Monthly Archives: March 2014

Stevens Point Curling Club

A few weeks ago (during the Olympics and before the Russian invasion of Crimea) I had a chance to try Curling at the Stevens Point Curling club. I had long related to curling as the one winter Olympic sport I could ever even try to attempt without breaking a leg or embarrassing myself.

The "house" at Stevens Point Curling Club

The “house” at the Stevens Point Curling Club

The curling club was hosting an open night where you could try the sport and play an end or two. I got to throw some stones and do some sweeping. I wasn’t very good but I could see the appeal of the sport. It is team oriented and is exciting when you get into it.

Each team has 4 players. Each player throws 2 stones to the other end of the ice. The circled area is called the house*. You score points by being the closest to the center. It is a lot like shuffle board or bocce ball. A captain stands at the other end and helps call the shots for the team to maximize points. Games are often offensive and defensive. The term “chess on ice” is often used to describe the game.

If you ever get the chance I suggest you give it a try. It was a fun night out. You can visit the Stevens Point Curling Club online here.

*I am sure I am getting some of the terminology wrong so don’t take this as fact.

Reflecting on my Job

I had a moment at work today that caused me to reflect on my job. I was seeking advice from a coworker. He is knowledgeable, a sort of elder statesman around the office. The kind of guy most people go to when they need help or see something that throws them for a loop. When I was done picking his brain he asked me how things were going. I replied and asked him the same question. “Oh you know, too much to do like always.” His inbox full of emails and voice messages seemed to back this up.

As I walked back to my desk a few thoughts crossed my mind. Would he take a pay cut to be able to work less? Could he? Does he enjoy his work?

Then my thoughts turned to me: Would I take a pay cut to be able to work less? Could I? Do I enjoy my work?

Let’s start with the last question first: Continue reading →

Car Shopping in Madison

 

I recently decided it was time for me to get a car. I sold my last car in the spring of 2011 and in that time I have taken a lot of public transportation and bummed a lot of rides from people. I am at a position, financially, to afford a car. While shopping for a car here in Madison I have been looking for a few things – a decent price, good gas mileage and usefulness.

Price

I have been spending a lot of time on the Madison Craigslist looking at cars and boy are they more expensive than I remember. I routinely see cars with over 200,000 miles for $2,500+. I guess I just have to recalibrate my pricing.

I have bought a few cars over the years. I had a ’94 Chevy Cavalier that I bought for $250. I put tires and a muffler on it and it gave me no problems and about 24 mpg. I don’t think you can Continue reading →

Have you heard of the Pixar Theory?

I was wandering around the internet the other day when I stumbled across a blog post called “The Pixar Theory” penned by a guy named Jon Negroni. It was a fascinating read. His basic premise is that all the Pixar movies exist in the same universe and but generally at different times. Another site that does a good job of summarizing is pixartheory.com

If you have seen Pixar movies you probably know about some of the “Easter eggs” like the Toyota pizza delivery truck that seems to make it into every movie. For me I saw this as something fun but I didn’t take it much more than that. This post, by contrast, puts a lot of thought into tying all of the movies together. I daresay it may be borderline genius. Mr. Negroni suggests, convincingly so, that the Pixar universe is an alternate universe where cars and animals develop intelligence. If you like Pixar movies you should really give this a read.

I like the idea that there is a person or persons kind of setting an overall theme and storyline for a whole universe and movies are made from different times and places within that universe. It all feels kind of meta and gives a whole new depth to Pixar movies. I wonder if we will ever get confirmation of this.

I know it seems like a borderline conspiracy theory but read it and judge for yourself. It isn’t flawless but it is very intriguing; definitely food for thought. I will never see a Pixar movie in the same way again.  If this were true it would be pretty amazing that this overall plan was in place since Toy Story in 1995. Do you think the Pixar Theory makes sense? Let me know what you think in the comments.