jeremyweiland.com

Look for more thoughts on the Macbook Pro as I get accquainted with this strange, brushed metal object.

In other news, happy birthday to all February birthday people: John, Jim, and Gary. Oh, and Dan Quayle.

• My brother John got home from Iraq about three or four weeks ago. Obviously, that’s a big relief. Finally got to see him briefly last weekend at a cookout his wife’s family was having. We didn’t get a chance to talk much, but he definitely wants to give me some insight into what’s going on there. I’m just glad he’s safe.
• Tasha’s ten year high school reunion was last night. It was a lot of fun; got to hang out with some people I hadn’t seen in a while. Unfortunately, I think I knew more people at her reunion than I’ll know at mine…
• Jim Van Fleet’s generosity has resulted in a recent intensive economic and policy education. He loaned me a Tim Hartford book a while ago that was insightful, if a little infuriating (yes, in a perfect market, price does indeed equal cost… so don’t you wonder what the source of all that distortion is, Mr. World Bank?). Now I’m reading Secrets of the Temple by William Greider. I simply can’t put it down - I’ve never read such a captivating narrative about economic policy. Of course, the kicker is that - as Ted Kennedy says on the back cover - what passes for dispassionate, expert management of the economy is in actual fact intensely political. There is a passage that deals with the transformation of American society from its rural agrarian roots to hypermanaged city life that was really touching to this decentralist. Its regular investigations of the interests at work in Fed policy make it a very even-handed book, if framed by an establishment point of view. It will certainly inform a lot of my future explorations of economics (as well as many beer-fueled discussions with Jim).
• Another friend of mine is working on doing a low budget indie zombie flick starring all his friends. It’s going to be intentionally cheezy, of course, but I’ve been invited to do a song or two for the soundtrack. I’ve got a few ideas in mind… I’ve normally stayed away from dark, evil jungle, but this would be a good chance to tap into the dark side. I’m also gonna see if Wil wants to contribute a track, since this sounds right up his alley.
• I need advice on time management, self-discipline, and stuff like that. I’m tired of always procrastinating stuff. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m used to being overwhelmed, and I need to find a way to discipline myself to do things when they need to be done. And to expect myself to do them.

I’ve posted pictures from our party last weekend on my flickr account.

This picture shows me reassuring the crowd that my first attempt at grilling hamburgers was not going to blow them up. However, I was worried I would. Grease was dripping from the the grill into the grease catcher, and flames were trickling down near the propane tank. Luckily, my friend Donnie kept his cool and showed me how to work the grill.

• Is everybody getting through the spam filter alright? I know you’re not breaking down the doors to comment - I just want to make sure the doors are flimsy enough to try.
• Tasha and I threw a party last weekend; I’ll post pictures this weekend.
• Tasha got me this for our one year, expect a review once I wrap my mind around it:
  
• I got Tasha this for doodling on Photoshop:
  

I’ve installed Tracks, a Ruby on Rails web application that implements the Get Things Done time management methodology, on one of my web servers. If you’re interested in checking it out, leave a comment here and I’ll give you a URL. No support guarantees* but it appears pretty stable. I like the app and I’m already using it to keep track of personal projects and things I’m always forgetting to do.

* One thing to keep in mind is my friend Ryan runs a Tracks service. The price is a steal and you get an expertly maintained system. You can even import all your data from my site to his if mine flakes too much (I’m hosting on DreamHost presently, and they’re really starting to piss me off).

Congratulations to Matt for getting promoted to Web Development Manager!

As the guy who encouraged him to take the risk of leaving a secure job for one fraught with challenges, I assume full credit for his accomplishment.

Seriously, you deserve it, man. We’ll drink to this - TONIGHT!

Congratulations to my girl: she’s the featured seller on Etsy, a Web2.0-style site for artists and crafts people to share and sell their work! Lately she’s been expanding her online presence with two blogs, her Etsy page, and a new site for her work (which she did herself to dazzling effect). I’m very proud of her - she works a hell of a lot harder than most people I know. She’s intensely creative, yet has kept her business afloat through thick and thin. I admire and love her very much (which she already knows, but like most girls she wants to hear me say it).