tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51723192012-01-12T20:58:37.260-06:00Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comBlogger5871100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-34277033503440944592010-04-05T09:12:00.000-05:002010-04-05T09:12:18.819-05:00

I have to say that I was very excited at the prospect of a new Apple product.  So much so that I did pre-order an iPad.  First I reserved it at the Apple Store near my house.  Then I decided I would rather have it shipped.  So I canceled that reservation and had it shipped to my house.  Then I realized that I wasn't going to be home this weekend and there isn't an Apple store where I was going to

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-863279528900231032010-03-22T19:51:00.001-05:002010-03-22T19:51:50.147-05:00

I have gone without Twitter now for more than a month.  Guess I don't need it anymore.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-83101423640450010912010-03-11T13:15:00.000-06:002010-03-11T13:15:58.713-06:00

Every time you get a new phone from any wireless provider they charge you a set up fee, so today my curiosity has gotten me thinking about the iPad.  Since they are offering no contract pricing on the 3G model, are they going to charge you that set up fee every time that you turn the service on?  Say you only need it for the month because you are traveling and regularly you have access to wifi. 

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-42670465866527350212010-03-05T13:37:00.000-06:002010-03-05T13:37:34.741-06:00

I fear that The Office is becoming the new generation of Friends.  - Stay tuned for a very special baby episode of The Office.  Then what?  Does the show turn in to a series of episodes about how they deal with the baby until one day next season the kid is 5 years old and we aren't supposed to notice, but it was the only way to keep the kid in the episodes without having to explain why there

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-31210184085092199312010-02-28T20:19:00.002-06:002010-02-28T20:19:41.870-06:00

Yesterday I installed a dog door and Lou now knows how to go in and out the door.  I still don't trust her to realize when she needs to go to the bathroom though.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-10723459679941062672010-02-27T08:51:00.001-06:002010-02-27T08:51:52.349-06:00

LouOriginally uploaded by hugeguyThe dog is doing well. She has only had one accident in the house and it was my fault. She is starting to go to the door to go outside, though a lot of the time she just goes out and then wants to come back in.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-39633621645442132512010-02-19T08:20:00.000-06:002010-02-19T08:20:15.486-06:00

This week I unsubscribed from a lot of websites that I had in my RSS reader.  I wasn't reading most of them anyway.  I decided to look at my trends page today to see what the drop off was, but apparently it doesn't count your items as posted after you deleted them, but it appears it keeps them as items read.  The only anomaly in this is from Wednesday this week when I read some recommended items.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-58241627547917091162010-02-18T12:16:00.000-06:002010-02-18T12:16:07.292-06:00

Since I moved back to the States I have wanted to get a dog.  When I was living in an apartment, I didn't feel right about getting one and not having anywhere for the dog to be other than pooping in the common area of the complex, which I think is really not cool.  So I moved into my house and still wasn't adimately looking, but did look around a bit.  I initially wanted to get a lab, but soon

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-50223437373841599312009-12-29T08:25:00.000-06:002009-12-29T08:25:57.200-06:00

So apparently airport security goofed up and let someone on a plane that shouldn't have been on a plane, and in addition, he was also allowed to board the plane with banned materials.  In response to their mistake, law abiding citizens will now have new rules to live by when flying.  I don't exactly understand what they are yet, so I am not going to jump to conclusions.  But doesn't this seem

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-35076960729384509552009-11-20T08:55:00.000-06:002009-11-20T08:55:52.063-06:00

I moved back the states at the end of May this year.  I knew that this would be the place that I would live for a while, so I knew I wanted to purchase a home.  I also knew that I wanted to re-evaluate my credit cards and what I was getting from them.  I have carried 2 credit cards for a while. For a long time the two cards I had were: Card #1 - 10% of each purchase appeared as a point(s).  Each

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-7764913669523096272009-11-18T20:29:00.000-06:002009-11-18T20:29:56.241-06:00

Where all employees must have worked at Johnny Rockets for a minimum of 2 years.  It also seems that some of their customers are Johnny Rockets employees.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-74667656021680025952009-11-18T13:00:00.000-06:002009-11-18T13:00:44.061-06:00

Graphics to not make a game fun. This is just an observation and does not reflect any current game playing activity.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-62099599055926474442009-11-12T09:38:00.000-06:002009-11-12T09:38:35.031-06:00

