, who has gone to this same trivia every week for nearly three straight years and lost every single time. I've been an on-again off-again member of the team during that period but over the last six months I too, have gone each week to help our squad find a new way to lose.
Our initial victory was by a single point so the fluke potential was significant. But, the next week, we won again, once more by a single point. Therefore, it came as no surprise to me this month that Iceland beat England in soccer, that Cleveland won an NBA championship, that the UK broke off from the EU. When our team wins trivia, anything is possible and nothing is permanent.
Thanks for reading this past month.
Until Tuesday,
Tim
