More stuff about food

Wednesday, 06 April 2011
So, first off: here’s a good article regarding the recent non-news story of the Koran burning: Click here.
Second, I was listening to the radio on the way home from work this evening, and at the conclusion of the song “Satisfaction” (by the Rolling Stones), the DJ said that if there was a Mount Rushmore version of rock music, “Satisfaction” would have to be one of the songs chiseled in stone.
This got me to thinking. How does a person go about deciding on which four rock songs belong on this version of Mt. Rushmore?
I think the best way to proceed, would be to emulate Gutzon Borglum to the extent possible.
Borglum chose to sculpt the first President (Washington), so I think an appropriate corresponding song would be “Rock Around the Clock,” since it was the first rock song to sell a million copies and the first to go to #1.
Borglum also sculpted Jefferson, a President responsible for the expansion of the United States (the area of the US doubled under his presidency). I think Elvis is the appropriate counterpart here, so maybe “Blue Suede Shoes” or “Hounddog” or “All Shook Up” would be a fitting second choice.
Next, Borglum selected a President who strove to hold together two warring factions…and here’s where, perhaps, “Satisfaction” could fit in (British music in America).
Borglum only chose one President from his lifetime, Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, having been so much more recent than the other three, was perhaps chosen more for his contemporary status than his long-lasting status. I think his appearance on the Mountain is the most suspect of the four. I think the obvious counterpart here would be something by Lady Gaga.

Thursday, 07 April 2011
There was a department meeting today.
I’ve been setting up these meetings every month for over four years now, but today was the last one that I set up ad hosted. I decided to go out on a high note by arriving with snacks and beverages for everyone. Thankfully, my manager pitched in with some cash, so I only ended up spending about half of what I had originally estimated.
I gotta say…
Shopping for food for people is hard. I mean, it’s really hard. I walked to the back of the grocery store to pick out some pop, and there were signs everywhere saying that I could get one pack free if I buy two packs…but only if I had a coupon. So then I had to go back to the front of the store to look for said coupon. Then I grabbed a bag of chips, but then noticed they had a buy-one-get-one deal on certain sized bags, so I had to determine what size bag I had in my hand, and if it was better to just buy that bag, or to buy the smaller one and get another one free.
Then there’s the whole fruit tray dilemma. How old is that fruit? Does it all taste the same since it’s been packaged together for who-knows-how-long? (Answer: yes, it does.)
On the upside, there was a booth set up with some guy passing out tastes of the new Snapple. He had little cups set up, half with diet and half with regular. I asked him which one was which, and he couldn’t recall, so he had to pour me a fresh cup of regular. He also gave me a rebate certificate to get reimbursed for my 6-pack purchase. So I dutifully bought the six-pack.
Now I eagerly await my reimbursement check from Snapple!

Friday, 08 April 2011
Today I transferred (at least on paper) to my new department. I still have some things to wrap up in my old department, but it should only take a few more days. I received a tour of my new lab, and my new manager even took a picture of me. I apologized for not being better looking, but he said that was okay; he only needed the photo for an organizational chart.
I set up a lunch date with everyone in my (former) department. I reserved a table for 15 at Olive Garden for 11:30 this morning. I also invited a few people who used to work in our department, but had since transferred out. I even invited one lady who quit the company about three years ago, but still keeps in touch with some of us. All told, there were 17 people there. I didn’t expect this, but my supervisor paid for my meal. I thanked him and said, “I should be paying for you – I’m the one who still has a job come net week.”
“Ah,” he replied, “but I’ll be the one with a nine-month vacation.”
Touché, supervisor. Touché.