I read this and decided that I don't buy it. Political Views & Food Preference Survey The premise is that people have different food preferences based on their political affiliation, or different political affiliations based on their food preference.  Like I said, I don't think it is true.  Being conservative leaning, this would suggest I am twice as likely to like fast food than a liberal

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-8141788271598319452009-11-04T09:22:00.002-06:002009-11-04T09:51:43.728-06:00

Did anyone watch V last night? I did. I was excited for it because I remember a lot from the original series and think it can be done way better now.But the big thing that stuck out to me was that the Visitors are going to provide free health care to all everyone on Earth. So in case you were wondering, Obama is a Visitor and underneath his human skin, he is actually a lizard waiting to steal

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-11773060250712509612009-10-30T17:29:00.001-05:002009-10-30T17:29:03.121-05:00

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-8053217855747089432009-10-29T10:12:00.001-05:002009-10-29T10:14:18.466-05:00

The Season 8 Trailer was posted today. Jack's Granddaughter calls him 'Jack', totally appropriate. Warning, this will make you excited for the new season of 24 and it is still 79 days away.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-75818529013915409522009-10-15T08:28:00.004-05:002009-10-15T08:41:15.043-05:00

I went to the Ducks Unlimited Banquette for the Kingwood/Humble chapter last night and I wanted to point out some highlights of the evening.Door prizes were ok, quite a few gun cases, hats and other camouflaged things. 66% of our table won a door prize, including a member of the board at the chapter who won the first giveaway. The raffle, silent auction and live auction items were pretty cool.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-45201063697435481702009-10-13T08:44:00.002-05:002009-10-13T09:11:32.227-05:00

To preface this review of the XM SkyDock, I should tell you that I wasn't happy with my XM unit that I had in my truck.#1 - It was constantly falling off the dash, due to poor stickiness and the heat of Texas.#2 - The stupid radio fell apart almost immediately, the buttons started falling off about a week after I got it.#3 - The wires that were run for power and for the antenna were coerced

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-22837558605872057082009-10-09T12:35:00.003-05:002009-10-09T12:37:44.791-05:00

So, the offer was accepted a few days ago, the inspection has happened, I have told the financing people that everything is going through, I have called the insurance company to tell them and get my quotes in order, but I don't know whats next?Can anyone tell me if I should be doing something?I feel like there has to be something that I need to be doing. I haven't had a phone call or any

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-59632278438517107822009-10-05T16:48:00.001-05:002009-10-05T16:49:34.238-05:00

I have been playing the Hollywood Stock Exchange for roughly 10 years. I have decided that I am done with it. They start you with 2 Million dollars to invest and I was up to 30 Million. I just don't find the time to go there anymore and keep up with it.It was a fun game though for a while.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-65105047650242988232009-10-02T12:41:00.002-05:002009-10-02T12:46:19.248-05:00

On Monday I made an offer on a house. It is basically exactly what I was looking for, with the exception of the fact that the lot is only 8,000 sqft. I was hoping to find something with a half acre+, but I put that aside when I figured out that would put me pretty far outside the city. Tuesday passed with no word.Wednesday passed with almost no word.Thursday afternoon, the seller's gave me a

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-58597882559229197792009-09-24T07:55:00.001-05:002009-09-24T07:57:15.248-05:00

Just wanted to update and say that the operation was a success. Freezing these works out perfect and it takes about 2 minutes to reheat them to an edible level.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-41391227903088580102009-09-23T19:15:00.003-05:002009-09-23T19:22:23.153-05:00

In addition to salsa, I have expanded into new areas of making my own food. 1. Bread - my sister in law gave me a bread maker. So far I have made 3 loafs of bread. The first loaf was dense and nasty, the second was big light and fluffy (good). The third loaf I made 2 nights ago and is already more than half gone. It is not as light and fluffy, it is great for sandwiches, but I have also made

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-83576580110005894642009-09-18T22:21:00.003-05:002009-09-18T22:23:00.398-05:00

Either this was the worst iteration of the iPod ever, or Apple really mis-planned when they built them to sell, they built way to many.iPod Shuffle Refurb

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-55444878628683010232009-09-17T12:56:00.004-05:002009-09-17T13:03:22.779-05:00

I wrote this for thevastminority.com 5 years ago, and I still like the idea.A few years ago I heard a news story about ‘luxury lane’ in L.A. California. The concept is basically that people can pay money to get a pass so that they may use the HOV lanes while there is only one person in the car. The idea has caught on in other cities as well. Why do I bring this up now? The story is over four

