Fun Size Bytes

lindstifa:

If you’d like an alert tone of me burping just let me know.

I would like the record to reflect that I was wearing headphones while we were talking on Skype when the aforementioned burp was let loose.

Ironically it seems Lindsay has taken the term “impolite company” a bit too literally.

(Don’t worry, it was after the show part of the recording was over. Unless Caleb wants to edit it back in.)

lindstifa replied to your post: TJ, I need your expertise! And idea why…

Nerd

n.b.: after I did that last night, I figured out how to remove the DRM from iTunes Video.

My original plan had been to buy a Blu-Ray drive for my Mac, and the related software to de-DRM Blu-Ray discs, which would have cost several hundred dollars.

Instead I spent some time in Google and waded through a bunch of crappy, out-dated solutions, as well as several scammy-looking website offering paid solutions, until I found the site that gave me the links I needed.

I had to ‘downgrade’ iTunes from version 11 to 10 (which is an improvement, IMO), and I had to bypass Mac OS X’s warning that the app I found to do the actual de-DRM’ing was ‘damaged and should be moved to the trash’ because otherwise it wouldn’t let me launch it.

This makes it much more likely that I will buy more stuff from iTunes in the future, and also makes the videos that I have already purchased (including Firefly and 5 seasons of Dr Who) much more valuable to me.

Oh, right, and Doctor Horrible.

Now I can watch my iTunes movies on any device I want, I can take screenshots, I can make a DVD (why? well, I dunno, actually, but I could), and I can easily make smaller versions of the movies for my iPad and iPhone.

And, of course, as with all iTunes stuff: no FBI warning, no unskippable previews, etc. Click play and away it goes.

lindstifa replied to your post: I just found out that two friends of mine (both pastors) have a blog they call “Two Bubbas and a Bible.”

URL please

http://lectionarylab.blogspot.com

John was the pastor of the Baptist church which was right next to the Presbyterian church I served when I was in Gainesville. Delmer created a continuing education program I was in which was hugely influential in my life.

IIRC, John came to that congregation after the pastor and another staff member (maybe the secretary?) both left their spouses and ran off together.

He knew that when he accepted the job. But there was more.

Not long after he arrived, the music director came to him and said, “I need to tell you this before you read it in the paper tomorrow…”

…which I think beats even “We need to talk” on the “List Of Phrases You Never Want To Hear Because Nothing Good Ever Follows It”…

The music director (male) had not only had “Inappropriate” relationships with more than one member of the Youth choir, but these relationships were with members of the Youth who were also male.

Then — and I am not making this up — not long after they dealt with all of that, they realized that the Offering was much lower on some Sundays than it was on other Sundays, even though it didn’t seem to match up with attendance, etc. So they installed a security camera pointed at the safe… and caught one of the janitors who opened the safe, spotted the camera, and then tried to back out of the room as if nothing had happened.

(All of this is from memory and might be incorrect in some details but you get the idea.)

So… yeah. Just in case you ever feel bad about some ugly situation you inherited at work that was worse than you imagined…

John remains one of the most genuinely upbeat and positive people I’ve ever met. How he does it, I don’t know.

On January 18th, Lindsay started a cheese blog after some prompting by friends (Danielle and Abby, I think?) .

One month later, she wrote:

A few months ago I noticed something. Where most people say “I want,” I found myself saying “I wish.” I spent some time reflecting on these two phrases, and beyond the semantics I discovered a lack of confidence in my ability to make something happen. So I did the only thing one can do in this situation. I made something happen.

Instead of saying “I wish I could work with cheese,” I started saying “I want to work with cheese.” Defining the desire drove me to action. I contacted my long-time Twitter friend and inspiration, the lovely Tia Keenan, who kindly advised me on where and how to get started.

After many emails, a traditional interview, and an amazing on-the-job interview, I begin working as a Counter Associate at Pastoral Artisan this weekend. (Because I have a full-time job, I’ll only be working weekends and the odd evening.)

I can’t wait to develop my knowledge and experience in this capacity. I hope to share that with you along the way.

Yours in Cheese,

Linds

Best. Day. Ever.:

• Head shrunk
• Nails did
• Apartment cleaned (by someone who isn’t me)
• Quit my job

and

What the hell am I doing?:

I’m following my passion. Not just my passion for cheese, but also for supporting sustainable and artisanal food production, continuous learning, interacting with people, teaching, working hard to be the best at what I do, and feeling good about what I do and who I work for.

I’m ending my 13-year career in marketing and advertising. I’m starting a new chapter in my life as a full-time cheese monger. I’m taking a substantial salary cut and making an equal investment in my current and future happiness.

I’m doing something I believe in. And damn, it feels good.

Did Lindsay have any idea when she decided to start a cheese blog that three months later she’d be quitting her job and working full time for cheese? I’m pretty sure she didn’t. I’m pretty sure she didn’t even know she’d be working with cheese part time.

But she did have the self-awareness to notice the wish/want distinction, and she put it out there to some people she trusted to give her good advice and support.

It wasn’t just a post saying “I want to make this happen,” it was a post saying “I started this.”

And now she’s ready to work with cheese full time, but more importantly she’s ready to do something she’s excited about and that will make her happier.

This weird Internet thing brought our lives together, and I’m thrilled to watch my friend start something so exciting. That is all.

lindstifa replied to your photo: Dear Lindsay: Fine. Happy now? Yeah, very…

Put it on your waist band, dummy.

SIGH… If you had read the instructions you would have seen this:

Where is the Fitbit Tracker worn?

The Tracker is designed to be small and very discreet, so that you can wear it just about anywhere and not have it stand out. It is most accurate when clipped onto the torso, but can also be worn at your waist. We recommend wearing it on your pocket, waistband, or the center of a bra.

Most accurate when clipped onto the torso, Lindsay.

Most accurate when clipped onto the torso.

If I didn’t care about accuracy, I could just tie it to a piece of string and swing it around my head like an animal.

I am assuming that they don’t mean I have to clip it directly to my torso, like some clip-on nipple-piercing, because there’s no way I’m wearing just one, I’d feel lopsided all day. And if I was wearing two, you know I’d never get anything done because I’d spend all day trying to get them to spin in opposite directions.

Speaking of which, did you notice they suggested that you could clip it to your bra?

Well, technically, the center of a bra.

I’m glad they clarified that you should wear it in the center of a bra, just in case you were thinking of putting it inside the left cup to compensate for your inverted nipple.

lindstifa replied to your photo: Filed under: “things I haven’t been doing as much…

Coincidentally starting the day your fitbit arrives. Suspicious.

It isn’t even here yet (as of 10:35 am ET), as UPS will confirm: http://wwwapps.ups.com/WebTracking/processInputRequest?sort_by=status&tracknums_displayed=1&TypeOfInquiryNumber=T&loc=en_us&InquiryNumber1=1ZW2144Y0394069183&track.x=0&track.y=0

:-P