When I feel most alive … go ahead, take your shoes off!

I pulled up to McDonald’s drive-thru today (I know it’s sad, but I didn’t feel like anything else), and some dude steps up to my car and asks me “What can I get you?” Seems a bit odd to you doesn’t it? Well it’s the latest fad in customer service seemingly, and this well-mannered McDonald’s employee was armed with his Palm (or some kind of handheld computer), and ready to take my order and transmit it to the computers inside the restaurant. Then when I pulled up to the payment window, there’s another guy standing outside of that window who walks up to my car window and says “Hi. $3.04, right?” And I’m like “Yup!” and I hesitantly hand him my debit card to take to the person behind the window to process my transaction. He brings it back and I pull forward to get my food and head on my way.

I guess it sped-up the service, since there were two of them out there walking down the line of cars at the drive-thru, taking orders, so we didn’t all wait to use the normal drive-thru microphone system. And, I think they are trying to give employees more hours since for a few weeks this McDonald’s is drive-thru only since they are renovating the inside (except for the kitchen).

But even if there weren’t any great time-saving, efficiency boosting reasons , I felt more appreciated, and maybe that sounds dumb. I mean, we are talking about McDonald’s here! But hey , who cares, why not?

Matt sparked this post when I read on his away message the following:

I have to be real. Sometimes when I am using my iBook, I wonder how the rest of the world can possibly stand wandering around in the computing dark ages with Windows.

Also, it was spurred by a coworker of mine who was surprised when he found out that I own an Apple Powerbook but am also a developer/computer-nerd/programmer! He thought that certainly someone so knowledgeable and involved in the computing world would not have an Apple!

I told him that on the contrary, I know too much to buy a Windows PC. I know a good computer and OS when I see one, and my experience with computers only makes it clearer!

I think maybe in the next week or so I will post a few reasons why I prefer Mac OS X to Windows XP, so that others can be brought out of the “dark ages”, and understand why I would do something so “crazy” as own and use and love my Apple computer.

I applied for the job of Mac Genius this week with 3 Apple Retail Stores in the N. VA, MD area. It is almost the ideal job for me, but the biggest downside that I can see right now is that I would have to work mall hours (evenings and weekends) since all the Apple Stores are in malls. But other than that, I would get to do some of my favorite things: fix people’s Macs and help them learn to use them better, teach others, constantly learn about new technology, serve people, work with Apple Computers, and interact with people (vs. sitting at a computer all day).

I will be talking to a recruiter hopefully soon to get some answers to my questions about hours and other things like salary.

I would really LOVE to work for Apple. But I can’t seem to get past the problem of hours. Unfortunately, this might not be the best job for me. I will continue looking for other opportunities elsewhere to do similar kinds of jobs.

Let me know if you have any ideas!

Remember those old books from when we were kids called “Choose Your Own Adventure”? Well, I remember them even if you don’t! Stop laughing at me now.

Anyway, I wanted to play a little game called “Choose Scotty’s Own Adventure”

Here’s how it is played: I give you a bunch of choices and you tell me which one you like best (or feel free to suggest some of your own) (via comments or email).

Let the Adventure Begin:

Scott is halfway through his internship at Crusade Headquarters in Orlando, FL and has to begin considering what in the world to do with his life once September 2005 hits.

Should he: (choices listed in no particular order)

A. Go on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ to reach crazy psycho college students?
B. Work at Hardee’s flipping monster thickburgers until he pays of his million dollars in college loans at the rate of $7 an hour?
C. Get a job at Apple selling cool stuff like iPods and Mac minis or writing cool software for Mac OS X?
D. Move to NY, speak in a scratchy voice, get involved in organized crime and go by “Slick Scotty”?
E. Move in with his parents until he’s about 40?
F. Get his own reality TV show and do whatever he wants just because he can?
G. Never shave again and get in the Guiness Book of World Records?
H. Live in the Home section of Walmart, live off chicken samples, and stow away in people’s cars to get places?
I. ??????????????????????????

Make your choice!

When Apple announced the new iPod Shuffle it used some clever advertising humor. For those who just don’t know any better, they thought it would be best to put a minor disclaimer on their webpage for the iPod Shuffle. (They took it off the website now)

“2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle”

Whew!!! I am so glad….. I was actually considering eating one!

Apparently this guy was thinking the same thing: (and he wrote a fun poem about it) Read it here: “I Ate iPod Shuffle”

I was going to put this on my other blog (the nerdy one) but I thought it wasn’t quite nerdy enough to make it over there. There aren’t enough esoteric words used in the blog entry, it’s not hard enough to understand what in the world I’m talking about, and it’s really funny, so why not? I mean, if you think about it, this entry is really just about food, and I talk about food all the time, and everyone loves food. So it’s totally normal!

In conclusion, let me know if you have an iPod Shuffle and whether or not you have tried to eat it. I’m interested to hear how that has worked out for you!

Here is my December/January Update! It is a little late, but interesting nonetheless!

A few weeks ago, I did something that I have never done before in my life. I went to a professional wrestling match. It was AWESOME!!!

Justin and I went to Universal Studios at 6pm after work for the taping of the TNA: Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling show IMPACT! They tape two shows at a time every other week. IMPACT! airs on FOX Sports every week. So we were on TV!

It was pretty fun! We did alot of screaming and cheering, even if we had no idea who those crazy looking wrestlers were. The crowd really got into it at points, even taunting their least favorite wrestlers as they tried to brag to the audience after a match with chants like “Get your hat, your coat, and leave” and “Boring! Boring!”

If you are ever in Orlando for a vacation, you should check out IMPACT! It’s a fun time for the whole family!

Fallen Angel putting a hurtin’
on A.J. Styles!