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-11092831552545583062009-09-16T19:03:00.002-05:002009-09-16T19:05:38.408-05:00

I got home right before lunch time, so I decided to work from home the rest of the day. I made myself a ham sandwich for lunch, and while that may seem pedestrian, I made it with bread that I made in my house. It was really good, though I wish the bread were a little more dense. When dinner rolled around, I decided to cook some dove that I brought home with me from Midland. So I made that and

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-86273329652167406302009-09-14T10:51:00.006-05:002009-09-14T10:54:18.578-05:00

I wouldn't count on getting rid of any of the refurbished models under the new pricing.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-59162893090387406362009-09-10T13:16:00.002-05:002009-09-10T13:21:57.853-05:00

Google is apparently the #25 and # 26 most downloaded application from the app store. Incredible!

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-88416871309705768812009-08-22T17:18:00.003-05:002009-08-22T17:22:39.508-05:00

Pictures are up now on Flickr, and I want to start you with a couple of things that were fun about Vegas.1. A police officer had to tell a couple to attend to their baby when they both went to gamble and left the child in a stroller about 20 feet away.2. People will wear anything in Vegas. When it comes to the tag line, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", I assume they mean the clothes that

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-25000876245226695282009-08-14T11:12:00.003-05:002009-08-14T11:36:09.715-05:00

I have just finished putting together some numbers regarding the current US Senate and have some fun facts for you.There are 11 Senators that have spent 40+ % of their life in the Senate, the highest percentage being Ted Kennedy who has spent 61% of his life in the Senate.There are 34 Senators who have served 3 or more terms in the senate, the most terms being Senators from Hawaii, Massachusetts,

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-68953334428705262712009-08-10T12:14:00.002-05:002009-08-10T12:25:12.657-05:00

The Facts I can confirm about E85:1. There is no proof that burning E85 in your vehicle is any better than burning gasoline2. E85 is about 15% Cheaper than gasoline3. One should expect (based on research) to get 15% fewer miles per gallon while using E85 vs. gasoline. I, however, noticed a 28% decrease.4. E85 is much more expensive per mile than Gasoline.5. E85 is tagged to the price of gasoline

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-83100930903090881592009-08-09T20:13:00.002-05:002009-08-09T20:19:17.272-05:00

Just a few thoughts about the movie:1. I am pretty sure that there was no dialogue in the script and when it went to the director and he asked about it, the writers went back and wrote a two dozen or so random things for each character to say. Most of these included cheesy lines to prove that they had seen the original cartoon, or had seen the toys at some point in their life.2. The only line of

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-35199463749825326262009-07-28T15:51:00.005-05:002009-07-28T15:57:19.554-05:00

IMDB for some reason has "Spoiler Alert" written over its plot key words until you mouse over it. But most of the time it doesn't make any sense.This is from a movie called Shades of Ray:And When you mouse over you get:I don't know how either of those two phrases could possibly ruin the plot, so I went to look at Return of the Jedi to see what it said.The Plot itself seems to ruin the plot, am I

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-78250415786768634892009-07-15T20:50:00.003-05:002009-07-15T20:53:41.173-05:00

Weeks after moving into this apartment, I have decided it is time to start unpacking. Seriously unpacking. This evening I put together the second bed and put away some boxes as well as started putting some old bills and such in a bag to shred. I found my original birth certificate and social security card, both of which I had to replace recently. Still can't find a few things, but they can

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-21606359705379464062009-07-13T14:50:00.002-05:002009-07-13T15:00:46.263-05:00

Approximately 2 months ago now, I changed jobs with my company. At that time, with apparently no one that knew what they were doing, I was terminated. I didn't ever know about it until today. You see, I was still getting a paycheck, I was still coming to work, deductions were being made from my check for health insurance, retirement, tax etc.Today though, when I checked to see why I haven't

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-72876385954727173262009-07-13T09:29:00.003-05:002009-07-13T09:38:31.632-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I decided that I wasn't going to be hungry for a dinner type meal, but that I wanted a snack. Quickly I decided that I was going to make fresh salsa, so I went to the internet for a recipe (really just the ingredients, since the recipe is throw in blender, turn on).There are far too many websites out there that are designed to give recipes to visitors of the page, but none

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-49698979082474430502009-07-09T09:33:00.001-05:002009-07-09T09:37:15.168-05:00

