Mild Amusement

Every now and again, I volunteer some of my time to help teach people trying to get back into the workforce. It all started on a whim, really. I got an email through work asking if I could help with a math class. I remember thinking, "well, hell, I like math. Sure, why not?"And so, I agreed to help teach a business math course that helped people understand the type of math that they'd need in an office setting. As it turns out, I found the whole thing pretty rewarding, so I kept at it. Eventually, I also agreed to teach a few other classes, including one about effective use of email. The way I see it, anyone can send email, so the more people that are sending concise emails that communicate clearly, the better the world will be. It's like my own little way of balancing out all the email spam out in the wild. Besides, I might end up working with some of these folks some day, so it'll be better for my inbox that way. Chris Rock did this bit about wanting his niec...

I have always used some form of a Windows PC for my personal computing. I understand how it works, and I've got a fairly decent feel for what to expect from the operating system. In short, I feel like I get it. On top of that, most workplaces I've been to have also used it, so using the Windows operating system has been a significant part of my experience with computers. As you've probably noticed, though, Apple and its products have put themselves squarely in the conversation for "best devices to use" ( though if my brother's company ever pans out, that'll change ). I fully get that, and I am willing to give the devices their due. However, there are some people who go far, far beyond that, and become fanboys. Their favorite device and the associated manufacturer can do no wrong in their eyes, and they absolutely insist that Apple is the end-all, be-all, absolutely best thing ever, and that no other competitor has ever even come up with a good idea. It...

I have been writing this blog for just under 5 years now (holy crap, I can't believe it's been that long), but it's never been wildly popular. That's mostly because it's only so interesting (it's called MILD amusement for a reason), but part of it is also due to how I market the thing. Or don't market it, as the case may be. The funny thing about me is that I will happily share details about myself , but I don't necessarily go out of my way to volunteer those details. In fact, as a result of this, some of my friends will intentionally tailor questions to me in a very specific manner to make sure that I respond with the details that they care about. It makes for some very amusing exchanges, but recently, it came up in relation to this blog. A friend of mine has been talking about starting a blog of her own, and she was telling a few of us all about how she came up with the name for it. It involved some guy quasi hitting on her as she was walking dow...

A while back, I had some friends ask me if I wanted to go with them to the opera. I have no qualms about occasionally going to events that are a tad more refined , so I didn't immediately dismiss the idea. In hindsight, that one decision was completely worth it. First off, the two friends who invited me weren't sure that I would be interested at all. They would later confess that they were both iffy on whether or not I had the requisite amount of class to be interested in the opera. In fact, there were some Facebook posts to this effect. Well then, gauntlet thrown and challenge accepted. And as it turned out, I'd actually signed up for an account with the SF Opera when I did Opera in the Park a few years back. I was more than a tad amused to (re)discover this fact, so I triumphantly reported said fact. Well then, I'd agreed to go see the opera. That's when the fun really started. When I said I'd go, I was met with, only slightly paraphrased, "OMG, real...