4th of july

Posted on July 6, 2008 by britoman

4th of julyI spent my first Fourth of July in Philly (I was in Rome last year) by heading to The Parkway and The Art Museum. There was a Fourth of July Parade, which is the first parade I have ever seen in person! I finally learned what a ‘Mummer‘ is and why I should be afraid of them. I also managed to eat tons of needlessly expensive food and watch fireworks.

Honestly, I would think that the birthplace of our nation would put on a better fireworks show. I mean, it was a good show. Lot’s of “Boom Boom’s”, lasted longer than five minutes, but I think the show in my hometown of Freehold, NJ was just as good. If not better (smaller crowds.)

P.S. It is apparently no longer funny to say “Celebrate America’s freedom by blowing up a small part of it.”

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elevators are scary

Posted on July 5, 2008 by britoman

Looking back on the experience now, with a peculiarly melancholic kind of bewilderment, he recognizes that he walked onto an elevator one night, with his life in one kind of shape, and emerged from it with his life in another.

I am quite sure I will never feel the same in one again.

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what would jesus buy?

Posted on July 3, 2008 by britoman

wwjb?I never thought I would be addressing a philosophical question whist renting a movie at Blockbuster…

Apparently, Jesus has a choice between Wedding Daze and Welcome Home. From what I can tell, they both look like cinematic masterpieces.

.

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google to provide viacom with pii

Posted on July 3, 2008 by britoman

Nothing like a little invasion of personal privacy by a judicial system that doesn’t quite “get it” to start yer day!

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blink

Posted on July 2, 2008 by britoman

I just finished reading Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.

I received it some time in February, however one thing led to another and I didn’t start reading it until mid-June.

Overall the book was not what I expected. Originally, before I even obtained the book, I thought it was about the power of first impressions and how to make a really good one. After receiving the book and reading the full title I realized it was about thinking and assumed that I would be learning boring tips on how to increase my cognitive ability in order to make snap judgments.

Upon actually reading the book I now know that it wasn’t really a guide to anything. It was simply a collection of anecdotes, research and analysis which support the fact that sometimes you just have to trust yourself. The collection of stories and research were quite interesting to read in their own right and may even teach you a thing or two about your own bias even when you consciously have none.

The book teaches that more information is not necessarily better. In certain cases we are better off trusting our first instincts and our judgments rather than spending hours deliberating. One must be careful and learn when it is appropriate to apply first instincts and when it is appropriate to fully analyze a situation.

The conclusion of the book is rather interesting in that it basically goes against human nature and states that it is best to analyze when the choices seem simple and to make snap decisions when the choices are numerous or complex. You’ll have to read the book to fully understand why.

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jury duty

Posted on June 30, 2008 by britoman

I received a letter in the mail today informing me that “It’s Your Turn!” I am summoned to appear before the Honorable C. Darnell Jones, II at the Court of Common Pleas on July 31st.

This. Should. Be. Interesting.

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moderately injured

Posted on June 29, 2008 by britoman

This was quite the weekend for injuries.

1) Friday after work one of The Firm’s partners had a few people over for some volleyball and swimming. Now, I am not very good at volleyball and my general strategy is to make sure that if the ball comes near me, I send it away as quickly as possible. How I accomplish that is through a series of flailing arms and hands. On one particular volley heading my way I tried to hit the ball open palmed. Unfortunately the angle the ball and my hand were at ensured that the ball would only hit my left ring finger. The result was a jammed swollen finger and some broken blood vessels. No big deal, just a bit painful.

2)  This morning I went for a ‘training ride’ with a few people who will be doing the MS 150 with me in September.  While riding on Main Street I managed to get myself into an accident. I was riding behind my roommate who was riding behind a black car. The black car decided to turn right, into a parking lot, without using any signals or providing any notice. This caused my roommate to brake quickly and veer right. In order to avoid hitting him I tried to brake quickly and go around the car on the left. Unfortunately the woman driving the car saw my roommate in her line of sight and decided to stop very short. This did not provide me with enough reaction time to move more quickly to the left and I crashed into the back of her car. My hand was caught between my bike and her trunk, my front wheel scraped along the rear bumper of her car. As she calls out “Are you okay?,” I screamed back, “just fine thank you!” Later I realized that I banged up my right hand pretty badly, but it was really only superficial.

3) Waiting at a stop light I didn’t unclip from my pedals fast enough and I fell on my right side. Right in the middle of the street. If you were in a car at the intersection of Kelly Drive and Calumet Ave you probably had yourself a good laugh.

With the amount of klutzy things I manage to do it is a wonder that I haven’t managed to break anything in twenty years.

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