It has become very apparent to me that there are a lot of people that work for my bank that don't know anything about the services they provide.When I moved to Dubai I had issues setting up an international transfer so that I could deposit money into my foreign bank while I was there. This was mostly set up so that I could write checks for my car while I was there.In addition, I also asked my

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-62819388628356532262009-07-06T08:46:00.004-05:002009-07-06T09:29:40.473-05:00

I am reading through the Cap and Trade bill that now sits in the hands of our incredible elected officials in the Senate. Well, I came across a section on electric vehicles that "will" reduce the carbon emissions when they are introduced. This is specific to plug in and charge electric vehicles and the states that elect to use them and manufacturers that choose to produce them. I don't buy into

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-18865389629585495752009-06-30T13:16:00.001-05:002009-06-30T13:18:18.547-05:00

I wouldn't even call it overdue, more like tardy. I removed 'In Dubai' from my header.That is all.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-12148926041575405252009-06-23T20:13:00.003-05:002009-06-23T20:25:47.005-05:00

MapQuest released an application for the iPhone last week and it is awesome. The link at the beginning of this post links to the iTunes App page. I really dig the application. The one thing that I really like about it, as opposed to the maps application that comes with the iPhone, is that it can mark the location of local points of interest. For me this is great because I just moved to a new

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-43493117973994144672009-06-22T20:48:00.004-05:002009-06-22T20:54:32.638-05:00

For everything that Google does well, for everything I say "Google is the coolest" about, I have finally found something that I hate that Google has done.Contact Sync sucks. I had a feeling that it was going to great problems, but when I finally got to it, it created huge problems. I did a lot prior to starting the sync up so that I wouldn't run in to too many problems. 1. I made sure that my

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-75892453158526800762009-06-11T18:50:00.001-05:002009-06-11T18:51:36.494-05:00

I really thought I was done with travel. I thought my job was to hang out and get things figured out. I thought life was going to be a lot easier and in one place for a while. I thought wrong. I am in Oklahoma City for about a day and a half. Looking forward to getting back to Houston.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-80337032438851730342009-06-09T07:54:00.001-05:002009-06-09T07:55:34.799-05:00

The Following was in my email this morning:As specialists in lending, Direct Cash Finance provides the flexibility,responsiveness and industry expertise you need to meet your financial goals.Whether you are looking to fund growth or achieve financial security, weoffer a full array of loan products designed to give you peace of mind.Do you need a business loan, personal loan, home loan, auto loan,

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-65061801074592632012009-06-02T17:56:00.002-05:002009-06-02T18:03:29.665-05:00

Have you ever tried to figure out what Boba Fett's Grandmother's name was, Jango Fett's mother?Mark and I decided to run a few names through:Nick: I really want to play the new Star Wars gameMark: What, the Old Republic?Nick: yeahMark: I haven't seen any game playNick: Neither have I, but the video makes me what to try it, that is good advertisingMark: Yeah, the trailer is awesomeNick: I wonder

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-56614490600953343062009-05-19T11:28:00.002-05:002009-05-19T11:39:21.616-05:00

. . . and why I don't think they work.Its pretty easy really. I don't think they work because of a lack of actual advertising. One thing that I don't think Apple does and it seems all that Microsoft is doing is attacking the opposing platform. It seems that Apple attacks Microsoft by pointing out what they have and Microsoft doesn't. The new Microsoft advertisements don't even mention

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-29608214859051477782009-05-18T09:27:00.002-05:002009-05-18T09:34:31.195-05:00

I am down to two days and change on my time in the Middle East, and while I am certainly not forgetting it, other people seem to be counting down the days as well. My current boss sends me an email each morning with the total time left until I get to Houston for instance. I have now closed every account and returned everything that I need to return. The truck was the last thing on the list and

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-43606119701136769142009-05-16T06:37:00.003-05:002009-05-16T06:45:41.223-05:00

I am down to 4 days and some change until I move back to the States. Today I finished cleaning out the apartment and moved to a Hotel/Apartment. This place is better than the apartment I lived in and for roughly the same money. I should have just lived here. Nice place with breakfast in the morning and a bar, room service with a few items. They clean once a week. There are two televisions a

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-44720238387373127312009-05-13T02:34:00.002-05:002009-05-13T02:36:49.054-05:00

3 series that are tied 3 - 3. The 13th and 14th are going to be two awesome nights of Hockey.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-61937017587256191572009-05-12T06:02:00.003-05:002009-05-14T00:55:01.450-05:00

