Saturday, December 31, 2005

Happy New Year

See details about my Hawaii trip on my other blog - Jblog.

Otherwise, enjoy yourself this month and I'll keep adding posts here from time to time.

Jeff

Thursday, December 08, 2005

A runner's reasons for blogging

I hadn’t given it much thought, but I blog - and most of my posts are at http://www.jeffcutler.com/jblog - primarily because it keeps me writing. As a motivational technique, it helps me clear my creative throat and get some words down on paper. Like many creative people, the procrastination bug is always waiting to bite me, and that’s exactly what caused me to reach this blog-purpose thought.

Stay with me… I’m in the final stages of preparing an RFP for a large client and have hit a roadblock with some of the preparations. So I decided this morning to click around the Web and clear my mind by completely ignoring my responsibilities. Well, as I traveled around the Internet I came upon a blog by a friend of mine and I had to read every post.

Luckily she only had about a month and a half worth or else I could have been at it all day. But it seems that she’s using her blog as motivation to get into shape and prepare herself mentally and physically for an upcoming marathon. Severely private in many ways, I was surprised to see her running recaps out in the electronic wilderness for all to read. But then I understood how important the race must be for her.

To pursue this goal privately would be easy because giving up wouldn’t have any consequences. But now, with a growing readership and the concreteness of her training recorded in electrons, failure isn’t an option. I’m pretty impressed by her steps – both toward the marathon and toward her increased Internet presence.

It’s amazing how things change over time. Good luck.

More to come…

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Borrowed from Kathleen

This little ditty was posted on Kathleen Gilroy's Blog, and I think it’s AWESOME! Go there today and give her props for digging this beauty up.

And, if you go there today, this entry is top-most in her blog.

Subject: Hell The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities: 1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose. 2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.

The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"


More to come...at www.jeffcutler.com/jblog

Pinching Nickels

The treasury has issued a new nickel, but that’s not really the subject of this post. Nope. I wanted to talk briefly about how cold it is in my house.

The temps around here lately have been typically a little colder than usual and I’m trying to battle mother nature with my psyche. As you who know me might suspect, it could be a quick and fruitless battle.

But, instead of turning on the heat – and yes, we have LOCKED IN a CAP price on oil that’s pretty darn good.

Can you say $1.49 a gallon? So can I, but our price is much higher than that. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Instead of turning on the heat, I’ve been using our decorative gas fireplace and an electric – oil-filled heater to keep tiny locations in the house warm.

This isn’t the most efficient way to stay warm, and yes, I could “go put on a sweater”, but it’s keeping my oil bill down for now. And since my contract is a ‘cap’ and not a true ‘lock’, I will benefit greatly when the price plummets next month. Which THEN brings me to my real point – thrift.

That term essentially means wise economy in the management of money. And that’s pretty much what I’m doing by keeping costs down.

Now, if I could only find a way to get my parents to invite me to dinner more often.

More to come…

Water Water

Our bodies are essentially sacks of water held together with some tissue and a fine layering of skin. Therefore, I’m surprised that we haven’t dissolved into the background and become part of the wet, wintry weather that’s plagued us all these long days.

My friend Tom has found a site that offers up just what this weather requires.

More to come…when I dry out…

Penny Brown Hoax

I just got an email from a friend of mine asking me to help find a girl - Penny Brown - who has been missing and has an Amber Alert issued for her.

Well, according to the people at CODEAMBER.org, the group that organizes Web Amber Alerts, this is a hoax.

So stop believing everything you get in the mail or email. And let me go back to writing that cashier's check to those nice people overseas who offered to buy my iPod for $700 if I would send them a check for $100.

Too good to be true, I think not!

More to come...

Hotel Blogging

I recently applied for a blogging job with a hotel Web site. Here's one of the items I plan to submit. Feel free to comment and criticize. *One caveat...the site WILL have all pertinent contact info and specifics, so my posts are more a guest's view of the property.

From the pool staff, who deliver cushy towels and scrumptious snacks, to the front desk pros who will arrange for a full survival basket when you drive the road to Hana, the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in Maui is a gem of a hotel in the world’s most idyllic setting.

While the staff at other RC properties might have a stuffy edge, the people at this Ritz Carlton are spot on with their knowledge of what crates the perfect paradise getaway. The rooms are less ostentatious or ornate than the Ritz in Boston or New York, but the multi-tiered pool, dining room with views of the Pacific and beachfront location all make up for the lack of mahogany and stuffy touches.

When I stayed there, I enjoyed drinks at the pool, perfectly prepared meals, unfailing attention in all phases of my stay, and even expert guidance on the proper times and days to view the local sites including the East Maui volcano – Haleakala – and Hana’s hidden waterfalls.
I also took advantage of the hotel’s proximity to golf courses and shot a miserable 100+ at the relatively short Bay Course.

The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Maui – paradise in paradise.

More to come...

Dirty Jobs

Another raw Saturday wasted watching television. Maybe not wasted, but certainly not spent outside in the wet, cold New England climes.

The best thing I did today so far was watch back to back episodes of Myth Busters and I finally took the time to enjoy Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel.

Hoping better things happen tonight...and tomorrow is both football and the start of my Frosted Serial. Only one person commented on the subject matter they wanted, so it looks like we'll be enjoying a mystery with an episode per day.

More to come...