The Workermonkey

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

The weekly itinerary, which a PDA would help with. 

# posted by DJ Booze Piñata @ 3/30/2005 06:50:00 PM

Matt - I'm looking forward to Sin City too. Now give me a PDA, you louse. I need it more than your dad's empty box does (no offense to Mrs. Barone).

So this week's been chock-full of events, mostly work-related. On Monday we had our monthly Chamber-Member Breakfast series. It's like 800 people packed into the Cromwell Radison's main banquet room. The speaker this time was Congressman Larson (D-East Hartford). The overall theme this time around was how Connecticut seriously needs to keep up it's high-end tech research, or else we'll lose our manufacturing base to China and our tech base to California and Michigan (stem/fuel cells). Larson actually dropped a few jaws in the audience. And I quote:

"Now, I'm going to level with you people. I've been an insider down at the capital for years and I'm telling you right now: No one believes we are in the Middle East for the sake of democracy. We are in the Middle East to secure the flow of oil to the Western World."

From there on, he spoke about how we need to invest heavily in emerging technologies like fuel cells. In fact, he spoke for like 15 minutes on it which completely floored me. My pet issue for the past umpteen years has been renewable resources, which is best served by hastening the conversion from a carbon-based to hydrogen-based economy. I'm not an engineer and I'm not a lobbyist (yet), so I would end up in the "sign my petition" doldrums. And here is a Washington insider speaking to a crowd of 800 business professionals, politicians, and community leaders, and tells them all at once and with urgency that Connecticut needs to take the lead in developing fuel-cell technology and converting our systems to suit it.
"Do you think we can make fuel-cell powered heaters and air conditioners in the next few years? Can we make fuel-cell powered school buses? I see no reason in favor of inaction." He just made it the whole topic of his speech. I was amazed. And right before that he was saying how it's a shame that the government ends up wasting its time on matters like Terri Schiavo when it could be taking the initiative in more important things. Good man. I didn't feel like sticking around to talk after, so I emailed him thanking him for projecting my pet issue down the throats of pretty much every influential person in the county. I asked that his Legislative Aid for Energy get back to me on whether there will still be lots of fossil fuel emissions from the initial electrical need in splitting the hydrogen from oxygen. (Every politician has legislative aides for lots of different issues. It saves them tons of time having specialized folks advise them.) Maybe he'll respond, because he went to elementary school at the same place my mom is now principal of. They've met a few times because he's spoken to classes there since.

On Tuesday there was a Business After Work "Taste of Middletown" auction and networking event. Like 400 people were crammed into that Italian joint above Cantina (across from the courthouse and behind Regal's). Lots of awsome free food. Typhoon's plate impressed me the most. I wanted to win the 2 free Destinta movie passes because they're unlimited until December. Of course my odds were small so I didn't. Destinta has sub-par A/V quality compared with Showcase or Hoyts anyways.
I ended up seeing Mr. and Mrs. Coles, who I haven't seen in like 6 years. Last breakfast event, I confused Terri Concannon (former selectwomen/Jared's aunt) for Mrs. Coles and I did the same thing this time except the other way around. Once I saw "I-make-bald-look-good" Mr. Coles I figured it out though. So guess what Jared Coles is now doing. The answer is printed upside down inside the cereal box.

Saw Chili P a total of 3 times this week. Is there anything he doesn't volunteer for?

These chicks invited me to a Rusted Root show on Thursday at the Webster. If anyone wants to go let me know. I know it's short notice.

On Friday there's an after-work social sponsored by the Young Professional's Alliance. (Since everyone at the Chamber is acronym-happy they call it YPA - pronounced "yippa". I've been making suggestions that it should be changed to "Yo Pro" since "yippa" sounds more like a chiuawua alliance. Receptions have been positive.) I've been asking around, and it seems that if I started going to these forums I would be the youngest one. The cutoff is 35, and even that's observed loosely. The current youngest is 25-26. Amazing. No wonder I get called "kiddo" at work. Unless the fair Irish maiden who works upstairs joins, and then the youngest is 22. That reminds me: it's always seemed like a disproportionate amount of people I see at work are Irish. The big boss has more shamrocks and leprichauns in his office than I've ever seen collected in one room. Hell, he has more shamrocks than I've ever seen collected by a squad of Dublin sorority girls during haze week. The Dubliners always put Limerick's bitches to shame, I hear.
Which reminds me, this week's Fantasy Baseball standings are in........The Leprichauns beat The Unicorns at thier home stadium on Saturn.



Oh yeah, and Jared is now a Web Designer for Lockheed-Martin. I can guarantee you he's scored with more defense contractor chicks than most web designers could.