Everyone should know that when Pittsburgh was down in the series against the Capitals 3 - 1, I told my brother that they would win the series.The series is now tied 3 - 3 and game 7 is tomorrow night. I really wish I could watch it.UPDATE : Pittsburgh Wins Game 7That was a good prediction.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-9552507940423677602009-04-29T06:18:00.002-05:002009-04-29T06:24:20.012-05:00

I decided to check my itinerary today as I am scheduled to fly out tomorrow night back to Dubai. I am really happy I checked because there was something very wrong with my flight. Rather than book me on the non-stop flight back to Dubai, our travel guy booked me on a flight that stops off in Sri Lanka. Seriously, who books anyone on a flight that stops in Sri Lanka right now? Let me just book

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-20219588411440219062009-04-26T00:34:00.003-05:002009-04-26T00:35:32.784-05:00

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-15742801197215662622009-04-23T02:18:00.002-05:002009-04-23T02:21:43.588-05:00

I think we all knew that when the oil price dropped business was going to slow down.I think we all knew that when the organizational changes were announced work was going to slow down.I think when the layoffs started we knew people were going to work slower.I don't think anyone ever realized how lazy everyone could really be when all of these things happened at the same time.Emails are not as

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-21994506151583718212009-04-23T02:16:00.003-05:002009-04-23T02:18:27.486-05:00

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-86669915169012964002009-04-19T00:51:00.001-05:002009-04-19T00:53:15.527-05:00

Try it out, it occupied about 10 minutes.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-40517428568438993912009-04-18T07:48:00.002-05:002009-04-18T07:58:13.822-05:00

In January we started some jokes around the office here in Dubai because we had heard that there were some changes coming to the company. None of us were totally sure what that meant. As time passed more and more we were joking about it.In late March they changes were announced and they were pretty big. Quickly it was known that if you were a manager with the company your job was going to

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-79206924991342800712009-04-12T16:33:00.002-05:002009-04-12T16:37:26.084-05:00

I am now bored enough that I just paid 8 dollars for an hour and a half of internet. I went through my emails from work and nothing looked terribly important, so I just skipped over them for now. Once I get home I will go through them a little more thoroughly. I have walked around almost the entire airport goofing around and looking for something to do, but I found that there was nothing. At

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-52281470723401904882009-04-08T07:57:00.001-05:002009-04-08T07:57:52.836-05:00

I have no idea how this didn't get a theatrical release.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-24167514157216558732009-04-02T06:55:00.003-05:002009-04-02T07:01:42.052-05:00

Hours 1 - 6So far I haven’t done a whole lot. I watched 20 minutes of the Dark Knight, but since I have already seen it 20 times, because it has been to only good movie on my flights for the last 4 months, that I couldn’t handle it. I went on to watch another movie, but apparently it was so memorable that I have already forgotten what it was. After that I turned on Numbers. It is an ok

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-85759214631798762802009-03-30T02:34:00.002-05:002009-03-30T02:48:04.429-05:00

In one fell swoop, I can save the country almost 40 Million Dollars annually, and it isn't by any tax or by changing any social program. I know 40M sounds like a small amount, but if we extend my plan further it could end up being more.1. Cut the salary of Senators by $80K per year.Senators currently earn almost $180K per year. If we were to cut that back to a less lucrative wage, $100K, I

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-29406794533737297592009-03-17T03:29:00.001-05:002009-03-17T03:31:50.607-05:00

Don't look for a lot of new pictures on Flickr from me for a while. Flickr, which was blocked with one internet service, is now blocked with the other. So I am searching for a new way to get pictures up. One way that I had used in the past to upload pictures, and watch television, was to use a proxy called Hot Spot Sheild. Sadly it has also been blocked.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-63091340808679631112009-03-13T09:54:00.003-05:002009-03-13T10:02:44.111-05:00

Some rules for flying:1. If you cannot find your seat without the assistance of a flight attendant, you should probably not fly. This rule goes double for anyone who is holding an economy class ticket and slows down in business class just to make sure that their seat isn't there.2. If you are flying in economy, act like it. I know it would be nice if we could all fly first class, but we can't

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-16013307356152722842009-02-27T12:47:00.002-06:002009-02-27T12:50:08.585-06:00

Reviewing my iTunes purchases from the beginning. The first thing I bought from iTunes back when I started using it 5 years ago was a Ben Folds EP. But it wasn't until 2006 that it looks like I started to use it as my primary source of music purchases.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-36567318422249877982009-02-25T11:43:00.003-06:002009-02-25T11:46:30.053-06:00

They missed an area where our money will be going:Government Bureaucracy

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-37010497436075031862009-02-23T05:31:00.002-06:002009-02-23T05:42:47.098-06:00

If you carefully look at this picture you will see that Amazon is bundling products for two different cameras. A battery for one set and a trigger for another. I am not so sure after my last two browsing sessions that I trust Amazon anymore.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-71165640067715127112009-02-22T01:24:00.001-06:002009-02-22T01:25:40.856-06:00

Looking around the interweb this morning I noticed that the highest grossing movie of 2009 so far is Paul Blart: Mall Cop. I thought this was sad until I noticed that nothing good has been released this year.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-24590091387657287732009-02-21T07:34:00.002-06:002009-02-21T09:40:17.078-06:00

I can't believe Jack or Chloe didn't see that coming.  I also can't believe they aren't using Morris "stay at home daddy" O'Brien in their operation.   I am glad to see that Aaron Peirce is back in his full bad assery going to pick up the first daughter, but I wonder what is happening with Ms. Logan.  Are they still dating?  Does everyone still hate President Logan for killing Palmer?  Where is

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-771392897619594352009-02-11T10:49:00.005-06:002009-02-11T10:55:30.432-06:00

Sometimes the Kindle doesn't save you money.PaperbackKindle EditionBut notice it still says, "You Save"

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-65144713624834713732009-02-08T23:30:00.002-06:002009-02-08T23:42:41.544-06:00

One year ago today I was boarding a plane to Dubai to take a job. Ultimately this job has turned out far better than I thought it was going to and I have far more responsibility than when I first arrived.When I first arrived, it seemed like they were already talking about moving me home. As the year went on, it seemed less and less likely that I would be home quickly. At this point, I am not

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-33613852194823838002009-02-08T10:40:00.002-06:002009-02-08T10:41:03.040-06:00

I don't get people that watch music videos.  Am I the only one that thinks they are totally uninteresting?

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-9230043207812788122009-02-07T23:59:00.002-06:002009-02-08T00:49:02.894-06:00

Because the new Kindle will likely be release tomorrow or in the next couple of days, I thought it would be an appropriate time to tell everyone what I think of the first Kindle after about 5 months of heavy use.I really enjoy reading, but it became a huge pain in the butt when I moved because book stores here don't carry a lot of the things that I want to read and shipping from Amazon is

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-55803883962444709902009-02-03T05:12:00.003-06:002009-02-04T04:08:57.862-06:00

I have decided over the past month that I will not be paying taxes anymore. The decision was not made lightly. I have carefully weighed the pros and cons of not paying taxes and it seems very clear to me that there are no real cons to not paying taxes. Sure, it is money that I owe to the government (and onwards to the people of my country) for the pleasure of being a citizen.But the positive

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-84548558405202336272009-01-31T11:21:00.000-06:002009-01-31T11:22:39.181-06:00

I am now caught up with 24. I am looking forward to the next episode. Still behind on Scrubs and the Office.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-44447159985800049852009-01-28T05:05:00.002-06:002009-01-28T05:06:39.624-06:00

I am behind by 2 episodes now. The only time I can really watch it is early in the morning and while I have been waking up early lately, it hasn't been to get up an watch American television.I am excited to see what has happened over the last two hours.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-29401366244328448352009-01-28T00:54:00.001-06:002009-01-28T00:55:39.349-06:00

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-59035561902092755632009-01-25T22:37:00.004-06:002009-01-26T00:32:40.247-06:00

Joe Biden in reference to the closure of Guantanamo, "There's no question it has to be closed. And we don't think it's inconsistent to deal with our national security and our Constitution." I have provided a link to the constitution here: ConstitutionI think it is safe to say that the constitution is meant mostly for US Citizens. The only place in the constitution where "No person . . ." is

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-77791699932049618762009-01-24T07:34:00.002-06:002009-01-24T07:36:15.012-06:00

I really enjoyed the movie. It is a pretty accurate look at Mumbai, or India as a whole. The story was pretty good. It kind of reminded me of Millions, which was a Danny Boyle flick that came out a few years ago, and by a few I mean a long time ago, because I know I saw it in Denver.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-3955686179733280172009-01-24T07:29:00.002-06:002009-01-24T07:32:47.707-06:00

Pretty cool program. I might have to get an Apple TV at some point so I can use it on my television.I will certainly use it to watch a lot of my HULU programming and maybe a few other shows.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-63542625564599006442009-01-23T08:47:00.002-06:002009-01-23T08:50:25.768-06:00

I am trying out new comments. This is just a test post to see how it works.UPDATE: It didn't work

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-4838631211486698252009-01-23T08:10:00.003-06:002009-01-23T08:20:58.048-06:00

My parents arrived in Dubai on Tuesday night. I picked them up at the airport and brought them to my apartment. We then went to get something to eat. The following day, I went to work and my parents spent the day walking around the area that I live in.Thursday, I had to work again, but I suggested my parents go to the Dubai Mall to see the Burj Dubai, the Aquarium, the Discovery Center, and

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-88338836883667293292009-01-18T08:25:00.003-06:002009-01-18T08:29:11.530-06:00

Last year I was a little pressed at the end of the year to make my miles for Emirates Gold. Part of the reason I took a short vacation at the beginning of December was to make sure that I got over the Gold limit for miles. But shortly after I took over the Asia Pacific Market and I flew a lot more miles. By the end of the year I had 72,000 miles, 50K is needed for Gold. Today I looked at my

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-23259097131225636852009-01-09T02:30:00.002-06:002009-01-09T02:36:17.944-06:00

Yesterday morning I got to my truck and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. But as I was driving to work, I noticed my rear fender flapping in the wind. In the work parking lot I took a look at the back of my car and it was smashed up pretty bad. Apparently someone had hit my car in the apartment parking lot. I called the police and told them what happened and asked what I needed to

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-69400196332890467152009-01-09T02:26:00.003-06:002009-01-09T02:29:59.422-06:00

Tomorrow I start my first trip of 2009. I leave here on Saturday and fly to Bahrain and then head on into Saudi. I will spent 3 days in Saudi. Tuesday afternoon I head back to Dubai, but just for a layover. After about 2 or 3 hours in the airport I will head to Mumbai for a little less than 48 hours. I get in at about 3 am Wednesday morning and have 2 days of training. Thursday afternoon I

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-26603568481439556972009-01-02T12:56:00.001-06:002009-01-02T12:56:06.195-06:00

Emily has come to Dubai and is now on her way home to the States. We had a great week here. New Years Eve we went for a nice dinner at the Murooj Rotana and then to the Double Decker Pub for about 2 hours around midnight. All together it was a great week and an especially good birthday.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-30181931022808416172008-12-31T08:33:00.002-06:002008-12-31T08:38:36.263-06:00

New Years Eve has been canceled in Dubai, tomorrow will be December 32nd.Keep this in mind when telling me what dates things are happening.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-5495888022865243882008-12-25T08:05:00.002-06:002008-12-25T08:07:29.928-06:00

Like all you can eat Thai food and all you can drink beer. It was a good outing with some other expats from around the world. Now it is time to settle in for the night and follow my Thai beer with Mexican beer and Vodka. I think they will all get along.Merry Christmas.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-57386858608972883922008-12-20T08:31:00.002-06:002008-12-20T08:51:33.037-06:00

First off, I have a few additions to make to the Worldwide Driving Rules.Perth:1. Actually, I don't have much to say. Everyone there drives pretty normally and doesn't get too upset about anything. Except for the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the rode, everything is normal.Singapore:1. Again, a country that drives on the wrong side of the road.2. It seems to me that better

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-3987631302916329512008-12-10T08:07:00.002-06:002008-12-10T08:09:29.204-06:00

You have to read the whole thing for it to be funny. This is from my boss to send out to the company.I am pleased to announce that Nick will assume the responsibility for all the MEAP Region Inventory Management, effective immediately. Since February 2008, Nick has been the MEAP Region Inventory Manager responsible for the Middle East North and South. Nick will now additionally cover the Asia

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-79179184609765433272008-12-09T01:46:00.003-06:002008-12-09T01:59:45.655-06:00

I am packing up now and getting ready to head home to Dubai.I have a few things to say about Athens that I previously haven't mentioned. Overall, the people here are great, but there was the occasional person that was put off by me asking directions. I had a map, but most of the streets don't have street signs, so in the nicest way I could, a few times, I had to ask someone who looked local for

