JohnA lifeBlog

Moving In, Episode 1

So I officially signed my lease on Monday, and have started the move in process.

Today, I spent money at Lowe’s. A lot of money. But I did get some great appliances.

First on the list is a super-cool Stainless Steel finish refrigerator.

Next, after some careful measuring, we determined that I had room for stackable, but not attached, washer & dryer units. So I purchased this washing machine and this dryer… I think. I can’t seem to find the exact models, though those are pretty close.

Just doing my part to be a good citizen!

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Remember…

… if you don’t spend insane amounts of money on Black Friday, you support terrorism.

Interestingly enough for my company, the next progression from black Friday is what has been deemed Cyber Monday. For you home gamers, here’s the deal. In e-commerce, Mondays are always, BY FAR, the busiest e-commerce days.

So what do you get when you combine Black Friday with the limitless Monday e-commerce activity? Cyber Monday. On average, we process over 12 times our normal daily transaction volume. Good for our merchants that we’ve tested successfully to over 50x our normal volumes.
Anyway, we chose to camp out at Staples this morning starting at around 5:15AM (for a 6AM opening). We were about 12th in line, and when the store opened at 6AM, there were about 200 people in line.

We chose Staples because of the incredibly pleasing results of last year’s extravaganza. You can read horror stories about today. And then you can go to Staples. The entire process was completely organized. They told everyone where to go to the their desired items. In fact, they even bought everyone Starbucks Coffee and donuts from the local donut shop.

All together, we spent around $1,400 this morning on stuff for the office. Sure, there was about $600 in rebates, but thanks to their online “Easy Rebates”, even that was a snap.

Here’s the bottom line. We spent a LOT of money this morning. And next year? We plan on camping out at Staples again. They treat their customers with respect, they are well organized, and most of all, they had some terrific bargains.

So, in conclusion, do your part to prevent terrorism. And remember, if you spend more than $5,000 on your qualifying charge card this season, you may qualify for an official “I combat terrorism” certificate from Dick Cheney’s office! (Not a guarantee)

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Giving Thanks

What are you thankful for on this Thanksgiving day?

Me? I’m thankful for second chances. I’m thankful for the future that God has prepared for me.

I am thankful that friends still love me mistake after mistake.

I am thankful for the truth that I will not be alone forever.

Most of all, I am thankful for friends & family who remind me (sometimes in a less than diplomatic way) of the above.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

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OSX x86… changing the world one pirate at a time

From digg.com…

Mac OS X 10.4.3 build 8F1111A has been leaked. Although uncracked, highlights include: Rosetta with G4 emulation (Altivec), some ATI drivers (no NVIDIA), iTunes x86. Enjoy the present from Apple and go get yourself a copy.

I look forward to replacing my “when you breathe on it expect it to bend” Aluminum Powerbook G4 with something more sturdy.

In the interim, hopefully hacked OSX/x86 will help some long time Windows fan boiz see the light.

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Christmas comes early?

Looking for the perfect gift to give me this Christmas? Look no further than this eBay auction. I’ll be sure to send you a thank you card.

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Meh.

I’ve not written here in over a week. I mean, what should I write?

I’m lonely.
I’m depressed.
I see no change in sight.

So, I mean, I could blog about that, but as Zack once told me, I am “kind of a downer to talk to”.

So, I’ve chosen to be silent rather than actually discuss my true thoughts and feelings.

I hope you understand.

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Piracy is bad, m’kay?

Yes, as the red-blooded patriot, I am about to commit what today’s administration would equate with treason. Ready?

If you did not see Sunday night’s episode of Family Guy, I think you might want to *ahem*download*ahem* get a copy of it.

In the latest episode of the award winning series… a series that proudly wears the worst show on television (as defined by the über-conservative PTC) badge, the writers tackle the issue that parents are not utilzing the mandated tools in every single television set to regulate what their children watch.

Personally? I think that Family Guy is the best written, as well as the most hilarious, show on TV. And, being an ADULT, I enjoy watching it on a weekly basis.

The bottom line to parents is this. If you are too lazy to press the (average) 3 buttons required to set V-Chip rating levels on your child’s television, you should seriously reconsider allowing them to have their own television at all.

Life is about responsibility, good or bad. Be a parent, and don’t try to throw every single responsibility onto the government.

Oh, and watch the aforementioned episode to see what the chilling effects could be…

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The Results Are In!

The votes have been tallied, and here is what I think I am going to go with for the new loft.

Bedroom

Chest Of Drawers
Bed
End Table (x2)
Fitted Sheet (Beige)
Flat Sheet (Blue)
Pillow Case (Light Blue)
Quilt
Duvet

Dining Room

Table
Chair (x4)

Living Room

Sofa
Chair (x2)

So what do you guys think?

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Voting… it’s FUNdamental

Fellow California citizens, how will you vote on Tuesday?.

Personally, I am voting YES on Props 73, 74, 75, 76, and 77.

Make your own decisions, but be sure to vote on Tuesday. You do make a difference.

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Do Not Write In This Area

Hiya everyone!

First things first… I absolutely, positively hate Woot.com. Whenever they offer a bag of crap, their server ALWAYS crashes. I blame this on the fact that they have poorly chosen ASP.net as their development platform.

Anyhoo, given tonight’s issues, combined with the fact that UltraCart is now handling record call & e-mail volumes, I have an idea.

I am thinking about starting a weekly e-commerce call-in podcast. Each episode would last around 90 minutes, and would address live the majority of issues faced by all online merchants, UltraCart customers or otherwise.

So my question to you guys is this. Do you subscribe to any podcasts? Would you be willing to pitch the show to local talk radio stations? How incredibly sexy do you find me?

I’m not jumping in with both feet right now, but it is something that is seeming to become more and more relevant as time goes by.

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