As I watched the snow come down for hours without sticking, I tried to keep myself busy enough to refrain from thinking about leaving work early. As per usual, I was doing what is called “placing an in-transit” where you are basically inputting information into a program detailing a product that needs to be sent from one Distribution Center to another. Very interesting I know. So “placing an in-transit” is something I do at least 10 times a day. Since I’ve been working here for about a month and a half now, that means I have been doing that shit a lot. So I received an email today to put a refrigerated product in-transit. The lingo in the transportation industry for a refrigerated product is a reefer product. Coincidence, I think nay. Or at least I thought it was reefer. I mean thats how its pronounced, “reefer.” Then today I was reading an email from a fellow co-worker who spellied it “refer.” So i starting thinking, this whole time i’ve been spelling it reefer when everyone else spells it refer. And I have been sending out multiple emails everyday spelling it like this. What have all these people been thinking? Some college kid comes to start working and he begins to call the refrigerated products reefer products. First thing that would come to mind is HUGE POT HEAD! Especially after they take one look at me. Long hair, monotone voice, I mean lets be serious here. Another surprising thing is that no one has even said anything to me yet. On the other hand, is my boss going to come up to me and say, “Hey Tim, its not a marijuana related product so stop calling it reefer.” There may be more to come on this breaking story …..
On another front, a very interesting man passed away today. Jef Raskin, the key creator of the Apple’s Macintosh. Although I am a somewhat new member to the Apple Family, I have to appreciate how this dude’s work has left permanent marks on not only the computer world but the way we conduct our everyday lives. Raskin was a instrumental player in taking Apple’s ideas to a different level. He commanded a group at Apple that explored the idea of making a computer for the basic consumer by being able to produce something easy to use at a fair price. He didn’t make it through to see the computer launch due to quarrels at Apple, but he brought the ideas there to take the computer industry in a new direction.
Touching on another area, News/Politics as of late, is something I will be speaking about often. About a two weeks or so ago there was the bombing of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It left shockwaves not only in the middle east but around the world that are obviously still being felt. Moments after the bomb, the fingers started to be pointed in the direction of Syria. Im not the most informed on whether or not Syria was involved, but that is where all the blame is being aimed. Mr Hariri was a vocal opponent of Syria and their involvement in Lebanon’s affaris. Lebanon is almost surrounded by Syria, while Lebanon also shares the northern border of Israel. Its known that Lebanon’s current government is pro-Syrian and its policies seem to align. With all the talk these days of Lebanon breaking away from Syria, some people are unhappy. Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hezbollah all operate with Syrian support. Syria is listed as a sponsor of terror by the US gov’t. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has warned that if Lebanon continues with separation from Syria the country come climb back into civil war. As the protests have become daily in Lebanon, Syria has submitted to international pressure to remove its 15,000 some troops from Lebanon which is actually an already passed UN resolution. With all of this intense pressure coming down, the Lebanese government resigned today. With a pro-Syrian gov’t on its way out and new elections scheduled for May, another middle eastern gov’t could be heading towards a more western-style democracy. The quickness with the way things are changing in Lebanon combined with the already U.S. controlled/owned Iraq and a temporary stable Palestine, must be installing some fear in countries like Syria and Iran. These are huge movements happening in the Middle East right now. Iran’s agreement with Russia for nuclear fuel, calm elections in Iraq, and the fast-paced progress of Abbas with the Israelis (we’ll see how long that lasts), and the Israelis actually agreeing to concede anything at all, could they be signs of a changing middle east? The jury is still out on it all and only time will tell.
Best of the week:
Beer: La Chouffee – great belgian beer
Music Downloads: Kings of Convenience – I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From
Thievery Corporation – Lebanese Blonde
Binary Star – Masters of the Universe