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-46516925812650251532008-12-08T11:59:00.002-06:002008-12-08T12:02:16.229-06:00

To preface this, I am in Athens right now and can see some of the fires from my hotel balcony.Do you want to know why protests don't work? Because I think I know the answer. It is because we (people) can't gather as a group and act responsibly long enough for anyone to hear what we (people) have to say. By the time anyone comes around we (people) are already breaking windows and lighting things

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-4288937553998768362008-12-08T04:54:00.002-06:002008-12-08T05:05:57.385-06:00

1. Larry King should not praise Michael Moore for saying the same thing over and over again. "Obama needs to make the big 3 auto manufacturers make trains, light rail, and more fuel efficient cars, that is what will save the industry" I am not sure how that will save the industry. What they need to do is make vehicles that people want. When they do that, people buy cars. When they make ugly

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-56687642921553268922008-12-08T02:46:00.002-06:002008-12-08T02:51:32.610-06:00

Year to Date Miles Flown on Emirates Airlines: 48,800Miles Needed for Gold Class Membership: 50,000Miles to Fly before the end of the year: 15,000 (plus 3,000 if I go to Egypt)Plus everything I fly between now and the end of the year is doubled for usable miles because of a promotion.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-41321565879898157732008-12-08T00:37:00.002-06:002008-12-08T00:43:49.768-06:00

My work computer and not handle having both and iPhone and a Blackberry plugged in to it. It was kind of funny to here the computer go through some kind of identity crisis connecting and disconnecting the blackberry over and over.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-53289786211738152232008-12-07T07:32:00.005-06:002008-12-07T07:47:18.509-06:00

Day 2 is coming to a close and today I had another day of hiking around the city. I started this morning wanting to get to the Acropolis and my plan couldn't have been better. Wake up early, get there as early as possible to avoid some of the major crowds, then move on to all the other stuff around it that I wanted to get to. This was a great plan. . . That was put aside due to the fact that

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-82266782404038822032008-12-06T09:41:00.002-06:002008-12-06T10:08:20.367-06:00

I flew into Athens yesterday and took a walk around the area where my hotel is. After that I stopped for a bite to eat. I really like the feel of eating out in the Eastern Hemisphere. You sit down and they don't rush you to order. They come by every 10 minutes or so to see if you are ready. After you order they serve you after about 20 minutes. Then they don't bother you for anything until

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-50924433308548253042008-11-27T08:07:00.003-06:002008-11-27T08:11:53.507-06:00

Thanksgiving is basically passed for me now. My day was relatively good, though I couldn't believe that they didn't have any turkey in the canteen today. I had some chicken for dinner and a crappy apple pie. I guess I will finish the night by playing a video game or watching some terrible television. But, I hope everyone else has a great thanksgiving.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-77055090249972800352008-11-24T09:32:00.003-06:002008-11-24T09:44:17.420-06:00

I have been pretty bad about updating recently, and for that I apologize. I hope that some of my funny little experiences have helped keep people interested.The Boring:Since I came back from the States, I have been working a lot. There have been some stupid things happening around the office, and around the company. At one point I was supposed to take over a different area, then it wasn't mine

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-63037042073883667112008-11-15T02:58:00.003-06:002008-11-15T03:01:32.290-06:00

I am still pretty amazed that there are websites out there that require a specific operating system to use. I could understand if it were "requires Windows Media Player", but for it to require Windows is a bit ridiculous. This comes from a major television network in the US.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-91939603749465963282008-11-09T09:23:00.005-06:002008-11-09T09:28:42.931-06:00

I was looking for Christmas presents. This came up under a search for "stuffed animals" which I guess makes sense.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-86172710600499121892008-11-08T02:21:00.002-06:002008-11-08T02:24:29.789-06:00

I just wanted to let you know that it is unlikely that I am going to follow your instructions just to see advertisements. I would prefer 30 seconds of silence to ads.

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5172319.post-40142561981870644972008-11-07T12:01:00.002-06:002008-11-07T12:06:08.468-06:00

Tonight the weather was great for being outside. I went down to the bagel shop at the base of the building next door. I went there on Wednesday night and it was pretty good, and tonight I went down to have some coffee and hang out. While I was there, a guy came over to talk to me and as it turns out, he was the owner. Really a nice guy. I talked to him for a couple of hours and he told me

Nicholas Frermanhttps://profiles.google.com/104508123965392783924noreply@blogger.com