Eclectic Echoes

Lunar Eclipse

Captain Plaxo

I (well, my wife and I) keep getting these email invitations from a family member:

Hi again, I noticed that I didn’t get a response from my last email to you. I’m using a new tool called Plaxo to update my address book. Your information will not be shared with anyone else. You do not need to download any software from Plaxo or register with Plaxo to send me your information. Please take a moment to review the information below from Plaxo and click the button to correct or confirm your contact information with Plaxo. If you want to update your address book too, get Plaxo at…

P.S. I’ve attached my current information in a vcard. If you get Plaxo too, we’ll stay in touch automatically.

The person who keeps sending these is a nice guy, but…
most of the emails from him are the latest jokes from the net (many not so “latest”) and chain e-mails. We would like to stay in touch, to keep up with what he is up to and how he is doing. If he were to start a blog somewhere we would look in on it weekly or get the feed from it. But that’s not really the point of this…

This Plaxo thing. What a naming disaster. Plaxo hmmm. What does that make me think of…

Get Plaxo - the all new mouth wash and tooth whitener that works while you sleep. Plaxo also enhances your breasts and enlarges your penis - ALL at the SAME TIME.

But WAIT!
Plaxo also cures baldness, cold-sores and dysfunctional relationships! Get your Plaxo today!

Plaxo is not responsible for any of the hundreds of side-effects you will experience, including but not limited to baldness, violent spasms, erectile dysfuntion, heart failure and brain damage. In an inconclusive 83% of test cases Plaxo caused severe tooth decay, leading to complete emergency denture replacement.

Of course, Plaxo is not any of that, but if someone were to ask what I think of when I hear the word Plaxo, well there you go. Right up there with Viagra.

No, no, this is an online, contact management application for Outlook. Dont believe me? Google it.

I’m not providing a direct link because I view Plaxo as an evil little spam and spam harvester application.

Left Wing, Right Wing

With the elections only a bit over a week away, it’s been funny in a way to see all the stickers, posters, hats, shirts, diapers, pins, bags etc bearing a political message, telling me who to vote for. This time around it seems food has firmly entered the political market as well. (big surprise considering)

First there was W ketchup, to counter the Heinz ketchup lines. Now there are a pair of “Wing” sauces for hot wings etc. There is the Left Wing Sauce which claims to be great with fish, steak, lobster and shrimp. The label admonishes that the sauce is “Not to be used Conservatively”. Across the aisle is the Right Wing Sauce which sounds more like an old fashioned wing sauce. It’s also a bit spicier than the left. (!!) The label on this sauce instructs us to use it “Liberally”.

Anyone got any other PG rated, politically targeted condiments out there?

Compassionate Capitalism

Just got back from a two week visit back “home.” This was a last minute trip aside from the holiday trip planned for later this year. The reason—a new job! Whooot! It is not high salaried (all the employees are paid the same wage), and it isn’t exactly a glamorous job — but you know, after three years of under-employment I don’t give a rat’s you-know-what. Someone gave me a chance to show what I can do, and didn’t screen me out in the HR office because the degree check mark was missing. Even more important I can make a difference for these companies, who strive to provide good jobs to people from the community who would have a hard time finding meaningful employment elsewhere. That is something I really believe in — compassionate capitalism. I wrote on it a bit before when I mentioned supporting local companies that invest in and support their community. I just didn’t think the community I would be involved in at work wouldn’t be Mystic. I will continue to support Mystic as well, by shopping as much as possible from local businesses that also support Mystic’s community.

Funny, I have moved across the country many times, only to find myself working for a company in my “hometown”, which is now located half a country away from my home.

The initial visit went very well, even though there was a scare involving a critical server upgrade. Luckily someone was watching over my shoulder (and the company’s) — Thank you God for all the answered prayers!

Now Playing: Ray Boltz - Thank you for giving to the Lord:[5:41]