How we got into this economic mess...

A nifty little slideshow from Hunturic on the mortgage crisis!

 

Linky

Posted by jonny12gauge @ 8:33 pm EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments

Sick! :(

I was going to be installing a french drain around our porch the weekend, but I have received a lovely head cold instead!  I started one of the trenches yesterday, but could only go so far until I had to call it quits.  Sick+sweaty = yuck!  I realized that I had blogged about the last time I was sick, as colds were passed around where I work ,so I went and looked it up.  It has been about 15 months since I was sick!  That's pretty sweet, no?  I don't do anything special except taking a daily multi-vitamin (when I can remember!).  Oh well, I just have to get some quality Xbox time in today!

 

Posted by jonny12gauge @ 11:09 am EDT | Permalink | 5 Comments

The right way to slack off at work

Found this interesting article on MSN/Careerbuilder the other day about how to "properly" slack off at work.  I don't know about you, but some of these ideas would do more harm than good in my workplace, what about you?

By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer:

Would you care if your colleagues called you a slacker?

Your instinct might be to deny allegations of being anything less than an overachiever, but in reality you could be better off as a lazybones.

The conventional workplace wisdom is to keep up with the Joneses and then leave them in the dust. After all, in a competitive job market, you don't want to be seen as a weak link. But if you're getting all your work done well and on time, why shouldn't you take a little time to relax?

Hectic workplaces

A decade ago multitasking was a buzzword; now it's a way of life. Between technological advances and evolving workplaces, you might only have one job title but perform the duties of several positions.

If you scale back on anything, you might feel like you're not doing your job even if you are. In order to preserve your sanity and help your productivity, try to bring a little relaxation to your daily routine. While your job may never resemble a tranquil meditation retreat, it doesn't need to remind you of a scene from "ER."

Here are a few ways you can be the right kind of slacker at work.

E-mail can wait.

No, really, it can. You don't have to answer an e-mail the moment it pops up on your screen. Unless you're waiting for that one message that could make or break your career, you should designate time to check e-mails so that you don't get distracted while doing other tasks. You can even disable the new message icon and noise alert to help with this.

Saying 'no' won't get you fired.

If the boss or someone comes to you with a task that's part of your core job duties, by all means accept it. However, if you're drowning in work as it is, telling co-workers that you just can't get to their request right now won't necessarily hurt you. If you tactfully explain that you'd like to help them but you've got too much on your plate shows you care about the quality and promptness of your work.

Don't multitask.

The ability to simultaneously talk on the phone, send an e-mail and heat up the meatballs for the monthly potluck is an admirable quality but not necessarily the most beneficial. Multitasking has become the de facto approach to daily operations in many workplaces. The problem is that often we end up doing a little of everything and never making much progress on any one task.

Give yourself a break.

Literally, just get away from work for five minutes. Take a walk around the floor or step outside for some fresh air. Without Saturday and Sunday off, you'd probably go a little stir-crazy. Think of brief breaks throughout the day as small-scale versions of weekends. You'll return with a clear head and produce better quality work.

Don't eat lunch at your desk.

Eating at your desk can be an occasional necessity, either because you're close to a deadline or you're in a productive zone that you don't want to interrupt. Having your lunch in front of a computer every day, however, doesn't give your eyes or your mind time to relax. You might feel like a slacker if you're the only one taking your sandwich outside for 30 minutes, but your mental health is worth it.

Schedule some "me" time.

Go into your calendar and block off a period of time for whatever work you need to do without interruption. Treat the meeting as if it were an important appointment with your boss and consider it non-negotiable. If someone tries to schedule a meeting with you, tell him or her that you're busy but can try for another time. If possible, book a conference room so you won't be interrupted by a chatty co-worker or a phone call.

Posted by jonny12gauge @ 2:28 pm EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments

:(

Ouch!  This can't be good for anyones portfolio!

 

 

By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK - A stunning makeover of the Wall Street landscape sent stocks falling precipitously Monday, with the Dow Jones industrials losing 500 points in their worst slide since the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Investors recoiled after a shakeup of the financial industry that took out two storied names: Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co.

The pullback, which erased about $700 billion in shareholder wealth, occurred across much of the globe as investors absorbed Lehman's bankruptcy filing and what was essentially a forced sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America for $50 billion in stock. While those companies' situations had reached some resolution, the market remained anxious about American International Group Inc., which is seeking funding to shore up its balance sheet. A faltering of the world's largest insurance company likely would have implications far beyond that of Lehman, already the largest U.S. bankruptcy in terms of assets.

The swift developments that took place Sunday are the biggest yet in the 14-month-old credit crisis that stems from now toxic subprime mortgage debt.

For the first part of Monday's trading, the market was falling, but in a largely orderly fashion as investors seemed to draw some relief from the resolution of Lehman's problems. As the session wore on, and there was no word about AIG, the market suffered another bout of fear that the credit crisis will continue to devastate the financial sector. Selling accelerated in the final hour and then took on more momentum as stock indexes broke through lows set in July — an ominous sign for some traders.

Posted by jonny12gauge @ 6:57 pm EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments

One Day as a Lion

How the hell did I miss this?  I just heard this on the radio but it's been out since July!?!?!?

 

"As a musician, activist, poet, MC and front man of Rage Against the Machine, Zach De La Rocha energized an entire generation of youth by injecting a sense of political awareness in an apathetic modern music scene. His angry emphatic howling vocals over Rage’s metal thrash made the bands’ music almost radioactive compared to the music that was being released at the time. Although Rage has since broken up, reformed and gone on tour again there hasn’t been a proper Rage album since 2000’s “Renegade” which was just a cover album. While the remaining remembers have formed separate groups (Audioslave) in the ashes of Rage, it is obvious that Zach left a gaping hole in a music industry that has become all too safe. After which seems to have been an eternity, Zach finally returns to the scene with a new group formed with Mars Volta drummer John Theodore titled One Day As a Lion. The EP drops July 22nd and the first single “Wild International” sounds like a cross between Led Zeppelin and Dr. Dre. Zach’s lyricism is still there with more b-boy swagger then before. Here’s to hoping the next hiatus won’t be as long."

I've always been a huge RATM fan since the mid 1990s, and they were a huge influence to me when I was in various bands through high school and college.  I was disappointed that they split up, and Audioslave just didn't have the same effect for me.  This is awesome, I can't wait to see if they get around to making a full album!

 

 

 

 

Posted by jonny12gauge @ 7:20 pm EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments