It’s getting to be that time of the year again where the holidays are rapidly approaching and the though of gift giving is looming. Typically my family goes small on the gifts, just a little something for each person, but nothing extravagant. We are a simple family, and we don’t really need anything. So, I have decided that this year I am going to attempt to do some charitable gift giving, and rather than give a material gift, I am going to donate in the recipient’s name instead. But I want to match the donation to something meaningful. So my girlfriend who loves animals may get a donation to the Humane Society in her name, my mom may get a letter stating that she helped provide two families with seeds to cultivate a family garden or that she gave a family an Earth Basket with bees, honey, and seedlings. Has anyone done this before? Do you have any charity suggestions?
A letter to the City of San Diego
posted by Russ | November 6 | Add a CommentIt just came out in local news here in San Diego that Mayor Jerry Sanders is proposing some serious budget cuts. Among some of the cuts are the following:
Four of seven deputy chief operating officers will lose their jobs
Operations suspended at nine recreation centers, seven libraries and all six of the city’s customer service centers
The number of civilians in the SDPD’s admin staff and community service officers will be reduced by 37
The number of fire companies active on any given day will decrease from 60 to 58
On the bright side, they claim that all cuts are in the office, and that the number of police officers and fire fighters won’t be affected.
I realize times are tough and you have to do what you have to do, but to me Rec Centers and libraries are what make communities … well, uh, communities. So I went ahead and wrote a […]
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Barcelona to Cordoba by Train – Spain Travel
posted by Russ | November 6 | 3 Comments
Plaza – Cordoba, Spain
My next stop after Barcelona was Cordoba. I knew that there were a few different trains that ran between the cities, one being the faster and more expensive AVE. I decided to take the longer, cheaper, overnight train. To book my ticket, I just went to the station one day early to make my reservation. I would recommend doing that rather than trying to figure out the online system. There was a train that left at night and was supposed to arrive the next morning at 7AM. It actually ended up arriving four hours late due to major rain, but it worked out just fine as it put my in Cordoba at a perfect time to look for my next hotel. The AVE takes 5 hours, but I figured it […]
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Graffiti – Barcelona, Spain
posted by Russ | November 6 | Add a CommentAs mentioned in a previous post, I had seen some really cool graffiti when I was in Spain. Here is installment number 2. Enjoy!
View more of my photos here
Mermaid Graffiti, Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, Spain
posted by Russ | November 2 | 1 Comment
Plaça Catalunya at night from hotel balcony
I arrived in Barcelona, Spain at around 11AM. Upon arrival, I went outside the airport and took the A1 bus which dropped me right in the heart of the city at Plaça Catalunya where my hotel was located. Knowing that Barcelona was a busy place, that it would probably be rather expensive, and that I’d be tired after flying over night, I did some research before hand and pre booked a hotel. I stayed at a place called Hotel Ginebra, which according to Trip Advisor was a fairly budget hotel for its location. It was …
…Keep reading
As a side note, while there, when I was wandering around Plaça Catalunya I caught a street performance by […]
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Graffiti, Granada, Spain
posted by Russ | November 2 | Add a CommentDuring my recent trip to Spain, I noticed some really interesting graffiti on some of the side streets. I ended up taking a few good photos, and it also got me thinking that I’ve seen some cool graffiti here at home in San Diego. So over the next few weeks I will try to post a few that I’ve seen. Here is the first graffiti photo, taken in Granada, Spain, in October 2008. Enjoy!
See more random photos here, or more Granada photos here.
Graffiti, Granada, Spain
See more Granada photos here
A rare dabble in poetry – Today I Will
posted by Russ | October 29 | 1 CommentI don’t know why, but a few weeks ago I just sort of jotted this down while I was at work, and I’ve just recently dug it up and figured I should share it.
today
i will be firm,
i will stand for what i believe in,
i will not be fearful,
i will not back down,
i will speak my mind when someone doubts or questions me,
i will be responsible to myself,
and
i will live for myself
Rethink the Office
posted by Russ | October 29 | 2 Comments
Photo Credit Timothy Ferriss
Over at one of my favorite blogs, The 4 Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss recently wrote a post about rethinking office design for higher productivity. I really like his progressive thinking on these topics, and also really like that he finds real world examples to showcase them. This is especially important to me since I have yet to see these Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) suggestions implemented in any of the places I have worked, including present employer.
The second thing I really like about his post is that he shows his home office setup, which is pictured to the right. The simple, uncluttered, and comfortable layout all really give me something to shoot for in designing a home office, which will hopefully be my one and only place of employment. 🙂
