Notes from Jeff Running

Map perspecives of the U.S.

Here are two informational maps of America that provide an insight into regional differences.

The Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy
This truly varies by region of the country. I have no problem with either Pop or Soda. It's the people who call everything Coke that bothers me. There are so many varieties why would you call it Coke.

Electoral Vote Predictor 2004
This handy map is updated daily with new state polls. I've added it to my list of daily reading. It provides a unique view of how the country is divided politically.

Car Fire

So, we just had a car fire in our parking lot. It's a good thing I didn't bring a lunch today. My little trip to Wendy's saved me from being parked right where the fire occurred. I'm luckily parked on the other side of the lot when I returned from lunch. I feel bad for the employee whose car caught on fire. She's a temp that's working in our call center. A car is a big investment for someone who works for a temp agency. There were actual flames coming from under the hood. Two fire trucks and a police car responded to the fire.

Power Car Windows

I've never been a big fan of power car windows. I don't mind them when they’re working perfectly, but as soon as they start going on the frits they're no longer any fun. The car that we just donated a couple of months ago would occasionally have problems. It seemed to misbehave during certain types of weather. Not having a working window in the middle of the summer when you just want to feel a breeze or at a drive through window is a major inconvenience. You end up having to open the door and yell around it. It also confuses the people at the window. At least with power locks you have a workaround. They don't remove the manual option. I'm a big fan of power locks since they provide you with more options. With power windows it's almost like they've taken some of your options away. The worst case scenario is you drive into a lake which cuts the power to your windows; effectively cutting off your escape route. With manual window you don't need power or even the keys to roll down the windows. Why isn't there some type of manual option?

More Movie Reviews

Spiderman 2
This was a great summer flick. Even better than the first one and left you waiting for the next one.

Garden State
Garden State is the Lost in Translation of 2004. Zach Braff will have a successful career as an actor and director. I’ll probably end up buying this on DVD. The characters and locations involved in this film seem to flow from scene to scene.

The Village
This film was fairly disappointing. I expected a lot more from M. Night Shyamalan. He’s beginning to disappoint me. This film would have been better as a short. Oh, and another thing if as a director you’re going to put yourself in the film make the appearance early and small.

The Bourne Supremacy
This is a great movie, which expands on the first film without losing the feeling of the original. I can't wait for the third one.

Net Worth Update

My net worth at this moment is $22,498,595.43. However, I'm expecting a huge bump later today when the weekend movies adjust. It should be about 1.5 to 2 million in my favor. This last month has been good to me. Plus, I'm now ranked number 91 on the Year to Date list.

As always, keep in mind that this is a stock game and has no reflection on real life.

HSX status update

For two days in a row now I've been on the YTD-LEADER BOARD. First in 100th place and now in 94th place with "1001.88 % H$22,037,695.84". Now I just have to keep up with everyone.