Tuesday, December 30, 2008
This will be my last post on ryanjacobs.org for the forseeable future. I started blogging at the beginning of 2007, and made it a kind of new years resolution to write frequently. My friends started reading my blog, and judging from this site’s traffic, some other people started reading it too. Having readers motivated me to write more, so thanks!
I like writing this blog, but I also like hanging out with people, like in person, not over the interwebz. Between work, and applying to business school, I just haven’t been able to put in the time I’d like. I’m keeping this domain, because I might want to use it again, and maybe this blog will start up again. But for now, let’s call it a sabbatical.
The good news is, I’m starting another blog. It’s under construction as of now, but I hope for it to be a resource for current and prospective MBA students (like me!), and I will contribute some of the content. The site is the Candid MBA and it will be ready soon. And, if you just can’t get enough of my writing, I was happy to learn that Song O’ the Day is coming back on January 1, 2009! Look for me there.
You stay classy, San Diego.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
I went to Walnut Creek last night to visit my friend “Mary,” who was in town from Los Angeles. Despite having grown up in the Bay Area, and visiting Oakland countless times, I had never actually been to Walnut Creek. Here are my observations:
- Walnut Creek is like a Los Altos that is the size of Palo Alto (Bay Area Joke)
- One paid parking lot I passed was completely full even though there was ample parking no more than two short blocks away
- I was on the street a grand total of no more than 10 minutes, and I saw two separate purse-dogs. That’s 12 purse-dogs/hour
Monday, December 22, 2008
Do you remember the first time I walked by you, when I countered your approach with a stiffarm pose and a quick “Not interested”? I’m sure you do remember that. So how likely did you think it was that I would respond positively to your next attempt, when you asked me if I wanted a “Second chance to take 5 minutes for the environment?” Especially given the fact that I was clearly wearing a hoodie lined with an animal?
For the record, I donated to CALPIRG for 4 years, and it took me equally as long to get off their mailing list. I earned that hoodie.
Friday, December 19, 2008
I cooked for the first time in awhile last Sunday. Since I finally had a little time on my hands, I decided to try two new recipes. I made a simple potato-leek soup with mushroom broth that was good but too thick - I’d cut out a potato next time. But the winner was a persimmon salad recipe I found in the Cafe Flora Cookbook.
It’s rare that I find a recipe in a book that I don’t tweak slightly, but this one was just perfect as it was - the only change I made was to use spring mix in place of spinach, and that was only because the spring mix looked fresher at the market. Persimmons are also very much in season right now.
For the salad: baby spinach (or spring mix), peeled and sliced persimmons, thinly sliced scallions, toasted almond slices or slivers, and dried cranberries.
For the dressing: 3/4 c. olive oil (I cut it down to about 1/2 c.), about 2 tbsp. lime juice (one lime), 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tsp. dijon mustard, 2 tsp. curry powder, and some salt and pepper. The oil goes in last, stirring with a fork (or whisking) as you add it.
This dressing sounds a little odd, but it’s basically a mustard viniagrette twisted with lime and curry, which are complementary. It goes well with the persimmons. This whole recipe reminded me that I needed to take a trip to Seattle, and if I were to happen to eat at Cafe Flora while there, that would just be ideal.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
As I mentioned earlier, I’m applying to business school. Since the end of September, I have written 16 different essays. I’ve also recorded a minute-long “audio essay.” I’ve had two interviews, and I have another one tomorrow. I have visited two classes, and attended three info sessions. Basically, the whole process has been the focus of my life outside of work. So, instead of composing posts for publication on the illustrious ryanjacobs.org, I’ve been writing 500 words about “a time when I added demonstrable benefit to an organization, or to a project I was involved in, by generating a new idea or a creative solution to a problem.” You get the idea.
Here’s the good news: I’m almost done. So hang in there. I have 5 more essays to write, and I’ll have some vacation time which will help immensely. I’ll be blogging again in no time. I even updated my blogging software in anticipation (I also updated because #1 Muslim Turkish Hacker is still working hard to maintain his #1 status).
I’ll leave you with a story about one of my class visits. I was sitting behind everyone, so I could observe all the activity. The students were generally attentive, but one of the students, who was sitting in the back row, had his laptop out. Towards the end of class, I noticed that he was online checking his LinkedIn. That’s right, undergraduates maintain their Facebook during class, MBA candidates maintain their LinkedIn. Such is my future.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
“Alison” on graduate school in library science:
I’ve noticed that some of the people here say “libarian” when they mean “librarian.” I think that should be grounds for dismissal from the program.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
“Urmi” and I discovered an amazing beverage this weekend.
Urmi found this beverage called DRY soda, which comes in Lavender, Lemongrass, Kumquat and Rhubarb. She asked me if I could bring something to make it into a drink, so I picked up a half-bottle* of vodka (Svedka, because Scandinavia does vodka right).
The drink is simple: it’s just equal parts vodka and DRY Lavender on the rocks. That’s it. Of course, it helps if everything is cold first - vodka from the freezer and soda from the fridge. It’s like the best vodka-tonic you’ve ever had in your life.
Now I just need a garnish and a name.
*Is 750ml a half-bottle? I think so
Long-time readers may remember that one of my first posts was about my mom’s reaction to my blog. She complained that my blog was just a bunch of words, and she wanted to see a picture of me.
I responded by posting a photo, but in the recent hacker melee, all my picture files were erased. So, in this post, I’m showing my first post-hack photo: A picture of me.
Yes, I’m classing it up in this picture, because it is my head shot to be used for business school purposes. That’s right, I’m applying for my MBA. Hopefully, you’ll forgive me for the lack of recent posts: I’ve had 3 applications due within the past month, for which I’ve written a total of 11 essays. They’re not quite as funny as your average blog post, but they tend to take a bit more time. Don’t worry though, I’ll be back soon with a vengeance. In the meantime, enjoy my awesome half-windsor tie knot.
So as you might have noticed, my website was hacked. Twice, actually. The first time, someone just changed my homepage to say “Hacked by #1 Muslim Turkish Hacker!!!” The second time, the hack was more extensive, and involved uploading files to my server, then changing the permissions on those files in order to lock me out. The point of the malicious files was to eventually start redirecting people to russian spam websites, although I discovered the hack in time to thwart that plan. It took me 4 days and some help from my hosting company, but I’m back online now with some new security measures.
Anyway, I think this is terrific. Clearly, the reason my site was hacked is because ryanjacobs.org receives enough traffic to warrant the attention of international cybercrime rings. So, loyal readership, thank you for your continued support.
Today, I logged onto Facebook, hoping to find they had scrapped the new design entirely. They had not. Then I noticed that the URL was “http://www.new.facebook.com/,” so I tried to see if “http://www.old.facebook.com/” took me to the old website. It did not. Woe.
